Garlic Parmesan Chicken Kebabs

Photo from Life in the
Loft House

This one does not need to be repeated again. I knew when I made the marinade that it wasn't going to be a good one for me. 

I marinated this for just 2 hours. The vinegar and lemon together I felt might be too acidic and cause the chicken to have that weird texture I don't like. 

The flavor was good. "Garlic" is a bit of a dead lead in this title. Using Garlic powder and no actual garlic makes it hard for me to say it was garlicky in any way. 

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Kebabs

Recipe from Life-in-the-lofthouse.com

Serves 4

• 2-pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut each piece of chicken into 1- inch cubes. Thread the chicken onto 8 metal or wooden skewers. *If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading with the chicken. (This ensures they won’t catch on fire as they grill.)

In a medium-size bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and all seasonings together. Mix well.

Baste the chicken kebabs with the garlic Parmesan mixture on all sides. Place the coated kebabs on a large platter and gently cover. Place in fridge to let marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.

Grill kebabs on medium heat, with the grill lid closed, for 5 minutes per side OR until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Serve kebabs warm and enjoy!

Trailer Trash Pot Roast

Photo from Sticky Gooey
Creamy Chewy

This was a recipe that felt like it came straight out of the 70's from a single mom with very little cash. 

Main two ingredients coke and chili sauce are odd ingredients for cooking and even odder to be together. Together, though, they made one helluva pot roast. I'll admit I was surprised. 

I put this expensive roast (pot roast used to be so inexpensive. A 3 lb roast cost me $40. We may forgo pot roast for a bit.) in the slow cooker. I know the recipe says put it in the oven, but I didn't want to babysit it. It worked perfect. 7.5 hours on low and it turned out tender as anything. 

I served this with mashed potatoes. It's unusual that I serve pot roast with mashed potatoes, but I had leftover taters from Turkey Day, it just made sense. 

Trailer Trash Pot Roast

Recipe from Stickygooeycreamychewy.com

Serves 6

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 3-4 pound beef chuck roast
• Salt and pepper for seasoning roast
• 1 can Coca Cola (classic Coke)
• 1 packet Lipton Onion Soup mix
• 1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
• 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
• 4 carrots, scrubbed and roughly chopped into 1 to 2-inch chunks

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season roast with salt and pepper and sear the meat until browned on both sides, about a minute or two per side. Remove from heat.

Stir Coke and onion soup mix together in a bowl. Whisk in chili sauce.

Pour Coke mixture over the chuck roast, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Add the onions and carrots to the roast, cover and continue baking for another 2-3 hours, until meat and vegetables are fork tender.

Serve with mashed potatoes, hot buttered egg noodles or a big old loaf of crusty bread to sop up the sauce.

Enjoy!

Baked Tandoori Salmon

Photo from Little
Sunny Kitchen

I have really tried to get more salmon in my life, but salmon gets boring to me. 

I found this recipe and thought it sounded interesting. And you know what, it was amazing!! I made zero changes to this recipe and I wouldn't change a thing when I make it again. 

I marinated the fish for 2 hours. I did wipe off some of the excess marinade before baking it as they suggest. It's a thick marinade so it makes sense. 

Baked Tandoori Salmon

Recipe from Little Sunny Kitchen

Serves 4

• ¾ cup Greek yogurt or hung/strained yogurt
• 1 lemon juiced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin sweet or smoked
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 ½ pounds salmon fillets skin on or removed

To a large bowl or a ziploc bag, add yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cilantro, salt, garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and black pepper. Whisk well to combine.

Add the salmon to the marinade and gently toss so that it is well coated in the marinade. Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C), or 180°C for a fan oven, and line a quarter sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.

Remove the salmon from the marinade shaking off any excess, and place on the prepared sheet pan.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes, then heat the broiler and place the fish 6 inches under the broiler element and broil for 5 minutes but watch it closely. Remove when the salmon is broiled and has reached the right color.

