Chicken Fried Steak with Biscuits-N-Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable/canola oil
• 1 pound round chicken or steak, cut into 4 (4-ounce) pieces
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1-2 cans of biscuits

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy 9-inch cast iron skillet, to 360 degrees F. Using a meat mallet, pound out the meat. Season the chicken/steak with salt and pepper. Combine the egg with 3 tablespoons of the milk. Put 1 1/2 cups of the flour in a shallow pan and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken/steaks in the flour, coating each piece evenly and tapping off any excess. Drip the chicken/steak in the egg wash, coating it completely and letting the excess drip off. Dredge again in the flour, shaking off any excess. Fry the chicken/steaks in the hot oil, until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Carefully pour off the oil, leaving behind about 1/4 cup of the oil along with the brown bits.
Toss biscuits into the oven about this time so they finish in sync with the gravy. Follow the directions on the can for baking.
Over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tablespoons flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking constantly. Add the remaining 3 cups milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Season with salt and plenty of pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking constantly. The gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it is too thick, add a little water to thin it.
Serves 4

Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-live/country-fried-steak-with-white-gravy-recipe/index.html 

Baked Turkey Cutlets with Avocado Dressing

I'm excited about this recipe. It's a combination of two recipes actually. We have some turkey cutlets and since we are trying to watch what we eat I wanted to avoid frying the turkey. So I searched for a baked poultry recipe. While searching for a turkey cutlet recipe in general I came across this recipe that had an avocado sauce. It sounded good and I have an avocado that I need to use anyway. That recipe was frying the turkey so that’s why I am switching it up and combining the two recipes to get what I want. So I renamed the recipe to match.

Avocado Dressing:

• 2 medium ripe Hass avocados (about 1 pound)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth; set aside until ready to use. If the dressing is too thick, add a little more water. (Can be made up to 1 day ahead and stored, covered tightly in a refrigerator until ready to use.)

Baked Turkey Cutlets:

• 1 1/4 lb. turkey cutlets
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil *I used olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place turkey cutlets in a medium bowl. Cover with water. Add lemon juice. In a shallow bowl, combine remaining ingredients, except oil. Mix well. One at a time, take cutlets from water and drip into crumbs, turning once to coat both sides. Place cutlets in a shallow baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Drizzle oil over breaded cutlets. Bake 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

After removing turkey cutlets from oven, let cool 5 minutes. Then plate and pour avocado dressing over each cutlet. Enjoy!!! Makes 4 servings.

Sources:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1739,145190-236203,00.html
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ask-aida/sauteed-turkey-cutlets-with-avocado-sauce-recipe/index.html

Suzanne's Lemon-Herb Steamed Fish

This happened to be a recipe that Kevin had printed off from runner's world and in my organizing recipes I came across it. It looked easy and we had just bought a big bag of frozen tilapia so I thought why not. I have gotten into the habit of changing or adjusting recipes to fit what I like and what we have in the house, because it's not often that I have every fresh herb growing in the house. lol Now if Kevin had it his way, we would have a garden full of everything that you can grow, but apartment life just doesn't allow that. I forgot to take a picture of this when I made it Saturday night but it looks like we may have it again tonight but I will try to remember to take a picture of it this time. It's hard to take pictures of food before you devour it, especially when it smells so good and looks so yummy. lol

Ingredients

• 6 haddock fillets (6 ounces each) *I used Tilapia
• salt
• ground black pepper
• 12 fresh tarragon sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon *I used dried Thyme
• 6 thin slices sweet white or red onion
• 2 lemons, thinly sliced *I added an orange slice too
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• chopped fresh tarragon, for garnish (optional) *Didn't even need to garnish after cooking

NOTE: Ingredients for a changed serving size are based on a calculation and are not reviewed by the author or tested. Please also consider scaling up or down cooking containers as needed.

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Directions

1.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Tear off six 12" pieces of foil. Fold each piece of foil crosswise, then open up. Coat half of each piece with olive oil spray.

2.

In the center of each sprayed half, place a haddock fillet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. On each, place 2 tarragon sprigs or some dried tarragon, 1 onion slice, 2 lemon slices, some capers, and a splash of wine.

3.

Fold the unsprayed half of the foil over the fish and seal tightly. Place the packets on 2 baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the packets are puffed and the haddock is just opaque in the thickest part (carefully open a packet to check). Garnish with chopped tarragon, if you like.

http://recipes.runnersworld.com/Recipe/suzannes-lemon-herb-steamed-fish.aspx 

Cookbook Idea

So this past week I decided to organize all of the loose recipes I had. I first thought it would be a good idea to put them in a binder, then I though maybe a scrapbook would be fun. After separating the recipes into piles I got the idea that maybe a book would be easier. I had over 100 recipes and the piles were huge. So after checking out a cookbook that I had that was made and put together by a church back in Missouri, I decided I would do the same thing. I researched several websites and decided the cheaper option to develop and print my cookbook would be using my PowerPoint skills and using Kinkos if enough people wanted a copy. I also knew I could email the finished product to anyone interested as well. So I started my first cookbook. So far I have 77 pages and I'm really excited with how it is going and how it will turn out. :-)

First to Second

Well as my first year as a new wife comes to a close, I prepare to start the second year off alittle bit better. With my unborn son just weeks away from joining our household. Kevin has remained the primary cook in the house due to many reasons; my laziness, the pregnancy, he's a better cook, and because he knows I'm still learning. I want to strive to be the primary cook this next year. With Kevin as the primary breadwinner, it is only fair that he is able to relax and help with Christian when he gets home from work. Why make him work all day and cook dinner? On occasion, that's fine, but daily, no. I need to step it up and cook more. So with that said, I'm starting the week off with BBQ chicken, corn-on-the-cob, and garlic & herb mashed potatoes. Tomorrow night, I'm planning a sausage & turkey meatloaf.

Baked Ziti

Well this one was easy...Kevin wanted baked ziti and I offered to make it because I'm off this week. So we got all the ingredients and I went to it. It was pretty easy, but the tricky part was timing each part so they were all ready to blend together at the right time. My suggestion is start with the cheese mix, then start the pasta, and end with the onion mixture. :-)

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti, rigatoni, or penne
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 14 ounce can whole tomatoes
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/2 Tbs dried basil (or 1/4 cup fresh, shredded)
• 1/2 Tbs dried oregano
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 olive oil
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs

Directions

1. Cook the ziti to just before al dente.
2. Coat a 9'x12" baking dish with olive oil. Set aside.
3. In a skillet, heat the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until translucent.
4. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Don't let the garlic brown.
5. Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the skillet. Add in the juice from the can.
6. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
7. In a large bowl mix the ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.
8. Add the parsley, basil, oregano, salt, red pepper, a few grinds of pepper, and mix.
9. Add the tomato-onion mixture and mix well.
10. When the ziti is drained add to the cheese mixture and toss well to coat the pasta.
11. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish.
12. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top of the pasta.
13. Bake at 400F for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
14. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Source: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30665.asp

Lil Smokies in a Blanket

For the longest time I have been craving hotdogs, but during pregnancy they tell you to avoid hotdogs because they are made with a variety of junk meat. However, I am allowed to have turkey so I found some turkey lil smokies and found a pig in a blanket recipe for these lil piggies. :-) Hope you enjoy as much as Kevin and I will.

Ingredients
1 packet of lil smokies (I'm using turkey smokies)
1 can of crescent rolls (8oz can)
mustard &/or ketchup (if desired)

Directions
Cut each crescent roll into four slim strips. They will be wider at one end than the other.
You can spread just a little mustard or ketchup (or both) on the rolls. This gives a bit of flavor and makes the rolls really soft inside. Don't overdo it. Just a dab on the condiments. You can also slather the Lil Piggies after they're cooked. Put a Lil Smokie at the fat end and roll up. The ends of the Lil Smokies should be sticking out a bit. Place the Lil Smokie Piggies with the end point down on a cookie sheet to keep them from unrolling as they cook and pull up. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for around 15 minutes or until the rolls are browned and pretty.
Serves 6-8 (depending on how many you can eat)

Recipe Source: http://southerncuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/little_smokie_piggie_recipe
Picture Source: http://churchfun.com/images/wp/pigsinablanket/pigsinablanket.jpg

Banana Split

Banana Split

Ingredients

• 1 whole banana
• vanilla ice cream
• cherries
• whipped cream
• chocolate Syrup

Directions
Slice the banana down the center, longways. Take 3 nicely round scoops of vanilla ice cream and lay in between the 2 slices of banana. Give each scoop a generous whip of whipped cream and add the cherries on top. Drizzle with chocolate syrup and gobble gobble gobble... :-)

Picture Source:  http://zetatau.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/banana-split.jpg

Breakfast for Dinner - Carb, Protein, and Vegetable

Ok well last night was leftover night and I need to come up with something for dinner. We've been enjoying a late night cereal snack alot lately so I though maybe we'd do breakfast for dinner. Now my inspiration for these items were brought on by a mix of the food network and a recipe I made after using my Nintendo DS game, Personal Trainer Cooking. Obviously I simplified the recipe to make it quicker and easier, but it's been awhile since I made this and Kevin and I really enjoyed it.

Breakfast for Dinner Menu

• Cranberry-Orange Muffins
• Huevos Rancheros
• Southerner's Fried Tomatoes
• Apple Pie-In-a-Glass

The first two are actual dishes, the second one is a side dish, and the last one can be either dessert or a nice non-alcoholic beverage. :-) Enjoy!!!

Cranberry Muffins
http://www.muffinrecipes.net/

Ingredients
1 ½ cups of flour.
1 cup of cranberries, either fresh or frozen.
1 cup of Milk.
½ cup of sugar.
¼ cup of melted butter.
1 tablespoon of baking powder.
1 medium egg.
Pinch of salt

Directions
Mix together all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Combine the remaining except the cranberries.
Add liquid mixture to the dry mixture, then stir until moistened.
Fold in the cranberries.
Fill sprayed muffin cups almost full.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 25 minutes.

Huevos Rancheros
Recipe simplified from Personal Trainer Cooking (Nintendo DS)

Ingredients
4 eggs    
2 tortillas
Salsa
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Parsley
Shredded Cheese


Directions
Heat the oil in a skillet that you have a lid for. Top your tortilla with Salsa and then lay your tortilla in the skillet (Salsa side up). Crack two eggs on top of the tortilla, preferably right in the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then put the lid on the skillet. Cook til the eggs are done (2-3 minutes). Then transfer the tortilla from the skillet to a plate. Sprinkle with parsley and shredded cheese.


Original Southerner's Fried Tomatoes
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1650,132183-252192,00.html

Ingredients
fresh green/red tomatoes
flour
salt
pepper
vegetable oil

Directions
Slice tomatoes about 1/4". Spread on plate. Sprinkle salt evenly over tomatoes. Continue placing tomato slices in layer over previous layer and sprinkle with salt until all tomatoes have been salted.
IMPORTANT: LET THE TOMATOES SIT (ROOM TEMPERATURE OR REFRIGERATOR) AT LEAST SIX (6) HOURS. This removes water from tomatoes so that they will cook up nice and crispy.
Remove tomatoes from container. Mix flour, a little salt and pepper (to taste) in bowl. Coat each tomato slice with flour. LET SIT 30 MINUTES.
Heat oil in a skillet to medium high. Place tomatoes in oil. (Reduce heat when necessary). Let tomatoes brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other. When tomatoes are a golden brown, remove one at a time and place on paper towels to drain.

Apple Pie-In-a-Glass
http://www.drinksmixer.com/drinkrq16126.html
Ingredients
4 oz frozen apple juice concentrate
1 cup vanilla ice cream
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup milk

Directions
Mix in blender pour into 2 glasses and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Chicken Scallopini - My Signature Dish

This became my signature dish after Kevin and I made together just one time while we were still living apart. I got a recipe off the net and took some of Kevin's advice when cooking and soon I made this my own and I can make it without the recipe card. However I still look back at it from time to time, so like when I haven't made it in several months because I've been disoriented and pregnant... :-) I'll give you the recipe I used the first time I made it and add a few notes in italics.

Chicken Scallopini

Ingredients

• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 1/3  cup  Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4  cup  dry white wine
• 4  teaspoons  capers
• 1  tablespoon  butter
• 1 package of mushroom rice (my addition)

Preparation

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. (Or you can butterfly the chicken instead of taking the time to pound loudly forever...) Brush chicken with juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs.
-Cook the mushroom rice according to the package, when the chicken and sauce is complete you will serve the chicken on top of the mushroom rice. It is a perfect match. :-)
Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan; keep warm.
Add broth (I used broth the first time but by the 3rd time I wanted more of the wine taste and started skipping the broth completely-use your own judgment and taste buds to decide) and wine to pan, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in capers and butter. Serves 2-4

Reference: http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1012593

Chicken a la King - Crockpot Delight

Truth be told, my Granny managed to get me a stack of cookbooks around graduation to take with me on my journey as a newly married woman to my new home in Texas. The key was to learn how to cook so that my husband doesn't starve. Well luckily my husband is a better chef than me because otherwise I would starve. lol Just Kidding, but he would probably say it with a straight face and mean most of it. :-) One of the books I got from my Granny was Best of Country Slow Cooker Recipes. Now this book is a collection of recipes from people all over the country that have obviously proven their worthiness into this book. Tonight, Kevin and I will test one of these fine recipes. Now please note, as we asked ourselves this question and I was able to answer it today. Not all the recipes tell you what size crockpot to use. We bought a 7Qt pot thinking that one day we would use it to serve many people. This recipe as I have seen today requires a 4-5Qt crockpot to get the best effect.

