Salmon Spirals with Cucumber Sauce

This is another recipe from tasteofhome.com. It is super simple. I did make a couple changes. I don't buy the whole fillet, I buy salmon cut into small portions. So I didn't roll it to make the spiral, I just marinated it. I also didn't use fresh dill sprigs, so I cut the amount down and used dried dill. Corey said it is wonderful. He really liked the cucumber dressing.

Salmon Spirals with Cucumber Dressing

1 salmon fillet (1Lb)
8 fresh dill sprigs
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Remove skin and cut lengthwise into four strips. Place 2 dill sprigs on each strip, roll up. Thread onto four skewers, metal or soaked wooden. In large resealable bag, combine juice, oil and mustard, add salmon. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain and discard marinade. Using long handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat grill rack. Grill salmon, covered, over high heat or broil 3 to 4 inches from heat for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with sauce.

Cucumber Sauce

8 oz fat free plain yogurt
1/4 cup fat free mayonnaise
2 Tbsp finely chopped, seeded, peeled cucumber
2 Tbsp snipped fresh dill
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine all, mix well, serve with salmon.

**I used dry dill so cut the amount in half.

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

I found this recipe at dozenflours.com. It sounded like something I would like so I decided to give it a try. It turned out really good. The only thing I would do different would be I would swirl the cinnamon/sugar through the batter. Next time I will put in some batter, then some cinnamon/sugar, then swirl. Then repeat.

Snickerdoodle Bundt Cake

2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup full fat sour cream, room temperature

In small bowl mix 1 cup white sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Mix well and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray, be sure to spray center tube. Gently dust with the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Coat evenly including the center tube. Save this mixture, set aside. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. Beat butter on medium speed for one minute. Add white sugar and mix three minutes, until light and fluffy. Scrape sides of bowl and blades, add brown sugar. Mix for two minutes, until uniform brown color. Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each. Stir in vanilla. Alternate adding flour mixture and sour cream, beat well. Put half the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Spread the rest of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle with the rest of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before inverting over wire rack to cool completely.

**I don't have a wire rack. I turn it out onto my cake holder.
**When turning, any cinnamon/sugar mixture that didn't absorb (not sure what else to call it) into the cake top will fall. Not thinking about the loose mixture when I turned, my kitchen floor now has cinnamon and sugar in front of the counter.

Mexican Lasagna

Tonight for dinner I made Mexican Lasagna. I found the recipe online, are you surprised. It was pretty good. Corey said he like it. Of course there are things I would do differently. First, I would brown the meat with some onions and drain the excess grease. I found following the recipe as written there was too much grease on bottom. Next, in my opinion, there was too much bean flavor. I would cut down on the beans, maybe half as much. Two cups sour cream seemed like a lot to me, so I did cut that amount down. I just put a few random dollops then spread it out. I used the Monterey Jack that is called for, but would be good with your favorite taco blend cheese. The recipe calls for uncooked lasagna noodles, I used the no cook style noodles. OK, so now as I am writing this, I am thinking I could just do this like my taco casserole, but use the noodles instead of chips. http://gillwhatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2010/08/taco-casserole-burrito-bake.html, here is where you will find the taco casserole.

Mexican Lasagna

1 Lb hamburger
16 oz can refried beans
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp garlic powder
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups salsa
2 cups sour cream
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
scallions

Mix raw hamburger, beans and spices. Place four noodles in lasagna pan. Add 1/2 the meat mixture. Add four more noodles. Add remaining meat mixture. Add last four noodles. Mix water and salsa together and pour over top. Seal pan with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Spread sour cream and scallions on top. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 to 10 more minutes, until cheese melts.

Chipotle Teriyaki Pork Chops

This recipe comes from tasteofhome.com. The ingredient list seems HUGE. A lot more then I would usually want to use in one recipe. However, since most were things I have in my spice cabinet, I decided to give it a try. I would say this is a two part process. There is a basting sauce and a rub. It has a unique flavor. But a great flavor. I think it would be awesome on a steak also. I served it with mixed vegetables, but I think a big buttery baked potato would go nicely too.

Chipotle Teriyaki Pork Chops

basting sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp grated onion
1 Tbsp teriyaki sauce
1 chipotle pepper in adobo, drained
1 clover garlic, peeled
1/8 tsp ground ginger

rub
2 Tbsp ground ancho pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin

4 boneless pork loins, about 8 oz
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

For the sauce combine ingredients into a blender. Cover and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside. For the rub combine the ingredients, then gently rub over both sides of the meat. Grill, covered over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes or until 160 degrees, basting occasionally with 1/3 cup of the sauce. Sprinkle with the cheese and grill 2 to 3 more minutes. Serve with remaining sauce.

**I didn't serve with the remaining sauce. I think it had plenty of flavor. You may want to take a couple bites before you dip it into the sauce.

