Salmon Patties

I have a wonderful friend by the name of Melissa (great name eh?) and I follow her cooking blog fairly closely, although I am not quite as dedicated to healthiness as she is. But I got this recipe from her blog and was definitely not disappointed. We made sliders out of them instead of big ones. My kids also gobbled them up like there was no tomorrow.

1 can salmon (14.5 oz), drained and flaked (I just used 3- 5oz cans)
2 eggs
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. dry potato flakes
1/4 c. finely diced red onion
juice of half a lemon (a little more than 1 Tbsp)
5 dashes hot sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
lemon wedges and/or tartar sauce for serving

Preheat skillet over medium heat. Mix all of the ingredients through salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Roll a golf ball sized amount in your hand and flatten to a little less than 1/2 an inch thick. Pour 1 Tbsp oil in the pan and allow to heat. Place patties in pan and cook about 5 minutes on each side until browned. Repeat with remaining mix and oil. Enjoy.

Aunt Jane's Baked Beans

1 Large can of Pork and Beans
1 15 oz can of Kidney Beans
8 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3 slices of Bacon, cut small
3/4 Cups of Ketchup
3/4 tsp Dry Mustard
1 Medium Onion, minced

Mix well. Bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours covered.

*For bacon, I bake it and it comes out perfect every time, click here for directions In this recipe I take it out a few minutes early so it's still squishy.
*I also like it saucy and add and an extra small can of pork and beans and cook it for a little over 1 hour instead of 2.

Regina's Modified Tuna Casserole

This is a delicious, cheap and fast casserole:

1 Cup Frozen Peas, thawed in microwave
2 Cans Tuna
8 oz Macaroni Noodles, cooked
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Cup Sour Cream
8 oz Shredded Cheese
1 Cup Pepperidge Farm Stuffing (or any bread crumbs)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Stir ingredients besides noodles in a large bowl. Sprinkle with crumbs. Cook noodles and drain them. Stir in other ingredients while noodles are hot. Eat immediately or put in baking dish and cover 20-30 minutes @350 until warm. Serves 6-8.

Caprese Salad with Chicken and Bacon

I love caprese salad. Fresh mozzerella is definitely one of my favorites. But I wanted to make a full meal out of it and so I decided to add meat to it. When I make it again and it looks pretty I will post a picture.

3/4 log fresh mozzarella, cubed (small)

3 fresh firm roma tomatoes, chopped and seeded

about 1 full stem fresh basil, chopped

1/2 lb bacon, cooked and sliced small (kinda crispy, but not burnt)

1 lb chicken, cooked and cubed

Chop mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Place in large bowl.

Cook bacon until crispy, drain on paper towel and pat to remove all grease. Dump grease from the pan into something to cool (I usually just use a soup can or something, and when it hardens I throw it away) leaving about 1 Tbsp in the pan. Slice chicken and cook in bacon grease adding about 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning and some seasoned salt. Once cooked, chop into small pieces and cool completely in the fridge with the bacon. Once cool place in bowl with tomato mixture. Lightly toss to combine. If you stir too much the juices from the tomatoes start to break up the mozzarella. Then I sprinkled with a little bit of Italian dressing.

Enjoy with some toasted bread.

Spaghetti Carbonara

1 Lb Spaghetti
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
6 oz (3/4 cup) lean bacon, chopped
2 fl. oz. (1/4 cup) single (light) cream (i.e. Half and Half)
2 Eggs, Beaten
2 oz. (1/2 Cup) grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1 1/2 oz. (3 Tablespoons) Butter, Cut into small pieces

Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water until 'al dente' (still a little stiff).
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the bacon until crisp.
Mix the cream, eggs, and cheese and season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Drain the spaghetti and toss the butter over a moderate heat until it has melted. Stir in the bacon, then the egg mixture and toss until the spaghetti is thoroughly coated. Serve immediately.
Serves 4-6

Lemon Raspberry Cream Cupcakes

These next two recipes were from a bridal shower my sister hosted while we were in town:


The Cakes:
Lemon cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme)
1 cup sour cream
½ cup water
¼ cup milk
¾ cup oil
4 eggs
1 small box instant lemon pudding mix

Raspberry Cream:
½ cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup Raspberry jam or jelly
Red food dye
1 ½ -2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs.
3. Add oil, water, and milk and beat again.
4. Stir in sour cream and then cake mix and pudding mix until well blended.
5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 20-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. As soon as your cupcakes, place them on a cooling rack for about 5-7 minutes and then seal in an airtight container to make sure they stay perfectly moist. The container will steam-up inside, but won’t worry…
7. Raspberry Cream: Beat butter and cream cheese for 5 minutes.
8. If your jam is not seedless, strain it and then add it to the butter mixture. You can always add more if you want a stronger taste.
9. Add a few drops of food dye to get a pretty red color and then as much powdered sugar as you desire.
10. Refrigerate your Raspberry Cream if it is too loose to pipe or spread on your COOLED cupcakes.

