Maria's Tilapia (or Halibut) Parmesan

Ingredients

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 T mayo
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. dried basil (use 1 t. or more fresh)
1/4 t. ground black pepper
1/8 t. onion powder
1/8 t. celery salt

2lbs. Tilapia fillets (Costco frozen works)

(If you use Halibut, be sure to slice thin and then follow everything accordingly)

Preheat Broiler. Grease broiling pan or line with foil. In small bowl mix together Parmesan cheese, butter, mayo, and lemon juice. Add basil, pepper, onion powder and salt. Mix well and set aside. Arrange tilapia fillets in a single layer on prepared broiler pan. Broil a few inches from heat 2-4 minutes. Flip fillets over and broil for 2-4 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread Parmesan mixture over fillets. Return to oven and broil 2 more minutes or until topping begins to brown and the fish flakes easily with fork. Do not over cook.



Sides

Near East Couscous Parmesan blend. It takes 5 minutes and tastes amazing!

We cook asparagus in a saucepan with either butter or olive oil and some salt and pepper.

Wouldn't mind having some of Allie's rolls to top it off :)




ps. Sorry I don't have a picture <insert awkward smile emoji>

Denet Grampp Lasagne (For my Holly Dolly)

Ingredients:
Lasagne Noodles (6-8)
1 lb. all natural grass fed beef haha or just your usual ground beef
1 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms (optional)
2 T. chopped fresh basil (optional)
1 cup cottage cheese (if desired)
1 large jar of marinara sauce (sometimes I buy an extra small jar of another kind so I don't run out)
Large pkg of shredded mozzarella cheese (I like buying the really good (expensive) cheese that is in a ball that you shred yourself and mixing it in with a small package of the cheap stuff. Sometimes I add a little Asiago as well.)
Pkg. of Sliced Mozzarella
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Pam Olive Oil cooking spray

1) Fully cook 6-8 Lasagne Noodles according to package directions with a little salt and olive oil in the water. Using tongs spread them out to air dry on a wire cooling rack so they don't stick to anything.

2) In a large skillet or frying pan brown ground beef. Near the end of cooking, drain most of the liquid/fat, then return to pan and add 1 c. of chopped mushrooms if desired. Cook until mushrooms are translucent and turning golden. I push the meat aside and spray the mushrooms with a little cooking spray to brown them up.

3) Pour in marinara (my current personal favorite flavor is Classico Sweet Basil) until ground beef is fully saturated but not SOUPY. (approximately 3/4 of the jar). Stir it all together well.

4) Coat bottom and sides of a 9x13 or smaller baking dish with Pam Olive Oil cooking spray.

5) Layer as follows:

• Noodles
• All of beef/mushroom mixture
• Spoon on a few dollops of cottage cheese (if desired) and swirl it into the beef mixture
• Grated mozarella--I use a lot to fully cover layer, (sprinkle with diced basil if desired),
• More noodles
• Frost with remaining marinara sauce or open a new jar. VERY IMPORTANT to frost with a thin layer and cover noodles but not pile on too thick which will make it SOUPY. 
• Top with sliced Mozzarella until lasagne is covered (if you run out of slices you can add some shredded as well)
• Sprinkle generously with grated Parmesan

6) Bake @ 350-375 until bubbly and turning golden brown. (Around 30-40 minutes)

7) Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack. Very important to let it cool for about 10-15 minutes before you slice it or it will be, you guessed it, SOUPY!!

p.s. If you want the traditional version, I always used Prego traditional Marinara, cheap mozzarella and didn't use the fresh basil or the Asiago. The cottage cheese and mushrooms have been on and off over the years :) Experiment and see what you like!

My own recipe for Veggie and BBQ Chicken Stromboli! (Here you go Holly! :) )

This is so easy and so yummy! 


Veggie/Pizzaish Stromboli

Follow the Bread Recipe I posted below!

Instead of cooking the bread, after the dough has risen, form the dough into a long rectangle on a greased cookie sheet.  If you are really feeling like a Chef that night, make some homemade tomato sauce (www.recipegirl.com has a delicious recipe for homemade sauce), or if you're pressed for time or too tired, use regular jarred Spaghetti Sauce and pour desired amount onto half of the dough, spreading it from one side to the other.
In the meantime, cook your choice of veggies to add (if they are frozen), I usually do red, green, yellow peppers, tomatoes, sometimes cucumbers and then pour them over the sauce, and if Eddie wants it we'll add pepperoni.  Then sprinkle Mozzarella Cheese over all of that. The other side of the dough that has no food take that and fold it over to the other side covering the food.  Pinch the sides and along the crease.

Cook at 375 degrees for about a half hour. 


BBQ Chicken Stromboli

Cook up Chicken and dice it, or shred it, and instead of the Tomato Sauce, pour the chicken over BBQ sauce!   I've added some Mozzarella Cheese before and it is really good!

Ranch Dressing on the side is amazing with both recipes......I love me some Ranch ;)

I made this tonight....meant to take a picture too!  


Love you!

 Mar

My momma's Homemade Bread Recipe!

Okay, this is the 'old fashioned' way of making bread, but it's the way I prefer ;)   Although, if I were to ever actually use a bread maker, that statement may change, who knows, haha.  So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to get down and dirty with the hands on kneading ;)

This recipe will make 2 loaves of bread, but if I'm just making bread for the family, I will cut the recipe in half. 

