Tag Archives: grilling

Chicken Bacon Ranch Kabobs are a simple 5 ingredient meal the whole family will love!  They are very flavorful and a combination most people are already familiar with.  Try them for a quick weeknight meal or serve at a summer BBQ.  The kabobs are packed with crispy bacon, tender chicken, and are marinated in a homemade ranch dressing. The recipe can be found here. Start by adding the wooden skewers to a drinking glass filled with water to soak before grilling.  This will prevent the wood from catching fire on the grill.  Set aside until ready to use.  I like to marinate mine for at least a few hours.  Alternately, you can use metal skewers and skip the soaking process.  My preference is to use 6” skewers but 10” skewers also work, you just won’t have as many skewers. Add the olive oil, black pepper, and ranch seasoning to a gallon size Ziploc bag.  Shake slightly to combine. Slice … Continue reading

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Something I love to do from time to time is making homemade bread.  I don’t do it often because it can be time consuming, but nothing beats the taste of a hot, fresh loaf of bread right out of the oven.  I recently purchased the KitchenAid Bread Bowl with Baking Lid which makes creating artisan bread at home quite simple!  It’s essentially one bowl that goes from mixing to rising to baking.  First, I’ll walk through hot to make the homemade bread then I’ll walk you through my favorite recipe to use with the bread. The recipe for the KitchenAid Artisan Bread Loaf can be found here. Start by adding hot water to the KitchenAid Bread Bowl.  Swirl it around then dump it out and dry the bowl.  Secure the bowl on your stand mixer.  Attach the dough hook. Add the flour, yeast, and salt.  Turn the mixer on to … Continue reading

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It’s getting to be the time of year when grills get covered and ignored for a few months while we all hunker down and brave the cold temperatures from the warmth of our house.  If you are a die-hard griller that uses their grill year-round – kudos to you!  If you are like me and want to sneak in one last grilled meal before you stick to indoor cooking, keep reading 😊 Chicken Sausage Kabobs with Honey Balsamic Glaze are a quick and easy weeknight meal that is ready in about 30 minutes.  The chicken is moist, the vegetables are tender, and the pineapple adds a lovely citrus flavor to every bite.  My favorite part is the honey balsamic glaze.  It’s sweet and salty and creates this lovely coating on the kabobs.  I prefer to use bell peppers on the kabobs, but you can use zucchini, squash, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, onions, etc.  Feel free to really make the … Continue reading

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If you follow my blog, you are probably aware that I recently wrote a post about Grilled Jalapeno Poppers.  They are a great appetizer, a fun dish for a BBQ or cookout, and are full of flavor and spice!  I recently made a vegan version of the same grilled jalapeno popper recipe and want to share it with you today. The recipe can be found here. Jalapeno Poppers are essentially hollowed out jalapenos that are stuffed with cheese (non-dairy cheese in this case) and spices, are frequently breaded (we are skipping this step), and either fried, baked, or grilled to perfection.  They are a guaranteed crowd pleaser! To make my Vegan Grilled Jalapeno Poppers, you must first make Vegan Cream Cheese. You can buy plain vegan cream cheese from your local grocery store or make your own.  I prefer to make homemade vegan cream cheese.  For the most part, it … Continue reading

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The Minnesota State Fair is in full swing.  Do you plan on going?  I know a lot of people that plan on attending the fair and a lot of people that don’t, for various reasons.  I sure love the fair and missed not being able to attend last year.  Unfortunately, this year, it’s also not in the cards for me.  However, that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some delicious fair food at home, and you can do the same! First off, I want to share with you a link to a blog I wrote last year.  The blog is called Your Favorite MN State Fair Food…at Home, because that’s what the blog is about – creating and enjoying all the classic state fair foods in the comfort of your own home.  I wrote this blog because the fair was cancelled last year and wanted to give everyone the option of … Continue reading

Posted in 4th of July, Breakfast, Dessert, Grilling, Holidays, Labor Day Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, Party, Pizza, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State Fair Home Edition

If you are searching for the perfect appetizer or side for your next cookout, look no further!  Grilled Jalapeno Poppers are the way to go!  They are stuffed with an addictive mixture of bacon, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese.  The rich and creamy combination of the stuffing contrasts the spicy jalapeno peppers leaving you wanting more. This is a great alternative to the breaded and fried version because they are fresh, cook up nicely on the grill, and are quite addicting 🙂 You can even skip the bacon for a vegetarian option if you prefer. The recipe can be found here. We own a Jalapeno Grill Rack that we use for this recipe, which I find quite wonderful to use.  If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting one! Start by preheating the grill to 325 degrees F.  It can be tricky to keep the grill temperature consistent once … Continue reading

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If you are looking for a quick and easy weeknight meal that is customizable to individual tastes and will get you outdoors and grilling so you can enjoy the beautiful weather while you cook, I have just the thing!  Grilled Naan Flatbread is the answer to your prayers.  We’ve made this meal multiple times over the past few weeks because it’s so easy! The recipe can be found here. When I say recipe, I really mean grilling instructions.  You don’t need much of a recipe for the flatbreads because it’s just assembly – pick and choose your own toppings.  It’s essentially pizza, and you can’t go wrong with pizza, so add the toppings you like! Start by preheating the grill to 450 degrees F. Turn a baking sheet over and place a piece of aluminum foil on top.  This will come in handy later in the recipe when you transfer … Continue reading

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Himalayan Salt Blocks are a simple and fairly inexpensive way to cook your food.  The non-stick surface sears meat perfectly, the heat is distributed evenly throughout the entire cooking surface, the seasoning is built-in (because it’s a block of salt), and you can chill it to serve chilled food (think charcuterie board, etc.). We like to use our Himalayan Salt Block for grilling.  The thought process here is low and slow, but it’s worth it!  The fun to watch a block of salt cook your food but it also tastes amazing.  The meat absorbs some of the salt while cooking but don’t worry, it’s not saturated with salt…just a subtle hint. You want to add the Himalayan Salt Block to the grill over the lowest heat setting and gradually increase the temperature until the desired temperature is reached.  This will take time!  If you heat too fast, you risk damaging … Continue reading

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Have you ever used a wooden board to grill?  These so called “planks” are wooden board that are soaked in water and set over direct heat on a grill and used as a means of cooking food.  It’s known as plank grilling or planking. Planking is a fun way to grill!  The planks get a slight char to them that creates just a hint of smokey flavor that enhances the food.  I typically buy the cedar plank because I like the taste the plank gives off, and also enjoy the smell.  Cedar planks are the most common, but you can also buy cherry, hickory, maple, and more. You can grill fish, protein, or vegetables on planks.  Fish tends to be the most common and is a great form of grilling fish because it doesn’t stick to the grates.  Salmon is my favorite fish to cook on a cedar plank.  If … Continue reading

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It’s a great time of year to break out the grill and spend more time outdoors enjoying a meal.  Kabobs are a quick and easy meal to make and are very customizable; you can add any meat, vegetable, or seasoning of your choice.  We make kabobs more often than I want to admit because they are so simple! Today I want to share with you 2 recipes for vegetarian/vegan kabobs.  The first is Grilled Jackfruit & Vegetable Kabobs and the second is Grilled Vegetable Kabobs.  Both are packed with tender vegetables, are healthy for you, and incredibly tasty to eat.  Even if you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, you will enjoy these kabobs.  They also make a great side dish for any other grilled meal; pair a vegetable kabob with a juicy hamburger or chicken breast. For the Grilled Jackfruit & Vegetable Kabobs, I chose to use bell peppers (in multiple … Continue reading

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