Sold on Swansons!!!

As August has started, I find myself LOVING Swanson's Broth & Cooking Stock!!!  I have been able to make many incredibly awesome dinners that are both simple, tasty, and fast!!!

Beautiful Bouillabaisse

Have you ever had Bouillabaisse?  Most people get scared off by the name, thinking if they can't pronounce it they won't be able to make it.  Read on and I'll show you how easy it is to make it, even if you can't say it!

Let's eat fish!

Fish is a food most people love to hate.  Typically it's the smell that creates the dislike.  Fresh fish tho has no "fishy" smell. If you're landlocked like me, finding a reputable grocer that has fresh fish is a challenge!

Shaking up the salmon

A couple of months ago I heard of a new line of McCormick gourmet spice packets.  I am selective about who I give my business to as I prefer companies that acknowledge the "two or less" households.  McCormick seems to cater to families while largely ingoring the growing community of singles and couples so I rejected purchasing the spice packets until I had a coupon.  I saw a coupon for $1.25 off any McCormick product which meant that McCormick would pay ME to buy the product - I couldn't argue w/ the savings and bought the spice packet.

I decided that I wanted salmon for dinner, and figured the spice packet would make an interesting marinade.  I placed my salmon fillet in a quart sized ziploc bag and then poured in 1/4 cup pineapple juice and 2 Tbsp of the bourbon spice seasoning mix.  I let my salmon marinate for 5 hours and then baked it at 375° for 25 minutes.  During the last 5 minutes I took 2 Tbsp pineapple juice  and 2 tsp of the bourbon spice seasoning mix and brushed it on top of my salmon fillet.    I served my salmon
along side homemade macaroni and cheese, roasted potatoes (yes those are PURPLE, gold, and red baby potatoes!!!), and a yeast roll   Talk about a fast meal for one!

Eat with your eyes!

How many times have you seen a picture of food and you hoped it tasted better than it looked?  While I'm not one to promote myself as goddess of the camera I try to get pictures that would make a person go "Oooohhh yum!"  as opposed to "Ewwww gross!"  I'm a person that eats w/ my eyes to determine if I want to eat what I see.

A couple of weeks ago I was on my second favourite cooking site - Mantestedrecipes - when I noticed a contest called "Set the mood".   The contest looked simple enough, upload a picture of your best meal for a romantic night, and then based on votes you might win a Jambox by Jawbone.  

I don't have anyone in my life that I cook for in a "romantic" realm, but I decided to submit a picture of my Pecan-crusted trout w/ roasted artichoke sauce  I then posted the link to my facebook page and asked my friends to vote for me.

I normally do NOT have the habit of asking others to vote for me, preferring to rest on my own laurels.  If my photo is better than the rest, I figure others will agree and vote regardless of whether they know me personally or know of my cooking repertoire.

On 26 June -the day before my birthday- I was surprised beyond words to find the following email :

How fricking cool is that!!!  I was SO excited to have been chosen as the first winner!!!! 
I got my jambox this past Tuesday!!! 

February finds...

February has been a busy month for me.  In addition to the normal days, it's packed w/ Groundhogs day, Valentine's Day, Mardi Gras, an extra day this month and Fiber One! 

As a voluntary brand Ambassador for Allrecipes I often have assignments to complete for a select brand partner and provide feedback. I'm not compensated for my time, work, or ingredients and only receive the product for testing and feedback purposes.

At the mention of Fiber One, I can already imagine the wrinkling noses and the thoughts of  "Ewwww gross" crossing the minds of some of my readers, and I don't blame you b/c I did the same thing. 

When I first opened the box of cereal and saw it, many descriptions ran through my mind.  At best this cereal looks like food for the canine world, and at worst looks like droppings from the rodent world.

One of the Fiber One assignments was to make the Fiber one haystacks which are a friendly treat for those who are managing their weight.  I personally couldn't get over the look of this cereal so I did the next best thing and I pulvarised it to where it looked like flour.  I read through the reviews and in this case it's either a "you love it" or "you hate it" recipe. The "hate it" reviews mainly had issues w/ the texture and taste of the fiber one cereal, and I don't blame them. The look of the cereal is NOT appealing and the taste isn't much better. I melted my chocolate using a double boiler, and mixed in the PB. After pulvarising the cereal I mixed it into my melted chocolate, I then poured the chocolate mixture into a mini muffin lined w/ paper cups for a pretty good PB cup.

