Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Tilapia

One of Laela's favorite foods to eat is shrimp.  With butter, plain, in Chinese food, in scampi, cooked in a crab boil, you name the way it comes (she'll even down them with some spicy cajun seasoning!), and she'll inhale them by the pound.

Since Kyle isn't the biggest shrimp fan in the world, and Laela asked to have shrimp for dinner, I compromised and made some lemon-garlic shrimp and tilapia with broccoli and brown rice.  It was a delicious meal that didn't take a ton of time, and was the perfect combo of being both filling but not heavy so that when we went to the park afterwards, we didn't feel like we were laden down from a huge meal.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Tilapia with Brown Rice and Broccoli

You'll need:

• 1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp (I usually buy frozen by the pound since it's generally cheaper)
• 4 Tilapia filets, deboned and filleted
• 4 Cloves garlic, diced
• 2 Lemons
• 2 Broccoli Heads, or broccoli florets
• Brown rice of your choosing (enough to serve 4)
• Onion Powder
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Instructions:

• Heat a large skillet to medium heat.
• Drizzle the skillet with olive oil (a teaspoon or two, enough to make sure the pan is covered so that the fish does not stick to the pan)
• Slice one lemon into thin slices.
• Lightly sprinkle the tilapia with onion powder, salt and pepper.
• Do the same to the shrimp.
• Place the tilapia and two garlic cloves in the hot pan.  Surround them with the lemon slices.  (Don't overcrowd the pan though.  A few slices will do.)

• Squeeze lemon juice on top of the fish.  If the fillets are thin, they should take about 2 minutes per side.  With fish, when it is ready, it becomes more white rather than clear white, up the sides.  It also releases itself from the pan when it is ready to be flipped, or is done cooking.
• Remove the tilapia from heat.  (Fish is flaky when it is done.  If you need a knife at all for tilapia, it's not done cooking.)
• Place the shrimp and 1 garlic clove in the hot pan, making sure there is enough oil in the pan.
• Squeeze some lemon on the shrimp and toss in a few lemon slices.
• Shrimp cook quickly, so when they begin to curl, change color, and look more firm, take them out.
• Serve with a side of lemon.

For the Broccoli:

• Heat a medium skillet to medium heat.  Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into the pan.
• After the pan has heated, add 1 diced garlic clove into the pan.
• When you can smell the garlic cooking (after about a minute or so), add the broccoli to the pan.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Broccoli will be tender when ready.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• **If you haven't got any olive oil left, or are trying to be extra healthy, use a few tablespoons of water to steam cook the garlic and broccoli.  Just put the heat to medium high heat with the water in the pan, add the broccoli and garlic.  Pop on the lid.  Lower the heat to medium heat.  Broccoli in 5 minutes!
• **I squeezed fresh lemon over the entire meal to make it more cohesive, but if you want some components sans lemon, that's totally up to you.

Enjoy!

Summer Pasta with Breaded Chicken

If breaded chicken and pasta are not the most toddler friendly- no forget that, everyone friendly foods on the face of the earth, I simply don't know what is.  We don't eat breaded chicken and pasta everyday, but I don't think Laela and Kyle would complain if we did. 

Breaded chicken is easy to make- and easy to ruin.  If you cook it on too high of a temperature, you wind up with burnt chicken on the outside, and oftentimes the chicken will be raw in the center.  If you put chicken in a cold pan that has cold oil in it, the breading will soak up all the oil and won't get the right amount of crunch to it, so you can wind up with a greasy, not-so-delicious mess.  The trick is heating it to medium and not a degree higher, letting the oil get hot in the pan, and putting the breaded chicken in the hot pan, ready to cook itself to perfection.

This particular dish sprung to mind one day when Laela was begging for pasta, Kyle wanted breaded chicken, and all I wanted were some veggies.  It's a happy compromise with a nice, light sauce for a hot summer day.

Summer Pasta with Breaded Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (If your butcher has cutlets, make your life easier and pick those up)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Pasta of your choosing (we use Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti- which by the way, they really do use this kind in Italy!  We were just there and it was the only brand in their grocery stores that I'd ever heard of!)
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 heads of broccoli or broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine (or dry white wine)
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 stalk of rosemary, leaves chopped
• 1Tb butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

