Category Archives: Lent

December 4, 2010 · 9:02 pm

Maple Teriyaki Salmon

I hate it when I get ready to cook something and I get the recipe out and realize I was supposed to have been marinating it for the last three hours, but dinner needs to be on the table in an hour. That happened to me this evening, so I tweaked this recipe a little and it still came out great.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 (8 ounce) salmon fillets

Instructions:
Spray cooking pan with cooking spray.

Put salmon in pan and then add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil. Cover pan with lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook for about ten minutes or until fish is cooked through.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. It was very flavorful and tender.

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less

December 2, 2010 · 11:13 am

Cinnamon Baked French Toast

The only thing tricky about this recipe is that you have to plan ahead a little bit. If you plan on eating it for breakfast, do the prep work at night. If you are going to have breakfast for dinner, do the prep work in the morning.

Ingredients:
Butter or Cooking Spray
1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Half and Half
¾ cups Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract

Instructions:
Grease 9 x 13-inch baking pan with butter. Tear bread into chunks (or cut into cubes) and evenly distribute in the pan.

Mix together eggs, milk, cream, sugar, and vanilla. Pour evenly over bread. Cover tightly and store in the fridge several hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture. Bake 1 hour or more for a firmer, less liquid texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with maple syrup.

We had this with scrambled eggs and sausages for dinner.

What did the family think? They thought it was super duper yummy because it is and it makes your house smell fantastic.

from thepioneerwoman.com

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Filed under Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

November 7, 2010 · 8:36 pm

Parmesan Sole

Hubby likes to have fish at least two times a week. Usually it’s salmon, but today I decided to try something else.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. lean fish fillets
2 T olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon white wine
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:
Heat oven to 450 F.

Place oil in 13X9 inch baking pan. Heat pan in oven for 5 minutes.

Place fish in pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 5 minutes; turn fish over. Sprinkle with lemon juice and white wine. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake until fish flakes easily at thickest part, about 5 minutes.

We had this with green beans, grapes, a baguette and apple cranberry pie.

What did the family think? It was a nice change of pace from salmon. I like salmon as much as the next person, but…

from sparkrecipes.com

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Filed under Easy, Fish, Lent

November 6, 2010 · 1:44 pm

Salmon with Honey Mustard Pan Sauce

We love the salmon at Trader Joe’s and it’s even better that there are recipes like this one on the back.

Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 T whole grain Dijon mustard
Black pepper, to taste
1 lb salmon, defrosted
1 T honey
1/8 c water

Instructions:
Add olive oil and butter to 12 inch skillet and cook over medium heat to melt better.

Add mustard, stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes to toast mustard seeds.

Add fish to pan, sprinkle with pepper and saute until lightly browned, about three minutes per side.

Turn fish, mix in honey and cover with lid to complete cooking.

Remove fish, add water to deglaze pan and heat over high to reduce the sauce by about half.

Pour sauce over fish and serve.

We had this with a salad and bread and butter.

What did the family think? We liked this fish, but I had some trouble with the sauce. I think I had the burners on too high and the mustard seeds got too burnt. So, we had no sauce. I liked it without the sauce. My hubby made his own sauce of equal parts mayo and Dijon mustard.

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Filed under Fish, Lent

November 4, 2010 · 10:46 am

Pumpkin Pancakes

Dad was out of town so we had breakfast for dinner last night.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Instructions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt.

Stir the dry mixture into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

We had these with scrambled eggs. I also made some Buttermilk Syrup to go with them.

What did the family think? They loved it!

from allrecipes.com

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Filed under Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Vegetarian

November 3, 2010 · 2:31 pm

Calzones

We used Italian sausage and spinach, but you could use pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers… whatever you like to have on your pizza could go in this calzone.

Ingredients;
2 cans Pillsbury pizza crust
8 ounces Italian sausage
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan
1 egg
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Pizza sauce OR marinara sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook sausage in skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through using a wooden spoon to crumble.

Add spinach and water to skillet; saute 1 to 2 minutes until spinach is wilted; drain.

Combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg in a mixing bowl. Stir in Italian herb seasoning and garlic salt; set aside.

To make calzone, unroll one pizza crust on a non-stick cookie sheet. Use a knife to cut the pizza dough into four equal rectangles. Put 1/4 of the ricotta mixture in the center of each rectangle then put 1/4 of the sausage mixture on top of the ricotta mixture.

Place the second pizza crust on top of calzone fillings. Use a knife to cut it into four rectangles. Press the edges down with a fork or your fingers so the filling won’t leak out.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until dough starts to get golden.

