Urban Sweetpea : The Beauty of a Blizzard....and Kraft Lite Zesty Italian Dressing

Call me crazy, but I love a good blizzard. Now that I work from home and no longer have to commute in it, I love snow. Nothing is more cozy than to have it snowing heavily and steadily outside and being able to just sit and watch it fall.

I am actually my most productive during snowstorms, odd as that may sound. I find myself motivated to do the things I keep putting off--like cleaning out my pantry, re-organizing the laundry room, or baking a yummy and delicious treat for my family. There is something almost luxurious about being trapped at home from time to time. It forces you to shut out the outside world for a little while and work on things that make you feel good about finishing--without having to answer to the sometime relentless schedule imposed on us when the weather is otherwise fine.

With that all said, you've probably guessed by now that we are currently in the middle of a blizzard. Ah...the bliss. The kids were sent home from school, all activities for tonight have been canceled due to the weather, and there is nothing for me to do except actually have time to get caught up on everything I've somehow gotten behind on, make a good dinner for my family--which leads me to the second part of today's blog entry: Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing.

What do blizzards and Italian dressing have in common, you may ask? Well, nothing really, but I have wanted to bring up what a wonderful and versatile kitchen staple Italian dressing can be, and since it's included in the menu for tonight's dinner, there's no time like the present to let you in on one of my favorite little cooking secrets.

Certainly, Elizabeth Barrett Browning was talking about Kraft Zesty Italian dressing when she penned her famous, "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways." If you get beyond it's obvious application on a pile of lettuce, you'll see what I mean. For instance:

There is, in my opinion, few better marinades out there. I use it for chicken, pork and sometimes I will brush it on fish. My kids will eat just about anything that I soak in it for 8 or more hours, and that says a lot! My sister-in-law even uses it to soak cube steak before throwing it on the grill--try it, you'll like it! My absolute favorite is to use it to marinade chicken overnight that I am planning on putting in the smoker, or to cook on the grill with BBQ sauce--it makes even the breasts tender and juicy, and the flavor of the meat is just out of this world!
I like to use it as alternative to mayo or mustard on a sandwich--it is fabulous on panini made with prosciutto, provolone, and tomato, or on a burger with lettuce, tomato, avocado and a little red onion. Brush it on the outside of a grilled cheese instead of butter, and throw in a few fresh tomato slices--Yum!
When I was growing up, my grandmother used to make a simple salad out of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and mint, all from her garden. I love to use Zesty Italian on this as a refreshing cool salad for the summer time. Make it a meal by throwing in a few mini-balls of fresh mozzarella!

Use your imagination, and the possibilities are endless, as you can see. Do any of you have an incredible multi-tasker in your kitchen like Kraft Zesty Lite Italian dressing is in mine? Please feel free to submit it as a comment. Aren't we all working for a super-ingredient like this to keep in are arsenal of quick, fabulous meals?

As for dinner tonight, we are having marinated chicken tenders grilled on the stove top (because it is snowing out and I can't get to my grill!), along with spicy peanut noodles. I hope you have Trader Joes near you, because the secret to my spicy peanut noodles is their Peanut Satay Sauce. It is soooo good, either on hot or cold noodles with some julienned cucumber, sliced green onions and a little bit of cilantro. My son LOVES them, and asks for them regularly. The peanut sauce is also a great dip for the chicken breast tenders.....try it, you 'll like it!

Oh well, that is it for now, and since I can't resist a picture, here is one of Carter holding his new "best bud" Phin: