Mrs. Dash Tilapia

Today's post will be a short one. Well, because, it's a short recipe, and it doesn't have a background story. I turn to this recipe when: I want to be healthy, I want to be quick, and I didn't plan ahead. I open my freezer, pull out the frozen fish, soak in cold water for a few minutes, and we're ready to go. Tilapia is an easy fish to make taste yummy and, when bought in bulk, can be cheap and available for a last minute kind of day.

Mrs. Dash Tilapia Ingredients:

capful of Mrs. Dash Onion and Herb seasoning

Tilapia filets

3 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. butter

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.

Sprinkle each side of tilapia with Mrs. Dash seasoning.

Cook in butter until sides turn white, flip and continue cooking until cooked though.

Tilapia is done when flakes easily with a fork.

Mrs. Dash is a salt-free seasoning, however, I do add some salt at the end. Can't help it!!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

As I said in an earlier post...sweet potatoes are currently priced at ten cents a pound. I think that qualifies it as the cheapest side dish known to man kind. And as my hubby and I are approaching a big life decision (more on that later), cheap is mattering to me right now!

These roasted sweet potatoes are perfect alongside fish or chicken. I always have to tie my hands to let them bake the needed amount of time, and it is so worth it! They're so tempting, I've eaten them while they're still crunchy just to satisfy my want...no self control man, no self control.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Ingredients

sweet potatoes (as many as you desire)

salt

olive oil

cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and dice potatoes into small chunks...aim for equal size chunks.

Spread on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and toss with hands to coat.

Season generously with salt and pepper.

Roast in 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sweet potatoes will be done when fork tender.

Hint to remember...I always wish I would have made more, so go overboard!

The Best Bread Pudding

Really! That's its name! And I have to agree with Paula Deen on this one. I never thought I'd enjoy bread pudding, but this one takes the cake and also opened up a love of all bread pudding for me. I think the delectable part of the recipe is the resemblance it has to my favorite sweet potato casserole recipe. Speaking of that, I'll need to make and blog about that casserole...especially since sweet potatoes are priced at 10 cents a pound right now! Both contain a brown sugar, butter, and pecan topping that literally melts in your mouth. Paula Deen's original recipe calls for double the sugar that I use..and mine is plenty plenty sweet, and I also add more bread cubes. To make a tasty "breakfast for dinner," I combine this with scrambled eggs and ham. It's great as a dessert too!

The Best Bread Pudding Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

5 large eggs

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups cubed Italian bread, staled overnight

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 stick butter, softened

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

Beat eggs. Add granulated sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix well.

Pour over cubed bread and let sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together brown sugar, butter, and pecans.

(I use a pastry blender.)

Pour bread mixture into prepared pan.

Sprinkle brown sugar mixture over the top and bake for 35 to 45 minutes.

So stop throwing your old bread away and give this dish a try!

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Not your average cheese ball. This one is sweet, rather than savory, and is a pleaser for kids to adults! I keep telling myself that it is my new favorite dessert to take to gatherings. However, next time my husband goes out of town for work, I'm heading to the store for the ingredients! Every girl needs a little splurge!

Ingredients:

1 pkg. 8oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup butter
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbs. brown sugar
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips plus extra for coating
graham crackers, chocolate graham crackers, vanilla wafers or animal crackers for dipping

Beat softened cream cheese, butter, & vanilla until creamy.

Slowly add sugars until blended.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Place mixture on piece of cling wrap and wrap to form ball.

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Remove cling wrap and roll ball in remaining mini chocolate chips.

Serve with your choice of dippers. I enjoy animal crackers!

I had to throw in a picture of the Tinkster licking/attacking my face!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Two and a half years ago I moved to the Saint Louis area, not realizing that the three hour difference between here and Kansas City would hold so many differences (in terms of food).

Here are a few:

*You do not use the word "pop," here it's "soda."

*Of all the hundreds of restaurants surrounding us, there is not one that compares to the Mexican food in KC, none, and I do cry about this.

*Pizza is a whole different ball game around here, thin like a cracker and located at every block.

*White Castle isn't trashy in STL.

*And one of the best discoveries I've made was this Buffalo Chicken Dip. Maybe it was made in KC and I was living in a bubble, but once I learned about this, I was in heaven!

Buffalo Chicken Dip Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup Ranch dressing

1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese

(For this recipe I use low fat and fat free when possible, just so I can justify pigging out.)

Salt and pepper chicken, cook in 2 Tbsp. hot olive oil (EVOO) until cooked through.

Chop chicken into small chunks.

Mix together softened cream cheese, ranch, and wing sauce until combined.

Stir in shredded cheeses and chicken.

Pour into 8 x 8 baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips.

A great alternative to buffalo wings, especially if you don't enjoy the bones!

:)

Taco Soup

Taco soup is something I've wanted to try for a long time (and chicken tortilla soup, but that's for a different day). I found this recipe on Tasty Kitchen, a group website created by the much popular Pioneer Woman. It was delicious, comforting, and made a ton! Next time around, I plan on sticking a bowl in the freezer for one of my lazy nights!

Taco Soup Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained

1 can, 28 oz. crushed tomatoes

1 package taco seasoning

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can chili beans, with sauce

2 cups frozen corn kernels

3 cups chicken broth

Step 1. Dump all in a pot and simmer 30ish minutes.

The end.

I love easy meals.

Topping ideas:

Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, green onions, cilantro

This recipe made me fall in love with Fritos again, I had forgotten about their salty goodness.

Load it up and...yum!

Chocolate Pecan Gooey Pie

This pie is the easiest pie to ever make...and the most delicious! I would describe it as cookie dough in a pie crust. The best of both cookie and pie worlds! My step-mother-in-law, wonderful cook and baker, shared this recipe after I made my love of it obviously known. It makes two pies, freezes beautifully, and takes about 10 minutes to throw together. One of mine is going to a pot-luck at work tomorrow and one will spend three or so days in the freezer before making an appearance for Thanksgiving dessert.

Chocolate Pecan Gooey Pie

Ingredients:

4 eggs

2 sticks butter-softened

1 cup flour

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

2 cups chopped pecans

2 deep dish frozen pie crusts

Slightly beat eggs. Beat in butter, flour, and sugar.

Blend in vanilla, chocolate chips, and pecans.



Pour in the two deep dish pie shells. Bake at 325 degrees for 50 minutes.

I would show you a picture of the inside, but I don't think a half eaten pie would look very good on a buffet table!

Date Night Fondue

The day my husband asked me to marry him, our engagement night, he topped off his extravagant plans with a trip to the Melting Pot and our first experience with fondue. Um...we were hooked! He couldn't get enough of the cheese fondue and I wanted to pack the chocolate fondue into my purse to take home with me...not that there was any left! Needless to say, I knew I had to make a drastically cheaper version at home.

I first tried this recipe I adapted from Rachael Ray's Cheese Fondue to make a yummy birthday surprise for my hubby. Since then it has been our go-to date night for the last two years. It is delicious, filling, romantic, and a fun experience! This particular recipe (and the only one I've tried due to not wanting to mess with a good thing) calls for Gruyere cheese. It's a little on the expensive side (13 bucks for a hunk of it), but still not too bad when compared to a night out. Pair it with an assortment of dippers...and you are set!

Date Night Fondue

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1 cup dry white wine

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

3 cups shredded Gruyere cheese

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon Kirsch

Ground Pepper

Nutmeg

We don't have Kirsch, so I rely on Blaneys, which is an Irish cream, white wine, and whiskey liquor...or so the bottle tells me.

Beautiful, expensive shredded cheese. We have to make sure the cheese isn't processed like Velveeta, but natural, like Parmigiano Reggiano.

Crush the garlic clove, peel, and rub all around fondue pot. Add white wine and lemon juice.

Heat over low heat until just simmering.

Gradually add cheese and stir in a figure-8 until melted smoothly.

Mix the Kirsh and cornstarch and add to cheese mixture.

Season with freshly ground pepper and nutmeg, cook for at least 3 more minutes.

Some of the frequent dippers!

Yummy...makes me think of my stretchy pants just looking at it!

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Desserts are a fave, baked apples are a fave, icing fave, reading blogs are a fave...win, win, win, win with this recipe. Monica over at Lick The Bowl Good posted this on her blog and I knew it was a must-try. I'll admit, hopes were not high as I slid it into the oven. This was the thickest batter I have ever seen. I spent the entire bake time rereading the recipe trying to figure out where I had went wrong. It was such a relief to pull out this pretty cake and enjoy a home smelling of cooked apples. I think the glaze is what makes this cake though!

Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

Cake:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Glaze:

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 Tbsp. heavy cream (I think you could just use milk!)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-9 inch pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combing the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light in color and foamy.

Add the oil and vanilla and beat well.

Stir in the flour mixture with a spoon until just combined.

Add the apples and nuts and stir to mix in.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake 40-45 minutes until toothpick insterted into center comes out clean.

While warm prepare the glaze.

Combine all glaze ingredients in saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until mixture comes to a gentle boil.

Cook for 3-5 minutes.

Pour glaze over warm cake.

Delish!

Cheeseburger Pie

Biquick names it "Impossible Easy Cheeseburger Pie" and, while I don't know if I would take it that far, it is simple to make and satisfies a comfort food craving!

I like to save this recipe for when I come home from work and am dumbfounded at what to make for dinner. I have this wonderful husband who likes to skip lunch for some reason that is at a complete loss to me. Who would willingly skip a meal? I'm not one of those, that's for sure! When I walk in the door, I am faced with hopeful eyes that I can save the day and feed his hungry stomach! But am I complaining? Absolutely not! I actually had to teach him to depend on me for dinner and I wouldn't trade it for anything! :) Nathan willingly cleared the pan and informed me that I could make this weekly...thanks for the permission hun!

Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie

From Bisquick

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. In skillet brown beef with chopped onion, drain. Stir in salt.

Spread in pie plate and top with shredded cheese.

Stir Bisquick mix, milk, and eggs in medium bowl until blended.

Pour on top of beef and cheese.

(Looks appetizing, huh??)

Bake about 25-30 minutes until knife inserted into center comes out clean.

Yummy finished product! Love me some Bisquick (so much we buy it in bulk)!