Asian Sesame Salmon

 What an easy and delicious recipe!  If you have all these spices in your cabinet, this is a must try.  If you don't, go to the grocery store and buy them.  This recipe is too good to pass up!

2 lbs. Salmon Fillets
1/3 Cup Honey
2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoons Toasted Sesame Seed
1 Teaspoon Minced Garlic
1 Teaspoon Minced Onions
3/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (optional)


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl mix honey, soy sauce, and all of the spices except the Red Pepper together until well blended.

Stir in Crushed Red Pepper.  Paul and I added a bit more than the one teaspoon is called for.

Place salmon on a 13x9 baking sheet.  If you can, line the sheet with aluminum foil...this recipe tends to end up a bit messy.

Spoon honey mixture evenly over salmon.

Bake Salmon in the oven for 20 minutes, basting occasionally with honey mixture.

Since we were having asparagus with our salmon tonight, I decided to put some of the honey mixture on the salmon too.  I recommend doing this, and then baking the asparagus for about 8 minutes.

If you have any honey mixture left when you take the salmon out of the oven, feel free to add a bit more on top. 

ENJOY!!

This recipe was adapted from McCormick.com

Asparagus with Caramelized Balsamic Onions

I can't tell you enough how much Paul and I love asparagus. I am actually surprised this is our first post for an asparagus recipe. The caramelized onions provide so much flavor, that this would make for an excellent side dish for dinner any night of the week.


Bundle of Asparagus
1 Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion
Pepper
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
2 Teaspoons Mustard
Parsley, fresh or dried


You can choose to steam or bake your asparagus. We chose to bake.  So start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the onion thinly and place in a pan over medium heat with the olive oil.

Go ahead and put the asparagus in the oven.  By the time the onions are caramelized, the asparagus should be ready (about 10 minutes).  

Once the onions start to brown and start to get a bit translucent, take off the stove top.

Mix the vinegar, mustard, and pepper in a small bowl.  The originally recipe called for salt, but we decided to leave it out. 

Stir in the mixture with the onions, and put it back on the burner.  You can not put the mixture in with the onions still on the stove or it will splatter. Let the vinegar reduce until it forms into a thick sauce coating the onions, about 5 minutes.

Place the caramelized balsamic onions over the asparagus and top with parsley.

ENJOY!

This recipe was adapted from joyfulabode.com

Spicy Chicken Rub

Ayo. Lucy is stepping down for one blog post to let me test my feet in the water. Whenever Lucy and I cook meat, I'm put in charge. Everything I know about cooking meat, I learned from my dad. We don't have a grill, which is sad when it comes to cooking meat, but we make do. Lucy showed me this recipe and told me what to do, and 12 minutes later we had what might have been the best chicken I have ever eaten.


The recipe called to flatten a chicken breast to about 1/2" thick, but I'm lazy so I cut the breast in half. And our hammer has a bunch of metal shards on it from hammering nails, not chicken.


In a bowl, melt a tablespoon of butter. In a separate bowl, combine the following:

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Coat each of the cut chicken breasts in the butter, and cover in the seasonings. Throw in salt if you feel necessary, but honestly you probably won't need it. This rub has a real kick to it.

Once both sides of the chicken breasts are coated in the rub, put each breast in a pan heated on medium with a bit of oil on the oven. 

Cook for about 5-6 minutes on each side, until each side is golden brown. Call your mother and apologize since she thinks she made the best chicken you have ever eaten. Awkward.

Enjoy. Damnit, enjoy!














This recipe was adapted from joyfulabode.com

Balsamic Oven-Roasted Carrots

My new goal is to try to get Paul to like carrots.  So my first attempt was to bake them in the oven.  They turned out really good, and I honestly think Paul might be coming around...


1 lb Carrots, trimmed and peeled
1/2 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Coarse Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.


Cut carrots into bite-size chunks and place on a baking sheet. 


Then top the carrots with the nutmeg first, followed by the balsamic vinegar, sea salt, black pepper and olive oil (the amounts are just a guide, feel free to use more making sure the carrots are well coated). 


Toss everything together with your hands, then spread the carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet.


Bake in the oven for approximately 25 minutes, until they are cooked through on the inside.

ENJOY!

This recipe was originally posted on theperfectpantry.com

Grilled Turkey Meatballs

Paul and I have been in the mood for meatballs lately, and we finally got around to making some last night.  Since it was a last minute decision, we couldn't make our usual crock-pot meatballs. So, we decided to grill some on our stovetop. We were really impressed with how good the grilled ones were and will definitely make these again!


1 1/2 lb. Ground Turkey
1 Egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Ground Ginger
1/4 Cup Onion, diced1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 Tablespoons Sesame Seeds
2-3 Tablespoons Sriracha Sauce (Of course Paul and I used 3!) 
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt


*Will make approx. 18-20 meatballs.

Combine all ingredients together and mix well with hands.

Form meatballs with your hands (about 2 tablespoons per meatball).

Spray grill grid with cooking spray and set over medium/high heat.

Grill meatballs until they are cooked through, turning about every 6 minutes.  Will take about 30 minutes total.

Top with sesame seeds, and serve hot.

ENJOY!!

Fake Shake Shack Burger Sauce

Never having been to Shake Shack, I still somehow always heard all about it (usually from Paul).  Every couple months or so Paul will go on about how good Shake Shack is, and that I have to try it.  Since there is not one anywhere close to us, we decided to try and bring it to our kitchen.  Paul handled the burgers, while I tried to master the sauce... a sauce that I have never even tried. Fortunately, it all turned out really well!  If you have been to Shake Shack, I am not guaranteeing that this sauce will taste just like the real thing. However, I can promise that it is delicious.


1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 slices kosher dill pickle
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender, until smooth.

Recommendation: Dip fries in the sauce :) 

ENJOY!!

Recipe originally posted on momofukufor2.com

Goat Cheese & Grape Tomato Crescent

What do do with left over grape tomatoes and goat cheese? Wrap it up! These make for a great appetizer. I used a small package of crescent rolls because I am only cooking for two, but just double the recipe if cooking for more. No disappointment here. Easy, easy, easy.


1 Small Package of Pillsbury Crescent (4 dinner rolls)
4 Grape Tomates, sliced
1 Ounce Goat Cheese
2 Teaspoons of Balsamic Vinaigrette
Cooking Spray


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll crescent rolls onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

Place 3 slices of grape tomato and crumbled goat cheese on each crescent.

Top with 1/2 teaspoon of balsamic on each one.

Roll up each crescent and lightly mist with cooking spray.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool for just 5 minutes before digging in.

Enjoy!!

Cheddar Garlic Bread

I am a huge fan of garlic cheddar biscuits, so when I found this recipe it was a MUST bake. All I want to do now is make a grilled cheese sandwich using this bread. Can you imagine??


3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
4 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder - if you are a fan of Garlic, use 2 Teaspoons
1/2 Teaspoon Italian Seasonings
1 1/2 Cups Milk (we used 2%)
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Egg

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, cheese, sugar, garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning in a bowl.

In a separate bowl combine the milk, oil, and egg. 

Stir into dry ingredients until moistened.

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan. Top with additional 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning. 

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes. 

Remove from pan and slice.

ENJOY!

This recipe was originally posted on healthforthewholeself.com

Cheesy Baked Tomatoes

This was such a simple recipe, and healthy too!

4 Tomatoes, halved

1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

1 oz Provolone Cheese, shredded

1 Teaspoon Basil

1 Teaspoon Oregano

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450° F.

Place tomatoes on a baking sheet, cut-side up.

Top with Parmesan, provolone, oregano, basil, salt and pepper.

Mist lightly with non-fat cooking spray and bake until the tomatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

ENJOY!!

This recipe was originally found on laloosh.com

Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

1 Large Sweet Potato
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Sweet Paprika
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter, melted 
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Peel sweet potato and slice, about 1 inch thick.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.  Add sweet potato slices and boil for about 10-15 minutes, until somewhat soft but not cooked all the way through.

Let them cool for about 10 minutes.  On a parchment lined baking sheet flatten each sweet potato piece slightly, being careful not go squash them too much.

Blend all the spices together, making sure to get the sugar completely incorporated.

Drizzle each of the pieces with a mixture of the melted butter and olive oil.

Sprinkle each one with the spice mixture, pressing it lightly on the surface. Flip them over, carefully, and coat with the butter/olive oil and spice mixture.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Paul and I had these as a side dish with salmon last night. Delish!

Enjoy!!

French Dip Crescents

It's time to finally post a Pinterest recipe.  How could I not?  There are so many delicious recipes on that site!

2 Package Crescent Rolls
1 Pound Deli Roast Beef
4 Ounces Swiss Cheese, cut into 16 equal pieces
Horseradish Sauce (optional)
Au Jus for dipping- we used Johnny's French Dip Au Jus


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll crescents onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Put a small dab of horseradish on each crescent.

Place a slice or two of roast beef along with a piece of cheese on each crescent.

Roll crescents, starting from the wide end.

At this time we started making the Au Jus.  Johnny's was simple to make. All it entailed was boiling it with water for 10 minutes.

Bake the crescents for about 12-14 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

This made for an easy weeknight dinner.

Enjoy!!

This recipe was originally posted on mamalovesfood.com