Welcome Back....Me!

I'm back, did you miss me?!

The last three and a half weeks have been nothing less than amazing to say the least. From the most magical wedding I could have ever imagined, to a romantic honeymoon in Italy & France, it doesn't get much better than that.

I've decided to save the wedding and honeymoon posts for another time when I'm more organized and can share pictures and lots of details.

Until then, sliders!

This weekend we hosted a big NYE party at our new house and a big family lunch on Sunday. I decided a fun appetizer for Saturday night would be home-made sliders. They're easy to eat, they aren't messy and who doesn't love a delicious little slider on NYE!

My uncle created a family cookbook a couple years ago with all our recipes, so I just opened that up and in a few minutes I had 36 sliders for Michael to BBQ! Note, I doubled the below recipe to make 36.

Here's the recipe:
In a bowl, mix together:
1 pound of lean ground beef
1 egg
2 tbsp. of breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. of chopped parsley
2 tbsp of barbecue sauce (use Diana sauce if you can)
1/2 tsp salt, 1/ tsp of black pepper and 1/4 tsp of garlic powder (or garlic salt)
Diced Onion (optional - I didn't put any onion in mine)

Squash ingredients thoroughly with your hands and form into patties. You can bbq them, broil them or cook them in a frying pan, whatever you fancy.

Unfortunately with the 70ish people we had come through our door this weekend I didn't have time to take pictures but I promise to next time.

Let me know how you like them!

Recipe Friday... Cilantro Citrus Grilled Chicken

Hi friends! Anyone else super glad it's Friday?!

Here's your recipe for the day from The Food Network - Cilantro Citrus Grilled Chicken.

Ingredients

Cilantro Citrus Grilled Chicken

• 2 boneless chicken breasts

Marinade

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped (basil will also do well)
• Juice of 1 orange, 1 lime and 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Marinade

1. In a large bowl combine marinade ingredients and add the chicken.
2. Marinate the chicken either for at least 2 hours (more is better, up to 24) in the fridge.
3. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature before cooking. Gently flatten the chicken breasts so that they are of even thickness. This allows for better cooking – you won’t get the "one half too dried out and the other side not quite done" effect that happens because the breast is thicker at one end than the other.
4. Of course, I choose barbecuing even in the winter, but you can pan grill, use an electric Griddler or your broiler. It usually takes 5 minutes or so per side depending on the thickness of your chicken. You can tell it’s done when the juices run clear and the meat is no longer pink.

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)

Cool Off!

Isn't this weather AMAZING! Aside from the AC being broken in my car I am loving this weather. I don't know about the rest of you, but the when the weather is this glorious all I want to do is hang out outside. That said, here are some yummy outdoor ideas for this week and weekend.

Idea 1: To add some flare to your bbq this weekend why not dress up your bottles?! It's simple, quick and will make your water bottles stand out for sure.

Idea 2: Instead of having four people sit around the table holding down the table cloth why not try this neat and cute trick?

Both of these ideas came from Country Living.

Happy hump day :)

Nicole

Summer bbq ideas!

While everyone is wishing for the warm summer weather I thought I'd give us all some hope with some delicious bbq ideas. Instead of throwing a bland hamburger or hot dog on the grill while not spice it up this summer!

1. Rosemary Lamb Chops: I'm a big fan of lamb chops. They're delicious, fun and you don't require a knife and fork (a big deal to me when hosting). This recipe calls for them to be broiled, however you can definitely throw them on the bbq too.
2. Grilled Lamb, Beef or Chicken Spiducci: Trying to please the men in your life, why not bbq some delicious meat on a stick. Again, it's easy to eat and everyone will enjoy it.
3. Grilled Corn on the Cob: One of my favourite summer foods is corn on the cob. I don't like corn when it's not on the cob, weird right! Instead of cooking it on the stove why not grill it on the bbq, adds a delicious flare to any meal.

Hope these put you in the summer spirit!

Enjoy the Party,

Nicole :)