Day #193 - Steak & Asparagus

Tonight, I cooked up this rib-eye steak and asparagus on my stove-top grill pan.   The steak was seasoned with crushed black pepper and a little chipotle rub.   The asparagus was tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar before being grilled.   I drizzled a little more balsamic vinegar over both the asparagus and the steak after they finished cooking.   I finished off the meal with a bowl of watermelon cubes (not pictured).

Day #192 - Ham & Egg Sandwich

Breakfast sounded like a good idea for my dinner, so I made a ham and egg sandwich.   I took a couple thick slices of ham and heated them in a skillet with a little Jamaican Jerk rub (Pampered Chef).   I used the same skillet to cook my egg.  Piled the ham, egg, and shredded cheddar cheese on my whole grain sandwich thin.  A filling breakfast for dinner!   And frozen peach slices for dessert.

Day #191 - Chorizo Cheesesteak

Remember the chorizo skillet dinner I made a few nights ago?   I still had plenty of leftovers in the fridge, so tonight I repurposed the skillet meal.  And so the Chorizo Cheesesteak was born.   
I took a few large spoonfuls of the skillet leftovers (chorizo, peppers, onions, and tomatoes) and reheated them in the microwave.   Meanwhile, I took a hoagie roll and toasted it in my toaster oven.   Piled the chorizo mixture on the roll, topped with provolone cheese, and zapped in the microwave for another 10 seconds until the cheese started to melt.

I actually preferred this "leftovers remix" over the original dinner!

Day #190 - Chicken Patty Sandwich

It's too hot to cook with the oven or stove, so I heated some chicken patties in the small toaster oven.  The sandwich is a whole grain Sandwich Thin, romaine lettuce, chicken patty, provolone cheese, sliced tomatoes, and a little black pepper to season.   I also had a handful of fruit & nut trail mix on the side, instead of chips.

Day #189 - BBQ Chicken Pizzas

Tonight I made some mini BBQ Chicken Pizzas using the leftovers from last night.  I started with a base of a Multi-Grain Sandwich Thin.  I spread on some honey barbeque sauce, and topped with some leftover chicken thigh.  I also took some leftover corn-on-the-cob, cut the kernels off the cob, and sprinkled those on my pizzas.  I wasn't sure how corn would turn out on the pizzas, but it worked well with the chicken and BBQ sauce.   I also added some diced green bell pepper to my pizzas, drizzled a little extra BBQ sauce over them, and sprinkled with grated parmesean cheese.   I cooked the pizzas in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, while I also cooked the sweet potato fries.  After 10 minutes, I added slices of provel cheese over the pizzas.  I put the tray back into the oven and cooked for an additional 6 minutes, until the fries were crispy and the pizza cheese had melted.   

It was a nice playful twist on last night's leftover BBQ chicken and corn.





P.S.  I know I talk about these Sandwich Thins quite often.  So for those of you who are not familiar with them, here is what I am talking about:   Multi-Grain Sandwich Thins

Day #188 - Grandma's Birthday

Happy 85th Birthday to my Grandma Raidt!!   She is one of my biggest blog fans and followers.

Tonight, all of the in-town family joined together at my parents' house for a birthday dinner.   We started with a chilled watermelon & mint soup, drizzled with a yogurt swirl, and afresh mint leaf garnish:

(Something tells me my parents have been on too many cruises, if they are serving chilled fruit soups!)
The soup was very good, in addition to the lovely colorful presentation.   The mint kept it from being overly sweet and dessert-like.   A nice start to the meal!

The main course consisted of barbequed chicken (breasts and thighs), corn-on-the-cob, creamy mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, and mini poppyseed rolls:

The chicken was very moist and succulent, due to being marinated and then grilled on the Weber charcoal grill.  The asparagus was steamed to al dente, and still had its vibrant green color.  The corn was wonderful.  Locally grown corn always tastes best in the summertime.   And the mashed potatoes were extra rich and creamy, due to the milk, cream cheese, and sour cream!   Yum!

Dessert was provided by my Aunt Linda.  She made an excellent pineapple upside down cake.   I devoured most of my slice before I remembered to take a picture:

A wonderful meal from start to finish!

Day #187 - Pizza!

Fridays are good nights for pizza.  

As I was foraging through my fridge and freezer to locate something for dinner, I found a Totino's Party Pizza - the pepperoni variety.   I "jazzed" it up by adding some diced ham, diced green pepper, grated parmesean cheese, crushed black pepper, dried garlic seasoning, and Italian seasoning.  It tasted much fancier than a straight-out-of-the-box, boring Pepperoni pizza!