Heavenly Halibut

Today was my first experience with halibut, but it most certainly won't be my last. It was brought to my attention that halibut costs upwards of $17/lb. That, my friends, is insanity. The good news for me though is that my dad has a gig where every summer he goes to Alaska, scrubs pots and pans for a week in the day and fishes by night. Then he comes home with a truckload of salmon and halibut and is kind enough to share the spoils!

So I understand if you are a little hesitant to go drop serious cash for halibut. But the thing is...it was divine! And, I am guessing that you could use any white fish in this recipe and have similar results (tilapia is super cheap). So give it a shot and thank me later!

Heavenly Halibut

from: www.allrecipes.com

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash hot pepper sauce ( I used chaloula - or however you spell it, and I used two and a half dashes)
2 pounds skinless halibut fillets

Directions

1. Preheat the oven broiler. Grease a baking dish.
2. In a bowl, mix the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise, lemon juice, green onions, salt, and hot pepper sauce.
3. Arrange the halibut fillets in the prepared baking dish.
4. Broil halibut fillets 8 minutes in the prepared oven, or until easily flaked with a fork. Spread with the Parmesan cheese mixture, and continue broiling 2 minutes, or until topping is bubbly and lightly browned.

Knock Your Socks Off Salsa

Blaine and I have been making our own salsa since the early days of our marriage (where we would make it at 11PM, plop the bowl between us and watch six episodes of the X-Files before crawling in to bed at 4AM, those were the days....). It was always different, we had no written recipe. Sometimes it would be amazing and we wished we could recreate it, and sometimes it was really weird (usually when Blaine would get the grand idea to add things like pickle juice or tuna juice...weird). It has been a fun past time. Yesterday I had the audacity to make salsa from a recipe. Mostly because the dinner I was making (baked southwestern egg rolls) had a salsa recipe linked to it and it looked pretty good. It was good folks...oh it was good. Make a batch and enjoy!

Salsa

by: Annie's Eats

2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, halved

2 large vine-ripened tomatoes

1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa - I used two 14 oz cans and drained the juice from one can but not the other)

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. cumin

1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

juice of one lime

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.

Seven Layer Tostadas

It's been a month since I posted, wow! Turns out having a first grader and a 1L law student is harder than I thought! I wake up at the crack of dawn and collapse in bed at like 8:30PM most days. Dinner is a chaotic mess, rushed and tensions flare high at the end of the day when we are all a bit grumpy. Needless to say I haven't really taken the time to take photos of dinner to post recipes on here. With the advent of pinterest the whole idea of this meager little recipe blog is kind of outdated. Oh well :) I'll still post when I can. Especially when I make something awesome.

And maybe I was just like really hungry or something but these. were. awesome. I love tostadas but I never even thought it was possible I could make my own. And I love olives, but Blaine doesn't so any time I actually have the audacity to use them I enjoy my meal ten times more.

This is simple to make and so tasty, enjoy!

Seven Layer Tostadas

from: Kalyn's Kitchen
1 can refried beans
1 1/2 cups guacamole (I hope you are making your own guacamole, so easy)
1 cup sour cream (can use light)
1/2 tsp taco seasoning
1 cup cheddar cheese (or mexican blend)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used the cherry tomatoes from Costco, so good)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup sliced black olives
6-8 whole wheat flour tortillas (I won't tell if you use white tortillas like me)
olive oil, about 1tsp

Place a baking sheet inside the oven and let it get hot while the oven preheats to 450dgs. Carefully remove baking sheet and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on it and spread the oil around with a paper towel. Put the tortillas on the baking sheet (I could only fit two at a time, which was slightly annoying). Toast tortillas in the oven until they are crisp and barely starting to brown, turning several times ( I flipped once a minute). This will take 5 minutes or less so...be vigilant.

While tortillas are crisping, put the refried beans in a bowl, stir to break them apart and microwave 2-3 minutes or until they are hot. Stir the taco seasoning in to the sour cream (genius!). Slice the green onions, olives and tomatoes. Make the guacamole. Well, you probably should do that before the whole toasting thing begins.

Put a crisped tortilla shell on a plate and top with the beans, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, green onions, and olives. Serve immediately. Thank me later. So good.

Seriously, Gwen was literally singing my praises.

Grilled Salmon Marinade

Our grill is still broken (it's only been three years...) but today I broke down and hauled my raw fish over to the home of a dear friend and pleaded with her to use her grill. I am so glad that she did. See we've had this salmon sitting in our freezer for a couple of weeks now, it's salmon that my dad caught in Alaska. It's good salmon. Oh and it was so very good all grilled up. I need a grill in my life, of the non George Foreman variety.

Grilled Salmon Marinade

by: allrecipes.com

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets lemon pepper to taste garlic powder to taste salt to taste 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup vegetable oil Directions Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Preheat grill for medium heat. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Grilled Garlic Shrimp with Qunioa

It's been a long while since I made something new, sorry about that. In the whirlwind of prepping for law school, quitting a job, family reunions, etc. etc. yeah...lame excuses but still. We love this recipe for quinoa, it comes together quickly with a medley of delicious flavors. Mmmboy. Enjoy.

Quinoa with Garlic, Nuts, & Raisins
From Perrys Plate adapted from Food Network Magazine Apr 2010 (Ellie Krieger)

1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
1/4 cup nuts (pinenuts or chopped walnuts/pecans recommended)
2 T preferred cooking oil (grapeseed or coconut)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup fresh parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 T fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt and pepper (to taste)

Place the quinoa in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth (or water) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the pine nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, raisins and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss.

Serves 3-4.


Grilled Garlic Shrimp
from Perrys' Plate

1 lb large, uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 T butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch Kosher salt
metal or wooden skewers

Combine melted butter and garlic in a small bowl. Let it sit while you prepare the shrimp.

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat.

Rinse shrimp, pat dry, and place on skewers, piercing each shrimp in two places to keep them from moving around too much. Sprinkle shrimp with a pinch or so of salt, then brush the garlic-butter on one side. Place skewers on the grill, butter-side-down. Brush the other sides with remaining garlic-butter. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp are mostly pink. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until fully cooked and pink. Don't overcook them or they'll turn rubbery

* I just sauteed my shrimp in a pan with butter and garlic, and I often omit the raisins because ewwww! Bleck, craisins maybe would be good- but this was plenty good without adding toddler fodder into the mix. And I used olive oil. Enjoy! Also tonight I added goat cheese and it wasn't a bad thing : )

Quinoa Salad

If I ever become known for a recipe, it will probably be this one. I took it to Blaine's family Christmas party last year and was practically hoisted up on the shoulders of a dozen women who quickly proclaimed it was the best thing they had ever eaten. I don't know that it would classify as that, but it is a beautiful salad with lots of tasty ingredients, a light and zingy dressing and it definitely stands out on a table at a potluck. Now, contrast that to my family, I took a big bowl of this to a party with my family and it sat, untouched, all night long. And the next time I was invited to a party I was politely asked to "maybe bring something besides a salad" because "your salads are just a little . . . different". But the last time someone besides me in my family consumed a vegetable was probably back in the early 70s or so.

Anywho, this is a delicious salad, easy to make and pleases most crowds, you can't ask for more than that!

PS After many lengthy discussions and much soul searching I've decided that the accurate way to pronounce quinoa is "KEEN-wah" not "keen-OH-ah".

Quinoa Salad

by: Kamiko's mom (Kamiko was a little kid in my primary class in our last ward, how sad that I can't remember her mom's name)

2 cups uncooked quinoa
1/2 green/red/or yellow pepper, diced
1 can black beans
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
1 1/2 cup frozen corn (I've used canned corn before and it was fine)
cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 or 2 avocados, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing
5 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is best, but no one will tell if you use bottled)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup olive oil

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. While it is cooking soak the beans (rinse them first) in the vinegar with salt and pepper (to taste). When the quinoa is all cooked add the other stuff, mix the dressing ingredients together separately and then in with the salad. Serve with lime wedges if you have some left over.

