Tuesday's Try It!

I had pinned these recipes on Pinterest over a year ago and had yet to try them out!  Yes, that's kind of typical for me, but I really am trying to be better at actually ATTEMPTING the things I pin rather than just pinning with reckless abandon.  I can't be the only one who does this, right?  I mean there are just so many really amazing ideas out there....and so very little time to try them all!

Well, lucky for you, I actually tried a couple over Memorial Day weekend and have linked the recipes below. 

I've been anxiously awaiting grill season.  Okay, I'll be honest.  I grill all year round.  Yes, I live it Idaho and yes, I grill in my winter jacket in subzero temps and yes, it's totally worth it!  So, a more accurate statement would be...I've been awaiting the grill season sans snowboots and WITH WARMTH!  That time as finally come and I'm excited to share the recipes I found!

Orange Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs

The recipe I used can be found at Tracy's Culinary Adventures.  I actually stuck to the recipe this time...I know...GASP!  I can hardly believe it myself.  Oh wait, maybe not.  I was out of fresh ginger, so I substituted ground ginger instead but I don't think it made much of an impact overall.  The recipe was sweet and tangy but not too overbearing with orange.  I would definitely make this again.  See full family review below.

Hubby:  "It was good."  After some probing I got the translation: "It was delightfully tangy".

Me:  I thought it was quite yummy, but think it really benefits from dipping in the leftover sauce.  I'm a sucker for lots of flavor though, so that may have a lot to do with it ....and I might have overcooked it a bit on the grill..just maybe...

9 yr old:  "It was really good!" with a big grin.

6 yr old:  No words, just a thumbs up with a smile full of chicken.

2 yr old:  "Acky!" Then she happily dipped in Ranch and ate a few pieces....sigh... 

Clean Eating Roasted Summer Squash

I am a HUGE fan of summer squash!  But not just summer squash, most any of the squash varieties.  My kids on the other hand, are far more difficult to recruit to the squash fan club.  They consistently turn their noses up at the mention of it.  I suppose that's pretty normal for kids though.  I remember turning my nose up at quite a few things as a child as well (shh...don't tell my kids I said that!).

This recipe was super simple and a breeze to put together.  I will say that I made a couple of substitutions on this one...mostly due to lack of planning on my part so here's what I changed from the orignial recipe found at The Gracious Pantry:

garlic salt for garlic powder

canola oil for olive oil 

The Gracious Pantry was gracious enough to put up Nutritional Content with the recipe as well, so you'll want to check that out at the bottom of the recipe.  Though I'm certain it's approximate, it doesn't look too bad!  For 1/6 of the entire recipe there are 77 Calories and 3 gm fat.

Hubby:  He went back for seconds so I don't think there were any complaints!!

Me:  I felt like it needed a bit more salt even with the garlic salt and I should have stuck with olive oil rather than canola.  I think it would have provided a better flavor.  Also, when making this again (yes, I plan to!) I would like to try shredded parmesan cheese rather than grated for a stronger flavor.

9 yr old:  "hmm...not as good" (I think she was attempting to be polite.)

6 yr old:  Another thumbs up!

2 yr old:  While attempting to encourage her to try it, she kept pushing the fork away and politely replied, "No, tank you" and refused to try it until there was Ranch on her plate.  When she did try it with the Ranch she proceeded to spit it back out on the plate.  I'm going to call that a fail for her.

If you try these out, let us know what you think!  Hit or miss?