Ingredients:

Yeast
Water
Sugar
Salt
Oil
Flour


In a large mixing bowl combine:

• 2 packets of yeast  (I like Rapid Rise the best, but any will do)
• 3 cups of warm water (make sure you don't go over 3 cups, or if you are cutting the recipe (1/2 a cup), because the dough will be get all flaky)!
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tbl salt
• 1/4 cup Oil  (I've used EVOO before in this recipe and it seems as if the bread didn't quite do as well, but I'm not sure if that was because of the EVOO, so I've been trying to just use regular Vegetable Oil for this recipe and it does great).

Let Yeast dissolve a little, and I always gently stir these ingredients together

Combine with the above mixture:

• 7-8 cups of Flour (We used flour specifically for Bread making these past couple of weeks, and I think it really made a difference, but any flour will totally do).
•  
• Give it all a good stir with a mixing spoon until the mixture starts taking shape/gets clumpy.  It may be a little sticky looking, if so, add flour as you begin to knead it and the stickiness will go away!   Knead for a few minutes until the dough gets nice and soft, and if it doesn't get really soft, that's okay (that happened to me today...and many other times, ha).   Form the dough into a ball and sprinkle flour in the bowl where the ball will sit.   
• 
  
• Cover bowl with towel, and let the dough rise for 1 hour, or longer.  I usually let my dough rise a couple of hours because it makes the bread more fluffy I think.   Enjoy the delicious smell that will blanket your whole house while it is rising!!!! 
• 
  
• After it is done rising, split the dough into two balls and form loaves placing each one on a greased cookie sheet.  If the dough is sticky after rising, just add more flour.  If you use a cookie sheet, it just means your loaves will be way longer, which we like because than you have more bread.  But, we do use a bread pan too a lot more lately (looks prettier when you give the bread as a gift because the shape is nice), make sure you grease that pan too!  Let the bread rise another 30 minutes, but if you don't....that's okay. 
• 
  
• Cook in oven at 375 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, depends on your oven.  You can poke the bread during cooking, if toothpick/fork comes out clean, it is done.  

Now, cozy up and relax with a nice slice of bread! :)  

Love,
Mar

Meant to take a picture, sorry!

Liege waffles

Belgian Sugar Waffles

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups flour

1 packet dry yeast

3/4 cup lukewarm milk

8 oz softened butter (2 sticks)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp good vanilla 

8 oz belgian pearl sugar (most important part!)

Directions for dough:

dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk. gradually add all ingredients to the flour in a mixer, except for the pearl sugar. let dough rise until it doubles in size (approx. 30 minutes). add belgian pearl sugar and mix with hands. divide dough into small patties about 3-4 ounces each (they are not supposed to be huge like american waffles) bake in heated waffle iron. 

these are seriously the best ever, they taste just like the ones from my mission! the key is the imported sugar. it is sold at the old dutch store in sugarhouse but I'm sure you can find it online or at a specialty food store. in europe they are eaten plain, the sugar caramelizes the outside of the waffle so you do not eat them with syrup, that is so offensive, jk. however they are also delicious with berries, whipped cream and nutella ;) smakelijk eten!! 

Delicious No Bakes!

Growing up, my family loved when my mom would make No Bakes!  They are one of my favorite treats!  I told Allison that my friend has a really yummy, much healthier No Bake recipe (brownie bite type of treat), it is amazing!   Once I get that recipe, I will share it with all of you!   

Enjoy! 

xoxo, 

Mary

Ingredients
Cocoa Powder (I use the Nesquick powder and like that better I think than regular cocoa)
Sugar
Butter
Milk
Vanilla
Peanut Butter

Oats

Combine following:
2 cups of Sugar
1 stick margarine (or butter)
1/2 milk
4 tablespoons of Cocoa Powder

Boil for 5 minutes (make sure you stir a lot so that it doesn't burn the bottom of the pot)

Take pot off of burner and place aside cooling for 10 minutes

 Once cooled (somewhat)...
Add 1/2 cup of peanut butter (or however much you want)

Add 1 tsp. vanilla

Add 3 cups of Oats

Stir until the texture is clumpy

Place on greased cookie sheet and put into refrigerator until hardens.

ENJOY!

Posted on January 17, 2013

 Mmmmmmacaroons are not only the best treats, but are also cute decorations/party favors.  There is only one problem THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE!  So I tackled them today using this recipe so I can use them whenever we want.  I LOVE the chewy texture of these little beauties and used store bought icing as a filling to save on time/money.  This is my third time making them and the frosting actually made the macaroons taste more AMAZING than a chocolate ganache filling. Plus the pink made for a better presentation… Don’t you think?

Ok ingredients time… Again the recipe is found here

The only ingredients that are out of the ordinary are the CASTER SUGAR and the ALMOND MEAL.  The caster sugar cost about $6.00, the almond meal was $12.00, and both were found at Whole Foods.  There is enough of each to make this recipe about 4 times so they are worth it   The food coloring we used is a neon version of regular food coloring and can be found at your local grocery store.

They don't have the feet and some of them cracked unfortunately, but they were still delicious and cute!  Can you get over the colors!?  If you are going to make this recipe watch the video found here.  It was extremely helpful.

XOXO, Carli

p.s. Raleigh CANNOT stop eating them... oops ;)