Gardner Grub - Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

{Bacon Wrapped Asparagus}

Nothing is safe from being paired with bacon when I'm in the kitchen. Asparagus is one of my favorite things to wrap in the salty goodness. When Mr. G plans on grilling I usually prepare this side dish for him to throw on along with the steak, chicken, or salmon. It goes with everything. 

1. Blanch the asparagus in bowling water for 30 seconds

2. Soak them in an ice bath until cooled

3. Coat in olive oil and season with salt and pepper

4. Wrap in bundles of 3-4 with one slice of bacon then roll them in the 

olive oil mixture leftover on the plate.

5. Grill for 15 minutes, making quarter turns. Or until the bacon is cooked.

To be honest, I love the asparagus even more wrapped with prosciutto instead of bacon. It's also easier to prepare because you don't need to cook the prosciutto, just crisp it up. Follow the same steps but adjust your cooking time based on how fast the prosciutto is browning. 

-Amanda

Gardner Grub - Slow Cooker Meatballs (or Stroganoff)

This easy meatball recipe is my favorite way to serve balls to a crowd. The same recipe can be used to make a scrumptious Stroganoff-style dinner when served over egg noodles. This is my version of a popular recipe on allrecipes.com. The original recipe calls for Cream of Celery soup - which contains MSG. I substitute Cream of Celery for Healthy Request Cream of Chicken and use All Natural Caramelized French Onion Soup. 

 {Ingredients}
2 lb. frozen Italian Style Meatballs
16 oz Sour Cream
1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup (2 if you are going to serve over noodles)
1 can Select Harvest Caramelized French Onion Soup (or any French Onion soup you can find)

Add the soup and sour cream to the slow cooker and mix together. Then stir in the meatballs. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours.

If you plan on serving it over noodles, you can also add fresh sliced mushrooms and one chopped onion. Oh sooooo good!

-Amanda

Gardner Grub- Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken

As promised here is the recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken in the crock pot. The recipe includes pineapples and pineapple juice but I forgot to pick up a can (and honestly I don't enjoy warm pineapples) so the picture is without them. I also didn't have a red pepper, so I only used green. That's the great thing about recipes - you can add/subtract to your liking.

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken
from Kraft Foods

1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
1-1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts), cut into pieces
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Kraft Catalina Dressing
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp grated gingerroot
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 can (8oz) pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
1 green pepper & 1 red pepper, chopped

Place onions, carrots and celery in slow cooker; top with chicken.
Mix sugar, dressing, soy sauce and ginger; pour over chicken.
Cover lid.
Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours.
Stir cornstarch into reserved pineapple juice. Add to slow cooker along with peppers and pineapples, stir. Cook on high, covered, for 30 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

Serve over rice.

Gardner Grub - Honey-Drizzled Sharp Cheddar Appetizer

Honey and Cheese? Yes, please.

This appetizer is a crowd-pleaser that couldn't be easier to put together. Extra sharp cheddar and honey is a decadent combination. Top with nuts for crunch and dried fruit for zing and you'll be in taste bud heaven.

Honey-Drizzled Sharp Cheddar Appetizer
Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese (Cracker Barrel brand, I use the pre-sliced block from Fresh & Easy)
Honey, warmed (not hot or the cheese will melt)
Nut of your choice (I used chopped glazed walnuts)
Dried Fruit of your choice (I used chopped dried cranberries)

Just before serving set the cheese in the middle of a platter and drizzle with warm honey. Top with nuts and fruit.
Serve with Apples and Crackers. I also serve a ramekin of honey on the side for extra drizzle.

Gardner Grub - Shepherd's Pie (Thanksgiving leftover style)

If your family is like mine, you come home Thanksgiving night in a sleepy daze with 2 Target bags full Tupperware containing leftovers. Turkey, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, green beans, rolls, sweet potato casserole, ham, three different stuffings and corn. I can usually take care of the turkey leftovers on my own - I love turkey sandwiches with American cheese and mayonnaise, it's my favorite part of Thanksgiving. But the other sides get pushed to the back of the fridge. Sound familiar?

