Shrimp Tacos

I decided to make shrimp tacos tonight for the first time. They were really good. Almost perfect, but not completely perfect. I will have to work on it more. I breaded the shrimp in 1 c flour mixed with 1 t chili powder & 1 t old bay, then put it in milk & finally panko bread crumbs before cooking it in a skillet with a little olive oil. Then for the cabbage slaw I chopped about 1/2 head of red cabbage & mixed it with half a red onion, & then added a dressing made of 1/4 c olive oil, 2 T rice vinegar, 2 T lime juice, 2 T sugar, dash salt, dash pepper. I put the shrimp in a warm corn tortilla, topped it with some cabbage & then topped that with a mixture of 2 avocados mashed, 1/4 t garlic powder, 1/4 t fajita seasoning & 2 T sour cream. I served the tacos with rice mixed with black beans, diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder to taste.

Omlet in a bag

A friend of mine sent me an email with directions for how to boil an omlet in a a bag. I thought...genius! We tried it last Saturday. I think it's a great idea, but it didn't turn out as delicious as I had hoped. It was super easy though! You just put 2 eggs in a ziplock & mush them around. Then add whatever you like in your omlet, peppers, cheese, ham, etc. Then you get all the air out & seal it. Put a pot of water on the stove & when it's at a roaring boil you put the bags in & boil them for 13 minutes. The eggs were slightly undercooked in the middle, so I put them in the microwave for 30 seconds. The taste was great, the texture was just a little spongy. I think it's definitely worth another try & would be nice when family is in town so everyone can make their own & then they're all done at the same time. Has anyone else tried this?

Maddie's birthday - Cupcake pops

We had a blast today for Madeline's birthday. I had a great time planning the menu. I made mini pizzas shaped like flowers, mini corndogs, mini grilled cheese shaped like little m's & cupcake lolli-pops. Most of the things are pretty self explanatory, but the lolli-pops were quite an ordeal let me tell you! I saw them on a blog called Bakerella & she made them on Martha Stewart. Although they were a hit they were a little too much work to do while wrangling 2 kids, so I don't think I will be making them again for awhile! They were a really fun addition to the party though.

The recipe is super long, so if you click on the heading for this post it will take you to the recipe on Martha Stewarts website. You can also click on the Bakerella site on the right side of the top of my blog to see it. It's awesome!

Strawberry Pizza

I had a bunch of strawberries in my freezer that I needed to use, so I've been looking for a good recipe to use them in. Yesterday I was looking at some food blogs & I came across a new one that is a new favorite. (It's the new Home Based Mom one on the front of my blog page). She had a strawberry pizza recipe that looked awesome. The crust was WAY easier than the fruit pizza I usually make & it was so much easier to just use one kind of fruit. It was super easy & a delicious Summer dessert.

Strawberry Pizza
Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter
Filling:
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Topping;
1 cup fresh strawberries, mashed
4 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
8 - 10 strawberries sliced.
Crust:
In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and butter. Form into a ball with hands and press into a 14 inch ungreased pizza pan (I used my Pampered Chef pizza stone)
Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool.
Filling:
In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, vanilla, sugar and lemon juice. Spread on cooled crust.
Topping:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries, sugar and cornstarch. Simmer until thick and glossy. Cool. Spread on top of cream cheese filling.
Cut fresh strawberries crosswise to make rounds that resemble pepperoni, place on pizza and serve

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Aioli

Tonight for dinner I tried a new recipe from a really cool cooking blog I just found called Sister's Cafe http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/search/label/salmon . It was delicious & super easy. It's Salmon Cakes with Lemon Aioli (actually I didn't have lemon, so I used lime & it was still great). I served it with wheat tabouli salad with cucumbers and feta cheese.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Aioli

Adapted from Marguerite Henderson

Submitted by Melanie

2 cups cooked salmon, flaked (1-1 1/2 pounds)*

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

2 green onions, chopped

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup mayonnaise (I use light)

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp dried dill

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

2 T. butter

1 T. vegetable or olive oil

*Poach salmon in a slow simmer of water, or broth for 8 minutes.

Lemon Aioli

1/2 cup mayonnaise ( I use light)

2 T. cream ( I use milk)

Zest and juice of lemon ( I did not use the whole amount)

1/2 T. prepared horseradish

1/2 T. dijon mustard

1 tsp chopped garlic ( I use bottled)

1 tsp dried thyme

*Mix and refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 3/4 cup

In a bowl, combine the salmon, crumbs, green onions, celery, mayo, cayenne, dill, thyme, worcestiershire sauce, egg and salt. Shape into 8 salmon cakes.

Melt butter and oil in heavy skillet. Brown salmon cakes on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Place on serving platter lined with mixed greens. Garnish cakes with fresh dill sprigs, or chopped parsely or green onions. Top each with a dollop of aioli. Makes 8 cakes. These can be make ahead and refrigerated. Place on a baking sheet and warm at 400.

Oatmeal Cream Pies

Maddie & I had fun making oatmeal cream pies today for a lunch with our friends. I think they're better than the real thing.

Oatmeal Cream Pie Recipe

32 min | 20 min prep

SERVES 12 , 2 dozen

• 1 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats

Cream Filling

• 2 teaspoons very hot water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. In large bowl, cream margarine, sugars, molasses, vanilla, and eggs.
2. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon.
3. Add to the creamed mixture; mix in the oats.
4. Drop dough by TBS on ungreased sheets.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes,or until just starting to brown around the edges.
7. They will look moist; don't overcook.
8. While the cookies bake prepare the filling.
9. In small bowl, disolve the salt in the hot water.
10. Allow this to cool.
11. Combine marshmallow cream, shortning, powdered sugar, and vanilla in med bowl; mix on hi until fluffy.
12. Add the cooled salt water and mix well.
13. Spread filling on flat side of one cookie, press 2nd cookie on top.