What did the family think? This was a huge hit in our house.


image from yumsugar.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Vegetarian

November 2, 2010 · 10:08 am

Stuffed Shells

We are a pasta lovin’ and a cheese lovin’ house, so I knew these would be a hit!

Ingredients:
1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
2 eggs, beaten
1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce, divided

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and run cold water over them too cool them off.

In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella and half the Parmesan until well combined.

Cover bottom of 9×13 dish with thin layer of spaghetti sauce.

Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in baking dish.

Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over shells and then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan on top.

Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

We had these with a salad, but I wish I would have made some nice warm yummy garlic bread to go with it, too.

Did I change anything? I actually ended up using two jars of sauce. I used just a little bit of the second one to finish off the top of the noodles. I just felt like it needed a little bit more sauce.

What did the family think? It was a hit! There was a little bit leftover and I was already dreaming about having the leftovers for lunch. Apparently, so was our oldest. He asked me if he could have the rest in his lunchbox for the next day. I reluctantly said yes. Next time I will have to make more. 🙂

adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

October 6, 2010 · 9:38 pm

Zucchini Noodles

I have wanted to try this recipe since May when I read A Homemade Life. The only problem was I needed a mandoline to slice the noodles/zucchini the right way and I didn’t have one. My dear sweet generous MIL bought me one a week or so ago just for the heck of it.

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, trimmed
3 T olive oil
3/4 lb. dry spaghetti
Spaghetti sauce

Instructions:
Put a large pot of water over high heat and cook the pasta per the directions on the box. DO NOT DRAIN.

While the water heats, prepare the zucchini. Using a mandoline slicer fitted with the julienne blade, carefully slice the zucchini into long, skinny noodles, each about the width of a strand of spaghetti.

Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini “noodles” and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy.

When the pasta is done, use tongs to transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add zucchini to bowl and toss to mix.

Serve with spaghetti sauce and parmesan.

We had this with some meatballs (which I had made ahead of time…I just put them in the pot of spaghetti sauce and while the spaghetti sauce warmed up on the stove, the meatballs warmed up, too) and some grapes.

Did I change anything? I made this pretty much the way the recipe calls for. You can, however, completely leave out the pasta, and just serve the zucchini noodles. My favorite Italian restaurant has this on their menu and I order it almost every time.

What did the family think? You won’t even know there is zucchini in there. It is SO good and such a neat way to get some extra veggies in there as well.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

September 21, 2010 · 2:36 pm

Veggie Burger

This whole recipe about fell apart when I couldn’t get my food processor to work. I had the wrong lid on it and it wouldn’t spin…go figure.

Ingredients:
14 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 T chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg
1 T olive oil

Instructions:
Place the beans, onion, oats, chili powder, salt, pepper and egg in a food processor. Pulse until chunky, not pureed. Let mixture sit in the frig for about ten minutes.

WITH WET HANDS, shape into patties; refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. When hot, add the patties and cook until nicely browned on one side; turn carefully and cook another five minutes on the other side.

Serve on buns with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, mayo and mustard. Add some cheese, too, if you’d like veggie cheeseburgers.

What did the family think? Three out of four isn’t bad, right? Our oldest wasn’t really into these; he likes bison burgers and this was just not the same thing. Everyone else liked it though. If your family is used to eating “real” hamburgers, the condiments are a must for these, not because they are needed to cover up the taste, but just to make it seem more like a hamburger.

from Parents magazine

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Filed under Lent, Sandwich, Vegetarian

September 15, 2010 · 9:23 pm

Spinach and Cheese Pasta Bake

Got this recipe from my good friend, Janelle. She said her whole family ate it up so I thought I would give it a try with mine.

Ingredients:
14 oz. box penne pasta
10 oz frozen creamed spinach, defrosted
7 1/2 oz. low fat ricotta cheese
1 cup Mozzarella, shredded
26 oz jar pasta sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together spinach, ricotta and Mozzarella.

When pasta is done and drained, add pasta to spinach mixture. Stir well.

Pour the pasta mixture into a casserole dish. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the pasta making sure to cover as much of the pasta as you can.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Did I change anything? I just changed the type of pasta (Janelle stuffed the spinach mixture into manicotti) and I used a whole jar of sauce. Janelle used a cup of sauce. My family LOVES sauce. I also couldn’t find the creamed spinach at my grocery store, so I ended up making my own creamed spinach.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it including our babysitter who was here to watch the boys so we could go to Back to School night at the boys’ school.

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Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Italian, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian