Wow–Fajitas on the Grill and the best part is there were no pots and pans to clean up! Cooked in Aluminum Foil Packs right on the grill! They call them Hobo Packs.

Very quick prep and delicious ingredients. Feel free to substitute whatever peppers you would prefer. This is what I did.

Last night there were 4 of us so I used about 2 lbs. of chicken but kept everything else the same and it worked out just fine!

You’ll need heavy-duty aluminum foil for the grill.

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken tenders–you can 1/2 them lengthwise into thin strips or leave them whole which is what I did. If you can’t find tenders use a cutlet and cut into thin strips.

1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick (approximately)

1 poblano chile or serrano chile whatever you can get. Stemmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch strips. I used both .

1 Red Bell Pepper–cut into strips lengthwise

1 Yellow Bell Pepper –cut into strips lengthwise

*you can really use any peppers that you’d like–these are the ones I used Shishito Peppers would be wonderful as well.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper- you’ll need to be fairly generous with the salt –I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill.

4 -6 fresh oregano sprigs–at least 1 in each packet–I used 2 in each packet.

1 lime, thinly sliced crosswise

Warm flour or corn tortillas, sour cream , guacamole and salsa and some hot sauce for serving. I used small tortillas but any kind will work out nicely. This is a very easy Summer Meal.

Directions:

Cut up all the veggies, onions and chicken and light the grill, I had the grill turned up high , it should be medium to high. I put it to high to pre-heat and then lowered to a more medium – high, if you are unable to do this step just check on them after 12 minutes to make sure the bottom isn’t burning.

In a large bowl, toss the chicken, onion and all the peppers with the olive oil and cumin seeds. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss again.

Arrange 4 14 inch sheets of heavy duty foil on a work surface ( see pics) app. 14 inches don’t get the ruler out. Just eyeball it, it needs to fit a pile of veggies and chicken. Last night I increased the chicken so we had about 6 packs.

Pile the chicken and veggies evenly on one 1/2 of each foil sheet and top with the oregano and lime slices. Fold the foil over the ingredients and pinch the edges to seal.

Place the foil packets on the grill, close the lid and cook over moderately high heat until the chicken is cooked through, anywhere from 12 to 15 minutes.

Open the packets and serve with warm flour fajitas, sour cream , guacamole, salsa and hot sauce.

*Packets can be made a night ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

shrimp in the bowl

plated up

plated up

While this dish is really a mediterranean flavored dish it makes me think of the spring with all its green colors and fresh flavors. While it is still pretty cold here in the Northeast I am officially done with Winter. So why not lighten up the menu? I am in a spring mind-set now and this recipe screams Spring! If you didn’t catch this recipe the first time around here it is again.

The shrimp gets a roasted treatment and the orzo gets it’s flavor from the lemons, feta, dill, scallions and red onions. Yum! It had me at hello. The original recipe is from Ina Garten and this recipe as is should serve 5- 6 nicely. I cut this recipe in 1/2 for the two of us. Simple, easy and delicious that’s the way I like it!
Enjoy and obviously this dish is delicious and right for all times of the year. What’s especially nice about this dish is that it can be served at room temperature which makes it a lovely dish for a luncheon as well. This will be a keeper throughout the summer for a delicious flavorful orzo salad. I have to add that I put this dish together rather quickly which always adds to my general love of a recipe.

You can also modify the amounts of herbs if you don’t enjoy the strong flavors of dill, scallions and onions. My husband is a very fussy eater who usually balks at the sight of anything green thoroughly enjoyed this dish without picking out a single piece of the green stuff! If you don’t like the strong flavor of dill this recipe will probably not be for you but if you enjoy dill, parsley, onion, scallions and cucumbers this is the one for you.

Ingredients:

This is the original recipe and should serve 6 very nicely. I cut in 1/2 and we had a little left over.

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1 amounts are listed below in directions

Olive Oil – amounts listed below in directions

3/4 lb. orzo pasta

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (app. 3 lemons)

2 lbs. shrimp – peeled and deveined . I used Jumbo Shrimp had the fish store peel and de-vein it and I had app. 14 pieces to the pound.

1 cup thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts–this will probably be 2 bunches of scallions

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and medium diced– I scooped out the seeds with a melon baller

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3/4 lb good feta cheese, cut into cubes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare all the ingredients while orzo is cooking.

Cook orzo according to the box for al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.

