Fish Kabobs

3 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 T lime juice
3/4 onion, quartered
3/4 red bell pepper, cut into wedges
3/4 yellow bell pepper, cut into wedges
12-18 cherry tomatoes
1.5 lb. fish (halibut, sword, salmon) shown in picture is orange roughy

Combine oil and juice into 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Cut fish into 1" cubes, place in dish, and marinate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. Turn cubes to coat evenly and chill 5 more minutes. Thread fish and veggies onto skewers, brush with leftover marinade from baking dish. Place skewers on a broiler pan and broil 4" from heat source, about 3 minutes. turn skewers, brush with marinade, and broil from another 3-4 minutes, or until fish is done and veggies are tender-crisp.

Very good! Here is the meal, with broccoli (also had rice with it):

Chicken Chili with Green Salsa

Note: this probably isn't the greatest "family" recipe since it is a bit spicy, but it was super fast, healthy, and had lots of flavor - I used two chicken breasts cut in small pieces, and medium salsa...might try mild next time =)

12 ounce(s) chicken-breast tenders, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cans (15 to 19 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cups (about 16-ounce jar) mild or medium-hot green salsa
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, each cut into quarters

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken and cook 2 to 3 minutes or just until chicken loses its pink color throughout, stirring constantly.
2. Add beans, salsa, cilantro, and 1/2 cup water, and cook 5 minutes longer to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Top with tomatoes to serve.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Seth found the muffin cup liners the other day and wanted to make cupcakes, so we made "muffin cupcakes" instead and Seth loved them - I added my own crumb topping since I like topping =)

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted (it says you can substitute with canola oil, so I wonder if you could use applesauce as well to make them healthier and applier?)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup finely chopped apples

Heat oven to 375 F.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in medium bowl. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir just until flour is moistened. Spoon into muffin liners.

Bake 18-23 minutes.

Banana Crumb Muffins

This is a typical banana muffin but instead of putting in the chocolate chips like I normally do, it has a crumb topping like the cinnamon cake does.

1 1/2 Cups Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 banana's mashed
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Egg lightly beaten
1/3 Cup butter, melted

1/3 Cup packed Brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Tablespoon butter

Directions: Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease 10 muffin cups or line with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt. In another bowl, beat together banana's, sugar, egg, and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 T flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 T butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. (My first batch I baked for 18 minutes and they were a little dry so the other I baked for only 15 and they are soft and yummy. So just watch them in your oven.)

Turtle Cheesecake

Lilly & I made this last weekend and it turned out yummy! I got the recipe out of a magazine for a Nestle Toll House contest. I think next time I make it I'll try it with Dark Chocolate chips and see how that goes. I'll post a picture of mine later.

1 3/4 Cups Chocolate Graham Cracker crumbs
1/3 Cup Butter or Margarine, melted
3 Packages (8 oz each) Cream Cheese, softened
I Can (14oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/2 Cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup
2 Tablespoons Caramel Syrup
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans (optional)
1/4 Cup Mini Choc. Chips

Preheat oven to 300 Degrees. Grease 9-inch springform pan.

Crust: Combine crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese and milk in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla; beat until combined. Microwave chocolate chips in medium, uncovered, microwave safe bowl on High power for 1 minute; Stir. If needed, heat additional 10-15 second intervals, stirring just until chips are melted. Stir 2 cups of batter into melted chocolate; mix well. Alternately spoon batter into crust, beginning and ending with yellow batter. Bake 70-75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge and let cool completely. Drizzle syrups on top. Sprinkle with nuts and mini choc. chips. Refrigerate several hours. Remove side of pan.

I made Tif's Zesty Chicken Saute

I was worried the chili pepper might be the overwhelming flavor, but I was suprised at how well the spices complemented each other. (Oh, I didn't use allspice, and replaced chicken breasts with chicken tenders--it was what I had on hand) I thought it was VERY good and SUPER easy. Preston ate his without a single complaint or prompting from me (yes!)

We had green beans and fried potatoes w/ cheese to go with it. 

Thanks Tif! Keep sharing!

Cheeseburger Soup

There's a first time for everything! Normally this type of recipe wouldn't appeal to me but for some reason I thought "why not?" and I'm glad I tried it. It was a filling soup, easy to make, cheesy, and creamy. It was not, however, very photogenic like some other meals.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 pound ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups cubed potatoes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sour cream


DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown.

Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.

Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.

***I used less onion, no celery (didn't have at the time but would definitely use it), no herbs (boring huh!! my spice cupboard hasn't been replenished since we moved in!) and didn't measure the broth. Instead of using 2 cups grated cheese, I approximated 1 cup shredded cheddar and some velveeta (for consistency--I thought the velveeta would be creamier).

The original recipe came from allrecipes.com. You can follow the link here to read other reviews, etc. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cheeseburger-Soup-I/Detail.aspx

Zesty Chicken Saute Dinner

Okay, so I finally have a dinner recipe to add...even though I'm last :-) This was tonights dinner. From start to finish it took about 25 minutes, but only because I had leftover mashed potatoes instead of having to make them. The recipe for the chicken comes from a book called "Cheap, Fast, Good!"

Zesty Chicken Saute
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground allspice (optional)
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (defrosted)
1 Tbsp vegetable (or olive) oil

1. Place all the spices in a gallon-size zipper-top bag and seal. Shake the bag to combine thoroughly.
2. Make chicken pieces about 1/2 inch thick (with mallet, rolling pin, etc) Book says serving size should be about 6 oz.
3. Put chicken in zip-lock baggie and coat the chicken with the spices.
4. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly brown and then flip to other side to cook. (about 4-5 minutes per side depending on thickness).
**I put the lid on it so they cooked faster

I wanted green beans or peas to go with the meal, but we were out of all the veggies...so I made bisquick biscuits instead. Jared thought it was a gourmet meal. Oh, I also added some parsley flakes to the chicken after it was cooked, mostly to add color to the otherwise bland looking plate.

**Note: If you want the chicken to be a little spicy, add some cajun pepper.

SpAgHeTtI

I know, WHY am I posting a spaghetti dinner?  Geoff asked the same question when I whipped the camera out before taking a bite.  That seems so boring---but then I thought, ya know, spaghetti is such a staple around here and this isn't a gourmet recipe site but is about feeding our normal families. Since we all make spaghetti a little different, it might be fun to compare and get some new ideas. 

Here's how I usually do it:

Brown approx. 1/2 lb ground beef

Add half jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce and 1 14.5 oz can of petite diced tomatoes. (the ones in the photo are normal size though)

Add just a little bit of water to thin if necessary. 

Serve over spaghetti with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. 

Boring but tasty. How do YOU make yours?

Last night's dinner

you take this

and make it into this

Easy Chicken Parmesan

here's the original recipe (and I feel bad cuz I can't remember where I got this one)

3 lb chicken parts  (I just used chicken tenders, partially thawed)

1 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

salt to taste

1 clove garlic or 1 Tbsp garlic powder

3/4 cup melted butter

Combine bread crumbs, cheese, oregano, salt & pepper; set aside.

Lightly saute garlic in 2 Tbsp butter, then stir in remaining butter. 

Dip chicken in garlic butter and then roll each piece in bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in 9*13 pan and sprinkle with remaining bread crumb mixture. Pour remaining butter on the top.

Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. 

This turned out pretty good but I've never tried another chicken parmesan recipe before to compare this to. This was easy to do. Geoff said he didn't notice the garlic flavor in it and recommended I leave it out next time because it made the house stink (his words). I used fresh garlic so maybe next time I'd try it with the garlic powder. 

Wedding Chicken Salad

Yum!

I made the chicken salad recipe from last week's family newsletter. Mom & Dad tasted it at a wedding reception and got the recipe from the chef after they liked it so well. I can see why!

Here's the recipe again. 

4 chicken breast

1 can water chestnuts, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, roasted

1/8 cup honey mustard

1 cup mayo

1 cup red grapes, quartered

1/8 tsp thyme

1 red pepper, chopped

Grill chicken--season with salt and pepper. Cool and chop.

Mix mayo, mustard, thyme, garlic, green onion, celery, water chestnuts, and red pepper thoroughly.

Add chicken and grapes---mixing carefully.

Serve on croissants.

My notes: I didn't grill the chicken because I already had cooked chicken in the fridge. I also didn't roast the garlic because I didn't plan ahead. Next time I'll try to do this! Instead I used a bit of garlic powder. I halved the recipe and it was enough filling for 8 of the small croissants. I chopped everything pretty small. Don't skip the honey mustard and definitely splurge on the red pepper! 

Thanks chef Derek Bagley of Kennewick, WA!!

My Favorite Brownies

Ok, so this probably isn't a very helpful recipe, but everyone always loves chocolate right? (plus I didn't want to be the last one to contribute something...) These are not overly sweet but very rich, from the williams-sonoma website.

Ingredients:

8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces

3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3/4 cup cake flour, sifted

3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, semisweet
chocolate chips, peanut butter chips or
white chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish, preferably glass.

In a saucepan over low heat, combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate. Heat, stirring often, until melted, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and salt. Add the eggs and vanilla and stir until well blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir until just blended. Stir in the chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared dish and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out almost completely clean, about 30 minutes (longer if using a metal pan). Do not overbake. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares. Makes 9 large brownies.

Goolash

We've had this a couple times this last month and I have to admit it has been a hit. Larry loves it, Gage I think had thirds, Lilly ate her entire bowl and even Amelia at the noodles, corn & tomatoes.

So even though I think all of us have this recipe I am putting it on here to start off our Recipe Blog. I am hoping that as we make new or existing recipes we'll post them on here to help each other with dinner ideas.

Goolash- Mom's recipe

1.5 lbs Ground Been, browned
1 Medium Onion ( I use onion salt/powder cause the kids don't like the onions pieces)
1 Green pepper
1 Can mushroom soup
1/2 Can creamed corn
1 Can Whole tomatoes ( I used the diced or Rotel)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
Pepper
1 Package noodles ( I used the Rotini)

Brown beef, onion and green pepper. Put in greased casserole the remaining ingredients, except noodles. Cook the noodles separately. Stir all together. Bake at 350 till bubbles- about 30 minutes.