Balsamic honey salmon, mushrooms and onions

I'll be the first to admit I get so scared when I have to cook any type of fish.  I always think I will never be able to cook it right or it will never taste as good as I've imagined.  This meal can be a little more on the expensive side but it was SOOO delicious and I believe well worth it :). I sided it with baked sweet potato's (which I've never made before but will definitely be making again soon, talk about yummy and the PERFECT side dish to salmon.

Salmon with Mushrooms and Onions

(pan seared)

 

 

 

Ingredients:

2 Salmon steaks (deli fresh)

1 lemon

2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

salt and pepper

vegetable oil

mushrooms of your choice (we used pre-sliced shiitake in the box)

1 yellow onion (sliced)

1/2 C. balsamic vinaigrette dressing

1/2 cup honey

 

Directions:

1. Take the salmon and remove the skin from the bottom. After ensuring the salmon is cleaned place in a marinating pan.  Make tiny slices randomly all over the salmon.  Take 1 tablespoon on garlic and stuff the salmon with this garlic in each hole. Repeat with the other salmon steak and remaining garlic.  Take your lemon and cut it into two halves.  Squeeze each half over on salmon steak.  Place salmon in refrigerator until ready to sear.

2.  In a sauté pan place a small amount of vegetable oil (no more than 1 tablespoon), balsamic dressing, honey, onion and mushrooms.  After you have sautéed this place in a bowl and set aside.  With the pan on medium heat grab the salmon and cook each piece about 5-7 minutes on each side or until you salmon has the light pink color you should be looking for. 

3.  Once you have seared the salmon on both sides, add the remaining onion and mushrooms and let cook together for another minute or so.

 

**I added feta cheese to mine for extra added flavor, but Jason prefers his with out. So I will let you decide on if you want it or not**

 

Serve WARM :)

 

Have a blessed day!

 

Ashley :)

 

 



Tator Tot Casserole

I never knew dinner could be so simple and such a smash hits with not only kids but adults too.  My best friend Jessica and I were hanging out one night and she said Oh I was going to make tator tot casserole.  Me thinking it sounded kind of gross and the kids sounded excited.  To my surprise I went back for seconds.  Jessica and I have been cooking together forever it feels like.  We usually make the same things and have similar techniques but she definitely got me on this one. This is something we make in the house quit often now being its something Jason loves, Braiden loves and I love. This was me and my beautiful friend last week at dinner.

 

 

Tator Tot Casserole

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef hamburger

1/2 yellow onion (diced)

salt and pepper

1 bag frozen tator tots

1 can Campbell's nacho cheese

1 can Campbell's cream of mushroom

1 can sweet peas

1 cup sour cream

1 (4 cup) bag of shredded cheese

cooking spray

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to the degrees it says on the back of the tator tot bag.  In a casserole dish or round pan, spray cooking spray at the bottom

2.  In a pan brown the hamburger and onion and drain an extra juices.  Add the peas and salt and pepper, sour cream and the 2 cans of Campbell's.  Let this all cook together until well mixed.

3. In the casserole pan, evenly spread the frozen tator tots. (Make sure you leave some to place on top.  If making with a big pan, its recommended to get 2 bags of frozen tator tots

4. Take the hamburger filling and evenly pour it onto the tator tots.  then take the bag of shredded cheese and pour over the top evenly.  Take the remaining tator tots and place on top.

5.  After the oven has pre-heated cook for the time that the bag of tator tots says to cook.

 

Serve warm!!

 

Hope you enjoy and have a blessed day!

 

Ashley & Jessica :) 

 

Fajitas-plain and simple

Wow, its been a crazy couple months going here and there and the holidays that have come and gone.  But no I haven't quit cooking, just making it to blogging hasn't been number one.  Okay so back to the good life of food. Fajitas- an ALL TIME favorite in my house and at my moms since I can remember.  This was one of the first dinners I learned to cooked and have been making it ever since and NEVER changed one thing.

Ingredients:

3-4 thawed boneless chicken breasts

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow onion

extra virgin olive oil

1 pkg. McCormick's fajitas seasoning

 

Instructions:

1. Cut chicken breast fat away from side and dispose of.  Then slice the chicken into strips,  make pieces no longer than your index finder.

2. In a pan (deep enough to hold all ingredients) place a small amount of extra virgin olive oil. At place on medium heat.  One the pan is heated place chicken in and let cook. (Salt the chicken with salt and pepper if you prefer).

3. On a separate cutting board (or clean the one you used for the chicken) slice the remaining vegetables. Place in a bowl and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. ( this can also be done before the chicken to save time)

4.  Once the chicken has been cooked add remaining ingredients and 1/2 cup of water. Let this cook until the vegetables and cooked.  When some of the water has reduced down, add your fajita seasoning.  Let cook until all the water has evaporated.

