The best chicken marinade

The best chicken marinade (for grilling)

1/4 C soy sauce

3 TBS honey

3 TBS vinegar

3/4 C vegetable oil

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients and marinade chicken (I usually use dark meat for this recipe, but either works great) for 1/2 hr-4 hrs.

*I usually half the recipe if its for our small family of four.

Weekly menu

• Rolls (search on this blog for my famous roll recipe), carrots, cream cheese chicken (just cream cheese+cooked chicken & milk & red pepper flakes in a food processor to serve on rolls cold-think chicken salad sandwich, unhealthy, a bit spicy)
• tacos
• Yum pasta (recipe below)
• sweet pork salad (I need to figure out how to link it...again, search)
• Broccoli cheese soup (recipe below) and breadsticks
• Kung Po chicken (recipe below)
• Kraft Speedy chicken stir fry (search)
• Tacos (again...it's a favorite here...)

Yum pasta

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 TBS italian salad dressing

4 oz cream cheese

1 C water+ 1 chicken bouillon cube

dash of hot sauce

1/2 lb fettuccine or linguine noodles, uncooked

8 oz frozen summer vegetables (sub fresh veggies: red pepper, asparagus, snap peas, etc)

1/2 bunch cilantro

1/2 C cheese, grated

Cook chicken in salad dressing. When chicken is done cooking, add cream cheese & chicken broth& hot sauce. Cook on medium until cream cheese is melted & mixed in. Cook noodles. Combine all ingredients except cheese. Pour into greased oven safe container. Top w/cheese. Bake on 375 for 20-30 minutes.

*One time I put it in 2 pie tins & it made the meal taste extra yummy & special, like we were at a restaurant

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1/4 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 C water + 1 chicken bouillon cube

2-3 C milk

2 TBS cornstarch, mixed w/3 TBS cold water

1/2- 1 C cheese, grated

Sautee onion and garlic a little butter. Add broccoli & water/chicken bouillon. Cover & cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add milk. Turn up the heat a little, but not too much or it will curdle/separate. Add cornstarch water, a little at a time, while stirring. When it has begun to thicken, add cheese & turn off heat. If it doesn't get as thick as you want, add more cornstarch water (never add just cornstarch powder to something hot.) If it is too thick, add more milk.

Kung Po Chicken

This dish isn't spicy, but very flavorful. If you want it spicy, add red pepper flakes.

1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 TBS fruit juice (apple, pineapple, grape, etc)

2 TBS cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

dash of pepper

2 TBS oil

4 spoons peanut butter

4 TBS soy sauce

2 TBS vinegar

1 C water

4 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

3/4 C frozen peas

red pepper flakes for spicyness (optional)

Combine juice, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Add chicken pieces. Stir to coat well. Let it sit for 15 minutes. Heat oil in frying pan. (Mine has high sides, which makes it nice when stirring.) Add chicken. After chicken is cooked thoroughly, add peanut butter. Stir it around to help it melt. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Add to frying pan. Stir until combined. If too thick, add a little more water. Add frozen peas. Cook until peas are warm. Serve over rice.

What I made last week

Chicken Adobo over rice, with a side of carrots

White sauce chicken enchiladas

Angry pasta

French onion soup & breadsticks

Lemon parsley potatoes, turkey, carrots

Pepperoni pizza

Grandma's casserole

Chicken Adobo

*Rob at food like this on his mission in the Philippines. Rob said I need to work on this recipe because it tasted too soy saucy. Christopher said the chicken was too spicy & traded each piece of chicken for a carrot circle.

boneless skinless dark chicken meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 C soy sauce

1/4 C vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

Cook all ingredients together (and COVERED! though not w/a tight cover) until liquid is absorbed. Took about 25 minutes on medium heat. Stir occasionally. Serve over rice w/ a veggie. There won't be a sauce, but the flavor will be so strong on the chicken, you will need to eat it over rice.