Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Fish tacos were requested this evening, so I decided to try my hand at a beer batter, and the results were fantastic! I was told this was the best thing I have ever made for dinner. This recipe makes A LOT! So you can cut it in half if you're not having a fish taco party. :)

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/4 cup beer (hoppy beer makes the batter fluffy!)

2 eggs

2 lbs. white fish (like cod or tilapia), cut into strips

tortillas

Toppings:
sour cream

cheese

guacamole/avocados

lime wedges

pico de gallo

salsa

cilantro

Sweet Potato & Corn Quesadillas

I really have to thank my friend Meg for inspiring this recipe. She made me sweet potato & corn quesadillas a couple years ago and they were so tasty! I don't remember her process so I made up my own, and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. oil

2 cloves garlic

 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp pepper

8 tortillas (I used soft taco size)

8 oz cheddar, shredded

Cooking spray

sour cream and hot sauce for garnish

Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa

This one is super quick, easy and healthy too!

Ingredients

For the fish:

2 lbs white fish filets (tilapia, cod, mahi mahi, catfish, or snapper)

2 limes, cut into wedges

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

4 tbsp oil

Corn Salsa:

1 cup corn

1/2 red onion, diced

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, diced finely

soft tortillas

Garnishes:

avocado

sour cream

hot sauce

salsa

shredded cheese

Chuck Wagon Stew

Here is a quick and easy one that I am told is a kid pleaser. Super filling and tasty. Serve over rice or by itself.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef or turkey

1/2 onion, diced

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 lb. green beans

2 carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen corn

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp. onion powder

14 oz can beef or chicken broth

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

While we patiently wait for spring to finally get here, I have been continuing to cook some good winter comfort food in my house. This stew was a staple in my childhood days.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cubed

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

3 bay leaves

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

dash nutmeg

4 cups hot water

6 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 potatoes, sliced

3 tbsp. cornstarch

1/3 c cold water

Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo

So... as I was making this I realized that it was very similar to my Spicy Mac with Chicken and Broccoli recipe. I probably should have used another veggie, but I love broccoli sooo much. Anyway, the sauce is different, and both are delicious, so let's just say it's a variation. :)

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, sliced into small strips

2 heads of broccoli, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c. butter 

4 oz cream cheese

2 cloves garlic, minced fine

1 1/4 cup milk

4 oz. parmesan, grated

pepper to taste

1 lb. fettucini noodles, cooked according to package instructions

Peanut Butter Nutella Pie

I made a double batch and this yielded two pies, but I am posting the recipe for one pie. This dessert is super rich and decadent, so having 2 pies is dangerous!

This whips up fast and is really easy, with no baking involved, but takes a little while to chill and set.

Ingredients

4 oz cream cheese or neufchatel, softened

3/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

8 oz container of cool whip*

1 chocolate crust

1/4 cup nutella

Peanut butter chips and/or chocolate chips for garnish

*If you don't like cool whip, you can substitute 8 oz. of heavy whipping cream, whipped until thick

Pork Chops with Caramelized Pears

Ingredients:

4 pork chops, about 3/4 inch thick

1 cup italian bread crumbs

1/2 c. pecorino romano, grated fine

2 eggs

3 tbsp butter

2 pears, sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mushroom Bacon Quiche

As I stated in my last blog entry, I typically make two different kinds of quiche at the same time because frozen crusts tend to come in packs of 2. Here is the slightly more complicated recipe I made.

Click here for the recipe for the Broccoli Cheddar Quiche shown in the picture above on the right.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp oil

1 medium onion, chopped

10 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced

6 oz. spinach

1 frozen pie crust

3/4 cup milk

4 eggs

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried dill

4 slices bacon, crumble

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Broccoli Cheddar Quiche

I read somewhere that there is some sort of hatred of quiche amongst some men. I don't get this. Do they hate pie? Eggs? Veggies? Cheese? So why can't they all hang out together and be delicious?

Well I for one LOVE quiche because it is super easy to make, you can switch out the ingredients and basically make any kind you want. Most frozen pie crusts come in a pack of 2, so I tend to make two different kinds.

Click here to see my recipe for the Mushroom Bacon Quiche that is shown on the upper left in the picture above.

Ingredients:

1 frozen pie crust, thawed

2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup milk

4 eggs

1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

1 large head of broccoli, chopped

2 tbsp water

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Massaman Chicken Curry

If I had to pick one dish that was my favorite in the whole world, massaman curry could be it. I say "could" because as you can tell I am absolutely obsessed with food, so picking one food is next to impossible. However, I adore Thai food, and massaman is so close to heavenly it would at least make the top 5.

