Tasty Talapia

Source: Delish

This is an extremely simple way to prepare fish, and it's probably a good spice mixture for chicken, too! I used halibut filets, which are a little thicker, so I needed additional cooking time on the stovetop. This is a great recipe for a weeknight dinner!

Tasty Tilapia

1 1/2 lbs tilapia fillets
2 tsp low-sodium cajun seasoning
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil*

Combine cajun seasoning, lemon pepper, dried parsley, crushed red pepper, garlic and onion powder. Evenly season fish on both sides. Melt butter (or heat olive oil) in large skillet over medium heat. Add fish. Brown each side approximately 3-4 minutes per side (tilapia cooks quickly). Adjust cooking temperature if needed. Serve hot.

Roasted Garlic and New Potatoes

Source: The Pioneer Woman

After eating these, my husband said, "All other potatoes are dead to me." Enough said! These are delicious and easy to prepare. I didn't use quite as many garlic heads as the recipe called for. Roasted garlic is very mild, but the garlic heads are piping hot when they come out of the oven, so you have to wait awhile to squeeze out the garlic cloves if you want to mix them in with the potatoes. You could also serve dinner with a baguette and spread the roasted garlic on the bread. Yum!

Roasted Garlic & New Potatoes

20 small to medium new potatoes
5 to 7 whole heads of garlic
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Quarter new potatoes and set on a large rimmed baking sheet. Lop off the very top of each garlic head and arrange throughout the potatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the garlic and all over potatoes; do the same with the wine. Generously salt and pepper potatoes and garlic. Toss potatoes to coat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes until nice and golden.

Rolled Flank Steak

Source: All Recipes

For some reason, I can't just enjoy a steak. I need a sauce or other ingredients to make me like it. I was browsing All Recipes and this looked really good, and totally different from the way I've made steak before.

I really liked this, but...I think I may have rolled it the wrong way. I started rolling it at the shorter end, which meant the roll was pretty thick. This meant the meat on the outside was done, but in the middle, it was rare! Were I to make it again, I would try rolling it the other way, and I would also check the doneness halfway through, possibly slicing the roll in sections. Because of the way it's rolled, it's really difficult to use a meat thermometer.

I really loved the well-done pieces I ate, though! The combination of provolone, spinach, mushrooms and peppers was divine!

Rolled Flank Stak

INGREDIENTS:

1 (2 pound) beef flank steak
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons steak seasoning
8 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
4 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup sliced crimini mushrooms
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place the flank steak on a cutting board with the short end closest to you. Starting from one of the long sides, cut through the meat horizontally to within 1/2 inch of the opposite edge. (You can also ask your butcher to butterfly the flank steak for you instead of cutting it yourself.)

2. Mix the soy sauce, olive oil, and steak seasoning together in a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Marinate flank steak in the refrigerator 2 - 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a glass baking dish.

4. Lay out the flank steak flat in front of you with the grain of the meat running from left to right. Layer the provolone across the steak, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the bacon, spinach, red pepper, and mushrooms across the cheese covered steak in stripes running in the same direction as the grain of the meat. Roll the flank steak up and away from you, so that when the roll is cut into the pinwheel shape, each of the filling ingredients can be seen. Roll firmly, but be careful not to squeeze the fillings out the ends. Once rolled, tie every 2 inches with kitchen twine. (I didn't use any twine, just placed the roll in the dish seam-side down.)

5. Place in prepared baking dish, and bake in preheated oven for one hour, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into 1 inch slices. Be sure to remove the twine before serving!

Louisana Chicken Pasta

Source: Annie's Eats

MY OH MY WAS THIS AMAZING. I mean, you can't go wrong with excessive amounts of cream, but this dish really surprised me. The cream combined with the sweetness of the peppers and the spiciness of the Creole seasoning really made it special. This dish is one of my favorites this year!

I didn't have Cajun seasoning on hand, only Creole, and this does make a difference. I sprinkled a little extra on top of the finished dish, and then thought, "Why is it so salty?" Well, because Creole seasoning has salt in it! If you're using Creole seasoning, make sure to cut back on the added salt. If you don't have Cajun seasoning on hand, All Recipes has the combination for Simple Cajun Seasoning. The only other change I think I'd make is to add in a clove of minced garlic with the onions and peppers instead of the garlic powder.

