salmon with soy sauce and brown sugar

my daughter wouldn't touch salmon before we tried this recipe.  thumbs up all around.  i adapted it from an allrecipes.com recipe.  after doing some research on how to grill the perfect salmon filet, we got the grill hot, hot, then placed the fish flesh side down first for 3 minutes, then flipped them over for 4 minutes more.  it was perfect.  and, if you carefully slide your spatula under the flesh, you can leave the skin right on the grill for clean up later.

ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
• ginger to taste
• garlic powder to taste
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

marinate at least two hours.

stuffed pork chops

i just love these.  use a really sharp cheddar and a slightly sour apple.  from cooks.com.

ingredients

3 thick sliced pork chops
2 slices bread
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. thyme
1-2 tbsp. raisins
1/2 med. apple, cored and chopped
1/8 c. or less shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 tbsp. orange juice, apple juice, or cranberry juice
Salt and black pepper to taste
Pam or other spray vegetable oil

 

directions 

Cut a pocket into pork chops; trim off fat. Salt and pepper inside pocket. Cube the bread into small pieces and put in baking dish. Add butter. Place in preheating oven until butter is melted. Toss bread and butter; pour into small bowl. Sprinkle with nutmeg and thyme. Add raisins, chopped apple, cheese and juice; toss together. Stuff pork chops, place in baking pan. Spray with vegetable cooking oil. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour. Serves 2 adults and 2 children.

indonesian chicken

i made this years ago and forgot all about it until a while ago when i saw some mangoes in the store and thought, "hey, i ought to make that again."  i'm glad i did.  i served it over jasmine rice that i steamed in coconut milk and lime juice.  i found it at cooks.com.

ingredients

1 1/2 c. onion, chopped
3 c. garlic
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. curry
1/2 tsp. ginger
1 - 2 ripe mangos
3 tbsp. horseradish
1 tbsp. hot taco sauce
1 - 2 tbsp. honey
1/4 - 1/2 c. chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste
6 chicken thighs (i used breasts)

saute onion in oil with garlic until very soft. add mustard, curry, ginger and continue to saute to develop flavors. mash mango and add remaining ingredients. simmer with onion and garlic 15 minutes to blend flavors. Sauce should be thick like waffle batter.  put chicken in shallow baking dish. pour sauce over chicken and marinate in refrigerator 1 to 2 hours or overnight. bake at 350 degrees until chicken is done, 1 hour.

hot rice cereal with nuts and raisins

i can't get enough of variations on rice pudding.  this was one i easily whipped up for breakfast before school and yet it was still scrumptious!

ingredients

3 C cooked rice (i used a mix of jasmine and sushi rice which made it more filling and more sweet)
2 C whole milk (i used a mix of half and half and 2%.  i think next time i might try almond milk and omit the syrup)
3 T maple syrup
roasted chopped almonds
golden raisins
freshly ground nutmeg

directions

stir rice, milk and syrup over medium-high heat til hot.  top with everything else and enjoy!

romaine salad with crispy prosciutto

prosciutto is something i see in a lot of recipes and always avoid because it's completely foreign to me.  well, last week i was feeling bold (and rich, apparently--it's super pricey) and finally got myself some prosciutto to try.  i bought a 1/4 of a pound and used it for three different recipes.  they were all delicious.  this and the next two posts are the recipes.  

from everyday food magazine.

• 1 small ciabatta roll, torn into pieces (i used some sourdough french bread)
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 slices prosciutto, broiled til crisp
• 2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
• 1 romaine heart, chopped
• 1/2 cup canned white beans, rinsed and drained

brush bread with olive oil and broil til crunchy.   toss it all together.  yum, yum and yum!  the vinegar is great, but i also absolutely love cardini's honey mustard.  i will never buy another honey mustard!

gemelli with cauliflower, bacon and sage

this was so delicious and so quick to make!  the sauce is quite spare and works great if you eat it piping hot.  however, if it sits a few minutes, or you want to have leftovers, i would mix about 1/2 C of some sort of dairy (just whatever you have on hand--milk, half and half, even a thin sour cream) when you add the pasta water. 

i used prosciutto instead of bacon and therefore didn't cook it over the stove, but briefly broiled it.  i also added some parmesan shavings on top.  from everyday food magazine.

ingredients:

3/4 lb gemilli or other short pasta (i used casarecce)
5 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 in pieces
3 T butter
5 green onions, sliced (white parts only)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets (our local grocer had orange cauliflower--that was a fun change)
2 T fresh sage leaves, chopped (i had some freeze dried that worked perfectly)
2 t red wine vinegar

directions:

boil and drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 C of the water.  meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon over medium until fat is rendered and bacon is crisp, 10 minutes. with a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. add butter, onions, and garlic to skillet and cook until onions are softened, 10 minutes. add cauliflower, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender, 8 minutes. stir in bacon and sage and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. add cauliflower mixture to pot with pasta. stir in vinegar and enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. season with salt and pepper.

pesto and prosciutto sandwiches

another great way to use prosciutto.  you can leave it as-is, or broil it for a couple minutes for crispy.  from everyday food magazine.

directions:

toast some thick slices of crusty bread (i used sourdough).  spread on the pesto.  top with prosciutto, slices of hard-boiled egg and parmesan cheese shavings.  delicious!

a different kind of meatloaf

in all our nine years of marriage i have never once made meatloaf because i remember him telling me when we were engaged that he didn't care for it.  this version, however, gained his and my children's approval.  

you can make it with pork or turkey.  i used turkey and substituted the fresh parsley, salt and italian seasoning with harry and david's turkey rub.  it's from everyday food magazine.

ingredients

1 1/2 lb ground pork or turkey
2 C thawed frozen hash browns
1 large carrot, shredded
1 small onion, shredded
1/4 C parsley, roughly chopped
2 large egg whites
2 t coarse salt
3/4 t pepper
2 t italian seasoning

directions

mix everything together.  transfer to a parchment-lined loaf pan and form into a loaf.  bake @ 350 until golden brown, about 1 hour.  serve with your favorite gravy.