Lemon Panko-Crusted Salmon

I found this recipe from my friend's blog. It is a delicious, easy and HEALTHY recipe that our whole family loves. No kidding, I've made it three times in the past month. It really is that good. I should've known because it is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe.

Panko-Crusted Salmon
adapted just slightly from Barefoot Contessa, How Easy is That? by Ina Garten

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
grated zest of 1 lemon (I have even sub'd lemon juice and it's great. However, zest is best!)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 (6-8 oz) salmon fillets, skin on (I always take the skin off and it's delish!)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon canola (or vegetable) oil
lemon wedges, for serving


Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.

Combine the panko, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl. Add the olive oil to the bowl and stir until all of the crumb mixture is evenly coated with the oil.


With the salmon fillets skin side down on a work surface, use a pastry brush (or spoon, ha!) to spread the mustard generously over the tops of the fillets. I never would've thought to use mustard on salmon but trust me, it is AMAZING!

Season the fillets with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then distribute the crumb mixture evenly over the fillets and press to adhere.
Heat the canola oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salmon fillets, skin side down, and sear for 3-4 minutes to brown the skin. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for about 5-7 minutes, or until the salmon is just about cooked through, and the panko mixture has browned. Remove the skillet from the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges (or just drizzle w/ lemon juice).
My notes: I did not cook these in the skillet. I have covered them in foil and grilled them-YUM! I have covered them in foil and baked them in the oven--YUM! I have also dumped everything in a baking dish and baked them in the oven all together. I loved this because we had enough bread mixture for every bite-YUM! My point is, it doesn't matter how you cook it. It turns out amazing every time!

Recipe found here

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Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

I promise, it really does taste as good as it looks. You know this one is a keeper if your husband tells you "honey you can make this ANYTIME you want." HA!

Ingredients:

■2 cups Cooked Chicken
■3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces (I used whole grain)
■2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup (I used fat free cream of chicken & mushroom)
■2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
■¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper (I'm lazy and used frozen veggies)
■¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
■1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained (found by the olives/pickles in the grocery store)
■2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot (I used canned broth since I had frozen chicken)
■1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
■⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper
■Salt And Pepper, to taste (I omited salt since I used canned broth)
■1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Directions:

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Oh yeah! Watch that cheese melt yummmmmm!

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Look at this hunk of goodness right here! My mouth is watering as I type.

My notes: I wanted to follow the original directions exactly before I attempted to crock pot it. I will say next time, I totally will throw it my crock pot. You may wonder HOW THE HECK DO YOU CROCK POT THIS?

This is what I would do:

Throw chicken, pimentos, peppers, onions, 1 can of broth, both cans of soup, cayenne pepper, pepper in the crock pot and let cook all day on low. When I get home, cook spaghetti till it's done (not al dente). Dump everything out of the crock pot and mix in the 2 cups of cheese + spaghetti noodles and top with cheese. Everything is already hot and cooked thoroughly so I probably wouldn't put in the oven but you definitely could if you wanted the cheese to get bubbly (just remember if you put in oven to cook noodles al dente so they don't get mushy).

Original recipe from the phenomenal Pioneer Woman with beautiful pictures HERE!

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Mac and Cheese Soup

Macaroni and Cheese Soup

Yes, I'm not even kidding. Now, I wouldn't say this is something I will make all the time but when I need something the kids will get googly-eyed for that is also fast, cheap and easy...this is my meal!

I generally have all the ingredients on-hand all the time anyways. Think about it: milk, sharp cheese, elbow macaroni and...are you ready for it? BACON! Oh and guess what else?!?! I totally weight watcher'd it. HA! It still isn't healthy for you but hey, I at least softened the blow. :)

Ingredients:

10 strips of bacon (I used turkey bacon)

1 onion, minced (I used frozen chopped onions)

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup flour

14oz can chicken broth

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp chili powder (I kinda scratched my head on this one but I promise, it tastes good!)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni noodles

3 cups milk (I used 2%)

4 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese

(*I totally snuck in veggies, too! I added carrots and celery to it. The kids didn't even bat an eye!If you think your kids would notice, I would suggest pureeing carrots and I guarantee you can't taste it!*)

Directions:

Cook bacon until crisp, set aside.

Saute the onion in the bacon grease (about 3 tbsp--if more, drain)

When onion becomes translucent, add garlic and continue to cook until browned. Stir in flour and stir frequently.

Slowly add chicken broth while stirring. Add dry mustard, black pepper and chili powder. Stir while it simmers.

Add milk and macaroni noodles, bring to a simmer and continue to stir frequently.

Once macaroni is done, add cheese and bacon. Stir until the cheese melts.

Be prepared to become very full! My kids cheered at the dinner table for this meal. You would have thought I spent hours cooking a gourmet meal the way they acted. Pretty funny.

Recipe found here

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Brownie Snicker Bites with Marshmallow Fluff

Are you drooling yet?

I made these for a friend that recently had a baby and my poor kids were dying to get their grubby hands on this deliciousness! I ended up making a few extra for my babies and boy, was I thankful. HA!

Brownie Snicker Bites with Marshmallow Fluff

Ingredients:
2 king size snicker bars
your favorite brownie mix (I used Pillsbury Milk Chocolate b/c it was on sale)
*whatever ingredients the brownie mix calls for (oil, eggs)
Jar of Marshmallow Fluff (found with marshmallows and ice cream toppings)
Mini Muffin Pan





Directions:


Make brownie mix as stated on box.

Spray muffin pan generously.

I prefer Pam Baking Spray.

Bake for 14 minutes at 350 degrees.

*The white in the brownie cup is the baking spray. It has flour in it so they don't stick. Not to worry, it disappears*

While they are baking, cut up the snickers. I cut them into 6 pieces and then halved them. The new snicker bars come in two bars so I had a total of 24 pieces.

Take brownies out of the oven and gently insert the snicker bites in the middle. These babies aren't done yet. Put them back in the oven for 3 more minutes.

Take them out and let them cool in the pan for one hour. Then, gently pop out with a knife.

Spoon the marshmallow fluff into a ziploc sandwich bag and snip off the corner. I squeezed it out onto each bite. Finally put them in your oven for just a few minutes on the broiler - low setting. Watch them closely so they don't burn.

My bites were only a little toasty. My kiddos don't like their marshmallows too toasty-ha!

Yummy, gooey goodness! Thank goodness these are minis so I don't feel too guilty eating more than one. HA! :)

*Recipe from HERE

linking up: A Southern Fairytale. Don't Waste Your Homemaking, Skip to My Lou, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, The Girl Creative, My Tiny Kitchen, Wise Antics of Life, Craft-O-Maniac, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, Sweet as Sugar, Beauty and Bedlam, 33 shades of green, Fudge Ripple, New Nostalgia, Hope Studios, Designs by Gollum, Alli-n-Son

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

There was this little Greek restaurant I used to frequent with my co-workers in downtown Nashville. They made the best chicken soup and the homemade pita was heavenly. Every time I tasted the soup, I thought that I could totally recreate it. Well, the little restaurant closed and after not having my favorite soup in such a long time, I just had to make some! Boy, did I ever! It was DELICIOUS!!!!

I actually looked forward to eating the leftovers and I wasn't sharing them either!!!

So, in an effort to not lose my new favorite recipe, I am posting it here!

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
6 tablespoons chicken soup base
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cooked white rice
1 cup diced, cooked chicken meat
16 slices lemon
8 egg yolks

Directions:
1.In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, carrots, onions, celery, soup base, and white pepper. Bring to a boil on high, then simmer for 20 minutes.
2.Blend the butter and the flour together. Then gradually add it to the soup mixture. Simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring frequently
3.Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks until light in color. Gradually add some of the hot soup to the egg yolks, stirring constantly. Return the egg mixture to the soup pot and heat through. Add the rice and chicken. Ladle hot soup into bowls and garnish with lemon slices.

My notes: I used a frozen mirepoix blend of veggies, black pepper (didn't have white) and brown rice. It was perfection!

I actually have this in my crock pot for dinner tonight. Here's to hoping I found a new crock pot meal! :) I'll report back and let you know.

Recipe was found HERE!

Chocolate Covered Oreo Balls

Chocolate Covered Oreo Balls

Ingredients:

1 package of oreos (NOT double stuffed -they won't stick together)

1 block of cream cheese

1 package of white almond chocolate bark or dipping chocolate

Directions:

Crush the entire package of oreo cookies. I used a hammer!

Mix together with cream cheese. Mixture will be very thick.
Scoop out into little balls. I used a Pampered Chef scoop (small--maybe teaspoon size).

NOTE: Put them in the fridge for 30 minutes. They will stick together better and make the chocolate look cleaner when you dip them in chocolate.

Take them out of the fridge and dip them in melted chocolate. I prefer white chocolate but sometimes do a mixture to please everyone. :)

Put them back in the fridge to finish hardening the outer shell of chocolate.

These will go FAST! Promise. :)
Recipe found here!


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Chocolate Vodka Soaked Strawberries

I found this idea online and couldn't stop thinking about them. I knew they would be perfect for our annual Super Bowl party.

Ingredients:
Chocolate infused Vodka
Strawberries
1 tub Baker's Milk Chocolate Dipping Chocolate


Directions:
Rinse off strawberries.
Marinate strawberries in air tight container with chocolate vodka for at least 24 hours
<-----this is essential!


Take strawberries out after 24 hours and pat dry. Then dip in chocolate, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to harden.

These are DELICIOUS! Everyone will love these!!!

Source: Thoughtfully Simple

Linking up: 33 shades of green, Dr. Laura, Beauty & Bedlam, A Stroll Thru Life, It's A Blog Party, Little Eme, A Southern Fairytale, Blue Cricket Design, The Trendy Treehouse, Alli-n-Son, Designs by Gollum, Paisley Passions, Simply Sweet Home, Mangoes and Chutney