Cajun and Garlic Red Snapper

We are doing much better with our goal to eat fish once a week now that our closest grocery store has fish on sale all the time. I had never tried Red Snapper before but Chris though he remembered eating it at some previous time in our life. Since all of our fish recipes were either for Salmon or Tilapia, we decided to try something new this time. It turns out that we aren't the biggest fan of the texture of red snapper, but the recipe was great. I would love to use this recipe again (which I happened to get from about.com - random - and altered to fit our tastes and a few ingredients that we just happened to have) but maybe with a different type of fish.

2 fish fillets, about 6 oz each
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
1-2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
3 to 4 Tbsp bread crumbs (ours were Italian seasoned)
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place fish fillets in a baking dish that has been well greased.

In a skillet, melt butter with garlic, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, pepper and cilantro. Cook on low for 2 minutes to allow the flavors to combine. Brush both sides of fillets with the butter and herb mixture. Toss bread crumbs in the remaining butter mixture and sprinkle over the fillets. Bake at 400° for 12-14 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Top 10

Over the past several months I have been cooking a lot of new recipes that I had never tried before. I feel like a lot of them turn out really well, and some...not so much. Every time we sit down and try a new recipe I ask my husband if it is in his Top 10. This list has come to comprise many more than ten things, but that is the phrase we always use.

I am starting a new label on my blog called the Top 10 so anyone who happens to stop by and doesn't know what to make can go to the list of the recipes that I consider to be my best. Whenever you make anything from my blog I would love to hear about it! Let me know how it turned out for you and if you have any alterations that you tried.

Asian Style Cashew Chicken

This is a variation of a Rachael Ray recipe from the cookbook 365:No Repeats. It tasted pretty good, and I am proud that I was able to make a somewhat Asian-style recipe without completely screwing it up, but I don't really know if I would make it again. I just haven't really mastered the art of making good Asian food. Anyway, here is the recipe - and I am happy to report that I now know what duck sauce is and it turns out that I have eaten it before.

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, 1/4 finely chopped, 3/4 thinly sliced
1 1/2 cup brown rice
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 lb chicken, cut into pieces
Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste
3 tsp minced garlic
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pkg asian style stir fry vegetables
1/3 cup tamari (dark, aged soy sauce)
1/2 cup duck sauce
1 cup cashews

In a medium pot over medium heat, combine 1 Tbsp of the vegetable oil and butter. When the butter melts into the oil,add the chopped onions and cook for 2 minutes, then add the rice and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the stock and cover the pot. Raise the heat to bring the stock to a rapid boil. Once the stock boils, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, 17-18 minutes

While the rice cooks, make the chicken. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, then the chicken. Season the chicken with steak seasoning. Lightly brown the chicken on both sides, then move off to one side of the pan. Add the remaining onions, the garlic, bell peppers, and other vegetables. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then mix the vegetables and meat together. Season the stir fry with tamari and duck sauce. Add the cashews and cilantro and serve over the brown rice.

Strawberry 3 Layer Cake

My husband kindly volunteered me to make a dessert for a barbecue this past weekend so, of course I took the opportunity to make something that I had never made before. My mom makes this great cake with a fluffy  cream cheese frosting and strawberry topping that I thought would be perfect for the occasion so I called and got the recipe. It was a big hit. And it turns out it is one of my husband's new favorite desserts. Usually when my mom made it, she had to make two because it only uses half of a prepared cake mix for each pan. I just split the ingredients and the cake mix in half (using 2 eggs rather than 1 1/2) and it was just great.

1/2 cake mix, prepared as directed on package

1 8 oz tub whipped cream
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar

1 pkg strawberry Danish Dessert Junket, prepared as directed on package
1-2 lb. strawberries

Bake half of the cake mix in a 9x13" pan, perhaps reducing bake time slightly. Once the cake has cooled, whip cream cheese, whipped cream, and powdered sugar together and spread over cake. Top with strawberry mixture and chill (approximately 3 hours) before serving.

Lobster Tails

Maybe I went a little overboard for Father's Day, but there were a lot of really good things on sale at the grocery store that week, and my husband had never had lobster before. I decided to do a deluxe surf and turf dinner with New York steak and lobster tails. I used the same method of grilling steak that I have before. This was actually the first time I had ever cooked lobster and, interestingly, it was super simple; I was amazed to see the lobster go from a dark brownish color to a bright orange-red as it was cooking.

Bring about an inch of water to a rapid boil in a medium sized pot.
Place lobster tails in a steaming basket and place in pot, just above the water.
Cover with lid and steam for 8 minutes. Don't open the lid too early!

Serve with melted butter and lemon wedges.