• Put a pot of water on to boil with a few tablespoons of salt.
• Cook according to instructions.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and milk together.  I sometimes add a dash of salt and pepper to the egg wash for extra flavor.  The salt also helps mix the egg and milk together more efficiently.
• In another medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Make sure that all fat is cut from your chicken.  You can make this easier on yourself by using some really sharp scissors rather than using a knife.
• Heat a large sized skillet to medium heat.
• Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan.  Your objective is to cover the bottom of the pan with oil. 
• After about a minute, begin the process of "dredging" the chicken.  First, dip it in the egg wash, then dip it in the breading.  The trick is to keep one hand wet- for dipping in the egg wash, and one hand dry- for dipping in the breading. 
• Once the chicken has been breaded, place it in the frying pan.  If the chicken is sliced into thin cutlets, cook for 3 minutes per side.  If it is not pounded or sliced thin, it should cook for about 5 minutes per side.  (You will see the chicken begin to looked more "cooked"  up the sides of the chicken.  When you see this, it is time to flip the chicken.  Once you have flipped it, a trick of knowing it is done is pressing on it with a spatula or your finger.  If it is firm, it is done.  Try not to slice into it right away.  You don't want to lose all the yummy juices that make it so delicious!)  Continue this process with the chicken until all of the chicken is cooked.  You can place the chicken on a plate that is lined with paper towel if you would like to soak up some of the oil from the pan.
• **Make sure to keep an eye on the oil level in the pan.  You want to make sure that there is always a bit of oil to cook the chicken in so that the breading does not burn, so that the breading gets an adequate crisp, and so that the chicken doesn't stick to the pan.
• Heat a medium sized skillet to medium heat.
• Add the chopped pepper, garlic, chicken broth, herbs, peas, butter, and broccoli to the pan.
• Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Raise the heat to medium high. 
• Add the wine.
• Keep an eye on the veggies.  Stir regularly to prevent burning.  The wine and broth will bubble violently. 
• After about two minutes, or when the wine and broth have reduced and thickened, remove from heat.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the pasta to the sauce.  Cook on low heat to mix it all together for one to two minutes.
• Top with the chicken and a fresh grating of parmesan cheese.
• Enjoy!

Broccoli Two Ways

I've never been one to fight about eating vegetables.  I prefer them over most foods  (I'm pretty sure Kyle is convinced I could live on broccoli and peas- plain).  I'm one of those annoying people that put peas, broccoli, garlic and onions in to pretty much everything.  I even love plain old steamed brussel sprouts with salt and pepper.
 
Needless to say, when I hear people say that they don't like vegetables, I just don't get it.  So, I've made it my mission to prove that vegetables are totally delicious.  Maybe you won't want them plain, but with a little garlic, and a lot of love, even the most boring vegetable can be fantastic!

Now let's talk broccoli.  I have seen those super creepy frozen packs of broccoli with the weird plastic-y cheese on it.  Put down the fake cheese!  Frozen broccoli is amazingly quick and simple to cook- you really don't need any mystery sauce or seasonings on it.  You can make it yourself in five minutes flat!

My family loves broccoli...but that wasn't always the case.  Kyle isn't a natural vegetable lover.  How did I convert him, might you ask? 

Broccoli with Garlic

You'll need:

• 2 cups frozen broccoli (about a half bag or so)
• 2 Tb chopped garlic (I prefer fresh, but chopped garlic jarred is totally fine too)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil (optional)

Instructions:
Put a large saucepan on medium heat.  Fill the pan with about a half inch of water.  Wait one minute for the water to get hot.  Add the broccoli, onion powder, and garlic to the pan.  Carefully stir them together in the hot water.  Add a bit of salt and pepper.  If you'd like, once the water starts to cook down a bit, you can add a tiny bit of olive oil to the broccoli (less than a half teaspoon).  I really like the flavor that the olive oil brings to the broccoli, but I don't always use it.  The broccoli should be done after about five minutes of cooking.  Taste before serving to correct the seasoning.

Broccoli with Cheese

For the cheese obsessed, this is pretty awesome.

You'll need:

• 2 cups broccoli
• 1/4 cup Italian blend cheese (parmesan, mozzarella)
• salt and pepper

Instructions:
Fill a large saucepan with about a half inch of water.  Cook the water at medium heat.  After a minute or so after the water has heated up, add all of the ingredients to the pan.  Cook for five minutes.  Taste before serving to correct the seasoning.  And of course, you can always add more cheese!


Tomorrow I'll be sharing the tastiest, absolute easiest way to make asparagus- ever. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies After a Long Break

I can't believe it's been almost two months since I've posted!  The truth is, sometimes life gets in the way of posting.  I think of things I want to share (like my favorite tomato soup recipe), and then Laela wants to finger paint, or Kyle actually has a few hours to spend with us, so the recipe and posting gets pushed to the back of my mind, and my family takes precedence.

