Wahhhhooooooo!!!!

Well, the Wahoo that T caught turned out to be a huge success! It was DELICIOUS! I think that we ate in silence and kept saying...'this is good'... more silence... 'this is really good, super moist'.... you get the idea! I don't know if it was because this fish was caught in the Bahamas yesterday, but it was probably one of the best pieces of fish that I have had in a while! I'm not going to lie... I am not exactly sure of the specific recipe that he used.  I don't want to make it up, just in case you try it, and its terrible.  But, I can tell you an idea of what he did, and hopefully, you can recreate it! We are planning on making this again this week, since our freezer is now full of fresh fish.  If we figure out the exact recipe, I will post again! Here is an idea of what he did to the fabulous wahoo!

Ingredients:
1 lemon
worcestershire sauce
freshly ground black pepper
italian bread crumbs
parmesan cheese
Monterey jack/mild cheddar mix of cheese
mayonaise

Directions:

1.  Place the fish in a glass dish.  Coat the fish with the lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, and freshly ground black pepper.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, both cheeses, and enough mayonaise to hold the bread crumbs and cheese together.

3. Put the bread crumb mixture on all sides of the fish.

4. Cook in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.  If it is still not done, put it back in for another 8 minutes.  We had HUGE filets, so it may have taken a little longer.

Before

After

Look at the delicious white inside

Our fabulous meal!  Very thankful for that sporadic fishing trip!

Until next time...

-A 

Roasted Red Basil Potatoes

My husband went fishing yesterday.  He caught a bunch of Wahoo! I love fresh fish, and I love creating new recipes.  I have to admit, I am not the best chef when it comes to cooking fish.  I can cook a mean salmon.  But, other than that, I am out of luck.  T, however, is great at cooking fish! He never follows a recipe, he just puts things together, and it turns out to be good.  I will post pictures of our fish on here later... that is... if it turns out! (I am crossing my fingers!)  We are trying something new with the wahoo.  However, I am not trying something completely new with one of the side dishes... roasted red potatoes.  We went to the farmer's market today and bought a huge bushel of basil, so an idea popped in my head... roasted red potatoes with fresh basil.  Another easy side dish, and did I mention that it was delicious?!

Ingredients:
1 lb. red potatoes (chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)

Directions:

1.  Cut the red potatoes into small chunks.  First, cut them in half.  Then, cut the halves in half again.

2. Add the olive oil to the potatoes.

3. Add the salt, pepper, dried basil, and garlic salt.  Mix well... get your hands dirty and use your fingers!

4. Cook in a 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes.

5. Take them out of the oven and add the fresh basil.  Fresh basil will burn easily, this is why I only add it at the end.  Mix the fresh basil with the cooked potatoes.

6. Cook for another 5 minutes and serve hot! Enjoy!

Until next time...

-A 

Pumpkin Apple Oatmeal Casserole

I am on this hunt for different Breakfast Casseroles. I loved when I had that breakfast casserole the other week and I was able to scoop some in a tupperware and go off to work! It was easy, I didn't have to think about what I was having for breakfast, and I really looked forward to breakfast every day! It was something different, and quite frankly, I am tired of plain oatmeal with a little honey.  This is when my mind started thinking, and I began creating new casseroles in my imagination.  Why not try the thing that I am obsessing over right now... pumpkins! Hence the name... pumpkin apple oatmeal casserole!  I made it the night before and heated it up this morning.  I added a little soy milk and it was just perfect! I am already waiting to heating it up for tomorrow's breakfast... definitely something to look forward to!

Ingredients:
1 apple (peeled and diced)
2 cups steel cut oats
1 cup prepared pumpkin ( I just bought the can, but you could definitely try to make your own!)
4 cups soy milk (You could use regular milk.)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg

1. Peel and dice the apples.

2. Chop the walnuts into tiny pieces.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the soy milk, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, egg, and honey.  Mix well.

4. Add the pumpkin to the wet mixture, mix well.

5. In a baking dish, mix together the apple, cranberries, walnuts, and oats.  

6. Cover the oat mixture with the pumpkin mixture.  Stir well.

7. Bake in a 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes.

8. After 30 minutes, the casserole will look like the above picture.  Take it out of the oven.  Mix the casserole, most of the oats will be cooked on the bottom of the baking dish.

9. Sprinkle a handful of dried cranberries and a handful of chopped walnuts over the casserole.  Bake for another 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

Until next time...

-A 

Rainy Day... Chicken Soup

What do you know... it's raining.  Makes me think of the cool weather, but it's just a tease.  It's a perfect afternoon to cook in the kitchen, snuggle up on the couch, and watch re-runs of my guilty pleasure shows until dinner time.  T was invited to a fishing trip with one of the surgeons he is working with, so who knows when he will be home.  I am going to put on my pajamas and make my mom's super easy and delicious chicken soup.  I have bought lettuce for a side salad, but we will see if I decide to chop that up or not.  Today is all about being cozy, and making things as easy as possible.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 medium sized carrots, diced
2 chicken breasts
5 cups of chicken stock

Directions:

1. Boil the chicken breasts on the stove for about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, dice the onions.

3. Dice the carrots until they are small enough to fit on a spoon.  You want all of your vegetables and chicken to be about the same size so that it can fit nicely on your spoon.

4. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic to a pot on medium high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir well.

