Fish Tacos

These came out great!  It was pretty simple, not too many ingredients.  I'll definitely make them again!

Makes 8 tacos.

Fish Taco Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayo

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

Make the sauce first.  Whisk the first three ingredients together.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir some more.  Set aside in the fridge.

Fish Tacos

1.25 lbs. fresh cod

8 white corn tortillas (taco size)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1-10oz. bag of shredded green cabbage

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp. olive oil

You can cook the fish fillets however you like, bake, broil, grill.  I cooked mine on the stove top in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.  When you put the fish in the pan do not move it around for 2-4 mins.  Let it get a nice thin crust on it.  Squeeze lime juice over the top of each fish.  Sprinkle the fish fillets with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat, thin fillets cook 3-4 mins. on each side.  For thick fillets cook 4-6 mins. on each side.  While your fish is cooking prepare your tortillas. Place shredded cabbage and cilantro in the tortilla.
Double check and make sure your fish is done. Remove fish to a cutting board.  Let it stand for a minute. Then rough chop it.  Place chopped fish in the prepared tortillas.  Drizzle fish taco sauce over the top and enjoy!

Pita Salad Sandwich

This is a well balanced healthy lunch. It's lite but filling.  Serves 1 

1 whole wheat pita round

1 cup chopped lettuce of your choice

1/4 cup cooked chicken, chopped

5 grape tomatoes, quartered

1/4 cup sliced cucumber, quartered

1 Tbsp. sliced red onion

1 Tbsp. reduced fat basil & tomato feta cheese

1 Tbsp.  lite italian salad dressing of your choice

fresh ground pepper to taste

Mix the lettuce, chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, onion and feta cheese in a bowl.  Add dressing and toss to coat.  Cut your pita round in half. Gently open your pita bread to make the pocket.  You can use a knife but go slow, the pita bread can rip easily.  Insert your salad mix one spoonful at a time till your pita halves are full.

Enjoy!

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

My family loves their vegetables cooked like this, even my kids.  Serves 6.  The other great thing about this recipe is if you have any leftovers you can warm them up the next morning in a skillet and add a couple of eggs to it to make a nice filling scramble.

1 large russet potato, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium red bell pepper, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium zucchini, cut into bite size pieces

1 cup of baby carrots

1 small red onion, cut into bite size pieces

4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. granulated garlic

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place potatoes in your dish first with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil and some salt and pepper.  Toss to mix and coat.  Spread in a single layer in the pan.  You are doing the potatoes first by themselves because they need more time to cook.  Roast for 15 mins.  Pull out potatoes and add the rest of the olive oil,salt, pepper, garlic and all the vegetables.  Toss to mix and coat.  Spread in a single layer in the pan.  Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

You can always add different kinds of vegetables too.  It doesn't have to be just these.  Add summer squash, eggplant, asparagus or fresh green beans.  Whatever your family likes.  Enjoy!



County Fair Turkey Legs

This is one simple and delicious recipe.  This recipe comes from my mother in-law.  I call these county fair turkey legs cause they remind me of the giant turkey legs you see people walking around with and eating at the county fair.  Of course food at the fair always tastes better than at home but I think these are pretty darn good!

4 turkey drumsticks

1 - onion soup mix packet

1/4 cup water

salt & pepper to taste

onion powder (optional)

Turn crock pot on high.  Pour 1/4 cup water into crock pot.  Sprinkle turkey legs with salt & pepper.  Sprinkle turkey legs with onion powder.  Lay turkey legs in crock pot.  Sprinkle onion soup packet over the turkey legs.  Cover and cook for 4 hours.  That's it!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I wanted to make something lite and healthy for dinner tonight.  I decided to make these lettuce wraps.  They came out pretty good.  Lots of veggies and protein.  Serves 4.

1/3 cup sweet & sour sauce

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. peanut oil

2 green onions, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

2 chicken breasts, cut up in small cubes

1 head of lettuce

2 hours before dinner cut up raw chicken into cubes.  Place chicken in a zip lock bag.  Add 1/3 cup sweet & sour sauce, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce and 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar to the chicken.  Seal bag, mix all the ingredients around.  Place chicken marinade in fridge. 

When you're ready to make dinner heat a large skillet on your stove top.  Add 1 Tbsp. of peanut oil to the skillet.  Add chicken and marinade to the hot skillet.  Let the chicken and marinade cook for 6 mins.  Push all the chicken to one side.  In the clear opening on your skillet add all the chopped veggies.  After 2 mins stir the veggies and chicken all together.  Add 1 more Tbsp. of soy sauce and stir.  Heat together for 2 more mins. on the stove top.  Make sure your chicken is cooked all the way.  Turn the heat off and let the chicken mixture cool for 3-5 mins.

Place chicken in individual lettuce leaves, top with chopped peanuts (if you don't have peanuts you can use chow mien noodles) and roll up.  Enjoy!



Pie Crust

This is my Aunt Jeanie's pie crust recipe!  This past Thanksgiving she made 5 different pies!  Each was delicious!  She says the beauty of this recipe is that it's so moist.  It's super easy to roll out without splitting and cracking.  The recipe makes two two crust pies.

3 cups unbleached white flour

1 cup of butter, softened (use butter not shortening)

scant tsp. of salt

2 Tbsp. white sugar

1 oz. vegetable oil (not olive oil, more like Canola)

5/8 cup cold water (5/8 cup =1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp.)

My aunt doesn't bother sifting the flour, but you can.  Put flour, salt, butter in large mixing bowl.  Cut with a pastry blender until mixture resembles cornmeal.  Drizzle oil over it all.  Toss lightly from underneath with fork to moisten.  Drizzle water over.  Toss in the same manor again to thoroughly moisten.  Mixture should be quite wet.  If it's not you can add a little more water. 

Here's where you use a gentle touch.  Pat it all into a ball with floured hands.  Divide into two balls.  Roll out one ball for one pie.  Fold and arrange on top seal and flute the edges.  Make slits in the top crust to let the steam escape.  Roll out the other ball to use and make another pie crust.

Jell-O Cookies

These are light and tasty!  They are easy to make and you can make them in whatever color or flavor you want.  I'm already thinking about making them in school colors or team colors.  Your cookies can now match your party color scheme!  Only a girl would get excited about stuff like this!

3 1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 cups of butter, softened

1 cup of sugar

2 pkg. (4 serving size each) jell-o brand strawberry flavor

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder, set aside.  Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and one package of dry jell-o.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla, mix well.  Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended after each addition.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.  Flatten with bottom of a clean glass.  Sprinkle lightly with remaining dry jell-o.

Bake 8-10 mins. or until edges are lightly browned.  Remove from baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely.  Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Makes 5 dozen cookies or 30 servings, 2 cookies each.

Create a festive cookie platter.  Make a second batch using jell-o lime flavor.