Chicken a la King

Cook time: 7 1/2 - 8 1/2 hours

This recipe was taken from Eleanor Mielke in Snohomish, WA

Ingredients
1 (10 3/4oz) can of Cream of Chicken
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp diced pimientos, drained
Hot cooked rice (white or brown)

Directions
In a slow cooker, combine soup, flour, pepper, and cayenne until smooth. Stir in chicken, celery, onion, and green pepper. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until meat juices run clear. Stir in peas and pimientos. Cook another 30 minutes longer or until heated through. Serve over rice. Serves 6

*If you do use a bigger crockpot, you may want to double the recipe, otherwise the chicken will cook in 2-4 hours. Just make sure you watch the chicken when using a crockpot bigger than 5Qt. That was my lesson learned but it worked out for me today, because I doubt Kevin wants to eat at 7-8pm. :-)

As always I hope y'all enjoy and don't worry I will be cooking more often now. :-)

Update!!!

I know it's been awhile since I have cooked, but with the awful morning sickness and weakness I was experiencing, it just wasn't happening. Hopefully I will start cooking again soon. Kevin has been the cook here lately. lol He made a yummy Kale and Sausage Pasta that was really good. So I have plenty of inspiration. I'll be back in business soon don't worry. :-)

Alfredo Sauce

I have been craving Alfredo sauce lately but I'm not in the mood to have jar sauce. So I figured I would try to make it from scratch. I've been spoiled a little bit by Melissa who has taken me out to lunch/dinner. We've had olive garden and Papasitios twice already. But each time we go to olive garden I get Eggplant Parmesan. So now it's time to indulge in some yummy Alfredo sauce. I got the recipe from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Quick-And-Easy-Alfredo-Sauce/Detail.aspx. Luckily they have an option where you can adjust the servings. So I adjusted it to serve 2 because I am low on Parmesan cheese. I will give you the original recipe that serves 4. Here we go...

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 cups milk
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions  

Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve. (I used whole wheat penne and I threw in 1tsp of flour to help with thickening. Plus I love garlic so I added extra garlic powder.) Serves 4

Nutritional Information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 659 | Total Fat: 57.7g | Cholesterol: 167mg

Italian Sausage with Veggies & Rice

Yum!! This one was totally spontaneous. I had no idea what to make and had decided on lil smokies & mac'n'cheese but I had to throw out the milk because it was sour. I have to go to the store tomorrow. I'm running out of things. So needless to say all I really had was chicken rice and veggies...boring. I'm totally chickened-out. lol We had some 3 Italian Sausages left over. So I used them and thats how I made this dish served with yummy peach tea & frozen peaches. :-)

Ingredients
 1 cup Brown Rice
1 cup water
3 Italian Sausages
1 1/2 cup of mixed veggies
1 small onion (cut in strips)
Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning
1-2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions
Add Olive Oil to the pan and cook the onion about 3/4 the way and then remove. Add the Italian Sausages and cook the outside til golden brown (don't worry about the inside we'll get it later). Remove the sausages and slice them into chunks then add the onions and the sausages back to the skillet and cook thoroughly. Start the rice. Heat 1 cup of water to a boil and then add the rice. Reduce to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the onions and sausage from the pan again (Sorry this was a learning curve. lol). Add the mixed veggies and let simmer on low for about 2-3 minutes then re-add the onions and sausage. (Again I apologize for the removing and adding several times.) Remove the rice from the heat and let set for 5 minutes. When rice has absorbed most of the water add to the pan with the onion, veggies, and sausage. Sprinkle the Mrs Dash Garlic & Herb Seasoning generously several times throughout before and after adding the rice. Mix well and serve!!! Serves 2

BBQ Chicken & Southwestern Style Rice

I thought of this one one day when Kevin and I were hungry but ended up eating out that night. So now I'm going to use it for me and leftovers for tomorrow. Ok for my BBQ chicken I'm going to use Budweiser BBQ sauce. I'm going to grill my chicken on the George Foreman Grill. And the Southwestern rice, is actually a recipe we've done before. It's the rice from the southwestern chicken skillet recipe just minus the chicken. It's going to be really good. I'm actually excited for dinner tonight. :-)

Extra Yummy Peach Tea

This one is SO simple. Go to your local grocery store and purchase the pitcher style Crystal Light Iced Tea Peach. It only has 40 calories in 1 large packet. Each packet makes 2 quarts of tea. Our pitcher is 1 gal so we use 2 packets to fill our pitcher.