I've been making this recipe since Mr. G and I got married (going on 7 years) and it has always been one of his favorites. It is the best way to use up the mashed potato and green bean leftovers without dinner tasting like Thanksgiving all over again. It's super simple and I haven't met anyone who doesn't love it. I think real Shepherd's Pie has lamb in it, but that's what I've always called this, so there you go.

{Shepherd's Pie}
1 pound ground beef
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 can of cut green beans, drained (or leftover green beans)
1 small onion, diced
1 can of cream of mushroom soup (Heart Healthy with no MSG)
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 350.
In a skillet add the ground beef and cook. Before all of the beef is cooked through add the diced onions and stir. When the beef and onions are cooked, drain the fat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the green beans and soup. Mix.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish and top with 1 cup of cheese then the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!
And Happy Thanksgiving

Gardner Grub - Bacon Macaroni & Cheddar Cheese

Comfort food at its best. Enough said.

{Bacon Macaroni & Cheese}

3 cups elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

2 cups 2% milk

4 oz. Philadelphia Chive & Onion Cream Cheese
4 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese
4 oz. Velveeta Cheese
1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar
8 bacon strips, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Panko
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Heat oven to 350.
Cook macaroni according to the package.
In a large saucepan melt the 1/4 cup of butter, stir in the flour and gradually add milk. Bring to a boil and stir for a couple of minutes until thickened. Stir in the cheeses, bacon and salt & pepper.
Add the macaroni and stir until mixed. Transfer to a greased 8 inch square baking dish.
Combine panko with 3 Tbsp melted butter and sprinkle over the top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
Enjoy!

**Side note - You can use the entire 8 oz of Chive & Onion cream cheese and omit the regular cream cheese or vice versa. I like this combination the best. And I usually end up making more of the panko mixture because I like a lot of crunch on the top.

Gardner Grub - 3 Ingredient Fall Favorite

This seriously simple dish is a family favorite during the colder months. It's a twist on Pork Chops and Apple Sauce, which is one of my most craved meals. Something about sweet and savory makes my taste buds happy.

Like I said, this dish only takes 3 ingredients (I don't count EVOO, salt & pepper) and can be whipped up in no time.

1 can of Apple Pie Filling
4 Pork Loin Chops
Stuffing Mix (this time I used Fresh & Easy's Cranberry stuffing but I usually use Stove Top Traditional Sage - it doesn't contain MSG).

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Coat the bottom of a skillet with EVOO on medium-high heat. Season the chops with salt and pepper and sear on both sides (time depends on the thickness of the pork chops). Make the stuffing according to the package.

Spray a 9x9 baking pan with non-stick spray and pour in the apple filling. Top with pork chops, then with stuffing.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the chops are completely cooked through.

Serve with a salad - this one is my favorite.

Enjoy!

Gardner Grub - Cheesy {Jack-O-Lantern} Dip

The. Best. Dip. Ever.



And it's really cute.

This dip recipe was in my Fall edition of Food & Family magazine. It's obviously perfect for October, but it's also a great dip to make all year long served in a bowl and topped with shredded cheese and bacon crumbles.

3 green onions
2 pkg (8 oz each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 pkg (8 oz) Cheddar Cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped red peppers
3-4 slices pepperoni or salami

Cut 4-inch length from green end of 1 onion (or use the end of a celery stalk like I did); slice remaining onions. Beat the cream cheese and 1 1/4 cups Cheddar with mixer until well blended. Stir in sliced onions and peppers. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Shape into a ball. Roll in remaining Cheddar. Cut pepperoni into shapes for the jack-o-lantern face and press the pieces into the cheese ball. Insert green onions (or celery) into the top.

Serve with Ritz crackers and/or tortilla chips.
Enjoy!

Gardner Grub - Comfort Chili Soup

{Comfort Chili Soup}

28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained

15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed

14.5 oz can chicken broth

3 stalks chopped celery

2 chopped carrots

1 chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

2 tsp chili powder

salt and pepper to taste

{Shredded Cheese and Sour Cream for topping}

Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to a boil on medium heat. Then simmer on low for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Top with cheese and sour cream.

I always serve this soup with corn bread (the Marie Callender's packaged corn bread is pretty good - the trick is to sprinkle sugar on the top right when it comes out of the oven).

Enjoy!

Gardner Grub - Chicken Nuggets

This week's Gardner Grub comes from My Name Is Snickerdoodle. Back in March, Amy posted a recipe for Sweet Chicky Nuggets - that happen to taste almost exactly like Chick-fil-A nuggets. I made my first batch last month and have been addicted ever since.

A few comments on the recipe post suggest marinating the chicken in pickle juice for a couple of hours before the milk marinade. I tried it and thought I'd love it, but it turns out my taste buds did not enjoy the dill-flavored chicken. You can give it a try and see what you think. One thing that I don't skimp on is using peanut oil to fry the nuggets. Vegetable or canola oil will not give you the same delicious flavor that peanut oil does. And I always drizzle honey over my nuggets before serving.
And sometimes I use 3 Tbsp of powdered sugar :)

Head over to My Name Is Snickerdoodle for the recipe and tell Amy that Growing up Gardner sent you!

Gardner Grub - Polenta with Green Chiles and Corn

This Polenta dish does not disappoint. Serve it as the main dish for brunch or as a side with dinner. I've made it several times for company and my guests loved every bite. And I love making a dish for friends that they've never tried. For some reason most people I've served this to have never had polenta (or at least think they haven't). So give it a go, friends!

Sorry for the wonky picture. I forgot to take a shot of it out of the oven.

{Polenta with Green Chiles and Corn}

2 cups milk
1 cup water
3/4 cup polenta (cornmeal works just fine)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan
7 oz can of whole green chiles (slice length wise or coarsely chop)
1 1/2 cup corn
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (I usually use a blend)
1/2 cup whipping cream

Toppings:
sour cream
guacamole
salsa
cilantro

Make it
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and butter a 8x8x2 inch baking dish. Double the recipe for a 9x13. Don't use a tin foil pan, it doesn't work.

Mix milk, water, polenta (cornmeal), garlic and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue until the polenta thickens. Add pepper and salt to taste. Stir in Parmesan Cheese.

Pour half of the polenta into the prepared dish. Cover with chiles, corn, and 1 cup of Monterey Jack Cheese. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of cream.

Spoon remaining polenta over and top with 1 cup of cheese. Pour the other 1/4 cup of cream over top.

Bake until polenta puffs and cheese browns, about 25 minutes.

Serve with Sour Cream, Guacamole, Cilantro, and Salsa on the side. This is a must!

Bon Appetito!


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Gardner Grub - Creamy Fajitas

This is an easy and delicious recipe that satisfies the whole family. You're going to love it!

{Creamy Fajitas}

1 lb of your choice - boneless skinless chicken breasts, steak, pork. Cut into strips
1 cup thinly sliced onions
1 cup green pepper strips
Philadelphia Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme
Flour Tortillas

Toppings
Refried beans

Mexican Style Shredded Cheese

Sour Cream

Guacamole

Sliced Black Olives

Salsa

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Add meat and cook for 3-4 minutes, add veggies and cook for 3-4 more minutes or until meat is cooked through. Add cooking cream, stir.

Heat tortillas and layer refried beans, meat/veggie mixture, cheese, and the rest of your desired toppings.

Enjoy! 

Gardner Grub - Back to School Chicken Salad

Mr. G started a new school year last week which means his lunch needs to be packed each night ready to go in the morning. This is his favorite lunch for work. I hope you try it! 

{Back to School Chicken Salad}

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped
1 apple, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl.

For lunches: Place 1/2 - 3/4 cup of the chicken salad in a ziplock bag or container. Toast the bread and put it in another bag/container. Or serve with crackers.

Gardner Grub - DIY Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Olive Garden is our family celebration restaurant. Birthdays, Anniversaries, Graduation, Date Night, etc. We go to Olive Garden. Everyone loves it and it's relatively inexpensive. Plus, we usually get Olive Garden gift cards as presents which makes it free or cheap.


My favorite item on the menu is Chicken and Gnocchi soup. Those little dumplings are irresistible. 

{DIY Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup}
2 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped (I prefer to use a rotisserie chicken)
1 Tbs olive oil
4 Tbs Butter
4 Tbs Flour
2 quarts half and half
1 14 oz can of MSG Free and Low Sodium Chicken Broth
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely shredded (I used my peeler to make thin ribbons)
2 minced garlic cloves
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1 box of potato gnocchi

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add butter and saute the onion, celery and garlic. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding half and half.
Cook gnocchi according to package.
Transfer roux into a large pot. Add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once it thickens again, add the gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning. Simmer gently until soup is heated through.

Serve with buttered bread.

Gardner Grub - Pizza On The Grill

Ovens are out. Grills are in.

{can you tell Project Runway has started?}

Mr. G and I are big fans of pizza but because of my food allergies we don't order pizza very often - maybe once every 6 months. We do, however, do pizza experiments at home and we've found the best way to make the perfect pizza is on the grill.

Hawaiian pizza is our favorite so that's what I'm sharing today but you can make it a million different ways. Pick the toppings you like and go nuts.

Ingredients

16 oz pizza dough (I get it from Fresh & Easy - one bag makes 2 pizzas)

BBQ sauce - mild flavor

Mozzarella Cheese - lots

Canadian Bacon - quartered

Pineapple - cubed

Turn on your grill to medium-low heat. 

Cut the dough in half (to make 2 pizzas) and roll it out with a sprinkle of corn starch. 

Take the rolled out dough and toss it directly on the grill. Close the grill and let the dough cook for 2-3 minutes. 

The dough will plump up and may be on the brink of golden brown but not darker.

Bring the dough inside and (if you have one) let your little chef sprinkle on the toppings.

Spread the BBQ sauce.

Add cheese, bacon & pineapple.

Take the pizza back to the grill for 6-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the dough is firm.

 

The absolute best part of pizza on the grill is there is no icky, doughy center. The entire pizza is perfectly crunchy.

These grill marks are proof. 

Enjoy!

Linking up:
It's a Keeper

Gardner Grub - Simple & Fancy Go-To Meal

For this weeks Gardner Grub I'm sharing a simple "go to" meal that Mr. G and I enjoy at least once a month. It's great all year long and a winner when you have company.

First up is my Glazed Walnut and Apple Salad

Ingredients:
Romaine Lettuce or Spring Mix
Glazed Walnuts
Fuji Apple - diced
Feta Cheese
Girard's Champagne dressing

Simple, delicious.

Teriyaki Beef Skewers
Ingredients:
One large Ribeye (for 2 people) - cubed
Teriyaki Sauce

Marinate for an hour.
Heat grill on Medium-Low. Skewer the meat and grill for 3.5 minutes on each side.

Perfection.

My Ice Cream Cake Fake-Out is being featured today at It's A Keeper!

Gardner Grub - Ice Cream Cake Fake-Out

If you are an ice cream sandwich lover like me, you're going to love this cake! This was my first time making it and YUM, it was de-lish. And easy! The hardest part was unwrapping all of the ice cream sandwiches. Those suckers melt fast!

10 Oreo cookies - crushed
12 ice cream sandwiches
1 8 oz container of Cool Whip, thawed
1 3.9 oz box of chocolate instant pudding
1/2 c. of chocolate syrup or chocolate fudge, warmed

In a medium bowl, add the warm syrup and mix in 1 cup of Cool Whip. Add the package of pudding and mix well. Stir in the crushed cookies.

Lay down a long piece of foil and place 4 ice cream sandwiches together. Top with half of the oreo mixture.

Repeat. Then top with the last 4 sandwiches.

Use the remainder of the Cool Whip to frost the "cake."

Bring together the sides of the foil, then the ends to seal the cake. Freeze for 3+ hours. 

Then enjoy!

Make it for your next get-together and I promise it will be a hit!

-Amanda

Gardner Grub - Homemade Lemonade

One of Mr. G's co-workers, Mrs. Knee, harvested her garden and generously brought over a heap of tomatoes and a couple dozen lemons.

With such an abundance of lemons I decided to make lemonade. My first time ever! I can't believe that I have never made lemonade. I actually had to google "homemade lemonade." Pathetic, right?

After a few searches, I decided to wing it based on how much juice I got from the lemons and here is what I came up with:

Mrs. G's Lemonade

4 cups of Water

2 1/4 cups of Sugar

4 cups of Lemon Juice (12 Lemons)

6 cups of Cold Water

Add water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until the sugar dissolves. Pour lemon juice and simple syrup in a pitcher, add cold water. Stir. Refrigerate for an hour. Stir.

Serve over ice.

I'm pretty sure it's required to relax on the front porch with the first glass of fresh lemonade.

With good company, of course.

Linking Up - Stumble Me Friday

Gardner Grub - Santa Fe Chicken Casserole

Casserole's are not typically a summer dish but it was a gorgeous 70 degrees yesterday. The windows were open and a cool breeze swept though the house all day. Loved it.

It has been a busy week (more on that later) so I looked for a dinner that I had all of the ingredients for and could whip up in a few minutes. The only Philadelphia Cooking Creme flavor I haven't tried is Santa Fe so I bought it last week with the intention to use it in fajitas but I went this route instead, and I'm glad I did.

To me this casserole tastes like eating a yummy, slightly spicy, burrito with a fork. Next time I will add sliced black olives to the mixture and sprinkle some on the top.

Here's the recipe (click to enlarge and print):

Recipe Source - Kraft Foods

Kid Friendly:

Noelle ate it as is - she enjoys spicy foods. If I knew she wouldn't like it I would have reserved some chopped chicken and made her a chicken quesadilla.

Gardner Grub - Chopped Chicken Salad

About a year ago I posted about two of my favorite things - my Chopped Chicken Salad and getting a new Food & Family magazine in the mail. This salad is definitely my most-asked-for-recipe. Every time I make it for a get-together, the bowl comes home empty and I've promised several people that I'll e-mail the recipe to them. It really is that good. So in celebration of the dreaded heat warm weather I thought I'd share it once again.

Amanda's Chopped Chicken Salad
1 large head of cabbage - chopped
    (lately I've been cheating by using 2 packages of pre-chopped cabbage)3 bunches of green onions - finely chopped
3 stalks of celery - chopped
3 cups cooked chicken breasts - chopped into small pieces and cooled
3/4 cup slivered almonds
2 packages of Ramen noodles
About 2 tbs oil

Remove the noodles from the packages (throw out the seasoning packets), put them in a large ziplock bag and smash them into small pieces. Heat 2 Tbs oil in a skillet and add the noodles. Stir continuously until they begin to brown. 

This is a delicate process - when they start to brown it goes very fast.

Remove the noodles from the skillet and set aside to cool. 

Combine cabbage, celery, almonds and onions in a large bowl. Add chicken and noodles once cooled and mix all of the ingredients together.

Add dressing and mix just before serving.

Dressing
3/4 cup of Vegetable oil
5 Tbs rice wine vinegar
5 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper

Enjoy!!