 

This dish is great to place on a salad, taco shells, or fajita shells, it is also excellent for left overs.

 

Hope you enjoy this meal and have a blessed day!!

 

Ashley :)

Fake Greens!!

So I made this a couple weeks ago, for chicken fried steak. and Jason absolutely loved this recipe.  As a matter of fact he thought they were collard greens.  This is by far not collard greens but it is broccoli, green beans and onions.  I have never had collard greens but I might need to try them if they are this good. So not only is this recipe delicious but healthy.

 

 

Faked Greens

1 head of broccoli

1/2 yellow onion (sliced)

1 can French green beans (drained)

1/2 cup butter (divided)

1/4 teaspoon garlic (I use the refrigerator kind)

1/4 cup quesadilla cheese

 

1.  In a microwave safe dish, add broccoli and onions, garlic and 1/4 cup of butter.  Microwave for 15 minutes. 

 

2.  Stir and mix in the can of green beans and butter.  Microwave for another 7 minutes.

 

3.  After the 7 minutes is up, sprinkle the quesadilla cheese over the greens and let it melt.  Serve warm!!

 

Hope you enjoy :)

 

Ashley

 

Meatloaf

I'm not a huge fan of meatloaf, never have been.  But there is only so much you can do with ground beef before you run out of options.  So tonight was experiment night with meatloaf and it turned out AMAZING!! As a matter of fact, I think we will have this again.  I used my garlic mashed potato's that I posted about a few weeks ago and they went excellent with this, I also make some "fake greens which I will blog about next.

 

 

 

Meatloaf

Ingredients:

 

1 lb. ground beef (I use 70/30)

1/2 pkg. of chicken stuffing

1 Tablespoon mustard

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 large egg

1/2 small yellow onion diced

salt and pepper to taste

 

Topping:

1/2 cup ketchup

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a mixing bowl combine all the above ingredients, minus the topping.  Mix well.  Take a baking pan and mold the hamburger mixture into a load looking figure.

 

2. Bake this at 400 for 20 minutes.  This allows it to get a crispy edge all around.  While this is baking mix the ketchup and brown sugar, pour the ketchup mixture over the meatloaf and bake for another 15 minutes.

Hope you enjoy and have a blessed day! :)

Ashley

 

 

Beef Enchiladas

This week it has gotten a little bit chilly! So to warm us up I made these EASY enchiladas!  These have always been a favorite of my friends and family!  Its a simple and cheap recipe that is great to save a re-heat the next day!! I also like this recipe because I can sneak in the peas :)

 

Easy Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 yellow onion (diced)
1 can green and red enchilada sauce
7 cups frozen shredded hash browns
3 Tablespoons butter
1 can peas
1pkg. taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 small bag quesadilla shredded cheese
1 small bag Colby jack shredded cheese
1 pkg (8) flour burrito tortilla shells

Directions:
1. In a large pot brown ground beef and onions.  When it is browned add peas, taco seasoning, butter and hash browns.  Stir together and let cook until hash browns are soft and peas are cooked.  Set aside and let cool.

2. In a pie pan add both red and green enchilada sauces. Stir together.

3.  Set up an assembly line to make this go smooth.
Start: Place tortilla shells on a paper towel, the pie dish with enchilada sauce, Place the tortilla shell pkg. on the counter (this will be used to lay the tortilla shell on), Combine both bags of cheese into a bowl and place close, then place the pot with the meat and hash brown filling by the cheese.  Take a pan 13x9 glass pan and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.  keep this close to make transfer easy.

4.  Now begin the process: Dip flour shell into sauce covering both sides, place onto the tortilla shell pkg. Add about 1/4 cup in the middle and make it look like a log so it looks it almost touches the ends.  Add a handful of cheese ( make sure you leave enough cheese to top at the end.  Roll up the enchilada and place into the dish.  Repeat with the rest of the tortilla shells.  When finished take any extra filling and enchilada sauce and place it on top of the enchiladas.  Add another handful of cheese to the top.  Place in the oven at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese and sauce in bubbly.  You can also place these in the refrigerator and heat them at another time!!

Have a Blessed day and ENJOY!

Ashley :)

The last couple weeks!

Wow what a busy couple of weeks!! Jason and I recently just got back from a trip to Santa Fe, NM with a few other stops threw Taos, NM, Colorado Springs, CO, and a trip to Pikes Peak. We went to a wedding for Jason's cousin and made a 12 hour road trip!!  Although, the trip was amazing  we were more than happy to get home to the little man!!  Here's some pictures of our vacation and a picture of the little guy playing with his ninja turtles in the tree and pumpkin carving!!

 

Have a Blessed Day!!

 

Ashley :)