Michael Psilakis' Ladolemono (Copycat)

Before I share today's recipe, I had to show all of you this picture I received over the weekend. The picture is of a 10 year old girl making a recipe from my cookbook. I know there are many of you that stop by Carrie's Experimental Kitchen on a regular basis and I'm so glad I can encourage you to try new recipes in your own kitchen. It especially made me glad that I've inspired someone so young to form a new passion. Her mom is a friend of mine and has told me she flips through the book all of the time looking for something new to make, but her favorite recipe is Bruschetta. SEE, if my recipes are easy enough for a 10 year old, you can do it too! Thank you all for reading and following along on my daily kitchen experiments, I truly appreciate each and every one of you. <3

Ok and now for today's recipe, which technically isn't one of my own, but rather one I found while reading through one of my food magazines recently. I loved the simplicity of it so much, that I had to share it with all of you as well. I came across this recipe for Ladolemono created by Michael Psilakis; which is a citrusy Greek sauce that is traditionally served with lamb, chicken or fish.

Since I love the flavors of fresh squeezed lemon juice, oregano, Dijon mustard and extra virgin olive, I decided to use it as a marinade instead of a dipping sauce for grilled chicken. The Ladolmeno was deliciously light and really made the grilled chicken extremely moist.

For my version, I used fresh oregano instead of the dry Greek oregano the recipe called for since that is what I happened to have on hand. Click here for the recipe: Michael Psilakis' Ladolemono. 

Enjoy!

Lemon-Thyme Brined Grilled Chicken

Grilling season has officially arrived here in NJ (well at least at my house...I don't like to use the outside grill unless it's above 60 degrees!) and I couldn't wait to try out some new grilled chicken recipes. The first one I experimented with was a basic brine marinade like I've used in the past on pork, and came up with this Lemon-Thyme Brined Grilled Chicken. 

Asian Marinated Pork Spareribs

Well, we survived the first few days of back to school with only a few little glitches and are in full swing with school-sports mode here at the Farias household. I actually made today's recipe about two weeks ago as my kids were dying (well not literally of course) for ribs. I hadn't made them in a while (May to be exact) and since the end of summer was nearing, it only seemed fitting to make them again. I didn't want the traditional kind with bbq sauces, so I made this soy sauce based marinade instead. These were delicious and sticky and gooey...all of the things a sparerib should be and the family LOVED them! 

Asian Marinated Pork Spareribs
2 Full Racks Pork Spareribs
Prepared Asian Marinade

Directions:
1. Cut racks in half forming four racks. 
2. Place them in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. 
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. 
4. Remove ribs and brush with the prepared marinade. 
5. Either grill the ribs until they are browned or bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes. 
Serves 4-6. 

Asian Marinade
3/4 c. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
2 tbsp. Ketchup (I use Heinz)
1 tbsp. Stone Ground Mustard
1/2 c. Honey
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 c. Scallions, chopped

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan, mix well, then bring to a boil. 
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until sauce has thickened. 
3. Let cool.

Enjoy! 

Corona Grilled Pork Chops and The Summer BBQ Calculator

The weekend before last, I had taken out a pork loin roast from the freezer, but we were so busy hanging curtain valances, cleaning and organizing the house that time got away from us. I was no longer in the mood for a roast as the day turned out to be gorgeous. I didn't feel like turning the oven on, so we decided to invite over last minute guests and grill instead. I cut down the roast into chops so we had individual servings and if you've never done it before, it's really quite simple (and economical most of the time too!).  

How to trim down a pork loin:
1. Trim excess fat from the loin on all sides. 
2. Next, mark the the top of the roast with a sharp knife where you will be cutting the meat through to ensure you get even cuts. (I like to start in the middle using that as my guide for the halfway point; then use each half as another guide.) I got 8 chops out of a 2 lb. roast. 
3. Once you have your guide, cut all the way through, trimming any residual fat. 

I don't drink beer myself; however, the alcohol does burn off during the cooking process. These were deliciously moist and so light and flavorful! 

Corona Grilled Pork Chops
8 Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops

Marinade
1 c. Corona® Beer

2 tbsp. Granulated Sugar

2 tbsp. Kosher Salt

1 Lime, zest and juice
1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp. Honey

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix beer, sugar, and salt until it dissolves.
2. Add lime zest and juice, cilantro and honey and whisk together until well blended.
3. Trim any visible fat from your pork chop; then tenderize the chop using a meat mallet or the bottom of a glass.
4. Add the pork chops and the marinade to a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for no more than 2 hours.
5. Remove the meat 15 minutes prior to grilling, discard the marinade then grill the pork chops until the proper internal temperature is reached. Serves 8.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Calories 166, Carbs 1g, Fat 6g, Protein 26g, Fiber .1g, Sugar .7g 

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate. 

The Summer Barbecue Calculator

I was reading the July 2012 issue of Real Simple Magazine while on vacation and came across this article on how much food to make for a summer barbecue and thought it was spot on.  And since this coming weekend is one of the biggest BBQ weekends celebrated in the US, I thought I'd share the tips with you. 

For the Food:
For each guest, you will need:

• 1 1/2 servings of any burger, hot dog or sandwich
• 1 1/2 cups total for side dishes or salads combined (for example: pasta salad, coleslaw or potato salad)
• 2 platters of cut up fruit or vegetable crudites for every 25 people

For the Drinks:

For each guest, you will need:

• 1 1/2 alcoholic drinks per hour
• 2 gallons of lemonade or iced tea for every 25 people if you're also serving alcohol
• If you're going barless, bump up the number to 4 gallons of alcohol-free drinks for every 25 people

Enjoy! 

Shared at Recipes for My Boys Thursday's Treasures 8/30/12

Soy-Ginger Grilled Flank Steak

According to an article in the June/July issue of Taste of Home Magazine, grilling meat over high temps triggers the formation of carcinogenic chemicals called heterocyclic amines (HCA's). They say if you marinate meats for at least 1 hour before you grill, you can cut the HCA formation by 57%-88%. Marinating meat in spicy liquids that contain oil, water, vinegar and herbs is especially effective. 

I always like to marinate before grilling anyway (and I didn't even know it was better for you!) as I feel it's adds it's own uniqueness to whatever you happen to be cooking whether it's chicken, pork, beef or fish (yes, I do grill shrimp for the hubby and kids!). Take this flank steak for instance. A few simple ingredients created this fabulous, flavorful meal. 

Soy-Ginger Grilled Flank Steak
1-2lb. Flank Steak

Marinade
1/2 c. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Brown Sugar

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Add the steak to a resealable plastic bag and add in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to grilling. Discard marinade and grill to desired doneness. 

Enjoy!

Memorial Day Marinade & Salad Favorites

BBQ's. It's all about the MARINADE and SALADS! 

Today, I'd thought I'd share the top marinades and salads that I have created here on the blog over the last year to get you started with your Memorial Day celebration!


Let's start with the TOP 5 MARINADES!

This was actually one of the first pictures I
took on my blog over a year ago. I'd like to
thinkI've improved! Don't let the picture fool you,
the flavor was INCREDIBLE!

#5 

Marinated Coconut Rum and Lime Chicken Breasts (Serves 4)

4 Chicken Breasts, bone in

1/4 Cup Coconut Rum, like Malibu®

1 Tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 Lime, zest and juice

1/2 Cup Canola Oil

1 Tbsp. White Vinegar

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

In a bowl, whisk together the rum, cilantro, zest and juice from the entire lime, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add the chicken to a resealable, plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Remove chicken and let stand at room temperature for approximately 15 minutes prior to cooking. Bake at 350°F for approximately 1 hour or until the internal temperature reads 180°F with an instant read thermometer. 

#4 

Wine & Balsamic Marinated Filet Mignon

4 Filet Mignon

Marinade

1/2 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 c. Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 c. Dry Red Wine (I used Malbec)

1 tbsp. Stone Ground Mustard

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt

Whisk all ingredients together until well blended. Add the meat and the marinade to a resealable bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Discard marinade and let rest at room temperature prior to grilling to your desired internal temperature. Serves 4. 

#3

Balsamic Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

6 Boneless Chicken Breasts

Marinade

1/4 Cup Honey

1/4 Cup Grey Poupon® Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 Cup Canola Oil

1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Whisk all ingredients together. Add chicken to a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Remove chicken and discard marinade. Grill until the proper internal temperature is reached. 

#2 

Lemon-Ginger Grilled Pork Chops

4 (4-6oz.) Pork Chops, boneless, center cut

1 Lemon, juice only

1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated

1 tsp. Honey

2 tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1 tsp. Sesame Oil

2 tbsp. Canola Oil

In a bowl, add the lemon juice, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame and canola oils and whisk together. Trim any fat from your pork chops and add them to a resealable plastic bag along with the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the bag from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling to bring the meat to room temperature so the meat cooks evenly. Cook until proper internal temperature. Serves 4. 

#1 

Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Marinated London Broil over Sauteed Mushrooms

2 lb. Top Round London Broil

50 ml Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey 

1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar

3/4 Cup Canola Oil

1/2 Cup Scallions, chopped

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/8 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients (minus the beef). Add the london broil to a resealable plastic bag and add the marinade. Refrigerated 4 hours and grill to desired doneness. 

