Breaded Fish with Marinara Sauce

I'm not really sure what to call this- Italian Fish, Fish Parmesan, I don't know. This is one of those dishes that was created using random things in the pantry and fridge. I fried the fish but you could bake it at 350 for 15-20 min. Also, I used crushed corn flakes for the breading but bread crumbs-regular or Panko would work well.

4 fish fillets- Perch, Cod or Tilapia
1 1/2 cups of crushed corn flakes or bread crumbs
1 egg
A splash of milk
1/2 cup of flour
A few teaspoons of Parmesan cheese-optional
Canola oil if you are pan frying
2 cups of marinara sauce

Pat the fish with a few paper towels to remove excess moisture. Use a few plates and a bowl to make an assembly line of flour, the egg and milk mixture(bowl), bread crumbs + parmesan cheese and a plate for the breaded fish waiting to be cooked. Dip fish in flour, egg and then bread crumbs. If pan frying, add an inch of canola oil and cook the fish for about 7 min per side or until golden brown. If using the oven, bake at 350 for 15-20 min. Warm up the marinara sauce in a pan and top fish with sauce. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan sauce if desired.

Beer Cheese Dip

This dip is addictive. If you can make this a few hours before serving or even overnight, it tastes even better. The beer flavor is not overpowering. I would recommend using a light amber beer instead of something heavy such as Guiness.

2 packages of cream cheese softened
1 dry ranch seasoning packet
1/2 bottle of beer
1/4 cup of chopped green onions
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the cream cheese and ranch packet together. Slowly add the beer until the dip reaches a consistency that you prefer. Add the cheddar cheese and green onions. Let sit for a few hours or overnight. Serve with Town House pretzel crackers, pretzels or crackers.

Football season will be starting very soon! We love to have snacks as we watch the Bears. In a few weeks, I will be posting an appetizer every Saturday or Sunday for you to enjoy.

Slow Cooker Chicken Vesuvio

I wanted to make chicken vesuvio but I didn't want to have to spend at least an hour preparing dinner in the evening. So I threw everything in the slow cooker and it turned out very well. Resist the temptation to stir the crockpot as it cooks or you will have chicken stew!

1 3-4lb Chicken cut up or 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp flour
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
1 can of artichoke hearts drained and quartered
4 small potatoes peeled and quartered
1 lemon juiced
1/2 cup of white wine
2 cloves of garlic

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a large plastic bag. Add chicken and shake to coat chicken. Cook chicken in a large pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil for 10 min. Add lemon, wine, garlic, rosemary and potatoes to the crockpot. Place chicken on top and place artichokes on top of the chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Do not stir this as it cooks or it the chicken will fall apart! You can serve this right out of the crockpot. If you want to the chicken and potatoes to have a nice crust, put them in the oven for a few minutes. Turn on the broiler and spray a cookie sheet or pan with cooking spray. Take tongs and place the chicken and potatoes in the pan. Place in the oven for 5-10 min until golden brown. Top with sauce in the crockpot before serving.

Tomato basil rosemary bread

I know it's one of the hottest days of the summer and here I am sharing a recipe for baking bread. So, you can read about the bread's deliciousness today and bake it another day. If you are like me and have a garden, you are probably wondering what to do with the abundance of herbs and tomatoes. Why not make a bread that you can use for sandwiches or cut it up and dip it in a bit of olive oil for an appetizer? I like the simplicity of frozen dough when making bread. Take a frozen loaf, pop it in a greased loaf pan and let it rise all day. You could make this bread even tastier by sprinkling a bit of Parmesean cheese on it before baking.

1 loaf of Rhodes frozen dough
1 Tbsp of each-chopped rosemary and basil
1 tomato sliced- I used 4 slices of a plum
salt and pepper
3 Tbsp of olive oil

Let frozen dough rise in a sprayed loaf pan at room temp for 7 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Brush 2 Tbsp of olive oil on the bread. Then place tomatoes, basil and rosemary on the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining olive oil. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until golden brown.

Enchiladas

I love Mexican food. How can you go wrong with chips, salsa, guacamole, lots of cheese and delicious sauces? I have made these enchiladas with ground beef, chicken and beans. I am sure shredded pork or beef would work well too. If you are looking for an easy way to prepare the meat, use a crockpot. Take 1lb of chicken breasts, pork shoulder or beef and put it in the crockpot with a jar of salsa and a cup of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and shred the meat with 2 forks before filling the enchiladas. Cooking ground beef or cubed chicken in a pan before filling also works.

8-10 flour or whole grain tortillas
28oz can of mild red enchilada sauce
1lb of cooked beef, chicken or pork
1 can of fat-free refried beans
2-3 cups of shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9x13 pan, spread a few tablespoons of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the pan. Take a tortilla, spread with beans, a few spoonfulls of meat, sprinkle with cheese and roll up. Place in the pan and continue assembling the remaining tortillas. When the pan is filled, pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and top with cheese. Bake uncovered for 25-30 min.

Coconut M&M Brownies

I came up with these yesterday and they were a hit!

1 box of brownie mix and eggs, oil, water per package directions
1 cup of M&M's
Sweetened coconut flakes
Chocolate frosting

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare brownie mix in a bowl according to package directions. Add M&M's and a few handfuls of coconut. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 in dish and add brownie mixture. Bake 25-30 min or suggested time on box. After brownies have cooled, frost and sprinkle with additional coconut.

Mexican Chicken Salad

I created this for yesterday's lunch and it was so good. I love spinach but feel free to use your favorite greens. You could even sautee green peppers and onion to make a fajita salad. No picture this time because I was starving!

Boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
Fresh organic spinach
Salsa
Ranch dressing
Cheese
Cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, zucchini
Seasoning for chicken- I used blackened seasoning and paprika but chili powder, cumin and taco seasoning would work well.

Cook chicken in seasoning in a pan for 7-8 min. Assemble salad with spinach, veggies, chicken, cheese, salsa and ranch dressing. Enjoy!