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

This recipe was found at ezrapoundcake.com. This is the first time I have attempted anything used egg roll wrappers. I should have just went to the Asian market that is close to my apartment to look for the wrapper instead of the regular grocery. Wal-Mart didn't have them, or any kind of wrappers. My grocery store didn't have the wrappers I wanted but had spring roll wrappers. I know they are different, but at least they are wrappers. Next time I guess I will drive the ten minutes, across the bridge, and try another store.
Anyway, this recipe is good, very good. It is a little hot, as in spicy hot. So if you don't care for the hotness, I would suggest cutting down on the cayenne pepper, cumin and chili powder. I don't like spinach, so I made some without the spinach. Then added the spinach to the filling to finish them.
If you can't find egg roll wrappers and use spring roll wrappers be sure to soak them good before rolling. No where on the package did it say to soak them. But I have watched some videos/shows and have seen people working with the wrappers. The first ones I didn't soak enough so they were hard to roll. After a couple I was letting the wrapper soak longer, until very flimsy. They rolled very easily.

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 package egg roll wrappers

In a large bowl, combine all but the wrappers. Mix well to blend. Lay a wrapper on your work surface so that one corner is pointed toward you. Place 1/4 cup filling in the center. Fold the tip closest to you over the filling, roll a lit. Take the outward corners and fold toward the center. Continue rolling into shape until small point is still free. Dip a finger in water or a beaten egg and lightly brush edges of the corner. Finish rolling and press to seal closed. Repeat with rest of filling and wraps. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray. Place sealed side down. Spray tops with cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly brown, turning half way through. Serve with warm salsa.

Lime & Ponzu Carne Asada Marinade

I don't know where this recipe originates from. One day my sister left a message on my Facebook page with this recipe saying I needed to try it. So after finding the right sauce, I finally made it. I will definitely be making this one again. It is a simple marinade then grill recipe. And with only four ingredients, simple. So thanks Tami for the recipe.

Lime & Ponzu Carne Asada Marinade

2 Lb flank or skirt steak
1 cup Kikkoman Lime Ponzu
2 limes, juiced
4 cloves garlic, crushed

Combine all, pout over steak. Marinate overnight.

**I just used some steaks that were on sale. I marinated them all day, not overnight.
**I put my garlic through a garlic press, so pieces got grilled right along with the meat.
**The Kikkoman sauce is not Lime Ponzu, it is now called Ponzu Citrus Seasoning.

Shredded Beef Sandwiches

This is another recipe from groceryshrink.com. Very simple crock pot recipe. I served them with a broccoli cauliflower blend. But would be great with fries or onion rings. My first thought was onion rings but I made them already this week, so went with the veges. Corey said it was good. I think it was good, but missing something. I guess I was expecting a little more flavor from the spices. I think next time I will add a little more of all the spices.

Shredded Beef Sandwiches

1 beef roast, any will do, it will tenderize as it cooks
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves

Place roast in a greased slow cooker. Pour vinegar over top. Sprinkle with spices and top with onion. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high 4 to 6 hours. Tougher cuts will need longer to cook. Shred beef with two forks. Serve on buns with cheese and pickles. Add sliced tomatoes or grilled mushrooms if desired.

**I just sprayed my cooked with some cooking spray.
**I put a little shredded mozzarella on top, as that was what I had on hand.

Funeral Sandwiches

This recipe was being discussed on a forum that I read. It seemed like everyone who had tried them love them. So I of course did a search to find the recipe. This one was found at sundaybaker.net. These would be perfect for a busy evening. You could easily make them up within a few minutes. Let them marinate until you are ready for them. Since they only take 15 minutes to cook, ready in no time. The flavor is really good. I could taste a bit of tang from the mustard and Worcestershire sauce, and a little sweetness from the sugar and the rolls. I served mine with mixed vegetables, but would go great with some chips or fries as well. The only thing I don't like about them is the name. I think I would have thought of something else to call them.

Funeral Sandwiches

1 package King Hawaiian rolls
1/2 to 1 Lb deli ham
Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp mustard
2 Tbsp brown sugar
dash onion powder

Cut rolls in half. Line baking pan with bottoms of rolls. Layer the ham them cheese and place the tops back on. Mix the butter, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, brown sugar and onion powder. Pour the whole mixture over the buns, drenching each one. Cover tightly and marinate 4 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bun tops are a bit golden.

**Since there is only two of us, I used a 4 pack of the King Hawaiian sub buns.
**I had some mozzarella on hand so used that in place of the Swiss.
**I cut the marinade recipe in half.
**I would suggest using a pan with little extra space around the edges. My pan was a little bigger then needed and the marinade did run a little. I just used a spoon to scrape the marinade that ran and put it back on before baking.

Manicotti

This recipe was found at groceryshrink.com. It comes together very quickly. Corey and I both liked it. I didn't do very good with stuffing, some of the shells were ripping. So I just opened the ripped ones and stuffed. I was trying to use a fork to guide the filling in. I gave up, washed my hands and stuffed the shells using my fingers. After pulling the pan from the oven, I sprinkled a little more mozzarella over the top.

Manicotti

1 Lb ground beef, browned
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
manicotti shells

Cook shells per directions, drain and rinse with cool water until able to be handled. Stuff filling into cooked pasta. Place in a greased 9 x 13 pan. Top with a jar of spaghetti sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

**I added a little extra Worcestershire sauce to the filling.