Banana Bread

There's not much better than a warm slice of banana bread and fortunately it's IC friendly!

Banana Bread
4 eggs
5 ripe bananas
1 c shortening
2 c sugar
4 c flour
1 t salt
2 t soda
1 c walnuts (optional)

Mash bananas and then beat together with eggs. Set aside. Cream shortening and sugar. Add salt, soda and banana mixture. Add flour last. Bake at 300 for 1-2 hours. This will make 2 loaves.

I like to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the greased pan before pouring in the batter--it gives the loaf a nice touch when it comes out.

Hot Milk

One of the hard things about IC is that all you can drink is milk and water--no juice, no soda, nothing else. During winter months when everyone is drinking steaming mugs of hot cocoa, it's torture.

I found this recipe and it's a great drink to warm up cold nights and break up the monotony (even though it's still milk).

Hot Milk
1 c milk
1 T sugar
1 t vanilla

Combine and stir well. Heat in microwave for ~1 minute or until hot (do not boil). Top with a dash of cinnamon.

The vanilla you use can make or break this drink, so use the good stuff. :)

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

Two fish recipes in two days?! Oh yeah . . .

The sauce is not IC friendly, but my husband really liked it. I just left it off mine and everyone was happy.

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos
1/4 c sour cream
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 T fresh lime juice
1 c thinly sliced white onion
1 1/2 t brown sugar
1 t dried oregano
3/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 t ground cumin
1/4 t ground red pepper
4 (6 oz) tilapia fillets
1 T oil
8 (6") corn tortillas
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced

Combine first 3 ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Combine with onion in a small bowl (this is the "bad" sauce, so leave it off yours . . .).
Combine brown sugar and other spices. Sprinkle evenly over the fish. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add fish to pan, cook 3 mintes on each side or until done.
Warm tortillas and divide fish, onion mixture, and avocado evenly among them.

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree

I know, sound fancy enough for you? I love seafood and am always up for trying something new, so when I found this recipe, I figured, "Why not?"

Seared Scallops with Cauliflower Puree
2 c chopped cauliflower florets
1 c cubed, peeled Yukon gold potato
1 c water
1/2 c chicken broth 
1 T oil
1 1/2 lbs sea scallops
3/4 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1 1/2 T butter

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until potato is tender. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add oil, swirl to coat. Sprinkle scallops with 1/4 t salt and pepper and add to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove scallops from pan.
Pour cauliflower mixture in a blender and add 1/2 t salt and butter. Secure lid (but keep the center open to allow steam to escape) and blend until smooth.
Serve together.

NOTES
I used mini scallops as that was all I could find, but the big ones would have been a LOT better.

Brown Sugar Muffins

I don't understand it, but I cannot make these as well as my husband. He's a much better baker than I am for some reason, and it kills me. :)

These muffins are just the right amount of sweet and almost have a banana taste to them if done right. They are best right out of the oven and we usually double the batch (for just 2 of us) because they disappear so fast.

Brown Sugar Muffins
1/2 c margarine
1 c brown sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
1 t soda
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1 c milk

I cream the margarine and sugar together, add everything else, then add the flour, but like I said, mine never turn out as well as the spouse's. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. This will make ~18 muffins.

Baked Apple Donuts

I cannot express to you how AMAZING these are. They come out with a crisp outer layer and a warm and soft inside. Oh, I'm drooling just thinking of them. My husband actually made these the first time, which made them taste that much better (the best food is food you don't cook yourself).

Baked Apple Donuts
1 1/2 c flour
1 3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c shortening
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 c finely diced apples
For Later:
1/2 c butter (melted)
1/2 c sugar mixed with 2 t cinnamon

Sift together the dry ingredients and cut in shortening (pastry blender or 2 knives) until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal. Set aside
Combine egg, milk and apples. Add to dry ingredients and mix.
Spoon into 12 greased muffin cups.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until done.
Remove donuts immediately from pan and roll in butter then sugar/cinnamon mixture.
Cool on wire racks.

