Baked Salmon, Wild Rice, and Squash

First of all, I found this really good deal on the salmon. It was frozen and at Grocery Outlet. It was an 11oz filet for $2.99. I grabbed 3 of them. Jake has really been wanting it so I thought I would be nice and fix it tonight. Robyn Slye gave me a lot of yummy squash so I thought it would go wonderfully with the salmon.

For the salmon, the recipe was for 2 6oz pieces, So I tripled it for what I needed, but here is the original recipe. In a medium bowl mix together 2 cloves of minced garlic, 6 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbs lemon juice, and 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley. Place the fillets in a medium glass baking dish, cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for about an hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place the sealed salmon in a glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

For the side dish I went really easy. I used a box of Rice a Roni, the wild rice one. Then I cut up some squash, layered it in a glass baking dish, put some olive oil, chopped garlic, and covered it with foil. I baked it along with the salmon

Stay tuned tomorrow night for probably dessert only, brought to you by Zach and Jake. They made it tonight but they won't be set until tomorrow.

Cabin in the Woods Burgers

 So I am pretty lazy tonight so I am going to copy and paste the ingredients and directions. I saw this on facebook this morning and thought, I just found what is for dinner tonight. I know I post a lot from Rachael Ray, but most of her recipes are great and affordable! I also gave my sister a break, she's been sick (I probably gave her whatever I had), so I went over and picked the boys for about 3 hours today and they stayed for dinner. Dakota and Jake loved this burger, but Zach wasn't so into it. He just wanted to eat the tater tots. I sent him home with his leftovers and cupcakes if he ate at least 1/2 of his burger.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound thick-cut bacon or black pepper bacon
• 1/4 cup dark amber maple syrup
• 1 1/2 pounds coarsely ground beef chuck
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 2 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
• Coarse salt and black pepper
• EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil or vegetable oil, for drizzling
• 1/2 pound sliced extra-sharp white cheddar, for topping
• Melted butter, for frying eggs and basting burger rolls
• 4 organic eggs
• 4 seed-topped or onion rolls, split
• Directions
• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the bacon on a broiler pan or rack-lined baking sheet and bake until the fat is partially rendered, about 15 minutes. Baste the bacon with maple syrup; bake 5-6 minutes more.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine thebeef, Worcestershire and onion (grate the onion over the bowl so the juices fall into the meat). Stir in the mustard; season with salt and lots of pepper. Form into 4 patties (making them thinner at the center and thicker at the edges). Drizzle the patties with oil; cook, flipping once, until a nice crust forms, about 7 minutes. Top with the cheese and cook for about 2 minutes to melt
• Brush a nonstick skillet over medium heat with some melted butter. Add the eggs and fry to your liking; season.
• Toast the buns, basting with melted butter. Top the bun bottoms with burgers, bacon, eggs and bun top.
• That is the egg oozing out down the side of the burger. I also added some greens to mine. I also used regular buns due to Jake being allergic to sesame seeds and the boys not liking the onion rolls.
  
  

Homemade Pizza and Cheesecake

I know I haven't posted in a few days but I am not feeling well at all lately. I don't know if it's the heat or just my chiari.

Last night my sister made tacos. They were good.

After dinner I talked Dakota through making pizza dough and his very first cheesecake. He was suppose to make dinner tonight with Jake but Jake left us to go to a pool party.

The pizza dough was a very easy one, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbs olive oil,  1 pkg. fast acting yeast, 1 cup warm water. We mixed that together, turned it out on lightly floured surface, kneaded it for about 5 minutes,  placed it in a plastic bag, and let it set until it had doubled in size. Then it went in the fridge overnight. We  doubled the recipe, the recipe above is for a single crust pizza crust.

For the cheesecake I showed him my easy 3 step one. Pre heat the oven to 325 degrees. 2 8oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix all of that together until creamy. We then let Zach(7) and their cousin Alexia(5) spoon the filling in an already made graham cracker crust. We then baked it for about 40 minutes or til center is set. I loved it when Alexia said I love it here, my mom never lets me help do anything in the kitchen( she's with her daddy this weekend). Cool the cheesecake and refrigerate at least 2 hours, we did overnight.

Tonight, we took the dough out and divided it 7 equal balls. I let each of the kids roll out the dough to the size they wanted it, then put on the sauce and toppings they wanted. Let me tell you the 2 little ones had a blast. I actually think Dakota did too. We placed then on a lightly oiled pan with a dusting of cornmeal. We placed them in a 425 degree oven for about 18 minutes or how crunchy  you want your crust. They enjoyed ever bite of their dinner.

For desert they were excited to eat their cheesecake they had made. We topped it with some caramel sauce(ice cream topping). When I left there tonight they all kept saying thank you to me for letting them make their own food. Alexia asked if she could come over next weekend and help make dinner.