Coconut Shrimp

This was one of the things that we served at my wedding reception and ever since then, my husband has been talking about how amazing it was. Finally this past week I got the courage to try to make it and, in all honesty, it didn't go so well. I am really not good at frying things. Whenever we eat anything deep fried for dinner, my husband is in charge of the hot oil. I don't really like frying food very much because it kind of makes me feel sick to eat most deep fried foods (and even fast foods). But I love him so much that I was willing to try to make this all by myself. It actually tasted pretty good, although I think I added a little too much coconut and maybe did the breading too thick, but this is the recipe exactly as my mom gave it to me. So if you try making this, hopefully you are a little more intuitive than I was.

2 cups flaked coconut

2 pounds large raw shrimp

1/3cup lemon juice

1 ½ teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons curry powder

½ teaspoon powdered ginger,  I used 1+ teaspoon fresh

¼ cup cornstarch

2 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¾ cup milk

Fat or oil for deep frying

1. Spread coconut on baking sheet and place in 300 oven until delicately brown, 5-8 minutes.

2.  Shell the shrimp, but do not remove tail.  Slit the back and de-vein.  Rinse and drain well.

3.   Mix together the lemon juice, salt, curry powder, and ginger; marinate the shrimp in the mixture for 3 hours. Drain, reserving the marinade.  Toss shrimp with the cornstarch.

4.  Mix together until smooth, the flour, baking powder, milk and marinade.  Dip shrimp in batter, and then roll in coconut.  Heat grease to 375 and fry shrimp until browned, about 5 minutes.  Drain.  Serve with curry sauce or orange marmalade. 

Dipping Sauce
Make the dipping sauce: combine marmalade, mustard, honey and hot sauce in a small bowl. Mix well. Serve the shrimp and dipping sauce side by side.

1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup Dijon-style prepared mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 Tbsp Oriental chili sauce

Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies

A few months ago I bought a huge jar of Nutella for crepes and because my husband told me that he loved it. He must have forgotten that it was in the cupboard, though, because I'm pretty sure he hasn't eaten it once. Since we were moving soon, I was looking for a way to use up some things that had been sitting for a while. I found this recipe for Peanut Butter Nutella Cookies on barbarabakes.com so I decided to try it out. It was a big hit. My husband and siblings said it was even better than the peanut butter kiss cookies that we make every year around Christmas. I made the recipe almost exactly as she posted it.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter 
Sugar
Nutella

Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the peanut butter and continue beating on low speed. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat until just blended. 

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place each ball in a cup of a greased mini muffin tin. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until edges are browned and crackled, the centers will not be completely set. Remove the cookies from the oven and use the end of a thick-handled wooden spoon make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie and fill with your Nutella. Transfer cookies to a rack to cool completely.

Strawberry Freezer Jam

This past week my mom was visiting and I asked her to teach me how to make freezer jam. She made it every year when I was growing up and it tastes better than any other type of jam or jelly that I have ever had. When we made it together I could hardly believe how easy it was. In fact, she just used the directions on the fruit pectin box! She said that she always uses Sure Jell brand. Although there are others, she has always had good success with this one. We decided to make strawberry jam because it was always my favorite, although my grandmother makes blueberry rhubarb that is also just amazing.

2 cups strawberries

4 cups sugar

1 box Sure Jell fruit pectin

3/4 cup water

1. Wash and rinse plastic containers with tight fitting lids. I used pint sized containers.
2. Prepare fruit. Although the package specifically says that strawberries should be crushed one cup at a time with a potato masher and that they should never be pureed. My mom usually purees them in the blender, leaving some small bits of fruit. This time, we used a food processor.
3. Measure exact amount of sugar into the bowl. If you reduce the sugar, the jam will not set correctly. Do not double the recipe. If you do, it may not set correctly either.
4. Stir sugar and strawberries together and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Prepare fruit pectin by bringing the pectin and 3/4 cup water to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
6. Combine pectin into fruit mixture and stir approximately 3 minutes, until it is completely dissolved.
7. Pour into prepared containers, leaving 1/2" space at top for expansion during freezing and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Freeze jam once it has set.

Swiss Chicken

A couple of weeks ago, I participated in an activity with other women who attend my church. The activity was entitled "Freezer Dinners." We all got together and assembled 5 simple recipes that we could take home and leave in our freezers until we were ready to use them for dinner. It took less than a half hour for me to assemble all of mine. Although I wasn't a big fan of most of them, I actually liked this one so I will include it here for future reference.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup apple juice
1 package chicken stuffing mix
1/2 stick butter or margarine, melted

Place chicken in 9x13" pan - use a foil pan if you plan to freeze it rather than bake it immediately. Place a slice of cheese over each piece of chicken. Combine soup and apple juice in a bowl. Pour over chicken. Cover pan with foil if it is to be frozen.