NOTES
No idea why they are called donuts, muffins might be a better description. Regardless, they are awesome.
I used 1 Granny Smith apple and it was plenty. I used my food chopper to get it small enough, but left the skin on, which added some fun texture.
Also, I may use a smaller muffin tin and make 24 small rather than 12 large next time.

Sausage-Stuffed Loaf

So, if you haven't noticed by now, I use sausage in a lot of things. I've found the Jimmy Dean regular sausage doesn't cause me any problems, but the flavored or spicy kinds make me flare. Try a few brands out and see which ones work for you.

Sausage-Stuffed Loaf
2 (1 pound) frozen bread dough
1 pound sausage
1 (10 ounce) package frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 t dried oregano
1/2 t garlic powder
2 T butter, cubed

Thaw bread dough and let rise until doubled. In a skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage. Drain and place in a bowl. Add spinach, cheeses, oregano and garlic powder.

Roll the loaf into a 14" x 12" rectangle. Spread sausage mixture lengthwise down the center. Gently press the filling down and dot with cubed butter. Bring edges of dough to the center over the filling and pinch to seal. Place on cookie sheet seam side down. Brush with olive oil.

Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before cutting.

NOTE: The original recipe makes 2 loaves. I just half it but was too lazy to write it halved on here. :)

Ham and Cheese Puffs

I like poppable foods--things you can just pop in your mouth. These things fit the bill and are a nice change from the usual things I can eat.

Ham and Cheese Puffs
1 (2.5 ounce) package sliced fully cooked ham, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Combine the first 4 ingredients, set aside. Divide crescent dough into 24 portions. Press into greased mini muffin cups. Spoon 1 tablespoon of ham mixture into each cup. Bake at 350 for 13-15 or until golden brown.

NOTE: I didn't have a mini muffin tin, so I used a regular one, and it was fine. Just divide the dough into 12 and not 24. :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

These are a family tradition. We started serving them as appetizers for Thanksgiving years ago, but now I try to make them a couple of other times.

Unfortunately, this is a bit of a "dab of this, spoonful of that" recipe.

Stuffed Mushrooms
1 package of cream cheese
Garlic salt
1 lb Browned sausage


Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Mix the cream cheese, browned sausage, and garlic salt to taste. Spoon into the mushrooms, overfilling. Broil for 3-5 minutes or until browned. Serve hot.

Spinach Chicken Casserole

This is a big deal. Seriously. This is MY recipe. Well, I didn't create it, but I found it and haven't had anything like it. Anyway, to spread the love, I'm putting it out there for all ya'll.

Spinach Chicken Casserole
2 1/2 c uncooked noodles
2 c cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/8 t garlic salt
1/8 t crushed dried rosemary
dash pepper
10 oz frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 c cottage cheese
3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 2 quart baking dish (I use Corningware).
Cook noodles. Combine cooked chicken, cream of chicken soup, garlic salt, rosemary, and pepper in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine spinach, cottage cheese, and 1/2 c mozzarella. Drain noodles and place half in the dish. Layer with half of the chicken mix and then half of the cottage cheese mix. Repeat the layers. Cover and bake for 25 min. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake another 10-15 min.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

This is my favorite smell ever! And they don't taste too bad either. :) 

Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds
1 egg white
1 t cold water
4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250. Lightly grease a 10x15 jellyroll pan (or a cookie sheet).
Lightly beat the egg white; add water and beat until frothy but not stiff. Add the nuts and stir until well coated. Mix the sugar, salt, and cinnamon and sprinkle over the nuts. Toss to coat and spread evenly on the prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until golden. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers.

Tilapia Parmesan

I love fish. Really. LOVE it. I grew up fishing and camping and eating fish baked on the coals of a campfire. I rule cooking fish while camping. However, stick me in a kitchen and give me a fish and I'm lost. I've been exploring a couple of different options and really liked this recipe. Plus D eats it. And he's not so much of a fan of the fishy food.

Tilapia Parmesan
1/2 c parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
2 lb tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Line a pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, mix the herbs together. Season the fillets with the herbs. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for 2 more minutes. Cover the fillets with parmesan cheese and broil for 2 more minutes or until the cheese is brown.

