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Baked Cod with Garlic & Herb Ritz Crumbs

Baked Cod with Garlic & Herb Ritz Crumbs

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from ATK

Cod. Not quite haddock, but darned good. Topped with a garlic, lemon, butter crumb mixture and it’s like being back east.

Fish:

  • olive oil
  • 4center-cut boneless, skinless cod fillets (6 to 8 oz each)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper

Herb crumb mixture:

  • ½cup Ritz cracker crumbs (15 crackers)
  • ⅓cup panko bread crumbs
  • 2TBS minced fresh parsley
  • 2tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
  • 1tsp grated lemon zest
  • 3TBS unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼cup dry white wine
  • 2TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Pour 2 TBS olive oil or 1 TBS oil and 1 TBS melted butter in a 9×9-inch ceramic baking dish (it should be just big enough to hold the fish) and tilt the dish to coat the bottom with oil. Place the fish fillets in the dish and turn to coat both sides with the oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the cracker crumbs, panko, parsley, garlic, lemon zest, and 1 tsp salt in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Set aside.

Coat with crumb mixture:

Remove the fish from the oven and pour the wine and lemon juice directly on the fillets. Pat the crumb mixture evenly onto the fillets, pressing gently to help them adhere. (Don’t worry if some crumbs get into the sauce!)

Return the pan to the oven for 12 minutes, until the fillets are just cooked through in the center, depending on the thickness of the fish. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices and lemon wedges.

Side dish suggestions:

Vegetables Starches
Sauteed Zucchini Parsley Potatoes
Green Beans Mashed Potatoes
Broccoli Baked Potato
Asparagus Noodles or Couscous

Sausage Gravy

Sausage Gravy

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Yield: 4 Servings
Scott Nowell, Adapted from many

From a bunch of recipes, but mostly Ree Drumond’s. I remove the sausage before making the gravy so I can portion it for other uses such as breakfast pizza 😊

  • 1lb pork breakfast sausage
  • ¼cup AP flour
  • 2-2½cups whole milk
  • ¼tsp seasoned salt
  • salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. If you are using link sausage, slit and remove the casing. Crumble sausage into skillet and brown until no longer pink. Remove to bowl.

Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle flour into remaining fat. Stir and cook for a minute or two to form roux.

Stir in milk and cook until gravy thickens. You can mix some of the sausage back into the gravy if you like.

Add seasoned salt and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper.

Blueberry Cobbler

Blueberry Cobbler

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Yield: 8 Servings

ATK

The secret to this cobbler is to bake the berry filling before topping the cobbler with the biscuit dough. Then bake it again to get fluffy, flaky biscuits. This works well because with the berry filling hot when the biscuit dough is put on top, it helps cook the biscuits from the bottom while the heat from the oven cooks the top.

For the filling

  • 1TBS cornstarch
  • 1½tsp grated lemon zest plus
  • 1TBS juice, divided
  • pinch salt
  • ¾cup sugar
  • 6cups blueberries

For the biscuit topping

  • 1½cups AP flour
  • 1½tsp baking powder
  • ½tsp baking soda
  • ½tsp salt
  • 1TBS sugar
  • ¾cup buttermilk
  • 6TBS unsalted butter, melted


For the filling:

Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together cornstarch, lemon zest, pinch of salt, and sugar. Add blueberries and lemon juice and gently toss to coat. Transfer mixture to an 8-inch square baking dish. Place baking dish on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Place baking sheet in oven. Bake until the filling is hot and starting to bubble around the edges, about 25 minutes.

For the biscuit topping:

While the filling bakes, in a second large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a liquid measuring cup, use a fork to stir buttermilk and melted butter until butter forms small clumps.

To finish the cobbler:

When the filling is ready, remove the baking sheet from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. Increase oven temperature to 475°F and let the filling cool for 10 minutes.

Add buttermilk mixture to bowl with flour mixture. Stir until just combined.

Spray inside of a ¼-cup dry measuring cup with vegetable oil spray. Use greased measuring cup to scoop batter: Drop scoops of dough evenly onto warm berry filling to make 9 biscuits. Return baking dish (still on baking sheet) to the oven. Bake until biscuits are golden-brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of a biscuit comes out clean, 12 to 14 minutes.

Place baking sheet on a cooling rack. Let the cobbler cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies

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Yield: about 5 dozen cookies, 1 Serving 😊

Katie Houde

Thank you, Katie, these are incredible.

 

  • 1pkg (8 oz) cream cheese softened
  • ¼cup butter, softened
  • 1pkg Super Moist lemon cake mix
  • 1box instant lemon pudding
  • 1egg
  • ¼tsp vanilla
  • 1can lemon frosting

Special Equipment

  • Digital scale

 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy.

Mix about ½ of cake mix, egg and vanilla until smooth.

Add in the remaining cake mix, egg, and lemon pudding mix and mix for about a minute, scraping down bowl half way through. Batter will be very thick.

Portion out 15-gram dollops on a scale and roll into balls.  30 will fit on an ungreased cookie sheet, bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Cool.

Frost with lemon frosting and store in refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up frosting.  Store in a plastic container with layers separated by wax paper or parchment.

Best served chilled.

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls

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Yield: 8 Egg Rolls

Adapted from many

My version of real deal egg rolls. They have a nice thick, bubbly wrapper (see photo). Not to be confused with the spring rolls that so many restaurants pass off as egg rolls. Spring rolls have a thin wrapper that looks smooth when fried.

Use the extra wrappers to make wonton strip snacks or semi-hard chow mein noodles.

  • ½cup diced pork loin
  • 114 oz bag coleslaw mix

Seasonings for vegetables

  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp white pepper
  • 1tsp sugar

Marinade for pork

  • ¼tsp salt
  • ¼tsp white pepper
  • 1tsp Shaoxing wine

Wrap & Fry

  • 1quart peanut oil for frying
  • 8(7-inch square) egg roll wrappers
  • 1egg mixed for sealing wrappers


Cook pork:

Mix pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for 20 minutes.

Heat 1 TBS oil in wok, add pork and stir fry until well done. Remove to a bowl.

Clean wok.

Cook filling:

Heat 1 TBS oil in wok, add vegetables and stir fry for 1 minute. Add seasonings, stir fry for 30 seconds. Add pork and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until vegetables are wilted. Remove to a sheet pan and set aside to cool.

Wrap & Fry:

Add ⅛ filling to wrapper and roll up. Paint the point with egg wash and seal.

Deep fry at 350°F until golden-brown, 5 to 7 minutes depending on oil temp. Drain.

Make Ahead:

These freeze well in a quart freezer bag.

Reheat:

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400°F. Place desired quantity on foil or small pan.

Heat for 20 to 25 minutes, turning after half the time.

 

You will have extra wrappers. Slice into strips 1/4 – 3/8-inch wide. Separate and deep fry in batches for a couple of minutes. These make either a great snack, or can be used like hard chow mein noodles.

Thighs B/S Grilled Middle Eastern Herb and Garlic Chicken

Thighs B/S Grilled Middle Eastern Herb and Garlic Chicken

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Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from: Melissa Clark / NY Times

This recipe was inspired by the Middle Eastern dried seasoning mix called za’atar, a combination of herbs (usually thyme, oregano and marjoram), sesame seeds and sumac, often spiked with salt. Here, plenty of lemon and garlic, are used to marinated boneless chicken thighs.
Optimum marinating time here is 8 hours. But feel free to leave it for as little as 15 minutes or as long as 24 hours. If you would rather use white meat, substitute boneless skinless breasts but reduce the cooking time by a few minutes.

  • 6boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1¾ lb)
  • 6garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
  • juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • 3TBS extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving
  • 2TBS minced fresh parsley, more for serving
  • 1-2TBS za’atar
  • 1½tsp kosher salt, more as needed
  • 1TBS sesame seeds, more for garnish (optional)
  • ⅔cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt
  • ¼tsp ground black pepper


Marinate:

Combine chicken with all but 1 tsp of the grated garlic (save that tsp for the yogurt sauce), the zest and juice of 1 lemon, oil, parsley, za’atar, 1½ tsp salt, and the sesame seeds. Cover and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature; you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.

Grill/Broil:

Heat grill or broiler. If grilling, cook chicken over high heat until charred in spots, 4 to 7 minutes. Flip pieces and continue grilling until just cooked through, another 4 to 7 minutes. If broiling, arrange a rack 3 to 4 inches from flame. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spread chicken out in a single layer. Broil chicken, turning halfway through cooking, until well colored and charred in spots, 4 to 7 minutes per side. Be careful that it doesn’t burn.

Make dipping sauce:

While chicken cooks, place yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserved grated garlic and lemon zest and season to taste with salt. Serve the chicken drizzled with olive oil, remaining lemon juice to taste, black pepper, parsley and sesame seeds and sumac, if using, with the yogurt alongside for dipping.

Colombian-Style Zucchini Rellenos

Colombian-Style Zucchini Rellenos

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Yield: 2 servings
Adapted from: https://www.skinnytaste.com/colombian-style-zucchini-rellenos/

These Stuffed Zucchinis, which are low-carb, Whole30, Keto, gluten-free, dairy-free and Paleo, are inspired from the Colombian dish, Pepino Rellenos.

  • 2medium zucchinis, cut in half lengthwise
  • 4oz 90% lean ground beef
  • kosher salt
  • ¼tsp cumin
  • 1½garlic cloves, minced
  • ⅓cup onion, diced
  • 1cup plum tomatoes, chopped fine
  • 1tsp olive oil
  • black pepper, to taste
  • ¼cup low sodium chicken broth

Using a small spoon scoop out and discard the seeds from the zucchini. Then use a spoon or melon baller, hollow out the center of the zucchini halves, leaving ¼-inch thick shell on each half.

Chop the scooped-out flesh of the zucchini in small pieces and set aside ⅓ of a cup to use in the meat filling, saving the rest to use in another recipe.

Drop the zucchini in boiling water for 1 minute, remove and drain.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp cumin until browned and cooked through, breaking up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer the cooked meat to a bowl.

Add the oil to the skillet and cook the onions and garlic over medium heat until golden, about 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, a pinch of salt and simmer about 4 to 5 minutes, until it creates a sauce.

To the skillet, add ⅓ cup of the reserved chopped zucchini and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Return the cooked meat to the skillet and simmer covered for about 8 minutes until tender. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting salt and pepper to taste as needed.

On a clean working surface, fill the hollowed-out zucchinis with the meat filling, dividing equally between each one.

Place the broth in large deep 6-quart saucepan with a fitted lid. Heat over medium heat and add the stuffed zucchini halves into the saucepan, cover and reduce heat to low, cook for about 10 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft and cooked through.

Serving: Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 15.5g, Protein: 17.5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 129.5mg, Sodium: 119.5mg, Fiber: 4.5g, Sugar: 5g

Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

Wilted Kale with Warm Shallot Dressing

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Yield: 2 Servings
Adapted from: Eating Well

Kale sucks! There is no excuse for actually making this dish unless you have some genetic predisposition to Kale. I’ve reduced the original recipe by 4 to yield 2 servings. Just remember, kale sucks.

  • 2TBS extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2cloves garlic, minced
  • ½tsp kosher salt, divided
  • 1 bunch kale, stemmed and coarsely torn
  • ⅓cup water
  • 1medium shallot, thinly sliced
  • 1tsp packed light brown sugar
  • 1pinch cayenne pepper
  • ½TBS cider vinegar

Heat 1 TBS oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and ¼ tsp salt; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the kale and stir until starting to wilt. Stir in water. Cover and cook, stirring often, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. You may need to add more water to keep it from burning.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining TBS oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

Sprinkle with brown sugar, cayenne and the remaining ¼ tsp salt; cook, stirring often, until golden-brown, 2 to 4 minutes more.

Remove from heat and carefully stir in vinegar.

Pour the dressing over the kale and toss to coat and serve warm.

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry

Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry

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Yield: 2 Servings
Sue & Gambo

Yum. Tasty, tasty, tasty, but Gayle didn’t like it. She’s not a fan of sesame oil and thought the dish was spicy, but nothing but a couple twists of pepper in it… Maybe the ginger?

Premix sauce:

  • 2TBS of cooking sherry wine
  • ½TBS of sugar
  • ½cup of water

Shrimp:

  • ½lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • salt & pepper
  • 1TBS soy sauce

Stir-fry:

  • cooking oil, divided
  • 1tsp ginger, sliced
  • 1tsp garlic, minced
  • 1oz red onion, sliced thin
  • 1bunch asparagus (about 1 lb), cut into 1½-inch pieces on the diagonal
  • 2oz red and orange peppers, sliced thin
  • 1TBS sesame seed oil
  • 1TBS of oyster sauce

Slurry:

  • 1TBS cornstarch mixed with 2 TBS water
  • 1pinch of black pepper

Mise, Mise, Mise, get your mise together! This means me! This happens so fast, that you must get everything prepped and measured before cooking starts.


Pre-mix sauce:

Stir wine, sugar, water, and 2 TBS soy sauce in a small bowl.

Slurry:

Whisk together 1 TBS of cornstarch and 2 TBS of water in another small bowl.

Blanch vegetables:

Bring a wok with a quart of water to a boil. Add some salt. Add asparagus and boil for 2 minutes. Remove to an ice water bath to cool. When cool, drain and set aside.

Stir fry shrimp:

In a hot wok add some cooking oil. Season shrimp with salt and black pepper, add to wok. Cook the shrimp until it’s browned up. Remove the shrimp and set aside.

Stir fry vegetables:

Add the garlic and ginger to the wok and stir fry 30 seconds.

Next add blanched asparagus and orange and red peppers to the wok, stir fry until lightly browned. 1 to 2 minutes.

Finish:

Add premix sauce to the wok and let it boil for a couple minutes.

Next add 1 TBS sesame oil and 1 TBS oyster sauce.

Add the slurry slowly to your stir fry until the sauce is to the preferred thickness.

Then add the shrimp back into the stir fry and stir everything together.

Skillet Chicken Thighs

Skillet Chicken Thighs

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with Potatoes, Carrots, and Greens

Yield: 4 Servings
Adapted from: Simply Recipes

This bistro-style crispy chicken is braised with carrots, potatoes, and, for good measure, greens in a mustard and lemon seasoned chicken broth. It all comes together easily in a skillet and adds up to a satisfying, flavorful meal.

  • 8bone-in, skin-on, chicken thighs
  • ½tsp salt
  • ⅛tsp pepper
  • 2TBS olive oil
  • 1½lb (about 4 medium) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 12oz baby carrots
  • 3whole, unpeeled cloves garlic, smashed with the flat of a knife to break the skin
  • 1bunch Swiss chard
  • 1½cups chicken stock
  • 1TBS Dijon mustard
  • finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • ½tsp dried thyme
  • ¼cup chopped parsley

–
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Trim and season the chicken thighs: With scissors or a sharp knife, cut off excess flaps of skin and fat from the thighs. Sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides.

Prep the chard stalks and leaves: Tear or cut the stalks from the leaves. Cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces. Slice the leaves into 2-inch-wide strips. Keep the stalks and leaves separate.

Brown the chicken and par-cook the potatoes and carrots: In a large (12- to 13-inch) ovenproof skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the chicken with the skin side down. Cook on the skin side only for about 5 minutes without disturbing it, or until the skin lightly browns.

Transfer to a plate. (If the chicken doesn’t fit in one skillet, cook in batches or use two smaller skillets and divide the ingredients between them.)

Add the potatoes and carrots to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, or until they brown lightly.

Prep the braising liquid: In a bowl or measuring cup, whisk the chicken stock, mustard, and lemon zest to combine.

Braise the chicken: Add the chard stalks, smashed garlic and braising liquid to the skillet with the vegetables. Set the chicken pieces on top and sprinkle with the thyme.

Transfer to the oven: Transfer the pan to the oven. Roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Remove the pan from the oven.

Add the chard leaves: Transfer the chicken thighs to a plate. Taste the broth and add more salt, if you like. Set the skillet over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir the chard leaves into the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until wilted. Remove the garlic cloves.

Serve: Set the chicken on top of the vegetables. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and sprinkle with the parsley. Serve from the skillet, or transfer to a large serving platter. Serve as is, or with a salad.