Pan-Seared Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Asian Glaze

I make fish once a year for Jason's birthday. This is because I HATE fish. It stinks and tastes worse and grosses me out to cook with it. But my husband loves fish, so once a year I prove how much I love him by gagging while I make him dinner. As I didn't taste this meal and can't vouch for it, I am posting this according to my husband's recommendation. He raved about it, so.....Pan-Seared Salmon with Sweet and Spicy Asian Glaze

From: My Personal Cookbook

Marinade:
juice of 1 orange
3 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 small red or green chile pepper,thinly sliced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, peeled and grated (man oh man do I love my microplane grater)

Salmon:
(1 1/2" thick) salmon fillets
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro leaves

In a shallow glass dish, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Add the salmon and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate, turning once, at least 30 minutes.

Remove the salmon from the marinade; reserving the marinade. Sprinkle salmon with the salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add salmon, skin side down, and cook 3-4 minutes. (I had to turn the heat down on mine, it was way too hot, it was simply burning up all of the oil.) With a spatula, turn salmon and cook 3-4 more minutes, until just opaque in the center. Transfer the salmon to a platter; cover with foil to keep warm.

Discard and drippings from the skillet. Add the marinade and cook over medium-low heat 2-3 minutes or until it is thickened and syrupy. Drizzle the glaze over the salmon and sprinkle with cilantro.

Chicken Nuggets

Celiac runs in my husbands family, and there was a time when we thought he might have celiac, so we put him on a gluten free diet. Luckily, his cousin has a gluten free food business called Eating Gluten Free. She gave us this recipe, and now that he is no longer eating gluten free, we made it a very glutenous meal. Therefore, this recipe calls for flour instead of a gluten substitute. We are also a sweet and sour kind of family, so the recipe for Sweet and Sour sauce from Waikiki Meatballs is on here as well.

Chicken Nuggets

From: Betsy Thomas: Eatingglutenfree.com

1 Tbs soysauce, (butter, or olive oil)

1-2 lbs chicken, cubed

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup cold water

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp sugar

A quart or so of vegetable oil

Heat oil on stove on medium heat. Saute chicken in soysauce, butter, or oil till cooked on the outside. Mix all other ingredients together to make the batter for the chicken. Dip chicken in batter and then put chicken into the oil. Cook till chicken cooked and not too dark. (You may have to play with the temperature of the oil until you get it right, but make sure your chicken is cooked all the way through).

Sweet and Sour Sauce

2 Tbs. cornstarch

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 can pineapple, drained, syrup reserved (In this case, you may just want a can of pineapple juice)

1/3 cup vinegar

1 Tbs. soy sauce

Mix cornstarch and sugar. Stir in pineapple syrup, vinegar and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into a skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 min. Remove from heat.

Vegetarian Chili

I was a little concerned about this at first, but it turned out great. I loved all of the fresh vegetables in it. There was such a fabulous chunky texture to it and such variety.Vegetarian Chili

From: Eat For Dinner

1 medium onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
3 carrots, diced
3 Japanese eggplants, diced (I used regular and mine were huge, so I only used 1 1/2. The skins on mine didn't get soft enough so next time I'll probably take the skin off.)
3/4 cup cauliflower florets
3/4 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup canned yellow beans, drained (I used the entire can)
1/2 cup cut green beans,drained (I used the entire can)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I used canned)
1 (19 oz.) can chick peas
1 (19 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz.) can tomato juice or sauce (I used sauce because I like my soups thicker)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. chili powder (I had to add more, probably about an extra 1/2 Tbs.)
1 heaping tsp. chili pepper, finely diced
1/2 tsp. hot paprika (I used regular because it is what I have)
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup unsalted cashews (I left these out)
shredded cheddar, for topping
sour cream, for topping

Saute onion for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook about 5 minutes more. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Add cauliflower, broccoli, green and yellow beans, mushrooms and eggplant. Combine and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add chick peas, kidney beans, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Combine until well mixed. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin and mix. Allow to simmer for approximately 1/2 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Mix in cashews. Serve with a dollup of sour cream and some shredded cheese.

