Roasted Halibut with Almond Parmesan Crust

Adapted from Smart Cooking Cookbook

I have been craving halibut for a LONG time.  But, halibut is very expensive, so I knew I would need to budget the purchase into my grocery allowance.  Luckily, we went out of town recently and the 'rents paid for most (almost all) of our food for the week, so we had some extra funds for this splurge.  I combed through a lot of recipes to make sure I put this splurge to good use and found a fantastic one!  The almond Parmesan crust was delish, especially since I served it over a Parmesan risotto.  Yum! 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup coarsely chopped almonds
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 4 (6 oz) halibut fillets
• Sea Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine almonds, Parmesan, basil, garlic and oil; stir to blend.
• Place halibut fillets on a baking sheet and season to taste with salt.  Pat the almond mixture onto the halibut, pressing lightly to make it stick.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque all the way through.

Notes:  I turned on broiler for last minute to make the Parmesan topping slightly crisp.

Panda Express Orange Chicken

Adapted from CDkitchen.com

I made this at the request of my husband and we thought it was delicious. We didn't have green onions to go with it this time, but we'll have to try it next time. The only other thing I would do differently is add more orange zest or orange juice concentrate to this recipe to give it a stronger orange chicken flavor.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

White pepper

Oil (for frying)

1/2 cup cornstarch PLUS

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 dash crushed red pepper

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 teaspoon sesame oil

Orange Chicken Sauce

1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1 1/2 tablespoon water

5 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons white vinegar

Directions:

Cut chicken into 2 inch squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat. Heat oil for deep frying. Add chicken pieces a small batch at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Remove chicken from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add and stir-fry crushed red pepper and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add orange sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed. Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth. Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thickened. Stir in 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Serve immediately. You will want to add grated zest of 1 orange or orange juice concentrate to the sauce for flavor.

Cucumber Dill Salmon

This is actually a recipe I devised on my own, although the sauce is very similar to a greek tzatziki sauce.  Since it's greek inspired I had to add some Feta cheese.  It's a very refreshing flavor, perfect for Spring/Summer when the recipes I crave are lighter.  The couscous pairs with it perfectly.

Ingredients:

·         2 salmon filets

·         1 cup plain yogurt

·         2 Tbs dill

·         1 medium sized cucumber, diced

·         1 garlic clove, minced

·         Salt, to taste

·         Pepper, to taste

·         Dill, to taste

·         4 Tbs Feta cheese

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Place salmon in foil-lined pans.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and dill.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until salmon flakes easily with a fork. 
• While the salmon is cooking, mix the yogurt, 2 Tbs dill, cucumber and garlic.  Refrigerate until salmon is done cooking and ready to serve.
• To serve top salmon with cucumber yogurt mixture and 2 Tbs each of Feta cheese.  Serve with couscous.

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

Adapted from Recipe from Patricia Palmer

We've used this recipe with various combinations of ice cream and it has always turned out great! This time we did Mint Chocolate Chip to go with our St. Pattie's Day meal...it was so yummy!

Ingredients:

2 cups crushed Oreo cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 gallon ice cream

Whipped Cream or Cool Whip

Shell topping

Crush Oreo's in blender until it yields 2 cups. Add melted butter to crushed Oreo's. Mix well. Spread in bottom of 9X13 pan and put in freezer until hardened. Once hardened, put scoops of ice cream over cookie crust until ice cream is evenly distributed. Cover with whipped topping. Freeze until firm. Once firm, drizzle with shell topping.

St. Pattie's Day Corned Beef Sandwich

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Alright, so I'm a sucker for the holidays :) Hence the St. Pattie's Day green rolls. We really enjoyed eating the traditional St. Patrick's Day corned beef this way. I would definitely make it again.

Ingredients:

2-3 pound corned beef brisket with spice packet

12 ounce Dr. Pepper

1/8 cup peppercorns

1/2 bulb garlic clove, separated and peeled

water

rolls

Place the corned beef brisket in a crock pot. Sprinkle in the spice packet. Pour in the Dr. Pepper and fill the pot with enough water to cover the brisket. Add the peppercorns and garlic cloves. Cover and cook on high. Once the liquid comes to a boil, simmer for about 2-3 more hours. Carefully remove the meat from the pot. Set on cutting board and allow it to sit about 10 minutes to firm up. Slice or shred to and serve on rolls with brown mustard.

