BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch

Last week the weather was warm so we had mom & dad down for a socially distanced backyard dinner to celebrate a late Father's Day.  The occasion was a little last minute and I didn't have much time to prep an elaborate meal, so I went to my old standby, the original Half Baked Harvest cookbook, and came up with her BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch.  The salad was super easy and customizable to make {I skipped the black beans and hard boiled eggs and used canned corn instead of fresh} but the part not to miss is the simple but flavorful Avocado Ranch dressing that everyone agreed was a hit.  Paired with some fresh sliced watermelon and cold drinks, it was the perfect backyard meal to enjoy while celebrating dad {and welcoming my parents to my house for the first time since February!}.

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad with Avocado Ranch

Ingredients
Avocado Ranch
1 cup buttermilk
1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tblsp fresh chives
1 lime, juiced
Salt & Pepper

Salad
1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts {I used 3 large}
BBQ Sauce {we used Stubbs}
1 can corn, rinsed, drained, and charred in skillet for about 10 minutes {or several ears corn, grilled}
1 Tblsp olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Chili powder
Salt & Pepper
2-3 heads romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce, shredded
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
4 bacon slices, cooked and chopped

Instructions
1. Make dressing.  In food processor or blender, combine buttermilk, avocado, cilantro, chives, and lime juice and puree until smooth.  Taste and season with salt & pepper.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use {can be made up to 1 day in advance}.
2. In medium bowl, combine corn, olive oil, cilantro, and a dash of chili powder.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.
3. Grill chicken.  Heat grill to medium high heat.  When hot, add chicken to grill and coat with bbq sauce.  Flip on grill and brush bbq sauce on remaining side of chicken.  Continue flipping and cooking chicken until done, adding more sauce as needed.
4. Assemble salad.  In large bowl, toss together lettuce, black beans, and tomatoes.  Top with corn mixture, sliced avocado, and bacon.  Finish with chicken and dressing.

Serves 4

adapted from half baked harvest

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

 {the cutest bbq master}

 {grilled shrimp salad}

 {that view though}

 {another weekend, another avocado toast}

 {slow rainy saturday}

 {found a cookie}

 {practicing her favorite yoga pose}

 {sweet signs in the 'hood thanking essential workers}

 {finally, after months of waiting, our beloved hilltop ale house is open}

 {would be better with a beer at the restaurant, but for now takeout reubens will do}

{sunday afternoon sunshine}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Happy 40th Anniversary {on Sunday} to the best parents ever!  I'm so lucky to have you two as great examples of love, happiness, and partnership.  I hope you're able to relax and celebrate this weekend - I love you guys!  Cheers to you!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Greek Meatball Pitas with Feta

I love flipping through magazines after work and am routinely ripping recipes out of Real Simple almost monthly because the recipes always look yummy and, well, simple.  I stumbled upon this recipe for Greek Meatball Pitas with Feta in the January 2020 issue and since we tend to hit up our favorite local Greek spot at least every other week, I thought we'd try to replicate some of our faves at home.  They look fancy but were super simple to put together, and the spices in both the sauce and meatballs really gave them delicious flavor.  We had lots of leftovers which I think you could easily freeze or have for lunch the next day, and though it'll never be as good as our local spot, sometimes it's nice to just stay home and cook :)

Greek Meatball Pitas with Feta

Ingredients

1/2 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt

2 tsp fresh lemon juice {from 1 lemon}

3 Tblsp finely chopped fresh mint, divided

1 1/4 tsp salt, divided

1 small red onion

1.5 to 2 lbs ground lamb or beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp ground cumin

4- 6 inch pitas, warmed

1 Persian cucumber, sliced

Tomatoes

Feta

Instructions

1. Stir yogurt, lemon juice, 1 Tblsp mint, and 1/4 tsp salt in small bowl.  Set aside.

2. Cut onion in half lengthwise. Finely chop one half and thinly slice the remaining half.  Set aside.

3. Heat large grill pan over medium-high heat.  Mix meat, finely chopped onion, garlic, cumin, remaining 2 Tblsp mint and 1 tsp salt in large bowl until well combined.  Form into small, oblong meatballs {about 20}.  Add oil or cooking spray to pan.  Cook meatballs until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes, turning once.

4. Spread yogurt mixture on warmed pitas.  Top with meatballs, thinly sliced onion, cucumber, tomato, and feta.

Serves 4

adapted from real simple

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy Birthday Sara!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law!  Sara - I hope you had a peaceful and relaxing vacation with your guys and I can't wait to see you all again soon!  Cheers to you!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Midsummer at Home

This past weekend was the first official day of summer and even though we weren't in Sweden {last year's celebration was the best!} we decided to do our own mini Midsummer celebration to commemorate the season.  We made a bunch of different dishes, both Swedish inspired and not, and spent the day cooking, eating, drinking {we whipped out some bottles of aquavit and other traditional liqueur}, and listening to music, and while we didn't have all the singing, fabulous guests, and delicious courses of food like we did last year, it was still fun to try to create our own little celebration for the start of summer.  Cheers to that!

appetizers

 

non-traditional midsummer margaritas

proud swedish pup

begging for food

steak, cabbage salad, and our successful attempt at skagenrora {shrimp salad}

happy guy

skal!

happy midsummer!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

The Weekend {In Pictures}

 {friday night happy hour}

 {rooftop livin'}

 {outside the local church}

 {lazy rainy mornings}

 {my faves}

 {safety first}

 {the new normal}

 {jack facetiming with nina}

 {pancakes!}

{sleepy girl}

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Happy {Father's Day} Weekend

Happy Friday, and Happy Father's Day Weekend to all the dads out there, especially my own.  Dad, I'm so lucky to be your daughter and thankful to have you in my life as my dad and my friend.  I wish we were out celebrating in the vineyards with some wine, but that just means the next trip will be that much sweeter!  Love you Pops!  And have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Summer To Do

Summer is going to look a little different this year while the Covid pandemic inevitably will ebb and flow for many months {years?} to come.  With that, my annual Summer To Do List looks a little different as well, with more at-home activities and socially distanced events to keep us busy during the warmer months.  Without further ado, here are a few fun things I'm hoping to cross off the list for this at home summer.

1. Picnic in the park
2. Buy a growler and fill it up at favorite breweries 
3. Hike at Oyster Dome
4. Bike on new trails
5. Urban hiking
6. Go old school at a drive in movie theater
7. Mix homemade tropical cocktails and pretend we're on the beach
8. Sail in the San Juans
9. Make homemade ice cream
10. Backyard socially distanced happy hours
11. Start a new 4th of July tradition 
12. Read some new books to continue learning and being an ally
13. Plan an epic vacation for when we can finally travel again :)

xoxo,
stephanie marie

Weeknight 30 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs

I've had this recipe for Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs saved since it came out and a few weeks back when I was trying to decide what to make for dinner I realized I had just about everything to make this one work.  I love that the substitutions are easy {orange juice for pomegranate juice, different vinegars, etc} but the core deliciousness remains.  The sauce elevates these meatballs and veggies and really makes this a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  Half Baked Harvest does it again!

Weeknight 30 Minute Sticky Ginger Sesame Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients
1 lb ground chicken {or turkey}
2 green onions, finely chopped, plus more for serving
1 inch fresh ginger, grated {I use the frozen cubes from TJ's so I always have ginger on hand}
1 clove garlic, minced
black pepper & salt
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2 Tblsp sesame oil {or olive oil}
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup orange juice {or pomegranate juice or apple cider}
3 Tblsp hoisin sauce
3 Tblsp honey
2 Tblsp rice vinegar {or apple cider vinegar}
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes {more or less to taste}
Steamed rice and sesame seeds for serving

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450.  Line baking sheet {or sheets} with parchment.
2. Add chicken, green onions, ginger, garlic, and pinch of pepper to bowl.  Mix until just combined.  Roll meat into tablespoon size meatballs {about 15} and place them on one side of of the prepared baking sheet.  Add broccoli to other side of baking sheet {or separate sheet if they do not fit} and toss with 1 tblsp oil, salt, and pepper.  Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes until meatballs are crisp and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, combine 1 Tblsp oil, soy sauce, juice, hoisin, honey, vinegar and crushed red pepper flakes in medium sauce pan.  Set over medium-high heat and bring to boil.  Boil 5-8 minutes until sauce thickens and reduces by about 1/3.  Remove from heat.
4. Pour about half sauce over meatballs, tossing to combine.  Return to oven for 2-3 minutes until sauce coats meatballs.
5. Serve meatballs, broccoli, and extra sauce over bowls of rice topped with green onions and sesame seeds.

Serves 4

adapted from half baked harvest

xoxo,
stephanie marie

A Visit with Jack

I haven't seen Jack since Christmas {thank god for FaceTime} so last weekend I decided to sneak over to Wenatchee to get some snuggle time with my favorite little buddy.  I wasn't exactly sure how the visit would go with trying to stay socially distant, but when Jack showed off his new skill, crawling, and crawled right on over to me and into my lap I just couldn't resist.  The whole family {minus Christian} spent the day together at Shaun & Sara's place {we all socially distanced except with Jack} and we ate lots of yummy food while watching sweet Jack crawl around on the grass, babble away, and blow raspberry kisses to everyone.  He's such a happy and curious baby and my heart feels so full after being able to spend just a few hours with him.  I can't wait to get back over there for some more cuddle time soon but until then I'll keep staring at all of these too cute pics of my little man.

{my brother has become a chicken farmer - 19 and counting!}

{always the center of attention}

{so smiley}

{checking out grandpa's 'gentleman jack' birthday present}

{with his nana}

xoxo,
stephanie marie