Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken with Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa

CILANTRO-LIME GRILLED CHICKEN WITH STRAWBERRY-JALAPENO SALSA

Chicken Marinade :
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
¼  cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
4 thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper

Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa:
2 cups diced strawberries
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon minced red onion
1½ tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
½ lime, juiced
Salt

In a shallow baking dish, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey and cilantro with a pinch of salt. Briefly set aside.

Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or tenderizer (or random heavy object), pound the chicken until about ½-inch thick. This process is sort of noisy, but also cathartic. Just go with it.

Place the pounded chicken breasts into the baking dish, and make sure each one is well coated in marinade. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the chicken and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. (Obviously, the longer you can let your chicken marinate, the better.)

While your chicken is marinating, place all the ingredients for the salsa in a medium bowl. Gently mix the ingredients with a fork (you don’t want to smoosh your strawberries), and season with salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat a clean, lightly oiled grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and pat them dry. Season both sides of each breast with kosher salt and coarse black pepper.

When the grill/grill pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3½ minutes per side until grill marks appear and chicken is just cooked through.

Remove chicken to a plate and serve with strawberry-jalapeño salsa

Haylee’s Note:
Darin found this recipe and we gave it a try!  We LOVED it!  I was worried it would be too hot for my kids, but they loved it too!  For the original recipe, click HERE.

Barefoot Contessa’s Greek Lamb with Yogurt Mint Sauce

BAREFOOT CONTESSA’S GREEK LAMB WITH YOGURT MINT SAUCE

4 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 racks of lamb, frenched and cut into 8 chops each
Yogurt Mint Sauce, recipe follows

Place the garlic, rosemary, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs are finely minced. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and red wine and combine. Place the chops in a glass or ceramic dish just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour the marinade over the chops, turning to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

When ready to cook, prepare a grill with one layer of hot coals or turn a gas grill to medium-high heat. Remove the lamb from the marinade, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. Serve hot with the cold Yogurt Mint Sauce.

Yogurt Mint Sauce:

6 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
7 ounces Greek-style yogurt
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the scallions, mint, dill, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree until it's a coarse paste. Add the yogurt, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop.

Haylee’s Note:
This was my first time ever cooking lamb, and let me just say, it will probably be the only way that I ever cook lamb!  This recipe is amazing and the mint sauce is incredible!  You can’t go wrong!  To get the original recipe, click HERE.

Cranberry Pear Pork

CRANBERRY PEAR PORK

5 boneless pork chops

1 can cranberry sauce
1 can pears
1 jar grey poupon
3 gloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large skillet.  Generously season the pork with salt and pepper.  Lightly brown both sides of pork 2-3 minutes per side in the olive oil.  In a food processor, combine the cranberry sauce, pears, grey poupon, and garlic until smooth.  Move pork (and any drippings) into a crockpot.  Pour sauce mixture over pork, and cook in crockpot, on high, for 4 hours.  Serve warm over rice.

Haylee’s Note:

This is the first meal that I’ve ever invented!  I’m curious for someone else to try it and tell me what they think.  I really liked it, but was hoping for a major WOW factor, but didn’t get it.  I served this to my parents and family, and they all seemed to like it too.  Give it a try then give me some feedback!

Mel’s Sweet and Sour Chicken

MEL’S SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

Haylee’s Note:

We LOVED this dish!  Definitely a winner!  But, I am really excited to try a combination of this and another one from my mom.  The way this chicken is prepared is so yummy, but I REALLY love THIS sweet and sour sauce.  I think if you combined the two you would end up with the ULTIMATE sweet and sour chicken! For the original recipe click HERE.

Katie's Meatballs with BBQ Sauce

KATIE’S MEATBALLS WITH BBQ SAUCE

MEATBALLS:

1 egg slightly beaten
1 15 oz can evaporated milk
1 C quick oats
½ Tbs onion powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp garlic
¼ tsp pepper
Combine above ingredients and add
1 ½ lbs lean ground beef.

BBQ SAUCE:

1 C ketchup
¾ C brown sugar
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp liquid smoke
¼ tsp garlic powder
Boil sauce ingredients in a pan, simmer 2 min. Form meat into 1” balls, line up and bake uncovered in a casserole dish at 350° for 18-20 min. Pour sauce over meatballs. Bake 10-12 min longer. Serve with oven fries or tater tots.

Haylee’s Note:

Wow!  This is the best meal I think I’ve made in a LONG time!  Meatballs with homemade BBQ sauce sounded time consuming, but I was amazing at how quickly this meal whipped up!  The kids, the spouse, and I all LOVED this meal!  On a scale of 1-10, it gets an 11!  Katie said this meal was “Yummo!”  I would have to agree!  Major YUMMO!!  Thanks Katie!! 

Sarah’s San Francisco Chops

SARAH'S SAN FRANCISCO CHOPS

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.

Serve the tender chops over potatoes or rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.

Haylee’s Note:

This recipe is SOOO yummy!  I’m not a huge pork fan, but this was delicious!  It has a great flavor and I always love a good crockpot recipe!  My kids loved it too!  We added a few toasted sesame seeds the second time and really liked it!  Thanks for the recipe Sarah!  Easy ingredients, easy to make, and the kids loved it too!!

Bridget’s Easy Mexican Skillet

BRIDGET'S EASY MEXICAN SKILLET 

1 lb sausage (whatever kind you like or even ground beef can be used but be sure to season it!)
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 green pepper, diced
1 1/2 C uncooked macaroni ( or whatever kind of pasta you have...I use shells a lot too)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chilli powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Brown the meat and drain, add onion and green pepper and sauté about 5 min. Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and let simmer until noodles are cooked ( about 15 min). Serve with sour cream and Chips and salsa. 

Haylee’s Note:

I’ll be honest, this recipe didn’t sound very tempting.  I’m not sure why.  But when we ate it we both LOVED it!  It has a great flavor and texture.  I love that it is so fast and easy, and it calls for ingredients that I pretty much always have on hand.  I also love that you can mix this up to work with what you have by changing the meat and the pasta.  This will be a great “go to” meal!  Thanks Bridget!  It was delicious!

Fabio Vivani’s Cold Gazpacho

FABIO VIVANI’S COLD GAZPACHO

1 quart tomato juice

2 red bell peppers

1 green jalapeno

1 large English cucumber

20 leaves of fresh basil

pinch salt

3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

6 Canned plum tomatoes

additional basil leaves for garnish

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Pour tomato juice into a jar blender. Slice one red pepper, the entire jalepeno, and half of the cucumber, and add to blender. Add basil leaves, pinch of salt, and red wine vinegar.  Slice three of the canned plum tomatoes, and add to blender.  Puree until no chunks remain.  Transfer soup to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, until ready to serve.  To serve, ladle soup into bowls.  Dice the remaining red bell pepper, cucumber, and plum tomatoes.  Chop basil for garnish.  Generously garnish each bowl with diced tomatoes, cucumber, basil, and red peppers.  Drizzle with olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Haylee’s Note:

My husband, Darin, saw this recipe on Yahoo.  When he told me about it, honestly I didn’t think is sounded very good, but I was AMAZED at how delicious it actually was!  I don’t think it gets much healthier, especially since we made our own tomato juice, and everything had JUST been picked out of our garden!  For the original recipe click HERE.

Pecan Chicken with Blackberry Sauce

PECAN CHICKEN WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

CHICKEN:

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. pecans
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a processor mix the pecans, salt, bread crumbs, and pepper.  Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk then in the breading.  Fry the chicken in the olive oil until lightly brown on each side (about 3 minutes per side.  Move to a baking dish and bake at 300 for 1 hour.

SAUCE:

1/4 c. onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sumbol
10 oz. blackberry preserves
1 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. whipping cream
1/8 tsp. tabasco
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Dice onion and sauté in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer over medium heat.  Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with blackberries and cilantro.

Haylee’s Note:

My mom gave me this recipe 10 years ago, and this is the FIRST time I’ve ever made it.  We have a large blackberry bush, and I decided to give this a whirl.  I now realize I have wasted the past 10 years not making the best recipe EVER!  Honestly, this is probably in my top 10 favorite things I have ever made!  Darin said he could have easily eaten 5 chicken breasts!  We all LOVED it!  Give it a try—guaranteed success!

Japanese Salad

JAPANESE SALAD

2 c. cooked chicken
1/2 head chopped cabbage
1 pkg. top ramen broken
1 pkg. ramen seasoning
2 tbsp. silvered almonds
2 chopped green onions
2 tbsp. sesame seeds toasted

Dressing:

1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp vinegar
1/2 c. oil
1/2 tsp. pepper

Haylee's Note:
This salad is really yummy too! I like to cook my chicken in a skillet with a little olive oil and minced garlic! It gives the salad a little more flavor. Darin and I love this salad as a whole meal, but this is also a "classic" for potlucks! Everyone always loves this salad, it goes fast! Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Marinade:

1 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

Sauce:

1 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 tsp cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, pepper, ginger, and 1 tsp salt. Stir in chicken, cover, refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. Grill 5 min. on each side.

For the sauce: Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Season with 2 tsp cumin, paprika and 1 tsp salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Serve over rice and naan.  

Haylee’s Note:

If you only try one recipe on this blog, this might be the one I suggest.  It is a little time consuming, but it is excellent.  I want to try doing it again using whole milk instead of cream, just to try making it a little healthier, but then it probably wouldn’t be as good.  Give it a try, let me know what you think.  Thanks Suzanne for the recipe.  For the original recipe click HERE.

Margarita Pizza

MARGARITA PIZZA

Pizza dough (see recipe from any old pizza)

Sliced fresh tomatoes

Fresh Basil

Mozzarella cheese

Place sliced tomatoes on pizza (cover pizza). Layer fresh basil on tomatoes. Top with shredded mozzarella. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted, and crust is done.

Haylee's Note:
Not a new recipe, but a good one!  When you have fresh basil and tomatoes growing in the garden, how can you NOT make this pizza!  So yummy!!  

BBQ Chicken Pizza

BBQ CHICKEN PIZZA

1 whole Recipe For Pizza Crust  (I use THIS recipe)

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken BreastsS
1/2 cup Barbecue Sauce
Olive Oil, For Drizzling
Salt For Sprinkling
16 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Sliced Thinly
1/2 whole Red Onion, Cut In Half And Sliced Very Thin
Chopped Cilantro, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.

Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.

Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Haylee's Note:

My friend Suzanne got this recipe from Pioneer Woman, made it, and let me try it.  It was amazing!  So, I made some myself, and it was delicious again!  This will become a regular at our house!  For the original recipe click HERE.

Tyler Florence's Ultimate Beef Wellington

TYLER FLORENCE'S ULTIMATE BEEF WELLINGTON




For the Duxelles:
3 pints (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
2 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Beef:
1 (3-pound) center cut beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 thin slices prosciutto
6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Flour, for rolling out puff pastry
1 pound puff pastry, thawed if using frozen
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Minced chives, for garnish

To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until pastry is golden brown and beef registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.

Haylee’s Note:
This recipe seems like a lot of work—which it was, but luckily for me, my husband made this for my birthday last year. It was AMAZING! If you feel like you’re up to the challenge, give this a try! SOOO yummy! For the original recipe click here.

Ginger Sesame Pasta with Asparagus, Chicken, and Nuts

SESAME GINGER PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, CHICKEN, AND NUTS

Bow tie pasta
Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing
Chicken (boneless, skinless)
Asparagus
Sugar
Walnuts (or another kind)

Marinate the chicken in the salad dressing (about 6 hours). Then cook/grill chicken, and cut into bite sized pieces. Cook pasta to liking, drain, and set aside. Parch asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes and cut into bite sized piece. Candy the walnuts with the sugar (cook over medium-high heat and stir in sugar until nuts are coated). Toss all ingredients together and add more salad dressing to taste.

Haylee’s Note:
I know this title isn’t too creative—basically tells everything in it, but I wasn’t sure what else to call it! My mom made this for a neighbor and I tried it, loved it, and made it for dinner that same night! Give it a try it is a winner!!

Cranberry Apple Pork Chops

CRANBERRY APPLE PORK CHOPS

6-8 thick chops
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 can whole cranberry sauce
lots of fresh rosemary
1 lg. bottle apple sauce
1/3 c. chicken broth

Brown the chops and season with salt. Grease large shallow baking dish. Spread apple/cranberry sauce in pan, sprinkle soup and rosemary over sauce. Lay chops on top and cover with broth. Season with salt and ground pepper. Bake at 325 for 90 min.

Haylee’s Note:
I am not a huge pork chop fan, but this was DELICIOUS!! I would definitely make this one again!! The sauce is really good with the rice. I might even try this one again but with chicken. Give it a try!! It is a winner! Thanks mom for the recipe!

Spring Rolls

SPRING ROLLS

1 (8 ounce) package rice vermicelli
8 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp, cut in half lengthwise (Or chicken)
rice wrappers (They are round disks that have a basket weave texture on them. You can find them just about anywhere.)
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup shredded lettuce (I used spinach)
chopped Napa Cabbage or purple cabbage (I used both. It was pretty.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or mint or cilantro

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Remove from heat. Place rice vermicelli in boiling water, remove from heat, and let soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Drain, and rinse with cold water. I then added a can of coconut milk, a little sugar, curry powder or paste and a dash of fish sauce. I cooked the noodles until they had absorbed the coconut milk. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Dip one rice wrapper in the hot water for 5-10 seconds to soften. You don't want them too soft. They'll be totally soft by the time it is ready to roll up. Lay wrapper flat, and place desired amounts of noodles, shrimp, carrot, lettuce and basil in the center. Roll the edges of the wrapper slightly inward. Beginning at the bottom edge of wrapper, tightly wrap the ingredients. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve the spring rolls with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

Chopped garlic
Sambal chili paste
sugar
lime juice or vinegar
fish sauce or soy sauce

Add little amounts of the above ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Taste before using and add what you think it needs. I like it a bit sweeter. Experiment!

Haylee’s Note:
I saw this recipe on Studio, and had to try it! It was so good, and I LOVE recipes that call for things that I always have on hand. I had everything on this list except the wraps! I love any recipe that is a “build your own” and let people chose their own toppings and amounts. Give them a try—they are pretty healthy and super delish!!

Thai Shrimp Curry

THAI SHRIMP CURRY

1 can coconut milk (unsweetened)
2 shallots
2 tsp green curry paste
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
2 Tbsp. fish oil
2 Tbsp. lime juice
20 med shrimp (raw)
fresh basil

Saute shallots in wok until translusent. Add red bell pepper, green curry paste, coconut milk, fish oil, lime juice. (Let come to a simmer. Add cornstarch and cold water to thicken if needed). Add shrimp and basil, and cook until shrimp is cooked. Serve immediately over rice with fresh basil on top.


Haylee’s note:
My dad made this for me this weekend and it was AMAZING!!! Best curry I’ve ever had!! I was amazed at how quickly it all came together! Yum!! I could eat this every day for the rest of my life!! Mmmmm…thanks so much dad!!

Corned Beef and Cabbage

CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

Corned Beef
Potatoes
Carrots
Cabbage

This is more of an idea than an actual recipe. I just cooked it in a crock pot for 7hours with the seasonings package that came with the corned beef. I also stuck some chopped potatoes and carrots in with it. I boiled my cabbage separately a few minutes before serving dinner.

Haylee’s Note:
Darin’s mom makes this every year on New Year’s Day. I decided to make it for St. Patrick’s Day. This was my first time making it, and I LOVED IT!! I was surprised how good it was!! If you haven’t done this before, you definitely should! I got my whole roast for $3.90 and it fed us for a while! Even our little boy loved it!!

Fish ‘n’ Chips

FISH ‘N’ CHIPS

1 pound fresh or frozen skinless fish fillets, about 1/2 inch thick
1-1/4 pounds medium potatoes (about 4)
Shortening or cooking oil for deep-fat frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup beer (or sprite)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Coarse salt (optional)
Tartar Sauce(optional)
Malt vinegar or cider vinegar (optional)

Thaw fish, if frozen; cut into 3x2-inch pieces. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Cover and refrigerate until needed. For chips, cut the potatoes lengthwise into about 3/8-inch-wide wedges. Pat dry with paper towels. In a 3-quart saucepan or deep-fat fryer heat 2 inches of shortening or cooking oil to 375 degrees F. Fry potatoes, one-fourth at a time, for 4 to 6 minutes or until light brown. Remove potatoes and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Transfer potatoes to a wire rack on a baking sheet, arranging them in a single layer. Keep warm in a 300 degree F oven.

Meanwhile, for batter, in a medium mixing bowl combine flour, beer, eggs, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper. Beat with a rotary beater or wire whisk until smooth. Dip fish into batter. Fry fish in the hot (375 degrees F) fat, one or two pieces at a time, until coating is golden brown and fish begins to flake when tested with a fork, turning once (about 3 to 4 minutes). Remove fish and drain on paper towels. Transfer fish to another baking sheet; keep warm in the 300 degree F oven while frying remaining fish. To serve, if desired, sprinkle coarse salt over fish and chips and serve with Tartar Sauce or vinegar.

Haylee’s Note:
I got this recipe from Better Home’s and Garden’s Cook Book, but I replaced the beer with sprite. We LOVED this meal!! It reminded us of our Honeymoon!! (We ate fresh fish and chips in the bay of San Diego)—soooo yummy!!