Grilled Ranch Potato and Sausage Packets

Perfect Pairing: 8-cup glass measuring bowl

Friends!  Are you still with me?!  If you are, bless your heart. 

So… I have been majorly slacking on my little passion project, Perfecting the Pairing.  Let’s be honest, all of 2016 has been a bust, but the last two months have been ridiculous with ZERO posts.  I have a good reason!  Life has been bananas!  Wonderful, but bananas.  

In the last month Chris accepted a job in Iowa, we sold our condo in the city (closing soon), I started working remotely (it was an answered prayer to keep my job), we celebrated our one year anniversary, and we moved in with my parents until we close on our new home in Bettendorf, Iowa.  We kind of feel like our lives have been turned upside down but we are absolutely overjoyed with the exciting changes happening.  We are going to miss Chicago so much (especially our friends… and the restaurants) but we can’t wait to open the next chapter in IOWA.  If you follow this blog at all you know how much I love the lake where my parents live, so living there has not been a hard adjustment! 

Now that life has normalized a bit I am anxious to start blogging again!  These days I get to cook on a regular basis for more people and have access to all of my mom’s fun kitchen gadgets/serving pieces/spices/etc.  I have ZERO excuses!

The warm weather makes me want to grill all the time. Grilled foil packets are a quick and easy dinner with minimal clean up.  Everything is mixed together (potatoes, green beans, shallots, and pre-cooked chicken sausage) to make a complete meal.  The whole shebang is seasoned with ranch seasoning and red pepper flakes and thrown on the grill. 

So simple!

I pre-cook the potatoes for a few minutes in the microwave to speed up the grilling process.  I use my favorite 8-cup glass measuring bowl.  This is a must-have tool in my kitchen.  I use it all the time. 

 

Perfecting the Pairing is back!  

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  We got married! #LamsInLoveForever

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Greek Turkey Burgers

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pickle Dip (I just re-discovered this recipe and make it all the time.  Now I add a spoonful of hot pepper jelly!)

 

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Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon

Perfect Pairing:  Foil

About a year ago I started noticing miso recipes all over the internets.  I knew I liked miso.  What is not to like about miso soup?  It is salty and savory and all sorts of umami.  My knowledge of miso pretty much ended there.  I made a special trip to Whole Foods to find miso.  I was too proud to ask where it was, so I had a great tour of the store.  I did not find it on the shelf with other Asian foods which is where I was SURE it was going to be.  I found random packets of miso soup mix.  I stood in front of those googling trying to figure out if that was, in fact, miso paste.  It was not.  During the search I saw something about the refrigerated section and headed there.  At my Whole Foods it was chilling with the tofu and cheese. 

So I found miso paste….. red miso, white miso, mellow white miso.  Eh?  I JUST WANT MISO PASTE.  I decided to go with white.  That seemed innocuous enough.  It was a big tub and I had no idea how I would ever make a dent in it.  Guess what folks?  I just bought my second large tub of miso paste.  This stuff is the NUTS!

The first thing I made with it was this simple Miso Coconut Chicken and Rice dish.  It was fabulous.  I started using it in salad dressings, and mixing it with a little cream cheese to spread on toast for breakfast.  I also combined miso with butter and sautéed fresh corn in it with a little lime juice.  This was based on a dish my brother told me he had at a local restaurant.  Amazing. 

One of my favorite uses has been in this Grilled Sweet Miso Salmon.  Miso is mixed with brown sugar, mustard and rice vinegar and then basted on grilled salmon.  I grilled the salmon on foil so it is easy cleanup and dinner is ready in minutes.  

I served it with these super simple grilled seasoned potatoes and brussels sprouts.

Embrace the miso!

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Coconut Cream Pie

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Traditional Potato Salad

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Southwest Salad

Four years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Tomato Pie

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Caesar Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables

Perfect Pairing: Yogurt based Caesar dressing

Pasta salads can be so bad.  Rarely, rarely do I like pasta salads from restaurants or grocery store delis.  They all have the same odd taste and are just not worth the calories.  There ARE good pasta salads out there though!  I don’t want to pat myself on the back, but this one is really good.  I think I just did it anyway.

