Jalapeño Bombs

These are a family favorite! Smoky bacon, spicy peppers and juicy chicken - YUM! The first time I had them was at a friend's house, her mom had made them. And she couldn't cook them fast enough! I instantly fell in love and have been making them myself ever since! The spicy pepper with the cool ranch is pure heaven!! If jalapeños aren't your thing, you can quarter a bell pepper and use that instead! These are great appetizers for a party but we like to cook up a bunch as a main dish all the time!

Assembling these can get a bit slippery and tricky! Using kitchen gloves (especially since you are handling spicy peppers!) helps and so does having an assembly line set up!!

Jalapeño Bombs 

6 large jalapeños

6 chicken tenders (or 2 breasts cut into 12 pieces)

1T season salt.

12 onion pieces

6 slices of bacon

ranch dressing for serving

Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes. Cut the chicken tenders in half. Sprinkle with the season salt. Cut the strips of bacon in half. Take a pepper piece, add an onion slice and then a piece of chicken. Wrap the entire thing in a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining peppers. Grill over medium high heat until bacon and chicken are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Serve with ranch dressing. 

1

Grilled Pizza

Our family LOVES pizza cooked on the grill. I bet we have it at least once a week! We let everyone put their own toppings on, which my girls think is the greatest thing ever! Obviously this dough and sauce recipe can also be used as oven baked pizzas! As a thin crust this makes the perfect amount of dough for our family of 4. 

This is the easiest pizza crust recipe!! I also like to stir in some dried herbs and seasonings that will compliment the pizza toppings. So for our normal pepperoni pizza, I add some garlic powder and oregano. If I'm doing a taco pizza, I'll add some chili powder, cumin and cilantro.

Grilled Pizza

Sauce

6oz tomato paste

1 beef bullion cube

1/2tsp garlic powder

1/2tsp italian seasoning

1/2tsp dried parsley

In a small saucepan combine all ingredients with 2T water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally for at least 10 minutes. If sauce seems too thick, add small amounts of water until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Dough

3C all purpose four

1 envelope (or 2 1/4 tsp) quick rise yeast

1T sugar

1T salt

1C warm water

2T olive oil

In a large bowl combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Stir in the olive oil and about 3/4 of the water. Mix until everything is combined and a dough ball has formed, adding more water as needed. Place dough in a greased bowl. cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about one hour.  

For Pizza

dough

sauce

your favorite pizza toppings

Preheat your grill to 450*-500*. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to desired thickness. Add the sauce and toppings. I've found with grilled pizza, a thin layer of sauce and toppings works best! Place the pizza, carefully, on the hot grill. Close the lid and cook until cheese is melted and crust is a nice golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. A pizza peal would be great for this. We don't have one yet, and just get very creative with some large spatulas!!

1

Grilled Italian Chicken Salad

A perfect summer salad! Our AC was broke for several very long, hot, steamy weeks. We ate a lot of salads during that time, this being a favorite! The chicken I used was actually leftover from the night before. This Grilled Italian Chicken is my most loved way to eat chicken, it's so juicy and has a nice tangy flavor from the marinade. The salad itself is great - there is a nice spicy kick from the peppers, a good crunch from the veggies and the hard boiled eggs add a nice creamy texture.

Grilled Italian Chicken Salad

Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1c Italian dressing

Salad

1 large head romaine lettuce - chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper - thinly sliced

1 medium carrot - peeled & thinly sliced

1/4c sliced pepperonchini's

1/2c shredded parmesan

1c croutons

2 hard boiled eggs - thinly sliced

Dressing

1c ranch dressing

1tsp garlic powder

1tsp Italian seasoning

 

In a large re sealable bag add the chicken and Italian dressing. Marinate for at least four hours. Remove the chicken and place on a medium high grill. Cook, turning once, until chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes on each side. Let chicken cool and thinly slice.

In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients.

In a large bowl combine all the salad ingredients. Place the chicken on top and drizzle with the dressing.

1

Pesto Pasta Salad

This is a simple pasta salad with just a few ingedients but full of great flavor! I love the basily (is that a word?!) of pesto! This is perfect for BBQ's or picnics (just keep it cold because of the mayo) but would also be cute for St. Patrick's Day. Green sauce, orange carrots and white cheese! 

I've noticed with pasta salads, the amount of dressing you use can vary. Some days the noodles are thirsty than others! If you have extra dressing from this recipe, it is a great pesto mayo for chicken sandwhiches. 

Pesto Pasta Salad

1lb rotini pasta - cooked according to package directions and cooled

2 medium carrots - peeled and sliced thin

1C mozzarella cheese -  cut into small cubes

2C mayo

1 packet dry pesto mix (I like the Knorr brand)

In a small bowl combine the mayo and pesto. In a large bowl, mix together the pasta, carrots and cheese. Stir in enough pesto mayo to make the pasta salad nice and creamy. Chill at least an hour before serving. 

1