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Recipe? What recipe? When preparing dinner I rarely use a recipe, that’s not to say though that I don’t toil for hours digging and surfing through recipes. Most of the dishes I prepare stem from two, three or even more recipes that I have “congealed” into my own version. This recipe is no different. Actually, [...]
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Photo from Everyday Food I am pretty sure that I have, at some point, subscribed to every food magazine out there marking at least 4 or 5 recipes I wanted to make in each one. This in turn leaves me with grand aspirations of gourmet meals and boundless acclamation and laud. Truth is, what I [...]
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My kids ate Quinoa and liked it! I have been wanting to prepare a Quinoa dish for a long time, but had been too cheap to buy a bag. Well, I broke the bank this week (ha ha) and bought it. After a long summer of “camp food” and quick prep/highly processed food, it came [...]
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This post will be short and sweet – and the pictures? Well, I had to take them in a hurry under poor lighting with seven people standing in the middle of that poor lighting waiting for me to serve it. A few years ago, I did the meatloaf cupcakes which was fun. This year as [...]
Christmas in our family is quite traditional, as far as dinner is concerned. Only one of the recipes in this post are new to us and our table. Even though any of our kids could recite what will be on the table, and who will be preparing it, it just wouldn’t be the same if we switched things up. We talk about it every year, but never do.
For the main courses are ham and turkey. My sister-in-law cooks the ham, and we grill the turkey at our house. I began grilling the turkey several years ago when I ran out of oven room. Grilling the turkey, I have found, yields the most moist white meat of any cooking method. It is very simple, a little butter, salt and pepper on and under the skin along with about 3/4 of an inch of stock in the pan. Covered then slow cooked with only the outside two burners on and in about 3 hours, a beautiful golden brown bird emerges!
For the Cranberry Sauce, I prepared a recipe first used at Thanksgiving. I found the recipe over at Recipe Girl and it is not only easy but blows the canned stuff out of the water. It is also great with a little butter on a biscuit or toast in the morning. I highly encourage trying this recipe.
Now, for the best part. Dessert. I made the Browned Butter Pecan Pie (that I made last month) from Cookie Madness, No Bake PB Oatmeal Cookies from well, anywhere, but I have my own recipe, a great sugar cookie (that I will post later), and our family tradition of “Angel Wings“. The Sour Cream Pound Cake, Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie played an essential part of this holiday meal too. Needless to say, I have a TON of dessert leftover in the freezer.
It was a wonderful holiday but I must say that I am relieved that it is over. The pressure involved in food preparation and making three growing kids happy have worn me out. I am looking forward to having the rest of the week off and doing, well, nothing.
Happy New Year to all!
One of my resolutions for this school year was to spend more time preparing hearty, healthy meals for the family. That’s not to say that hasn’t always been my desire, time however, does not always cooperate. With three kids, sports, home etc… I felt like last school year ended in a flop when it came to a family dinner. Well, so far so good.
To fulfill my resolution I have set out to plan meals out by the week and shop once accordingly. Well tonight was spot on. My plan all day was to prepare the Tilapia I recently purchased, but I couldn’t settle on a final cooking method. My options included doing a foil pack with vegetables cooked on the grill. An oven “fried” prep, or pan seared. I decided on the latter two. I surfed different recipes that included some type of breading, then I combined some of these ideas to make this delicious dish. Everyone spoke very highly of this preparation and I was even asked to put this on a regular rotation. So, here goes:
Encrusted Tilapia with Peach Mango Salsa
Rinse fish in cold water and pat dry, season with salt and pepper. Combine Panko, pretzels, oatmeal (I used a food processor) and 1 – 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning in a medium bowl. In another bowl, combine egg and milk. Preheat large skillet with 2 – 3 tablespoons oil to medium.
Set up a small assembly line beginning with fish, then egg mixture and finally crumb mixture. Dredge fish through egg then into crumbs, thoroughly coating each side of fish. Place in pan and cook until fish is white and flakes easily – about 3 minutes on each side. Serve over rice and top with salsa.
My family, immediate and extended, always seem to enjoy this recipe. It is straight forward, no extra’s, just potatoes, eggs, relish and mayo. Of course you can add onions, celery and other crunchies… but with a family of picky eaters, I still with the “if you like it that way, add it yourself” principle. (Is that harsh?) Oh, and I’m not really sure what southern style really means, but I live in the south, so I’m calling it southern.
Here it is:
Southern Style Potato Salad
Directions:
Peel and dice potatoes and boil in salted water until fork tender. Remove and drain. *If you like a chunky potato salad, allow potatoes to cool completely. I usually add the other ingredients to warm potatoes. Return potatoes to pot and add other ingredients. Stir lightly until all of the potatoes are covered. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm, or refrigerate until ready. Garnish with paprika and greens if desired.
Honestly, the amount of mayo and sweet relish are approximate. I add until I reach a smooth texture and to taste. I think the key is having enough to cover all of the potatoes well. And again, I like to prepare it with warm potatoes. Some of the potatoes end up mashing some, adding to the creaminess of the dish. Yum.
A 5 pound bag makes quite a bit, enough for at least 10 servings with leftovers.
I am always leery about serving a “new food” when company comes, but after all of the reviews, I knew I would be safe with this one. I adapted my recipe just slightly from the original recipe at Annie’s Eats (who got it from Elly Says Opa!) using the Bon Appetite recipe for the same dish. Note that my recipe is doubled.
I said all that to say this is an awesome recipe. Easy and easily adapted to your taste. Dessert too was new to us (see next post). It also was really, really good. I had the company fooled into thinking I slaved over this one, but later revealed the truth. Try it, you’ll like it, I promise. My kids kept moaning about how good dessert was.
Chicken Parmesan Burgers
Prep:
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, bread crumbs, Parmesan, seasonings and 2 tbsp pasta sauce. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Form into 8 patties (though mine made 9). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-heat broiler. Broil the burgers for 4 – 6 minutes then flip and broil 4 – 6 mor minutes until cooked through (160 degrees). Remove and top each burger with pasta sauce and cheese. Return to broiler until cheese is melted.
For the buns, brush Italian dressing and toast under broiler until golden. Place burger on bun and serve with additional cheese, sauce and mushrooms if desired.
Notes about the recipe:
