Crusted Baked Tilapia with Mango Pineapple Salsa

 

This is a low calorie delicious dish.  The flavors of the pineapple and mango are so light and refreshing.  I added some fresh basil from my herb pot.  I buy my Tilapia frozen and individually wrapped that way I can use as much as I want and the rest still stays fresh.  I really enjoyed this dish and will make it part of my  go to recipes.  Also I cooked this in my toaster oven because it's been sooooooooooooo hot here I didn't want to heat up the house.

Currently I am in New Mexico with my son, daughter-in-law and two beautiful grandchildren.  My blog will update as usual because I have done several recipes that I've wanted to share, so please be sure to come and visit.  When I return I will post some pictures of my visit.
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Ingredients:
2-4 Tilapia fillets
1/4 cup mayo
Italian Bread Crumbs for coating

Salsa
1 fresh pineapple cut into chunks
2 mango's cut into chunks
1/4 cup  fresh basil chopped
**optional** 1/2 small red onion diced (I didn't add this because I don't like raw onion)
1/2 large red sweet pepper, finely diced
pinch of salt

Direction:
thaw fillets, brush each with mayo on both sides, then coat with bread crumbs.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with that parchment aluminum paper.  (makes for great clean up)  Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes until fish flakes and breading is golden.  Top with chilled salsa.  Enjoy

Salsa:
Combine all ingredients and chill until ready to serve. 
Thanks for stopping by,  have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna



 

BLT Pizza

 

Sounds weird huh, but don't be fooled this is soooooooooooooo YUMMY.  My friend from Maine, Orm, just loves this Pizza.  When I was visiting him a couple of years ago we had this one night from one of the local places.  Believe me I was skeptical but when I tasted it....wow oh wow, delicious.  I do not cook my pizza on the pan you see it on.  I use them strictly for serving.  I have pizza stones and also unglazed quarry tiles.
The other night we had a small dinner gathering.  My "other son" as I call him, his parents were in town for a visit and would be leaving soon so we had our final get together.   I didn't know what to make but he suggested Pizza, he loves my pizza.  So that's what we had.   I made 6 different kinds and this was one of them.  It's really simple to make so hope you give it a try.
Family:

 "my other son is at the far left, his mom and dad are on the right, far side of the table, she has on an orange top and the has the ball cap on.  The gal in purple with her back to you is my Daughter Laura Jean, to her right is Alan her hubby, to her left is my sister in law Winnie (who is Orm's sister) and next to her is Loren, JR's girlfriend.  To JR's left is Judy and next to her Dan her hubby.  (Judy and I have been friends for over 16 years)
Here's some photo's of the pizza as the toppings are added

just out of oven and adding tomatoes,  also a pinch of salt

then the mayo,

and then last the lettuce.

 and a piece ready to eat.  YUM

Here is the link for the dough  (when you click on it, it may say chicken cornbread don't be alarmed it is the dough)

Pizza topping:
2-3 slices provolone cheese
1-2 slices mozzarella cheese
5-6 slices bacon, cooked til crispy and chopped
1 whole tomato, sliced thin
2-3 leaves Romaine lettuce, chopped
1-2 TBL mayo
pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 500 with your pizza stone inside.  (*you can use a cookie sheet turned over, but do not preheat.)
Roll out your dough and put cheese on the bottom *I tear the pieces of cheese and just put them here and there on the pie*  place the bacon all around the pizza then bake for about 10-12 minutes until the crust is done.  Remove pizza and top with mayo, tomato and lettuce and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt.  That's it.  Sure hope you try this, because if you're a lover the the infamous BLT sandwich and love pizza you'll really enjoy it.
I'd like to say "thanks Orm" for the wonderful new pizza.
Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things YOU Love.
Donna

Pork Chops with Ginger Plum sauce

This dish was adapted from here,   I made two sauces to go with these pork chops.  I think they would both be great on chicken also.  Especially the second one.  When I try it on chicken of course I will share.
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Pork Chops with ginger plum sauce
Changes in red
Ingredients               

    1 cup dry red wine
    2 teaspoons grated peeled ginger
    1/4 cup instant flour (such as Wondra) or cornstarch
    Kosher salt
    4 1/2-inch-thick boneless pork loin chops, trimmed I used bone in chops
    1 orange
    1/4 cup rice vinegar
    1/3 cup honey
    8 large sprigs fresh mint
   * 2 large plums, cut into 1/2-inch pieces didn't have
   2-3 TBL red plum preserves instead
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)used
    Canola  oil, for frying
Sauce from above recipe

Directions

Whisk 1 tablespoon wine, the ginger and 2 tablespoons ice water in a large bowl. Whisk in the flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork, turning to coat; refrigerate while you prepare the sauce.

Remove the zest from the orange in wide strips using a vegetable peeler. Put the zest in a skillet and squeeze in the juice. Whisk in the vinegar, honey and the remaining 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons wine. Add the mint and cook over medium-high heat until syrupy, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the plums and cook until slightly soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the mint. Swirl in the butter, if desired, and season with salt.

Heat 1/4 inch peanut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork until golden and crisp, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towellined plate to drain. Season with salt and serve with the plum sauce.

2nd Sauce:
Plum Sauce: see changes in red

    2  tablespoon butter
    3/4  cup  chopped onions
    1  cup plum preserves   
    2/3  cup water
    1/2  cup packed brown sugar
    1/3  cup chili sauce
    1/4  cup soy sauce
    2  tablespoons prepared mustard
    3  drops Tabasco sauce *omitted*
    *couple shakes of red pepper flakes*
    2  tablespoons fresh lemon juice
     Garlic salt to taste
This dish is really tasty and I will make it again.  Both sauces are VERY good and after tasting them I will make some chicken.  The sauce have distinct different flavors.  The one that is make from the pork chop recipe is sweeter.
Hope you try these.  Thanks for taking time from your busy day to stop by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the Things You Love.
Donna

Fish Taco

 

 

Last year we were in San Diego for Josh's graduation from Marine Boot Camp and I really wanted to try these while I was there but didn't.  Hmmmm not sure why, well any way I thought I'd try them at home since I've been eating so much fish lately and after a while you would like a change from just baking or grilling.  I  tried these both fried like listed below and also grilled for a lighter Taco. 