Allow the salmon to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with rice, onion slices, raita or a fresh salad.

Hot Honey Pepperoni Strombolis

If you've never had stromboilis, but like pizza, you're in for a treat. Stromboli is basically the same as a calzone only folded in threes instead of in half. 

Fresh pizza dough is really the best way to start homemade pizza. I don't make dough, can't make dough, so I buy it from Trader Joe's. They have some great pizza dough. 

I made one modification and one mistake in making these. 

The modification was I spread the marinara in the stromboli instead of using it to dip. Then I completely forgot to put the hot honey inside. I drizzled the stromboli after and, frankly, thought it was better. 

Hot Honey Pepperoni Strombolis
Recipe from Hello Fresh

• ½ ounce Hot Honey
• 1.5 ounce Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup Pepperoni
• 3.5 ounce Pizza Dough
• 2 ounce Marinara Sauce

Adjust rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil. Remove pizza dough from packaging and roll dough balls on baking sheet to coat all over. Place dough balls on sheet at least three inches apart and cover with a clean kitchen towel; let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Once dough has rested 20 minutes, gently press and stretch each dough ball into a 6-by-8-inch rectangle (the dough is stretchy and the shapes won't be perfect—that’s OK!).

Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest 12 minutes more (this will make the following step easier!).

Once dough has rested 12 minutes, evenly sprinkle each dough rectangle with mozzarella, leaving a ½-inch border around edges. Top with pepperoni. Drizzle hot honey in a single lengthwise layer across middle of dough.

Starting with one of the long sides, gently fold up the sides. Arrange stromboli, seam sides down, on baking sheet; pinch ends to close and tuck underneath. Repeat with remaining dough rectangle.

Bake Stromboli

With a sharp knife, gently cut three small, shallow diagonal slits along the top of each stromboli. Bake on middle rack until golden brown and crisp, 18-22 minutes.

Doner Kebab

Prior to our trip to Germany I had heard about Doner Kebabs and was told to try one while I was there. They aren't German but for some reason it was on the list to try. We didn't get to try one. That being said, it's always been on my mind to do so. 

These were amazing. In fact, they were added to the 2025 favorites list. I cannot express how delicious these were. 

There are a couple of ways to eat these; in a wrap or over rice. I chose in a wrap. My wrap consisted of a layer of hummus, then a layer of the garlic yogurt, then the chicken and finally topped with chopped cucumber and chopped cherry tomatoes. 

Y'all...messy is a way to describe this, but DELICIOUS to the extreme.

I will be making this again.

Doner Kebab

Recipe from Carlsbad Craving

Serves 4

CHICKEN AND MARINADE

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs cut in half
• 1/2 c plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp EACH ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp EACH garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, salt, dried oregano
• ½ tsp EACH ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, pepper

GARLIC YOGURT SAUCE

• 1 c Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 T lemon juice
• 2 T finely chopped parsley
• 1 T finely chopped mint
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp EACH ground cumin, ground coriander, pepper

MARINADE

Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add chicken halves and stir to thoroughly coat. Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours.

GARLIC YOGURT SAUCE

Whisk the Garlic Yogurt Sauce ingredient together in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve. The sauce can be made at the time you start marinating the chicken or aim for at least an hour before cooking the chicken.

SKEWER

Using 2 skewers for each kebab, thread one side of the thigh onto each skewer and then the other side; slide the skewered chicken down to the end (see photos in post or video). Repeat with half the chicken, pushing the chicken against each other. Repeat to make a second kabob with the remaining chicken.

TO GRILL:  

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Clean grates and generously grease with oil.

Once hot, add kebabs, and grill for 4-5 minutes without moving. Flip kebabs over and grill the other side an addition 4-5 minutes.

Next, flip chicken over, COVER and reduce heat so it maintains 400 degrees F with the lid closed. Continue to cook, approximately 5-10 additional minutes per side turning once, until chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, add flatbread to the grill to warm up.

Stand the skewers upright on a cutting board and thinly slice chicken off.

Marinated Flank Steak

This was the oddest marinade. 

Ok, so maybe it wasn't the worst marinade, but it certainly wasn't the best. To be fair, I did have to make a couple substitutions. 

First, Blueberry was coming to dinner so I had to swap the soy for tamari (she's gluten free) and I feel like that gave it a stronger soy flavor. 

Second, finding peach nectar was impossible. Two stores I tried and neither had it. The interwebs suggested subbing with peach syrup from canned peaches and/or pureeing the canned peaches. I took the easy way out and just used the syrup. ZERO peach flavor. 

Bottom line, not worth trying. 

Marinated Flank Steak

Recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch

Serves 6

• 1 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
• 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup peach juice or peach nectar*
• 2 Tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 Tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 flank steak

Add oil, soy sauce, peach juice, minced onion and parsley to a large ziplock bag.

Add the flank steak to the bag, seal it, and lay it flat in your fridge to marinate for 3-6 hours.

Remove the bag from the fridge about 15 minutes before grilling.

Heat grill to high heat. Once the grill is hot, remove the steak from the bag of marinade (you can discard the marinade) and lay it on the grill.

Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip to the other side and cook for 3-4 more minutes, depending on how well done you like your steak. I don’t use a meat thermometer, but if you do, a general guideline is 125 to 130°F for rare, 140°F for medium rare, and 150°F for medium.

Remove steak from the grill and place it on a cutting board. Cover it with a piece of tinfoil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Cut the meat across the grain, at a diagonal, in VERY THIN slices (almost “paper thin”). ENJOY!

Grilled Teriyaki Steak

Teriyaki is a flavor that really tastes different so often. I have never found two teriyaki sauces that taste the same. 

This was a good one. I couldn't bring myself to use an entire cup of brown sugar though. I used 2/3 of a cup instead and I think it was just right. 

I marinated this for 4 hours and it was just right. It could have even gone more, but I ran out of time. 

I'd make this one again. Though I didn't cook it and make it thicker. I just didn't care enough to be honest.

Grilled Teriyaki Steak

Recipe from Butter Your Biscuit

Serves 4

• 4 New York Steaks (about 1 ½ inches thick)
• 1 c soy sauce low sodium
• ½ c rice wine vinegar
• 2/3 c water
• 1 c brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tsp fresh grated ginger
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
• 2 tsp cornstarch

In a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, water, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes if added.

Place the steaks in a container or large ziplock bag and pour ½ of the marinade over the steaks. Reserve the rest.

Marinade the steak for 4 hours or overnight for the best flavor. You will want to give the steak a toss a couple of times during the marinating process.

Place the remaining sauce in a small saucepan, mix the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon of water to make a slurry then add it to the sauce and whisk.

Remove the steaks from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Simmer the sauce on medium-high heat for about 12-15 minutes or until thickened. Removes from heat and let cool.

Heat a grill on medium-high heat and place the steak over the heat. Grill for 2-3 minutes then flip and grill another 2-3 minutes over direct heat. Then move the steaks over to indirect heat and cook. I recommend using a digital meat thermometer to know when the steaks have reached your desired doneness.

Easy Cucumber Salad

Even though cucumbers make me burp, I love them. And I especially love them in a tangy vinegar. 

This recipe was a little different because of the honey and dill to me. Most my cucumber salads have some heat to them and sugar instead of honey. I liked the honey with the dill, though I thought it was going to be odd. 

Easy Cucumber Salad

Recipe from Twopeasandtheirpod.com

Serves 4

• 2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
• 1 large English cucumber, thinly sliced
• ¼ large red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar and honey. Add the cucumber slices, onion slices, and dill. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving. You can also chill for a couple of hours before serving to let the cucumbers marinate.

Jenn's Kick Ass Vegetable Beef Soup

I have made vegetable soup for years. It's a simple, toss everything together sort of soup. Perfect for a cold, wet fall day in the Pacific Northwest. 