Lemon Teriyaki Glazed Chicken

Lemon Teriyaki Glazed Chicken

From: Aimee Jo Allen

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. water
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
rice

In a skillet, combine all ingredients, except chicken. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add chicken and simmer 30 minutes or until tender. Serve over rice.

Garlic Lime Chicken

Garlic Lime Chicken

From: Unknown

1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground or dried thyme
1- 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 Tbs. lime juice
rice

In a bowl, mix together the first 7 ingredients. Toss the chicken pieces in the spice mix.

In a skillet, heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes, or until done. Turn down the heat and remove chicken, keeping warm.

Add the lime juice and chicken broth into the same pan, whisking up the browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat. Serve over rice.

Summer Orange Cooler

This is kind of a "poor man's" Orange Julius, but it's so good. Usually this is a summertime treat, but I like it all the time! A little side note: this recipe used to call for 1-2 eggs. I asked my mother what the significance of the eggs was, and she told me that she put eggs in it to give us some extra protein when we were younger. We don't do this anymore due to salmonella in eggs.

Summer Orange Cooler

From: Mom aka Ruth Solter

1/2 can frozen orange juice (6 oz)

1/4-1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Half to 3/4 tray of ice, depending on desired thickness

Mix all ingredients in a blender and serve.

Peach Surprise

This is one of Jason's favorite desserts that his mom made growing up. I made it for him for his birthday this year, thus my picture has a candle in it.Peach Surprise

From: Mom Crellin

1 box vanilla wafers, crushed
3 cups powdered sugar, + or -
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
milk
8-10 peaches, sliced
sour cream

Pour 3/4 of the wafer crumbs on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Mix sugar, butter and milk together until you get a frosting consistency. Spread frosting mixture over the crumbs. (This can be kind of difficult. I find it is easiest to place spoonfuls of the frosting all over the top of the crumbs. Then run a spoon under hot water and use it to carefully smooth out the frosting.) Layer the peaches over the frosting mixture. Spread a layer of sour cream over the peaches. (This sounds a little odd but it helps to balance out the sweetness of the frosting.) Sprinkle the remaining wafer crumbs over the top of the sour cream.

Reuben Sandwiches

I know that this doesn't look pretty, or is a good picture at all, but this is a quick and easy recipe for reuben sandwiches, and they are delicious. Makes a great lunch or dinner.

Reuben Sandwiches

From: Better Homes and Gardens

8 slices dark rye or pumpernickel bread (I just used wheat bread that was chalked full of yummy stuff)

3 Tbs margarine or butter, softened

1/4 cup Thousand Island or Russian salad dressing

1/2 lb thinly sliced cooked corned beef, beef, pork, or ham (I recommend corned beef)

4 slices Swiss cheese

1 cup sauerkraut, well drained

Spread one side of each slice of bread with margarine and the other side with salad dressing. With the margarine side down, top with meat, cheese, and sauerkraut. Top with remaing bread slice, dressing side down.

In a skillet cook over medium-low heat for 4-6 minutes or till bread toasts and cheese melts, turning once. (The amount here should make about 4 servings, but use however much you need for your family)

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken

From: McCormick

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 Tbs. oil
1 pkg. (1.25 oz.) Taco seasoning Mix
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup apricot or peach preserves
rice

Empty taco seasoning on a plate or into a plastic bag. Add chicken strips and toss to coat.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute 5-7 minutes or until done.

Stir in tomatoes and preserves. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice.

Crepes

My sister-in-law, Jennie, introduced these to us years ago. They are a favorite. We have them for desert several times a year. We especially like to have them when friends come over.
Crepes

From: Jennie Chapuis

Batter:
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp. oil
1/8 tsp. salt

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 oz. tub cool whip, thawed
powdered sugar to taste
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Chill for at LEAST 30 minutes. Spray a non-stick pan with cooking spray between each crepe. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into pan over medium heat. Cook about 1 minute on each side. Separate each crepe with waxed paper if non eating immediately.

