Skillet Lasagna

Recipe From: My Kitchen Cafe

Maybe more work than regular lasagna, but didn't need to turn on the oven...so that's a plus in the summer. I used fresh oregano and basil from the garden.

Ingredients:
3 (14.5 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion (minced)
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves (finely minced)
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
12 curly-edged lasagna noodles (broken into 1 inch lengths)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese

Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a blender or food processor until they are coarsely ground and no large pieces remain. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground meat and cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is lightly browned and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Scatter the broken lasagna noodles over the meat and then pour in the ground tomatoes and tomato sauce over the pasta. Stir in the basil and oregano. Cover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring often and adjusting the heat to maintain a vigorous simmer, until the pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.

Off the heat, stir in half the mozzarella and half of the parmesan. Dot heaping tablespoons of the ricotta over the noodles, then sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan. Cover and let stand off the heat until the cheese melts, 2 to 4 minutes. Serve.

Citrus Salmon & Ginger Snap Peas

Recipe From: Taste and Tell Blog

This was so easy! The sugar snap peas were our favorite.

Ingredients:
4 salmon fillets, skin removed
salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1 green onion (sliced)
1 teaspoon dry white wine (chicken broth)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds (toasted)

Preheat oven to 450F. Rinse fish, and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle fish with salt and pepper. Place in a shallow baking dish; set aside. In a small bowl, stir together marmalade, green onion, wine, ginger, mustard, garlic, cayenne pepper, and five-spice powder. Spoon mixture over fish. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness of fish, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Sprinkle individual servings with almonds.

Gingery Sugar Snap Peas
3 cups fresh sugar snap peas
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
dash of ground ginger
dash of black pepper

Remove strings and tips from sugar snap peas. In a covered medium saucepan, cook peas in a small about of boiling salted water for 2 to 4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain well; set aside. In the same saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in marmalade, soy sauce, ginger and pepper. Return peas to the saucepan, stirring to coat.

Parmesan Rosettes
1 11-ounce package (12) refrigerated breadsticks
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375F. Separate breadsticks and uncoil into 12 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 12-inch long rope. Tie each rope in a loose knot, leaving 2 long ends. Tuck the top end of the rope under roll. Bring bottom end up and tuck into the center of the roll. In a shallow dish, combine Parmesan cheese, sesame seeds, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Brush top and sides of each knot with the melted butter. Carefully dip the top and sides of each rosette into the cheese mixture. Place rosettes 2 to 3 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

'Perfectly Chocolate' Chocolate Cake

Recipe From: Hershey's

Melissa made this for craft & bake day. It was Ray's 33rd birthday.

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling waterHeat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost with "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting. CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Triple Berry Crumble Cake

Recipe From: The Sisters Cafe

Great flavor! Tastes better after it has sat for awhile. We used fresh strawberries, blackberries and raspberries.

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk

Toppings and Crumble:
2 cups fresh berries
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

In a medium bowl combine the 2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a KitchenAid beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 3/4 cup sugar and beat on med-high until light and fluffy. Add egg, beat well. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to beaten egg mixture, beating until smooth after each addition. Spoon batter into an 8x8 pan (greased).Sprinkle with berries. Or just dump them on! "Is that pretty, Mama?"In another bowl combine the 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over berries. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes. This time, Sam was concentrating and really sprinkling.

Parmesan Paprika Chicken

Recipe From: Favorite Family Recipes

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cube melted butter
Paprika

Combine Parmesan cheese with breadcrumbs. Dip chicken breast in melted butter. Roll in crumb mixture until completely coated. Place in baking dish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes @ 375 degrees.

Mongolian Beef

Recipe From: Favorite Family Recipes
Loved the sauce. Amazing what sugar can do.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp ginger (minced)
2 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 lb flank steaks
½ cup cornstarch
3 large green onions
1 red bell pepper
1 lb broccoli crowns

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak so you get wider cuts. Dip the steak pieces into cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef. Let the beef sit about 10 min. so the cornstarch sticks. As the beef sits, heat oil in a wok (or skillet). Add the beef to the oil and saute for just 2 minutes, or until beef just begins to darken on the edges. Remove and set aside.

Make the sauce by heating oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Don’t get the oil too hot. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to medium and boil the sauce 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens a little a bit. Continue to simmer. Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch-water mixture to desired thickness. Add meat, green onions, red bell peppers and broccoli. Cover and allow vegetables to cook to desired crispness. Serve it over rice with remaining green onions as a garnish.

Shrimp Stir Fry with Snow Peas & Coconut Curry Sauce

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

Next time I would delete the bean sprouts...I think they brought the wrong texture.

Stir Fry Ingredients:
1 recipe Coconut-Curry sauce (below)
1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bell pepper (cored, seeded, and sliced)
8 ounces snow peas (strings removed)
1 cup bean sprouts (would delete)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbsp fresh ginger (grated)

Coconut Curry Sauce Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (I used reduced fat)
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 tsp light brown sugar
2 tsp cornstarch

Combine the sauce ingredients in medium bowl and set aside.

Toss the shrimp with soy sauce. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up any clumps, until curled and lightly browned, about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a clean bowl.

Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pan and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in snow peas and bean sprouts and cook for one more minute.

Clear the center of the pan and add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, garlic and ginger. Cook, mashing garlic mixture into the pan with the back of a spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk sauce to recombine and add to pan, bringing to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Add additional cornstarch/water mixture to get desired thickness. Stir in cooked shrimp. Serve immediately.

Sage Pork Chops

Recipe From: Martha Stewart Food Everyday
I forgot to take a picture. This was really good and I used fresh sage from the garden.

Ingredients:
2 boneless pork loin chops
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 medium shallot (minced)
1 tsp fresh sage (chopped)
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup chicken broth

Season pork generously with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium; add pork. Cook until browned and opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.

To make the sauce: Add shallot to skillet; cook over medium, stirring until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sage, thyme, and wine. Simmer until sauce is reduced to about 1/3 cup, 2 to 3 minutes; stir in any accumulated juices from plate with meat. Transfer chops to plates, drizzle with sauce.

Watermelon Strawberry Sorbet

Recipe From: Netts Nook
Not quite sweet enough...maybe double the sugar and delete the honey.Ingredients:

1 cup water

1/4 sugar
1/4 honey
2 cups seedless watermelon (cubed)
2 cups fresh strawberries (hulled)
1 tbsp fresh mint (minced)

In a small heavy saucepan, bring the water and sugar and honey to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.

Place the watermelon and strawberries in a blender or food processor; add sugar syrup. Cover and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Strain and discard seeds and pulp. Transfer puree to a 13 in.x9-in. x 2-in. dish. Freeze for 1 hour or until edges begin to firm.

Stir in mint. Freeze 2 hours longer or until firm. Just before serving, transfer to a blender or food processor; cover and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.

Skillet Chicken Pasta

Recipe From: My Kitchen Cafe
The lemon juice as a last step was a bit too much.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breasts (sliced to shape of pasta)
salt and pepper
3 tbsp oil
1 medium onion (minced)
4 medium cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (minced)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 box pasta (I used a 13.5 oz mini penne)
4 1/4 cups water
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4-5 cups broccoli florets (I used a 14oz pre-cut bag)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (rinsed and chopped coarse)
3/4 cup heavy cream (I only used half)
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I only used half)
1/2 - 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for 1 minute without stirring. Stir the chicken and continue to cook until most, but not all, of the pink color has disappeared and the chicken is lightly browned around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, onion, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 2 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the pasta, 3 cups of the water, and the broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the liquid is very thick and syrupy and almost completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, and the remaining 1 1/4 cups water. Cover, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the broccoli turns bright green and is almost tender, 2-3 minutes.

Uncover and return the heat to medium-high. Stir in the cream, parmesan, and reserved chicken with any accumulated juices and continue to simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Chinese Honey Chicken Stirfry

Recipe From: Blog Chef
The recipe calls for the chicken to be deep fried. In an effort to be healthier, we turned this into a stirfry and added vegetables.Ingredients:

1 chicken breast (cut into 1” chunks)
Oil (for deep frying)
Sugar Snap Pea Stirfry Frozen Vegetables

Batter-
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup water
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 egg white

Sauce-
1 ½ tbsp oil
2 tsp ginger (minced)
3 tbsp garlic (minced)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 tsp cornstarch (mixed with 1 tsp water)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

If deep frying: In a large bowl mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Cover and allow the batter to site for at least 30 minutes. Add the chicken to the batter tossing to coat. Heat a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry chicken bits in patches for 2 minutes or until batter becomes firm. Drain on paper towels.

If stir frying: Slice chicken to desired shape. Saute in pan until partially brown yet still slightly pink. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

To make the sauce: Heat 1 ½ tbsp of oil in your wok. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Mix well. Combine 1 tsp of water with 1 tsp of cornstarch. Add to the sauce and Simmer for 2 minutes. Add a bag of frozen vegetables and the partially cooked chicken. Cover and allow veggies to get tender. Serve with white rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Turkey Cranberry Meatloaf

Recipe From: Katy Freezer Meals

Although I think ground turkey can be a little greasy, this had a good flavor.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 cup chicken flavored stuffing mix
3/4 cup whole cranberry sauce (divided)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb ground turkey

Mix egg, stuffing, and 1/4 cup of cranberry sauce. Add salt, pepper, and turkey and mix well. Bake meatloaf in loaf pan at 350 degrees uncovered for 55-65 minutes. Heat sauce in microwave and pour on loaf during last 15 minutes of cooking.

Lemon-Sugar Crusted Blueberry Muffins

Recipe From: My Kitchen Cafe Blog
Aunt Melissa came over for baking day and picked out our recipe. We don't get a beauty award for these muffins...we refuse to show the "right out of the oven photo." The lemon-sugar on top is the best part...although it didn't quite crust like it was supposed to.

Ingredients:
2 cups blueberries (fresh)
1 1/8 cups plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
4 tbsp butter (melted and cooled slightly)
1/4 cup oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Lemon-Sugar Topping:
1/3 cup sugar
zest from one lemon

For the topping, stir together sugar and lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

For the muffins, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a standard muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Rinse one cup berries under cold water and spread on a double layer of paper towels to dry well. Bring remaining one cup berries and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing berries with a spoon several times and stirring frequently, until the berries have broken down and the mixture is thickened and reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. Toss the berries that have dried on the paper towels in with the flour mixture. In another bowl, whisk remaining 1 1/8 cups sugar and eggs together until thick, about 45 seconds. Slowly whisk in the butter and oil until combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla until combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold egg mixture into flour mixture until just moistened. The batter will be lumpy with a few dry spots of flour - don't overmix. Using ice cream scoop or large spoon, divide the batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill the cups). Spoon a teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into the center of each mound of batter. Using a skewer (or a chopstick), gently swirl the berry filling into the batter using a figure eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar evenly over the muffins.Bake until the top of the muffins are golden and just firm, 17-18 minutes. Cool muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

Parmesan-Crusted Fish

Recipe From: Favorite Family Recipes Blog

I didn't have tilapia, but something called Bala Swai (?)...it must have been on sale.

Ingredients:
1-2 lbs tilapia fillets
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (I didn't use this)
1/4 cup butter (softened)
3 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp fresh basil (chopped)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
dash paprika
parsley

Preheat your oven's broiler. Line pan with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, Panko bread crumbs, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add basil, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and celery salt to taste. Mix well and set aside. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and pat about 3 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side of each fillet. Sprinkle with paprika and parsley. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.