Watermelon Salad with Rum and Mint

From Martha Stewart.com:

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons juice (from 1 lime)
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons light rum
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6-pound piece chilled seedless watermelon
• 2 tablespoons slivered fresh mint leaves

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, rum, and salt.
2. Using a melon baller, scoop melon into balls (you'll get about 10 cups), or cut melon into bite-size chunks. Add melon to lime mixture in bowl. Sprinkle with mint and lime zest, and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate, up to 2 hours.

Bacon Explosion

Here's the link to a recipe Bobby and I want to try this summer...yum, pork. At first I thought it was rather a ridiculous amount of meat (bacon and sausage wrapped with bacon), but it might be an interesting experiment. We don't have a grill so we can't smoke it like the recipe calls for, so we'll figure out how to do it in the oven instead.

Curried Chicken

[More Martha microwaving, minus much money...okay I'll stop now. --EJF]

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 small (1 cup) red onion, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 (1 1/4 cups) green apple, quartered, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 teaspoons curry powder coarse salt and ground pepper
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. In a 2-quart microwave-safe dish with lid, stir together onion, apple, garlic, ketchup, and curry powder. Add 1/4 cup water. Season with salt and pepper; stir to combine.
2. Add chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over. Cover and microwave on high for 5 minutes longer or until chicken is opaque throughout. Lift chicken from dish, and divide among four serving plates.
3. Stir yogurt into onion-apple mixture in dish; spoon sauce over chicken, and sprinkle cilantro over each plate. Serve with rice or noodles, if desired.

BBQ Chicken in the Microwave with Coleslaw

[I never thought I'd use "Martha Stewart" and "microwave" in the same sentence. Guess times are hard! --EJF]

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 8 skinless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/3 cup store-bought barbecue sauce, room temperature
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 head green cabbage (about 1 pound), shredded
• 1 carrot, coarsely grated

Directions

1. Place chicken in a shallow 2-quart microwave-safe dish with a lid; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and microwave on high until chicken is cooked through, 12 to 16 minutes, turning over halfway through. Drain liquid from dish. Brush chicken with barbecue sauce.
2. While chicken is cooking, make coleslaw: In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, and garlic. Add cabbage and carrot to dressing mixture, and toss to combine. Serve chicken with coleslaw.

Smothered Chicken

[Another from Martha. --EJF]

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 whole garlic head, (unpeeled)
• 1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, (6 ounces each)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

1. In a 2-quart microwave-safe dish, toss onion with oil. Place garlic in the center. Cover; microwave on high 5 minutes. Stir bell pepper and tomato paste into onion.
2. Rub chicken with paprika and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; place on vegetables, with thickest part of breast facing edge of dish. Cover; cook on high until chicken is opaque throughout, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken.
3. Remove garlic; slice off top, and squeeze cloves into a small bowl. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice; mash with a spoon. Stir into vegetables; spoon onto plates, and serve chicken on top.

Hunter-style chicken

[the recipe doesn't show up on the site; I could only find it using the "print page" function--here it is. --EJF]

Prep: 15 minutes Total: 30 minutes A few minutes of prep and then fifteen minutes in the microwave is all it takes to cook this delicious stew of chicken, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Ingredients Serves 4. 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps halved and thinly sliced 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 1/3 cups canned crushed tomatoes 3 strips orange zest, cut 3 inches long and 1/2 inch wide 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks

Directions In a 2 1/2-quart microwave-safe dish with a lid, combine mushrooms, garlic, oil, and 1/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and microwave on high, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, orange zest, rosemary, cayenne, and chicken until combined. Cover; microwave on high until chicken is just cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Remove orange zest, and serve. First published

15-Minute Rosemary-Garlic Potatoes

[potatoes in the microwave? that are Martha-approved? I don't believe it. --EJF]

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes, scrubbed and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions

1. Combine oil, garlic, and rosemary in a 2-quart microwave-safe baking dish with a lid. Cover, and microwave on high until garlic is fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in potatoes. Cover, and microwave on high until potatoes are tender, 13 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.