Grape Salad

Adapted from Kraftfoods.com

This recipe was one we had with our St. Pattie's Day meal. It's a favorite of ours and tastes great with any type of grapes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds seedless grapes

4 oz. cream cheese

4 oz. sour cream

1/8 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Brown sugar

Walnuts, if desired

Wash and dry grapes. In a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, granulated sugar and vanilla. Beat with hand mixer until combined. Combine grapes and cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with walnuts and brown sugar, if desired.

Bruschetta Chicken

Inspired by a meal I ate at O'Charleys

Fresh basil is awesome.  It has such a distinct flavor and should not be substituted, if you can help it, for the dried herb.  Since I had some fresh Mozzarella in my fridge that I still needed to use, I decided to attempt to replicate a dish that I had at a nearby chain restaurant recently, but to try to make it even better.  I think it turned out well, but will most likely add some onions  next time.  I would have done so, but unfortunately didn't have any on hand and it was not worth a trip to the grocery store.  Anyway, this was super yummy!  I served with steamed broccoli on the side.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
• 1 Tbs Oregano
• 2 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
• 2 ounces fresh Mozzarella cheese, cubed
• 2 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar dressing

Directions:

• Mix balsamic vinegar, oil, Italian Seasoning and Oregano in a medium sized bowl.  Place chicken breasts in marinade and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
• Preheat grill to medium-high.  Grill chicken for until no longer pink, flipping over halfway through cooking. 
• In the meantime, mix together the tomatoes, basil and Mozzarella cheese.  Top the chicken with the bruschetta mixture and drizzle Balsamic Vinegar dressing on top.  Serve immediately.

Note:  Consider adding fresh onion to bruschetta mix. 

Pork and Black Bean Chili

Adapted from All Recipes

I love discovering a new crock pot meal.  It is so nice to have so little preparation and still have a satisfying meal at the end of the day.  I really liked the chili with pork tenderloin instead of ground beef that we usually have in chili.  So, even if you want to stick with your usual chili recipe, maybe try switching out the beef for some pork tenderloin.  I guarantee you'll love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 2 (15 oz) cans black beans
• 1 (16 oz) jar medium salsa
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp chili powder

Optional:

• Brown rice
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Sour cream
• Hint of Lime tortilla chips

Directions:

• Combine pork tenderloin, onion, red pepper, black beans, salsa, chicken broth, green chilies, oregano, cumin and chili powder in a slow cooker.  Set to low and cook for 8-10 hours.
• Break up pieces of cooked pork to thicken the chili before serving.
• Can serve as soup or drain excess liquid and serve over brown rice.  Either way, sprinkle cheese on top, a large dollop of sour cream and scoop up with tortilla chips.

Apricot Glazed Coconut Chicken

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Bisquick Cookbook

We tried this recipe one other time and loved it. Somehow it was forgotten and we hadn't eaten it since. However, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me because this recipe is amazing! It's one of those meals you eat and and just keep thinking about all week! (Does anybody else do that? ha ha) We didn't have Bisquick so we just used flour and a little bit of baking soda as a substitute and it worked out great! We're already planning for the next time we'll make this :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick

2/3 cup flaked coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

Apricot Glaze (below)

Hot mustard, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix milk and Dijon mustard. Mix Bisquick, coconut, salt and paprika. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat with Bisquick.

Pour 2 tablespoons of the melted margarine in pan. Place coated chicken in pan. Drizzle remaining margarine over chicken.

Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Make Apricot Glaze. Turn chicken; brush with glaze. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center and glaze is bubbly. Serve with hot mustard if desired.

Apricot Glaze:

1/2 cup apricot spreadable fruit

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white vinegar

Stir all ingredients until blended.

Mexican Quiche

Adapted from All Recipes

Quiches are our absolute favorite for brunch.  Nothing can beat a good quiche...well, as long as you prefer savory over sweet for breakfast.  This quiche is Tim's favorite.  It has a bit of spice to it.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. bacon
• 1 (9”) unbaked pie crust
• 2 cups sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 ½ cup half-and-half
• ½ cup diced onion
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chile peppers, drained

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place bacon in deep skillet.  Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown.  Drain, crumble and set aside.
• Place crust in a 9” glass pie plate.  Sprinkle bacon inside of crust.  In a small bowl, combine Cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese.  In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, cream, onion and green chiles.  Add cheese mix, stir well.  Pour mix into pie crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, until set.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

Notes:  I added some thyme, parsley, and cayenne pepper to the egg mixture. 

Greek Pasta

Adapted from All Recipes

We had some friends over for a little BBQ tonight and I made this side dish.  I left out the olives, since my husband thinks that olives ruin a dish rather than make it.  Personally, I enjoy olives, but have trouble justifying buying them just for me.  Also, when I was shopping for ingredients the grocery section of Walmart didn't carry orzo pasta.  I was disappointed.  I do prefer this pasta salad with orzo, but it was still scrumptious with penne as a substitute.  I love Greek recipes since they always taste so fresh.  The use of Feta, artichoke hearts, cucumber and tomatoes is a killer combo.  Love it.  This recipe makes A LOT of pasta, so even with about 10 of us eating it, I will have leftovers.  Not that I mind.  ;)  Oh, and I have addded grilled chicken to this before to eat as a main dish.

Ingredients:

·         1 ½ cup cooked whole wheat orzo pasta (cook according to package directions)

·         12 oz. can artichoke hearts, chopped

·         3 roma tomatoes, chopped

·         1 cucumber, halved, seeded and sliced

·         ½ red onion, thinly sliced

·         ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved

·         1 cup feta, crumbled

·         ¼ cup fresh parsley

·         2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

·         2 Tbs red wine vinegar

·         1 ½ Tbs squeezed lemon juice

·         ¼ cup plain greek yogurt

·         1 Tbs oregano

·         Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients.  Serve warm or cool.

Note:  Can use different types of pasta if orzo is not available or on hand.

Muddy Buddies

Source Unknown

I've had this recipe for forever.  I'm not sure where it came from, but I do remember my Grandma making something similar when I was young and calling it "Puppy Chow".  I have always liked the combination of chocolate and peanut butter.  Even better, this is a very fast and easy recipe to make.  Perfect for a Friday night when you just want to relax, like I did.  This recipe is easily halved or make the entire amount, since it preserves well. 

Ingredients:

• 9 cups Chex cereal
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup margarine
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

• Pour cereal into bowl; set aside.
• In 1 quart, microwave safe bowl combine chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine.  Microwave for 1 to 1 ½ minute or until smooth, stirring after 1 minute.
• Stir in vanilla.  Pour chocolate sauce slowly over cereal, stirring to coat evenly.  Pour cereal into large plastic bag.  Add powdered sugar and secure; shake to coate well.  Spread on wax paper to cool.

Disappearing Marshmallow Butterscotch Blondies

Adapted from the blog ahintofhoney.blogspot.com

My friend brought these brownies over a couple of years ago, but with one major difference in the recipe:  she doesn't wait for the butterscotch to cool so that the chocolate melts, making them brownies rather than blondies.  I changed this recipe so that the butterscotch cools, keeping the flavor of butterscotch strong.  I seriously heart butterscotch, but only have a few recipes that I have tried that makes good use of them.  I think it's mostly because I have trouble stopping eating butterscotch once I start, so I only have a few recipes to fall back on to keep my weight somewhat in control.  :)  Anyway, these blondies are sinfully delicious and very addictive.  Serve warm with ice cream!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• ½ cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cup flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 cups mini marshmallows
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• ½ cup wanuts, chopped (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Melt butter and butterscotch chips in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and cool slightly.
• Stir in brown sugar, egg and vanilla.  Mix well.  Add flour, salt and baking powder.  Stir until well incorporated.
• Fold in marshmallows, chocolate chips and nuts until just combined. (Do not want chocolate chips to melt too much or they will become brownies rather than blondies!)  Pour into greased 9x13” baking dish.
• Bake 25-30 minutes.

Marshmallow Popcorn

Adapted from a recipe from Chelsey Ercanbrack

For family night, I wanted to make a fun treat our little boy would like. Since he's crazy about marshmallows, I thought we'd let him try this recipe. It is really ooey gooey good! We didn't add nuts or pretzels this time, but they make it a little bit more of a sweet and salty treat when added. We gobbled this up pretty quickly! If you don't want extras, I recommend halfing the recipe. However, the popcorn saves really well!

Ingredients:

3 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups nuts (optional)

pretzels (optional, add amount desired; no more than 2 1/2 cups)

2 bags microwave popcorn

1 cup butter or margarine

1 1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

Mix popcorn, marshmallows, nuts and pretzels together. Mix margarine, sugar and syrup together and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes. Pour over popcorn mixture and mix well.

