A lesson in contrast...

When I saw this on myrecipes, I just knew I had to try it. Talk about summertime grillin'!!! The sweet juiciness of the peach paired with the rich, peppery bite of the arugula and then the tartness of the vinegar -- Wow!!! We loved it! And for once, we didn't change a thing!!! This is definitely a meal to impress!!!

Grilled Peaches and Pork

4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut pork loin chops
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted (about 12 ounces)
Cooking spray
6 cups trimmed arugula
1 teaspoon turbinado or granulated sugar

Place each piece of pork between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and pound each piece to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Combine 2 tablespoons vinegar, juice, thyme, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon juice mixture. Pour the remaining juice mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add pork; seal and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour, turning occasionally. Preheat grill to medium heat. Place peaches, cut sides up, on a plate; drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar. Place pork on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until pork is done. Set aside. Place peaches, cut sides down, on grill rack; grill 4 minutes or until soft and slightly browned. Turn and cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Cut each peach half into 4 slices. Slice pieces of pork into 1-inch-thick strips. Drizzle trimmed arugula with reserved 1 tablespoon juice mixture, tossing to coat. Divide arugula evenly among 4 plates. Top with grilled pork strips and peach slices; sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar.

* We grilled the peaches with the skin on, which made peeling afterward so much easier!!!

BLT Blowout...

As usual, the other day Tara and I were discussing what we were making for dinner. I told her about the Betty Crocker email I had gotten and thought the BLT wrap looked really good. It was a good thing too because my pantry was bare and those ingredients were about all I had. Well, she had the same ingredients on hand too. So, we both made the same dinner Monday night. Being a recipe follower - I made it exactly as I was instructed to!!! ;) lol... It was very good but Tara's version might have been better. I think the Ranch dressing that she added probably took it up a notch. Guess I'll have to do it that way next time!!!

Kathy's BLT Wraps

8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
2 cups bite-size pieces lettuce
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
1/3 cup mayo or salad dressing
6 flour tortillas

Toss all ingredients except tortillas. Spread one-sixth of bacon mixture on each tortilla. Fold up bottom third of each tortilla; roll up to form cone shape with folded end at bottom. Enjoy!

Tara's BLT Wraps

Ingredients:

• chopped lettuce
• chopped tomatoes
• 6-8 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon
• chopped avocado
  
• couple squirts of Ranch dressing
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and wrap it up!

Tara

Rachel from Rachel VS. "The Kitchen" is celebrating her 100th post today!!! Congrats Rachel!!! She's also having a giveaway - so go on over and check it out!!!

Something different...

My family and I LOVE Chicken Cordon Bleu. The other day I ran across this recipe on Allrecipes and thought these would be fun to make. They were a big hit at my house and will definitely be on the menu again, real soon!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites

16 ounces ground chicken
3/4 cup cooked, diced ham
1 egg
1 cup bread crumbs ( I used Progresso Bread Crumbs - Italian Style)
6 ounces Swiss cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
canola oil for pan-frying

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Combine the chicken, ham, and egg in a large bowl until well blended. Gradually add bread crumbs until the mixture loses its stickiness and can be easily formed into balls.
Form the chicken mixture around the cheese cubes, forming 2 inch balls. Place on a plate.
Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil in a deep skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fry the balls until the outsides are golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels, and place in baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until cooked through and cheese is soft, about 20 minutes. Cool briefly before serving.

**Before frying the chicken balls in the oil I rolled them in more bread crumbs to give a outer crunch....YUMMO!

Tara

A Good summer salad...

I'm not really sure if we've posted this recipe before or not but this is one of my faves! We had it for dinner last night and I forgot to take a picture of it before I plunged into it. The longer it sits the better the flavors can soak in, but I do like the crunchiness of the noodles and they will get softer the longer it sits! ENJOY!

Broccoli Slaw

1 pkg Broccoli Slaw

2 pkg Ramen noodles, chicken flavor, crunched up with your hands

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup sunflower kernels

3-4 chopped green onions

**Sauce**

½ cup sugar

½ cup white vinegar

1 cup vegetable oil (I use a little less, maybe like 3/4 of a cup)

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 pks seasoning from ramen noodles

Mix the first 5 ingredients into a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the 5 ingredients for the sauce. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour the sauce on top of slaw mixture and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. ENJOY!!

I found the neatest tip...

for the BEST CORN ON THE COB EVER!!!! I found it over on Feasting Friends. Missy found a new technique that will give you that "sweet taste" every time you make corn on the cob. The secret is just adding a few simple ingredients to your water!!! For years I've been boiling my corn in just plain ol' water! She says that if you try it this way - you'll never go back to just plain water ever again!!! I can't wait to put some corn on my menu for this next week!!! How 'bout you? What's your secret to making sweet corn?

Sweet Corn on the Cob

4 ears of corn
water (enough to cover the corn)
3/4 cup Heavy cream (or substitute with milk)
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter (optional and to add to the water)

Fill a large stock pot with enough water to cover the corn. Add milk, sugar and butter. Stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then add corn cobs. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes, or until just tender. Do not over cook or the corn will become tough. Also, never salt the water, as it also toughens the corn.

Using long tongs remove and place on a plate or in a bowl, then cover with foil until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Beat the Heat...

Here's a recipe I found over on San Diego Cooks. What fun recipes they have!!!! Perfect for summer time!

Raspberry Pineapple Bliss

1-2 Packages Macaroon Cookies
1 (half gallon) Pineapple Ice Cream
1 (half gallon) Raspberry Ice Cream

Let both flavors of ice cream thaw slightly and then mix together. Make into ice cream sandwiches or crumble the macaroons and put one layer cookie, one layer ice cream until it fits in the bowl that you have chosen. Put back in the freezer for a few minutes. Serve and Enjoy!

* I think this is a great recipe to play with! The possibilities are endless! We are big chocolate lovers, so the next time we make this I might go more that route!

Chicken Tortellini Bake...

This is a great recipe that I found over at My Kitchen Cafe. The only changes we made were that we added garlic. Excuse the messy photo - I forgot to take the photo beforehand and that's all that was left!!!

Chicken Tortellini Bake

16 ounce package of cheese tortellini
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups (about 2 chicken breasts) chicken cut up into bite size pieces
3 green onions finely chopped, white and green parts
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup sour cream
2-4 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook tortellini for 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken for 1-2 minutes and add the fresh mushrooms, garlic and green onions, cooking until chicken is done and mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened. Mix in sour cream until mixture is creamy and slightly thickened. Spray a 9X13 pan with cooking spray. Pour tortellini in bottom of 9X13 pan. Sprinkle half the cheese over tortellini. Put cooked chicken/sauce mixture on top and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake covered with tin foil at 350 for 20 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 10-15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.