Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

P doesn't eat a lot of fish, but I made this for him and he liked it.  I served it with couscous and salad.


Ingredients:


6 tilapia fillets (6 oz each)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/4 c mayonaise
2 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tp minced fresh basil or 1/4 tp dried basil
1/2 tp seafood seasoning


Directions:


1. Place fillets on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; spread over fillets.
2. Broil 3-4 in from the heat for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Barley Beef Skillet

I made this when my friend was in town, it served three and we still had leftovers for lunch the next day.  Delicious!


Ingredients:


1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) beef broth
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 small carrots, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup medium pearl barley
2 tp Italian seasoning
1/4 tp salt
1/8 tp pepper


Directions:


1. In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
2. Add the broth, tomato sauce and water; bring to a boil.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients; cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until barley is tender.

Dakota Smashed Pea & Barley Soup

I went to California Pizza Kitchen and had this soup.  It was so good, I tried to recreate it myself.  Here is the original recipe that I found online.


Ingredients:


2 c split peas
6 c water
4 c chicken broth
1/3 c onion (minced)
2 tp lemon juice
1 tp salt
1 tp sugar
1/4 tp parsley
1/4 tp white pepper
1/8 tp thyme
1/2 c barley
6 c water
2 med carrots (diced)
1/2 c celery


Directions:
1. Rinse and sort the split peas
2. Add them do a large pot with 6 c water, chicken broth, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, sugar, parsley, pepper, thyme, and celery.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours
4. Bring barley and 6 cups water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
5. Blend in food processor the pea mixture in batches.
6. Drain any extra liquid from the barley and add the barley to the pea soup.
7. Add carrots and simmer 15-20 minutes
8. Turn off heat, cover soup and let sit 10-15 minutes before serving.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

I found this recipe on pinterest.  I tried it for P a couple of months ago and I've made it 3 times since then, he loves it!


Original recipe found here


Ingredients:


3 lbs frozen chicken breasts
1 bottle Franks Buffalo sauce
1 packet ranch dip mix
1 can black beans
2 c frozen corn
tortillas
shredded cheddar


Directions:


1.slow cook chicken, sauce and dip mix 6-7 hours.  shred chicken and cook one hour more.  Add in corn and black beans
2.Serve with tortillas and shredded cheddar
3.Freeze extras in 2 cups freezer bags for future use

Sausage Pasta with Vegetables

I love this recipe.  It's easy to make and P likes it so much, he requested it specifically.


Ingredients:


1 lb chicken sausage
2 c whole wheat pasta (uncooked)
veggies of your choice (I usually do green beans)
1 clove minced garlic
olive oil
1/4 c mozzarella
Parmesan cheese

Directions:


1. Cook pasta separately.
2. Cook sausage and garlic in olive oil.  Add in veggies.  Mix with cooked pasta and top with cheese.

4 months!

Wow, E is already four months old.  Yesterday P took off of work for a wedding, and I had a great time getting her dressed up for the big event.  The four month pictures are therefore half in her pajamas and half in her fancy outfit.

She is doing so much already, rolling from side to side, laughing out loud, and putting anything she can into her mouth.  Her favorite is grabbing daddy's finger and pulling it into her mouth, he calls it her special handshake.  Here are some pics of his beautiful princess.

See Mom?  I'll put anything in my mouth.

I'm bored already.

And now I will flash you.

Chicken Wheat-Berry Casserole

When my mom came to take care of me after E was born, we bought some wheat-berries.  She then left town and they sat there for the next two months.  She sent me recipes for things to do with them, but the ungrateful child that I am, I ignored them.  P then decided he wanted to cut out white grains/pasta from our diet as much as possible and I started thinking about those darn wheat-berries again.  Here is the recipe I ended up using them in, and it was a real winner.


Original recipe found here


Ingredients:


1 cup wheat berries
1-1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 carrots, sliced
2 cups frozen corn
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 tp cumin
1 tp salt
1/4 tp pepper
1 Tb cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. Rinse wheat berries and drain well. Cut chicken into 1-½” pieces and combine with remaining ingredients, except for cornstarch and ¼ cup water, in a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until wheat berries are tender and chicken is cooked.

2. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and blend well. Add to casserole in slow cooker, cover, and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes until thickened, then stir again and serve.

Why I need a mandolin

Last Tuesday, P and I made zucchini pasta for dinner.  It turned out delicious, I simply blanched the zucchini for about 10-30 seconds and served it with spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.  However, I sliced 4 zucchinis extremely thin by hand.  This took forever!  I would love to make this dish again, however I refuse to until I have a mandolin.  Isn't it beautiful?

Quinoac and cheese

I've mentioned before my addiction to pinterest.  Now combine that with the fact that I'm slightly OCD and I'm always looking for better ways to organize things.  Imagine my surprise when I realized that pinterest is not perfect!  sometimes, the links for recipes that I've made are broken the next time that I go to make that recipe, so disappointing.  So, I am going to continue to steal other peoples recipes, but I'm going to put them in my blog with a link to theirs, but also write it out so I don't lose it!
Here is my first one, I made this last night with rave reviews from P, meaning he would at least eat it again.


Quinoac and cheese  (original recipe found here)

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained

2 chicken breasts

garlic salt

pepper

2 Tablespoons flour

1-1/2 cups 2% milk, divided

2 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup Franks buffalo Sauce

1-1/2 cups + handful of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil.  Add quinoa and return to boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until water is absorbed.  Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

2. Preheat broiler.Season chicken breast on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper, and cook in a non-stick sprayed skillet over medium heat until cooked all the way through. Chop into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

3. Whisk together flour and 1/2 cup milk in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Pour in remaining milk, and green onions. Switch to a spatula and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, then cook for one minute while boiling.

4. Remove the pan from the heat then add in buffalo sauce and cheddar cheese. Stir until the cheese is completely melted then add in cooked quinoa and chicken, and stir to combine.

5. Pour into a non-stick sprayed casserole dish and top with handful of cheddar cheese. Broil for 5-7 minutes, or until the cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbly.