Substitute & Measuring Charts

I have come across a lot of wonderful blogs

& have signed up to receive emails from almost all of them.

Recently I received an email containing these charts which I

thought were extremely helpful. How could I not share these with everyone!?

There are times when I want to make a recipe & I have everything

but that one ingredient. Instead of running to the store for that one thing,

I now how a substitute chart to reference. Genesis!!

Cooking just became a little bit easier.

The chart below is wonderful for measurements.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve needed to know a measurement

& I turned to google to find my answer. lol

 

Lemon Snap Peas

What a tasty little side dish these are!!

I’m always looking for new sides to try because it seems like we

always have the same thing. Broccoli, zucchini, squash etc. 

After awhile those become very boring.

Lemon snap peas are anything but boring.

Fresh organic snap peas, freshly grated lemon &

freshly squeezed lemon juice.

I seriously think I could eat these as a main dish.

They are the perfect compliment to my Cajun pan fried tilapia.

Aren’t they just beautiful!? So vibrant.

Served with tilapia.

Ingredients

1 tbsp. unsalted butter
12 oz. fresh sugar snap peas, de-stringed
1 tsp. lemon zest, freshly grated
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the snap peas and toss to coat. Cook snap peas over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper (and thyme, if you wish) and cook an additional 3-5 minutes, until the snap peas begin to puff up and are crisp, yet tender.  Squeeze a little lemon juice over top right before serving. 

 

 

Baja Fish Tacos w/ Fresh Pico de Gallo and Dill Sauce

That’s a mouth full!

A mouth full of delicious fish tacos that is!

My husband has been talking about fish tacos since we’ve been

together & I don’t think we have tried making them once.

So when I found this recipe from a sweet pea chef who happens to be

from California, who also happens to eat tacos from Baja California, I knew this

was the prefect time to make fish tacos!

Who better to give me instructions on how to make yummy

fish tacos besides her!?

I was correct, she has a fantastic recipe not only for tacos, but for fresh

Pico de Gallo & creamy white dill sauce.

My husband liked them so much he ate 3 1/2. lol!

So healthy!

Pico de Gallo

2 medium tomatoes on the vine, diced – small

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1/2 tsp. jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

4 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

whole lime - fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with additional salt, lime, pepper and/or cumin to taste. Let sit for at least an hour.

Creamy White Dill Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain yogurt

juice from 1/2 a lime (approx 2 tbsp)

1 tsp. jalapeno pepper, minced

1 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. dried dill weed

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with additional salt, lime, pepper and/or cumin to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

*Once again I used tilapia instead of cod*

Fish

1 lb. fresh rock cod or sea bass fillet, cut into strips of 2-3 oz. portions
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp. water
Canola or vegetable oil
1/2 head medium cabbage, thinly sliced
8-10 good quality corn tortillas

Directions

In a flat dish, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. In a separate dish, combine egg with 2 tbsp. water.

Pour enough oil into a large (12-inch) skillet to a depth of  1/4 inch. Heat oil on high heat until hot and then turn to medium high heat.

Dip fish into egg and then dust lightly with flour-cornmeal mixture. Fry until golden brown on all sides, approximately 4-6 minutes. Remove promptly and drain on a plate covered with paper towels.

Wrap tortillas in a damp cloth or paper towel and microwave on high for 10-15 seconds.

To serve, place a few pieces of fried fish on corn tortilla (you can use single or doubled tortillas, depending on your preference). Drizzle fish with desired about of Creamy White Dill Sauce and Fresh Pico de Gallo. Top with sliced cabbage.

 

Homemade Garlic Bread

At work yesterday the aroma of Italian food filled the hallways & the break room.

It smelled so incredible, I asked the hubby if we could have spaghetti & garlic bread for dinner.

Immediately I knew I was making everything from scratch besides the pasta.

One day in the future I’ll work up to that but for now, store bought it is.

The online search began for homemade garlic bread. Not that I thought it would be difficult,

 I just really wanted to find an actual recipe.

AND I found an AWESOME one from this cute little blog.

This bread is soo good, I will never even consider buying store bought or frozen ever again.

I highly doubt you will either after trying this!

Homemade really does make a world of difference!!

