My Diary of Us

We only have a few more weeks of summer and I have mixed feelings about it all. I mean let’s be honest, in Texas we have about three more months of summer weather, but with every new season there is a shift. I am hanging on to low key dinner nights, grilling in the backyard, sounds of water splashing in the kiddie pool behind me, and not having too much of an agenda. So that’s what we are going do for these last weeks of summer. Let’s savor it all with a fun twist on a classic recipe that I grew up eating. Low country boils are popular in the south and are typically served up on a warm summer day spread out on newspapers and enjoyed with cold beers. But because not everyone has a ginormous pot hanging around and an outside burner, I am taking those same nostalgic flavors and making them easy enough for anyone to whip up any night of the week. This recipe for low country boil skewers is going to be your new favorite grilling recipe and you are going to love just how easy they are to make.

Lettuce wraps are one of those things that I love having almost weekly. There are so many possibilities for flavor combinations and I especially love using lettuce wraps with spicy food because of the crisp freshness that the lettuce gives the dish. While you are probably most familiar with Asian Chicken Lettuce wraps, I love using wraps in other recipes as well. Spicy Korean pork is one of those foods that has an undeniable flavor and is actually really easy to create at home too. These delicious grilled spicy Korean pork lettuce wraps are a great weeknight dinner option and will quickly become a favorite dish in your house.

If you want to know the way to my heart, I am going to let you in on a little secret…just bring me a cheeseburger. I am not even kidding, most girls prefer diamonds, but I prefer a juicy classic American cheeseburger complete with all the fixings! When I was pregnant with my son, cheeseburgers were my number one craving and you can ask my husband about how many cheeseburgers we both consumed during those nine months and neither one of us would be able to tell you! Needless to say, I created a four year old kid who’s favorite food also happens to be a cheeseburger and I am one proud mama. I love a good cheeseburger when we go out to eat, but I have to say my at home recipe rivals most cheeseburgers out there and it couldn’t be any simpler to make! My recipe for the best cheeseburgers is going to up your summer grilling game and will have you looking like a burger pro in no time.

This post is kindly sponsored by Tony Chachere’s, but all opinions are 100% my own.

I may be from Tennessee, but I married into a Cajun family and even though it’s not in my blood, I have grown to have an intense love for Cajun culture and cuisine! So much so, that I wrote my first cookbook with all of my favorite Cajun recipes that are near and dear to my heart! (I did live in Louisiana for ten years after all!) One of my favorite all time classic Louisiana dishes happens to be a po’ boy! I love all of the varieties that are available, but nothing beats a shrimp po’ boy in my opinion! That’s why I partnered with Tony Chachere’s to bring you the perfect summer grilling recipe! My Grilled Shrimp Po’ Boys are a lighter take on the classic and are easy to whip up any night of the week!

This post is kindly sponsored by Village Farms, but all opinions are 100% my own.

It’s time for our second Supper Club y’all! I am so excited to cook and hang out with you guys for the second Supper Club this year! I love Supper Club because it’s a place where we can come together as women and cook, chat, and support each other all while being miles apart! That’s the beauty of a virtual Supper Club and I love that anyone can be involved! I partnered up with Village Farms again to bring you the best Summer recipes for grilling and entertaining all summer long! My Spicy Asian Cucumber Noodle Salad and my Grilled Cioppino Foil Packets are two fresh and delicious recipes that are perfect for patio hanging with your friends and family!

I cook pork chops at least a couple times a month and love creating new recipes to make them extra flavorful. Grilling is one of my favorite ways to prepare them, especially in the summertime when the weather is warm! Pineapple and pork pair so beautifully together as far as flavors go and I whipped up a delicious pineapple glaze that is going to transform your regular pork chops into what feels like a really special weeknight dinner! My grilled pineapple glazed pork chops are full of flavor, easy to whip up any night of the week, and are going to be one of your new favorite backyard BBQ recipes!

I’ve been thinking of doing a series on grilling this summer because it seems to be a cooking method that a lot of people are intimidated by, when actually it’s quite simple! It just so happens to be one of my favorite ways to prepare food! I love that I can literally throw anything onto the grill and make my whole meal without even turning my oven on, especially when I don’t want to heat up my house in the hotter months! It truly makes easy weeknight cooking that much easier! My grilled lemon, shrimp, and asparagus orzo salad is one of those easy meals that can be prepared on the grill and is perfect for any night of the week or for a weekend BBQ!

Thanksgiving is officially less than a week away and I am sure you are in full on menu planning mode by now! I know the traditional roasted turkey is usually on everyone’s menu plan, but this year I have a new method for cooking your turkey that will free up oven space and have your turkey ready from start to finish in under an hour! My citrus herb butter grilled turkey is so full of flavor and makes for a stunning presentation for any holiday table!