Now that the first assignment was out of the way, I then was required to create a Fiber One recipe.  I knew that anything I made, I would make w/ pulvarised Fiber One.  The first thought was to make a Fiber One Hazelnut Blueberry Muffin

I'm a great cook, but these were just NASTY.  I tried to replace a portion of the flour I would normally use w/ the fiber one...it was a fail. Did I mention that I'm NOT reimbursed, even for my ingredients?

I really wanted to get the assignment finished and so I brain stormed and came up w/ a recipe that I called Arancini balls and meat sauce

My experience using Fiber One will NOT be a repeat. I still have plenty of the cereal left - I think I'll pulvarise the rest of it and make Christmas Ornaments b/c I'm not going to eat the rest of it.  The biggest problem many of my fellow brand ambassadors had, was that the cereal contains aspartame which from studies is not healthy.  My Fiber One assignments completed, I moved forward with other cooking endeavours.

I made Alaskan Cod and Shrimp with a fresh tomato sauce and tho it was quick to prepare it was lacking on flavour.  I'm thinking next time I make it I'll try making the sauce w/ a cabernet sauvignon, and then a bit of rosemary for added depth.

One of my most recent favourite finds was Easy Tuscan Chicken



This was incredibly delicious!!! I'm heavy into using my slow cooker, and given my chicken breasts were frozen, I had to slightly modify this recipe to make it work for me.  I seasoned the chicken breasts w/ a little bit of granulated garlic and Italian seasoning and I put them in my crockpot along w/ 1/4 cup water on high for about 3 hours and then turned it to low for another 2 hours. I made the sauce as instructed w/ the exception I added in the tomatoes along w/ the other ingredients.  This is me being a food snob, but make sure you use a good quality white wine -rule of thumb, if you wouldn't drink it don't cook w/ it!  I used Barefoot Pinot Grigio. This sauce in all it's simplicity amazingly delicious, packed w/ flavour and I plan on making it again!

I often look for "faceless" recipes that need pictures and reviews. I tried a new recipe for Penne a la vodka.

I didn't see the need for farfalle (bowtie) pasta, so I used penne instead.  I wasn't too crazy about this recipe, and I believe the problem at hand w/ this recipe can be attributed to the following issue.  This recipe is relying too much on the Italian Sausage for flavouring.  This is a decent recipe but not spectacular. I won't be repeating it again.

Once again back to crockpot cooking.  I decided to make meatloaf and figured that since my day was going to be busy that I would try meatloaf in the crockpot.  It turned out very good! I'm going to work on the flavouring b/c while it was moist, and not dry it didn't have that much flavour.



New year, new recipes!

As this year kicks off I once again find myself in the incredibly amazing spot of being a voluntary Allrecipes.com brand ambassador - I'm not paid for anything I'm just sharing my love of cooking.

Tonight I made what I call Fire roasted Italian Chicken - it's quick, it's simple, I think it's gourmet. 

I don't *gasp* have an actual recipe for it.  I cook to taste.  Having said that I'm trying to give as best of a recipe as possible.  This would be for 1 person

2 Tbsp grapeseed OR extra virgin olive oil
1 - 6oz boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 tsp granulated garlic  (please note this IS different than garlic powder or garlic salt)
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves, crushed
3 ounces Good quality Pinot Grigio Wine
1/3 cup cannelini beans - drained and rinse
1/4 cup fire roasted tomatoes - do NOT drain
1/4 cup julienned carrots
1/4 cup long grain wild rice (pre-cooked Uncle Ben's 90 second rice)


Pour oil into large skillet.  Heat skillet over a medium high heat.  Season both sides of the chicken breast w/ the granulated garlic, italian seasoning, and rosemary.  Carefully place the chicken breast in the skillet.  Cook until each side is a golden brown - about 4 minutes per side.  Slide chicken breast to the side of the pan, pour in the wine, scrape up any of the "tasty bits' on the bottom of the skillet by using a wooden spoon to assist in deglazing the pan.  Add in the cannelini beans, tomatoes, carrots, and rice.  Allow to simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.

