Happy birthday to me!

Hi everyone!  Sorry no food blog tonight - well I guess I can blog about the amazing mousse cake the husband got me, but I'm too full! 

So happy happy birthday to me!  What should I look forward to in my 30's??

Salmon smothered in dijon mustard, dill....keep reading to find out more:)

Happy Wednesday, everyone!   Came out of work to an unexpected snow squall!  Home safe and sound and made a fabulous salmon dish like I've never made before:)  And it's also my last night cooking until Sunday, woohoo!  Not to rub it in or anything, and don't worry, I'll still blog:)

What you'll need:

• Pieces of salmon - I used one medium sized and one larger
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• any other seasonings you'd like - I used dill and Salmon seasoning (similar to cajun)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts - I used walnuts
• Pam spray

Preheat oven to 400.  Melt butter in a bowl in the microwave, and then mix in the dijon mustard.  Mix together the breadcrumbs, nuts, and seasonings in a separate bowl.  Place salmon pieces, skin side down, on foil and in a 9x13 baking pan, spraying the foil with Pam spray before putting the pieces down.  Season with salt and pepper.

Brush the mustard/butter mixture on the salmon pieces, then cover with the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake until salmon is cooked thru - for our 2 pieces is about 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

 

I lovedddd this recipe, one of the best "throw together" salmon recipes I've ever made!   While I was tasting the mustard, dill, and nuts especially, I was thinking how great it would probably taste with maple syrup too....that will be next, as I cook salmon a lot for us:)  I can already taste it!  Or maybe I just want pancakes....?

Have a great night everyone!  I'm off again to work up recipes for next week - any suggestions??

Pizzzzzzzzzzzza! And, what to make when you're only cooking for YOU!

Hi everyone!  There were no cards tonight as the husband is out to dinner with some friends.  So what did I eat for dinner...Wendy's!  I love Wendy's, and I've cut back immensely in eating fast food, but I just didn't feel like cooking something just for me tonight.

What do you all do when there's no husbands, kids, friends, etc to cook for and it's just you?  Do you cook something?  Eat out?  Eat a salad?  Eat just cheese and crackers (I've been known to do that), or does this not happen to you?  At this point, I can't wait to make salmon for both of us tomorrow night -  I missed cooking tonight, and really won't cook again after tomorrow until Sunday b/c of the bday...what will I do??

Before I realized I wanted to find out what you all do when you're the only one around to eat, I planned on blogging about this awesome pizza I had over the weekend, so here it goes!

Has anyone ever been to a restaurant numerous times, really enjoyed each meal you had, but then one time you have this meal that is unbelievable and you can't wait to either 1.  try to make it just like them or 2.  go have it again?  That was me this weekend!  We frequent La Cantina a lot, probably even too much, since there are so many other restaurants around us.  The husband always gets the Prime Rib because he says it's the best he's ever had, and if he doesn't get it, he'll regret it.  I usually get either the chicken or shrimp cacciatore, and sometimes chicken parm or even steak.  This was the first time I tried their pizza, and I went with a grilled chicken and carmelized onion pizza.  I usually get this type pizza at Bertucci's and never thought anything would beat it - this did it!  The crust where the toppings were was so thin, yet the crusty part at the end was thick, but fluffy, and yummy!  The red sauce was full of taste, with a sweetness to it that I loved!  YUM!  I wish I had some of those leftovers right now!

I just had to rave about this pizza!  What are you favorite types of pizzas?  Any special hints about how to make it well at home? 

Have a great night everyone!  I'm off to find recipes for next week and to figure out more "food card" ideas for the husband:)

The husband pulled the taco card!

Sooo...in the husband's Christmas stocking I included some food...one being a packet of taco seasoning.  I told the husband that, with one day's notice, he could pull the "taco card" and instead of making the "planned meal," I would make tacos instead, one of his, well ours, fave meals.  Out came the taco card Sunday after church!  So instead of chili cornbread casserole, tonight was taco night!

I have no special secret to tacos, I make them just as the package tells you to, making sure to grind up the meat into really really fine pieces. 

Does anyone have any taco secrets?  How do you make the shells?  How do you like yours?  I like mine with the meat, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and avocado...and sometimes taco sauce.

