Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Let's Go Fishing



Randy likes to go fishing and he especially likes to fish for bullhead. Randy went fishing the other night and had some success getting a few fish. For dinner on Sunday I decided to cook up the fish to go a long with the pasta salad that I had made that morning.

Crispy Fried Fish

4 medium size bullhead
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups beer
1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 quart oil for frying

In a medium bowl, beat together egg, beer and garlic powder. Place bullhead in bowl and thoroughly coat with the mixture.
In a separate bowl, mix flour and breadcrumbs. Dip bullhead in mixture, coating all sides.
In a large skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 365 degrees. Fry the fish until golden brown and flesh is easily flaked with a fork.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Brownie It Is


Yesterday evening I was trying to decide whether I wanted to make brownies or cookies. Well as you can see the brownies won. I bought a cookbook from my friend Mandy's son for a school fundraiser and this has been my cookbook of choice when it comes to making things lately. I have marked a few recipes that I will be making soon.
Chocoholics Low-Cal Brownies
1/2 cup flour
6 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" square pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar and salt. Add oil, vanilla and eggs; stir until well combined. Spread the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until top is shiny and a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cut into squares.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Vanilla Almond Biscotti


This is the first time I have made biscotti and it won't be the last time either. I have had biscotti before that my friend Shelby of The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch had made and it was a hit with me. I decided to give it a go and make it myself and it was well worth it.
Vanilla Almond Biscotti
100 Calorie Snack, Recipes and References for Everyday Snack Attacks
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup almond slices, toasted
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. In another medium bowl, combine flour, almonds, baking powder and salt until well combined. Divide dough in half evenly and form into two logs; place on prepared baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before cutting the logs into 1/2" wide slices. Spread slices out on the baking sheet and return to oven to bake 8 to 10 minutes more or until dry; turn slices over half way through baking. Let biscotti cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Serving size: 1 biscotti
Calories: 81
Fat: 3 g
*To toast the almonds, place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 35o degrees F for 10 minutes or until almonds are golden brown.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

It's Soup-erb!!


Soup-erb Chicken Casserole
2 (10.75 ounce cans of Campbell's Condensed Cream of Broccoli Soup
2 cups milk
2 cups cooked elbow pasta
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 package California Blend vegetables
1/2 cup italian bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix soup, milk, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese in a 2 quart baking dish. Stir in pasta, chicken and vegetables.
Bake 20 minutes. Stir.
Mix bread crumbs, rest of parmesan cheese and butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake for 5 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Savory Steak



Today is my Dad's birthday. This afternoon we are heading over to my parents house for a birthday and retirement party for him. Last night I made a big dish of lasagna to bring over for lunch. After making the lasagna, I was trying to figure what to make Randy and I for dinner.
I decided to go with the steak that I took out for our lunch and didn't do anything with. Instead of just cooking the steak in the skillet with some seasoning, I marinated it. Oh what a wonderful flavor the steak had. Now this is saying something, Randy always has to have steak sauce when eating a steak and this time he did not use a single drop. The marinade provided enough flavor and made the steak very moist and tender. It was a big hit!!!!


Sirloin Tip Steak with a Savory Marinade

1 thin sliced piece of sirloin tip steak
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Montreal Steak seasoning

Marinate the steak for 30 minutes. Place steak in large skillet and cook on medium heat until the meat is cooked through.

Friday, April 17, 2009

Anytime Spring Salad


I made this delicous tasting salad for our Easter dinner that we had at Randy's grandmother's house. So easy and simple to make.
Anytime Spring Salad
1 medium size container of lowfat cottage cheese
2 small cans pineapple chunks
1 package gelatin, strawberry flavor
10 ounce Cool Whip whipped topping
1 small jar of maraschino cherries without the stems
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Chill.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

A Fruity Muffin


I found this recipe on the side of a box of Fruit Whirls. Since I am a muffin lover I knew that this would be the perfect thing to make. Boy was I in for a treat when I took a bite, the taste of the fruity flavor blended together in such a moist muffin, had me wanting more than just one. I did however tell myself that I could always enjoy another muffin the next morning.
Confetti Muffins
1 cup Fruit Whirls cereal
1 1/4 cups baking mix
1 egg
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Crush the cereal and set aside, reserving one tablespoon for the top. Measure the baking mix into a bowl. Add the egg, water, oil and sugar; stir just enough to moisten. Fold in crushed cereal. Fill greased or lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle with the reserved crushed cereal. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Cookie Lover's Pie



Cookie Lover's Pie

1 Oreo pie crust
10 Hershey's Cookies and Creme candy bars
12 mini oreo cookies

Assembly for this pie is quite simple. Melt the candy bars in a saucepan on the stove on low heat. Pour melted candy bars into the pie crust and then place mini cookies randomly on top of the pie. Place in the refrigerator until it is set.

This is a very sweet dessert but oh so delicious.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April Fool's Dessert


What a better way to usher in April than with this delightful and refreshing whipped dessert.

Blueberry Peach Fool

1 1/2 cups chopped peeled fresh or frozen peaches
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
dash salt
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

In a small saucepan, combine the peaches, sugar, apple juice, cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes or until peaches are tender. Cool slightly.
In a blender, process peach mixture until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Just before serving, whip cream until it begins to thicken. Add vanilla; beat until soft peaks form. Fold into peach mixture. In glasses, alternately layer blueberries and cream mixture.