Crispy Fish with Shaved Zucchini Salad

I found this recipe on one of the Rachael Ray websites (the magazine one). I'd seen something on tv one day, but couldn't remember by the time I was thinking of making it where I'd seen it so I found this one instead (or maybe it's the one I saw... I was distracted at the time). The fish was very tasty, and the zucchini salad was good, although different from our standard "salad." I used dry thyme instead, since we have plenty of it. Somebody commented that it was too many panko crumbs - it really was. Certainly seems like a waste. But I'm not sure how much to suggest to use instead.

Ingredients:

2 egg whites, beaten
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 1/2 cups panko
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (about 2 palmfuls)
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives (about 2 palmfuls)
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (about a palmful)
1 tablespoon onion powder (about a palmful)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (about a palmful)
2 lemons
Four 6-ounce halibut or cod fillets
Salt and pepper
1 small shallot, peeled
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 zucchini, shaved with a vegetable peeler into ribbons
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small bunch scallions, thinly sliced on a long angle

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°. Put the egg whites in a deep plate or shallow bowl. On another plate, pour the butter over the panko and work into the crumbs to evenly distribute. Season the crumbs with the thyme, chives, Old Bay, onion powder, garlic powder and grated peel of 1 lemon. Season the fish with salt and pepper and coat in the egg whites, then in the crumbs; arrange on a slotted broiler pan or wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Bake the fish until deep golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.

While the fish bakes, grate the shallot into a shallow bowl and add the juice of the grated lemon and the mustard. Whisk in the EVOO; season with salt and pepper. Add the zucchini, tomatoes and scallions to the dressing and toss to coat.

Cut the second lemon into wedges and serve with the fish. Pile the zucchini salad alongside.

Layered Cheese Enchiladas

Many years ago, I was introduced to this recipe by a good friend, Nancie. Since then it has been a favorite of friends and family. When making this for a large group, I make one pan with no Jalapeño Peppers and medium Enchilada Sauce and the other with a whole can of Jalapeño Peppers and hot Enchilada Sauce. Making double batches was the reason I changed the recipe to a Layered dish (rather than the "individual rolled" method) - it is easier and still delicious! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Packages Corn Tortillas

3 cans Enchilada Sauce (Mild or Hot)

1 Can Green Chilies

4-6 Hard Cooked Eggs Chopped

8 Ounces Sharp Cheese/Shredded

8 Ounces Jack Cheese/Shredded

2-3 Onions Chopped

1 Large can Black Olives (pitted) sliced

Optional Jalapeño Peppers to taste

Optional Cheese for top

Sour Cream for topping when served

Mix together the chilies, eggs, cheeses, onions and olives. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with “Pam” and cover bottom with a small amount of the sauce. Next cover the bottom with tortillas overlapping them and cutting if necessary to fit into the empty spaces. Cover the tortillas with half the cheese/egg mixture. Pour half of the sauce over this mixture and cover this layer with more tortillas, then the rest of the cheese/egg mixture, topping with more tortillas. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and sauce bubbles (about 30 minutes). Serve with Sour Cream.

If you would like to make the “roll-up” version do the following:

Soften tortillas in the sauce. When pliable, put a spoon of cheese/egg mixture on the tortilla and roll. Place enchilada in baking dish with seam down. When dish is full pour remaining sauce on top with some shredded cheese. Bake as above.

Southern Corn Chowder

I know there are already other corn chowder recipes on this blog, but each one is delicious in its own way. 

This recipe appeared in the food section of The Repository this week.  Although you don't think of soup as a summer food, this one calls for corn right off the cob, which is in season now.  The article with the recipe suggests that the best way to get the corn off the cob is to use a fork.  Do it in a bowl to capture all of the "corn milk" too.  Believe me, it is tough to do, but it is so worth it!  (Corn pulp is the corn off the cob plus the corn milk)  Honestly, next time I might just cut it with a knife.  That seems much simpler.

Southern Corn Chowder

1 medium sweet onion, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped (TIP:  Store unused celery wrapped in aluminum foil -- it will last for weeks)
1 bay leaf, whole
1 pinch sage
1 pinch thyme
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 cups corn pulp (about 8 ears)
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup red or new potatoes, peeled and diced (I didn't peel mine)
1 pinch cayenne pepper (I skipped this)
1/2 cup cream or half and half
1 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat (do not hard fry) the bacon until it begins releasing fat.  Add corn, onions, carrot, celery, and potatoes and saute until tender, 6-8 minutes.  Pour in chicken broth.  Stir and add remaining ingredients except cornstarch and cream.

Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for half an hour, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Remove the bay leaf.  Dissolve the cornstarch in cream or half and half (put the cornstarch in a bowl and slowly whisk in cream).  Stir mixture into soup.  Keep stirring until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  (I turned the heat up and stirred for about 10 minutes to get it the consistency I wanted)

Serves 6 "heartily"

Citrus Blueberry Cake with Citrus Frosting

I found this recipe back in 1998 when I was living with my good friend Michele in Pittsburgh for the summer.  I was doing an internship at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center between my first and second years at the Cooperstown Graduate Program.

I don't remember what magazine it came from -- it was a women's magazine that Michele subscribed to at the time.  I copied it down and have made it for special occasions ever since!  It is fabulous.  And the homemade frosting is even BETTER!

(Next time I make it, I will take a picture!)

Citrus Blueberry Cake

Cake:

1 pkg lemon cake mix
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup cooking oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp orange zest
1 Tbsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 and grease two round baking pans.

Combine cake mix, OJ, water, oil and eggs.  Beat on low for 30 seconds.  Then increase to medium speed for 2 minutes.  Fold in blueberries and both zests.  Pour into pans.

Bake for 35-40 minutes.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan to cooling rack, cool completely, and frost.  This cake is great served cold or at room temperature.

Citrus Frosting:

3 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 butter, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 Tbsp orange zest
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 cup whipping cream

Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy.   Add powdered sugar and OJ.  Beat until combined.

In small, chilled metal bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Add to cream cheese mixture.

Add both zests and beat on low until combined.

Multi Colored Pepper/ Black Bean/Corn/ Pea Salad

I just made this delicious salad. It was so easy and tasty. The lime juice made the salad fresh tasting and summery and the spices made it zippy. I would suggest you use what you have available and enjoy. I’m sure it will be different each time I make it!

4 generous servings

Ingredients:

1-2 cup chopped peppers (I used one green pepper and several small red, yellow, and orange peppers)

3 stalks celery

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 green onion, sliced thin

½ cup frozen corn

½ cup frozen peas

Juice of 1 ½ limes

Olive Oil

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Cayenne pepper

Cumin

Chili Powder

Mix the ingredients together and enjoy at room temperature. (The amounts of the last six ingredients are “to taste”.)

Roasted Pepper Chicken Penne

I swear, there is something delicious on every page of the June/July issue of Simple & Delicious!

This recipe is super easy and very tasty.  It has a bit of a chicken riggies flair (my CNY friends know of what I speak!).  The recipe makes A LOT, so we're having it for lunch for the rest of the week.

Roasted Pepper Chicken Penne

1 lb bonless chicken breast, cut into strips
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 16 oz package penne pasta
1 medium onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil (I'd use less next time)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup sweet roasted red pepper strips
1 cup chicken broth
3 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded parmesean

Place chicken strips in balsamic vinegar and refrigerate 15 minutes.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in olive oil for 1 minutes.  Drain and discard vinegar from chicken.  Add chicken to skillet and cook 4-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.

Stir in tomatoes, red peppers, broth, Italian seasoning, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until heated through.

Drain pasta and toss with chicken mixture.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Roast chicken with Lemon and Herbs

This recipe comes from the book that Kim mentioned with the Bistro-Style Chicken with Red Wine: 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know by Glamour (it comes with a whole story about how nearly every woman who makes it for their significant other ends up engaged - I just thought it sounded tasty). I never seem to get chicken (other meat too, but chicken in particular) to cook in the amount of time it says, so be prepared to add some extra roasting time. Also, unless you really like garnish, you could skip most if not all of it. Maybe pick the thyme or the rosemary, depending on your tastes. But the lemons inserted into the cavity do create a lovely infusion of lemon throughout the chicken. And it is tasty.

Roast Chicken with Lemon and Herbs (aka Engagement Chicken)

1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
3 whole lemons (including 1 sliced for garnish)
1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Fresh herbs for garnish:
4 rosemary sprigs
4 sage sprigs
8 thyme sprigs
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley

1 Position an oven rack in the uper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400oF. Remove the giblets from the chicken, wash the chicken inside and out with cold water, the let the chicken drain, cavity down in a colander for 2 minutes.

2 Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken breast-side down in a medium roasting pan fitted with a rack and pour the lemon juice all over the chicken, both inside and out. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper inside and out.

3 Prick 2 whole lemons threee times each in three different places with a fork and place them deep inside the cavity. Chicken cavity size may vary, so if one lemon is partly sticking out, that's fine. (Tip: If the lemons are stiff, roll them on the countertop with your palm before pricking to get the juices flowing.)

4 Put the chicken in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350oF, and roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

5 Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Using tongs or two wooden spoons, turn the chicken breast-side up. Insert a meat thermometer in the thight, and return the chicken to the oven and roast for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer reads 180oF and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a fork. Continue roasting if necessary. Keep in mind that cooking times in different ovens vary; roasting a chicken at 350oF takes approximately 18-20 minutes per pounds, plus an additional 15 minutes.

6 Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. And here's the secret: Pour the juices from the roasting pan on top of the sliced chicken - this is the "marry me juice." Garnish with fresh herbs and lemon slices.

