Fast 15 Minute Dinner: Mustard Caper Baked Tilapia

What do you call a fish with a tie?
Sofishticated.

Yesterday, I went on a long bike ride and the husband went on a run, so we both got home exhausted.  Ok, what to do for dinner.....

We had some tilapia in the fridge and decided on a quick mustard caper sauce versus a lemon pepper something or other.  (I think we were both craving salt)  No matter.  This is a great flavorful recipe that can be executed from start to table in about 15 minutes (awesome).  We served ours up with some sauteed okra, but this would also be good with some cheesy rice if you have the time.

Here's what you need:
2 pieces of tilapia
1 teaspoon of grainy mustard
2-3 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of drained capers
1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic
a couple of splashes of white wine or about 3-4 tablespoons
2-3 teaspoons of fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
fresh squeezed lemon juice to taste

Fast and Tasty White Cheddar Poblano Bacon Spread

What happened after an explosion at a cheese factory?
All that was left was de brie.

Dips, and Chips, and Spreads oh my!

We had the most fantastic white cheddar poblano pimento cheese at a local restaurant.  This is a spin off version, with our good friend Bacon added.  Delicious.  Poblanos are very mild peppers, so for an extra kick we threw in some hot sauce.  This spread is great on pita chips or anything with a good crunch.

As we were tasting (snacking, and basically eating) this spread, I thought this would also make a delicous cheese ball or log (since it is so thick).  You could roll the spread into a ball or log (or any other shape), then roll the outside in any number of things...like candied walnuts for example...hello yummzerness!  The best part, it can be whipped up in a matter of a couple minutes and ready to serve.

Here's what you need:
1 8-ounce package of extra sharp white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of real mayo (I like Duke's)
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard (I like Mille's)
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt, there's bacon after all)
1/2 poblano
3-4 tablespoons of crumbled bacon
hot sauce to taste

Pineapple Fruit Salad

Why can't a bicycle stand up by itself?
Because it's two-tired.

Mmmmm.  Summer fruit salad.  Yumzers.

We had the pleasure of going to the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center last night for jazz on the lawn.  So great, you pack a picnic and some wine and sit on the front lawn listening to music.  The perfect summer night activity.

The group last night was the Ted Howe Trio featuring vocalist Karla Harris performing "The Music of James Bond".  Needless to say, it was awesome.

Among other delicious things that were packed (roasted chicken, fresh grape tomatoes, french bread, brie, salt and vinegar chips, humus), I also made a Pineapple Fruit Salad.  This is best made the day before, so that the fruit can sit and become juicy buddies with each other.

Here's what you need:
1 1/2 cups of blueberries
1 peach
1 naval orange
1 small pineapple

Quick and Easy Peanut Butter Brownies

Two peanuts were walking down the road...
Then, one was assaulted.

Mmmmm.....brownies.....mmmMmmm crunchy peanut butter...

My buddy needed to make brownies for a competition at work, so she came over and we tried a couple of different recipes.  We used box mixes and then added different stuff (like caramel and peanut butter) to them.  The peanut butter ones were by far the best.

Today, I thought I would try a made from scratch version.  If you are feelin' extra lazy, just get a brownie fudge box mix and do the last peanut butter steps shown here.

Here's What You Need:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
3/4 cup of sugar
1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter, melted
2/3 cup of all purpose flour
3/4 cup of ground cocoa
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter, melted

Trout and Goat Cheese Bites with Spinach and Aged Balsamic

A man walks into a fish and chip shop, with a trout under his arm...
He says to the man behind the counter "Do you sell fishcakes?"
"Yes" replies the man.
"Good" says the man nodding towards the trout under his arm, "cause it's his birthday today!"

Every once and a while it is good to step up your fancyness factor for a week night dinner (or a party).  I found that this can be achieved as easily as simply making an extra special appetizer.

We had a piece of leftover trout to cook up and that is definitely not enough for two people to eat for dinner.  Although,  1 piece of trout with get you plenty of yummy appetizer bites.  We also had a refrigerated pie crust, so I decided to use that for the "crackers".  Mmmm, flaky deliciousness.

Here's what you need (makes a total of 15 bites):
1 piece of trout
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 a fresh lemon for juice squeezing
1 refrigerated pie crust
4-ish tablespoons of plain goat cheese
15-30 leaves of baby spinach
2-3 teaspoons of aged balsamic vinegar

Homemade Applesauce

What kind of apple has a short temper?
A crab apple.

Oh my, oh my, oh my.  Homemade applesauce is delicious.

I actually ended up making this for breakfast this morning.  There are some days when a warm meal in the morning is just comforting.  I had steel-cut oatmeal yesterday so I thought this applesauce might be a welcome change.

The advantage of making applesauce yourself is that you control what goes into it.  You can play around with different types of apples, to cinnamon or not to cinnamon, or even the texture.  This is a pretty classic tasting applesauce with a little cinnamon and orange juice for flavor.

Here's what you need (for about 2-3 cups worth):
2 Fuji apples, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 cups of water
1/3 cup of orange juice
2-3 dashes of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of sugar
2 dashes of salt

Roasted Lemon Basil Shrimp With Angle Hair

What did the lemon say to the lime?
Sour you doin'?

Scrimps! Yay!

Do you say shrimp or scrimps?  I like to call them scrimps, maybe it's a southern thing, maybe I am just a weirdo...awww....let's go with it's a southern thang. 

Summer is such a great time for light and flavorful dishes.  This is a super easy roasted lemon basil shrimp recipe (say that fiver times fast) that works great over pasta, but you could probably put the dish over fresh spinach or rice as well.  Husband added red pepper flakes to his (which is always a good idea, if you like that sort of thing).  The best part, you can get this sucker on the table in under 30 minutes.  Bamzers.

Here's what you need (we made extra, so you could prob serve 3-4 people with this):
1 pound of shrimp
1 lemon, using zest and juice
8 or so tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
handful of fresh basil leaves
6 or so little sweet peppers
handful or so of grape or cherry tomatoes
angel hair pasta
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of white vinegar

All Juiced Up With Avocado

What did one avocado say to the other?
Nothing; avocados can't talk.

I have a confession.

I've been juicing this week.

Healthy Juice! (please, I have enough muscles.)  This is a great way to re-set your body.  I am currently doing a 7-day Juicing program, but I'm not being super strict with it.  For example, last night I was so hungry that I wanted to chew on my own arm, so I decided to make some roasted broccoli and watered down broth soup.  This morning (Day 3) I am feeling much better.  Way less likely to try and eat everything in sight.

This is one of the juice recipes that I have been using.  You don't have to go crazy and try and replace all your meals with juicing, but why not try incorporating it as your lunch or breakfast a couple days a week?

Here's what you need:
Juicer
2 apples (anything but granny smith)
1 lime
1/2 of a small pineapple or 1/4 of a large one
piece of cucumber or zucchini
Blender
1/2 avocado
ice

Lemon Thyme Baked Salmon and Sauteed Garlic Lemon Kale

What did the fish say when he posted bail?
I'm off the hook!

Deliciousususususuususususussss.....

I must have been on some kind of Thyme-Lemon kick the other day, because in addition to the tasty Raspberry Lemon Thyme Smash we also had this beauty for dinner.

This is my new favorite way to cook salmon.  It came out absolutely flaky, moist and delicious.  Since outside has been full of rain, grilling was not an option.  Into the oven dinner goes! (or on the stove-top if your name is Kale).

Healthy, somewhat fast (under 40 minutes), and warm.

Here's what you need (for 2 people):
For the Salmon:
1 big ol piece of salmon
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest
1/3-1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
For the Kale:
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of garlic, chopped/minced
2-3 large handfuls of kale
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Raspberry Lemon Thyme Smash (A cocktail to get you smashed...)

What do Raspberries like to do after work?
They have jam sessions.

Occasionally, we like to have cocktail hour at our house.  This is a tasty, did I say TASTY, summer cocktail that uses some fresh berries and a pinch of herbs from the garden (yay garden!).

Here's what you need (per cocktail):
6 raspberries
some thyme from the garden
ice
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of simple syrup
2-3 tablespoons of gin

Not Your Mama's Pasta Salad

What do you call a fake noodle?
An impasta!

Nooodles!  Noodle, Noodle, Noodle.

Yesterday, I read a cute quote on Pinterest.  "If anyone ever tells you your dreams are silly, remember, there's some millionaire walking around who invented the pool noodle."  Cute, right?  There is a great (and short) article about the inventor of the pool noodle (Steve Hartman) here by Robert Osborne.

But, back to the edible kinds of noodles....

I love a tasty pasta salad.  This one is quick and easy, a perfect lunch option for those with little time.  I used some Ramen whole wheat noodles because they were on hand and they cook fast (like under 4 minutes!).  Looking over the fridge, I found some kale, tomatoes and feta, and BAMZERS there was lunch.

Here's what you need:
1 pack of Ramen (I used Hakubaku Organic Ramen Noodles from World Market, comes with 3 packs)
some cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large handful of chopped kale
some plain feta crumbles
1-2 teaspoons of aged Balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Blueberry Blackberry Lemon Bread

Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Army.
Army who?
Army and you still going for ice cream?

Blueberry Blackberry Lemon Bread.  Say that three times fast.

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to receive some fresh picked blueberries from my buddy Whitt.  Hopefully this recipe will do her berries justice.

So many delicious things are made with blueberries: pie, cobbler, crisp, muffins, cake, fruit salad, smoothies, Gin cocktails, or just straight up.  I decided to go with a bread (the thicker bigger version of a muffin).  We picked up some blackberries on sale at Kroger and lots of lemons....mmm....berries and lemon....add sugar and you've got a party for your mouth. 

Here's what you need (for 2 loaves, one for you, one to share):
3 cups of blueberries and blackberries
3 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
12 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 cups of sugar, plus 2/3 cups of sugar for glaze
4 eggs
4 teaspoons of lemon peel
1 cup of milk
7 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Easy Roasted Fresh Grape Tomatoes with Basil

What did the pizza say to the tomato?
Don't get saucy with me!

I am so excited about our garden this year.  The tomatoes and basil coming out of it has been absolutely f'in beautimous.

The rain let up for just a few minutes today and I was able to sneak out to harvest.  There is absolutely nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables straight from the garden.  I think in the everyday hustle and bustle, a lot of Americans have lost sight of growing their own food.  Even if you just plant a couple of things, you are doing a world of wonderfullness for your body.

This is a quick recipe that packs some delicious taste.  Easy, easy, easy.

Here's what you need (the amounts are totally on you a 2 to 1 ratio of tomatoes to basil):
Cherry or grape tomatoes (preferably from your garden)
a handful or so of fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

Whole Wheat Berry Layered French Toast

Jokes about fruit aren't berry nice.

If you know me, you know how much I love, love, love french toast.  We pulled some great strawberries out of our garden the other day, so I decided to mix those with some raspberries and blueberries to make this bright summer Berry Layered French Toast.

I used whole wheat bread here, but whatever type of semi-stale bread you have on hand would work fine (I'm sure there are prettier looking breads that could be used).

The berries complement the eggy bread just so, and when dished up hot out of the oven, this breakfast just screams pour some sugar (or syrup) on me.

Here's what you need:
1 to 1 1/2 cups of fresh berries (any combo you feel like)
1 tablespoon of sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup of milk
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla
4 slices of whole wheat toast (or whatever bread you have on hand)
1 teaspoon of butter

Garlic Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Why do potatoes make good detectives?
Because, they keep their eyes peeled.

 I'mmmmmmm baaaaAAaaacCCCkkkk.

Apologies for the lack of posting, south Georgia is its own planet (well, and when you are dealing with family health stuff, it's hard to think about anyhting else....except maybe having some vino....)

The weather here has been complete shanarkys.  Just rain, rain, rain.  I found myself craving some simple meat and potatoes.  I made my quick Turkey Meatloaf and then, some oh so yummy Garlic Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes.

Scalloped Potatoes, or Potatoes Gratine (if you are feelin' fancy) is made up of thinly sliced raw potatoes, layered in a buttered dish, topped with cheese or breaded crumbs and baked.  There are many, MANY variations out there.  Here, I used a cheesy garlic sauce in between each layer for maximum flavor penetration.  Layers of potatoes, baked cheesy deliciousness, how could you go wrong?

Here's what you need:
4 large potatoes
a mandolin (used to thinly slice the potatoes easily)
3 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups of milk (I used 1%)
1 teaspoon of Hungarian Paprika
1 teaspoon of ground pepper
1 teaspoon Rosemary salt  (or 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of rosemary if you don't have on hand)
2 teaspoons of Minced Garlic
1 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese, and 1/2 of finely shredded cheddar cheese