Easy Baked Tilapia

When I was a gym rat (before marriage and kids), I would always eat fish for dinner. I mean, like every evening. That's why you can't get Orange Roughy anymore; I ate it all. :-) Anyway, we have been going beef and pork free in our home (alas, bacon, I do miss you), and we've been feeling SO much better because of it. I am getting tired of chicken, so I remembered that I would cook fish, years ago, from frozen. So, I tried it with Tilapia and it is very tasty and tender and not dry. And not fishy tasting either, which is nice because fishy fish isn't good, even though it is fish.

Ingredients

• frozen Tilapia filets (see below for how many)
• garlic powder (NOT salt)
• Old Bay seasoning
• cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray (I used an 11 x 15). Place desired amount of filets in dish. They can overlap a little, but you cannot double layer them, as they won't bake properly. They will shrink as they bake, so halfway through you can scoot them around so they are all flat on the bottom of the dish.

Spray filets with cooking spray. Sprinkle desired amount of garlic powder and Old Bay on fish. Stick in oven and bake for 17 minutes. Rearrange a little, if necessary; bake 5 more minutes (or until fish is white and flakes with a fork).

Fish will continue to cook some in dish, so it doesn't need to be super flaky when you take it out. Mostly just needs to be opaque (all white) and tender .

Serve with rice and steamed broccoli or a spinach salad.  Yum!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

This picture does not do this breakfast treat justice. (So my camera stinks, but at least there's a picture, okay? grin.)

This was incredible! I have a slow cooker recipe for overnight apple oatmeal, but my crock pot is big and turns everything to charcoal after about 4 hours, so I was afraid to make it. Then I was inspired the next morning to do a "cheater" version. And it was ahhhmazing! I hope you like it! 

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 cups water 
• 1 & 1/2 cups skim milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar 
• 1 cup Scottish oatmeal (or steel cut oats) 
• 1 can of apple pie filling (I use Lucky Leaf, which is delish)
• maple syrup (preferably 100% real stuff)
• 2 tablespoons of pecans, rough chopped

Directions

In a medium-large sauce pot,  place first six ingredients and bring to a boil.

While waiting for boil, chop up half the apples in the pie filling.

When mixture boils, turn down heat to medium and whisk in the oats (whisking is important so it doesn't lump together while cooking). Then stir in the chopped apples.

Cover, turn to low, and cook for 15 minutes (if using Scottlish oatmeal) or longer (if using steel cut oats -- check the directions for cooking time for one cup). Stir occasionally, to prevent sticking to bottom of pot (but it will still stick somewhat).

While waiting for oats to cook, toast the pecans. In a dry skillet (cast iron works great), heat nuts over medium heat, stirring to prevent scorching, until you can smell them (or 2-3 minutes). Then remove from heat.


When oats are done, they will be a thick, creamy mixture. Ladle into individual bowls, add some more pie filling (to taste) then top with the pecans and maple syrup.

Sit down while eating, because your eyes will roll back in your head.

Okay, maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but apple pie is one of my all-time favorite desserts, and I love wholesome, toothsome breakfasts. This is a dream marriage of those two things.

Enjoy!

Yummy Cereal Bars

These tasty treats are a snap to make, and much healthier than candy bars or brownies. You can substitute your favorite cereal for the "Cheerios," but I personally think they make this taste fabulous. (And isn't this a cute plate that I found at my local Big Lots store?)

Ingredients

Just so you know, I don't measure anything when I make these, so feel free to eyeball it, if you are comfortable doing that. The biggest issue is not adding too much cereal because then it won't get covered well.

• 1 cup marshmallow creme 
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (I have used regular and chunky)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 to 1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional (personal preference, here)
• 2 cups cereal of your choice (I use "Cheerios" brand honey-nut flavor) 
• Cooking spray

Directions

Spray an 8x8 baking dish (or one similar sized). Have cereal and chocolate chips close by.

Put first three ingredients in medium-large microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds, then stir (creme will puff). Heat for 15-30 more seconds, depending on strength of your oven.

Remove and stir well, then immediately add cereal and chips and stir and fold them in. When everything is coated, put in dish and spread/pack down to make flat. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 1 hour.

Cut into squares and eat! Great with a cup of tea or glass of milk!

No Boil Manicotti Florentine

I wondered how this would do without boiling the shells first, and it was great! Not boiling the manicotti also makes it easier to fill, even though it can still be a little messy. Allow some time for the filling process, just so you don't rush and squeeze it everywhere.

Ingredients

• 16 oz container of small curd cottage cheese
• 4 ounces cream cheese*
• 7 oz bag shredded mozzarella
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons onion powder (NOT onion salt!)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (again, NOT salt!)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 box chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as you can get it 
• 1 box manicotti shells, uncooked
• 32 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce 
• Grated/Shredded Parmesan cheese 
• basil and/or oregano
• cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put first eight ingredients into your food processor and give it a few pulses to mix together (don't go crazy here). Add the spinach and pulse a couple more times, so everything is nicely incorporated. 

(*  I didn't have any regular cream cheese on hand this time, so I substituted some French onion The Laughing Cow brand cheese (four triangles worth) and it worked well.)

Spoon a cup or more of sauce into the bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. You need it to thickly cover the bottom.

Using either a large pastry bag (which works best) or a gallon zip lock, fold the top down and fill it with all the cheesy goodness. (This works best when you turn down the top 3-4 inches of the bag, so it doesn't go all over the opening.)

Cut a small slit in the bottom corner, but please don't make it too big to start with. It needs to fit into the end of the manicotti shell so the filling goes in easy. If it isn't flowing, you can make it a little bigger. If you start too big, it will squish out around the opening when you squeeze the bag.

Fill each shell and nestle them in the sauce. (Don't they look cozy?)

After the shells are all filled, cover with a thick layer of sauce  (you don't need to use it all). Then add 1/4 cup of water to the corner of the dish.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese, basil and oregano (to taste). 

Cover with double layer of foil that is sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 60 minutes. Uncover, and bake for 5-10 more minutes. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before eating.

Obviously, this goes well with garlic bread and a salad -- but you could cheat and just carb out with just the garlic bread.

Yum!

 

Easy-Peasy Garlic Parmesan Braid

Okay, don't pass out because there are actually some pictures this time! Ha!

This couldn't be easier unless you just buy it ready-made from a bakery. It looks pretty, and you can use as much or as little of the toppings as you like. It's simple, yet it can really jazz up the presentation of your spaghetti dinner, or whatever you want to serve it with!

Ingredients

• 1 lb bread dough (I used fresh dough from Walmart)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• Italian seasoning or oregano
• melted butter, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide your dough into three equal sections, and place on a baking sheet or stone. Press ends together.

Braid tightly and then tuck the ends, pinching to keep together.

Brush with beaten egg, then sprinkle with cheese, minced garlic and seasonings of choice.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until deep golden brown. As you can see from this last picture, the braid puffed and the center isn't golden. It wasn't done, either. The entire top should be nicely golden brown when it's done. (If your looks like mine did, you can brush the middle with additional egg before baking longer, to help it to brown.)

Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. You can also brush with melted butter, for additional richness.

Enjoy!

Fish Lasagne

This recipe is one that I've had for years, and it is so simple but so rich and yummy. You may love it as much as we do.  And don't worry about the Food Network and how they complain about fish and cheese not going together well. It's not true. At least not in this case!  

Ingredients

• 1 & 1/2 pounds of white fish (I used Tilapia)
• 8 ounces of Swiss cheese, shredded (but I used a 7 oz package of sliced Swiss I had on hand)
• 2-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup heavy cream (or evaporated milk, which I used last night!*)
• 8 lasagne noodles, cooked and rinsed in cool water
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 6 tablespoons of butter 

Directions

Melt butter in a medium skillet. Cut the fish into 1 inch pieces, and cook with garlic and thyme until fish flakes easily with a fork (stirring around gently; don't worry, it will break up some), around 8-10 minutes. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon.

Melt remaining butter in skillet and then add salt and flour, whisking until smooth (add a splash of the broth to help, if it's too pasty). Cook and stir this roux for 2 minutes, then slowly add the broth and milk, whisking all the while. Bring to a boil, while whisking, and stir for a couple minutes until thickened.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray or grease a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Then begin layering the lasagne. Start with 3 noodles in bottom, add half the fish, half the sauce, then top with half the cheese. Repeat layers.

Cover with foil (may want to spray it so it doesn't stick to the top of the lasagne). Bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for 20 minutes more, or until bubbling.

Let set for 20 minutes before serving.

Yum!

*The evaporated milk worked just fine as far as taste, but I will say that the cream formed a more cohesive sauce than the milk, so my milk version was a little more buttery-greasy than it is with the cream. So if you can deal with using the cream, I'd recommend it over the milk. Both are tasty, though!

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

I know, I didn't take a picture, again (!). But, I hope you will trust me when I say that this is a delicious meal. My husband was slurping up a plate full before taking our son to wrestling practice. He usually just waits until he comes back, but the smell lured him in. :-)

Ingredients

*Boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or bone-in, but deskinned)
Your favorite spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/4-1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon granulated garlic (NOT garlic salt)
2 teaspoons onion powder

black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Place chicken in bottom of crock pot
Sprinkle with seasonings
Cover with sauce
*Cook for 4-10 hours


You can use as many chicken thighs as you want/need. My crock pot is one of the big ones that ruins food if you cook for longer than 4 hours. I used 10 chicken thighs and one 24 ounce can of Food Lion brand 3-cheese (4-cheese?) spaghetti sauce, and cooked mine for around 4 hours (maybe a little over).

It was delish! I served this over spaghetti noodles (regular spaghetti, not angel hair), and everyone loved it. You just need to add more sauce (and increase seasonings, to taste) if using more chicken, and increase cooking time accordingly, especially if your chicken is not deboned (since that will take longer to cook)

And the biggest rule is Know Thy Crockpot!

 If you have one like mine (I think it's at least 6 quarts, if not 8), then use caution. When I say mine ruins food, it really is inedible. The first time I made a regular cook-for-8-hours meal and left the house all day, I came back to a burned, blackened mess in the bottom.There doesn't seem to be a way around this, either (I checked online and it seems to be a universal problem). On the other hand, it is boss for cooking a whole chicken!