Nachos

So a fast easy good dinner! Elena called and asked if we wanted Nachos tonight, I said sure. She had the chips, cheese, and ground turkey. I picked some extra cheese(nacho and shredded), sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, and an onion. That's it!

Since moving back I think the boys (Zach and Dakota) has fit in great in their new school(the one I work at). Dakota received student of the month after only being there for 1 month, and Zach got a good citizenship award today. I love having these 2 back where I can see them every day. <3

Steak, Baked Potatoes, and Brussel Sprouts

I went to Safeway to get a few things and thought I would see if there were any steaks on sale for this weekend. I found some yummy looking rib-eyes for the adults and some cheaper sirloins for the kiddos. When I got home to put them in the freezer I had forgotten how much things I had bought for the freezer this past weekend so I called my sister and asked if she wanted to have a good dinner tonight. I am glad we are all flexible.

Before going to her house I made some sherry butter (I totally love this) You take 2 heads of garlic (yes that's heads not cloves) cut the tops off so you can see all the cloves, place them in foil, drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper, wrap them up, and place them in a 450 degree oven for about 30 to 45 minutes or until garlic is soft and roasted. After it't cooled, squeeze the garlic into a blender or food processor along with 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tbs finely chopped flat leaf parsley, 1 tbs fresh chopped thyme, 1/3 cup dry sherry, and 1/2 stick of butter(I think I used more to make it thicker) pulse to make it into a paste. I then refrigerate until ready to use.

I also made a porcini sauce. Start with 1 cup of beef stock and a handful of dried procini mushrooms( I can't find theses at any of our stores so I sub fresh chopped baby portebella mushrooms for them). Place them in a sauce pan and simmer until mushrooms are tender and liquid has reduced about 15 to 20 minutes. Then puree them. Meanwhile in a sauce pan drizzle some EVOO in the pan, add 1 finely chopped shallot, and 2 cloves finely chopped garlic, cook til tender. Then add 2 tbs balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce,  2 tbs dark brown sugar, 2 tsp coarse black pepper, and 1 cup of ketchup. Next add the porcini puree, Simmer this until desired thickness.

Heat the oven to 425 degrees. For dinner I stuck the potatoes in the microwave for about 10 minutes. Next steamed some frozen brussel sprouts. Then for the good stuff, I heated 2 cast iron skillets (mine has the grill marks at the bottom, so it looks as if you grilled them). Pat dry the steaks, liberally salt and pepper them, then drizzle with EVOO. Place is a screaming hot skillet for about 5 minutes per side or when meat releases from the pan. After both sides are seared place the pan in the oven to finish steaks, for medium rare cook an additional 8 to 10 minutes. Let the steaks rest for at least 5 minutes before cutting so the juice will redistribute. Serve with the sherry butter and porcini sauce. Jake made a loaf of garlic bread.

It was so good that one the kids didn't fight over dinner and I forgot to take a pic. This is by far Jake and my favorite dinner.

Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, and Greenbeans

Tonight was Zach and his daddy's turn to dinner. They went simple. Zach helped daddy make the turkey meatballs and helped put them in the oven. Then he helped mash the potatoes and pick out what the veggie was. It was a pretty good dinner, nothing fancy but good.

A Great Dinner and Family Game Night

We had discussed  a few weeks ago that on Saturday night Jake and Dakota would cook dinner and we would have family game night. Well, we have been so busy lately it hadn't happened.Finally tonight it did and they did a wonderful time.

For dinner was a Thai Style Chicken with Basil. Prep for this was cutting up 1 red and yellow bell pepper, 1 fresno chili, 4 large cloves of garlic, and grating 1 1/2 inches of ginger. Cubbing 1 1/2 lbs of skinless boneless chicken thighs.

 To start they brought 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock to a boil in a saucepan along with 2 tbs butter, when that came to a boil they added 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice, returned to a boil and then covered. That cooked on low for about 20 minutes.

For the chicken, they heated 2 tbs of canola oil in a large skillet, then added the cubed chicken, let the chicken cook for 2 minutes before touching it, then stir fry it until done. If the skillet isn't large enough you may need to do this in small batches. Remove the chicken to plate.

Add another tbs of oil to the pan, then add the peppers, garlic, and ginger, cook for about 3 minutes. Then add 2 tbs of soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 2 tbs oyster sauce( it called for fish sauce but I was unable to find it at any of our stores). Add the chicken back in and toss to coat. Then remove from heat add 1/2 cup chopped basil to wilt it, and the grated peel of 1 lime, and the juice from the lime. Garnish with 1/2 cup of chopped basil.

For dessert with Jake's direction Dakota made cream puffs with blueberry custard and a blueberry sauce, all from scratch. He did an amazing job!!!

After dinner we had a great time playing Monopoly Millionaire. Of course the 7 year old autistic kid (Zach) won...go figure.