Coconut Mango Rice Salad with Curried Shrimp

Adapted from Cooking Through The Seasons Cookbook

My friend raves about this cook book.  I want to buy it now that I've tried this recipe that she suggested.  The flavors are so fresh; I love the combination of the mango, coconut and lime juice.  Plus it feels so heavy.  {I'm sick of the heavier Winter meals and am ready for the fruits and veggies of Spring!}  I think you could substitute the shrimp for salmon or chicken, if you are not a shrimp fan.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs minced fresh garlic
• 1 Tbs ginger
• 1 Tbs low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tsp curry powder
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 lbs medium shrimp
• 2 cups water
• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 ¼ cup shredded carrot
• 1 cup diced peeled mango (about 1 mango)
• 1.5 cup  diced red bell pepper
• ½ cup sliced green onion
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbs fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add shrimp; toss to coat.  Cover and chill at least one hour.
• Bring water and coconut to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.  Add carrot and next 7 ingredients; toss gently to combine.
• Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
• Thread shrimp onto skewers.  Place skewers on grill rack or grill pan coated until shrimp are done.  Serve kebabs over salad and garnish with extra cilantro if desired.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Spaghetti Squash

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen

My friend made these for me when we brought Mason home and I have been hooked ever since.  She served them the with regular spaghetti noodles, since she didn't know if we were adventurous enough to try it with spaghetti squash...obviously we are!  I LOVE spaghetti squash and this is the perfect meal for them.  This recipe makes a lot of meatballs so be prepared to serve a group, eat leftovers or freeze half of them.  They are so good, though, that I usually eat the leftovers {which means a lot since I am generally not a fan of leftovers right away... they usually go in the freezer until I crave the dish again or until I don't have time to cook.}.  Anyway, the fresh parsley in this dish is a MUST.  Don't substitute for the dry herb.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. low fat ground beef
• ¾ cup Italian bread crumbs
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp Worcestshire sauce
• 1 egg
• ½ cup milk
• 1 bunch Italian parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 whole fresh Mozzarella ball
• 1 large spaghetti squash

Directions:

• To bake the squash, cut in half, scoop out the seeds and lay open side up on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil (optional) and season with salt and pepper.  Place in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes.  When done, use fork to strip insides.  It should be stringy, not a soft noodle.
• In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, pepper, Worcestshire sauce, egg, milk and parsley.  Add the ground beef until just incorporated; do not over mix.
• Using a cookie scoop, scoop out meatballs.  Take the meatball, place a small amount of Mozarella cheese in the middle and form the ball so the cheese is completely covered.
• Brown the meatball until almost completely cooked, place the meatball on a fofil covered baking pan and bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees F.  Serve with favorite Ragu.

Makes approximately 30 meatballs.  Serves 4.

Paninis

Inspired by the menu of Busboys and Poets Restaurant

So, my husband and I go through phases where we eat lots of paninis and we are now definitely in that phase again after visiting Busboys and Poets recently when my family visited.  We love paninis; they are so versatile and they always ended up being yummy.   So, just take whatever sandwich fixin's you have and through it in the middle of some ciabatta bread (or in a pinch some sourdough or focacia would do....) and throw it on your grill.  A quick, satifying dinner for two!

This particular panini featured Muenster, tomato, apple butter and Roast beef.  Delish!

Ingredients:

• 2 ciabatta rolls
• 2 Tbs.Apple butter, pesto, Dijon mustard, etc…
• ½ tomato sliced or roasted red peppers
• 2-4 slices of Muenster, Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Provolone, Swiss or Fresh Mozzarella cheese
• 4-6 slices of deli sliced Turkey, Ham, Roast beef or Portabella mushrooms
• Fat free butter spray (such as Parkay)

Directions:

Heat Panini grill, according to directions.  Slice open the ciabatta rolls and spread with apple butter or pesto.  Layer meat, then tomato or red peppers, and top with cheese.  (Make sure tomato or red pepper is in middle so that it doesn’t get super soggy.)  Spray outside of rolls with butter spray.  Cook on grill until golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside.

Sweet Coleslaw

Adapted from All Recipes

I used to not like coleslaw.  But between this recipe and the southwest coleslaw that I make, I have become a fan.  It's a great side dish to sandwiches or for your next barbeque now that Spring is just around the corner!

Ingredients:

• 1 (16 oz) bag coleslaw mix
• 2/3 cup creamy salad dressing (such as Miracle Whip)
• 3 Tbs vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 3 Tbs white vinegar
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Mix all ingredients above in a large bowl and allow to rest in fridge for 15 minutes before serving so that flavors can blend.

Note:  Consider adding some sliced almonds next time or substituting broccoli slaw for the coleslaw mix.