This is a very hearty and rustic meal.  If you would like, feel free to tweak - I've added baby port mushrooms, I've also added in more tomatoes, and then topped the chicken w/ a slice of FRESH mozzarella cheese (not the brick stuff).  It's VERY wholesome and healthy as made above.  I do NOT really like using salt b/c I prefer the seasonings to bring out the flavour of the meal.  If you prefer feel free to add some salt.

~~~

The other night I made a rather interesting meal consisting of  Cilantro Lime Flounder, wild rice, and sauteed squash and zucchini.  Yes I'm quite aware it's for a cod recipe, but flounder can be substituted as well.

The taste is difficult for me to describe, if I could think of a way to describe it I would say it's Floribbean Cuisine.   It was very quick to make and I appreciated the healthy appeal of this recipe.  The changes I made were neglible in the sense I used butter...b/c butter makes everything better - oh wait that's bacon...or is it?

Because it's 1700 somewhere or as civilians say 5 o'clock somewhere (rabbit trail...anyone know why it's typed o'clock?)  and b/c I had a recipe that could be called Floribbean Cuisine  I decided to have a Blue Hawaiian

This was very potent so make sure you're sitting down when you drink this, and if you want feel free to dress up in some Islander wear for a truly authentic drink :-)

~~~

I am in love...w/ my slow cooker - yes that kitchen accessory that's likely sporting cobwebs underneath your kitchen cabinet.  It is such a fantastic accessory that can make so many amazing dishes...like BBQ Ribs!  "No way' you say!  'Way!" I say ;-)

What makes it amazing...it's just two simple ingredients!

1 package of country style pork ribs
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce

Okay, Okay I'm not trying to drop names or promote this specific brand, but my goodness the Hickory & Brown Sugar sauce is finger lickin delicious! 

SO...I spray the inside of my slow cooker w/ non stick spray, and then plop my ribs inside the slow cooker, and then use a basting brush, I brush the ribs liberally w/ the sauce. Simple huh?  At that point, I place the lid on my slow cooker, turn it to high and walk away.  About 5-6 hours later, my ribs are ready to be devoured!

Rounding out the meal...homemade mac and cheese - and NOPE it's not the boxed junk!

1 (8 ounce) package elbow macaroni

2 Tbsp butter

1/2 pound Cheddar cheese (mix of sharp & mild)

1 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tsp worchestershire sauce
1/4 tsp dry mustard powder

Preheat oven to 350° Spray a 2 quart casserole dish w/ nonstick spray
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente;
Meanwhile melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, whisking until combined.  Slowly pour in milk, whisking to combine, continue whisking until it thickens. Add in the cheese, and stir until well blended, add in the salt, black pepper, worchestershire sauce and dry mustard powder, stir to combine.
Once the pasta has finished boiling, drain.  Return the pasta to the pot, and pour the cheese sauce inside, stirring well to combine.  Pour mixture into casserole dish and top w/ more cheese if desired. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Rounding out the meal steamed green beans and beer bread.

I can see the male readers perking up at the word beer.  Their beloved drink has gone to...bread!
I've now made this same recipe about 8 times but each time using a different brand of beer.  I think I really need to start another blog dedicated to beer bread b/c I can't get enough of this stuff!  This time I used a Vanilla Porter beer.

If you've never tried your hand making beer bread give it a try...Three simple ingredients - self rising flour, sugar, and beer...simple quick -ohhhh and speaking of simple - Anyone know of that homebrand company that sells beer bread MIX (you have to buy the beer) that's like about $5 per mix?  This is SO much better and more economical to make!  Tell yourself that you'll try beer bread this week...oh and don't use a nasty beer...what you may like drinking may not taste so good in the beer bread, crazy but true.  I've used w/ success, Purple Haze Beer, Ybor Gold (a local beer to my city), Sam Adams Cherry Wheat (OMG Good!), Winter Abby Pale Ale, and a host of others....see I told you I need a beer bread blog!

And last but not least lets have another drink...this time we're going tropical and heading towards the Bahamas for a Bahama Breeze!