If dinner has been frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350° and remove foil. Mix stuffing with butter and cover chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour or until internal temperature is 165° F.

Scalloped Potatoes

This is one of the potato dishes that seems to be most commonly made among people that I know. Everyone seems to have their own version of the recipe. Here is one that I tried for a Sunday dinner; we had them with barbecue chicken cooked in a Crock Pot. I used Corn Chex because I didn't have Corn Flakes and they still tasted great. I have also heard of people topping them with Rice Krispies and a number of other types of cereal.

About 6 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, and grated or sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup margarine
2 cups Corn Flakes or other cereal crumbs

Put potatoes in a casserole dish. Blend cream of mushroom soup, milk, and onion in a saucepan over medium high heat until smooth. Add cheese, sour cream, and 1/4 cup of margarine and heat through. Pour over potatoes in dish and work sauce through potatoes as needed. Melt remaining 1/2 cup margarine. Spread cereal crumbs over potatoes and drizzle melted margarine over crumbs. Grate a little extra cheese over top if desired. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

"Man Salad"

My husband and I always joke about how he doesn't like healthy salad, he likes "man salad," meaning he likes a salad that is primarily composed of different types of meat. In honor of this strange preference he has for meat, I decided to make him a salad that has steak and bacon - two of his favorites. In fact, I am pretty sure that the dressing on this salad is the first homemade dressing I have ever made. I was so surprised that it actually tasted good! By allowing vinaigrette dressings to rest for at least a few hours or a day, the vinegar taste dissipates. The recipe is from the 365: No Repeats cookbook by Rachael Ray.

4 slices bacon
4 1-inch thick beef tenderloin steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling the steaks

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 romaine lettuce heart, chopped
2 cups chopped arugula
4 plum tomatoes, halved and cut into half-moons
1 15-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and thinly sliced
large olives
feta cheese

At least a few hours prior to making the salad combine the shallots with mustard and vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in 3 Tbsp of olive oil and refrigerate until it is time to make the salad.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Line up the bacon on a meat-safe cutting board and center a steak across each slice of bacon. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then wrap the steaks in the bacon. Do not overlap the bacon, just spiral wrap it around the meat. Cook the bacon-wrapped steaks for 4 minutes on each side, or until the bacon is crisp. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes.

Toss lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, and artichokes with salad dressing. Season the salad with salt and pepper and divide among 4 plates, topping with olives and feta cheese. Slice the meat on an angle. Arrange the meat on the salad.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This recipe is one that my husband loves from his childhood. Of course every time we make it we have to do something a little differently. This time we added onions, which apparently aren't in the original recipe, but the sauce base is really delicious. You could actually add a number of different ingredients and it would be great. The original recipe says that the recipe is also really good with pureed peaches or apricots, although I have never tried either of those things.

 1 can pineapple (with juice)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped (a can of diced tomatoes would also work)
1/4 cup corn starch
1 lb chicken, pork, or meatballs
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except corn starch in a medium pan. Cook until peppers are tender. Mix corn starch with a tiny bit of cold water and add to sauce. Stir until it has thickened.

Homemade Oreos

When I had these cookies at my aunt's house I assumed that they must be incredibly difficult to make because they tasted so good. But one Sunday afternoon I decided that I would do whatever it took to make them and I called to get the recipe. I was so surprised that they were made with a cake mix! I don't know if all homemade Oreos are made like this, but these ones were extremely easy to make and were just wonderful.

Cookies:

chocolate cake mix

3/4 cup shortening

2 eggs

Mix ingredients well. Roll into walnut sized balls. Bake at 350° for 5-8 minutes.

Icing:

8 oz cream cheese

1 whole bag powdered sugar

1 cube margarine (not melted, just softened)

1/2 tsp vanilla

Strawberry Chocolate Cookie Bars

I was flipping through my M&M cookbook, looking for a dessert that we had everything to make and stumbled on one called "marvelous cookie bars." It had cherry preserves, which I didn't have, but I made a few subtle changes and substituted homemade strawberry freezer jam and came up with this tasty treat. It just amazes me that I have already made so many different types of desserts, yet there always seem to be more that I have never heard of or tried.

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick or old fashioned oats
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup M&M's

1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup strawberry jam
1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup M&M's

Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9x9" pan. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Then add dry ingredients: flour, oats, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and blend into creamed mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup walnuts and 3/4 cup M&Ms.

Reserve 1 cup dough; spread remaining dough into prepared pan. Combine jam, walnuts, and coconut and spread evenly over dough to within 1/2" of edge. Drop reserved dough by rounded teaspoonfuls over strawberry mixture; sprinkle with 1/4 cup M&M's. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.