There’s still time to fix dinner on the grill. Start with this shrimp grilled pack.
Shrimp grill pack
1 lb. fresh French green beans, trimmed, cut in half
1/2 C water
3 C cooked long-grain brown rice
3/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 C drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/3 C zesty Italian dressing
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 TBS Dijon mustard
1 lb. uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp
Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place beans in large microwaveable bowl. Add water. Microwave on high 5 min., stirring after 3 min.; drain. Return beans to bowl. Add rice, cheese and tomatoes; mix lightly.
Whisk dressing, lemon zest, juice and mustard until blended. Reserve 2 TBS dressing mixture. Add remaining to bean mixture; mix lightly. Spoon onto 6 large sheets heavy-duty foil with sides slightly rolled up; top with shrimp and reserved dressing. Fold foil to make 6 packets. Grill 10 to 12 min. or until shrimp turn pink and rice mixture is heated through. Cut slits in foil to release steam before opening packets.
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New potato salad
3 lbs. small red potatoes (about 12) cut into 1-in. cubes
1/2 C water
1/2 C Mira Dressing
1/4 C ranch dressing
6 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Place potatoes in 2-qt. microwaveable dish. Add water; cover with lid. Microwave on high 12 to 15 min. or just until potatoes are tender; drain. Place in large bowl.
Refrigerate 1 hour or until completely cooled. Mix dressings until blended. Add to potatoes with remaining ingredients; mix lightly.
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Strawberry pound cake
3¼ C sifted cake flour
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 C butter, room temperature
2½ C sugar
6 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 C sour cream
2 C strawberries
1 TBS brown sugar
1-2 C powdered sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and prepare two 8-in. loaf pans with butter and flour. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla and sour cream. Mix until smooth.
In two batches, add flour to wet mixture, mixing until just incorporated. With a hand blender, puree strawberries until smooth. Add brown sugar. Set 1/4 cup of pureed strawberries aside for later. Fill each loaf pan halfway up with cake batter, then pour about 1/3 cup (half of remaining for each pan) of strawberry puree on top. Pour rest of batter on top of strawberries, and use a butter knife to swirl everything together.
Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. You may need to tent with foil to avoid too much browning. Let cool before mixing remaining strawberry puree with powdered sugar and pouring over loaves.
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Thought – No matter how big and bad you are, when a two-year-old hands you a toy phone, you answer it.
If you would like to share a recipe with me, just send it to the J-T or email it to me.
(Melanie Behrens – melb@marysvillejt.com)