Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

I was talking with my friend, Nicole, about how making dinner can be frustrating at my house because I don't have even ONE meal that everyone likes. Someone is always protesting. She agreed that it's that way at her house, except for ONE meal. All three of her girls LOVE it and are excited when she makes it. It's FISH (this recipe) and quiona! Her girls are young, ages 22mo - 6 years old. I had to have this fish recipe! I have tried feeding my kids fish a lot with very little positive feedback! 

She shared this recipe with me about a month ago. It's been so well received around our house, we've had it at least 4 times :) I still have one major protester... but I will take that. With other fish recipes I have tried, usually Douglas and I are the only fans. So with this recipe, we gained 4 more fans of fish :)

If you are hesitant about fish or know your kids will resist, try this recipe. We had good luck with it. YUM!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Parmesan Topping:
1/2 c parmesan cheese*

2 T olive oil or butter, softened

2 T mayonnaise

2 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp celery salt

2-3 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler.  Line a broiler pan or rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together parmesan cheese, oil, mayo, and lemon juice, dried basil, pepper, onion powder, and celery salt. If it's too thick, drizzle olive oil or lemon juice until it's spreadable. This is a lot of topping, enough topping for 2-3lbs of fish. I have refrigerated this mixture at this point and warmed it in the microwave for 30 seconds when it's time to use. I imagine you could freeze it for future use as well. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fish in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for approx. 4-5 minutes.  Flip the fillets over and broil for another 4-5 minutes.  Remove the fish  from the oven and spread about 1T of the parmesan cheese mixture on the top side.  Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork.  

*If using freshly grated parmesean, use only 1/3c. You may also need to microwave the mixture for 15-30 seconds to get a smooth consistency.

Serves 6 adults

Recipe by Nicole Moore

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

It is time for me to post something other than a dessert. :) It's not that I ONLY make desserts, I just get the best pictures with the desserts I do make, so I post them more often. I have another girl scout cookie recipe coming at you, so we needed something to break up the sweets. 

This recipe is perfect. We make this for an "everyday" meal or a meal to entertain company. They are easy, unique and tasty.

melskitchencafe.com

 Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:
6 T honey
4-5 T lime juice
1 T chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
10-12 soft taco sized flour tortillas
2 cups colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 - 10 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together in ziploc bag and toss with shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least a half hour.

With cooking spray, spray a 9×13 pan (or 2 8x8's and save one half of this recipe in the freezer for another meal*). Pour enchilada sauce into the the dish, enough to make a thin layer on the bottom (Approximately 1/2 can for a 9x12 and a 1/3 of a can per 8x8).

Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top - see pic below.)


 *Freezable Meal: Freeze prior to baking. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake enchiladas, covered (without thawing first) for 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes longer, until brown and crispy on top. OR put in your refrigerator the night before and bake at regular time and temperature.

After putting these under the broiler the last few minutes they turn golden... yum.

Samoa Cookies

What is better than a Samoa Girl Scout Cookie? A homemade one :) These are a bit of work, but worth it. Plus, with the shrinking number of Samoas per box, who can afford not to make their own?

Samoa Cookies

Makes about 3 1/2 to 4 dozen

The Cookie (base):

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

up to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350F.

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking powder and salt at a low speed, next, the vanilla and milk, adding in the milk only as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky (you may not need any at all). The dough should come together into a soft, pliable ball. Add in a bit of extra flour if your dough seems sticky.

It's easiest to roll the dough out in 2 or 3 batches (between pieces of wax (or parchment) paper to about 1/4-inch thickness (or a little thinner) using a 1 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make rounds. Place on a parchment lined (or on silicone mat) baking sheet and make a hole in the center. I used the small end of a large round piping tip. Nicole comments that you can use a knife, or the end of a wide straw, to cut a smaller center hole. Repeat until the dough is used up (it's okay to re-roll, this dough is shortbread-like and very forgiving.)

Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, to allow them to firm up slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Coconut Caramel Topping:

3 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

12-ounces good-quality chewy caramels

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

8 ounces dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate (chocolate chips will do)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees (F)

Spread coconut evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and toast 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until coconut is golden. Watch carefully, especially near the end of toasting time; the coconut toasts very quickly once it begins to become golden.

Cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Unwrap the caramels and place in a large microwave-safe bowl with milk and salt. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. When smooth, fold in toasted coconut with a spatula.

Using the spatula or a small offset spatula, spread topping on cooled cookies, using about 2-3 teaspoons per cookie. Reheat caramel for a few seconds in the microwave if it begins to firm up, to make it soft and spreadable once again.

While topping sets up, melt chocolate in a small bowl. Heat on high in the microwave in 45 second intervals, stirring thoroughly to prevent scorching. (I melted mine stovetop using double boiler method.) Dip the base of each cookie into the chocolate and place on a clean piece of parchment paper (I used silicone baking mats instead). Transfer all remaining chocolate into a piping bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off and drizzle finished cookies with chocolate. (Melt a bit of additional chocolate, if there is not quite enough for each cookie.)