Now granted the recipe said it served 4 I'm thinking NOT!  This made ONE serving...and it was very tasty too!  If you can't find the Apricot liqueur, feel free to sub w/ some passionfruit rum, and it will still give you that tropical feeling!

~~~

I love meals in one - you get your meat/poultry, your veggies, and your starch...SO next up is Chicken pot pie. 

Was it to die for...ehhh not really, but it was good, it was country cooking, and I made it...using someone else's recipe that I'll tweak if I make again ;-)

~~~

I think in my food buffet that nothing would be complete w/o another new recipe  Penne a la Vodka

Mmmm pasta, vodka, umm vodka...haha no not really oh okay fine!  This was a pretty good recipe, but I would have to say my fav recipe by far is Penne w/ Spicy Vodka Tomato Cream Sauce  <-- That one OMG yum!

Oooohhh thirsty?  If so feel free to wash it down w/ a Purple Hooter

Granted I made this drink just to make it...would I make it again, ehhh probably not!  It was good for a faceless picture tho.

Last but not least...another pasta dish, a bit different, a bit unique, but VERY good!

Pumpkin Sausage Bisque w/ Ravioli  - now please note that I made some changes to this recipe.  As per my original review  I didn't have the pumpkin pie filling on hand, but DID have 100% pure pumpkin, so I knew I would need to add in some sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg. I read the submitters indication that they prefer things spicy so I kept that in mind and scaled back the cayenne. I also knew I wanted it to have some more depth than just chicken broth so I did a mixture of chicken broth (1 cup) and heavy cream (4 Tbsp). It was very tasty but I thought it needed a little something extra. I rummaged around in my fridge and found some ground sausage I had previously cooked...I added in about 1/2 cup and gave it another taste...OMG yum!!!!

Hopefully after you check out my blog your stomach won't be rumbling like mine is!

Let's do dessert!

A couple of days ago I was texting w/ a Marine who mentioned he likes to cook and then asked me if I knew how to make crème brûlée.  That simple question set off a craving, and you don't have to lead me into temptation b/c I can find the way myself!  I knew I had the ingredients to make it, but the question was, could I resist making it.  You can guess by now that since I'm blogging, that I didn't resist and I made some crème brûlée!

Now my method w/ making Crème brûlée is NOT the traditional method, and that's fine b/c it still turns out silky smooth, and it's ready faster than the oven method. 

You'll need:

3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 pint (1 cup) heavy whipping cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Superfine sugar

Directions:

Beat egg yolks in medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed, 5 minutes or until thick and light yellow. Gradually beat in sugar.

In a double boiler heat cream over medium heat until just hot to the touch. Stir half of the warmed cream into the egg mixture a little at a time, so the eggs do not curdle.

Stir the egg yolk and cream mixture into the remaining cream in the double boiler. Cook, stirring continuously, over medium heat, 8-10 minutes, until mixture thickens; do NOT boil. Pour custard into 4 small ramekins refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle each crème brûlée with superfine sugar and place under preheated oven broiler, or use a kitchen torch to melt sugar. Dessert is served!

 

So now that dessert has been served onto the main course!  I'm a firm believer in good food FAST -especially if I'm busy!  Naturally I live in Florida, and have access to fresh seafood and thus I eat a lot of fish.

 

I can't say that these measurments are accurate (I cook by sight/taste...you know the mindset that a great chef is a great taster philosophy!) but they're pretty close.

 

Pecan crusted trout:

 

 

2 fish fillets

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, divided

1/3 cup pecans

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp McCormick montreal steak seasoning

1/4 cup butter, melted.

 

Place 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, and the pecans in a blender**.  Blend on high until pecans are finally ground. Remove mixture to a small bowl, add remaining panko bread crumbs and the seasonings.  Brush the fish fillets liberally w/ the melted butter.  Take the pecan breading mixture, and sprinkle over the fish fillets.

Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily w/ a fork. Garnish fish w/ a few pieces of pecans.

 

**I use a vitamix blender which is restaurant/industrial quality - you can try a food processor if you don't have a blender.

 

Last but not least...homemade biscuits!

 

I love homemade biscuits.  They're extremely versatile.  You can make biscuits and gravy, you can top the biscuits w/ a cooked sausage patty, scrambled egg and cheese, you can use the biscuits as a chicken pot pie topping, you can add a little bit of garlic powder, parsley and cheese to the dough and recreate those biscuits from an overly priced seafood restaurant, you can even sweeten the dough a litle bit for an old fashioned strawberry shortcake...the ideas are only limited by your imagination. 