Sauteed Mushrooms

1-10oz. Package White Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp. Butter

2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 Cup Beef Broth

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

In a large saute pan, melt butter and add mushrooms. Cook until soft and add remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally until liquid is absorbed. Serve hot. 

*Click here for a complete list of all Marinades 


And now for the Top 5 Salads! 

#5

Tropical Corn Salad

3 Ears White and Yellow Corn on the Cob, cooked

1 Mango, peeled and diced

2 tsp. Red Onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. Fresh Mint, chopped

1/4 Cup Pineapple Juice

2 Tbsp. Canola Oil

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Remove the corn from the husks and separate the kernels. Place in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Serve chilled. Serves 4-6.

#4

Cold Chicken and Grilled Vegetable Pasta Salad

1/2 lb. Pasta (I used Penne)

4 Chicken Tenders

1/2 Zucchini, slice vertically in 1" strips, then chop

1 Slice Red Onion, then chop after grilling

1 Cup Grape Tomatoes, halved

1 Cup Haricot Vert, blanched

2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil, chopped

1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/3 Cup Canola Oil

Garlic Powder, to taste

Kosher Salt, to taste

Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Cooking Spray

Cook pasta according to package directions and let cool. Spray your grill with cooking spray and heat. Season the chicken tenders with some garlic powder and add it to your grill. Cook approximately 5-7 minutes and remove; let cool and dice into bite sized pieces. Next, add your zucchini and onion slices and grill until they have slightly softened and have nice grilling marks; remove, let cool then chop. In a large bowl, add your pasta, chicken, zucchini, onions, tomatoes, haricot verts, basil, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate. Serves 6-8. 

#3

Basil Pearled Cous Cous Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes

1 pkg. Near East Pearled Basil & Herb Cous Cous

1/4 c. Sun Dried Tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp. Red Onion, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

3 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Prepare cous cous according to package directions and let cool. Add to a bowl then add in the sun dried tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serves 4. 

#2

Pasta Salad with Avocados & Black Beans in a Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette

1/2 Box Barilla Piccolini Mini Zucchini & Spinach Wheels Pasta

2 Ripe Hass Avocado, pitted and chopped

1-15oz. Can Black Beans, rinsed

1 Large Plum Tomato, diced

2 Scallions, chopped

Prepared Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain and let cool, then add to a large bowl. Add the avocado, beans, tomatoes, scallions and prepared vinaigrette and mix well. Makes 8 cups

Goat Cheese Lime Vinaigrette

1/4 c. Crumbled Goat Cheese

1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 Lime, juice only

1/4 c. Distilled White Vinegar

1/4 c. Canola Oil

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Whisk all ingredients together until they are well combined. 

*1/2 Cup Serving Nutritional Information: Calories 119, Carbs 15g, Fat 4g, Protein 4g

*1 Cup Serving Nutritional Information: Calories 237, Carbs 30g, Fat 9g, Protein 8g

#1

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1-15oz. Can Black Beans, rinsed and drained

2 c. Corn 

1 Roma Tomato, finely chopped

2 Scallions, chopped

1 Lime, juice only

1 tbsp. Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp. White Vinegar

3 tbsp. Canola Oil

1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt

1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 8 (1/2 cup servings).

Nutritional Information: Calories 130; Carbs 17g; Fat 6g; Protein 4g 

*Click here for a complete list of all Salads

I'll be off-line most of the weekend, but check back here on Tuesday where the contestants from the Home Grown Chef Challenge will have their recipes posted all throughout the day! They will have until midnight (est), Sunday, June 3, 2012 to get people to view their recipe. Once the Top 5 Recipes have been decided (based on the most page views), I will create a poll on the blog itself where YOU, the readers, can vote on YOUR favorite recipe. This will be done on Monday, June 4, 2012 and will run until Midnight (est) Wednesday, June 6, 2012. The recipe with the most votes will win a $50 Williams Sonoma Gift Card along with a customized bamboo cutting board. All winners will be announced by Thursday, June 7, 2012.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED! XO

Lemon-Ginger Grilled Pork Chops

Happy Monday~I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! This past Friday I attended a Food Blogger conference called TECHMunch and had a great day learning some tips from some of the industry's best, as well as meeting some of my favorite food and lifestyle bloggers. All in all it was an informative day filled with lots of laughs and good food. Who could ask for anything more? 

On another note, I was recently diagnosed with high cholesterol but not high enough to be put on medication, which I'm happy about. But, I do have to start watching what I eat,  exercise more frequently, and find foods that help lower cholesterol like Ginger. Here are some health benefits of Ginger I found on eHow.com

1. Look for whole ginger root that is light brown and knobby in appearance.


2. Store the ginger wrapped in a paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag. Keep this bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.

3. Peel fresh ginger before you use it. Instead of peeling the whole root, only peel the portion that you cut off to use.