After you have mixed all the ingredients, your spread should look like this.

Normally with garlic bread you would use is french bread or a baguette, but my

husband picked out the biggest, widest loaf he could find for our little family of 3.

Needless to say we couldn’t eat it all. HA!

Ingredients

6 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
2/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf fresh bread (ciabatta, french, baguette, sourdough), cut lengthwise
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (plus more to sprinkle on top if desired)

 

Preheat your oven broiler on the Low setting.

In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients to make a paste/spread (you can also use a food processor if you’d prefer).  Using a flat knife or spoon, spread the butter mixture evenly over the non-crusted portion of the bread. Sprinkle with additional grated parmesan if desired.

Set both sides of the bread, spread-side up, on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and place in the center of the oven under the broiler until the butter is melted and the top starts to becomes golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Take care to pay attention to the bread so it does not burn — it can cook quickly under the broiler.

Once golden, remove from the broiler and set on a cutting board. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes in order to handle. Using a serrated bread knife, cut the bread into portions and serve.

I used 100% whole wheat spaghetti topped with homemade marinara sauce w/ Italian sausage.

Garnished with freshly grated Parmesan cheese & parsley.

 

The Elvis

Yes, I am calling this ‘The Elvis”!

Due to his love for this sandwich, it’s only fair to name it after the king himself.

This sandwich actually came up after my daughter came home from

school recently talking about Elvis Presley.

Not sure how he was brought up at school, but nevertheless, she’s fascinated by him.

Making the sandwich for her was my husbands idea & since I’ve have never

seen anyone make or eat one, I thought I’d share.

Ingredients

1 banana

honey

peanut butter

couple pieces crispy bacon

2 slices toasted bread

Cook a couple slices of bacon. Make crispy!

Slice banana.

Spread peanut butter over toasted bread, add bacon & banana slices.

Drizzle with a little honey & enjoy your Elvis!

 

Cajun Fire Crackers

These are OMGoodness AMAZING!

I would almost say they are better than chips &

I’m all about some potato chips. Especially spicy ones.

I’ve seen these floating around Pinterest a few times since trying these,

but this recipe came from a nice guy at work. He brought them in for a potluck a few months back

& after raving about them non stop he shared his secret recipe with me.

Nice huh?! I thought so too.

If you don’t like spice, I would take it easy on the cayenne & red pepper.

I would also recommend eating them with cheese. Mmm!

Ingredients

3/4 cup canola oil

1 tbs red pepper

1 tbs cayenne pepper

1 packet dry fiesta ranch dressing

1 2.5 gallon Ziploc bag

1 box saltine crackers

Mix all ingredients in a Ziploc bag then add 1 box saltine crackers.

Let bag rest for 2 hours, turning bag over every 15 minutes or so.

If possible wait until next day to eat.

 

Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers

Not sure about your family but mine is really into college sports.

Two teams from my home state played in the elite eight this weekend

which means a lot of time spent glued to the t.v watching basketball.

GO CARDS!!

Basketball/ Sports = Finger Food

Not wanting to make too much for the 3 of us,

I opted to make crispy baked chicken fingers.

Not only are these filling, they are super tasty served with honey Dijon mustard.

I was surprised how well these turned out for my first time. Fool proof!

** Original recipe below, I used different breadcrumbs since I had them on hand.

I used Italian Crumbs & omitted the garlic powder.**

Ingredients

2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. canola oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. minced fresh thyme or ¼ tsp. dried
Cooking spray
1½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ¾-inch wide strips

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  In a large skillet, toss the panko with the oil.  Toast over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the toasted crumbs to a shallow dish or pie plate.

In a second shallow dish, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.  In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, water, mustard and thyme.

Spray a wire rack lightly with cooking spray and place over a rimmed baking sheet.  Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the chicken in the flour, then the egg whites, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step.  Lay the coated pieces on the prepared wire rack and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Spray the tops of the chicken pieces lightly with the cooking spray.  Bake until the chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes.  Serve warm.

This recipe came from this wonderful blog!

 

 

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Who doesn’t love french fries?!

You can pair them with tons of different meals & you can transform

the average salty fries into tons of tastey treats. The list is endless!

But sweet potato fries take it to a whole new level.

They are healthier & taste amazing!

Recently my husband told me about his love for sweet potato fries so

it was time to make them.

I paired them with a bourbon bacon cheese burger that you can check out here.

Ingredients

2lbs sweet potatoes

3 tbs olive oil

 2 pinches of salt

fresh cracked black pepper

pinch of cayenne

Wash & dry sweet potatoes. Cut into 1/4 inch long slices.

Put slices in a bowl & evenly coat with olive oil.

Sprinkle with salt, black pepper & cayenne.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper & place sweet potatoes slices in a single layer.

Heat oven to 425. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes turning once.

Sweet potatoes should be tender & golden brown.

 

Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

When I first came across this recipe, I was pretty excited. The title read “Toasted Ravioli with Marinara Sauce”.  

Then I discovered the toasted part they must have been referring to was the Italian bread crumbs.

The raviolis sounded good enough but they were fried & the suggested ravioli, frozen.

I still wanted to give them a try.

I have to admit that they were very tasty, but next time I will make homemade ravioli instead.

Also going to try to bake them instead of frying them.

If you remake these little treats, let me know if you bake them.

I’d like to know how they turned out.

Please ignore the sauce bowl of choice that says beware & boo.

These were made around Halloween.. haha!

Ingredients

2 tbs whole milk

1 egg

3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried thyme

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 (25 oz) package frozen cheese ravioli – thawed

2 cups vegetable oil for frying

grated Parmesan cheese

marinara sauce  (this is the sauce I made)

Combine milk & egg in a small bowl. Combine breadcrumbs & seasoning in a shallow bowl or pie dish.

Dip ravioli in milk mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs.

Heat your marinara sauce. If you are using the above recipe (link) it will already be on the stove.

In a large pan,  add vegetable. Should be about 2 inches in depth. Heat oil on medium heat.

Add a pinch of breading to see if it sizzles & turns brown. This well let you know your

oil is hot enough to fry up your raviolis.

Add a few to the pan at a time, making sure not to over crowd or touch.

Cook about 1 minute on each side or until golden brown.

Line on paper towels to soak up the extra oil.

Sprinkle with Parmesan & serve with hot marinara sauce. 

 

Fried Pickles

Oh My Goodness let me tell you about my love of fried pickles!

I did not, let me repeat, did not like pickles until I had fried pickles. There are so many things I dislike & pickles are were right up there at the top.

I couldn’t get past the vinegar taste.  But one night of eating out changed my mind forever. My husband ordered fried pickles,

now let me just stop here & say I have never heard of fried pickles before & I thought it must have been a Texas thing. Wrong!

Texas isn’t the only state with magical fried pickles. lol. So he ordered them, made me try them & the rest is history.

Since I couldn’t go out to eat every time I wanted the oh so delicious pickles, I had to find a way to make them at home.

I’ve tried a couple recipes but so far I like this one the best.

Oh, did I mention that my husband bought me a deep fryer for Christmas just so I can make fried pickles. Yes, I am addicted.

Ingredients

1 pint sliced dill pickles (I used spicy pickles because I like the extra  kick)

1 large egg, lightly beaten

3/4 cup all purpose flour plus 1 tbsp – divided

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

pinch of salt

vegetable oil – you can use canola oil if you’d like

ranch dressing

Drain the pickles reserving some of the pickle juice. Reserve about 2/3 of a cup. Lay the pickle slices on a paper towel to blot off the excess moisture.

Combine the reserved pickle juice, egg & 1 tbsp of flour in a bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.

In a shallow bowl or pie plate, combine the remaining flour, cayenne, garlic powder, salt & paprika. Whisk to blend.

In batches, dip the pickle slices in the egg mixture, gently shaking off the excess. Then dip in the flour-spice blend. Make sure to coat your pickle evenly so it will fry up nice & crisp. In a medium saucepan (I am assuming not everyone has a deep fryer), add oil. About a inch in depth. Heat oil to 375 F. Fry pickles in batches until golden brown, which should take about 3 minutes or so. Make sure not to add too many to the pan! Line freshly fried pickles on a paper towel to soak up the oil. Serve warm with ranch as the dipping sauce.