Sides We Love!

So i have been posting a lot of recipes but no sides so i though i would do a quick post!

Here are 2 of our favorites!

These are one of mine and my family favorite sides and they pair really well with fish or pork! Seriously these are amazing!

BAKED ASPARAGUS FRIES!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Panko* 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 large eggs, beaten

  

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. 
• In a large bowl, combine Panko and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. 
• Working in batches, dredge asparagus in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat. 
• Place asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. 
• Serve immediately.

NOTES

*Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb and can be found in the Asian section of your local grocery store.

My husband loves potatoes and seriously wants them with every meal so we look for different ways to cook them and this recipe was amazing!

Parmesan- Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces finely grated Parmesan
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Heres what to do: 

Place a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Toss potatoes and oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Place potatoes, cut side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet; reserve bowl.

 Roast until golden brown and cooked through, 30–35 minutes. Transfer to bowl; toss with Parmesan. Return potatoes to rack and roast until Parmesan is brown and crisp, 10–12 minutes.

Toss potatoes in same bowl with parsley, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Top with lemon zest just before serving.

Like always if you have any tips or just like the recipes leave a comment! 

Honey Glazed Salmon with Brown Butter Lime Sauce

So I wasn't sure about this recipe at first but it is now one of my favorites and I'm not a big fish eater! My 5 year old son even loves it!

Here is where my husband found the recipe!

Honey Glazed Salmon with Brown Butter Lime Sauce:

Ingredients:

• 4 (6oz) salmon fillets, deboned 
• 4T flour
• 2T honey
• olive oil for the pan
• lime zest for serving
For the Sauce:
• 6T butter
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 4T lime juice
• 1/2t salt
• 1/2t freshly ground black pepper

Heres what to do:

Swirl olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel, then dust lightly with flour. Using your hands, pat the flour evenly over the top of the fillet (if fillet is skinless, do this on both sides). Drizzle a small amount of honey over the top of the floured area and spread to coat. 

Place salmon in hot pan and cook 3-5 minutes per side, or until a nice caramelized brown crust is achieved and the salmon is cooked to desired temperature.

While the salmon is cooking. go ahead and start on your sauce:

To Make Sauce:
In a small saucepan, brown the butter over medium heat, swirling frequently. The butter will melt, then foam and bubble, then begin to brown. As soon as it smells nutty and the color has changed, remove from heat (if you don't watch it closely here, it will burn)
Add garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper.

 Remove salmon to serving plate and drizzle with Brown Butter Lime Sauce and sprinkle with lime zest. 

Serve. 

Its an easy recipe and tastes like a pro cooked it! 

and like i have said before I am no pro! Lol

If you like this recipes let me know in the comments or if you have any tips comment and let me know i always love good cooking tips!

Homemade Veggie Stew & Taco Lettuce Wraps

So today y'all are getting a 2 for one because these recipes are so easy it would be ridiculous to write 2 different post lol

The first is one of my favorite recipes and has been my whole life. Its homemade veggie stew

Veggie stew!

Ingredients:

• A large bottle of V-8
• A whole stock of celery
• A bag of carrots
• 4 large baking potatoes
• 1 head of cabbage
• 1 White Onion
• 1lb Stew Meat (optional/substitutable) 
• water
• Cheese (optional)

And you can add any veggie you like. I sometimes add a squash and a zucchini.

Heres what to do:

Chop you celery, carrots, potatoes, and onion about bite size pieces (since I'm working now I chopped my celery and my carrots the night before and just put them back in the refrigerator.) and put it in a large pot. Add your V-8 and stir. If it looks to thick you can add water. I always fill up my V-8 bottle and keep the water on the counter just incase it gets to thick while cooking. Turn your stove on a Med heat and cover. 

While that is starting to cook start browning your meat. You can substitute the stew meat with hamburger or ground turkey if you don't like stew meat. I sometimes use hamburger meat just because its easier.

Add your meat to the veggies and keep it at a simmer. 

Cook for about 4 1/2 to 5 hours on a low to med heat, or until the potatoes are done. 

Add the cabbage and let that cook for about 20 to 30 mins. 

I always add cheese to my bowl of stew but its completely optional!

And thats it! How easy is that?!

The next recipe is super easy and quick so if your short on time this is the recipe to fix!

Taco Lettuce Wraps:

Ingredients: 

• Hamburger or Ground Turkey
• Taco seasoning
• Lettuce (big enough to put everything in)
• Cheese ( I like the Mexican blend)
• and grape or cherry tomatoes (optional)

Heres what to do:

Cook your meat until it is brown

Add your taco seasoning to the meat and follow the directions on the pack

While your meat is cooking if your using tomatoes go ahead and cut them in half so they are small enough to put on the lettuce.

