Probably like most folks, we practically live outside in the Summer. We have a little Urban oasis on our deck where we usually start and end the day.  We have a little Weber tabletop grill. It is the perfect size for us two. The cooking surface area is actually quite big. I recently came home from my Mom’s home in Michigan and realized I hadn’t cooked in over a week. I decided to end my streak and make an Easy Grilled Chicken and Summer Mashed Potatoes for my entry back into cooking. My Summer Mashed Potato recipe is a unique one, as you cook the potatoes on the grill instead of boiling them in water. I use the bag from The Little Potato Company, which cook quickly on the grill and makes just enough for two with some leftovers. The important trick for these mashed is to NOT mash them too much, and NEVER use an electric mixer, they will turn to a paste. A few quick mashes with a hand masher is just perfect or you can use a fork and break them up until they are mashed but still have a chunk to them.

The chicken recipe I use for the grill was shared with me by an old friend I used to work with at a grocery store back in the day.  It only requires two ingredients. One can of lemon lime soda, I used Sprite and one bottle of Zesty Italian dressing. I used the one from Aldi, but any brand is good. I used 4 thin sliced breasts for this recipe but the marinade would accommodate up to 8 thinly sliced breasts. Another important thing to note is that the amount of time you marinate depends on the thickness of the breasts . I had very think breasts so I only marinated for 4 hours. The thinner the chicken, the less time it needs, as it sits in the marinade it starts to “cure” the chicken so note how thick they are and adjust your marinade times. If you just throw large breasts in the marinade you can marinate them overnight.

*Printable version at bottom that you can highlight and only print the recipe without the pics. One day I will add a recipe card.

Easy Grilled Chicken

• 1 Can of Lemon Lime Soda
• 1 Bottle of Italian Dressing
• 4 to 8 Chicken Breasts (marinade can accommodate up to 8)

*You may want to reserve a 1/4 C of the Italian Dressing to baste the chicken while grilling. Do not use the marinade.

1. Add your chicken to a ziploc bag, pour in the can of soda and the dressing.
2. Seal and marinate for 4 to 8 hours depending on the thickness of your breasts.
   1. If you want to meal prep, marinate for desired time, you can wrap them up for the fridge outside the marinade for up to two days and grill at a later time.
3. When ready to cook, remove chicken from the fridge and let sit on counter for 30 minutes before grilling.
   1. If you have problems with chicken sticking to your grill it is because you put ice cold food on a hot grill. Letting it get to room(ish) temp will prevent sticking.
4. Heat your grill to 400 degrees. Add your chicken to the grill. Leave to cook for 5 to 7 minutes before turning and then repeat the cook time.
   1. My chicken breasts were thin so this was enough time to cook them. If you are using a thicker piece of chicken, lower the temp and let the chicken cook until the internal temp is at least 160 degrees. Take off at 160 degrees and let sit for 10 minutes and they will continue to cook yet remain juicy.
5. The last step is to turn off the heat, baste the chicken on all sides with the Italian dressing and let sit on the grill for 3 to 5 minutes more.
6. Remove from grill and enjoy!

The next recipe is for my Famous Summer Mashed Potatoes. The grill gives these a nice smoky flavor and the added herbs add a Summer feel. The recipe is quite easy and requires little to no work.

Summer Mashed Potatoes

• 1 Bag of The Little Potato Company potatoes, or two pounds of baby potatoes.

• 2 T of Butter and about 2 T of Olive Oil
• 5 to 6 Sheets of Heavy Duty Tin Foil
• The seasoning I used is as follows: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, dried parsley, dried minced onion. I don’t like to give measurements for spices, you can determine how much you like of each.
• 2 T of Mayo
• 2 T of Butter
• 3/4 C of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 2 T of Fresh Dill Minced, or you can use dried.
• Dried Parsley or Fresh Parsley for garnish

The steps are super simple. The first thing you want to do is heat your grill to 450 degrees. Make sure when you place your foil pack on it that it is not over direct flame. This is also why you need to use so many sheets of foil.

