Grilled Salmon with Key Lime Butter

Corey has asked several times for more fish meals. I'm a frozen batter dipped kind of girl. Not really into the "fresh" fish. I have trouble staying focused when looking for recipes that don't really interest me. But since it is for Corey I searched for some fresh fish recipes. Since he is allergic to shell fish, salmon and tilapia are pretty much the only thing I can get at the store close to me for a decent price. I found this recipe on the Food Network site. Super easy and he says it is delicious.

Grilled Salmon with Key Lime Butter

5 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp key lime juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 (6 oz) salmon fillets

cooked pasta or rice

Prepare grill by lightly oiling grill grate over medium/high heat. In small sauce pan, melt butter, add lime juice. Salt and pepper salmon modestly on both sides. Place fillets onto grill. Brush half of the lime butter over salmon. Grill two to three minutes per side for medium-rare. Drizzle remaining lime butter over salmon before serving. Serve with pasta or rice.

**I didn't have a lime so used lemon juice.

**I cooked it in a pan not on my grill.

Adobo Peach BBQ Chicken

I found this recipe at http://picky-palate.com/. Another super easy one. Marinate for a few hours then grill. I loved the flavor of the marinade. I let my chicken marinate in the sauce for about four hours. I buy my chicken breasts in a large bag. So I just cut a couple into strips for this recipe. I had saved the adobo sauce from a couple nights ago when I made chipotle chicken. Next time I will make the two within a couple days of each other and do the same thing, peppers for one recipe and sauce for the other. This is for sure a make again recipe.

Adobo Peach BBQ Chicken

18 chicken tenders
1 1/4 cups peach preserves
1/4 cup adobo sauce (canned chipotle sauce)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put all into zip top bag and marinate at least one hour. Grill 3 to 4 minutes per side.

**I always marinate my stuff in a bowl large enough to hold everything, and with a lid. That way I don't have to worry about leaks.
**The place I shop doesn't carry peach preserves so I used apricot preserves.
**Since I am not supposed to have salt I just used a little pinch.
**Once the meat was removed from the marinade, I poured the marinade into a small saucepan and boiled it a couple minutes. I spooned a little over the top of the meat once it was on the plate.

Coca Cola Chicken and Sauce

This is another recipe I found online. It is very simple. A basic bread and frying of the chicken. This recipe also includes the sauce. Corey said he could taste the soda and it was a little sweet. I also didn't have the plain BBQ, I had honey BBQ so cut back on the amount a little. I guess he was tasting some sweetness from that also. I couldn't taste the soda, but could taste the spice from the fajita seasoning. It wasn't a bad meal. This is a recipe for a bigger family. I have a whole bowl of the sauce left. I didn't use two pounds of chicken, I only used two pieces. Next time I will be sure to have the right BBQ sauce and cut the recipe down. Another thing is I will not cut the breasts into chunks. I think then it won't seem like so much breading.

Coca Cola Chicken and Sauce

2 Lbs chicken breasts
4 cups Coke
1 1/2 cups corn muffin mix. (one 8.5 ounce box)
3/4 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups Sweet Baby Ray BBQ sauce, original flavor
1 packet Old El Paso fajitas seasoning
6 oz cream cheese

Cut chicken into small chunks. Marinate in 2 cups of Coke for 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside.

For Sauce, in medium pan, over medium heat, put cream cheese, 2 cups Coke, BBQ sauce and fajita seasoning. Stir to combine. Pour into blender, or use hand mixer to remove any lumps of cream cheese.

In small bowl beat eggs slightly. In another bowl mix muffin mix and cornstarch. Dip chicken in eggs, then into muffin mix. Deep fry at 350 to 375 degrees until golden brown. Serve with the dipping sauce.

**Remember this does make a lot of sauce.
**I had lots of muffin mix left also. Next time I may make half of it into the muffins to go with the meal.
**I served some homemade fries with mine. I used the sauce to dip my fries in also. It was pretty good on the fries too.
**It didn't say how long to cook the sauce so I cooked mine to a boil. Then let it cool down some before I blended the lumps out.

Lasagna

All my nephews talked about how good my sister's lasagna is. I was always just buying the box ones since I didn't care for them. Corey talked me in to trying to make one myself. So, I asked my sister for the recipe that she uses. It is really simple, and delicious. Yes I have started eating lasagna. I'm not a big pasta eater. I don't like cottage cheese. But somehow it all works together to make a wonderful meal. Thanks Tami for the recipe.

Lasagna

9 cooked lasagna noodles
a large jar of spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 Lb hamburger
onion
Italian seasoning, to taste
a large tub of small curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup parsley flakes
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown hamburger with onion and Italian seasoning. Drain well. Stir spaghetti sauce into meat. Mix cottage cheese with eggs and parsley in separate bowl. In a 9x 13 pan put 1/3 of the meat mixture. Then three noodles. Then 1/2 the cottage cheese mix. Followed by 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Then meat, noodles, cottage cheese mix, then mozzarella cheese. Then remaining meat and noodles. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake for one hour. Rest for thirty minutes before serving.

**I leave gaps in the noodles when I layer them. Sometimes I use a couple more then called for and break them in half to fill in the ends.
**Yes mine is a little well done. Corey likes everything well done. It gives a nice crunch to the top layer.

Beer Marinated Flank Steak

I found this recipe at http://kelseysappleaday.blogspot.com/. I let mine marinate about nine hours. It was really good. I don't do beer so looked online for a substitution. I used 12 ounces of beef broth in place of the beer.

Beer Marinated Flank Steak

2 (1 1/3 Lb) flank steak
1 Tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
about 6 thinly sliced green onions
1 (12 oz) bottle dark beer
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
pepper

Lightly score both sides of meat with criss cross pattern. Place in 9x13x2 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle both sides with oregano, cumin, pepper and generous amount of salt. Drizzle both sides with olive oil. Rub oil and spices into meat. Add onions, beer and Worcestershire sauce, turn several times to coat both sides. Cover and chill at least three hours, turning occasionally. Can make a day ahead and keep chilled. Grill 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Rest 5 minutes before cutting.

**I did not use flank steaks. I just used some small steaks that were on sale at my grocery.
**Since I am not supposed to have salt, I didn't use a generous amount.
**As I said before I don't do beer so used beef broth instead.

Broccoli Beef (crock pot)

Corey and I used to order Chinese occasionally at work. We would always order broccoli beef and split it. Their portions were always way too much. I found this recipe online and have made it a few times. It tasted a lot like what we would order. It is pretty simple to make.

Broccoli Beef

1 Lb thin beef
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp white wine
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves smashed or chopped garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bag thawed broccoli florets

Put liquids into crock pot. Add garlic, stir in spices. Slice meat into thin strips. Toss in the mixture. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours. An hour before serving add broccoli. Gently stir to coat broccoli. Cook remaining hour. Serve over rice.

**I did not use the florets, I used chopped broccoli.

Cow Patties

Growing up in the country a cow patty was something totally different. But when I saw this recipe I knew I would give it a try. I had everything on hand, so whipped em up this afternoon. This recipe is super quick and easy. It is basically like a no bake chocolate cookie with peanut butter. You can definitely taste the peanut butter, but just a hint, not overpowering.

Cow Patties

2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 1/2 cups rolled oats

Bring first four ingredients to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients. Stir until mixed and oats are coated. Quickly spread on either wax paper or greased cookie sheet. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.

**I added the peanut butter first and stirred it until it melted, then added the oats.
**I didn't cut them, just broke them up. Kind of gives em a real cow patty look, I have never seen a square cow patty.

Amish Pot Roast

I know my last post I said I was cleaning out the freezer. But I had a roast that I needed to cook. Of course I found this recipe online. It is a really simple recipe. I didn't follow directions very well. The recipe calls for it to be cooked in a Dutch oven in the oven. Well, I cooked it in my crock pot. It turned out great. It was nice and tender. I also didn't sear it in oil. I had just cooked Corey's breakfast. So I used the little bit of bacon grease that was in the pan to do my sear.

I cooked my potatoes and corn on the cob in the crock with the meat. Before I wrapped my corn I smeared mayonnaise on it. Then sprinkled garlic salt on it. I know it sounds strange. It is something I learned from a friend I used to work with. So here's the story. When "Nacho Libre" came out the guy I worked with was talking about him always eating the corn. He said the corn was covered in mayonnaise and paprika. The guy was born in Mexico and stilled had lots of family there. He said it is popular in some areas to make their corn like this. So I used the same idea but used the garlic salt. It was good.

Amish Pot Roast

3 to 4 Lb beef roast (sirloin tip, rump, or English)
1 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup coffee
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
2 onions, sliced

Sear the roast in the oil on all sides in Dutch oven. Put rest of ingredients in. Put half the onions over the meat, the rest in the sauce. Cover and roast 4 to 5 hours at 325 degrees.

**I cooked in the crock pot for 8 hours.

Cleaning out the freezer

This week you won't see any new recipes from me, at least I don't think so. You never know, I might change my mind. This week is clean out the freezer week. There are only two people in my household, Corey and me. It seems like most recipes make twice as much as we use. I purchased a Food Saver a few years ago. I get lots of use out of it. My freezer is full of vacuum sealed meals and bags of vegetables.

Every so often, mostly when I don't want to go to the grocery, I will heat and serve meals from the freezer. To make it easier on myself, anything that only Corey likes I seal in serving sized portions. Then he can just plate, reheat and eat. He doesn't have to worry about resealing the package or finding a bowl and lid, just toss the bag away.

So in the freezer I have White Chili, Chicken Noodle Soup, Macaroni and Cheese, Mojito Chicken, Penne with meatballs, half of a Spinach Roll, Chicken Gumbo, Spinach Fettucini, Tortilla Soup, little Java Roast, Tuscan Chicken and some Reuben Casserole. I should be able to stretch it into more then a week. Depends on how hungry Corey is on the weekends.

He requested less red meat and more chicken. I did that. Now he is requesting more fish. So I have been looking at salmon recipes. So hopefully after the freezer is cleaned out I will be sharing some salmon recipes that I find.

Chipotle Chicken

Another one found on the internet. I have never used chipotles. I was a little nervous that they would be too hot. I cleaned my whole bag of chicken yesterday when prepping dinner. I made the marinade after I got yesterdays dinner started. So the chicken marinated approximately 24 hours. It was really good. Of course I don't follow instructions well. I didn't pat off the extra marinade, just threw them on my Foreman with whatever held on to the chicken.

Chipotle Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic
2 whole black peppercorns
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 small onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
4 small tomatoes
3 chipotle in adobo chilies
1 tsp honey

Rinse and pat dry meat. Trim off fat. Cut a few slits in one side. Put all remaining ingredients into a blender and puree. Pour over meat, turn to coat. Marinate in fridge overnight. Bring to room temperature about 1 hour. Wipe excess marinade and pat dry. Grill until done.

**I cut my slits pretty deep, but not going all the way through. I turned a few times through the day. I would use my fork and push a little marinade into the slits.

5 Spice Chicken Kabobs

This recipe was very simple. This is the first time I have ever make kabobs. I have had my metal skewers for a while now. I have used them for a few other things, but never kabobs. There are directions for if you have a charcoal grill or a gas grill. I have neither. But that wasn't gonna stop me. I cooked them on my George Foreman, right on my kitchen counter. The flavor is a little unusual I think, but good. Corey liked them. This recipe also calls for 5 Spice Powder. I found a recipe online and made my own. The recipe for that will follow in case you would like to make your own, or have trouble finding it.

5 Spice Chicken Kabobs

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp 5 spice powder
dash ground ginger
1 Lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup fresh or 8 oz can pineapple chunks, drained
1 medium green pepper, cut into one inch pieces
1 medium red pepper, cut into one inch pieces
2 cups cooked rice

For glaze, in small bowl combine orange juice, honey, soy sauce, 5 spice powder and ginger. Set aside. Cut chicken into one inch pieces. On skewer place chicken, pineapples, and both green and red peppers, leave 1/4 inch between pieces.

For charcoal grill, on uncovered rack over medium heat for 12 to 14 minutes, until done. Turn once, brush on glaze for last five minutes.

For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce to medium heat. Place on rack. Cover and grill 12 to 14 minutes, until done. Turn once, brush on glaze for last five minutes.

Serve over rice.

5 Spice Powder

1 tsp ground Szechwan pepper, OR black pepper
1 tsp star anise, ground
1 1/2 tsp ground fennel seeds
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt, optional
1/4 tsp ground white pepper, optional

Blend all, store in air tight container.

Knock Off Hostess Cupcakes

Todays post is brought to you by the letters P and C, and the word PITA. The P today is for patience. The C is for commitment. If you don't have patience or a commitment, I say move on, find another recipe. And for those who don't know what PITA is, it means Pain In The A--. Corey asked me to try to find a recipe for a Hostess style cupcake. I promised I would make some when I found a recipe. I looked around and this one seemed like it wouldn't be too bad. I knew anything with a filling, frosting, then decoration was gonna take a little time and patience. I should have known things were gonna get bad when the recipe says makes 20 cupcakes and I got 24 with some batter left. I'm thinking maybe she had a bigger sized muffin tin. Then they expanded more then I expected, so major overflow on the sides of the cups.

Then filling time. This was the first time I have filled a dessert. It seemed pretty easy. But the filling didn't seem as stiff as I expected. The ganache was simple, no problems there. Then came the icing for the decoration. It seemed fine at first but then when I was ready for it, it had slight separation. I put a little food coloring in it, just as an added touch, and mixed it back together. Of course after I put a little swirl it looks separated again. As you can see I lost my patience and just slopped some swirls on.

