Confetti Tilapia Packets

This recipe came to us from Sean’s co-worker, Lynn. I am not saying but I am saying ~ the magazine “might” have had a sticker on it stating “do not remove from patient area”.   The flavors sound great & it is grilling season so let’s see if it is a keeper.   We are going to pair this with a nice Riesling (no Kul Lite!). 

Note:  Sean missed the “green onion” ingredient so we are using a yellow onion.

Confetti Tilapia Packets ~ Taste of Home Simple & Delicious

1 medium green pepper, cut into ¾-in. pieces

4 green onions, sliced

3 bacon strips, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 tilapia fillets (4 oz. each)

4 tsp. lemon juice

In large skillet, sauté green pepper, onions, bacon & celery until vegtables are tender & bacon is crisp; drain.  Add tomato, salt & pepper; heat through.

Place each fillet on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 12 in. square).  Drizzle fillets with lemon juice.  Top with vegetable mixture.  Fold foil around fish & seal tightly.  Grill, covered, over medium-hot heat for 15–20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Open foil carefully to allow steam to escape.

Tupps Tidbits ~ you will need to pre-cook the bacon, if you don’t,  the veggies will be over cooked by the time the bacon is crisp (this was also noted on tasteofhome.com under users comments);make use to use a heavy duty foil

What could be more healthy & low in calories than steamed fish & veggies for dinner? Another plus, it is Gluten free folks!  The bacon added a nice salty touch to it.  I enjoyed this meal.  I felt it need a bit more flavor, like some Cajun seasoning or Old Bay but other than that it is a KEEPER for us.  Thanks Lynn!    

Crunchy Pea Salad

When looking for a new recipe for this week, we decided we could use a new summer salad.  Sean stated it could be a challenge to find one in a Lutheran cookbook that does not have Jell-O/ gelatin in it.  Of course, the challenge was on, and I found that that looked pretty tasty with cashews & bacon…..so will see…..

Crunchy Pea Salad ~ from First Lutheran Church cookbook of Marshall, MN 1992 (p.245)

1 (10oz. pkg) frozen baby peas

1 c. diced celery

1 c. chopped cauliflower

¼ c. diced green onion

1 c. chopped cashews

½ c. sour cream

1 c. Hidden Valley Ranch original dressing

Crisp, cooked crumbled bacon (opt.)

Thaw peas; combine with other ingredients & chill

Tupps Tidbits ~ pre packaged bacon bits would be an option

Since Sean is not a big fan of “ranch” we decided to make ½ of the recipe.  Also, we used Fat Free Ranch dressing & Light Sour Cream to save on calories.  Let’s just say, the salad lacked “something”…I tried adding pepper & salt but that did not do it.  Don’t get me wrong, it was not bad but just not anything special.  This is definitely NOT A KEEPER.

From -p.89 ~ Thank God for dirty dishes, they have a tale to tell: while other folks go hungry, we’re eating well.  With home & health & happiness, we shouldn’t want to fuss; by the stack of evidence, God’s been very good to us.

Over the Top Brownies

April is my favorite month.  Besides the return of baseball, tulips, & spring....it’s my birthday month.  When I read the ingredients for these brownies my mouth was watering.  All of my favorite sugar items together in one bar!  This is what I picked this year for my Birthday dessert.   Sean is getting off a little easy since it does start out with a “box” mix but it looked soooo good I could not passed it up.   We will see if it replaces last year’s ...Chocolate Raspberry Rum Cake.  Also wondering if I can wait the “2 hours” though that will be tough!

Over the Top Brownies

~comes from Marcia & Tony Wilson

1 batch brownies (your favorite box mix)

½ cup salted peanuts

1 cup chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups

1 ½ cup milk chocolate chips

1 ½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ tablespoon butter

1 ½ cups Rice Krispies Cereal

Mix brownies according to directions, and bake for 20 – 25 minutes in a 9 X 13 baking dish.  Remove & top with peanuts & peanut butter cups, bake for 4 – 6 minutes more.

While they are finishing baking, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter & butter.  Stir in cereal.  Remove brownies from oven & evenly pour chocolate mixture over the top.

Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

Tupps Tidbits ~ Freeze the peanut butter cups for easy chopping

OK, so I was like a little kid, asking every 15 minutes are they done yet?   And everyone that knows me knows that if it involves chocolate I can not restrain myself & I have no self control.

I could not wait the 2 hours; Sean chose to freeze the dessert to speed up the process! LOL!  These brownies are awesome & extremely rich, proceed with caution!

KEEPER MOST DEFINITELY!

Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis

Looking for a fast weeknight meal?  This one comes from the Cooking Light Kitchen with not much extra you need to pick up at the store & not a lot of effort to make.  I would recommend adding a salad or veggies to the dish.  Game Plan ~ while the oven preheats you can toast the breadcrumbs, chop onion & garlic. While onion & garlic sautéing, dice the cheese & chop the parsley.  While mini’s cook prepare your salad/veggies.

Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis

Cooking Light January/February 2011  p. 87

½ cup fresh breadcrumbs

Cooking spray

1 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup ketchup, divided

3 ounces white cheddar cheese, diced

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons prepared horseradish

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

¾ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ pounds ground sirloin

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1.      Preheat oven to 420

2.      Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.

3.      While breadcrumbs cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion & garlic; sauté 3 minutes.  Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, ¼ cup ketchup, & remaining ingredients.  Shape into 6 (4 x 2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons ketchup over each.  Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until done.  Yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 meat loaf)

Tupps Tidbits ~ I foiled lined the pan for easy clean up.  Kid Tweak: You can omit horseradish for a sweeter meat loaf.  Diced cheese melts into gooey pockets as it cooks.

