Want to make a great inexpensive summer dinner?!?!

Chipotle Chicken with Jalapeno-Bacon Corn Relish     

This is a FANTASTIC recipe for summer… and it’s even more fantastic to make for entertaining.  I think that’s true because it has all user-friendly ingredients.  I mean… you’d be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like chicken, corn and bacon.  Plus, for the spice adverse…if you didn’t tell anyone that this recipe has jalapeno in it they would never know – it’s not very spicy at all; but there’s no shortage of flavor and deliciousness.  I made this for Ray this week and he went bananas over it.  So needless to say it will be added into regular rotation this summer and if you’re ever a house guest of ours you may just be eating it this summer.  However I recommend trying it at home… it’s too easy and delicious not to.

Chipotle Chicken ...

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You gotta love a little perseverance…

 So the Next Food Network Star premieres in just 3 short days from today and I cannot WAIT!  I love learning all about the finalists on foodnetwork.com/star to see which ones I think will really shine brightly.  So far I really love the personal stories of Dzintra Dzentis and Alexis Hernandez.   Dzintra has tried out for the show THREE TIMES now and she’s finally made it on as a finalist!  I think that is so cool.  Anyone can try for a goal and then give up at their first sign of failure… but to put your self out there like that over and over again to be judged and continue on without discouragement is so inspiring.  I love that she has finally made it onto The Next Food Network Star and I’ll definitely be rooting for her.   I’ll also be rooting for Alexis ...

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2 Atlanta Contenders!!

 Cook like a Food Network Star? Register now to win a $300 gift for the Food Network Store

It’s that time of year again!!!  I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since Melissa D’Arabian took the prestigious and honored crown of the Next Food Network Star…which means it’s been TWO years since Aaron McCargo took the cake.  Wow how time flies – and how could it not when shows like “Cookin’ with Big Daddy” and “Ten Dollar Dinners” have been gracing our televisions for the past few years now?!

So in just 6 short days we will be reintroduced to the excitement and suspense of the race to become the Next Food Network Star and THIS season features not one but TWO native Atlanta contenders!!!  I am so excited by it all I can hardly contain myself – their names are Briana Jenkins and Herb ...

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Are you a geek like me?!

So if you’re a geek like me you totally freak out over the big names – you know… names like Paula, Bobby, Mario!!  What?!  Did you think I was talking about musicians or something like that?!  Anyway – as most of you know I’m a major food dweeb and love all things related to food and cooking – ESPECIALLY the Food Network.  So when I heard that all of the biggest Food Network Stars were gonna be at the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show I knew I HAD to be there.   It’s going on next weekend May 1^st & 2^nd.  Seriously, I got my ticket 3 months in advance I was so excited – and they’ve been hanging up in my office for weeks!   AND I just found out that they are selling a VIP ticket – here’s what’s included.

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Guess what I'll be doing in May?!?!

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This little piggy went to market...

If you’re like me and you cringe at purchasing a pack of fresh herbs for $3.99 or more (usually to be used in only one dish), then you probably try and use only fresh herbs that you grow in your backyard or window box.   This time of year that doesn’t exactly leave tons of options.  Rosemary however is usually hearty enough to withstand the brutal winter weather.   Over the next few weeks you’ll find it a lot in my recipes here.   This time of year I also try and stick to leaner & healthier dishes… as most of us try and keep the popular weight-loss New Year’s Resolution.  I found the dish below in fitness magazine (so you know it has to be healthy).   Its approximate 4-5 weight watchers points, depending on how large of serving you eat.  I recommend a 3-4 ounce ...

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Catfish WANTS to be fried!

Okay, so this one was the result of a tilapia mix-up.  You see… I was fishing through a pile of tilapia in the seafood section at the grocery store (no pun intended) and grabbed the cheapest selection that appeared as if it would easily feed two people.  I had a very basic plan for this tilapia, until I pulled it out of the fridge and realized that it was not in fact tilapia, but CATFISH!!!  And well… the thing about catfish is… that it WANTS to be fried.  There’s really no other way to do it.  I suppose you could futz around trying to blacken it or turn it into fish stew or something.  But really - it’s best not to fight these things and just succumb to the natural culinary flow of the universe.  So - on the fly I came up ...

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Turkey & Black Bean Chili

So today’s recipe was inspired by a few things.   Being in a relationship for close to four years is one of them.  As odd as that may sound… it’s mainly because when one is in a relationship for a long time you tend to get a little “comfortable” and with that often comes a few extra lbs.  I have been complaining to Ray non-stop lately about me wanting to loose a little weight.  So with that comes an effort on my part to make adjustments to our regular dinner meals to try and shed a few of those extra “love pounds”.  J   I saw on The Biggest Loser’s website that they recommended “Turkey & Black Bean Chili” but their recipe was waay too long, so I used one that Bobby Flay did with beef instead and made some modifications to make it a little easier and cheaper.  It’s ...

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Butternut Squashy goodness...

Butternut Squash Soup

So in honor of the lovely fall season that is upon us I decided to do something with a favorite ingredient of mine that's everywhere right now: Butternut Squash.  It's such a versatile ingredient you can do a zillion things with it, but since it's fall and the air is finally crisp and cool I thought I should do something that makes people feel warm.   I found this recipe on the Better Homes & Gardens website and modified it to make it a little warmer and smoother.  Ray and I LOVED it last night with a roasted pork tenderloin.   I hope you'll try it too! 

Ingredients

½  cup butter

3 tablespoons salt

1  medium onion, chopped

1  large carrot, coarsely chopped

1  stalk celery, coarsely chopped

2  cloves garlic, ...

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Pumpkin Mousse - By popular demand! :)

Pumpkin Mousse

So since my mom remodeled her kitchen we have been testing recipes every Sunday from August to Thanksgiving to figure out what we’re going to be serving for our Thanksgiving Feast!  If you heard Cindy’s Taste Test Tuesday this week – then you probably know, it’s safe to say – this one’s a keeper!   I found it in the fall edition of Taste of Home magazine and modified it to work best for me!  I highly recommend it!

I hope you try it at home yourself!

Happy Eating! - SG

Pumpkin Mousse

1 medium pie pumpkin

2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

4 tablespoons milk

6 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2/3 cup of canned pumpkin (regular pumpkin, not pumpkin pie mix)

2 teaspoons orange zest

2 cups whipping cream

-         Carve off pumpkin top and clean the pumpkin cavity entirely of ...

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