Let chocolate set completely before storing in an airtight container.

Recipe Source: OnceUponAPlate

Monster Cookies

These cookies have been on the blog for a while, but I thought it was time to give them a new picture and bring them all back to our attention. These are good. Peanut butter. Chocolate. Oats. Chewy cookie.

 
Monster Cookies

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)
1/2 cup M&Ms (I used mini)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Add baking soda, and oatmeal. Mix well. Stir in the M&Ms, chocolate chips, raisins. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in an air tight container.

Recipe by Paula Deen

Samoa Brownies

In honor of girl scout cookie season, I bring you these irresistible Samoa Brownies :) The caramel/coconut topping to brownie ratio is 2:1 They are simple, rich and can feed a large group. They do take a bit of advanced planning because they need to be refrigerated 4-5hrs or up to overnight after you assemble the caramel/coconut topping on the brownies. Then, cut, drizzle, let chocolate set up. Then, they need to sit at room temperature 1 -2 hrs before serving to make sure caramel isn't too hard. They are worth it... trust me. Time it right and you'll be glad you made these!

Samoa Brownies

Ingredients:
1 recipe for brownies (9x13) or use a mix
3 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted
(2) 14 oz. package of caramels, unwrapped
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. milk
3 oz. chocolate chips


Make Brownies:
Prepare brownie mix according directions and cool.

Toast Coconut:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place coconut on baking pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir coconut and cook for another 2-3 minutes until toasted. Watch closely so it doesn't burn.


Melt Caramels:
In a large, microwaveable bowl, add unwrapped caramels, salt, and milk and cook on high for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally (about every 45-60 seconds). Cook until all caramels are melted and smooth.


Put it all Together:
Add coconut and mix together. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerate 4-5 hours or overnight. Remove at least 1 hour from the fridge before cutting. Cut into bars and drizzle with melted semi-sweet chocolate. Let chocolate set and enjoy. store in fridge, but remove 20-30 minutes before serving as the caramel will be hard.

Recipe Source: SixSistersStuff

Saltine Toffee Squares

How is it that we have a Thackeray & Family food blog without these treats?? I am not sure how we lasted so long. Lucky for you, I had some saltines that needed to go, FHE treats to prepare and a camera to snap some pictures. The perfect combo for a Thackeray Family recipe that NEEDS to be on here. :) And here it is...

Saltine Toffee Squares

Ingredients:
40(ish) saltines
1c. butter
1c. brown sugar
12oz milk chocolate chips, room temperature
chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large rimmed cookie sheet with buttered foil. (I sprayed mine with cooking spray - worked great.) Fill with approximately 40 saltines.  Like so...

Next, take the butter and brown sugar and melt it in a saucepan on the stove. Bring it to a gentle boil. Once at a boil, drop heat to medium and boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over prepared crackers. Bake for 5 min. Immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the toffee covered crackers. I let mine sit about 1 minute more in the oven with the door propped just to make sure the chips were soft. When they are soft. Spread them all over the toffee squares. If desired, which we did (except one row), sprinkle with nuts (we chose pecans). Like so...

Cut into squares while warm. I refrigerated our uneaten toffee squares for 30 min to get the chocolate to set up completely. I then stored them in an air tight container.

You are welcome! :)

Recipe Source: Rose Hicks

Panda Express Fried Rice

 The best fried rice recipe ever!!

Panda Express Fried Rice

1 cup regular long grain Rice, uncooked or 2 cups cooked (freshly cooked is best)
2 cups water
2 eggs, beaten
3 Tbsp butter, divided use
1 cup frozen green peas and carrots, thawed
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Sesame oil
1/8 tsp ground white pepper, or to taste
table salt to taste
1 green onion, diced into pea sized bits, including green tops

In a covered saucepan on the stove top, bring 2 cups of water to a

boil. When the water reaches a full boil, stir in the rice. Stir to

bottom of pan to make sure all rice is moistened and not sticking on

the bottom of pan in lumps. Return water to a boil. Reduce heat to a very

low simmer, replace pan lid and cook for 20-minutes. After 20-minutes,

remove rice from saucepan and place in large bowl to cool. Makes about

2 cups of cooked rice.

Scramble eggs in skillet on stove top with 1 Tbsp of butter. After they

are cooked, chop the scrambled eggs into pea size bits with spatula.

After the rice has cooled in bowl, stir in the chopped scrambled eggs,

and thawed peas and carrots. Toss lightly until mixed uniformly.

Melt 2 Tbsp of butter over medium heat in a large skillet on the stove top.

When the butter is melted and heated, add the rice mixture to the skilled.

Mix the soy sauce with sesame oil in a cup and sprinkle evenly over rice

mixture in skillet.

Saute rice mixture for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring and turning frequently

with a spatula.

When done, season with ground white pepper and table salt to taste.

Place in large serving bowl and garnish top with green onions.

Serve warm.

Makes about 3 cups.