Maintaining a recipe blog like this is both a blessing and a curse. You are experimenting along the way, so a plus is you're always making something new. However, you're bound to need to make adjustments along the way which interrupts the recipe writing process. That said, I realized halfway through making this that I needed either a bigger pot or to have made less food. 

So what did we learn? 

You will either need to cut this recipe in half or use a big soup pot to make it!

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. oil

1 onion, chopped

2 lb boneless chicken breast or thighs, cut into strips

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, peeled and sliced 

2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 (14 oz) cans coconut milk 

8-10 tbsp. massaman curry paste (or red curry paste)*

1 (8 oz) jar satay sauce

1 red pepper, chopped

3 oz. roasted peanuts

*The more curry paste, the spicier. If you can't find massaman paste, you can use red curry but it tends to be spicier.

Hearty Chicken Soup with Rice

This weekend was definitely quite cold, and there is no better comfort food to warm the soul than a good old-fashioned bowl of chicken soup. Typically I make Chicken Noodle soup, but I wanted to change it up this time around. This soup is super easy, healthy, and so tasty!

Ingredients: 

2 lbs chicken breast or thighs, cut into chunks

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp butter

64 oz. chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3/4 cup uncooked rice

salt and pepper to taste

Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

Light and fluffy pumpkin cake with a tangy, creamy frosting... oh man I'm in trouble here! So delicious and delectable.

One note: The frosting recipe I used made too much frosting. I could probably ice another half batch with the leftovers, so I will need to figure a way to adjust it or make more cupcakes next time.

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 cup butter, melted and cooled

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp ground nutmeg

1-15 oz can pumpkin puree

For the frosting:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp maple flavor or 2 tsp. real maple syrup (the flavor will be more subtle)

Zuppa Toscana

This is a copy cat recipe for my favorite soup from Olive Garden, Zuppa Toscana, which literally means "Tuscan soup." It is basically an Italian sausage and kale soup, but I added some red Swiss chard to give it some nice color. Also, I did 2 lbs of sausage, which ended up being a little much, so I suggest doing either 1.5 lbs or even just 1 lb, unless you like your soup super meaty & hearty.

Ingredients:

1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed

1 lb hot italian sausage, casings removed

5 red potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves

1/2 bunch kale, cut into 1 inch strips

1/2 bunch red Swiss chard

2 cartons (32 oz each) chicken broth

1 cup cream (I used half-and-half)

Shredded parmesan, for garnish

Homemade Meatball Subs

I wasn't planning to post this recipe, because I've been making meatballs since I was seven (I think it may have been the first recipe I ever mastered). I thought it might be too simple for the blog. However, due to requests from my readers who want to know how I make them, I'm posting this recipe. I don't have step by step photos because you basically throw the stuff in a bowl and mash it together with your hands. Pretty easy.

I tend to double or even triple the recipe and freeze a lot of meatballs to use later. Easy to reheat for a quick dinner and you can put them over pasta with sauce, or even make a basic mushroom or beef gravy.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground beef (you could also use a mix of beef, pork and/or veal)

1 clove garlic

1 egg

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

1/2 tbsp parsley

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup milk

For the sauce*:

1 can diced, roasted tomatoes

8 oz can tomato paste, and equal parts water (use the can)

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

For the sandwiches:

Hoagie rolls

Shredded mozzarella

Parmesan

*You can use a jarred pasta sauce instead of these ingredients, if you want.

Soft & Chewy Snickerdoodles

People always ask me what is the secret to my cookies, why they always come out chewy and stay that way after several days, and I tell them from my 25 years of experience with baking, that the most likely culprit of two flat or too round cookies is the temperature of your butter.

I never resort to microwaving my butter because for me that always spells disaster. I leave it out and let it soften at room temp. You don't want your butter melted, especially for snickerdoodles, because they will come out really flat, hard, and extra crispy. A good snickerdoodle is slightly chewy and soft, and only a tad crispy on the outer edges. At least that's how I prefer them!

Some people also swear by using shortening for snickerdoodles, but I always use butter. Shortening will give you a fluffier cookie, and there's nothing wrong with that either, but my personal preference is thin, chewy, buttery and cinnamon-y yumminess.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened at room temp

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Buttercream Frosting

These cupcakes always seem to be a winner when I bring them to parties. When I first made them they seemed to be all anyone requested from me. I hadn't made them in awhile so I brought em back for a New Year's party because I had some overripe bananas I needed to use up.

For the cupcakes:

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened to room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg

3 large bananas (the riper the better)

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

For the frosting:

2 tbsp butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

4 tbsp creamy peanut butter