Cod with Cucumber Mint Yogurt Sauce

Tonight, we had the most delicious meal. It was a perfect introduction to the warmer weather we enjoyed today.

Ingredients:
2 cod fillets
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tbsp English cucumber, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp green onion/scallion, finely chopped
1tsp garlic salt
Dried oregano, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil or cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine yogurt, cucumber, mint, green onion/scallion and garlic salt in a small bowl.
Sprinkle both sides of cod with salt, pepper and dried oregano.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray or rub with olive oil. Lay the cod on top and bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes.
Serve with yogurt sauce on top and enjoy!

I made this tonight with some couscous and herbed carrots. The flavors were amazing!


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Location:East Hartford, CT

Quick Cabbage "Rolls"

Okay, I think we all know by now that I'm not really into "precise" cooking. This recipe was perfect! I made this on a weeknight after work. I took an old time favorite and made it a little healthier.

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey
1 chopped onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 small head of cabbage
1 large can tomato soup
1 cup brown rice
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Smoked paprika, salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook rice.
Boil cabbage leaves until tender. Drain and set aside on paper towels to dry.
Preheat oven to 450.
Sauté onion and garlic in a little bit of olive oil. Add ground turkey and brown. Drain. Return to pan.
Add Worcestershire sauce to beef mixture. Sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
Mix rice into beef mixture.
In a 9x13 greased casserole dish, place one layer of cabbage leaves on the bottom.
Pour beef mixture on top and layer with remaining cabbage leaves.
Pour tomato soup on top and bake for about 30 minutes.
ENJOY!

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Location:East Hartford, CT

Country Chicken Cobbler

I found this recipe from Good Housekeeping at http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/country-chicken-cobbler-1627.  It's a tasty casserole to make in the fall or winter. 



Ingredients:

16 oz. bag of frozen mixed vegetables

1 can of condensed cream of potato soup

3/4 cup milk

Meat from one rotisserie chicken

1 pkg of refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, each biscuit cut into quarters

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

* Ground thyme

* Ground sage



* This recipe is great as it is.  But I made this on a particularly chilly evening after an extremely cold day where temps topped out at 5 degrees!  So I wanted something that tasted a bit more...hearty.  When I added the salt and pepper to taste, I also sprinkled in a little bit of thyme and some sage. 



I bought a rotisserie chicken at the store and pulled off all the meat into pieces.  This was plenty of chicken for this recipe.



1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large skillet, combine the frozen vegetables, potato soup, milk

and pepper.  Cover and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are no longer frozen.  Add the chicken and stir.  At this point, I sprinkled in the thyme and sage.

2.  Pour entire mixture into a 9" x 13" glass casserole dish.  Top with the quartered biscuit pieces, evenly spaced.  Bake 20-25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.



The leftovers taste fantastic! This meal is Markus approved!

Location:East Hartford, CT

Sailboat Baby Blanket

I made this baby blanket or a coworker who is due in October.  She is having a boy and the nursery will have a nautical theme.  Gavin even helped me make the pattern!

Kale Salad with Olive Oil, Lemon and Parmesan

I was very apprehensive about trying raw kale.  I heard it really doesn't taste good at all.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I found a similar recipe to this one and I tried it.  Believe me, this kale salad is DELICIOUS!  I found the original recipe at http://www.themeaningofpie.com/2011/09/kale-salad-with-lemon-and-parmesan and then made some adjustments.

1 bunch curly kale
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 lemon
1/2 olive oil
1 tbsp honey (optional)
Cherry tomatoes (optional)

1.  Wash the kale and dry either with a salad spinner or paper towels.  Remove the stems and chop into fine strips.
2.  In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and honey, if using.  Whisk together until combined.
3.  Add the pine nuts, cheese, tomatoes and toss.  Add the dressing and toss again.
4.  Season with salt and pepper.
I made this last weekend as well. I was out of Parmesan cheese so I substituted Feta cheese.  Markus also brought back some pumpkin seed oil from Austria from our last trip there and I used some of that.  It really kicked up the taste!  If you can ever get your hands on pumpkin seed oil, GET IT!  It's fantastic on salads.  For those of you wondering if kids will like this, my son couldn't get enough and he is 10 years old.  Last weekend, I also made cubed steak in the crockpot with brown gravy and pearlized couscous.  He was more interested in this salad and even asked for seconds.

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Football Night Taco Bar

 On Sunday night, we had a football party at Markus' house.  I made a yummy Buffalo Chicken Dip for an appetizer served with tortilla chips, carrots, celery and bell peppers.  Then I prepped the table for the tacos.  We had raw onions, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, tobasco sauce, cheese, lettuce, and roasted bell peppers with onions.  Then I cooked different meats.  We had seasoned ground beef, lime and cilantro shrimp, and chicken with BBQ powder.  We also gave everyone the option of hard shell or soft tacos. 

 

I stole the idea of using a muffin pan to hold some of the toppings.  I found it on Pinterest and it worked like a charm.  On think on that site, they had used it as a condiment holder for a hot dog party or something.

The party was a success even though I forgot to have sour cream on hand but nobody asked for it so I guess I was the only one who noticed.  I would love to try this idea again with some other foods...cupcake bar, sundae bar, hot dog bar, pasta bar...!

Chickpea Salad...So Refreshing!

One 7-oz. can of chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
6-7 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
2 oz. crumbled feta cheese

1. Rinse and drain the chickpeas.
2. Place chickpeas, tomatoes, basil, parsley, and feta in a bowl.
3. Squeeze juice of lemon over the salad, drizzle in olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

This was filling and delicious enough on its own but I decided to serve it over a bed of fresh baby spinach.

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Location:East Hartford, CT