Glazed Salmon

This is it! 


This is the recipe I'm going to use for The Mr. to try and hook him on fish (ha.... ha..... ha...... that pun was terrible....) 


If you haven't figured it out by now, we are Carnivores.  While I know it's not the healthiest mentality, the majority of our meals include meat of some kind.  Since there are so many benefits to including fish in our diet, I'd like to have it for dinner more often-- but there's a problem with that.  The Mr. has never liked fish. 


Thus began my search for The Recipe that would help unlock this avenue of nutrition.  The Mr. has always said that if I make it, he'll be willing to try it.  So I began my quest to find a dish that he might be able to eat once in awhile at home.  One night, we were out at Bravo's and I ordered a grilled salmon dish.  It was so delicious, I had to see The Mr.'s reaction to it.  So I offered him a bite.  



"Wow, that's really good.  It tastes like a white steak!" 


Yahtzee! 


Later on, I found this recipe online.  Being a teacher gives me the luxury of cooking whatever I want for lunch in the summertime, so the other day, I tried this one for myself.  (Hey, if I'm going to try it on The Mr., I need to make sure that I love it as well!)  


Source:  modified from Allrecipes.com


Ingredients: 


1/4 c. olive oil


3 T. honey


1 tsp. minced garlic


3/4 tsp. grated lemon peel 


2 salmon fillets


Directions: 


1. Prepare the grill grate with aluminum foil.  Spray nonstick cooking spray on the foil.  


2.  Combine oil, honey, garlic, and lemon peel. Reserve half for serving.  


3.  Grill salmon, uncovered, on medium heat for 6-8 minutes on each side (or till it it flakes easily with a fork).  Baste with glaze mixture frequently. Serve with reserved glaze. 


Verdict:  Keeper!


Although the next time, I may use molasses instead of honey, just to see how that bolder flavor works in the glaze. 

(... and once The Mr. has a chance to enjoy this, I'll let you know what he thinks, too :)) 

Corned Beef Brisket

100_1990, a photo by jarmstrong23 on Flickr.

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post-- 2 months, to be a little more exact. Life seems to speed up when all you really want is for it to slow down, and as a result, I haven't been as adventurous with my cooking as I'd like to be.

With all the new recipes I read and save each week, I'm never at a loss for new ideas. Time to think and plan, however, is another story. Trying a new recipe, for me, requires some "think-time" (as we teachers like to call it). I like to mull an idea over in my head before executing the plan, and when life speeds up that time slips away.

Today I decided that enough was enough, and that I would take 10 minutes to blog a meal that I'm trying for the first time: Corned Beef Brisket. With St. Patrick's Day well behind us, I have had some time to read all the recipes others use for this traditional dish. For some reason, I found myself drawn to the CrockPot method. :) (You all know how much I love this appliance, and a hands-off recipe is just what I needed for this hectic time of year.)


Source: Adapted from Fisch Foods


Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. corned beef brisket, plus seasoning packet

1 onion, sliced

1 c. chicken broth

1 T. Worchestershire sauce

Sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Directions:

Line bottom of CrockPot with onion.

Thoroughly rinse brisket and place atop the onions.

Combine chicken broth and worchestershire sauce. Pour over brisket. Add red pepper flakes and seasoning packet.

Cook on LOW for 5 1/2 to 6 hours.

Verdict: KEEPER!

The meat was so tender and flavorful... I can't wait to make sandwiches with the leftovers! Tonight I served it with sauerkraut and horseradish sauce, and The Mr. was practically drooling :) We will definitely use this again.

BBQ Ribs

If I don't make goals for myself, nothing happens. As an example, I made a New Year's resolution two years ago to cook at home more often.  At the time I was depending on drive-thru's and takeout for dinner every night, and I was tired of spending all the extra money (you all know how cheap I am by now, so that was a huge motivator for me!) Flashforward to today, and it's now a common practice for us to have dinner at home 3-4 nights out of the week. We're saving money, relaxing more at home, and enjoying the thrill of making new dishes that we'd otherwise get at a restaurant. Progress!

So it only makes sense that I make another culinary goal for myself.  This year, I want to be less dependent on recipes and exact measurements.  (Yeah, I know... it's a cheater goal because I already hate measuring... but hear me out.) It takes a confident cook to just put a bunch of ingredients together and create a meal-- and I'm not there yet. 

But, if I am to grow as a cook, I need to learn to trust my instincts.  If I want to make something, but cannot seem to find "the perfect recipe" for it, I should be able to come up with something on my own.

And today, I did!


Ingredients:

ribs (I had some frozen, and I didn't bother to thaw them)

2 cans of beer (I used Miller Lite this time)

1 onion, quartered

garlic salt (Enough shakes to coat the top of the ribs/liquid)

pepper (Enough shakes to coat the top of the ribs/liquid)

brown sugar (I just placed a handful of brown sugar on top of the
ribs, then spread around to create a thin layer).

BBQ sauce (Montgomery Inn, anyone?)

Directions:

Pour beer into CrockPot.

Place onion in beer, then top with the ribs.

Add seasonings, then pack brown sugar atop the ribs.

Cook on Low for at least 8 hours.

After cooking in the CrockPot, transfer ribs to a broiler pan.  Baste ribs with BBQ sauce.  Broil for 5-10 minutes. 

Verdict: Keeper, with revision  

I loved how tender the meat became from cooking in the CrockPot. Next time, I think I'll broil the ribs for a little longer to carmelize the BBQ sauce.  Also, I may try a different beer, just to see how it affects the overall taste.     

Black Bean Soup

For me, soups are like appetizers-- I don't think I've ever encountered one that I didn't like! So when I found a recipe for a black bean soup, I immediately wanted to try it.  Beans are good for you, and cheap, so how bad could it be?  

This recipe did not disappoint, and it is now on the regular rotation for The Mr. and I.

Source:  Cooking Light, March 2009

Ingredients:

1 lb. dry black beans
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. water
2 c. onions (but I only had about 1 cup available)
1 jalapeno-- ribbed, seeded, and minced (This was my first time cooking with a fresh jalapeno, so I had to learn how to work with the pepper. I found this website that was very helpful.)
3 bay leaves
1 T. cumin
1 T. lime juice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
3 T. sour cream
Cilantro sprigs, optional

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight in bowl of water.  To do this, cover the beans so that the water is at least 2 inches higher than the beans. Let soak overnight (8 hours) Drain when ready to use.

In a CrockPot, combine beans, water, broth, bay leaves, cumin, onion, and jalapeno.  Cook on LOW for 10 hours.

After cooking all day, add lime juice, salt, and chopped cilantro. (Before serving, I pureed the soup using an immersion blender to make it creamier, even though the original recipe did not call for this.)

Serve with sour cream and hot sauce, and garnish with sprigs of cilantro.

Verdict:

It's a keeper!  I'm glad I pureed it a bit, because I really liked the creamy texture.  

CrockPot Pulled Pork

While reading this recipe, I had a hard time believing that it would be any good.  Growing up, I was always taught "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."  Well, this recipe meets all the qualifications to fall under the "too good to be true" category. 

• It has 3 ingredients.
• It is low maintenace.
• It makes a lot of food, cheaply.
• The Mr. and I both like this meal.

I was hopeful that this recipe was as tasty as it was simple, because if it was, this could easily become another staple in our house!

Soure:  allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

3 lbs. pork shoulder

1 can diet root beer

Your favorite BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

Directions:

1.  Place pork shoulder in the CrockPot.

2.  Pour root beer over the meat.

3.  Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4. 

4.  During the last hour, use a baster to remove most of the juices.  Remove the bone, and place the meat in a separate container and shred  it with two forks.  Also, remove any excess fat from the meat.  Add desired amount of BBQ sauce, stir, and place back in the CrockPot to cook for approximately another hour.

Verdict:

This is a KEEPER!  It sounded too good to be true, but it wasn't! The trick, I think, is using the pork shoulder cut of meat... there was enough fat within it to not only give it great flavor, but it made it very easy to pull apart after it had cooked. The only thing I may try differently is using regular root beer instead of diet root beer, but that's because I can't ever leave a recipe alone :)

CrockPot Beef Stew

Oh CrockPot, how I love thee...

