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.