Does anyone else play any "food games" in regards to meals or meal planning?  Do you let your significant other and/or children pick meals for the week?  I love my menu, and like I've said, I don't deviate often, but it was fun to see the excitement when he pulled out the taco card:)  I'm thinking I'll do more of that stuff for V Day:)

This is a slow cooking week for me, as it is my bday week - the BIG 3-0! - and just some other stuff going on.  What else would you guys like to hear about?  Restaurant reviews?  Cookbook reviews?  My fave top chef(s)?  Let Chey know:)

Hope you all made it thru your Monday - 4 more days till the weekend!

And finally, coconut-chocolate chip-walnut induced crescent rolls!

A big thanks to this recipe http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/chocolate-coconut-and-pecan-crescent.html!  This is an amazing food blog that incorporates all different types of food, and makes it fun!

I had a canister of crescent rolls, butter flake flavored, by Pillsbury in the fridge, and since the husband and I were not thrilled with the taste of them alone when we had them with dinner one night this week, I decided they'd be perfect for when I made the above recipe.  That day was today - it's Sunday so a big cooking/baking day/relaxation day, the Patriots are doing awful, and chocolate is better than drinking on a Sunday;), and it's freezing cold outside here!   Again, thank you so much to For the Love of Cooking for being there and so creative:)

What you'll need:

• 1 canister of crescent rolls, any type/flavor you prefer - plain, butter flake, etc
• flaked coconut
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• nuts - I chose to use chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375.  Open the crescent roll canister and roll out the 8 individual rolls.  Don't you hate when they come out of the canister in a disarray?  I always wonder what the heck I'm doing wrong!

Anyways, as FTLOC states,  top each triangle with the coconut, choc chips, and nuts and roll as you would when making a regular crescent roll - since my crescent rolls didn't roll out as perfect triangles, they didn't roll up or look like crescent rolls, more like little puffs - there is no real specifc amount of the coconut, choc chips, and nuts, just as much as you'd like - a little, or so it's bursting out:)  I went the bursting out way, and whatever fell out when I rolled them up, I just put on top :)

 

 

You want to bake these until the top of the crescent roll is starting to brown (means the bottom is browned even more) - mine took 10 minutes.  I waited about 2 minutes until I tried one, and I didn't even top it with ice cream or whipped cream like I was planning to.  Look at the inside of this -

!!!!  I could've eaten all 8 right then and there, but I refrained - my dinner was cooking!   I can't wait to enjoy the other 6 later - I'll let the husband have 1;)  Just kidding of course:)

Thanks again to For the Love of Cooking!!  I can't wait to try these again with different type chips and nuts!!!  I'm in love!  Easiest dessert to make ever!

Oven Baked Roast Beef, made with Roasted Potatoes and Pearl Onions

If that appetizer didn't make you hungry, I think this will!  This is a recipe adapted from Everyday Food Cookbook called Roast Beef with Shallots and New Potatoes.  Instead of eye of round beef roast, I used a rump, and instead of shallots, pearl onions.  Taking a bite of the roast beef with the pearl onion was to die for and I'll definitely be making this my way again:)

You will need:

• 2 lbs of boneless roast beef, any cut - I used a rump
• 2 lbs of red potatoes (small size), cut in half
• one jar of pearl onions, drained
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  

Preheat oven to 400.  Toss the potatoes and onions in the oil on a rimmed baking sheet and then add as much salt and pepper as you'd like.  Move the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the roast beef, turning it over in the oil.  Add salt and pepper, or any other seasoning, to the roast beef as a rub.

Bake in the oven until a meat thermometer reaches atleast 130 degrees (this would be for medium rare-to medium), stirring the vegetables a couple of times.  I cooked ours until it reached 140 degrees, which was 1 hour.  Remove, and cover with a tin foil tent to keep warm.  Let the meat sit for atleast 30 minutes before slicing.

Look at that!  Look at those potatoes - a nice, mildly crispy outside with the softest inside ever.   The onions do end up tasting a tad bit burnt, but that flavor, again mixed with a bite of the meat, is unbelievable! 

Slice as thick or thin as you'd like and serve with the potatoes, onions, and anything else you'd like. 

This was one of the easiest meals I've made in a long time, nevermind so full of flavor and taste, just with very few ingredients.  I topped my meat with beef gravy, the husband had some with gravy, some with horseradish mustard, and some with Worcestershire sauce.  A meal like this will work for everyone in your family because they can kick up the beef however they like:)

Is it time for dessert yet???  This first though:

I'll take it!  Dessert can wait!

Make sure to come back for the dessert post coming soon!!!  I hope you're enjoying today's blogs and it will inspire you to make a 3 course meal just like this one this week!

Delectable Baked Coconut Shrimp Appetizer...to be followed by....

Hi everyone!  I'm here!  Sorry for not posting yesterday - I took a pamper-Chey-day, and we went out with friends last night, so I had no time!  Today, you're in store for three wonderful posts/recipes - app/dinner/dessert!  I hope you enjoy them:)  I have to say I missed you all yesterday and don't think I'll take another pamper-Chey-day for awhile;)

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Apricot Sauce (or you could make any kind of sauce you'd like:))

I used to buy these at the store, or get them as an app at a restaurant and wonder how it was done.  Well now I know how I can make them:)  This comes from one of my fave cookbooks, and also the first one ever given to me, many years ago - Betty Crocker's Cookbook :)

You will need:

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• dash of crushed red pepper (or more in my case = see other posts about the husband's affection to CRP
• 1 lg egg
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 lb, or whatever amount you would like, of uncooked peeled deveined medium shrimp, which is about 40 - you can also whatever size of shrimp you'd like 
• 2 tbsp butter of Pam butter spray

For the apricot sauce you will need:

• 3/4 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp ground mustard

First, you'll want to make the apricot sauce as you'll want to chill it before serving.

Three ingredients, I love it!!  Mix all ingredients in a 1-quart saucepan.  Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until preserves are melted and no longer clumpy.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.

Now the fun part - and I say fun because if you have kids they could definitely help you with this...I also say because it gets quite messy!

Heat oven to 425.  If you have a broiler pan, you'll want to spray the rack in the broiler pan with cooking spray.  If you're like me and you do not have a broiler pan, just spray a baking sheet with the cooking spray.  What I do is I preheat the oven to 425, then when I'm ready to start cooking the coconut shrimp, I change the setting to broiler and let it cook on that setting until the coconut starts to brown.  Then, I turn it back to 425 and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm.

Mix flour, brown sugar, salt, and CRP in a shallow bowl.  Whisk egg and lime juice in another shallow bowl, and then place coconut on a plate or in a third shallow bowl.

Coat each shrimp with the flour mixture, then dip it into the egg mixture, and then coat well with the coconut.  Place on the rack in your broiler pan, drizzle or spray with butter, and bake 7-8 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.  OR, if you're like Cheycancook, you will place the shrimp on your butter-sprayed baking sheet, spray the tops of them with the butter spray, and cook on the broiler setting about 4 minutes, again until the coconut starts to brown, and then switch the oven setting back to bake at 425 and continue to bake another 4-6 minutes, again until the shrimp are pink and firm.

 

Don't be scared by how brown the coconut gets - it's not burnt, nor does it taste burnt in anyway.  It tastes delicious!  Also, don't be scared at how messy your fingers will get :)

Including the time to de-shell the shrimp if you've bought them still shelled and with the tails like I did, prep time is about 20-30 minutes, and bake time is right around or under 10 minutes.  Definitely worth the time and effort!  I even sometimes make this as a meal for the husband and I, but use the Jumbo Shrimp instead.  I served these with the chilled apricot sauce and they were gone in a flash!  I only had 2 (there were 4 of us eating them)!  Just a note, everytime I make these there is always a ton of leftover apricot sauce, not because it's not delicious, just because it makes so much.  I would definitely recommend either only making the sauce with a 1/2 cup preserves, or chill it in two separate dishes, so that way you can serve the shrimp with one, and if you run out, you have a backup; and if you don't run out, save it for another time or dish:)  As Melissa at http://sunlight-simplicity.blogspot.com/ recommended, I bet this sauce would be great on turkey tips!

 

 

I hope you'll come back tonight for a Roast Beef dinner recipe and a fun dessert recipe I came across on another great blog this week (to be posted later).  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!  Is it as cold where you are as it is here?  Is the football as disappointing in your area as it is here right now??

Talk to you later:)