4. Look for recipes that call for ginger (like this Lemon-Grilled Pork Chops I have listed below!)
5. Add ginger to a variety of foods to lower your cholesterol. Use ginger that is grated, minced or chopped in homemade ice cream, soups, salads, marinades and vegetable dishes.


6. 
Take ginger root juice to treat high cholesterol. Insert ginger into your juicer or add the juice to a vegetable-juice cocktail.



Tips & Warnings
1. Do not confuse ginger, or ginger root, with ginseng, a plant that grows above ground.
2. Despite the benefits of ginger, it can have unpleasant side effects, such as bloating, heartburn, burping, gas and nausea. 

3. Ginger that isn't chewed or broken down properly can block the intestines.

4. Avoid using ginger as the sole treatment for high cholesterol. Ginger should be used as a supplement to other treatments, such as exercise and diet.

5. It may be tempting to freeze ginger to keep it from going bad, but freezing it will result in lost flavor.

I made these pork chops last week and didn't even realize the benefits of ginger lowering my cholesterol until now, so I was pleasantly surprised. These were deliciously light and citrusy and were a huge hit for dinner.

Lemon-Ginger Grilled Pork Chops
4 (4-6oz.) Pork Chops, boneless, center cut
1 Lemon, juice only
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1 tsp. Honey
2 tbsp. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Sesame Oil
2 tbsp. Canola Oil

In a bowl, add the lemon juice, ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame and canola oils and whisk together. Trim any fat from your pork chops and add them to a resealable plastic bag along with the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the bag from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to grilling to bring the meat to room temperature so the meat cooks evenly. Cook until proper internal temperature. Serves 4. 

Enjoy!

Shared at Thursday's Treasures on 5/24/12

Raspberry-Lime Grilled Pork Chops

Do you remember me talking about my recent trip to Disney and how I found a store with wonderful herbs, spices and teas from The Spice and Tea Exchange? Well, while I was there, I also picked up some of their Raspberry Sugar. My first thought was to use it in baking, maybe in my Raspberry Linzer Tarts, but then decided I'd use it in a marinade instead. When I started this blog last April (yes, my 1 Year Blogiversary is right around the corner!), my first recipe was for Grilled Pork Chops with Lime and Cilantro and I didn't even have a picture of it (I guess I'll have to make it again because they were incredible!). Now that the weather has taken a turn for the better, it's time to start firing up the grill again so I thought I'd experiment with this sugar in another type of brine and it paid off. Though, they were a little pink prior to cooking, they did turn to their normal color once grilled and the flavor was AMAZING!  

Raspberry-Lime Grilled Pork Chops
4-6oz. Center Cut Boneless Pork Chops, trimmed
Prepared Raspberry-Lime Brine Marinade


Add the pork chops and marinade to a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, then remove 15 minutes prior to grilling to allow meat to come to room temperature. Grill meat until the proper internal temperature is reached. Serves 4. 


Raspberry-Lime Brine Marinade
3/4 c. Water
1.5oz. pkg. Raspberry Sugar by The Spice & Tea Exchange
1 tbsp. Raspberry Preserves, seedless
2 tbsp. Sea Salt
1 Lime, zest and juice


Whisk together all ingredients until the sugar and salt have dissolved. 


Enjoy!






*I was not compensated in any way by this product. The opinions shared are my own. 

Chicken in a Ginger White Balsamic Marinade

Like I've said many times before, if I buy a new product, I fully intend to use all of it to the last drop. So when I made the pasta salad the other night, I also made this marinade with that Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar for my chicken. I really wanted to use boneless chicken breasts, but I only found thighs in my freezer so that's what I used instead. I then had to bake them since I didn't get a chance to fill my propane tank yet and the day got away from me (don't you hate when that happens?!). I also don't like to get the tank filled when my kids are in the car. I know the likelihood of something happening is slim to none, but all I can envision each time I put one of those tanks in my car is me getting into an accident and BOOM! If I'm going to go up to the Pearly Gates, I'm going alone with no passengers! (And if you read my Kreativ Blogger Award where I recently had to admit 10 things about myself, this statement wouldn't shock you...Hello, My Name is Carrie and I'm a little neurotic!) It didn't matter. These were incredible just the same. 

Chicken in a Ginger White Balsamic Marinade
8 Chicken Thighs or 4 6-ounc Boneless Chicken Breasts


Marinade
1/4 c. B.R. Cohn Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 c. Canola Oil
3 tbsp. Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1/4 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until well blended. Makes approximately 1 cup. 


Add the chicken and the marinade to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove chicken, discard marinade then grill or bake at 350 degrees until the chicken has reached the proper internal temperature. Serves 4. 


Enjoy!

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