I tried one and the flavor was good, but I had to eat it with a fork.


Knock Off Hostess Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes
1 & 1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

For the Filling
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla exrtact
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup marshmallow creme

For the Ganache
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the Icing
1 stick unsalted butter
1 & 1/2 - 2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla


Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350. Place paper liners in muffin tin for about 20 cupcakes.

Prepare the cupcakes: Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl; add the chocolate and butter and let sit, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture has cooled slightly. Stir in the vanilla.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Using a mixer, beat the eggs into the chocolate, then mix in the dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans (about 1/4 cup batter per cupcake) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in the pans for about 25 minutes, then transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.

(They will sink in the middle...they'll puff up when filled later)

For the filling: Using a mixer, cream the butter until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon heavy cream; beat until smooth. Beat in the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream in batches, alternating after each addition. Beat in the marshmallow creme; set aside or refrigerate.

For the ganache: Place the chocolate in a stainless-steel bowl. Heat the cream and 1 tablespoon butter until just boiling, then pour over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla; let stand until cool but still glossy and liquid.

Spoon the filling into a pastry bag with a medium star tip. Insert the tip into the center of each cupcake top; fill until the cupcake is heavier (do not overfill). (It's OK if some of the filling peeks out, it will be covered by the ganache.)

Spoon a little ganache on each cupcake and lightly spread with an offset spatula or a knife. Chill for at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the icing: Using a mixer, beat the remaining 1 stick butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, the milk and confectioners’ sugar until smooth, adding more milk if needed. Spoon into a pastry bag with a small tip (I used a #2 plain tip); pipe onto the cupcakes to decorate.

Store in the refrigerator.

**I found this recipe online at one of the many blogs I read. I didn't have it written on the card so can't give a link.

Sloppy Joes

Corey requested sloppy Joes for supper last week. I usually use canned sauce but decided to find an easy recipe. I found the recipe I used on foodnetwork.com. It had all good reviews, so decided this would be the recipe I try. However, I did make one change. Corey wanted green peppers in it, and a piece of Swiss cheese. He says it is enjoyable but seems to be missing something. I have to agree with him. I'm thinking it needs a tad more brown sugar. Next time I will try that.

Sloppy Joes

Brown 1 pound ground beef in a large skillet with olive oil. Add one chopped onion, 3 chopped garlic cloves, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp smoked paprika and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Cook one minute. Stir in 1 cup ketchup, 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1/2 cup water, simmer until thick, about 15 minutes.

**I thought that even after the 15 minutes it was a little runny. Next time I won't add all the water that it calls for.

Packet cooking

I do several meals in the crock pot. I have two crock pots. One is a small basic one with a low/high knob. Guess I should say low/high stem, the knob has been missing for years. My second one is a large unit with a removable crock. It has a timer for cooking 4, 6, 8, or 10 hours. It also has a warmer. After the cooking time has expired, after a certain time, it will warm back up. I love my crock pots and the large one gets plenty of use.

When I cook in my crock I try to use my space and time wisely. That is why I packet cook, as I call it. Using foil form a packet for your vegetables or potatoes. I put a few pats of butter and my seasonings in the packet also. Fold up the sides and ends. Place your packet on top of your meat in the crock. With potatoes you may want to put them in the full time. With frozen vegetables, they may not need the full time. I usually put them in full time just so I don't forget.

Some things will start with just a little liquid, then the juices of the meat will add to the crock. In these cases I just lay the packet right on top of the meat. Sometimes however the meat may have a marinade that you don't want to lose on the bottom of your packet. In these cases, crinkle a few pieces of foil and place between the meat. Then lay in your packet. The foil lifts the packet off the meat.

When your meat is done, your vegetables or potatoes are done. And clean up is a snap.

**Even with the butter pats in the packet, sometimes the potatoes will get dark edges. You may want to open your packet a couple times during cooking and gently stir the potatoes. Just be sure not to tear your packet or you will lose your butter into your meat.

A1 Dijon Steak

This recipe is super easy. Only four ingredients. I found it online, but didn't write on the card the site I was visiting. This would be really easy to double or even triple. I used my big crock and had plenty of room. I have made this recipe before using a pork chop. It was good that way also.

A1 Dijon Steaks

4 to 6 steaks, or hunk of tri-tips cut into 4 to 6 steaks
2 Tbsp A1 steak sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white wine

Combine A1 and Dijon. Paint sauce over steaks. Put in crock pot. Add the wine. Cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

**I served with mixed vegetables. But would go nicely with potatoes too.