So where to begin...well, Kyle worked 16 hours shifts, 7 days a week for about a month.  My mother-in-law and her husband came to visit for a week.  Then Kyle went to Shanghai and Laela and I hitailed it to Siesta Key for some sun and fun on the beach for a week.  Now we're awaiting Kyle's return from Shanghai after an entire day of delayed flights.

Delayed flights are not the easiest thing to explain to a two year old.  Thankfully, Laela's is easily made happy by finger painting, making play dough, dressing up, playing hairdresser, and playing with her princesses and princess castle. 

While we were on vacation, we met a really nice couple named Patty and Christopher from Kentucky.  They told me how they always played with their kids, and did their best to be present in every moment, because they knew that one day, their little ones would be grown ups, and they'd miss that time.  I think sometimes, it's very easy to get caught up in the day to day, and forget to really put some time in with the people that we love.  Life goes by too quickly.  I find that Gretchen Ruben says it best:  "the days are long, but the years are short."

While parenthood is a lifelong job, children aren't "yours" forever, so I intend to continue to do my best to really enjoy every moment that I have with my little girl.

Today, while we wait (and hope) to find out when Kyle will be home, we're going to make some chocolate chip cookies, pepper soup, and some of Kyle and Laela's very favorite anniversary chicken with macaroni and cheese and broccoli.  A very dear friend of mine once told me that the memory of licking the spoon while baking with his mom is one of his favorite memories.  I hope that Laela remembers baking and cooking with me as fondly as that.

So you might be wondering...what chocolate chip cookie recipe do I use?  Tollhouse!  This really is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe in the whole wide world.  I usually use twice the amount of chocolate chips.  Remember two things:  1.  Cookies are still baking for a few minutes when you take them out of the oven.  2.  If you can smell the cookies, they are probably done baking.

Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels (I use two packages)
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Directions:


PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

PAN COOKIE VARIATION: Grease 15 x 10-inch jelly-roll pan. Prepare dough as above. Spread into prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen bars.

SLICE AND BAKE COOKIE VARIATION:

PREPARE dough as above. Divide in half; wrap in waxed paper. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Shape each half into 15-inch log; wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.* Preheat oven to 375° F. Cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

* May be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer for up to 8 weeks.

FOR HIGH ALTITUDE BAKING (5,200 feet): Increase flour to 2 1/2 cups. Add 2 teaspoons water with flour and reduce both granulated sugar and brown sugar to 2/3 cup each. Bake drop cookies for 8 to 10 minutes and pan cookie for 17 to 19 minutes.


**If you want the cookies to stay chewy, put them in an air tight container while still slightly warm.

Enjoy!!

Sneaky Meatloaf

I know we've visited meatloaf before.  I promise you though, this meatloaf is a little bit different.  I did the usual with the ground meatloaf mix (lamb, beef, and pork), egg, and breadcrumbs.  Here's where we get a little sneaky...I pureed a bunch of yummy steamed veggies- peas, broccoli, carrots, celery and onion.  I topped it with pasta sauce, and there you go!  A super simple, super healthy, and incredibly easy dinner!

You need:

• 1 pound meatloaf mix
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 carrots
• 1 medium onion
• Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• Ketchup
• Broccoli (I use about a cup)
• Peas (I use a little less than a cup)
• Pasta Sauce
• Salt and Pepper

Directions:

• Chop the celery, carrots and onions.  Sweat (cook until fork tender- you'll see moisture released as you do this) the celery, carrots and onions.  Steam the broccoli and peas. 
• Puree all of the vegetables.
• In a large bowl, add the vegetables, salt and pepper, egg, and a good squirt of ketchup.  Add enough breadcrumbs to bind it together so it's not slimy, but moist and firm.
• Preheat your oven to 350-degrees.
• Drizzle olive oil onto a baking sheet
• Form your meatloaf/spice/breadcrumb mixture into two small logs.
• Cook at 350-degrees for twenty minutes.  Top with pasta sauce (or if you don't like pasta sauce, my girlfriend Laraine swears by barbecue sauce- I've tried it and I've gotta say, it's a great change of pace, and is super yummy), and cook for 15-20 more minutes.
• Wait about five minutes so that you don't lose its juiciness, and serve.

Enjoy!

Just Another Manic Monday

I'm pretty exhausted from having family visit over the weekend (and from Laela waking up at the crack of dawn because she got off schedule), so this is going to be short and sweet.

Is your little one refusing to take food from you, and only wants to feed himself/herself?  Make some fish, some large couscous with cheese, and steam some broccoli.  These are all things you can toss onto your little one's high chair tray and let them  feed themself, without the worry that they'll choke to death.  (Although, you should ALWAYS be watching your little ones when they're eating!!)

Wednesday I'll post a quick and easy fish recipe that everyone will love!