Salmon Roasted in Butter

This had 5 stars out of 455 reviews, we loved it! You can mix around the herb and fat combos: parsley, chervil or dill go well with butter; thyme, basil or marjoram with olive oil; or peanut oil with cilantro or mint.

INGREDIENTS

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp minced chervil, parsley or dill

1 salmon fillet, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place butter and half the herb in a roasting pan just large enough to fit the salmon and place it in the oven. Heat about 5 minutes, until the butter melts and the herb begins to sizzle.

Add the salmon to the pan, skin side up. (Mine didn't have skin) Roast 4 minutes. Remove from the oven, then peel the skin off. (If the skin does not lift right off, cook 2 minutes longer.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and turn the fillet over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again.

Roast 3 to 5 minutes more, depending on the thickness of the fillet and the degree of doneness you prefer. Cut into serving portions, spoon a little of the butter over each and garnish with the remaining herb. Serve with lemon wedges.

Thanks to the original recipe found HERE.

Pasta Salad

We threw a baby shower for one of our friends here and the theme was "little man" so I was trying to find a bow tie pasta salad, found this one and loved it!

INGREDIENTS

1 C chopped pecans (I didn't do this, but only because I'm not crazy about nuts)
1/2 (16 oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 C mayo
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C diced red onion
1/3 C red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp salt
2 C seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (I forgot this part, but am sure it would've be better)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stir halfway through.
Cook Pasta.
Cut broccoli florets from stems and separate them into smaller pieces. Peel away tough outer layer of stems and finely chop stems.
Whisk together mayo and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir in bacon and pecans right before serving.

Thanks for the original recipe you can find HERE.

Sausage, Pepper Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This was delicious! I almost think it was better the second day! I only made 1 spaghetti squash, but I still made all the stuffing for it. Dexter and I really liked it this way! A lot of sauce/meat for the spaghetti squash. But this is the recipe with more than just 1 squash.

2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeded
2 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. Italian sausage (I used sage flavored sausage)
1 onion diced
2 bell peppers (it calls for red, I used green peppers)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 C marinara sauce
1 C mozzarella shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After cutting the squash in half, brush the 1 Tbsp oil on the inside flesh of the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven placing skin side up for 30 minutes or until tender.
While the squash is cooking, cook the sausage, crumbling as you go. Once cooked set aside. Put 1 Tbsp oil in pan and saute the onions until tender. Add the bell pepper and cook until tender. Then add garlic. Add the sausage back into the pan with the marinara sauce. Heat up all ingredients.
Pull spaghetti squash out of oven. Use a fork to fluff the inside of the squash. Split the sauce mixture between the spaghetti squash equally. Then top with cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese has melted.

Italian Chicken Smothered with Spinach and Mushrooms

This was way good! You need to marinate the chicken. I just put it in before I went to work and pulled it out at the end of the day. It was delicious!

4-6 oz chicken breast (I just used 4 chicken breasts)
1 (12 oz) prepared Italian salad dressing
16 oz mushrooms sliced
3 green onions sliced
Olive Oil
2 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
12 oz spinach
1 C shredded cheese (It calls for Asiago, I used Parmesan and an Italian blend)
Optional Red pepper flakes

Directions:
Put the chicken in a large plastic bag with the Italian dressing marinade overnight (or for 8 hours). Remove chicken and throw away marinade. Season the chicken with salt and pepper (or whatever seasonings you would like). Put olive oil in a large pan and add 2 Tbsp of butter. Sear the chicken on both sides and cook until juices run clear. Remove chicken from heat and keep warm.
In the same pan, saute the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes then add the sliced green onions and garlic. Add extra oil or butter if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions are soft.
Add the spinach and cook until it wilts. Place chicken on a pan for the over and put the spinach, mushroom mix on top of the chicken pieces and cover with cheese. Broil for 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken (w/ Rotel)

Quick, easy dinner. Bo loved it. You can serve over rice or in a tortilla, or eat it as is.

INGREDIENTS

1 bag of frozen chicken breast tenderloins (2.5-3 lb. bag, you can use breasts too)

8 oz block of cream cheese (don't use fat free! 1/3 less fat or regular is best)

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

2 C of frozen corn

1 can of Rotel: Diced tomatoes and green Chilies

INSTRUCTIONS

Put frozen chicken in the crock pot. Put cream cheese on top of chicken. Dump in black beans, corn, and can of Rotel. Cover and cook in your crock pot on low 6-8 hours. 

Shred the chicken or just leave it as tenderloins when done. (We shredded) Delicious on top of rice or used as taco meat. 

Makes 6-8 servings.

Thanks to the original recipe found HERE.

Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin

Another fun delicious way to eat potatoes. Just an FYI, this has 5 stars out of 511 votes...

INGREDIENTS

*I didn't have these cheeses, so I just used cheddar and parmesan and it was still delicious!

3 ounces finely grated Gruyere or comte cheese
2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 C heavy cream
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
4 to 4 1/2  pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-in thick on a mandoline slicer
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Transfer 1/3 of cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Add cream, garlic and thyme to cheese mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add potato slices and toss with cream mixture, making sure o separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.

Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, organizing them into a neat stack, and lay them in the casserole dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in the dish, working around the perimeter and into the center until all the potatoes have been added. The potatoes should be very tightly packed. If necessary, slice an additional potato, coat with cream mixture, and add to casserole. Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes until the mixture comes halfway up the sides of the casserole. You may not need all the excess liquid.

Cover dish tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.

Thanks to the original recipe found HERE.

Party Punch

Such a great drink to have for parties, birthday, showers, etc.

Makes about a gallon.

INGREDIENTS

1 C frozen concentrated lemonade  (thawed)
6 oz frozen concentrated orange juice (thawed)
2 C crandberry juice
3 C water
1/4 C super fine sugar
2 liters lemon-lime soda, chilled
Freshly sliced lemons and oranges

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the lemonade, orange juice, cranberry juice, water and sugar, to a container that has a lid. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Cover and chill the mixture for 1-2 hours. When ready to serve add lemon-lim soda, lemons and orgaes mixture to the

Thanks to the original recipe found HERE.

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've posted another chocolate chip cookie recipe that we raved about, but this one beats it. It is soft and gooey in the middle, but had a crisp outer shell. Bo has made them and I've made them, and both times they turned out incredible.

Makes about 12 cookies, we usually double it they're so addicting.

INGREDIENTS

8 Tbsp salted butter
1/2 C white sugar
1/4 C packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 C all purpose flour (more as needed)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (slightly heaping)
3/4 C chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   Microwave the butter for about 40 seconds to just barely melt it. It shouldn't be hot - but it should be almost entirely in liquid form.

2. Using a stand mixer or beaters, beat the butter with the sugars until creamy. Add the vanilla and the egg; beat on low speed until just incorporated - 10-15 seconds or so (if you beat the egg for too long, the cookies will be stiff).

3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until crumbles form. Use your hands to press the crumbles together into a dough. It should form one large ball that is easy to handle (right at the stage between "wet" dough and "dry" dough). Add the chocolate hips and incorporate with your hands.

4. Roll the dough into 12 large balls (or 9 for hugely awesome cookies) and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the cookies look puffy and dry and just barely golden. DO NOT OVERBAKE. This is essential for keeping the cookies soft. Take them out even if they look like they aren't done yet. They will be pale and puffy.

5. Let them cool on the pan for a good 30 minutes or so. They will sink down and turn into these dense, soft cookies and should stay that way for a couple days if kept in an air tight container.

NOTES - 3 most important things about this recipe: melting the butter, adding enough flour, and not baking for too long. If you find the dough is wet and really sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.

You can find the original recipe HERE. Thanks!