I cannot believe August has arrived and back to school has already started!  Where did the summer go?  But let's be honest, summer actually isn't over yet is it? The heat is still sticking around and we still have a good month or two left of some of my favorite summer produce!  Last week I made a random salad based upon what I had in the fridge, and omg guys...it was one of the best salads I have made in a long time!  I knew that I was going to have to make it again, and that I needed to let you guys in on this amazing salad combination too!  My grilled bbq chicken and peach salad is the quintessential summer salad and it needs to be on your dinner table asap while the gettin' is good!

Y'all...I don't know how it is possible, but next week is July 4th and suddenly I feel like this year is passing by at an alarmingly fast speed!  But regardless how I feel about that, the fourth is coming, ready or not, and that means it's time to get out your grills!  I love switching up my normal burger routine in the summertime and incorporating some of my favorite seasonal ingredients to make an extra special burger!  My sweet and spicy bourbon peach chutney pork burgers are so full of flavor and are the perfect recipe to make for all of your summertime grilling festivities!

I use our grill about 90% of the time during the summer months.  I find myself cooking just about anything and everything on it from meats to veggies to pizzas!  I love not having to turn on my oven and the flavor that a grill gives food is hard to beat!  Skewers are one of those things that you can make out of any ingredients you have in your fridge and are a great way to use up some of your favorite summer vegetables!  My grilled lemon and thyme chicken sausage and veggie skewers are so perfect for any night of the week and your whole family will love them too!

Memorial Day is right around the corner and no matter what your plans are, one thing is for sure, good food is a must!  Whether you are hosting a party, are at the beach, or hanging by a pool somewhere (jealous if thats the case), you need to have a yummy spread to serve up to your guests!  That's why I've gathered up some of my favorite Memorial Day recipes that are crowd pleasers and perfect for any type of gathering and even just hanging at home!

Happy almost 4th of July guys!  We just got back from the beach yesterday and I am super excited that this week is a holiday week to help me ease back into the swing of things.  I am trying to get my mind out of vacation mode and back into working mode after a week relaxation!  And while I am trying to get back into the grind around here, one thing is for sure I will be lighting up the grill for the 4th and one of my favorite recipes is definitely going to happen!  My easy pork rib marinade is the perfect recipe for fail-proof delicious ribs that would be perfect for your BBQ tomorrow!   

The weather has just been picture perfect lately and I know that means that the real Texas heat is about to be here in a matter of days, but for now it has been so lovely.  We have been spending every second that we can outside in the sprinkler, at the park, blowing bubbles in the backyard...whatever!  My boys and I love to be outside whenever possible and so I have been thinking of ways that I can get dinner on the table without having to make Parks come inside while I'm doing it!  And since I love to grill, it's the perfect solution to dinner and in preventing a toddler meltdown.   My grilled pineapple and flank steak tacos are simple, loaded with tons of flavor, and your whole family is going to love them!

The weather here in Texas has been very Spring like lately which has been fantastic because we have been soaking up the high seventy degree temperatures almost every day!  I am a little fearful of what that means for our summer, but I'll take this window of perfect weather while I can.  I am definitely ready to say goodbye to winter's heartier meals and say hello to Spring's fresh and light recipes that make me feel better as a whole!  For me this means lots of fresh produce, lean proteins, and breaking out my grill more regularly!  You probably are aware by now that I have been known to grill in rainy and cold weather, but there is something so much better about grilling on a sunny and warm evening or afternoon.  My grilled chicken Greek salad is my new favorite that I have added into our weekly dinner rotation and you are going to love it too!

Ummmmm, how is it August already guys?  The summer is passing entirely too quickly and although I'm ready for the heat to leave, I am not ready for the idea of summertime to go away!  I am holding on to all things grilled, fresh, and easy and pretending like we are not officially one and a half months away from Parks turning ONE!  Holy moly!  That's a whole other subject though, so let's stick to why we are here and that is for the pork!  Grilling pork chops is one of the easiest and healthiest ways to prepare the meat and though it can be tricky, my method of perfectly grilled pork chops will give you a juicy chop every time!

Grilling is my jam guys.  I will grill in the cold, in the rain, in the extreme heat, whatever...I love it.  I love the smokey flavor that comes from grilling and when we are currently in the heat of summer, who wants to turn on an oven?  Because of that, salads are on rotation in our house right now and this Sriracha honey glazed grilled shrimp salad is one we have been having over and over!  