I found this crock pot vegetable soup recipe that I wanted to use as my base. Turns out there's very little from it that I used. The seasoning primarily is what I used.

This mix is the BEST mix I've ever had on vegetable beef soup. I'm going to even call it Jenn's Kick Ass Vegetable Beef Soup (to go along with my Kick Ass Stroganoff , my Kick Ass Bolognese and my Kick Ass Chicken Scaloppini.

This one is going into the FAVORITE list this year too. I can't wait for the leftovers.

Jenn's Kick Ass Vegetable Beef Soup

Recipe from ME

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound stew meat

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large carrots cut into bite sized pieces

2 ribs of celery cut into bite sixed pieces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper.

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried thyme

5 cups vegetable broth

10 oz tomato sauce

1 can Veg All

1 can green beans

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

Heat olive oil a 12 inch skillet on medium high heat and add the stew meat and cook just until browned on all sides. Add to the slow cooker,

Add all the remaining ingredients into the slow cooker and give it a stir.

Cook on low 7-8 hours, remove the Bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Amish Country Casserole

The 70's called...they want their recipe back! 

Photo from Insanely
Good Recipes

Just looking at the ingredients I knew immediately this would have been a recipe my mom would have made the week before payday. Simple, inexpensive ingredients, and it'll feed a family for days. 

I personally thought this recipe was terrible! But let me explain why. 

I don't like baked pasta unless it's lasagna. It always dries out and is blech,

I thought about serving this without popping it in the oven, then decided since the Pantry Goat was coming to dinner, I should maybe follow the recipe. I regretted it the moment I put it in the oven. 

It was dry. The flavor was good, but it needed more sauce. I even added an addition half cup of milk and it was still not enough sauce. 

Try this one at your own risk.

Amish Country Casserole

Recipe from Insanely Good Recipes

Serves 6

• 12 oz medium egg noodles
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can condensed tomato soup
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Cook the egg noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef. Cook until the onion until the beef is browned and the onion is soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Drain the excess fat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the tomato soup, cream of mushroom soup, milk, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion flakes.

Add the cooked beef mixture and the cooked noodles to the soup mixture. Stir until everything is evenly combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the top.

Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Schnitzel

 I love LOVE chicken schnitzel. I especially love it with a side salad. While I did have a side salad, I
did other sides too. 

The recipe came with potatoes that they ALWAYS say to cut in wedges and bake. Boring. So this time I chopped them in larger bite size pieces, slathered them with olive oil and some yummy onion soup mix (Potatoes a la Kathy).

The recipe was supposed to come with broccoli, but apparently there's a broccoli shortage so I got green beans. I took those green beans and tossed them in with the potatoes. It was amazing!

Chicken Schnitzel

Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 12 ounce Potatoes
• 1 head Broccoli
• 1 Lemon
• 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoon Honey
• 2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 tablespoon Fry Seasoning
• ½ cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1.5 tablespoon Sour Cream
• 12 ounce Chicken Cutlets

Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. Cut potatoes into 1⁄2-inch-thick wedges. Cut broccoli into bite-size pieces. Zest and quarter lemon.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, honey, and mustard; set aside.

Toss potatoes on one side of a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, Fry Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, carefully toss broccoli on empty side of baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper and continue to roast on top rack until veggies are browned and tender, 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place panko, lemon zest, and garlic powder in a large zip-close bag. Season with salt and pepper.

Pat pork dry with paper towels. Place sour cream in a medium bowl; add pork and turn to coat.

Place coated pork in bag with panko mixture and seal to close. Shake until pork is evenly coated. TIP: You may need to move pork chops around in bag, pressing with your hands, to spread out panko and make it stick.

Heat a 1⁄4-inch layer of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot enough that a pinch of panko sizzles when added to pan, add pork. TIP: Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to work in batches.

Cook until panko is golden and pork is cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. TIP: For thicker pork chops, cook 1-2 minutes more.

Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate.