Traditional grill food (i.e. BBQ stuff) doesn’t really tickle my fancy.  Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good burger, potato salad, and watermelon, but I don’t generally crave it.  Instead I’d prefer a stir fry dish, like this delicious Thai meal. This stir fry contains chicken, red peppers, and mandarin oranges and it’s coated in a sweet and spicy Thai Chili sauce. Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Recipe (About 4 servings) Ingredients: 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided per the directions 1 pound chicken, sliced 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated 1 cup Thai sweet chili sauce (I …

My husband and I had an impromptu dinner date on Monday night.  It’s a long story that I won’t bore you with but let’s just say that we found ourselves running a last minute errand that took quite a long time, and that during it we ended up super hungry.  We hit up a Mexican restaurant that we’d previously ordered take-out food from.  The food was so-so the first time, but you can’t really judge a restaurant solely on its take-out food (unless it’s specifically a take-out joint).  The dinner at the place was tasty but it really didn’t wow us. It’s actually been …

Picture it.  It’s dinner time and I’m craving carbs, only carbs.  It’s too hot to cook and I’m super lazy and I don’t feel like making dinner.  What’s my solution?  If you thought cereal… well, I’m not surprised because that is a common cop-out dinner for me.  Let’s marvel at the better solution, which is this super easy and light pasta dish. This spaghetti is tossed in a lovely lemon no-cook sauce. Lemon Spaghetti Recipe (About 4 servings) Ingredients: 1 pound spaghetti (most boxes are less than a pound these days and one box is okay) 2/3 cup olive oil 2/3 cup …

I recently watched Disney’s Ratatouille movie for the 99th time.  If you haven’t seen it yet, the moral of the story is that anyone can cook, even a rat.  (It’s a cartoon, so don’t freak out.)  Ratatouille is also a French dish and after watching the movie I was inspired to create my own version of this classic. This is a simple saute of eggplant, zucchini, and squash in a tomato based sauce and served over polenta. Ratatouille Over Polenta Recipe (About 4 servings) Ingredients: 1 cup cornmeal (sometimes called polenta) 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup onion, chopped (about 1 small …

Summer is coming!  It’s starting to get warm out and do you know what that means?  We’ll be looking for some quick meals so we don’t have to slave over a hot stove.  How does a 10 minute meal sound to you? These soba noodles are covered in a creamy peanut sauce that can be eaten hot, cold, or room temperature. Soba Noodles Recipe (1 serving) Ingredients: 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter 1 tablespoon honey 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon peanut oil 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger about 3 ounces uncooked soba noodles 1 tablespoon peanuts, chopped 1 teaspoon …