Just For Fun...

And here's a little something just for the sake of being random...Because people with mullets need to cross the street too! The dude on the right has a mullet + dreadlock. Awesome.

The Best Mother's Day Gift

Mother's day is coming up, and I wanted to share with all you mothers out there the perfect mother's day gift. I LOVE the elastic waist ones, and I also really the like the free applique vest that comes with every purchase of Mom Jeans..."You'll find the perfect jeans, for even the least active of moms..." Classic.

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Dijon Dill Sauce

This is originally a recipe for poached salmon, but I modified it to work with grilled salmon. You can either use salmon fillets or salmon steaks. The sauce recipe is fantastic with any seafood, I've served it as a dipping sauce for shrimp. Enjoy!

Grilled Salmon with Lemon Dijon Dill Sauce

• 4-6 salmon fillets or steaks
  
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried dill)
  

Preheat grill or broiler. If using broiler, line a baking sheet with foil and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, mustard, honey, lemon juice, and dill. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Grill or broil salmon 5-7 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve hot salmon with cold sauce and cold home brews, mmmmmmm tasty!

My Life Summed Up in a Photo

This is how I feel most days...Sigh...

Oatmeal Scones

This is a hybrid of an oatmeal cookie, a scone, and a muffin...Delish! These are easier than other scones because you just dump handfuls of dough on to the cookie sheet, no need to roll out, cut, and make a big mess of your counter!

Raisin Oatmeal Scones

• 2 cups quick oats
• 2 2/3 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• dash salt
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
  
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup raisins (golden raisins are the best)
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and raisins. In another bowl, whisk together melted butter, milk, and eggs. Make a well in center of dry ingredients, add egg/butter/milk mixture, and stir until combined, but don't over-stir or scones will be dry and tough. With hands, lightly form into 3-4 inch patties and place evenly spaced apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Dough will by sticky. Sprinkle tops with a few oats, if desired. Bake in preaheated oven for 10 minutes, or until puffy and nicely browned. Serve warm out of the oven with butter and jam and of course, coffee. Note: These scones have NO shelf life. They are fabulous right out of the oven, but are very dry the next day. So the leftovers from breakfast might as well be chicken food :)

Crab Quesadillas

Another much-requested work recipe

Crab Quesadillas

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 1/3 cup minced red bell pepper
• 3 Tbsp. cilantro, minced
• 1 Tbsp. orange juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 14 oz. imitation crabmeat, pulled apart
• 8-12 tortillas
• Sour cream and salsa to serve with

Combine all ingredients except tortillas in a large bowl, break apart large pieces of crab. Lay tortillas out on work surface. Spread about 1/3 cup filling on one half of each tortilla, fold in half, pressing gently to flatten. Spray griddle or skillet with non-stick spray and preheat to medium-high. Place quesadillas in skillet or griddle, grill on both sides until golden and melty. Remove and slice in to wedges. Serve warm with sour cream and salsa.

Jambalaya

Here's an awesome quick recipe for Jambalaya. I found it on the Kraft website http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/quick-jambalaya-56799.aspx

I tweaked a few things in my version. I just serve the sauce over cooked rice, instead of cooking the rice right into the sauce, it seems to come out better if you cook the rice separately. That way, you can cook the rice in your rice cooker while you have the sauce simmering on the stove. This is also a very mild version, you can add tabasco, or use spicier Cajun seasoning.

Jambalaya

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 medium bell peppers, any color, chopped
• 3/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mild Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
• 1 cup cooked and diced sausage (I like kielbasa)
• Cooked white rice

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until onion is translucent. Add celery, cook a few more minutes until softened. Add diced chicken breasts, cook until no longer pink inside. Add canned tomatoes, bell peppers, BBQ sauce, Cajun seasoning, shrimp, and sausage. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer until ready to serve. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over white rice.

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Here's another much-requested work recipe, orinally from allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chicken-Pesto-Pizza/Detail.aspx

Chicken Pesto Pizza

• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1 (12 inch) pre-baked pizza crust
• 2 cups grilled and diced chicken breast strips
• 1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 cup shredded cheese, I like to use an Italian 3 Cheese Blend

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Spread pesto sauce over the pizza crust. Arrange chicken pieces and artichoke hearts over the sauce, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted and lightly browned at the edges. Cool slightly and cut into wedges.

Easy Cream Cheese Danish

This is really good, inexpensive brunch recipe. I like to also top with sliced almonds right before baking. I found the original recipe from allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Cream-Cheese-Danish/Detail.aspx

Easy Cream Cheese Danish

2 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent roll dough
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Line bottom of baking pan with 1 can of crescent rolls. Pinch all seams together to seal. In a large bowl, mix together softened cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread filling on top of rolls. Place second can of rolls on top of filling. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, stir together confectioners' sugar, milk and butter. After Danish has cooled, drizzle with icing. Cut into squares and serve with coffee for brunch.

Mongolian Beef Noodle Salad

This is a recipe from work, but so many people asked for the recipe, I decided to just post it. Delicious!

Mongolian Beef Noodle Salad

Marinade:

• 2 1/4 lbs. beef skirt steak
• 1 1/2 cups teriyaki marinade
• 3 Tbsp. peanut oil
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice

Thinly slice beef into strips and place in a gallon size sip-lock bag. Whisk together teriyaki marinade, peanut oil, sesame oil, and salt, pour over beef strips in bag, and place bag in a bowl to prevent from leaking. Place in refrigerator and marinate overnight. About an hour before you are ready to serve the salad, remove strips from zip-lock and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade from bag and discard remaining. Pour reserved 1/2 cup marinade over beef strips on cookie sheet. Pre-heat oven broiler. Sprinkle beef with 3 Tbsp. brown sugar and 2 Tbsp. lime juice. Broil beef 5-7 minutes until almost done, turning with tongs once. Be careful not to overcook, beef will finish cooking once it is removed from the oven. You can also grill the steak strips, but I prefer broiling them in the oven. Remove beef from cookie sheet to a bowl or plate and set aside until ready to serve.

Salad:

• 3 pkgs. ramen noodles, cooked, drained, and cooled (you don't need seasoning packet)
• 6 cups mixed spring greens
• 4 cups shredded Napa cabbage
• 2 bell peppers, any color, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 cup bean sprouts, either fresh or canned
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 1 cup store-bought Asian Sesame Dressing (more or less depending on taste)

In a large serving bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve steak strips over salad with more dressing drizzled on, if desired.