Follow the directions on the back of the container and to make it extra yummy, Add frozen peaches to your glass each time you pour a new one or you can add the frozen peaches directly to your pitcher to give your pitcher that beautiful look. That would be the way I'd go if I was having guests over.

Leftover Rice Idea

We had leftover rice from our southwestern chicken skillet, so I added some red kidney beans and another slice of American cheese. It made it really good even for leftovers. :-) Stay tuned for my dinner recipe: Southwest Chicken Salad

Southwestern Chicken Skillet

Luckily this one was on the back of the brown rice box...shhhh don't tell anyone. It was easy and healthy. Plus I got to use that Southwest Chipotle seasoning again which I am in love with!!! Oh and I told Kevin I had to have a picture so I got one before we ate. :-)

Ingredients

1 tbsp. oil - I used olive oil but canola is probably better

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 lb)

2 cups of water

1 cup of salsa, thick'n chunky - I used Lime & Garlic flavored Salsa

1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen corn - I used 10 oz frozen mixed veggies

2 cups of brown rice, uncooked

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded - I used lowfat american & swiss (1 slice for me, 1 for Kev)

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper (and Mrs. Dash's southwest chipotle seasoning) on both sides. Then add chicken to skillet and cover. Cook 4 min. on both sides or until cooked through (170F). Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add water, salsa, and corn (or mixed veggies) to skillet. Mix well and bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer 5 min. Add chicken back to skillet and top with rice and sprinkle with cheese. Then recover and simmer an additional 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Turkey Tacos

This one was something I thought of while thinking about the things we needed to hurry and up and eat before they went bad... and it turned out to be amazing!!! Unfortunately it was so good I didn't get a picture of it before I devoured it. It was quick and easy, and to make things even better, it was healthy!!!

Ingredients
1/2 lb ground Italian Style Turkey
1 medium onion, diced
Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning
4 whole-wheat flour tortillas
Toppings: Lettuce, sour cream, salsa, cheese, tomatoes, etc

Directions
Carmelize your onion. Remove the onion and put into a bowl while you brown the turkey in the same pan. when the turkey is almost done add the onion back into the pan and mix well. Season the turkey and onion with a couple sprinkles of the southwest chipotle seasoning. When this mixture is fully cooked you are ready to make your tacos!!! Stuff your whole-wheat flour tortillas with the turkey/onion mixture and the toppings of your choice. There you go. Quick, Easy, and Healthy Turkey Tacos!!! :-) Serves 2

Strawberry Cheesecake Bliss

Ok this one was kind of a fancy breakfast surprise for Kevin. I was hungry and had no idea what to make for breakfast, but I didn't want the same ole eggs and bacon. So I pulled out the packet of Martha White Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin mix and realized we didn't have muffin pans... So plan B was using the meatloaf pan. And the rest is history...

Ingredients

Martha White Strawberry Cheesecake Muffin Mix

1 Banana (sliced)

1 6oz container of Strawberry Yogurt

Milk

Directions

Make the Muffin mix using the directions on the package. It calls for the milk, I think it was 1/4 cup but just follow the package and you can't go wrong. You can use a muffin pan, but I used the meatloaf pan. After it is finished baking let it cool about 10min. Cut the loaf into 4 equal pieces. Then in each bowl. Lay the logs diagonally across each other like a X. Then top with 3oz (half) of yogurt and top with the banana slices to add prettiness and color. If you use this recipe to serve 4, then just lay one log in each bowl and top with 1/4 of the yogurt. This could also be served as a dessert. Serves 2-4

Turkey Burgers & Veggies with Rice

Ok so this one didn't come from a cookbook or from the foodnetwork. I just thought about what we have that we need to eat up... We have some ground turkey... we have 2 bags of frozen veggies and like 5 boxes of brown rice. lol So for dinner I'm making Turkey Burgers and as a side I'm mixing the rice and veggies together. Do I really need to post up ingredients and a directions? lol

Ingredients
Ground Turkey (enough to feed everyone)
Mixed Veggies or any veggies that you like (enough to feed)
Rice, brown or white (enough to feed)

Directions
Make patties out of your ground turkey and grill or fry them in a pan. Then put them on you bun and garnish as desired. While the turkey patties are going make your rice. Follow the directions on the box. Steam your vegetables or cook as desired. Mix rice and veggies together. Top with cheese if desired. Tada!! lol Serves as many as you need

Crabmeat Salad

Ok this one just sounded so good in the cookbook I had to try it. It is so easy you could make this one with children. This is listed in the book I mentioned earlier. Cooking with 5 Ingredients or Less by Susan Kosoff & Tersea Kennedy.

Ingredients
6oz of crabmeat, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of mayo
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup celery, chopped


Directions
Mix all ingredients in bowl until fully mixed. Then put in a container and into the refridgerator for 30 minutes to chill. Serves 2

Reference: Cooking with 5 Ingredients or Less by Susan Kosoff & Tersea Kennedy; 1984

Salmon Bisque

Well when I went to the library the other day to get my card I checked out four books. Two of which were cookbooks. This Salmon Bisque recipe comes from Cooking with 5 Ingredients or Less by Susan Kosoff & Teresa Kennedy. I know there is a new show out called 5 Ingredient Fix, but I promise you this recipe came from the book published in 1984. I love this book, especially since I am a new wife. I always loved cooking even if it was just boxed mac & cheese. I started adding new things to simple dishes and to me that's how you discover that you enjoy something. Now I can make homemade mac & cheese with whatever I have on hand. If you have pasta, milk, and cheese you can make mac & cheese. Now on to our Salmon Bisque...

Ingredients
2 - tablespoons butter
1/2 - cup chopped onions
2 - tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 - cups milk (separate into 2/3 cup; 3 1/3 cups)
2 - 7oz cans salmon, drained and finely chopped

Directions
In a medium saucepan, heat butter; add onion and cook until limp but not browned. Add flour and 2/3 cup milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. gradually add remaining milk and salmon. Cook until smooth and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serves 2

Reference: Cooking with Five Ingrendients or Less by Susan Kosoff & Tersea Kennedy; 1984

Leftover Pasta Idea

Ok so tonight I decided to put that leftover pasta from the Whole-Wheat Salmon dish to use. We had some chicken set out so I grilled it up and put it on top of the pasta. It was good but because salmon is flaky and easily broken apart I would strongly recommend sticking with the salmon. The chicken was hard to cut in the bowl. So if you're going to use chicken in this dish go out and pre-cut it before laying it on top the pasta... ;-)

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon

Ok this recipe also came from Giada's spa day episode. This one looks so beautiful but was a little bland. However it did hold up to her statement of healthy and light. Kevin (my hubby) is doing his healthy eating thing and he's HUGE into whole wheat pasta so this was a real winner. We ended up with leftover pasta but I'm not sure what to do with it yet...

Ingredients

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• 1/2 pound whole-wheat spaghetti pasta
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 (4-ounce) pieces salmon
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl. Add the garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Add the fish to the pan and cook until medium-rare, about 2 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. Remove the salmon from the pan.

Add the basil, capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the spaghetti mixture and toss to combine. Set out 4 serving plates or shallow bowls. Place 1/2 cup spinach in each bowl. Top with 1/4 of the pasta. Top each mound of pasta with a piece of salmon. Serve immediately.

Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Lemon, Basil, and Salmon Recipe

Artichoke & Tomato Panzanella

After watching an episode of Everyday Italian where Giada went to the spa and was inspired to created light spa friendly dishes, I got inspired to create my husband a yummy healthy dinner. We had already planned on having grilled chicken but we needed a side or something to do with the grilled chicken. After seeing this episode I decided to make the panzanella as a side with the grilled chicken. Panzanella is like a salad. My husband was so impressed especially since he's more of a cook than I am. lol

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed (about 2 cups)
• 3 cups whole-wheat bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 large, red tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 cup pitted black olives, halved
• 3/4 cup chopped, fresh basil leaves (about 1 bunch)
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

Directions

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Drizzle the bread and artichoke hearts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the bread and artichokes until golden brown at the edges, about 6 minutes total, turning every 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bread and artichokes from the grill and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the tomatoes, olives and basil to the bowl and toss to combine. In a small bowl stir together the 2/3 cup olive oil, white wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Toss to combine and serve immediately.

If you love the sound of it go to the website and print it off and give it a try. It was so good and easily!!!

 Artichoke and Tomato Panzanella Recipe