I've been back in the kitchen this week cooking for My Diary of Us (finally) and dang, it feels good.  With so much going on in my life right now, both work and personal, I have been neglecting this space that I have always loved coming to.  I'm jumping back in with baby steps and just kinda feeling my way back into the groove of it all.  But, with the said, I am jumping back in with an ultimate summertime recipe that you are going to want to make at your next barbecue...or if you are obsessed with grilling like me, then you will want to whip this one up on any ole night of the week.  My grilled apricot and chicken skewers are super healthy and have an explosion of flavors that will have your whole family begging for seconds.

We have a few weeks left of summer and I am taking full advantage in the kitchen.  I'm whipping up light and healthy meals that I can grill up for a fast dinner almost every night of the week right now.  With kids back at school and vacations officially over for the year, schedules are getting busier and busier and no one has the time to worry about dinner.  My grilled pineapple and shrimp skewers are super healthy and fast and you can feel great about feeding them to your entire family.  

When the days become as hot as they have been lately, my meal planning becomes super simple. I want fresh, light, and easy.  And what's easier than throwing together some yummy salads a couple of nights a week?   I love creating salads with whatever I have in the fridge and my favorite trick to take a salad from good to great is adding some fruit to the mix!  There is something about that sweet bite from fruit mixed with the other salad ingredients that is so delicious, especially if you are eating salads a couple nights a week as your main course, fruit helps to keep your taste buds excited!  My grilled flank steak and cherry salad is the perfect summertime dinner, combining some of my favorite flavors onto a plate!

We've been on a salad kick lately and one of our favorites combinations includes strawberries and chicken. There is something about the combination of sweet and savory that makes this salad the best. You might remember reading my strawberry, avocado, and walnut salad post which is basically the same salad I have just been adding chicken for additional protein!  I love this combo so much that I had the idea to create the recipe for my strawberry balsamic grilled chicken!  If you are looking for the perfect Memorial Day dish or are just interested in new healthy dinner options, this recipe is for you!

Like most people, I have fallen into a chicken rut where I find myself cooking the same recipes over and over until we are completely chickened out.  This recipe is just the thing to bring your love of chicken back to life!  It's sweet from the berries, tangy from the vinegar, and together mixed with the smokiness from the grill this chicken is so delicious! 

Have you heard of pickle chicken?  Sounds a little strange maybe, unless you are an avid pickle lover like me.  And if you are, then you are more intrigued than anything.  I'm going to need you to trust me on this one, because it will be your new favorite way to marinate your chicken from now until forever.  With football season in full swing, we get to eat as much game day food as we want and grilled pickle chicken wings with Greek yogurt ranch are delicious and a healthier alternative to your normal deep fried wing smothered in full fat dressing.

This quite possible is one of the easiest recipes that I have or will ever give you.  I think I should maybe call this recipe magical pickle chicken because it kind of acts like the perfect brine and creates super moist chicken with a golden and crispy skin. 

I've been needing a salad in my life lately after going on a two month, I think I'll just eat whatever I want phase.  Which don't get me wrong has been great, and everyone needs to do it every now and then, but it's time to get a grip.  And a good salad always helps to get me going in the right direction.  This summer grilled romaine and peach cobb salad is so yummy that you won't even be thinking about the fact that it is healthy! 

Trust me on this one.

Have you ever had grilled romaine lettuce?  It's grilled quickly just to char to ends which is just enough to still leave a good crunch to the lettuce.  It's delicious!  And we all know I like to grill just about everything!  Remember that grilled romaine wedge salad that I had in Lafayette a couple of weekends ago?  Well that salad inspired this one. 

I love updating a favorite salad with whatever ingredients are in season and that happen to be at the market.  One of my favorite salads is a cobb salad, and really you add any ingredients that tickle your fancy.  This week, I decided to grill some of the components to get a smoky flavor mixed with the other veggies.  The grilled peaches add a nice sweetness, and then it's brought all together with a creamy homemade low-fat blue cheese dressing!

Can we talk about how there are few things in the world better than a good slice of pizza?  It ranks right up there with a great kiss, puppy breath, and realizing that top you have been wanting from Free People just went on sale.  We have been known to have pizza night once a week because lucky for me, I married a fellow pizza connoisseur who is equally obsessed.  And I'm about to change the game on your regular ole pizza with my farmer's market smoked sausage and corn pizza!

Y'all...holy cow was I surprised at the flavor combination the first time that I made this pizza.  It was love at first bite.  I knew I had to make it for you and share the recipe because one shouldn't keep this kind of deliciousness to themselves. 

I do have a confession though...I tried a new technique because I read a fellow blogger who did this and thought hey that's genius...and maybe it is, but I did not feel so genius after trying it.  I put my pizza stone right on my grill to recreate a wood burning oven effect and instead broke my pizza stone right in half (sigh).  It seemed so brilliant, maybe it was just my stone...or maybe it was just me.