Grilling It Up

Now that I'm doing the Sunday Dinner Diva Blog I find myself thinking about food....A LOT!  As a matter of fact, I am already thinking about what we are going to have for Sunday dinner next week.  But I guess I will post our Sunday dinner menu from today because it was a good one!  And I even got an unsolicited 10 rating on my dessert from my husband and "a make this again" comment...I know that means it was really good!  I was pleased with the menu and how it all came together.  The textures and variety of food were perfect except for the mandarin oranges and sweet potatoes...too much orange.  I had actually planned on using strawberries in the salad but they didn't have any at the store so I had to change the menu a tad at the last minute.  Can't you just imagine a splash of red in that salad?

Grilled London Broil (Recipe below)

Strawberry Spinach Salad (Recipe below)

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans

(Recipe Below)

Fruit and Nut Bread (Purchased at Kroger in the bakery bread section)

Dessert: Raspberry Ribbon Pie (Recipe below)

Grilled London Broil

OK folks, this is seriously the easiest recipe for an awesome juicy tasting London Broil.  I got this recipe many years ago from my amazing sister-in-law, Gretchen and it's been used by everyone in the family.  Of course I tweaked it a tad to give the meat a little more flavor.  (Not that the old way isn't good Gretchen!)

1 Cup Italian dressing
1 Cup soy sauce
1 Cup coke

Combine ingredients and place in zip lock bag or large Tupperware container. Add a lovely slab of London broil. Let meat marinate over night in the refrigerator.  If I have time I'll flip it over in the morning.

  Cook meat on grill on low heat for ten minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove from grill and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing on the diagonal and putting on a platter to serve.  London broil should be pink when done, I like mine really pink!  Sometimes I boil the marinade and drizzle some on the meat for a little flavor and to keep it juicy.

Grilling tends to be a "man" thing.  I love it when my man will help with the grilling because then I am free to focus on getting the side dishes ready without worrying about forgetting to flip the meat over on the grill and charring it.

Raspberry Ribbon Pie

Summer is the time for cold desserts that reap the benefits of the abundance of fresh fruit.  This pie recipe comes from my Aunt Marilee....she probably doesn't even remember it since it's been a while.  It has been in my recipe box for years and I don't even think I have ever made it for my family.  In my teenage years it was one of my favorites.  The combination of raspberry and cream layers make it a mouth watering treat.

I love finding recipes that are written in my Mother's handwriting.  I guess that means I stole this one out of her box...she's probably been looking for this for years!  Sorry!

You will need 1 baked 9 inch pie shell. I like to make the homemade variety, using the basic recipe on the Crisco shortening package.

I bought some pie weights at the Culinary Institute of America when I was there with my sister-in-law, Gretchen and this is the first time I have been able to use them.  You put them on top of your pie crust before cooking to keep the crust from bubbling up and becoming uneven.  It worked fabulously and I wish I had them years ago!  What a cool invention.  I used to use a pile of dried lima beans but they didn't work as well.

And don't forget to turn those pieces of dough that you cut off the sides of your pie into little cinnamon tarts.  My mother always let us put them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on them.  These tarts, as we called them were such a flaky, tasty treat and so fun for us little children to do a little baking!

For the pie filling combine in a saucepan and heat until dissolved:

1 3oz pkg. raspberry jello

1/2 sugar

1 1/4 Cup boiling water

Add:

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 (10 ounce) package frozen or 2 Cups crushed fresh raspberries.  Chill until partially set.

In a separate bowl blend beat until fluffy:

1/3 Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

dash salt

3 oz package softened cream cheese

Fold in:

1 Cup whipped cream

Spread 1/2 cream cheese mixture in pie shell, then half of raspberry mixture.  Repeat, forming 4 layers, ending with red on the top.  Chill until firm.  

Note:  I had a little trouble adding the second cream layer.  I would recommend chilling the first two layers so it firms up a little before adding the second two layers.  Serve with a dollop of whipping cream. 

 Strawberry Spinach Salad

This is a recipe that has evolved from many recipes over the years.  It's a family favorite in our house and it's a good, basic spinach salad recipe that can be altered based on what you have in the pantry!  You'll notice in my pictures that there are no strawberries in my salad.....bummer.  There were no strawberries in the grocery store for some reason so I had to use mandarin oranges as the fruit.  The strawberries would have looked better with the combination of sweet potatoes on our dinner plate, but it can't always be perfect, right?  I always try to consider the combination of foods on our plate and the colors and textures as well when I am planning a menu.  Remember, presentation is everything!

I start with a combination of fresh spinach and romaine lettuce.  I like to mix them because I think spinach alone can feel a little heavy and bland.

To the spinach/lettuce base I then add:

sliced strawberries (or mandarin oranges,  or sliced grapes)

feta cheese (shredded Swiss cheese works also)

sliced almonds 

crumbled bacon bits

Won ton Strips by Fresh Gourmet (I discovered these a while back and they really add a nice crunch)

In the picture you will notice snow peas....I did add those. I loved them, husband didn't like them.

I dress the salad with a yummy mixture of Brianna's Poppy Seed dressing and Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette.  I do about a 1/3 Blush Wine dressing to 2/3 poppy seed dressing.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Candied Pecans

My kids love these mashed sweet potatoes.  They're almost like having dessert for dinner!  They're super easy to make and you can easily adjust the ingredients based on the number of servings you need.  You will need:

3 large sweet potatoes

1 can evaporated milk

2/3 stick of butter ( or more if you love butter)
1/3 cup brown sugar

cinnamon

nutmeg

Candied Pecans (recipe below)

I prick the sweet potatoes and cook in microwave depending on the size of the potatoes.  I think I cooked 3 large for approximately 20 minutes.  When done, peel off skins (Be careful because they will be super hot!) and place in large pot. Mash the potatoes until there are no lumps.  Heat the milk and butter in microwave until butter is melted and milk is very hot.  Using an electric blender gradually add the heated milk mixture to the sweet potatoes, making sure to blend the milk in thoroughly with each addition.  Depending on the size of your potatoes you may or may not need all of the milk mixture.  Add enough until you reach the desired creamy consistency then add the brown sugar, two sprinkles of cinnamon and two dashes of nutmeg.  When finished place in serving dish and top with sugared pecans. (Recipe below)

Sugared Pecans

These pecans can be used as a topping for sweet mashed potatoes or as a sweet, crunchy topping for a salad.  These would actually be great for the spinach salad we had today but I didn't want to use the same nut in the potatoes and the salad.  

You will need:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 cup pecan halves, broken in smaller pieces

Pour sugar in flat pan and gradually warm on stove.  Keep an eye on it.  Sugar will start to melt along the edges.  Stir it.  Continue cooking and watching carefully as the sugar begins to brown and bubble. The process of browning the sugar will happen very quickly at this point.

When sugar is dissolved and turns a lovely golden, caramel color quickly stir in nuts until coated.

Immediately place on greased cookie sheet or waxed paper.  Let cool then break into small pieces.