What To Do With Fish

I know that fish is a really good choice for a meal. Have you ever noticed, however, that it's all about what you put ON the fish that influences how good it tastes. I was playing around in the kitchen last week, wanting to use what I had on hand for the meal and this is what I created.

Fun Fish in One Dish

2 Mahi Mahi Fish Fillets (frozen or fresh)

2 c. Mashed Potatoes (real or instant)

1 pkg frozen broccolli florets

Salt n pepper

Old Bay spice

Nature Seasoning

BBQ potato chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag

My mashed potatoes were from leftovers I froze but you could make them

fresh or instant. I spread those on the bottom of the baking dish. Then I laid

the two fish fillets (Sams Frozen), still partially frozen on top of the potatoes.

I filled the outside of the dish with frozen broccolli. I put some thin butter

shavings on top of the fish followed by salt, pepper, Nature's Seasoning and

Old Bay Seasoning. At this point you could also squeeze fresh lemon or lime.

I sprinkled a little grated cheese on top of the broccolli ( you could use any kind)

and popped it in the oven on 375 for 40 minutes. Keep in mind that the fish

was still a little frozen. About 10 minutes before it was done, I sprinkled the

BBQ Potato Chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag on top of the fish.

The two of us could not finish it all but the leftovers were tasty as well.

Enjoy!!

Cake For A Happy Day

As a newlywed nearly 35 years ago my husband and I went to a church function where they served a cake that is still to this day the best cake I've ever put in my mouth. It makes you want to put on a happy face, do a happy dance and happily not worry about the calories - not because there aren't any, but just because you don't even care. So here I'm sharing my beloved recipe with you!

Happy Day Cake (that's the real name I got for it 35 years ago)

Mix together:

2 1/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

Add:

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla (I add a little extra)

2 eggs

Blend briefly and then mix for no more than 2 min.

Bake at 375 for 25 - 35 min. You can use a 9x13 cake pan or make into cupcakes. I only baked mine 25 min. Avoid over baking. Start checking at 25 min. - when toothpick comes out clean from the center - it's done.

Penucha Frosting

Melt together:

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

Boil for 2 minutes

Add:

1/4 cup milk (it will sizzle and almost smell burnt)

Boil again until mixed and all one color.

Cool to lukewarm

Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Pour/spread over cake right away.

HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY

Low Cal Something for the New Year

You may be continuing or starting your "healthier lifestyle" here in January. I stumbled on an idea in the kitchen the other day that actually turned out well. Sometimes they don't. nuff said :)

Vegetable Salad Surprise came about this way....BTW, any made up recipe of mine is always titled the "something, something? SURPRISE" just because it makes it sound like a culinary adventure. I'm a legend in my own mind. Ha Ha!

I had some peppers that were not so long term healthy and needed to be eaten. I was feeling too short on time and lazy to prepare lettuce for a salad. So, I cut up the red and green peppers into bite size pieces, cut cucumber slices into 1/4's and threw them into a bowl. Then I added some homemade salsa (Pioneer Woman's recipe) and tossed it around. It looked good just like that but my menopausal taste buds generally scream for alot of flavor. So I added some Sundried Tomato and Parmesan salad dressing - just a dash or two - and mixed it all up. I added some spicy pepper just to make sure the "buds" were going to jump for joy...and whahla!!!!

Vegetable Salad Surprise!!!

Very tasty and very low calorie!!! The next night I took what was left over topped my salad with it. A flavorful reprise and no wasting produce - YES!!!

Transforming Green Beans

Well, a green bean is just that. There are some ways to dress them up, casserole them, pudge them but in the end they're still just - a green bean. Last night, however, I stumbled upon a really good enhancement. Like most of my cooking, it was easy and something I did on a whim.

Yummy Green Beans

Pour a bag of frozen whole green beans (Pictsweet) into a shallow baking dish. Add a few pats of butter on top. Place two beef bouillon cubes on top and a little salt and pepper. If I had had some almonds on hand I would have thrown them in. Cover with foil and bake on 350 for about an hour. They're going to be smooshy not crisp.

It doesn't sound like much but they got rave reviews. I would definitely make them this way again. I'm actually posting this for you so I can remember what I did.

Freestyle cooking - you gotta love it!!!

Fall into Chilly/Chili

Well, it was in the 50's this morning in Nashville. Fall is in the air. YEAH!! With a record number of 90 plus days this year I don't know anyone who is not ready for some cooler weather. Yesterday I planned to make a crockpot full of chili. The plan was to have it for lunch/dinner during the afternoon and evening of football that I knew would be streaming through our flats screen. A pleasant surprise influx of daughters, son-in-laws and granddog handily polished off the chili, leaving a mere cup container for leftovers. It was wonderful and fun to have everyone in the house and my heart was overflowing.

I had a little moment as I pulled a blank recipe card from the cupboard. My mom had given them to me umpteen years ago and somehow there are still blank ones floating around my recipe box. My mom is gone now and I miss her. I handed the card to Jill, who wanted my Chili recipe, letting her know that she was getting a bonus in having the card that came from her Grandma.

and the recipe that is mine. She smiled.

So here it is....enjoy.

Betsy's Chili - A big crockpot full!!

2 lbs. ground beef, browned with onion to taste

2 large cans tomato sauce

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 can Rotel

1 can each, undrained; kidney beans, black beans, great northern beans

2 packets Chili Seasoning mix

Hot sauce to taste or omit if you're a wimp

The secret is to cook on high for several hours, stirring to keep it from sticking to bottom, then reduce to low/warm and cook UNCOVERED to let it thicken and the flavors meld together.

Simple and delicious!!

An Italian Hoop-de-doo Recipe

I LOVE HAVING DAUGHTERS!!!!! I REALLY LOVE HAVING DAUGHTERS!!!!!!!!!

The reasons are endless but just look at them. There wild and wonderful and

THEY ARE MINE!!

One of the great things about daughters is all the things you can share. From closets to secrets to health and beauty ideas. And certainly recipes!

Here's one I made for my Monday night Bible study group this week. I got it from Julie (far right) who lives in Colorado. A good recipe exchange is only a phone call or email away between the two of us.

Not only did it smell fabulous and look beautiful - it tasted GREAT!! The best part is I made it the night before and then put it in the oven from the fridge. So easy!!

Here's what you need:

2 cans petite diced tomatoes (you can use the flavored kind if you want)

1 bag of chopped frozen spinach in the bag not the box

1 bag of frozen ravioli - meat or cheese; colored or not

2 cups of fresh grated parmesan cheese (grate your own or buy the tub, DON'T use the canned kind)

Fresh or dried basil, S&P, fresh or jar minced garlic, oregano

Here's what you do:

Pour first can of tomatoes in the bottom of a cake pan. Add garlic. Sprinkle chopped spinach over that. Salt and pepper generously. Lay the ravioli over that. Take 1/2 the parm cheese that you have mixed with basil and oregano. Spread it on top of the frozen ravioli. Then just repeat the layers. Tomatoes/garlic/s&p/spinach/ravioli/cheese. Put some diced fresh tomatoes on top if you have some. Drizzle a lot of olive oil over the whole thing. Either bake immediately or refrigerate and then bake.

We served it with a nice soft loaf of French bread and dipping oil.

There was not a spec left. Delicious and I'm thinking pretty healthy too!!

Cooking Surprise

I'm making it my motto to think differently in the kitchen. I'm so bored with the same old meals, made the same old way. Even the simple meals can use a little refreshing. Tonight I decided to make quesadillas. A good idea came to me as I perused what was available in my kitchen. Here's the outcome.

Brown 1 pound of ground beef on med.high heat. While its cooking sprinkle a packet of taco mix over the meat. Add frozen pepper/onion mix to taste. Add a tablespoon or two of salsa as it cooks. Let it cook on med. high until pink is gone from the meat. It will be "saucy".

Get out your Pizza Pizazz. If you don't have this counter top appliance, go to Wal Mart and buy one. It's about $50 but worth every penny. You'll use it over and over for everything from pizza to tuna melts to heating leftovers that need to be crispy. Maybe put it on your Christmas list. I've given all my girls one from year to year.

Spray oil on the first tortilla and place it oil side down on the pizazz. Spread the tortilla with a small amount of sour cream. Then layer grated cheese, seasoned meat, cheese and the second tortilla. Spray the top of the tortilla so it will get crispy. The great thing about the pizazz is that it cooks from the top and bottom at the same time.

When the quesadilla is browned and crisp, slide it onto a plate with a spatula. Let sit for a minute or so and then cut with a pizza cutter. Serve with salsa and sour cream. DELICIOUSO!!!

Add frozen chopped onion, frozen onion/pepper mix,taco seasoning and salsa to your list of things to keep stocked in your kitchen.

Your Cooking Will Love You Back

Here's my list of staple items to always have on hand if you want explore free style cooking. I'm going to skip normal things like Ketchup. Mustard etc. You can get all of the following items at the grocery store.

WARNING: They are not all healthy but they are all tasty. You can apply your own good choices to how to use them.

Balsamic Vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar

Olive oil

Sesame oil

Minced Garlic (in the jar)

Cocktail sauce

Chili Sauce

Tabasco

Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce (Publix)

Cooking Wines - White, Marsala, Sherry etc.

Worcestershire Sauce

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

Taco Season Packets

Meat Marinade Packets

Brown Gravy Mix

Parmesan Cheese

Sunflower Seed nuts

Parsley Flakes

Slivered or slices almonds

Mr. Pepper (Publix)

Montreal Steak - use it on chicken too and lots more

Lemon Pepper

Old Bay Seasoning

Cumin

Basil

Rosemary

Garlic powder/salt

Chicken and beef bouillon

Cream of Chicken soup

Cream of Mushroom Soup

You've probably already thought of this tip - Sauté onions in a couple tbs. of butter on Med heat. As they are cooking, sprinkle some season salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce in as they cook. They'll get a tasty glaze on them. Put them over the top of chicken or beef.

Cooking

I'm choosing to call these entries "Cooking" rather than "recipes" because I'd like the freedom to just explore the whole idea of cooking. Sometimes I'll share non-recipes. Other times things like a list of things to always have on hand in your kitchen. Still others may explore how to really enjoy cooking - it's a choice I'm making lately.

So here's the first non-recipe. A non-recipe is something I made in my kitchen that is totally made from what I had on hand. This is something I've been doing more and more lately and almost every time it's turned out great.

Being a good cook is a combination of knowing recipes enough to learn what sauces and spices can be interchanged with various meats and sides. Sometimes recipes shouldn't be messed with and sometimes they should be thrown out altogether for the thrill of adventure. It's FUN!!!

Hope you are needing some additional FUN like I am. So go for it!!!

Fish Non-Recipe

4-5 Talapia fillets [you can use another kind of fish, mine were bought frozen &were paritally frozen when I started cooking]

I took about 3 T. of butter, 1-2 tsp. of minced garlic (jar) and melted it on Med. heat in fry pan.

I added some lemon pepper seasoning and some salt and let it get a little bubbly in the fry pan.

Then I added about 3 T. of cocktail sauce and stirred it good.

I set the fillets in the sauce and rolled them over once to coat.

When the edges were turning white I flipped them over, coating again, and then flipped them once more and let them continue to cook on Med. heat until they were all white.

For just a minute before serving, I cranked the heat up to Med High and let the sauce turn into more of a glaze on the fish. No right or wrong way to do that....just try it for yourself.

I served the fish with green beans that I steamed after drizzling with a bit sesame oil (you can use olive oil) and Teriyaki sauce (I like Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce/Publix). Also added some minced garlic and onion in there. Steam until they are the softness you like - smooshy or tender crisp. Once again - no right or wrong - you get to choose. I tossed with a few sunflower nuts before serving.

I was choosing no carbs that day so I decided to forgo the rice but it sure would have tasted great with this.

Dave was very complimentary about this one.

You brave enough to try this kind of cooking?