NOTES
Be careful not to overcook the fish. It should flake easily with a fork.

I seriously edited the original recipe to make it IC friendly, but it turned out quite well. Don't be afraid to try a recipe just because it has some problem ingredients. Cut those ingredients out or sub in something else, the worst that could happen is it's bland, it's probably not going to be disgusting. :)

Pork Chops and Gravy

I have a confession to make. I can't make pork chops. Well, I can, but they are usually tough or dry or nasty or . . .
Anyway, I'm constantly trying new recipes and rather liked this one. It wasn't as juicy as those Hormel-cut-your-chop-with-a-fork commercials that continue to mock my failure, but it was good. And it's one pan for the chops and the gravy. Win win!!

Pork Chops and Gravy
6 Pork Chops
1 large onion, sliced (or dried onion flakes, as I usually use)
2 c beef broth
2 Tbsp flour
1 c sour cream
Sage, rosemary, etc

Rub chops with seasoning. Brown chops in a large skillet with onion. Pour broth over chops. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chops. Add some cold milk to flour and stir until smooth. Pour into broth mixture and stir until thickened. When broth is thickened, add sour cream. Stir until smooth. Serve chops with gravy.

Baked Potato Soup

No I have not given up on this project. Fooled you though eh?

So this recipe is a great soup that I first did when D's parents visited us back in April. Soup is hard for me because most soups have tomatoes in them, and those that don't taste like water. Thus, the plethora of creamy soups ("Would you say I have a plethora of pinatas?") on the blog. 

Baked Potato Soup

4 large potatoes

1/2 c butter

1/2 c flour

2 c chicken broth

4 c milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

4 green onions, chopped

12 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Bake potatoes in 400˚ oven for 1 hour or until tender. Let cool, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out pulp, set aside. Discard skins. Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat. Add flour, stirring til smooth. Cook one minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add broth and milk, cook over medium heat, stirring until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Add potato pulp, salt, pepper, green onions, bacon, and cheese. Cook until heated. 

NOTES:

To cut down time, I often just cube the potatoes and boil them, then lightly mash them (lightly--you don't want mush that you can't even tell is potatoes, not that I know that from experience . . .)

Sausage and Kale Soup

My sister-in-law made this for us over the holidays and I LOVED it. It's like the Zuppa Tuscana soup from Olive Garden. There are a lot of recipes out there for this soup, but this one is easy, tasty, and IC friendly. I have no complaints.

For IC people, be careful with sausage. Don't ever get anything flavored or spicy or swimming in preservatives.

Sausage and Kale Soup
Soup Base
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c half and half
1 qt water

Main Ingredients
~6 Potatoes, cubed
1 package mild Italian sausage
2 leaves kale, cut off the stalk and into strips
Dried Onion and Garlic Salt to taste

Saute sausage and drain grease. Mix together the soup base and add main ingredients. Simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Like I said, easy!

Turkey Roll Ups

This is a recipe I got from my in-laws. I first had it after Thanksgiving, using the leftover turkey. Since I never buy turkey other than Thanksgiving, I use chicken the rest of the year.

Turkey Roll Ups
8 oz cream cheese
1 T chopped onion
1/8 t pepper
2 c pre-cooked turkey/chicken (shredded or cubed)
2 can crescent rolls
Melted butter
Breadcrumbs

Mix first three ingredients, then add turkey. Roll out crescents. Divide the mix onto the rolls. Roll up starting with the large end and tuck the ends up, making balls. Dip in butter and roll in breadcrumbs. Bake at 400˚for 15 minutes (should be golden brown).
Top with sauce (see below) and grated cheese.
Sauce
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c sour cream
3/4 c milk

Mix and heat on the stove until hot.

Funeral Potatoes

Okay, these aren't exclusive to funerals, obviously. But that's what we always called them. There are also as many variations as there are stars in the sky, but here's one that I like.

Funeral Potatoes
32 oz frozen hashbrowns
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
16 oz sour cream
1 c grated cheese
1/2 T dried onion

Mix and put in a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350˚ for 1 to 1.5 hours.

