Tilapia Done Right

I must admit, Sandra Lee got it right with this recipe for Fish & Chips.

Try it. Love it.

Also do yourself a favor and make your own tartar sauce with equal parts Miracle Whip and Sweet Relish. That's it. No need to mess with perfection.

Low Carb? No Thanks.

I could never be on a low carb diet. I love carbs- especially BREAD!


Right now I have three loaves of different kinds of bread on my counter:


~I made this pumpkin bread from scratch around Thanksgiving and froze an extra loaf to savor later (like now). It is super moist and oh-so-delicious, with or without chocolate chips.

(image credit: eighteen25)

~I made chili last night, so to go with it I also whipped up a batch of Paula Deen's Beer Bread. I cheated and used a box kit (just add beer and butter!) and it also turned out delicious. The smell in the kitchen while it was baking was unreal! YUM.

~I always have a stand-by loaf of Sara Lee Whole Grain white sliced sandwich bread. It's my go-to.

Plus, when I really get on a baking kick, I pull out my bread maker and then it's a full-on carb fest! Guess I just need to start eating them in moderation!

So no, a low carb diet is not part of my New Year's Resolutions.

Another recipe-- for the dogs!

Here's another recipe for you to try... only this one is for the dogs.

I made these dog treats for a few friends and all the pups went "Bananas" over them! :)

(From my cookbook: "The Organic Dog Biscuit Cookbook Kit" by the Bubba Rose Biscuit Company)

Banana B'Oats

1 1/2 cups Oat Flour
1 1/2 cups Brown Rice Flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Oat Bran
1 Egg
1/2 cup bananas (mashed and pureed)
1/2 cup water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Roll into small balls (about 1") and place on ungreased cookie sheet (they can be close because they don't spread). Press each one down with your hand to flatten cookies.

Bake 18-22 minuted or until edges are golden brown. Let cool completely on wire rack. Store at room temperature in a loosely covered container.

****

Some changes I made to my version ...

I didn't have oat bran, so I increased the amount of whole oats by 1/2 cup. That made them a little dry, so I also added a little more banana. The bananas I used were extra ripe ones that I had thrown into the freezer to use later. When I microwaved them to thaw them out, they were super easy to smash/puree. It worked out really well and was a great use for the over-ripe bananas I no longer want to eat myself.

These cookies turned out great and were almost mistaken for human cookies! (although it wouldn't hurt you to eat them!)

I hope your furry friends enjoy them as much as mine did!

Oreo Truffles

The first time I had an oreo truffle, I thought it was a little bite of heaven! They were so moist and delicious and oh-so-sweet. I imagined that it took forever to hand roll and dip these little treats...

...boy was I wrong. After getting them for gifts from a few different people, I started to think- "Well they can't be THAT hard to make if everyone else is doing it!" So I finally looked up the recipe.

OH MY THEY ARE EASY!! So now I'm sharing the recipe with you so that you can wow your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers with some of the tastiest little morsels around:

1 package Oreos

1 package (13 oz) Cream Cheese, softened

melting chocolate (you can use white, milk, semi-sweet, dark- whatever you prefer. I use white)

Grind up your Oreos in a food processer until they become fine crumbs. (You can also put them in a ziplock bag and roll over them with a rolling pin). Reserve about 1/4 cup of crumbs and set aside for topping.

Combine crumbs with softened cream cheese in a medium bowl. Stir until mixed.

Roll into 1 inch balls. (I made rough looking balls first, then refrigerated them until they were stiff enough to roll and smooth out). Refrigerate until firm.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave. Dip refrigerated balls into melted chocolate and sprinkle extra crumbs on top. Refrigerate until chocolate is set.

Eat and Share!! YUM!

Slow Cooker Favorite

It's finally winter time and that means two things in the kitchen... warm drinks and comfort food!! Check out this tutorial for homemade heart-shaped marshmallows to put in your favorite hot chocolate, or give as gifts (pictured above, from That Wife Blog).

I love this season because I get to pull out my slow cooker and make tasty, warm, hearty meals every week. Gotta love a good slow cooker.

I recently participated in a recipe exchange and shared my new go-to easy slow cooker meal.

This Cheesy Chicken is so incredibly easy, I could make it once a week!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast (approx 2 large breasts)

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup

salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

You simply season the chicken breast with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place the raw chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker. Top with all three cans of soup. Cook on low all day (up to 8 hours) or about 3-4 hours on high. When it's done, you'll end up with delicious shredded, cheesy goodness. Perfect to serve over rice!

Yum! Enjoy!

Easter Goodness

I can't wait to make these Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies for Easter weekend!
How delicious do they look?? Yum!!

Such a great twist on the original Carrot Cake!

Saw it here.

Original recipe here.

Hold Your Breath

I have a new flavor obsession. (Have you noticed I obsess a lot? it's part of my personality.)

Garlic.

That's right. I am in love with garlic. I've found it makes all of my favorite foods even better!

Examples:
-Adding roasted garlic as a topping to your favorite pizza. (i. die. yum!)

-Roasted Garlic Hummus. (makes my favorite treat even better!)

-Parmesan Garlic Pita Chips. (goes great with the above dip)

-Garlic and Herb Laughing Cow spreadable cheese. (perfectly portioned and lightly flavored)

...now if only I could figure out a way to enjoy it without worrying about my breath! But it's so worth the risk... yum!

UPDATE: How could I forget a couple of my other favorite uses for garlic??

-Add garlic powder to your burger patties, or be bold and serve them on garlic bread (ala Marvin's famous "GCB" Garlic Cheeseburger)

-Garlic mashed potatoes

-Garlic & Herb marinades, especially the 30-minute kind from Kroger