Grape tomatoes, whole button mushrooms, and sweet onions are grilled then tossed with pasta, arugula, and a super simple dressing.

The dressing is made with store-bought Caesar dressing.  I used this yogurt variety so it was a little lower in calories and fat.  The dressing is whisked with pesto and fresh lemon juice.  If you happen to have an abundance of homemade pesto stocked in your freezer (I’m so jealous) use that, but feel free to use store-bought pesto here.

We ate this while it was still slightly warm.  YUM.  It was also great leftover chilled.  It would be fantastic with grilled chicken or steak for a full meal. 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Avocado and Strawberry Toast with Feta and Honey

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thai Peanut Pasta Salad

Three years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grapefruit Margaritas

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Grilled Mediterranean Chicken and Vegetable Salad

Perfect Pairing:  Store-bought pesto

 

You might think that because I have this cooking blog, and an intense love for cooking, all of my meals are exciting.  This is definitely not the case.  I eat a lot of boring meals so I can feel better about the exciting ones.  I pretty much eat the same breakfast and lunch five days a week.  I have done this for about three years.  I used to bring leftovers into work, but now I make the same shake each day for lunch.  It is really nice not having to worry about packing lunch, and it keeps the day’s calories in check.  Yes, it does get boring but it is just a habit now. 

Every once in awhile I will go out to lunch with friends for a special occasion.  Sometimes the special occasion is just needing to go out.  That is special enough for me.  We often go to Bravo! Cucina Italiana.  The food is always good, the waiters know us, and it is right across the street from our office.  I pretty much get one of two things every single time I go there.  One is a fish wrap and the other is this Mediterranean Vegetable Salad with chicken.

 

Every time I had this salad at the restaurant I would think that I should try to recreate it at home.  Finally I gave it a shot and was thrilled with the results! 

 

Greens are topped with roasted red peppers, grilled zucchini and asparagus, orzo, chicken, grape tomatoes, and pine nuts.  The restaurant also uses farro but I skipped that part because they didn’t have it at the store when groceries were purchased for this adventure. 

 

The asparagus, zucchini, and chicken are lightly coated in olive oil, seasoned with your favorite Italian seasoning, and grilled.

 

The homemade dressing is slightly sweet and has a great punch of flavor from prepared pesto.  The easiest route is to purchase some store-bought pesto.  If you are the gardening type you might just have some pesto stored in your freezer for this purpose. 

The restaurant version has a drizzle of balsamic reduction and a sprinkle of feta on top as well.  I didn’t think it needed it, but feel free to jazz it up!

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Adorable Donut Acorns

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Overnight French Toast

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Un-Recipe Files – Strawberry and Prosciutto Grilled Bread

  

This is such a simple and delicious appetizer.  It received rave reviews every time I made it. 

Cut a loaf of French bread in half lengthwise.  In a small bowl mix olive oil and a good dose of salt and pepper.  Brush the seasoned oil on the cut sides of the bread and grill until lightly charred and toasty. 

This cutting down the center thing was a revelation.  In the past when I grilled bread (like for this whipped ricotta appetizer) I cut individual pieces of bread, brushed with olive oil, and then grilled each one.  Then one time my cousin’s husband was helping me in the kitchen and did it in two large pieces.  Duh.  Why didn’t I think of that??

After the bread is perfectly grilled slice into pieces, top with strawberry jam or preserves, and then top each piece with some prosciutto.  Of course, if you can get your hands on some homemade strawberry jam that is the best.  I’m spoiled.

It is salty and sweet and chewy and crispy all at the same time.  Yum.  I'm hungry.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Pesto Turkey Burgers with Goat Cheese

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: All Purpose Breakfast Casserole

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Mint and Spinach Pesto Chicken Pasta

 Perfect Pairing:  The best Pandora station for cooking, dining, and chilling 

One of my favorite summer shows is So You Think You Can Dance.  I don’t think I have missed an episode in 11 seasons.  Granted, I probably fast forward through 50% of it (the judges), but I don’t miss a dance.  I even watch my favorites a few times before it is deleted from my DVR.  I used to find a lot of new music on the show, but that doesn’t seem to be the case in recent years for some reason.  There are only a couple songs on repeat on my phone from this season, Like Real People Do by Hozier and Valerie by Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse. 