Okay, Okay.... I know it's summer, and in our part of the world, we've been battling temperatures in the upper 90's with humidity like that of a sauna. Beef stew isn't exactly what I would call a summer dish, but celery and carrots needed to be used up...  and when I need to use up those items, I am always drawn back to my quest of making a great beef stew.  Plus, since it's a CrockPot meal, the heat in the kitchen was not as intense. 

As easy as beef stew can be, I've never been happy with mine.  The meat was too dry. Or too tough.  Or the flavor was too bland.  Or it was too watery.  Whatever the case, I hadn't met "the one" when it came to beef stew.  

But today, I got it right!  And here's what I did...

Ingredients

3-4 lbs. beef chuck shoulder

2 c. water

1 packet of "Crockery Gourmet" seasoning mix-- So I cheated a little, what of it?

1 lb. carrots (about 5-6) peeled and chopped

1/2 bunch of celery heart, chopped

1/2 onion, quartered

6 New Potatoes, quartered

Directions:

1.  Mix together seasoning packet with water.

2.  Place beef in the CrockPot, and cover with seasoning/water mixture.  

3.  Add celery, carrots, onion, and potatoes.

4.  Cook for 4 hours on High, or 8 hours on Low. 

5.  Before serving, cut the meat into chunks.  Stir till mixed well.

Verdict: 

Keeper! The only change I might try is cubing the meat before cooking.  And since my trial run of making Beef Gravy went so well, I'll definitely do it again with this meal.  

Baked Pork Chops with Mushroom 'n Onion Sauce

Almost all of us have a few go-to recipes.  You know the kind-- the ones you can recite pretty much off the top of your head. 

Well, this one is mine.  It has very few ingredients, very little prep, and a very big payoff in the taste department.  I have made this one several times now, and each time we love it.  This is a perfect example of how cooking doesn't have to be fancy or time-consuming to be good! 


Source:  An unclaimed recipe I found through searching online.  If it's yours, let me know and I will gladly give you the credit.

Ingredients:

4-6 pork chops

1/4 tsp. seasoned salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 onion, chopped

8 oz. package of fresh, sliced mushrooms

2 cans of Cream of Mushroom soup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Rinse pork chops and pat dry.  Arrange in a 9"x13" baking dish.  Season chops with salt and pepper.

3.  In a large bowl, combine the soup, mushrooms, and chopped onion.  Spoon the mixture over the chops. 

4.  Bake for 45-60 minutes, or till done. 

Verdict:  It's a regular in our household :) 

Salsa Chicken

Once while I was browsing other cooking blogs, I came across this recipe from Courtney over at Ice Cream &Wine.  In case you've never visited, she's all about simple pleasures in cooking.  This Salsa Chicken is a perfect example of said simplicity. 

As soon as I read it it, I thought to myself, "Now this is my kind of CrockPot recipe!" Know why? Because it's one of those recipes where you just throw it all in the crock and let it do it's thing. If CrockPot cooking is supposed to make my life easier, I don't want to have to do a lot of prep.  And that's exactly what this recipe is-- no prep.  I didn't even thaw the chicken breasts!   

Source:  Courtney, at Ice Cream & Wine

Ingredients: 

4 frozen chicken breasts

1 15 oz. can of black beans

1 12 oz. bag of frozen corn-- she listed this as 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn, but again, I don't like to measure.  So I just used the whole bag.

1 16 oz. jar of salsa-- I used a "sweet garden salsa" this time.

Directions:

Place the frozen chicken breasts in the CrockPot.

Rinse and drain black beans, then add them over top of the chicken.

Add corn atop the beans

Add salsa atop the corn.

Cook on LOW 7-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours (Today was a rush, so I did 4 hours on HIGH)

During the last hour, shred the chicken with some forks and mix well.  It'll look something like this:

Serve with tortillas and rice. 

Garnish with sour cream, scallions, or whatever else your heart desires.

Verdict:  KEEPER! 

This will be a new staple in our household.  It was so easy to make, relatively healthy, and it made plenty for leftovers.  And you can trust me... these leftovers won't go bad in the fridge :)