*I used a 1M piping tip and the rosette piping technique

From- http://www.yourcupofcake.com/2011/03/lemon-raspberry-cream-cupcakes.html

Berry Tart

Ingredients:
24 Nilla Wafers

Filling:
1 lb (2 8oz packages) Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Beat all filling ingredients together. Put Nilla Wafers on the bottom of a cupcake cups and pour cream cheese mixture on the top (to 2/3 of the cup). Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (or until light brown). Top with your favorite fruit filling and fruit.

Makes 2 dozen

Nanaimo Bars

These are a Canadian favorite that I first had on my mission. They are so good, and SO easy to make. You will love them. Oh, and I don't like coconut on a regular basis, but love these. So even if you don't particularly like coconut, you still need to try them.

Bottom Layer

1/2 c. unsalted butter

1/4 c. sugar

5 Tbsp. cocoa powder

1 egg, beaten

1 3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c. finely chopped almonds

1 cup coconut

Melt first 3 ingredients in top of a double boiler. Add egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from heat. Stir in crumbs, nuts, and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 8x8 pan.

*if you don't have a double boiler, I just used a normal sauce pan on med-low heat stirring constantly.

Second layer

1/2 c. unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tbsp + 2 tsp heavy cream

2 Tbsp Bird's vanilla custard powder

2 c. powdered sugar

Cream butter, cream, custard powder, and sugar together well. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer.

*Bird's vanilla custard powder is really only available in Canada and the UK (or online for a rediculous price). But a good substitute is instant vanilla pudding powder, which is what I used.

Topping

4 squares semi-sweet chocolate (1 oz. each)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Cool a little. When cool, but still liquid, pour over second layer and chill in the refigerator until set.

*I used semi-sweet chocolate chips which is a little less than a cup for 4oz. And I also did it in the microwave which only meant instead of pouring the chocolate on, I had to spread it. But remember, you don't want to over heat chocolate. I probably heated it for no longer the 45-50 seconds.

Fish Tacos

This was one of the easiest recipes I have found. It was even delicious the next day.

2 large ears of sweet corn ( I just used frozen and about the same as 2 ears)

1 tsp butter, softened

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 haddock filet

2 tsp chili powder, divided

2 c. shredded lettuce

2 med tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 med sweet red pepper, chopped

1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and chopped

3 Tbsp taco sauce

2 Tbsp lime juice, divided

1 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro

1 1/2 tsp grated lime peel

12 flour tortillas (8 in)

Spread corn with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill covered, over medium heat for 10-12 min or until tender turning occasionally.

Meanwhile, sprinkle fish with 1 tsp chili powder. Moisten paper towel with cooking oil; using long handled tongs, lightly coat the grill rack. Grill fish, covered, over medium heat for 7-9 min or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Cool corn slightly; remove kernals from cobs. Place in a large bowl. Add the lettuce, tomatoes, red pepper, avocado, taco sauce, 1 Tbsp lime juice, cilantro, lime peel and remaining chili powder.

Drizzle remaining lime juice over fish, cut into 1/2 in cubes. Add to corn mixture. Spoon 1/2 cup mixture over each tortilla. Serve immediately.

We made this in April when there was still snow on the ground, corn on the cob was not in season, and we most definitely did not want to grill outside. So it was all made inside with frozen corn and still tasted great. I am sure the grill taste would just add to it, but you can do it either way.

Oatmeal Pancakes

Sorry I don't have a picture of this one, but it is definitely a keeper. My kids and my husband ask for them, and I always get compliments when I make them.

1.1 ounce flour (about 1/4 c.)

1 c. quick cooking oats

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1 c. buttermilk (use the real thing, they are better that way)

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 large egg

weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Combine buttermilk, butter and egg in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Cook pancakes until it is bubbley, then flip. Continue to cook until golden brown. Makes about 9-12.

They are really good with fresh fruit on top.