Some recipes call for shortening, some call for butter, some combine the two.  The best I can suggest is don't handle the dough too much b/c if you do, you'll have tough biscuits instead of tender flaky biscuits.

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons (1 Tbsp + 1 tsp) baking powder

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup butter flavoured shortening

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening & butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat egg with milk; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Turn onto a well-floured surface; knead 8 times. Roll to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Cooking with Campbell's

I'm going to do another blog buffet b/c November was such a SUPER busy month for me.  For the month of November as a voluntary Allrecipes.com brand ambassador a lot of the assignments revolved around Thanksgiving, but also cooking with Campbell's and their subsidiary companies.

I started a part-time job which made my month even busier, so I was exceptionally pleased with MANY of the recipes that I tried from Campbell's. 

I won't say too much about the recipes in detail but will simply say if I'm posting a picture that means the recipe was good!  As always these recipes can be found on Allrecipes.com.  Please keep in mind that due to the simplistic nature of many of these recipes that they are made as a base recipe meaning that you're going to want to play around w/ your seasonings adjusting it to your taste.  Sound good (no pun intended)? Great let's check out the dishes!

This is the Baked Spaghetti, quick simple and fuss free!

This was a "fancy" dish from Campbell's - it was the Lemon Herb-Roasted Chicken w/ Pan Gravy something I WILL make again!

This is the Crispy Oven Fried Fish Fillet, and they were simply amazing!

This is the Campbell's weekday pot roast and vegetables - plan ahead it uses a slow cooker!

This is baked pork chops and gravy by Campbell's - please note that I chose to add in some baby port mushrooms for a finishing touch.

This is the Quick Chicken Parmesan - it was SO fast to prepare and just what I needed on a busy work night! 

The rest of these recipes are basic Allrecipes.com recipes and they were bonus recipes to review.

Cookies -what's not to love, portable little bites of sweetness!  These are called "Basic Chocolate Drop cookies" they are based off the concept of a premade cookie mix where you have a portion of a mix that you add other ingredients to.  I made them as noted - and then w/ some chocolate chips thrown in for extra pizzaz and I'll say I enjoyed quite a few of these sweet treats :)

Drinks...

Okay this is an Oatmeal Cookie of a different variety - all I can say is YUM!  Amazing how it's layered huh?  Handy tip that I can give is simply KNOW your liquid weights - heavier liquids go in first, when you start layering the liquids, pour slowly and let it hit the sides of the glass and it will layer w/o any problems!

Bringing the heat...or an inferno

*Walks in looks around* Whoa time has gotten away from me, and it's not that I haven't been cooking, b/c I have!  I have also been involved w/ an online offline scavenger hunt - some of you that lurk me from the *ahem* other site (insert wicked laughter) know what I mean and I'm still laughing about the episode w/ the sheriff & the orange - psssst  remember the orange...it makes a presentation in this meal :D

So the inferno was a good choice word to use for this meal ... I elected to make a recipe called Orange-Chile Tilapia and I should've paid attention to the reviews. It not only calls for cayenne pepper (a TABLESPOON) but also calls for Chili powder - egads!!!!  That's gonna be like a fiesta on fire!!! Over all I thought the flavours were too complex for a mild fish like Tilapia

Onto the scallops first and foremost - PLEASE, please if you're going to use a wine in your recipe, specify what type huh?!  This called for sherry, well there are three types, dry, medium and sweet and it will impact the flavour.  Having said that I used a medium sherry - left out the green onions (who needs them) and thought the water chestnuts lended little if any value to the taste of the recipe...unless you like the crunch factor.

Next up cheddar bread - so the folks at Hidden Valley were kind enough to send me two bottles of ranch (regular and light) as well as two packets of the dry seasoning blend for use in some off my assignments for this month.  Well I know the definition of GRITS and I love me some ranch dressing.  Granted I've never combined ranch dressing w/ cheddar cheese and broiled it on top of bread, but there's a first time for everything. 
Immediate thoughts...I love cheddar cheese, I love ranch - I just don't like the two mixed together.  The choice of cheddar cheese isn't the best.  What would I use...hmm I'm thinking perhaps parmesan cheese, and crushed black pepper - but the ratio needs to be balanced.  I might even use swiss cheese...but cheddar - no thanks.

