Paleo Teriyaki Chicken Kabobs

Friends, let me tell you about the roller coaster I've been on. Will wanted to go on the Paleo diet, and I hesitantly agreed. Not that I have anything against it, but one of the foods it prohibits is dairy (and if you know me -- I love my yogurt, cheese, and I need cream in my coffee). But we agreed on a month trial run and it lasted one day when I think we both realized that not having grains was going to be an issue. But I did find many Paleo recipes that looked scrumptious -- just like this one!

To make the teriyaki marinade & dipping sauce, I started by mixing the wet ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white wine (I used a dry wine)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tsp white vinegar

I poured the wet mix into a small saucepan and then added the other ingredients:

• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp ginger
• black pepper for taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more depending on heat preference)

I brought the mix to a boil and then simmered it for about 5 minutes on low heat. I consistently stirred the sauce. I let the marinade rest for 10 minutes.

I cubed 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts and placed them in a gallon size zip lock bag. I then added the teriyaki marinade. Make sure you reserve some of the liquid to use as a dipping sauce.

I marinaded the chicken for 3 hours in the fridge, but you can marinade it for at least 30 minutes or overnight for maximum flavor. I diced up one red bell pepper and grabbed my metal skewers. If you are using bamboo/wooden skewers, make sure you soak them in water for 5 minutes.

I was going to alternate chicken and pepper, but then I realized that the chicken may not cook evenly with large chunks of pepper in between each piece of chicken. I did put one pepper piece at the end of each chicken kabob to secure the meat (otherwise it would slip right off).

All ready for the grill!

I spread coconut oil on the grill as it was heating up. It took about 15 minutes to cook the chicken and heat the peppers.

All done! The chicken was absolutely delicious and were so tender and juicy!

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Cheesy Biscuits

I made some soup, and knowing my husband, I needed to make some type of bread to dip into the scrumptious mushroom soup I made!

And who doesn't love cheesy stuffed biscuits?!

The ingredients included:

• Olive oil
• Grands! Buttermilk Flaky Biscuits
• Smoked Mozzarella cheese in clock form (or whatever cheese you have on hand)
• Parmesan
• Oregano
• Salt

I started by laying the biscuits on my cutting board and then taking my palm and flattening each one out.

Next, I took 2-3 1 inch cubes of cheese and placed then on each biscuit.

I wrapped the dough around the cheese and pinched the dough closed. I then laid each one sealed-side down on a large greased baking sheet.

I brushed the top with some olive oil...

... and sprinkled the top with parmesan, oregano, and salt.

I threw them in a 350 degree oven for 11 minutes and then placed them under the broiler for 2 more minutes (I think I'll use the low setting on the broiler next time!)

I brushed the tops of the biscuits with a little bit more olive oil and then sprinkled a bit more parmesan on top.

They were the perfect compliment to the mushroom soup!

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Classic Potato Salad

I've only recently started making homemade potato salad and I love this recipe!

I started by dicing about 8 medium potatoes. 

I've shared this trick before, but my mother taught me to soak the potatoes in water to prevent them from turning brown. She used to dice potatoes for a recipe before work and leave them in a bowl of water so that when she would come home and make dinner, it would be ready to go! 

I threw the potatoes in a pot of salted boiling water and got started on the sauce.

The ingredients include:

• 1 1/2 cups mayo
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs cider vinegar
• 1 tbs yellow mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper

After a quick mix, it looked great!

I chopped up all the veggies, which included:

• 2 celery ribs, sliced
• 1 cup (or bunch) green onions, sliced
• 1 dill pickle, diced

After the potatoes were cooked, I added it to the sauce and then added the vegetables.

I hard boiled the eggs, let them cool, and then peeled them.

I roughly chopped up the eggs...

... and gently folded them into the potato mix.

After a sprinkle of paprika for garnish, it was all done! And super delicious :)

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Mushroom & Cornbread Stuffing Chicken Bake

I've posted this recipe before, but I made it with homemade mushroom soup this time and thought I would share! (To find the original recipe, click here!) 

This was a recipe that Will and I received at one of our wedding showers and it has quickly become one of our favorites!

I started by pouring some of the mushroom soup on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. (Click here to see my recipe for homemade mushroom soup!) 

I took 2 chicken breasts and sliced them in half. It cooks faster this way and doubles your serving size!

I then took a box of cornbread stuffing mix and and poured the bread mix into a bowl. I added 1 1/4 cups of boiling water and 3 tbs of butter. After it was well mixed, I evenly spread it oven the chicken breasts.

(Tip: I've added cheese on top of the chicken breasts in the past and it was very tasty!)

Lastly, I poured almost all of the soup left (save maybe a cup for my own enjoyment!) on top of the stuffing and chicken. It's all ready for the oven!

I threw the chicken in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes (maybe longer depending on the thickness of the chicken). 

Will and I really enjoyed the mushrooms and I think I may be making it this way from now on ;)

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup

I was craving my favorite baked chicken recipe, but I was missing an essential ingredient -- cream of mushroom soup (condensed from a can).

I didn't want to venture out in the snow storm, so I thought I'd get creative! I knew I had mushrooms in the fridge and the other basic soup ingredients.

This recipe calls for:

• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 tbs onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour, separately used
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup cream, or 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

To start, I rinsed and wiped down the mushrooms with a paper towel.

I then slices the mushrooms, stems and caps in-tact.

(Tip: Slicing mushrooms always reminds me to make sure my knife is sharp because they are so delicate! Most accidents in the kitchen occur from dull blades because you cut harder with a dull blade. Every time I pull a knife out for use, I sharpen it just a few times. To learn how, here is a great video.)

Then, I chopped up the onions and garlic.

I threw the butter in my 9 in skillet. You will need the surface area for the vegges to cook, but deep enough for about 3 cups of liquid.

I started to cook down the mushrooms, onions, and garlic.

They looked and smelled amazing after about 5 minutes.

I then added 2 tbs of flour to make a roux.

I mixed in the flour and then grabbed the chicken stock.

I used a low-sodium chicken broth so that I can control the amount of salt. I measured out 2 cups.

After adding the stock, I mixed the contents of the skillet to make sure all of the flour becomes incorporated.

While it was slowly thickening up, I got the cream mix ready.

I started with 1 cup of heavy cream. 

Then I added the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

I used a fork to try and mix the dry ingredients, but looking back, I think I would use a larger cup/bowl and lightly whisk the cream mix.

I added it to the soup...

... and slowly stirred it until it thickened a bit more.

This soup smelled amazing and tasted even better!

It was the perfect treat on a cold winters day!

To see the mushroom and cornbread stuffing baked chicken recipe I used this for, click here!

>> If you end up making this for dinner, tag me in an Instagram post -- @marriedtodavis or #marriedtodavis