Parmesan Tilapia

I've made this a couple of times once with frozen this time with fresh. Fresh fish is a must! I've also found that cod or red snapper holds up better than tilapia.

Ingredients:

2 lbs tilapia (can be cod or red snapper)

2 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan (I used shredded which I had on hand and it worked just as well)

4 Tbs butter, at room temperature

3 Tbs mayonnaise

3 Tbs finely chopped green onions (optional)

1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1/4 tsp dried basil

Black pepper to taste

1 dash hot pepper sauce (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat broiler. Lay fillets flat on nonstick broiler pan. Brush fish with lemon juice. In bowl, combine cheese, butter, mayonnaise, onions, and seasonings. Mix well with a fork.

Broil fish 3-4 minutes or until almost done. Add cheese and broil another 2-3 minutes or until browned.

Serves 4

*Derived from Food.com 

Pizza Pasta

Clearly, this was written last week, which just proves my exhaustion point!  I'll go ahead and say it out loud, when Benjamin Franklin thought day light savings would be fantastic, he didn't have kids. The result has been one very long week for kids and parents. Could I be anymore exhausted?? Being this tired means sometimes a step or two might be over looked. In this case it meant I completely over-looked the baking portion. And it has nothing to do with the teeny tiny print of the recipe, with my glasses upstairs. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Ingredients:

1 cup elbow macaroni

1/2 lb 90% lean ground beef

6 fresh mushrooms, quartered

1/3 cup chopped onion

8 oz tomato sauce

3 1/2 oz sliced pepperoni

2 Tbs sliced black olives

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup part - skim shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Cook macaroni according to package directions. In large skillet, cook beef, mushrooms, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, pepperoni, olives, sugar, Italian seasoning, and pepper.

Drain macaroni; add to meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheeses, stirring to mix.

If you choose to bake, this is what you need to do: transfer to a 1 1/2 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, sprinkle more cheese on top. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 4

Derived from Sam's Club



New Orleans Gumbo Wanna Be

This is my very loose interpretation of a New Orleans Gumbo. The kids couldn't get enough of the shrimp and the flavors were wonderful!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup uncooked converted rice

2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken cut into 1/2" cubes
1/2 lb smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/2" slices
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cold water
1 lb uncooked medium peeled and deveined shrimp
1 large green pepper chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Preparation:

In rice cooker, stir in rice, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook according to rice cooker directions.

In a Dutch oven, combine the tomatoes, chicken, kielbasa, thyme, pepper, bay leaves, and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Combine flour and water until smooth; gradually stir into chicken mixture. Stir in shrimp and green pepper. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and gumbo is thickened. Discard bay leaves.

Stir rice mixture into gumbo and serve immediately.

Serves 8

Derived from Sam's Club



Banana Bread

Bananas are such a loved commodity in our house that I hate to see any go to waste. Banana bread is the perfect use for those few that have gotten a little too ripe. The banana is not overpowering and is heavan with a cup of coffee.  It also got the happy dance from Daniela!

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (approx 4-5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping

Streusel-Nut Topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
2 Tbs butter
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of 9x5x3" loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

For streusel-nut topping: in a small bowl combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in walnuts.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel-nut topping over batter.

Bake 55 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (if necessary, tent with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent over browning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack.

Serves 16 slices

Courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens

Creamed Corn with Chipotle Chilies

Wow, if you like heat, this is your side dish! The flavor was so rich. And just opening the can of chipotles in adobo sauce made my mouth water. I'll make this again and again.

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh or frozen corn

2 Tbs unsalted butter
1/2 white onion, finely diced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
Kosher salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation:

In large sauté pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chipotle chiles , adobo sauce, corn kernels, oregano, and sugar. Pour in the water and add a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is tender but still has a bit of crunch, about 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the water has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the cream to the pan, raise the heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer corn to a warm bowl and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Derived from Williams-Sonoma

Coffee Cake

It was that time of year again, our annual 6 family trip to Tahoe. This year all of the families needed to provide their own breakfast. True to form, I spent the week prior cooking and baking. I've been playing around with the blueberry coffee cake, but wanted something more, hmm, I guess traditional. Ok, something buttery, cakey, and cinnamony. That's what I really wanted. Bonus? I had my heart shaped cake pan I hadn't used yet :-). Ask my 1st grade girlfriend Kokomi how amazing this was. I think she ate her weight! Super easy cake!

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

2 sticks of butter, at room temperature

2 1/4 cup of sugar, divided

2 eggs at room temperature

1 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp salt (I use Kosher)
1 Tbs ground cinnamon
1 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs powdered sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray bunt pan with nonstick spray. Using an electric mixer, mix together butter and 2 cups of sugar in a small bowl. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the sour cream and vanilla and mix until blended. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until well blended, then the remaining dry ingredients until well combined. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar and mix until well combined. Pour half the batter into the cake or bunt pan (heart shaped in my case). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the batter, then pour the remaining batter over the sugar mixture. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool until slightly warm, remove from bundt pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serves Kokomi :-)

Derived from Food Network

Beef Stroganoff

Let me first start by saying that I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. First we had illness, then our annual Tahoe trip, then illness again (me, this time), and finally a crazy busy schedule. I am glad, however, that this is my next post. So incredibly yummy I ate it off the serving spoon after the hubs plunked it in the sink with the bowl! Not to mention, I had the best Sous Chef ever!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb ground sirloin

Salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbs butter, divided

2 Tbs all -purpose flour
2 cups beef stock with 1 Tbs Better Than Boullian Beef Base - or 2 cups beef consommé
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 lb egg noodles, cooked to, package directions

Preparation:

Heat skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbs oil and 1 tbs butter, then add meat and onion. Cook over high heat until evenly browned, 3-4 minutes.

Heat a second skillet to medium heat. Melt 2 tbs butter and cook with flour for about 1 minute. Whisk in beef broth mixture or consommé, thicken 1 minute. Stir in mustard and sour cream, thicken 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Mix meat,sauce, and egg noodles.

Serves 4