Category Archives: Definitely Making it Again

July 11, 2010 · 10:54 pm

Brown Sugar and Soy Grilled Salmon

Yes, we are eating a lot of salmon around here lately.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. salmon fillet
Lemon pepper to taste
Garlic powder to taste
1/3 c soy sauce
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c water
1/4 c vegetable oil

Instructions:
Season salmon with lemon pepper and garlic powder.

In a small bowl mix together the remaining ingredients and stir until brown sugar has dissolved. Place fish in a large Ziploc bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, turn to coat and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Preheat grill to medium.

Lightly oil grill. Place salmon on the grill and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6-8 minutes on each side.

What does the family think? This was really yummy; hubby and I both really liked it. I have recently re-discovered my indoor grill and have been using it A LOT. I liked this salmon because it was kind of sweet, but then there was the saltiness of the soy. It was a good combo and it was super easy to make.

We had this with some salad, a baguette and some berries. Yum!

from allrecipes.com

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Fish, Lent

July 10, 2010 · 9:43 pm

Grilled Wild Salmon with Cucumber-Avocado Salsa

I had never grilled salmon before and thought this turned out magnificently! The salsa salad on the side adds a nice summery flare to the dish.

For the Salmon
Ingredients:
2 lbs. side of salmon, skin on
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T fresh chives, chopped
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes
Aluminum foil

Instructions:
Preheat grill to medium high.

Place salmon on a large flat surface. Rub with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, chives and cilantro.

Squeeze juice of one lime over the salmon just before putting it on the grill.

When grill is hot, cook flesh side down and cook, undisturbed for about six minutes. (It should release easily from the grill when you try to turn it over.)

Take salmon off grill and place skin side up on a piece of aluminum foil that is bigger than the salmon. Squeeze the juice from the second lime on the salmon.

Place salmon back on grill on the aluminum foil, close the grill lid and cook for another six minutes.

Lift aluminum foil and salmon off the of drill and let the salmon rest for five minutes. (It will continue to cook a little while it rests.)

Serve with avocado salsa.

Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
2 1/2 c. English cucumber, sliced
2 scallions, green and white parts, minced
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T lime juice
1 T honey
1 T olive oil
3 T chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped

Combine scallion and cucumber together in a bowl. Whisk together vinegar and next four ingredients in a small bowl. Pour vinaigrette over cucumber mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add avocado just before serving and stir gently.

I served the salmon and the salsa separately. We ate the salsa more like a salad. We also had this lovely meal with a side of black beans. Yum!

What did the family think? Hubby and I both loved this. The salmon came out PERFECT! I also loved the cool summeriness of the salad/salsa. The kids had fish sticks. I always let them have fish sticks on fish night.

from Cooking Light

1 Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Fish, Lent

July 8, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Banana Dogs

Banana dogs are not for the more gastronomically sophisticated people in your house…but they might be great for the ten and under crowd. I used to make these all the time when our oldest was younger and then just forgot about them. We brought them back this summer though and they are a hit all over again.

Ingredients:
Peanut butter
Jelly
Hot dog bun
Banana

Instructions:
Put peanut butter and jelly on a hot dog bun like you were making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Put a banana where the hot dog should be. Enjoy!

What does the family think? Our oldest has eaten these just about every morning of summer break for breakfast. He also likes them for lunch, but only if he didn’t already eat one for breakfast. 🙂

Leave a Comment

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less

July 7, 2010 · 10:21 pm

Grilled BBQ Sandwich with Spicy Avocado Spread

When I told my husband we were having BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner he asked me what the twist was…he knows me too well. You will enjoy the avocado “twist” that goes along with this.

Sandwich
Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (we used more for dipping)
Cooking spray
4 slices of cheddar cheese
Lettuce and tomato slices for garnish
4 Whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions:
Spray grill rack with cooking spray.

Preheat the grill.

Brush both sides of chicken with BBQ sauce. Grill for 4-5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Place one cheese slice on each chicken breast during the last minute of cooking.

Assemble sandwiches on buns with chicken, lettuce, tomato and spicy avocado spread. You might want to add a little more BBQ sauce to the chicken or even dip the sandwich in the BBQ sauce as you eat it. We did.

Spicy Avocado Spread
Ingredients:
1 ripe peeled avocado, coarsely mashed
1 T jalapeno pepper
1 T minced red onion
1 1/2 T lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
2 T minced fresh cilantro

Instructions:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.

What did the family think? Everyone REALLY liked this. It was so good and it made me miss all of that Kansas City BBQ I am used to eating. The avocado spread made this sandwich extra special. Yummo! P.S. The kids didn’t eat the avocado spread, but they did eat the chicken sandwich with BBQ sauce. Our youngest even decided he REALLY likes BBQ sauce and used it for dipping his sandwich into. Who knew????

from Cooking Light

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Mexican, Sandwich

July 3, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Spaghetti Pie

This was a hit with the whole family!

Ingredients:
6 oz. spaghetti, cooked
2 T olive oil
2 eggs, well beaten
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. ricotta cheese
1 c. pasta sauce
1/2 c. mozzarella

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss spaghetti with olive oil in a large bowl. Stir in eggs and 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Pour spaghetti mixture into greased 9-in. pie plate; form into crust.

Spoon ricotta cheese over spaghetti and top with pasta sauce. Bake for 25 minutes.

Top with mozzarella and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with remaining parmesan. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

What did the family think? This was a HUGE hit with everyone.

from Sargento

1 Comment

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

June 29, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Chicken and Lentil Balsamic Salad

My new favorite salad!

