Smoked Salmon Appetizer

This was a collaboration of many to produce an amazing outcome!

My dad caught this Coho Salmon in Indiana!

The smoke masters (The Rodgers), smoked it to perfection!

I made a couple cream cheese spreads to serve with it!

Dill and lemon cream cheese- lowfat cream cheese, fresh chopped dill, splash of lemon juice, lemon zest and salt to taste!

Chive cream cheese- lowfat cream cheese, fresh chopped chives and salt to taste!

Served on top of Triscuits and Wheat Thins, it was delicious both hot and cold!

I had this for breakfast today! Yummo!

Sweet-N-Spicy Chinese Dumplings

This is a quick, easy lunch or dinner. Cook frozen dumplings as package directs. I love the pork, shrimp and chive dumplings.

Toss in sauce!

~Sweet-N-Spicy Dumpling Sauce~

Equal parts Spring Roll Sauce and soy sauce

Squirt of Sriracha to add heat (a little goes a long way!)

Fresh chopped cilantro

There is no need to even heat the sauce. The hot dumplings will warm in up just enough!!!

Enjoy!!!

Roasted Beets w/ Blue Cheese

There are no words to explain how good this is!

•bake whole beet w/ olive oil, sea salt and fresh garlic clove all wrapped tight in foil for 45 min @ 350

•peel, slice, drizzle w/ olive oil, salt and pepper

•top with Blue or Gorganzola cheese crumbles

•broil on low until cheese just starts to brown

Eat, love, repeat....

Props to Cory on this one too!!!

Pearled Barley

Props to Cory for introducing me to this delicious grain! I love the texture of it. So good!!!

Follow cooking directions on the bag. Add dried shiitake mushrooms, shallots, sea salt, pepper, and caraway seeds before you cook it so that the flavors infuse into the barley!

I used this as a side dish, mixed with my vegetable soup recipe from the other day and then also topped with a marinara tomato sauce! It's very versatile!!!

Veggie Tacos

~Steamed Corn Tortillas
~Refried Beans
~Sautéed red onion, garlic, zucchini, carrots (seasoned with sea salt, cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper and chilling powder)
~Fresh Salsa (tomatoes, green onion, cilantro, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, sea salt and pepper)

These were very filling and satisfying!

Brown rice breakfast

Yum!

{{{Brown Rice • Flax Seed • Freeze Dried Cherries • Pure Maple Syrup}}}

Colon cleansing foods!

In an attempt to kick a cold that I've had for over a month, I'm doing my best to eat lots of veggies! Today I made a vegetable soup with lots of these beautiful veggies. The flavors were awesome! I will be using this soup as the base for some more meals down the road!

Maple Syrup - Grade B

This stuff is delicious, but very expensive. It's liquid gold! I will be using it very sparingly! I don't think I will be offering any to Bailey for her waffles in the morning.

Freeze Dried Cherries

SUPER sour, snacky goodness!!!

And I mean sour!!!!!

Colon Detox Shake

Blend together -
1 cucumber
2 apples
1 banana
1 c spinach
1 c parsley
1 stalk celery
Small piece of ginger root
A squeeze of lemon juice
Ice

The flavor is surprisingly good! The texture, not so much!!

Enjoy!!!!

Faux Pork Roast w/ roasted Eggplant and Shrooms

My house was filled with the smell I remember from my Grandmas kitchen. She always cooked pork roast in red sauce. This was a simple cheat on that meal.

- 3 Boneless pork chops
-1 jar marinara sauce
Cover and bake for 2 hrs @ 375
Shred the meat, mix with the sauce and serve over noodles.

I roasted some eggplant topped with Parmesan cheese and mushrooms for a side dish!

Delish!!!

Laughing Cow

Yum!

Really, really good little wedges of cheese goodness!!

Cheddar Biscuits & Sausage Gravy

On a frosty fall morning there is nothing better than a warm plate full of sausage biscuits and gravy. Bailey and I added a little twist with cheese in the biscuits. Mmmmm, mmmmm good!!!

][Biscuits][
Just add shredded cheese, garlic powder, pepper and miracle blend (seasoned salt) to a baking mix biscuits recipe like Bisquick!

][Sausage Gravy][
Brown a roll of ground sausage in a skillet - remove some grease with a paper towel to reduce calories if you care - add 4 Tbls. of flour to soak up remaining grease - add in milk to make as much gravy as you need - let it simmer to thicken - season with S & P

Serve over hot biscuits!!!!

Green Olive Juice Marinade

I'm not sure why, but I marinated a half of a pork tenderloin in green olive juice today. I'm REALLY glad that I did! It was delicious!

I didn't make anything special with it, just seared it in a pan and then served it with sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes!

Simple, quick and surprisingly delicious!!!

Chicken Gorganzola w/ Mushrooms

Really, I would just like to call this dish "The best thing I've ever made!"

I started out with the idea of chicken cordon blue in my head. As I cooked and drank wine, it turned into this! Wow!

- Roasted Roma Tomatoes w/ Parm -
These are one of my new favorite side dishes. They are super cheap, easy, and have lots of flavor after they are roasted.

- Chicken -
Sauté the mushrooms and shallot in a little olive oil until tender and then set them aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, I cooked a butterflied chicken breast in just a little more olive oil. Once cooked all the way through, I set it on a plate and topped it with crumbled Gorganzola cheese to let it melt.

I returned the mushrooms to the pan, deglazed it with some chicken broth and sprinkled in some Parmesan cheese slowly, while stiring. As it reduced the sauce turned creamy.

Pour the mushrooms and sauce over the warm, melted chicken and cheese!

You will love this! Promise!!!!!

Chili Cheese Nachos Ole'

Gotta use up the chili!

Today I made nachos for lunch!

- Corn Tortilla Chips
- Chili
- Colby Jack Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Green Onion

Cha, cha, cha!!!!

Chili Mac minus the Mac

The only thing that could make a bowl full of chili any better is to add noodles! As with everything else today, I am out of elbow macaroni noodles! Rice noodles will have to suffice!

They actually are quite good with chili and cheese!!!

Cold, gloomy, feeling blah...

It is a chili kind of day!

I started a pot just now. I don't have kidney beans, so I'm using great northern. I don't have diced tomatoes, so I'm using crushed. It isn't going to be my normal chili but chili none the less!

Just the smell is making me feel better already!

1000 Island Dressing

I'm going to make Rubens for my family tomorrow for lunch and decided to make my 1000 Island instead of buying it! It is so easy and so much better than out of a bottle!

2 hard boiled eggs
1/4 C sweet pickle relish
3 T ketchup
2 C light mayo
Dash of salt to taste

Triscuits, Roasted Romas, Fresh Mozzarella and Basil

All baked and warm and delicious!

Made for a great brunch today!!!

Yummy Snack

Nutella + Cinnamon flavored puffed rice wafer thingy

And cutest little/big girl ever!

Grilled Pork Fajitas

I've been craving Mexican...tonight I satisfied my craving!

I marinated a pork chop in salsa all afternoon, then grilled it! (I also did one in buffalo sauce and one in Tom Yum Paste for meals later in the week)

In a frying pan I sautéed roma tomatoes, green onion, shallot, garlic, red and yellow peppers all seasoned with cumin, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and chipotle powder.

Layered on a steamed corn tortilla- cheese, veggies, thin slices of pork, lettuce, cilantro and sour cream!

Perfectos Fajitas!! Ole!!!

Chicken Marsala

I have never made this or even ordered it at a restaurant before, but after playing with the Marsala wine the other night, I couldn't wait to try this! It was so easy and delicious! Along with garlic mashed red skin potatoes and sautéed zucchini, carrots and squash, it made the perfect Birthday dinner for my sweet Grandmother!

••The Steps••
Butterfly chicken breasts
Season with S&P
Brown both sides in olive oil
(I used an electric skillet)
Put in casserole dish and bake at 375 while you make the sauce

In the same skillet sauté mushrooms, shallots and garlic until they are all tender (I used baby Bella mushrooms)
Add LOTS of Sweet Marsala wine
(I used 1/2 bottle- I was feeding 6 adults)
Let the wine simmer and reduce by about 1/2
Season with salt to taste
Thicken with corn starch slurry as needed

Return the chicken and all of the juices to the skillet

Coat the chicken with the sauce, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through

ENJOY!!!

I will be making this with beef tenderloin next!!!

My Scotch Egg

I did it! It was great!

Hard boiled egg
Crusted with sausage
Rolled in panko
Fried in canola oil
Served with whole grain mustard, sweet pickles, and tomatoes!

The pickle is key!!!

Birthday Breakfast for Grandmother

I've been raving about my new breakfast addiction to my Grandmother lately. She has been telling me that she wants to try it. Today is her birthday so I made her breakfast! I added roasted Roma tomatoes this time! It was amazing!

Happy Birthday Grandmother! ( I know she will never see this, nor does she even know how to turn on the computer, but Happy Birthday none the less!).

I love my Grandmother SO much!!! I hope I can make her birthday breakfast for years and years to come!!!!

Pho Broth + Tom Yum Paste

I am getting closer and closer to the perfect bowl full of spicy noodles and broth.

Tonight I sautéed chicken, sweet peppers, garlic, shallots, mushrooms, Ginger, and green onions in a little olive and sesame oil. Then added soy sauce, Pho broth, Tom Yum Paste and Miracle Noodles then brought it all to a simmer.

It was a bowl full of spicy noodle goodness! Can't wait for left overs tomorrow!!!

Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps

I needed to use up some hard-boiled eggs and there's nothing better to put them in but tuna salad!

•mix together•
1 can tuna
1 egg
1 green onion
Cucumber
Grape tomatoes
Roasted red pepper
Little bit of mayo
Season with S&P
Serve on hearts of romaine and a pickle!!

YUM!!

Marsala Wine....

I cooked dinner for my Mom and Grandmother tonight! Grilled pork chops, corn on the cob and brown rice pilaf! As I was finishing the rice I saw a bottle of marsala wine sitting on the counter. I've never used it before but have always wanted to try it. So....I did!

I put a little olive oil and onion in a sauce pan and sautéed until tender. The deglazed the pan with marsala. I added about 2 C of wine and let it simmer and reduce for a couple minutes. Seasoned with salt and thickened with a little corn starch slurry, it made the most amazing sauce over the pork chops!

My Grandmother decided that she wants me to make her Chicken Marsala for her birthday dinner Friday night! I've never made it before but I've got it all planned out in my head. It's gonna be SO good!!

Recipe coming soon!!!

Delux Grilled Cheese & Tomato Basil Soup

Quick, Easy and Perfect on a cool fall day!

Colby, Muenster, Gorganzola and fresh Mozzarella cheese melted between wheat bread and then dipped in a bowl of Tomato Basil soup!

Comfort food with a little pizzaz!!

And again.......

I'm totally addicted!

Jamie Oliver is on Iron Chef.....

enough said!

Sweet Neighborly Love still exists....

A sweet little neighbor lady brought me Apple Butter Bars tonight! They were perfect desert with my cherry wine!!!

Scotch Egg @ Trotters in BG

I crave Scotch Eggs ever since I had them at Swig in Perrysburg. I heard that a restaurant in BG served them also so I had the try them, of course! It was good but I'm giving Swig the EGGstrordinarily Delicous trophy! The sauce, side of veggies and texture were all EGGstra special contest winning components!!! I will be attempting to make these at home!!!