This is not much different than your good old meatloaf recipe.  Next time we might try a different cheese since ours actually melted right out of the patty.  I enjoyed that it was ready in 40 minutes & that we each had our own mini.  It also makes awesome leftovers for lunch the next day.  Healthy, low in calories, good dinner ~ this is definitely a KEEPER for us.

Next Week ~ Over the Top Brownies

Ranger Cookies

Sean remembered a cookie that his mom had always brought him as child at a local grocery store/bakery for special treat.  When he came across this he thought it might be very similar to this childhood sweet tasting memory. 

A Mennonite family living in a quaint community in Indiana owns a restaurant that provides good food for customers from over a 100 mile radius.  Many asked about their unique recipes & they responded with their own original recipes & others gathered from their employees – many never published before.  This recipe comes from the Amish Country Cookbook, Volume I. Copy Right 1979

Ranger Cookies

By Mattie Graber (driver)

1 c. sugar

1 c. brown sugar

1 c. shortening, scant

2 eggs & 2 Tbs. water

2 c. flour

2 c. quick oats

2 c. rice crispies

1 c. coconut

1 t. soda

½ t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 c. nut meats - cut up

Cream sugar & shortening, add beaten eggs, beat until fluffy.

Add soda in water (above). Add dry mixture, & drop by teaspoonfuls on cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees. Do not over bake.

Tupps Tidbits ~   if you read the whole recipe you will notice there is no baking time…how do I know if I over baked then?  I would suggest anywhere from 8-10 minutes.  The cookies will turn slightly brown on top. Also, I would recommend if using a dark pan to lower the temperature to 350.  Also, what the heck are nut meats you say?  I added chopped pecans & walnuts.

It made about 5 dozen.

I will confess after the first batch was out of the oven, I had to try a cookie from each pan that came out they were so good.  Sean’s childhood memory cookie lives on and on and we will KEEP this recipe for sure…….  We are still trying to figure out why they are called “Ranger”.

Bourbon Salmon

What can I say about Salmon?  Neither one of us “think”  we like it but ”they” keep telling us it is healthy and we “should” eat it & a lot of people enjoy it.  A friend of mine provided me this really awesome recipe she got from Steve & Mary Ehrenberger and told me we should try it….. I thought well if it does not turn out at least we have the Bourbon!

Bourbon Salmon

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup bourbon

½ cup apple juice

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup chopped pecans

1 tbs unsalted butter (melted)

½ tsp salt

1 salmon fillet (about 2 ½ pounds)

In a large resalable plastic bag combine the sugar, bourbon, apple cider & pepper.  Add the salmon, seal & shake. Refrigerate 2-3 hours, shaking every hour or so.

Heat oven to 400. Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet & bake for about 5 minutes. In a small bowl combine the pecans, melted butter & ¼ tsp salt.

Coat a baking dish with non-stick spray.  Remove salmon from the marinade & save the marinade. Place the salmon on the baking pan skin side down.  Sprinkle the remaining ¼ tsp. salt on the salmon and then gently press the pecan mixture over the salmon. Bake at 400 for 20 – 25 minutes until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

While cooking the salmon place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Use the cooked down marinade as a sauce for the salmon when done.  Either over the top or on the side.

Tupps Tidbits ~ My trip to Hy-Vee for salmon was an experience for me. Again, not a salmon eater & still wondering why I am purchasing it.. The employee was very helpful to explain I had 2 options - either Farm Raised or Wild Caught Sockeye Alaskan. He stated his favorite was the Sockeye but it was strong favored & you should like salmon to purchase this over the Farm Raised. Since the Sockeye was $2 a lb cheaper… can you guess what I picked?

I would recommend foil lining the pan for easy clean up & also chop up the pecans a little bit more than how they come in the package as “chopped pecans”.

The salmon was moist & picked up a slight bourbon flavor from the marinade. It was easy to make & healthy.   After trying this dish, I would take the chance of trying it again with the Farm Raised. Sean would get steak & not just because it is cheaper.  Since we are not big salmon eaters & when I say “not big” we do not eat it.  We do not like it.   If you like salmon I recommend giving this a try. If you do not like salmon, drink the bourbon & throw out the salmon .This recipe still did not do it for us & is NOT a KEEPER (for us).

Buckwheat Waffles

On the weekends we sleep in, enjoy the morning & make breakfast. This weekend we started with a good coffee &  waffles.  The usual complaint about waffles is that you can only make one at time...so...enjoy your morning, cut each waffle in half & share.  This one came to us from global gourmet internet site. 

Buckwheat Waffles

2 eggs

¾ cup milk

2 tablespoons oil or melted butter

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup buckwheat flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

Whisk the eggs until they are frothy.  Mix in the milk & oil.  Measure the dry ingredients into the bowl & whisk until smooth.  Cook.  Serve with butter and warm maple syrup.

Tupps Tidbits ~ for a little added touch use sour milk & use non-stick cooking spray on waffle iron for easy removal of waffle, especially if you have not used your iron in a while

Well what can I say; they were definitely healthy & filling. At first taste, it was like cardboard & you will need extra butter & syrup to make these slide down or maybe a cocktail. 

But for a good whole grain waffle these are excellent when you compare these to a premade mix of Fiber One.  We are stating it is “KEEPER” if we need a healthy alternative on the weekend again!