5. Cook the vegetables until they are translucent and a little golden.

6. When the chicken is done, use a fork to peel the chicken apart.

7. When you have peeled all of the chicken, I use my knife to shop it up again so that the pieces are just right.

8. Add the chicken to the vegetables and mix well.

*Next, you will be adding the chicken stock.  This is the BEST broth, if you cannot make your own chicken stock!

9. Add the chicken stock.  Let it simmer for about 20 minutes so that all of the flavors are incorporated.  Enjoy!

**If you want to add noodles, you can do that during the last step.  Cook until the noodles are completely cooked through and serve.

Until next time...

-A 

Roasted Acorn Squash

Like I have said before... I love the fall.  Obviously, I am not loving fall for the weather, here in Florida, I love fall for all of the holidays and events that are going on.  I love tailgating for football games, I love preparing for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and I love all of the foods that go along with these events! I decided to make an acorn squash, because to me... squash screams FALL is here! It is also super easy.  You can pop it in the oven an hour before you are ready to eat, and like magic, you have a super simple side dish! Make this in just a few steps and very few ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized acorn squash
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the acorn squash in half.  Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds.  

**Hint: Use a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the seeds, it makes it much easier.

2.  Coat each acorn squash with 1/2 tablespoon of butter.  Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to each squash, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a 400 degree F oven, place the acorn squash in the oven for about 1 hour, or until the insides are soft and the top is golden brown.

4. Use a fork to scoop out the insides, or serve half of the squash on each plate for a nice presentation.  The butter will melt to the middle and will be a good dipping sauce for the squash.

I served it with dill salmon and french cut beans. Yum!

Until next time...

-A 

Peach Crisp

My husband is home! Finally! And, just as he is home... so is his sweet tooth.  We were talking about what we were going to eat this week and the only thought that he had was... "Will you make a healthy dessert?" Hmm... a healthy dessert? I don't believe that really exists.  Even if you are eating a "healthy dessert" it probably still has sugar.  He suggested I make an apple crisp, but since I already made that last week, I decided to make a peach crisp.  I tried to not use a lot of sugar because peaches are naturally sweet anyways.  I hope that this dessert satisfies his sweet tooth and definition of 'a healthy dessert!'

Ingredients:
5 ripe peaches (you can choose...white, yellow, etc.)
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon  + 1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup instant oatmeal
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions:

1. Cut the peaches into slices. Add them to a mixing bowl.

2. Add the tablespoon of cinnamon and the white sugar.

3. Mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, teaspoon of cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt, and oatmeal.

5. Mix well with your hands.

6. Add the oatmeal mixture to the top of the peaches. 

7. Cook in a 400 degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Enjoy!

Until next time...

-A 

It's Fall...Chili-Time!

Well, it's Fall here in Florida.  What? Did I just say Fall? Isn't Fall a time of year when the air is cool outside, there is not any humidity, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks are completely appropriate? I would say that a Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino is more like it.  It is still humid, the air is not crisp and cool, and it is raining... again.  But yes, it is 'Fall.'  I can't complain too much.  The weather is mostly beautiful year round, but right now, we are sick of the hot weather, we are ready to wear boots, put on a sweater, and have a real reason to have  seasonal Starbucks HOT drink.

To initiate the first day of 'Fall,' I have made my turkey chili with three different types of beans.  I have been craving chili, so instead of waiting until December before I can enjoy it on the first cold day of the year, I have decided to make it on a rainy day.  For some reason, chili reminds me of Fall.  I always look forward to it this time of year.  I will just have to crank up the air in my house, put on my sweater, and pretend that "Fall" is in the air! Maybe... just maybe... I will even try on my boots!

Turkey Chili with Three types of Beans

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 lb. turkey meat

1 can of pinto beans

1 can of red kidney beans (light or dark, it doesn't matter)

1 can of black beans

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 28 oz. can of tomato puree

1 cup tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

4 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons garlic salt

2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons basil

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. After dicing your onion and green pepper, add it to 1 tablespoon olive oil.

2. After the vegetables begin to sauté, add salt and pepper and the basil.  Mix well. 

3. Add the turkey meat to the vegetables.  Make sure to stir constantly so that the meat gets cooked evenly.  

4. Add the chili powder, garlic salt, cumin, and more salt and pepper to taste.  It is important that you flavor each layer so that every bite is well seasoned.

5. After the spices are mixed thoroughly, add the tomato paste.  Mix well. 

6. Add the tomato puree, tomato sauce, and beef broth. 

(Hint: If you like it spicier, you could add fire roasted tomatoes instead of regular tomato puree.)

7. Meanwhile, drain the beans.  I like to rinse them to get the canned juices off of them.  You can add the beans without washing, it is your preference.

8. Add the beans to the pot and stir.

9. I like to let the chili sit for about an hour to incorporate all of the flavors.  If you find that it is not spicy enough, feel free to add a little more chili powder.  Or, you could be adventurous and try another type of tomato.  It is up to you! Enjoy!

**Hint: This big chili bowl will obviously get us through a few meals.  I always have a little beef broth and tomato sauce left over.  I like my chili with a little liquid; not too thick.  To reheat it the next day, just add a little of the leftover broth or sauce.  This will ensure that the chili is not too terribly thick. 

Until next time...

-A