Combine all filling ingredients until smooth. Chill if necessary.

Fill each crepe with desired amount of filling, then roll it up. Top with fresh fruit, nutella, powdered sugar or whatever your little heart desires.

Pumpkin Crisp

Pumpkin Crisp

From: Unknown

3 cups pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
3 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Topping:
1/2 cup butter
1 box yellow cake mix

Mix all ingredients except for butter and cake mix together and pour into an ungreased 9x13 pan.

For topping, melt the butter and add tot he cake mix. Sprinkle mixture over the top of the pumpkin mixture. Bake for 33-35 minutes at 375 degrees or until golden brown.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

This meal is just heavenly. It is a perfect Sunday Dinner. Sorry the picture totally stinks, we had company over and so I only took one quick shot.Rosemary Roasted Chicken and Potatoes

From: Kraft Foods

1 pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, divided
1 tsp. black pepper, divided
1 whole roasting chicken, about 3 1/2+ lbs.
6 + Tbs. zesty Italian dressing
2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1" chunks
6 slices bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled
2 green onions, sliced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cream cheese, 1 tsp. rosemary and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Starting at the neck of the chicken, use your fingers to carefully separate the skin from the meat of the breast, thighs, legs, etc., trying not to teach the skin. Spoon the cream cheese mixture under the skin, using fingers to push and spread some of the mixture out to the thighs and legs. Place the chicken in a shallow baking pan. Brush with 2 Tbs. of the Italian dressing. (I always use way more. I like to give it a good coating.)

Toss the potatoes with the remaining 1 tsp. rosemary and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a separate 9x13 pan. Bake chicken and potatoes for 1 hour 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees). Stir the potatoes ever 30 minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a large serving dish, reserving the juicing in the pan. Let the chicken stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add bacon and onions to the potatoes, mix lightly. Spoon the potatoes around the chicken on the serving dish. Spoon off fat from the reserved juices. Serve chicken and potatoes with reserved juices.

Skillet Chicken and Biscuits

This is such a great weeknight meal. It is perfect for when I want something quick but something that still has some good seasonings and such.Skillet Chicken and Biscuits
From: Weight Watchers

1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, diced
2 1/2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimento, drained
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1 can of crescent rolls

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine soup and sour cream in a large nonstick skillet. Add chicken and next four ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 8 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Sprinkle with parsley.

Unroll crescent roll dough. Cut each triangle in half. Bake at 450 degrees for 6-7 minutes or until browned. Spoon chicken mixture over 2 pastry halves.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I have about a million different sweet and sour chicken recipes. Each one is so different. I love the fresh peppers in this one. It completely makes the meal.Sweet and Sour Chicken

From: Christine Cooper

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup shredded carrots
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (20 oz.) can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve 1/4 cup juice-- I usually save all of it.)
2 Tbs. water
3 Tbs. vinegar
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1-2 Tbs. brown sugar (I always lean toward 2)
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 tsp. ginger
rice

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned. Add carrots, peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, 12 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

In a small bowl, combine pineapple juice, 2 Tbs. water and remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken mixture. Add pineapple chunks and cook until just boiling. Serve over rice.

Carrabba's Bread Dipping Seasonings

Carrabba's was one of our favorite restaurants before we moved. One of the things we loved the most was the seasonings they had for you to dip your bread it. Wow, was it ever good! Jason was thinking about it recently and looked up a recipe for me. I whipped it together in no time and it did not disappoint. Mmm...must go make some NOW.Carrabba's Bread Dipping Seasonings

From: RecipeZaar

1 1/2 Tbs. fresh basil, minced
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs. garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped (I didn't have any and just used dried crushed)
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Combine all ingredients except oil and lemon juice. Place in a small food processor. Chop briefly until all ingredients are about the same size. Stir in oil and lemon juice. Can be refrigerated for about a week.

To Serve: Place about 1 1/2 tsp. spice blend in a small dish. Drizzle with 3-4 Tbs. of olive oil. Swirl together with your bread and enjoy!