Ingredients:
1 cup dry lentils
3 T balsamic vinegar, divided
2 chicken breasts
1 small garlic clove
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
Fresh baby spinach
Feta

Instructions:
Combine 4 cups of water with 1 cup dried lentils. Boil for 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Do NOT add salt to the water. Drain lentils when done cooking.

Combine cooked lentils with 2 T balsamic vinegar. Stir and chill in frig for at least an hour.

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. When they are done, shred with a fork so it resembles pulled pork. Place in frig so it begins to cool.

To make vinaigrette: 1 T balsamic vinegar, garlic clove, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Assemble salads: place spinach in the bottom of each salad bowl, add lentils, tomatoes, chicken, tomatoes, onions, chickpeas and feta. (I had A LOT of lentils left over.) Add dressing to each salad.

Did I change anything? I ended up making twice as much dressing. It was quick and easy so it wasn’t a big deal.

What did the family think? Everyone ate it! The boys’ salads did not have lentils, tomatoes or red onions and I let them eat it with a different salad dressing, but they ate it an no one complained. They have discovered the yumminess of feta, so that helped. 🙂

from Cookie Magazine

Leave a Comment

Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Salad

June 28, 2010 · 10:34 pm

Cupcake-Tin Pork Pies

These were a hit with the whole family…

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. ground pork
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tspn. salt
1/2 tspn. black pepper
1 T chopped fresh sage
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
2 (9-inch) discs prerolled, refrigerated pie dough, such as Pillsbury
2 eggs, beaten

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Grease two 6-cup muffin tins with butter or spray with something like Pam.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients but the dough and 1 tablespoon of the eggs.
4. Unroll the dough and cut out twelve 4-inch circles with a biscuit cutter or the rim of a drinking glass.
5. Reroll the scraps, then cut out 12 more 2-inch circles.
6. Line the bottoms and sides of the tins with the 4-inch rounds.
7. Divide the filling evenly among the cups. Press the 2-inch rounds on top, pinching the edges together to seal.
8. Poke a hole in the center of each pie.
9. Brush with the reserved egg and bake until the tops are browned and puffed slightly, 30 to 35 minutes.
10. Let cool for 15 minutes before removing the pies. Serve warm.

What did the family think? I had mine plain and they were super yummy. Hubby had his with some really good mustard. Oldest child had his plain and youngest child ate his with ketchup. Any way you eat them they are going to be good. At one point during our meal they were described as “a meatball in a crust”. Oldest child also said, “these are SO good”. I think they were a hit!

from Epicurious

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It, Pork

June 24, 2010 · 11:53 pm

Avocado Sandwich

So pure and simple it has to be good…

Ingredients:
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread

Instructions:
Cut, pit and peel an avocado. Put the “meat” of the avocado in a bowl. Mash up avocado until there are just a few chunks…you don’t want it too mushy. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon onto the avocado. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Stir. Spread on a piece of bread/toast and top with another piece of bread/toast. Enjoy!

I just had it with some really good bread that I toasted. That’s it…just toast and the avocado mixture. You may also want to have it with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. I have even seen a recipe to try it with a fried egg. I would have tried that if I’d had one.

What did the family think? I had this for lunch by myself and even if I could have shared with them I wouldn’t have. It’s too good to share. 🙂

from The Hungry Mouse

Leave a Comment

Filed under Definitely Making it Again, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

June 23, 2010 · 11:51 pm

Creamy Summer Squash Lasagna

Hubby found this recipe on-line and suggested I try it. The only problem is that he got the recipe from a British website so all of the measurements had to be converted (or just estimated guessed.)

Ingredients:
6-9 lasagna noodles
2 T olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
5 summer squash, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. ricotta
1 c. cheddar cheese
Jar of your favorite pasta sauce

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook noodles for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Drizzle with a little olive oil to keep noodles from sticking to each other.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook for three minutes. Add the garlic and squash and cook until the squash begins to soften. Remove from heat and add 2/3 c. ricotta and 1/2 c. cheddar cheese to the zucchini mixture.

In a large casserole dish, spoon half of the zucchini mixture into the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of pasta and then 1/2 the pasta sauce. Top that layer with the rest of the zucchini mixture, add pasta on top of that and then the rest of the pasta sauce. Top off the dish by placing blobs of ricotta cheese on top and then sprinkling the rest of the cheddar cheese on top of that.

Place in the oven on one of the higher racks for about ten minutes.

What did the family think? Everyone loved it. It was super yummy and pretty easy, too.

from BBC Good Food

Leave a Comment

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

June 20, 2010 · 11:43 pm

Peanut Butter Krispies

These are good as is…if you want to really go the extra mile, though, melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top. Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients:
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T butter
10 1/2 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
6 c. Rice Krispy cereal
Cooking spray
3/4 c. peanut butter chips

Directions:
Combine the peanut butter and the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until mixture melts stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal and stir well. Pat cereal into a 13×9-inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until chips begin to melt. Spoon melted chips into a small heavy duty Ziploc bag and seal it up. Snip a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Drizzle peanut butter chips over cereal mixture.

Did I change anything? The only thing I have done differently is that I have melted chocolate chips the same way the peanut butter chips were melted and added the chocolate drizzle in addition to the peanut butter chip drizzle. Yum!

What did the family think? I have never made these for my family. I have, however, made them for the neighbors at Christmas.

from Cooking Light

2 Comments

Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make