These are so delicious.  I would have never thought a fish taco would be so YUMMY!  I will make these often I'm sure. 

 

Adapted from here

Ingredients: 

 3/4 cup AP flour
1/4 cup corn meal
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup Sprite *my change*

Sauce:
1/2 cup  sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
1/4  jalapeno pepper, minced  No SEEDS
1/4 Anaheim pepper, minced NO SEEDS
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/4  teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 quart oil for frying
1 pound cod fillets, or Tilapia  cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions (any white fish)
1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas or homemade ones
You can also serve these on flour tortillas

1 pkg of  slaw mix 

Directions

To make  batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and sprite, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).
To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together sour cream and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno,  oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne. 

The top photo is the fish made in a grille pan on the stove.
Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into  batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp.  For the regular fish just fry in little bit of oil and butter, about 4 minutes on each side until brown and flaky.   To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce. 
Thanks for stopping by.  Have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things you Love.
Donna
 

Lime Basil Chicken Salad

I wanted to make some chicken salad but didn't want the same ole plain stuff.  SO I changed it up a bit.  I have a wonderful herb garden this year and just love to be able to use those great herbs in my cooking.  Hope you try this, it's fairly quick and doesn't have to many ingredients.  The roll is homemade too and the recipe can be found here, just shape them into rolls instead of bread loaves.
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Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 TBL dried minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper
1/2 lb. red seedless grapes, cut in half
2 celery ribs, diced
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup mayo
3 TBL sour cream
**optional  pineapple chunks**

Directions:
Zest the two limes into  a medium bowl squeeze the lime juice into the bowl, add oil, garlic and onion.  Mix in the olive oil and then add the chopped basil salt and pepper.   Stir and then take a large plastic zip bag put in the chicken and pour the mixture over it.   Be sure to get all the pieces coated.  Marinate in refrigerator for about 2 hours, can leave overnight.

Heat your grille, I use this kind on my stove

Cook chicken and when done (juices run clear or inside temp is 170) cool and then cut into chunks.  In a large bowl combine all ingredients, mix well.  You can serve then or chill and serve.

We had these on a sandwich but you could have it as a main dish with the pasta salad from previous post.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do ALL the things YOU love.
Donna

Garlic Basil Pork

 

This is a great light summer dinner.  It's been so hot here it's almost to hot  to eat.  I used Good Seasons Italian Dressing on this.  When I make that dressing I always add either 1 1/2 TBL brown sugar or 1 1/2 TBL honey.  Sure makes it tasty.  The greens can be whatever you like.  Mine is very simple, romaine lettuce, celery, radishes, tomato, cucumber, some chopped almonds and red cabbage.

This is a quick marinate that you can use on pork, fish, or chicken.   It's a very quick, easy with lots of flavor, and you can marinate your protein for just 20 minutes and still have great flavors.  Of course the longer you marinate the better it could taste.  Just remember if you put it in the refrigerator to take it out and let it come to room temperature before you cook it, and pat off any excess.  The recipe below is for a small marinate so if you wanted to do like chops or larger portions just increase all the ingredients.  I took a chunk of pork off a boneless roast and cut it into strips and put on my salad.
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2 cloves garlic
3 TBL basil
2 TBL lemon basil
1 tsp thyme (dried)
1 TBL dried minced onion
4-5 TBL olive oil or vegetable oil
salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients in small food processor and toss your protein in mixture.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes or longer.
Cook pork in a hot skillet about 3-5 minutes on each side.  Can be cooked on an indoor grille pan or outside on the bbq grille.

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful day and Remember to Find the Time to Do all the Things You Love.
Donna

Pasta Salad

Here is another dish that I have been making for years.  There isn't much to it but there are so many things you could change if you wanted, once you have the main parts add things you and your family like.  I will post some things at the end.  Also the type of pasta you use is entirely up to you.  Today I used medium size shells.  Oh one other note, I use Kraft regular mayo,  There was a time I only used Helmans but when I moved from NY to NM you couldn't find it.  They since have it but it's found with the Best Food label.  Even though we think of pasta salads for summer I think you can have them whenever you crave them.  The sandwich shown will be my next post.  It's Lime/Basil Chicken Salad on a homemade roll.
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Ingredients:
3/4 of bag pasta (16 oz )
2-3 ribs of celery diced
1 large carrot, shredded
1/3 cup sweet relish
1/3 cup chopped bread and butter pickles
1 large kosher pickle, diced
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup mayo  (more if needed)
3 TBL sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Direcitons:  Easy peasy
In a large pot with 6-8 qts salted water cook pasta according to package directions, drain and let cool.  When cool in large bowl combine all ingredient then add sour cream and mayo.  **There are times I add all ingredients except mayo and sour cream and refrigerate overnight*  that way I don't have to make it all the day I am serving it.**

Here are some things have also added just to change it up a bit
1/2 sweet red pepper diced
1/2 green pepper diced
2 green onions diced ( I don't do this often, don't like raw onions)
3/4 cup diced American cheese
3 TBL fresh Dill chopped
3 TBL fresh parsley, chopped
canned tuna, drained and flaked
cooked chicken, diced

So you see, you can make it just like you want.  Use you imagination and those things you like to eat.
Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful Independence Day and Remember to Say Thanks to all those that serve our country and keep us FREE.
Donna