A trip to the South

Cajun meets Key west - imagine what kind of flavour that would have, especially when you add a bit of California fusion to the menu!

Tonight I made a yummy Key west citrus grouper now what gave this meal a cajun kick was the addition of some cajun seasoning instead of the onion powder - why use both garlic powder AND onion powder - they'll only mask the others flavour.  So I kicked the onion powder to the curb and used cajun seasoning instead.  I will certainly repeat this meal again it was THAT good.

Cauliflower, ugh that dreaded WHITE vegetable that's about on the same level as broccoli for some.  Not me tho, I like Cauliflower (esp smothered in cheese sauce...yeah there goes eating healthy, I know) .  If you think you hate cauliflower, give this Culiflower alla parmigiana recipe a try OMG it's SO yummy!!! You may just surprise yourself b/c this stuff isn't how your mother made Cauliflower!

Add in some wild rice, and dinner is done!  All in less than 45 minutes time!  You can't beat that!

In line at the buffet

This will be a buffet style blog post, mainly for the fact that the last week has been crazy busy!  So that being said...I'm gonna break tradition and skip right to DESSERT!!!!  It's always a good thing, right?!

Note: I do NOT need anyone lecturing me on the fact that I cook w/ beer, wine, liquor, or liqueurs.  I know some prefer to abstain from doing so, and that's your right...however I'm not you, and you're not me - that being said if you're going to be THAT stringent, I highly recommend that you never eat out EVER again as most restaurants DO use wine in their recipes. 

Dessert:  Diana's Guinness chocolate cake w/ guinness chocolate icing

Oh come to momma!  Chocolate: Check, Beer: Check, Frosting: Check, Beer: Double Check!   Hello love and oh mama mia if you try this recipe, you are going to LOVE it!!! I cheated a bit and I made cupcakes :)  Cupcakes are a good thing, b/c you actually get to control the portion size - and share, and sharing is always a nice thing to do!

Thoughts:  The recipe originally was converted from a UK recipe, not that it should matter, but the frosting    -I'm convinced- hated me from the start it was way to thin to hold up to piping, even after I added MORE confectioner sugar, and another brick of cream cheese, but that's okay b/c I morphed the frosting into a filling!  I then made a new frosting to top off the freshly filled cupcakes.  I ended up w/ a total of 24 cupcakes, and shared 8 of them - one of my friends said that 4 days later they were still moist.

Onto dinner:  Pecan Crusted Orange Roughy,  Creamy corn couscous and brittany blend of mixed veggies

The beauty of fried fish is simply that you really do NOT have to use measurements for the breading - you just sorta eye ball it. 

Ingredients:
Orange roughy
Flour
Egg
Milk
Breadcrumbs (plain)
Panko
Pecans - finely chopped (I pulsed mine in my blender)
Granulated Garlic
Seasoning Salt
Thyme

Assembly line
Shallow bowl 1 contains: flour
Shallow bowl 2 contains:  1 egg, beaten w/ 1 Tbsp milk (eyeball it)
Shallow bowl 3 contains: Mixture of regular breadcrumbs and panko, pecans, garlic powder, seasoning salt and thyme. 

I dipped the fillets in flour, then in a mixture of egg & milk, followed by the panko pecan breading, I did a quick fry, and followed w/ broiling it.  Perfect QUICK dinner!

Couscous:

That recipe really lived up to the name! The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the instruction for cooking the couscous. I knew that it would also need some more flavour - so I added 1/2 tsp dried thyme, and 1/4 tsp granulated garlic. I will definately use this recipe again, but plan on adding some roasted red bell pepper for a pop of colour. I used a ring mold for the presentation. This is restaurant worthy w/ the right seasonings!

~~

Onto a quick dessert:  Chocolate chip ice cream cookie-wiches yum yum! 

These are SO simple to make too!  Feel free to cheat like I did.  A package of store bought chocolate chip cookies (from the bakery of your fav grocer) and a container of vanilla ice cream, plus mini chocolate chips.

Simply take a scoop of ice cream, sandwich it between the two cookies, and roll in the mini choclate chips...simple right?!  Oh and tasty too!!!

Dinner 2:

Hazelnut chicken, wild rice, and mixed veggies

 

OMG can I say gourmet!!!  A more appropriate name would be Hazelnut crusted chicken w/ a Frangelico Brandy Sauce!  As per my Allrecipes review of this recipe, there was no way that I would be able to fry the chicken breasts in so little butter, so I did a mix of 1/2 butter and 1/2 grapeseed oil. I used panko breadcrumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs and also ran the filberts (hazelnuts) throught the blender. I added 1/4 tsp EACH thyme, oregano, and garlic powder to the panko breading. I butterflied the chicken breast and lightly pounded them thinner. This is a great recipe for special dinners or for company.

Oh and the Frangelico Brandy Sauce was amazing!!! It gave the crusting a hint of buttery sweetness it was SO delicious!!!  Simply serve w/ a side of wild rice, and mixed veggies (I'm a sucker for the Green Giant Steamer mixed veggies)

 

Dinner 3: Seared Lemon-Pepper Tilapia with Creamy Pumpkin Seed Vinaigrette Salad topped with Pomegranate Seeds w/ pearled barley, snow peas and carrots, served w/ a couple slices of 5 grain bread

 

This was a unique twist combining some amazing flavours!!!   I didn't make any changes to this dish. I was able to find the pumpkin seeds already toasted which cut down on my prep time. Word of warning give yourself some wiggle room on the price of pumpkin seed oil, especially if you're on a budget! It's something you will want to use - but it's NOT cheap! The pearled barley "cake" is actually another freezer pleaser from Green Giant, it's one of their steamer things, and I smooshed it to where it became a fancy little cake :)  A side of toasted bread, and dinner was complete in under 20 minutes!

 

~~

 

Dinner 4:

 

Oh yay!!  Dessert is back on the menu!!!  Now don't wrinkle up your nose when you hear Southern possum pie

 

I'm gonna show it step by step - handy tip, make it personal by making the pie miniature :)  I used a disposable pastry bag and piped the cream cheese mixture into the graham cracker pie crusts.

 

 

 

Getting a little nutty...

 

time for CHOCOLATE!!! ....

 

 

 

All dolled up...and hey it said possum pie, so I added a special touch ;)

Looks like a bloody mess huh?! Well not quite...oh and let me say that from start to finish I finished mine in about 3 minutes.  It was good but I'm thinking the vanilla pudding gets drowned out by the chocolate, so unless you're going for a layered look (which isn't instructed) it's pointless to use two different puddings. I cheated and used Reddi whip, instead of making my own whipped cream.  I think next time I drizzle some chocolate and caramel sauce on it and will make it messier :D

Oooh and I nearly forgot Dinner...Pepper steak packet  w/ Jasmine rice

So I cheated and used a 90 second package of Jasmine rice by Uncle Ben...but hey on hump day, I need all the free time I can get!  For something SO simple this has amazing flavour! I love that you can easily change up the veggies. I added in some broccoli, and baby carrots. I chose to cook this in the oven at 450° for 40 minutes. before doing so I seared the sirloin steak strips in a mixture of grapeseed oil seasoned w/ granulated garlic, and black pepper. I served this w/ jasmine rice b/c it made me think of being a stir fry.

 

Dinner for one

Usually it's rare to cook for one as I normally cook for two, but truthfully I would rather cook for a crowd.  Last night I made Orange Roughy with a Sherry Herb Sauce and then my side dish was Pearl Barley, Sugar Snap Peas, and Carrots in a Basil butter sauce.

I slightly changed the initial recipe - it was suppose to have tomato slices on top of the fish. I left them off. Who wants warm, soggy tomatoes on top of fish anyways?  In thinking about the sauce, I think that the use of Sherry may not be the best idea.  The sauce in many ways makes me think of the flavour of the sauce that usually is paired w/ Chicken Divan (minus the parmesan cheese).  This was easy enough to make, elegant enough for company, but I would suggest a pinot grigio in the sauce as opposed to the Sherry.   Now I know many people will first think "Don't use a cooking Sherry" - well fortunately I listen to good advice and I used a regular Sherry.  I didn't add any other seasonings like I normally would, but think I'll add in some rosemary next time I make this.