Valerie is not a new song, but I had a renewed love for it when I heard it on the show.  It put me in the mood for Amy Winehouse so I tried out her Pandora station.  I was obsessed.  It is a great mix of Amy, Adele, Ray Charles, Norah Jones, Temptations, Ben E. King and many others.  It is just the ticket for cooking, eating, and just hanging out with friends because it is upbeat but not exhausting.  It is my new go-to.

Want to try out that new station while cooking?  Make Mint and Spinach Pesto Chicken Pasta!  You won’t be sorry.  It is super fresh and a nice change from standard pesto.  It is also a great dish to make if you have a thriving mint plant.

The pesto is a mix of fresh mint and spinach (you could also use a mix of spinach and arugula), fresh parmesan, and pine nuts.  The pesto is tossed with pasta and sweet peas and then topped with grilled chicken.  Simple and delicious.

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Chorizo and Potato Frittata

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing:  Southwest Salad

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Grilled Pizza with Asparagus, Caramelized Onions, Hummus and Brie

Perfect Pairing: Sabra Classic Hummus

 

Last week was our annual family vacation at the lake.  I look forward to this week all year.  One of my brothers lives in California so it is hard for all of us to be in the same place at one time.  We had an absolutely wonderful time enjoying each others company, the summer weather, lake, good food, and lots of cute kids.  I miss everyone already!

I am a big fan of unusual pizzas and flatbreads.  I have shared a few creations here…

Caramelized Onion, Fontina, and Prosciutto Flatbread

 

Shrimp and Arugula Pesto Grilled Pizza

 

Smoked Salmon Pizza

 

Even traditional pizzas can sometimes benefit from an update, like with this Prosciutto and Pineapple Grilled Pizza.

 

 

The combination of hummus, asparagus, caramelized onions, and brie on pizza may seem a little strange, but it is one of my all-time favorites.  Using hummus as the “sauce” adds a rich creaminess, and the onions add just the right amount of sweet. 

 

This pizza is great as a main course, but it is also perfect on appetizer night.  We have a lot of appetizer nights at our house.  Usually on app night we serve a dip or salsa of some kind, a salad or veggies, and a crostini.  This pizza fits right in. Add a bottle of chilled white wine and you have yourself a party. 

 

I really like to use Sabra’s Classic Hummus here.  I am not being sponsored in any way to say that, I just really like it. 

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Grilled Bacon Wrapped Beer Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Salted Caramel Cookie Bars

 

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Un-Recipe Files – Grilled Seasoned Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts

 

I just returned from a magical vacation in the happiest place on earth!  It is going to take some time to adjust to reality.  Everything really is just magical in the Magic Kingdom.  I went with family, including two of my adorable nieces.  It was so fun to see Disney through the eyes of a child. Although, I still feel like a child when I am there!

 

The precious moments were too numerous to list, but here are a few favorites.

 

We also had a lot of good food at WDW.  While it was fabulous, I was ready to get back to some simple, healthy, home-cooked food. This simple preparation of brussels sprouts and potatoes on the grill is just what I had in mind.

For the sprouts, cut the ends off and then cut in half, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some of your favorite seasoning.  Grill in a basket until lightly charred and tender.

 
Here is what you do for the potatoes.  Scrub the spuds, poke a few times with a fork, microwave them for about 5 minutes, cut in half, score the insides lightly, drizzle with melted butter or olive oil, season with salt, pepper, and your favorite seasoning. 

Make a tray out of foil and place on the grill.  Cook until the potatoes are tender and start to brown. 

 

I made this entire meal on the grill in under 30 minutes, start to finish.  Stay tuned for the salmon recipe.  It is a favorite!

 

 

One year ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Thai Peanut Pasta Salad

 

Two years ago on Perfecting the Pairing: Summer Corn Salad

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