NOTES
I usually use mozarella cheese to be safe in my recipes (due to trying to avoid hard cheeses), but this is best if you can throw in colby jack or something with a little sharper flavor.

Some people crush corn flakes and put on top before baking to give it some crunch. I never had it like that, but hey, if corn flakes are your thing, go nuts!

Crepes

I love breakfast. A lot. In fact, we often have breakfast for dinner. One of my favorite breakfast is crepes. My dad used to make them on special days (and whenever he'd give into my begging), so they always bring back a flood of good memories when I eat them.

Crepes
1 c flour
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs
2 T sugar
1 T cooking oil
1/2 t salt

Combine everything and beat until smooth. Lightly grease skillet and heat until water sizzles when sprinkled on it. Pour about 2 T of batter onto the skillet and spread around by tilting the pan. Cook one side only. The crepe is done when the top is no longer shiny wet.
Top/stuff with whatever you want. We are fans of cinnamon and sugar. My dad did homemade jam and powdered sugar. Or, if you are in more of a dinner mood, you can stuff it with chicken and veggies and use it like a tortilla.
NOTES
I use the shallowest skillet I have--it seems to help with the spreading. Granted, I still have some ugly crepes, but they still taste good. :)

The heat is the hardest part of making crepes. You don't want the pan too hot, or the bottom burns before the top is done. Too cool and you're waiting forever. I usually put my burner on 3.5 out of 10, but it just takes some practice.

This recipe makes a ton of crepes. I cut it in half, and I get probably around 16 crepes (plenty for 2 people). If you have a ton left over, stack flat with waxed paper in between each crepe and freeze. Thaw at RT for 1 hour.

Chicken Kabobs

Okay, I know it's been forever, but I've had computer drama. The good news is now I can post the oodles of recipes I have stored up all quick, fast, and in a hurry!

So this recipe needs to be used with a bit of judgement. I can have pineapple if I've been SUPER good for about a week and if I'm not stressed out. Or if I'm cheating. Let's face it, I LOVE pineapple, and next to tomatoes, it's probably been the hardest thing to give up. But not everyone is willing to sacrifice for pineapple. Really, you can put anything you want on the skewer (this isn't a strict recipe) and just go with it! You have to be willing to try new things or food just gets routine and boring.

These kabobs are simple and tasty and work great for the hot summer days when you don't want to use your oven.

Chicken Kabobs
Thawed chicken breast, cubed
Anything else, cubed

Simply take thawed chicken breasts and cut into about 1 or 2" chunks. Coat with olive oil and your own combination of spices. I used garlic powder, rosemary, and basil, but really, you can use anything. The olive oil is key though. If you have time, marinate in the oil, but if not, simply put the chicken, oil, and spices in a bowl and mix. Slide chicken onto the skewers, intermixing with your other ingredients.

I used pineapple to space in between the chicken, but you can use peppers, squash, other veggies, etc. I happened to be low on groceries when we made this meal, so ours aren't very varied. :)
We don't have a full-sized grill, but our camping grill did nicely. They took about 10 minutes to cook, but we made sure to check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Food safety first, and poultry is the worst (needs to be up to 165˚).
They even looked pretty when we were done! If I was smart, I would have made rice and served the kabobs over it. But hey, I'll do that next time.

Baked Salmon

I grew up on fish. There is nothing like a freshly caught trout baked on the coals of a fire while camping at the lake. I can grill fish, I can cook fish on open coals, but I had never tried baking fish or using anything other than trout.

With some advice from a good friend, I made up some salmon tonight and it turned out quite well.

Baked Salmon
1 lb salmon fillet
Onion Salt
Garlic Powder
Olive Oil
Parsley

Cut the salmon in half for 2 portions. Place one portion on a square of aluminum foil. LIGHTLY brush with olive oil. I dabbed a bit on my brush and did both halves. You don't need much at all. Sprinkle with seasonings (I'm still playing around with the best combination, but NEVER put lemon juice on it with IC--that's asking for death). Wrap foil like an envelope (meet the sides in the middle and roll down, then roll in the ends). Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes. The salmon should be opaque and flake when cut with a fork.