Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Mustard Crusted Tilapia

adapted from [allrecipes.com]

2 (6 oz) tilapia fillets (or 5 small/thin ones)
4 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp oregano
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 cup crushed saltines
2 tsp italian seasoning

Spray cake pan with non-stick spray. Heat oven to 375. Place tilapia in pan and cook for 10 minutes. In the meanwhile combine mustard, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, and parmesan cheese. After fish has cooked for 10 minutes, remove from oven, spread mixture on fish. Sprinkle the saltines and italian seasoning over the mixture. Bake for another 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil and broil for 1 - 2 minutes or until crust is brown and crispy.

Opinion: Eric seemed to like it a lot. I liked it but didn't love it. I will be making it again because it is a tasty way to have fish, but I'll cut down the worcestershire sauce, increase the amount of lemon juice and use some lemon zest on it as well. I think that then I'd love it.

Serves 2

Mormon Frappuccinos

[off the Pero container]

This is totally delicious and really not too bad for you. I drank 2 in a row last night (after a huge dinner), just made one with my lunch 5 minutes ago and am contemplating making another right now, it is that good!

1 teaspoon Pero
1/4 cup cream (I use milk - 1%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 ice cubes
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons sugar

Combine all in a blender and blend until smooth and frothy. Top with whipped topping (if you want - I do!!)

Makes 1 serving

Monday, January 24, 2011

Crockpot Zesty BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

[allrecipes.com]
2 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 bottle (12 oz bottle) of bbq sauce
2 1/2 T Italian Dressing
1 1/2 T Brown Sugar
2 t Worcestershire Sauce

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours or on high for 3 - 4 hours. Shred. Eat on bread with spicy mustard, pickles, or anything else you want :)

2 - 3 servings

Bacon Wrapped Gorgonzola Stuffed Chicken

[allrecipes.com]
2 servings:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 thick slices of applewood smoked bacon
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Pound each chicken breast to about 1/4" to 1/2" thick, then cut each breast into 2 pieces. Saute shallots in butter for 1 minute, add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Mix shallots and garlic with Gorgonzola cheese and parsley. Divide mixture evenly between 4 pieces of chicken. Place the mixture on the center of each piec of chicken and roll the sides up around mixture. Cut the bacon pieces in half. Stretch them and wrap them around the chicken "rolls". Bake at 350 for 40 minutes (or until chicken is no longer pink). Put oven on broil for a couple minutes at the end to crisp the bacon.

Roasted Carrots

[the pioneer woman]Carrots
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Scrub carrots (don't need to peel them). Cut each carrot in 1/2 lengthwise. Place the carrots on a jelly roll pan, drizzle with olive oil. Toss the carrots to coat them evenly with the oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cook at 400 for 35 - 40 minutes. They should be soft and wrinkly, some of the tips may be burnt. So yummy!!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Buttercream Frosting

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup whole (or 2%) milk
3/4 cup sugar
5 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract

Using a stand mixer, beat butter with paddle on medium speed until it is the consistency of mayonnaise. It shouldn't be melted. Transfer to another bowl and wash and dry mixing bowl.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the milk and 1/4 cup of the sugar, stirring occasionally, until small bubbles appear along the edge of the pan.

Meanwhile, using the stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the whisk on medium-high speen until the mix is pale and thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and pour hot milk mixture in a thin stream. Return the mixture to saucepan. Wash and dry mixer bowl and whisk.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it registers 170 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 5 - 7 minutes. Pour the mixture back into the mixer bowl and beat with whisk on medium speed until cool, 5 - 10 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Add the butter in 4 additions, incorporating each addition before adding another. Use immediately, or refrigerate until needed, or for up to 3 days. This is enough for a 2-layer 9-inch cake.

This recipe is one of Williams-Sonoma's, and it is SO good. Pretty sure I can consume a whole batch of this with animal crackers in one sitting. YUM!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Zuppa Tuscana (like Olive Garden's)

1 lb ground sausage (regular or spicy, I use regular)
3 large red potatoes, sliced in half and then sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 bunch kale, chopped
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Brown sausage in large soup pot. Remove sausage and set aside. To the pot add chicken broth, potatoes, onion, and garlic and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add cream and sausage to the pot and warm through (Do not boil). Add kale several minutes before serving (it doesn't soften like spinach, it pretty much keeps its form). Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese when served.

Serves about 6

Cobb Salad

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled with poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper, and sliced up into pieces
4 large eggs hard boiled and chopped up
8 sliced bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces and fried
3 hearts romaine lettuce (or green leaf, iceberg, etc)
2 ripe avocados diced
2 vine ripe tomatoes diced
1 red onion chopped
2 cups cheddar or Monterey Jack, shredded (or blue cheese crumbled)

Feeds 6 as a main dish, 12 as a side

Easy Breadsticks

1 ½ cup warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 ½ cup flour
½ tsp salt
Butter for pan

For topping:
parmesan cheese
garlic powder
salt
parsley

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add the salt and flour. Knead for 3 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. (I do all of this in my Bosch--any mixer would work great) Melt 3-4 Tbsp of butter and pour most of it onto a cookie sheet. Roll dough to cover cookie sheet. Cut to desired width, then twist or lay flat on cookie sheet. Brush remainder of butter on breadsticks and sprinkle with garlic salt, parmesan cheese, and parsley (or whatever seasonings you like). Raise for 10-20 minutes. Preheat your oven to 375 and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. You can roll them out to fit a cookie sheet and they will be pufffy and soft. If you prefer a thinner, crunchy breadstick roll them out to fit a cookie sheet and a jelly roll pan. Either way they are great!