1. Layer your foil and make a “bowl” rinse your potatoes and add them to the foil.
2. Add the seasoning, butter and olive oil, then seal up your foil well and stab a hole in the top with a fork.
3. Place your packet on the grill, not over a flame.
4. Cook for about 30 minutes, and give the foil pack a shake here and there to make sure no potatoes are sticking to the bottom and burning. Some of mine still burn and thats ok.
5. After 30 minutes, carefully open the packet, there will be hot steam, check to make sure the potatoes are soft. If they are remove from grill, if not seal and cook longer.
6. Dump the cooked potatoes into a bowl, add the mayo and butter and give them a few mashes with a hand masher or a large fork. You want it to be slightly lumpy.
7. Add your cheese and dill and fold in.
8. You can top with dill and parsley.
9. You can also add other stir ins like bacon or chives.
10. Serve with your favorite grilled proteins, eat on their own or chill overnight and eat as potato salad!

*You can highlight and print this so you don’t waste ink on the pictures.

Easy Grilled Chicken

• 1 Can of Lemon Lime Soda
• 1 Bottle of Italian Dressing
• 4 to 8 Chicken Breasts (marinade can accommodate up to 8)

*You may want to reserve a 1/4 C of the Italian Dressing to baste the chicken while grilling. Do not use the marinade.

1. Add your chicken to a ziploc bag, pour in the can of soda and the dressing.
2. Seal and marinate for 4 to 8 hours depending on the thickness of your breasts.
   1. If you want to meal prep, marinate for desired time, you can wrap them up for the fridge outside the marinade for up to two days and grill at a later time.
3. When ready to cook, remove chicken from the fridge and let sit on counter for 30 minutes before grilling.
   1. If you have problems with chicken sticking to your grill it is because you put ice cold food on a hot grill. Letting it get to room(ish) temp will prevent sticking.
4. Heat your grill to 400 degrees. Add your chicken to the grill. Leave to cook for 5 to 7 minutes before turning and then repeat the cook time.
   1. My chicken breasts were thin so this was enough time to cook them. If you are using a thicker piece of chicken, lower the temp and let the chicken cook until the internal temp is at least 160 degrees. Take off at 160 degrees and let sit for 10 minutes and they will continue to cook yet remain juicy.
5. The last step is to turn off the heat, baste the chicken on all sides with the Italian dressing and let sit on the grill for 3 to 5 minutes more.
6. Remove from grill and enjoy!

Summer Mashed Potatoes

• 1 Bag of The Little Potato Company potatoes, or two pounds of baby potatoes.
• 2 T of Butter and about 2 T of Olive Oil
• 5 to 6 Sheets of Heavy Duty Tin Foil
• The seasoning I used is as follows: salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill, dried parsley, dried minced onion. I don’t like to give measurements for spices, you can determine how much you like of each.
• 2 T of Mayo
• 2 T of Butter
• 3/4 C of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 2 T of Fresh Dill Minced, or you can use dried.
• Dried Parsley or Fresh Parsley for garnish

The steps are super simple. The first thing you want to do is heat your grill to 450 degrees. Make sure when you place your foil pack on it that it is not over direct flame. This is also why you need to use so many sheets of foil.

1. Layer your foil and make a “bowl” rinse your potatoes and add them to the foil.
2. Add the seasoning, butter and olive oil, then seal up your foil well and stab a hole in the top with a fork.
3. Place your packet on the grill, not over a flame.
4. Cook for about 30 minutes, and give the foil pack a shake here and there to make sure no potatoes are sticking to the bottom and burning. Some of mine still burn and thats ok.
5. After 30 minutes, carefully open the packet, there will be hot steam, check to make sure the potatoes are soft. If they are remove from grill, if not seal and cook longer.
6. Dump the cooked potatoes into a bowl, add the mayo and butter and give them a few mashes with a hand masher or a large fork. You want it to be slightly lumpy.
7. Add your cheese and dill and fold in.
8. You can top with dill and parsley.
9. You can also add other stir ins like bacon or chives.
10. Serve with your favorite grilled proteins, eat on their own or chill overnight and eat as potato salad!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! Happy Eating!