Whisk together the lemon juice , 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meantime, place the shrimp on a sprayed sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. ( I mix the shrimp with clean hands and get the olive oil all over the shrimp then sprinkle with Salt and Pepper) Then spread in a single layer. Roast for 5-6 minutes till shrimp are cooked through. Do not Over-cook!!! shrimp will turn pink and curl up.

Add the cooked shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion and start with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and add more if necessary, and app. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of black pepper–obviously every one has different taste buds for salt and pepper but taste as you go. Toss well. Then add the feta and stir carefully. (remember that the shrimp has salt and so does the feta)

You can eat and enjoy immediately like we did or allow the flavors to seal in for an hour at room temperature. This would make for a lovely salad in the warmer months served at room temperature. If you make ahead and put in the refrigerator–bring to room temperature and taste for seasonings before serving. This would be fine to make ahead of time as long as you bring it to room temperature before serving .

I just purchased A Meatloaf in Every Oven written by Frank Bruni and Jennifer Steinhauer. I love meatloaf and it is the quintessential comfort food bringing back all the flavors of my childhood. I don’t remember exactly how my Mother prepared it but I loved eating it for dinner and having cold left-overs the next day. I have other meatloaf recipes on my blog that are also worth checking out. This one was originally written as Leslie Bruni’s Meatloaf but I made a few changes to the original recipe. I made it both ways and I loved the way I made it last night with Beef, Lamb and Pork. It’s rich and delicious. Who doesn’t love meatloaf? If you are in the mood for some serious comfort food this is my suggestion. And check out the fabulous book available everywhere books are sold and Amazon.

There are a lot of ingredients but I stock a loaf of white bread in my freezer just for times like this. You’ll need some whole milk as well. This isn’t the recipe for dieting I’m afraid, but sometimes you just gotta go for it. Ain’t nothing like the real thing.

Enjoy! and let the comfort begin.

Ingredients:

I used 1 lb. Ground Beef Chuck, 1/4 lb. ground lamb, 1/4 lb. ground pork –you can just use 1 1/2 lbs. of Ground Beef Chuck or Dark Meat Turkey if you’d prefer. This recipe is for 1 1/2 lbs. meat.

1 medium onion-minced , so if you buy it diced give it some more cutting and get it into small pieces

1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter

1 cup plain tomato sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar–dark or light doesn’t really matter but if you’re going to go shopping  buy light brown sugar, I think it looks better

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

3 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed and bread torn

1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs – I used what is known as “traditional ” bread crumbs, just don’t use flavored – you already have enough flavoring and it will add too much salt

meatloaf plated up

with sauce on top ready for oven

meatloaf before sauce

1/2 cup whole milk

2 large eggs , lightly beaten

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line a 9×13 with aluminum foil, lightly spray with a nonstick cooking spray. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. I like the onions completely transparent and softened (not browned). App. 10 minutes and set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the tomato sauce with the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard and Worcestershire Sauce.

In another small mixing bowl, dip the torn white bread in the 1/2 cup whole milk, then gently squeeze out the liquid with your clean hands . Transfer the bread to a large bowl and discard the excess milk. Add the onion, meat, breadcrumbs, eggs, salt and pepper and 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce mixture and mix until just combined.

*a little trick if you’re mixing meats like I did. Take small pieces of each different meat to mix together so that it’s well combined

Transfer to the pan. Firmly pat the meat mixture into a loaf , app. 9×5 should do it. See pictures of my loaf. Spread the remaining sauce over the top. Bake for 1 hour and check temperatures on an instant read thermometer inserted in the center should register 160 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes and slice and serve. If it’s not cooked after an hour put back for 10 minutes at a time till your meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

I served with burnt broccoli and smashed potatoes! Yum!

*should serve 4-6 nicely depending on your eaters

finished product in the bowl

I made this beautiful delicious soup the other night for dinner. It was easy and I used lots of veggies that I had in the house. I used a Rotisserie Chicken and boxed chicken stock which made this easy and quick to assemble. Of course you can use home-made stock and roast a whole chicken yourself. I decided to make this at about 5 p.m. and it really was ready about an hour later. I like my soups to sit and simmer for a while so we didn’t eat it till 7 p.m. but honestly this soup could have been eaten an hour after it was assembled. Total chopping and cooking time is about an hour but like I said I let it simmer for almost 2 hours. Perfection in a bowl. You can obviously substitute with different types of vegetables in this soup. A loaf of crusty bread would be very nice alongside this soup.