I can't figure out if this is supposed to be served hot or cold. Blaine likes it hot, I like it cold. It's fine either way. Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

Yeah yeah the picture is from ourbestbites, I know. Sorry. Saturdays are complete chaos around these parts, zipping from one activity to the next and I somehow managed to prepare three crazy meals yesterday in an attempt to use all of the produce in our fridge that was um...getting a little old (since I took a quick little jaunt to St. George a day after a Costco run, bad idea!). Anyway I made this salad last night for a family party and everyone LOVED it! I think the secret to making people love something is to put crispy tortilla strips on top ;)

Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad
by: Ourbestbites.com

Salad:
4 cups chopped Romaine Lettuce
2 cups chopped grilled chicken (I didn't do the chicken, still good!)
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, washed (and I cut them in half)
1/3 cup vertically sliced red onion
1 avocado, cubed
1 15-oz can bacl beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, rinsed and drained

Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 1/2 tsp adobo sauce from canned chipotle in adobo sauce (one can will last your entire life, you can freeze the chiles and remaining sauce in an ice cube tray for easy use!)
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional : Crispy Tortilla Strips
To make the tortilla strips fill a frying pan with 1/4 inch canola oil. Slice corn tortillas with a pizza cutter to be pretty thin, when oil is hot (it should sizzle when you flick water on it, not spatter, if it spatters it's too hot), throw in the tortillas and stir frequently till they are golden brown. Remove with slotted spatula and place on a plate with a paper towel on it, sprinkle with salt. Try to not eat them all before you serve your salad.

I watched a documentary the other day about doing a juice cleanse. I'm trying to gear up for that. I could post a lot of awesome juice recipes ; )

Parmesan Garlic Tilapia Sticks

The embarrassing thing about going two weeks without a post on a recipe blog is realizing that now everyone will know that it's been a good two weeks since I've actually cooked. Whoopsie. I got a little crazy and decided to take my kids on a road trip to Oregon (I loooove the ocean!). That was....probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but gall darn it it was memorable. And that IS the important thing. Since I am not crazy enough to drive solo with three children, I invited my friend Katie along (and her two girls, five car seats, one van, I deserve a medal). Maybe I will post the gory details in the "outside the kitchen" tab of lemonglaze. Get excited about that :). Then on the heels of our arrival back home I came down with the plague. It was seriously the sickest I've ever been, and I've been really sick before (read: pregnancy). This was more of a head-pounding-so-hard-you-have-to-hold-it-in-place-so-it-doesn't-explode type of sickness. I am so glad to be over that.

So needless to say we've been eating a lot of pizza, questionably old leftovers, cereal, jamba juices, and Del Taco. Not my proudest two weeks of eating. Though I ate better on the Oregon trip than I have probably ever eaten in my life. Rotisserie turkey, steaks grilled to perfection, organic multigrain cinnamon rolls (there are lots of advantages to staying with friends and family over staying at a hotel!). Anywho, I finally got it together and made dinner tonight.

Tilapia. It's one of the best things ever. Mainly because it is inexpensive and fast/easy to cook. I always keep a couple packages of frozen tilapia on hand for an easy meal. Plus, it doesn't taste too "fishy", it just tastes like whatever you season it with. Perfect!

We love these fish sticks, they are easy to make, tasty and best of all the kids love them (and so does Blaine!).

Parmesan Garlic Tilapia Sticks

by Natalie @ Perry's Plate

1 lb tilapia or any other firm, white fish such as cod
1 egg
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used regular milk)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
salt
pepper
sauce for dipping (ideas include marinara, ranch, sour cream, tartar sauce)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut fish in to 1/2-inch strips and sprinkle a little salt on both sides.

In a small shallow bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk and garlic. In another shallow bowl combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and a big pinch of salt and pepper.

Dip the fish sticks into the wet mixture, let excess liquid drip off, then coat in bread crumb mixture. Lay on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining fish sticks. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. If you want them golden brown, broil them for the last minute of baking time.

Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers

Turkey Burgers...ewww....right? WRONG! These are fantastic! Then again you could stuff a cardboard box with feta and pinenuts and I would probably love it :). A friend who moved today called me up to see if I wanted to raid her fridge for food (I am usually on the other side of that phone call). I gladly obliged and came home with three pounds of ground turkey that she strongly recommended I use that day. Well...I did use them....two days later and we haven't keeled over yet, victory! An extra special victory since the Greek Yogurt I had on hand expired on MAY 2nd (relax, it wasn't opened yet, and yogurt stays good indefinitely as long as you don't open it, right?). This whole rambling probably isn't making you very hungry, is it? Sorry about that. These are a really good burger!

Feta Stuffed Turkey Burgers

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 pound ground turkey
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (or you can use black olives, or you can omit)
1/8 cup pine nuts
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
ground black pepper to taste
1/8-1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth (I used water this time, last time I used olive juice from the can of olives...)

Preheat the grill for medium high heat (or plug in your George Foreman, holla!). In a large bowl combine turkey, feta, olives, pine nuts, oregano, garlic, pepper, and liquid of choice. Mix together and form in to patties. Lightly oil the grate, place patties on the grill and cook 10-12 minutes, turning halfway through. Top with tzitki, or Greek yogurt, or sour cream. You could serve these on a pita, on a bun, or just plain like us : )

Linguine with Clam Sauce

This is one of those meals that comes together in under 15 minutes and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. I just pick up two cans of clams whenever I think about it and I am good to go. There are few meals that are super easy and fast to prepare that I actually love, this is one of them. Seriously, easy, delicious, perfect. Plus I just loved the story that Annie shared when she shared this recipe. It's part of why I love blogging so much, knowing that if anything ever happens to me my kids will always be able to read my old blogs and feel like they still have a piece of me (maybe I should start writing more about the sweet things they do and not just the naughty things...hmmm...). Anyway, enjoy this simple tasty meal!

Linguine with Clam Sauce

by: Annie's Eats

12 oz linguine (I use spaghetti more often than not)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (6.5 oz) cans minced clams, juices reserved
1/2 cup heavy cream (or half-and-half, or even whatever type of milk you have on hand)
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan, for serving

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the reserved clam juice to the pan, bring to a simmer, and reduce by about half. With the heat on medium-low, stir in the clams and the heavy cream. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Portion the pasta into warmed serving bowls. Spoon some of the sauce over the pasta and top with grated Parmesan, if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes: I am the kind of person who usually uses half and half when things call for cream, or often will use 2% milk even. I just so happened to have cream on hand when I made this last. Mercy. But, it's still good with whatever you use...it was just extra good with actual cream. Heaven knows I wouldn't want to like....actually lose weight or something.

Santa Fe Veggie Wraps

This is my favorite summertime meal. Easy to prepare, no extra heat in the kitchen (well, minimal extra heat in the kitchen), colorful and fresh ingredients, and most importantly light and delicious!

Santa Fe Veggie Wraps

by: Jessica Krohn, a Texas friend who should now be a Utah friend since we both live here. I should call her.

Serves 2

2 whole wheat tortillas (you lucky devils in Texas who can get fresh wheat tortillas from HEB....)
1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
3 leaves red or green leaf lettuce ( we used spinach tonight)
4 slices pepper jack cheese
4 thin slices tomato
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
4 thin slices red onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced jicama
1/4 cup fresh or frozen and thawed sweet corn
1/2 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained

Spread cream cheese on tortilla. Layer other ingredients on top and roll up tightly. Serve.
Notes: One day I will be awesome and make my own whole wheat tortillas, but today was not that day and I used white tortillas (the cook yourself kind, mmm). I've made this countless times and again, improvisation is key. I rarely have jicama. I did tonight and it was a nice touch (you can use your leftover jicama from when you make these). We really enjoy these wraps. Especially me. I could eat them every day in the sweet, sweet, summertime.

P.S. Dear Winter, I packed away our winter coats today in good faith that you are going to GO AWAY. It's June. Give up already, please.