Homemade Croutons

For homemade croutons:
4 slices sandwich bread
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tb. butter
salt and pepper
dried parsley flakes

Cut off crusts of sandwich bread, and cut bread into cubes. Melt butter in small saucepan and add minced garlic. Toss sandwich cubes in the butter and spread out in a pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper and parsley flakes to taste. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°, turning half way through baking. [Keep your eye on them. ;)]

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

French Onion Salisbury Steak

[Foodnetwork.com]

• 1 1/4 lbs ground chuck
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons scallions, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups onions, sliced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cheese toast (in frozen food section, or make your own)
• 4 teaspoons minced fresh parsley (garnish)
• 4 teaspoons parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

Prep Time: 8 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

1. Combine chuck, parsley, scallion, salt, and pepper. Divide evenly into 4 portions and shape into 3/4 to 1-inch thick oval patties.
2. Place 2 tablespoons of flour in a shallow dish; dredge each patty in flour. Reserve 1 teaspoon flour.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add patties and sauté 3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove from pan.
4. Add onions and sugar to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste; sauté 1 minute, or until paste begins to brown. Sprinkle onions with reserved flour; cook 1 minute. Stir in broth and wine, and then add the salt and thyme.
5. Return meat to pan and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
6. Serve steaks on Cheese Toasts with onion soup ladled over.
7. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan

Great served with Mashed Potatoes and other veggie.

Serves 4

Delicious Orange Rolls

Orange Sweet Rolls

makes about 24 smaller sized orange rolls

For the Dough:
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 pkg yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
4-5 cups all purpose flour (may need a bit more)

Orange-Butter for the inside of the rolls
Mix together until well blended:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
zest from 2 large oranges

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the milk. Set aside to cool. Using a mixer, add the package of yeast, the warm water and 1 tablespoon of sugar and let it sit until bubbly and foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, eggs, cooled milk/butter mixture and half the flour. Mix until smooth. Add remaining flour and any more extra flour until dough is just slightly sticky. It will become less sticky when kneading it. So don’t add too much or your dough will be tough. Knead for about 5-7 minutes. (I use the mixer to do this, but you can do it by hand if you want) Transfer to a glass bowl that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, cover and leave in a warm place to rise double in size. Punch down and let rise again. Divide the dough in half and transfer the dough to your counter that has been sprinkled with flour. Roll out half of the dough into a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread half of the orange butter mixture onto the dough and spread evenly all the way to the edges. Roll your dough up lengthwise and pinch the edges to seal. Using a sharp knife or dental floss, separate the dough into 12 rolls and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise double in size. Cook for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees until just lightly golden. Drizzle with a simple glaze of powdered sugar and fresh orange juice and enjoy!

Saturday, January 8, 2011

No Bake Cookies

In large saucepan with wooden spoon stir and heat to a boil:
2 c sugar
½ c milk
3 T cocoa
½ c peanut butter
¼ t vanilla

Take off heat and stir in:
2 ½ c quick oats.

Drop on waxed paper. Cool to set.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Kathy's Peanut Butter (chocolate chip) cookies

Cream:
½ c butter (or butter flavored Crisco)
½ c peanut butter
1 egg
½ t vanilla
½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar

Add:
1 ¼ c flour
¾ t baking soda
¼ t salt

I always stir in some chocolate chips!

Roll into balls and then roll in some white sugar! Place on cookie sheet and flatten the balls a bit with fingers or the bottom of a glass.

Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes. With these cookies I like to stay closer to the 8 minutes, otherwise they get all dry tasting.

Caramel Brownies

1 German chocolate cake mix
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup chocolate chips
34 – 40 caramels
1 stick butter, melted

Mix cake mix, 1/3 cup evap milk and ½ c butter. Divide dough in half, press 1 half into greased 9x13 pan, cook at 350 for 6 – 7 ½ minutes. Melt caramels with 1/3 cup evap milk on low heat in saucepan. Pour caramel over cooked brownie, sprinkle 1 cup choco chips over caramel; crumble up rest of dough over top, cook for 15 minutes. It’s done when caramel turns a light brown.

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix
2 eggs
3 Tbsp oil
Powdered sugar (opt)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients in large bowl with spoon. Roll in balls, roll in powder sugar (opt), put on ungreased cookie sheet, press down lightly. Bake 10 minutes.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Cheryl's Brownies

Blend:
2 c sugar
½ c cocoa
2 squares melted margarine
4 eggs

Add:
1 ½ c flour
1/3 t salt
2 t vanilla

Mix. Grease/flour a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Eat as is or sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Peanut Butter Fingers

Cream together:
½ c butter melted
½ c sugar
½ c brown sugar

Blend together with sugar and butter on stove top:
1/3 c peanut butter
½ t soda
¼ t salt
½ t vanilla
1 unbeaten egg

Add:
1 c flour
1 c quick oats

Spread in greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

While hot, sprinkle top with:
1 pkg chocolate chips

Let stand 5 minutes until chips are melted. Spread evenly.

Mix together:
½ - 1 c powdered sugar
¼ c peanut butter
2 – 4 T milk

Drizzle or spread over chocolate chips. Let cool. Cut into bars.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Melt Aways

½ lb butter softened
¾ c cornstarch
1/3 c powdered sugar
1 c flour

Cream until very creamy. Drop by teaspoonful on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10 – 12 minutes. Cool.

Frosting:
3 oz cream cheese softened
1 t vanilla
1 c powdered sugar

Mix until smooth – tint if wanted. May also use chocolate frosting