Grillin' and Chillin!!!!

What a great night! The Patriots play a preseason opening game.... (HECK YEAH) and we are grilling! Here's dinner tonight... Now, you may have met my new favorite neighborhood boy and farming entrepreneur, Chase! And if you haven't... you have now... Love this kid, and his steadfast, reliable, fresh and local stand! Tonight he provided us with summer squash and a zucchini... and we loved it! But first we grilled it! Slice on the bias and drizzle a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill for about 2-3 minutes per side... perfect! Next up... rib eye steak! Again, a little olive oil, and my favorite shortcut to flavor, McCormack Montreal Seasoning! Then I threw those steaks on the grill over medium high heat for 3 minutes per side and got medium rare, tasty, perfect, meaty steaks! Cue your inner cave man.. cause these babies are gonna deliver some tasty goodness! So, tonight, we're grilling and chilling... with the Patriot's Pre-Season Opener, tasty squash from our favorite farm stand, and incredible grilled meaty, juicy rib-eye steaks! With a little buttermilk mashed potatoes on the side! Perfect! No complaints! Entirely happy!!

Taco Tuesday! Chipotle Chicken and Killer Slaw!

So tonight's dinner literally took about 30 minutes to make. That's all! And, while not, completely from scratch, it was healthy, delicious, lean and full of nutrition! If you've seen the blog, you know grilled... ANYTHING... on a soft taco with fresh slaw is my favorite, a bit of an addiction... so here we go!! First, I started with the slaw! Super easy, fresh, and with a short cut! That's right, you can make this slaw in literally 5 minutes! First start with half a red cabbage (at least 3-4 cups, chopped), half a red onion chopped, 1-2 cups shredded carrots, and half cup of fresh cilantro. I just pulled the leaves off the stems and ripped them up with my hands and popped them in. Toss everything with this chipotle ranch dressing... super easy! We love this brand, but you could use a traditional mayo, vinegar, salt, sugar combo.... or your favorite dressing. Either way, chopping your own fresh local veggies is supremely better than any slaw you can buy!! So, now we have slaw! The only other thing to prepare tonight is our boneless chicken. Time to season! Tonight I liberally sprinkled my chicken with some salt, pepper, garlic powder, chipotle pepper, and some southwest seasoning. If you don't have all these flavors, you could use your own favorites... or simply salt, pepper and garlic powder. Next, I cleaned my grill, and sprayed with cooking oil (Pam), and popped those babies on to a medium high heat for about 3 minutes per side. After I was sure they were ready (3-4 minutes, depending on how hot your grill is), I flipped them and finished cooking for another 3 minutes! And that's all.... that's it! Grilled chicken and some killer slaw to go with it! So easy and super tasty together! Here's dinner Joe's way! 4 super sized soft tacos filled with grilled chipotle chicken, slaw, and a fresh squeeze of lime! Soooooo GOOD! Stevie's way.... 2 of those super tasty soft tacos... and a big glass of milk (might have been a little spicy for Stevie... but he loved them)!! So, try this super easy, super tasty combo... literally grill anything, any protein you love.... and pair it with some slaw... literally any crispy, fresh, crunchy slaw you love!! Always a winner!!!

Fresh and Local with Cod and Chase!!

Where I live, we're having an embarrassment of riches in the summer vegetable department... and fresh local spectacular veggies are everywhere! Cue Chase... this adorable neighbor dude just started his first, and very own veggie stand... IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD!!! Thank you Chase! You've not only inspired tonight's delicious dinner, but made this Gremlin Mom's day, knowing you're right around the corner.... So, behold... meet Chase, my new constituent and supplier for future Gremlin goodness!! Tonight we took some fresh basil and tomatoes from Chase... and had a great idea for a lean mean summer meal! The other inspiration for tonight's super simple super delicious dinner was Joe... who wanted fish... lean fish... so that's what he got! Tonight it's super simple pan seared cod with a side of garlicky pasta and zucchini topped with sliced fresh cherry tomatoes and basil.... oh, HECK YEAH!!!! So nothing screams summer like this... And this.... And you could basically stop at any corner farm stand, buy two dollars worth of fresh veggies, add your favorite pasta, and have a meal! But tonight we added some delicious fresh fish... cod... YUM! I started by prepping some garlic, about 4 cloves, chopped, and sliced my cherry tomatoes in half. I simply got my big saute pan (or cast iron) on medium high heat and tossed in the zucchini with a little olive oil, salt and pepper for about 3-5 minutes to cook. I added a teaspoon of that chopped garlic for the last minute of it's cooking time. Then, I pulled the barely cooked (and full of nutrition) zucchini out and parked it on the side while I cooked the fish. Next up... cod!! But while my fish cooked, I also cooked my pasta according to the directions on the box (duh...) and just tossed it with some store bought pesto... but I also remembered this trick I saved some of the pasta water and added it to the pasta! You know... so it wouldn't stick together as I tossed it with the pesto. Calorie math.... oil... empty calories. Water... no calories and perfect for this job! Now that the pasta is ready, I tossed it with the pesto and parked that on the side too, while I cooked this spectacular fish! These cod filets were pretty huge (just the way we like them), super fresh, and don't need to be messed with! All I did was add some salt and pepper... and that was it... that's all! Put the filets in a screamin' hot pan on high heat with some olive oil and sear each side for about 3 minutes! After 3 minutes,I added one little tablespoon of butter to the pan, and I carefully turned my fish, and let it go another 3 minutes. Please... don't tell Joe about the butter... I had to do it... and I'm glad I did, and that little pat of butter carried some serious flavor into that fish! "Nuff said! So, let's put it all together!!! Tonight's fabulous Chase inspired summer dinner... and Joe's fresh fish! First, I loaded my plate with the pasta and zucchini, then topped with all those fresh chopped tomatoes! Then, add some of that super tender succulent fish on the side, and you have a winner!! So good, house smells like garlicky goodness... Fresh cod, cooked super simply! Could not be easier. So, thank you Chase!! And thank you Joe! Happy Gremlin Mom with hungry boys, killer great summer veggies, fresh fish... and much to be grateful for!!!