Blueberry Sauce

This recipe comes from the Taste of Home website.  It was part of a recipe for a Puff Pancake that I'd rather not discuss.  But the blueberry sauce was fantastic!  I think it's the same recipe for the Blueberry Poundcake Sundaes I use as the signature photo for this blog.

This sauce is great on poundcake, pancakes, ice cream.  On anything, really!  It's simple and easy.

Blueberry Sauce

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in orange juice until smooth. Stir in blueberries. Bring to a boil over MEDIUM heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir 1-2 minutes longer or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

Lemonade Fruit Salad

What a fantastic version of fruit salad!  The sauce makes it very sweet and yummy.  This is excellent as a side dish, dessert, or breakfast/brunch option. 

While it is POSSIBLE to pit a cherry without a cherry pitter, it isn't your best option.  It's easy enough, but my fingers are stained with cherry juice now!  Since we liked this so much, I see a cherry pitter purchase in my future.

Lemonade Fruit Salad

1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 fresh pineapple, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 lbs seedless red grapes
1lb fresh dark sweet cherries, pitted

In a small sauce pan, bring water and sugar to a boil.  Add lemon and orange peels.  Remove from heat and cool completely.  Stir in lemon juice.

In a large bowl, combine fruit and drizzle with syrup and toss gently to coat.

Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

This yummy recipe is perfect for a hot summer day when you don't want to turn on the stove!  It comes from the June/July issue of Simple & Delicious magazine.

Very Best Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

1 boneless chuck roast (3-4 pounds)
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 celery seed (I skipped this)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp cold water
12 rolls

Cut roast in half.  Place in 5-quart slow cooker.  In small bowl, combine all remaining ingredients EXCEPT cornstarch and cold water.  Cover meat and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender.

Remove meat.  Skim fat from cooking juices.  Transfer to large saucepan.  Bring to a boil (this will happen FAST!).  Combine cornstarch and water until smooth.  Gradually stir into juices.  Return to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Shred meat with two forks.  Return to slow cooker and stir in sauce mixture.  Serve on rolls.

Broiled Parmesean Tomatoes

This is an excellent side dish, but would also make a wonderful vegetarian main dish.  If you made it with cherry tomatoes, they would make great appetizers too!

This recipe comes from the June/July 2011 issue of Simple & Delicious.

Broiled Parmesean Tomatoes

2 medium tomatoes, halved
2 Tbsp, plus 1/4 cup butter, divided
4 green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 Tbsp grated Parmesean
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

Place tomatoes, cut side up, in an ungreased 15x10x1 baking pan.  Dot with 2 Tbsp butter (split it over the 4 halves).  Broil 4 inches from the heat for 4-6 minutes or until butter is melted.

Meanwhile, in a small microwave safe bowl, combine the remaining butter and onions.  Microwave, uncovered (I used a paper towel anyway -- otherwise it will make a huge mess!!), on high 2-3 minutes or until onions are tender.  Stir in bread crumbs, Parmesean, salt and garlic powder.  Spoon over tomatoes.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Broil 1-2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Bistro-Style Chicken with Red Wine

I just got the cookbook 100 Recipes Every Woman Should Know from Glamour magazine at the library.  I wasn't expecting anything fabulous, but I was wrong!  I am considering purchasing my own copy -- it's that good!  (As long as you can get past the extremely girly slant!)

Tonight I made this wonderful chicken dish.  It tastes a lot like Beef Bourguignon, but with chicken.  It also tastes like it has simmered all day long, but it only takes half an hour!

Bistro-Style Chicken with Red Wine

2 boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sliced onion
4 oz sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup red wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 oz diced bacon (2-3 slices)
salt and pepper
fresh parsley (for garnish)

Sprinkle each side of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Evenly coat each piece in flour.

Heat butter in skillet over medium heat.  Cook chicken until lightly golden, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add onion, mushrooms, and thyme to skillet.  Cook until the onion and mushrooms have softened, about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute more.

Stir in red wine and tomato paste.  Add bacon, then the chicken.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Serve each piece sprinkled with parsley.

Spa Water

A few years ago I was asked to speak at a conference in Palm Springs.  My hotel served a version of this water -- for free! -- in the lobby and out at the pool.  I had no clue what made it taste so fabulous.  Then our newspaper published a recipe for Spa Water that was in a local fundraising cookbook.

It couldn't be easier.  And it's a fantastic, refreshing summer drink!

Spa Water

1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 cucumber (I only use half)
pitcher of water

Slice the fruit and cucumber and put it in a pitcher filled with fresh water.  You can continuously refill the pitcher using the same fruit for up to a week.  If the fruit sits in the same water for more than a day, it can get a bit strong.  At that point I usually use it as a "concentrate" -- adjust the proportion of fresh water in your glass to your taste.