This soup can be refrigerated overnight and you might need to add a little water to thin out the soup. You can also freeze for up to 3 months.

Many of you saw me post this on Instagram and Facebook–if not please follow me on Cooking with Candi on both–thanks

*should serve between 4 and 6 nicely as a meal

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium carrot, halved lengthwise and thinly cut crosswise–or just thinly cut rounds

1 small turnip, diced

1/2 small sweet onion, finely chopped

1 small fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced or diced whichever you like , I sliced thinly

1 celery rib, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper (or used coarse ground black pepper)

app. 1/4 lb. green beans, cut into 1/4’s or use yellow beans

8 cups Chicken Stock

12 cherry or small type tomatoes , quartered

1/2 cup (app) of frozen green peas

1 cup orzo, cook according to box directions for al dente and drained

a handful of arugula for each bowl thinly sliced, I used baby arugula

1 Rotisserie Chicken, remove skin and shred chicken off the bones

Directions:

In a large heavy stock pot or enamel cast iron pot ( Le Creuset) heat the olive oil over moderate heat. Add the carrot and turnip, then add in the onion, fennel, celery , garlic and a generous pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring vegetables occasionally , cook until veggies break down and get soft without burning, probably up to 10 minutes on a low flame.

Stir in the green beans then add in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add in the tomatoes and peas. Simmer the soup over moderately low heat, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, at least 1/2 hour and up to 1 hour. I simmered for about an hour.

While soup is simmering taste for Salt and Pepper. Season to taste. Right before serving you can add chicken to pot and heat through.

When we were ready to eat I placed orzo and arugula into bowls and ladled hot soup over the arugula and orzo!

Afterwards I added orzo to the pot and froze soup for future use in airtight containers.

You can freeze in a good freezer for about 3 months. I figure it will be something to look forward to when we return to Colorado in the summer. When you re-heat the frozen soup you’ll need to add water/stock it’s your choice . I usually just add a little water at a time till the desired consistency is reached.

This dinner was just delicious.  I used under 8 size shrimp. What this means is that there were about 8 to a pound , so rather large and the cooking times were perfect for them. You will probably have to adjust your cooking time depending on the size of your shrimp. Obviously the larger shrimp took a little longer to cook. I will give you a range of time for anywhere from under 16 to under 8. Timing will vary depending on your oven and the size of the shrimp you use.  The potatoes and asparagus times will remain pretty much the same. I just love cooking on one sheet in the oven! This recipe is a keeper and one I will re-visit often and maybe use different veggies, since I am the only one who ate the asparagus anyway.

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp ( anywhere from 8 – 16 count) is perfect – thawed, peeled and de-veined and leave the tails on

Extra – Virgin Olive Oil

3 cloves of garlic-minced

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes if you hate the spice you can omit it

2 Lemons, 1 for zest and juice of, the other 1 thinly sliced

1 lb. Asparagus-trimmed

1 lb. Fingerling Potatoes–halved lengthwise

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper–read directions for amounts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Spray a large rimmed baking sheet for easy clean up

Place the shrimp in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil . Add in minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to coat and set aside.

In another mixing bowl , toss the sliced potatoes with 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil. Season generously with Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper. Transfer Potatoes to the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast potatoes for anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes, or until they are almost tender.

While potatoes are roasting, toss asparagus with 1/2 Tbsp.of Olive Oil and season with Salt and Pepper,  Set aside

Now add 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice to bowl of shrimp and toss to coat. Season Shrimp pretty generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

After 20 minutes or so remove potatoes from the oven and add asparagus and lemon slices to baking sheet. Continue to roast potatoes and asparagus for another 10 minutes,  potatoes should be tender by now , pierce a potatoe with a fork to check for tenderness. If potatoes still need time you can leave them in for a few more minutes. Using a slotted spoon add shrimp to baking sheet and put back in the oven. Roast for another 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink-opaque and firm to touch. My shrimp took about 12 more minutes, this time will depend on your shrimp. I checked after 5 minutes and using tongs turned them over and continued cooking for another 7 more minutes.

When I removed from oven I sprinkled with lemon zest. Perfection on a plate!

*one added tip– after my shrimp is peeled and de-veined and before I am about to cook I always wrap my shrimp in some paper towels to dry them off. It helps with the oil and spices sticking to shrimp.