In any case, this is absolutely INCREDIBLE! My husband and I both gobbled it up! Thanks, Annie!

Louisana Chicken Pasta

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and pepper
Cajun seasoning

For the pasta:
8 oz. bowtie pasta
Kosher salt

For the sauce:
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. water
3 scallions, chopped

Directions:

To cook the chicken, heat a small amount of butter or olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, and a generous sprinkle of Cajun seasoning. Add to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.

Meanwhile, return the skillet to medium heat and heat the butter and olive oil until the butter has melted. Add the bell peppers and onion to the pan. Mix in the salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender, about 6-8 minutes. Add the half-and-half and heavy cream to the pan and bring to a simmer. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water, and add to the skillet once the cream mixture has started to bubble. Allow to cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and chicken pieces to the pan. Stir well to combine and cook at medium-low heat just until the chicken is warmed through. Adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning if necessary to suit your tastes. Stir in the scallions. Serve immediately and top with additional Cajun seasoning, if desired.

Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Adapted from: All Recipes

This is a very tasty appetizer, and one of my favorite dishes to bring to a party! I love the variation from chips and salsa. I always use a food processor, which makes the process that much quicker. I also skip making my own cinnamon chips and just buy a few bags from Trader Joe's. I've made the chips before, and it is SO worth it to just buy them! Another step that makes this recipe simple and delicious!

Annie's Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

INGREDIENTS:

2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored
and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
3 tablespoons apricot fruit preserves

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
butter flavored cooking spray
2 cups cinnamon sugar

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix kiwis, Golden Delicious apples, raspberries, strawberries and fruit preserves. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3.Coat one side of each flour tortilla with butter flavored cooking spray. Cut into wedges and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle wedges with desired amount of cinnamon sugar. Spray again with cooking spray.

4.Bake in the preheated oven 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with any remaining tortilla wedges. Allow to cool approximately 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture.

Taco Salad

Source: All Recipes

This recipe is so embarrassingly easy it's almost...well, embarrassing to post it. But we all need super-easy recipes for those nights we're feeling lazy! This is also one of my husband's favorites, as it may be. Of course, something that takes me 15 minutes is his favorite! Sheesh.

The original recipe calls for French dressing in the meat/bean mixture, which I skipped. Reviewers on All Recipes also suggested Catalina dressing and using Doritos instead of plain tortilla chips. The recipe also calls for mixing EVERYTHING. I prefer to layer it, trying to save the salad will mean you have soggy chips the next day. Layering it allows me to save extra salad, meat, etc., separately. This recipe is very versatile, so change it up as you like!

Taco Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (16 ounce) bottle French dressing or Catalina dressing (optional)
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 (14.5 ounce) package tortilla chips
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
1/2 cup prepared salsa (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef and drain excess fat. Stir in the taco seasoning, chili beans and French-style dressing. Fill the dressing bottle 2/3 full of water and add to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Crush the bag of chips. Layer crushed chips on individual plates, then top with lettuce mixture. Top with meat mixture, and add sour cream or salsa if desired. Enjoy!

Bacon-wrapped Jalapenos

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Hmmm. The jury is kind of out on these. Now, I like a little bit of spiciness in my food, but too much, and I feel it kills the taste of the rest of the dish (or appetizer, if you will). I felt that was the case with these, and you're thinking, Hey. The word "jalapeno" is in the title of the recipe. How stupid are you? Well, pretty stupid, I suppose. In reading PW's instruction, she said to clean out the jalapenos pretty good so they weren't too spicy. I cleaned those suckers out, and STILL they were pretty hot. However, I've seen nothing but raves for this recipe, so if you like it hot, go for it!

The recipe is fairly simple, all you need is package of bacon, a bunch of jalapenos, and a block of cream cheese. And toothpicks. And latex gloves. Make SURE to get the latex gloves! The process of cutting and scooping out 45 odd jalapenos, I have heard, will leave your hands tingling in pain. My hands were tingle-free!

Bacon-wrapped Jalapenos

1 package of bacon, cut into thirds (15 pieces of bacon = 45 pieces)
1 block of cream cheese
About 20-30 jalapenos

1. Cut jalapenos in half. Using a spoon, scoop out the innards.

2. Smear cream cheese on the inside of each jalapeno.

3. Wrap bacon piece around jalapeno, and secure with toothpick. Place on a pan with a rack and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!