When the meat is finished cooking lay your lettuce on a plate. Add your taco meat, cheese on top of that, then your tomatoes. wrap up and enjoy!

See that was even easier than the stew and just as delicious! 

Tomorrow is going to be a Honey glazed salmon and asparagus fries so be sure to check in for that!

And like always is you have any tips after making one of these let me know in the comments! i always love cooking tips!

Julia Child's Eggplant Pizza!

I have been cooking a lot and I came across this recipe on good old Pinterest and it took me to a blog post from 2012 that game me the recipe I'm posting below! 

Now i am seriously the worst person to have in the kitchen. If something is going to be spilled i am going to be the one to spill it , or burn it, or not do something right and it turn out terrible. Lol

So I have some tips to make it easier for you.. 

• When you slice the eggplant try to slice them thin but not to thin. The recipe says the slice them 3/4 of an inch. The ones i did cut thicker were more mushy in the middle than the smaller ones. I liked the smaller ones. They were firmer and more like a crust.
• When you have salted the eggplant and are ready to wipe off the water and some of the salt i would do it over the sink or trash can. I had salt all over my kitchen lol.
• Last one. instead of mixing my cheeses i put the mozzarella on first and then i used my zester and tested my parmesan onto of the mozzarella.

So here is the recipe:

Julia Child's Eggplant Pizzas (Tranches d'aubergine á  l'italienne)
(Makes 3-4 servings or 6-8 appetizer servings, recipe adapted from one found in From Julia Child's Kitchen.)

Ingredients: 
1 globe eggplant, about 8 ounces and 9-10 inches long
about 1 T salt, for drawing water out of eggplant
about 2 T olive oil, for brushing eggplant before roasting
about 2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning, for sprinkling on eggplant before roasting
10 large basil leaves, cut in chiffonade strips (optional)
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup finely grated low-fat mozzarella blend 
hot red pepper flakes for sprinkling finished pizza (optional)

Sauce Ingredients:
2-3 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped 
1 can (14.5 oz.) good quality petite diced tomatoes with liquid (or use 2 cups peeled and diced fresh tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning blend
1/4 tsp. dried oregano (use Greek or Turkish oregano)

Instructions:

Cut off both ends of the eggplant; then cut it into 3/4 inch thick slices (trying to make them the same thickness!)  Put the eggplant pieces on a double layer of paper towels and sprinkle both sides generously with salt.  Let the eggplant sit with the salt on it for about 30 minutes to draw out the liquid.  (After the eggplant sits for 15 minutes, turn on the oven to 375F/190C.)

While the eggplant sits, make the sauce.  Heat 2-3 tsp. olive oil (depending on your pan) and saute the finely chopped garlic just until it becomes fragrant.  (Don't let it brown.)  Add the petite diced tomatoes, dried Italian seasoning, and dried oregano and let the sauce cook at a low simmer until it's thickened, breaking up the tomatoes with a fork as it cooks.  (Add water as needed, a few tablespoons at a time as the sauce cooks, keeping it hot by simmering at very low heat until it's needed for the eggplant slices.)

After 30 minutes, wipe the eggplant dry with paper towels (this also removes most of the salt.)  Spray a roasting sheet with olive oil or non-stick spray, lay eggplant slices on, brush the tops of the eggplant with olive oil, and sprinkle with dried Italian seasoning.  Roast the eggplant about 25 minutes (but "not so long that the slices become mushy and lose their shape" as Julia says.)  

While the eggplant roasts, thinly slice the fresh basil leaves (if using) and combined freshly grated Parmesan and low-fat mozzarella blend.  After 25 minutes or when eggplant pieces are done, remove eggplant from the oven and turn oven setting to broil.  Spread a few tablespoons of sauce on the top of each eggplant slice, sprinkle with thin basil slices (if using) and top with a generous amount of cheese.  Put pizzas under the broiler until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.  Serve hot, with red pepper flakes to sprinkle on pizza if desired.

If you have any tips after you try it out comment and let me know. I always love tips making cooking easier!

Im Back!!

Holy cow i haven't been on here since October 2013!!! 2013! Thats crazy!

A lot has been going on lately!

Drake started kindergarten and he loves it..

I started working and i love it! 

But i miss blogging so like the title says IM BACK!

I plan on being on here a lot more.

I have been cooking and reading a lot lately so besides Drake I think that will be what I'm mostly writing about!