Bacon-wrapped Fish

Chilean Sea Bass

4 (6 to 8 ounce) skinless fillets, your choice of fish
1 ½ tsp. of Old Bay Seasoning
4 slices of quality smoked bacon
½ tbsp. of vegetable oil
Black pepper





         
              My mother-in-law scores again with yet another easy and delicious recipe.  A recipe so easy that I managed to tackle it on a weeknight while trying to celebrate my husband's birthday with a just-like-your-mom-would-make type of meal.  The original recipe calls for halibut but after my visit to the fish market turned up no halibut my local fishmonger suggested I try Chilean sea bass (pictured above) instead. 

              Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Season both sides of the fish with the Old Bay and wrap each piece of fish with one slice of bacon.  Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the fish and cook for one to two minutes on each side to crisp the bacon.  If you are not using an oven proof skillet, then transfer the fillets to a pre-greased baking dish and bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.  Garnish with a slice of lemon.

              For those individuals that do not like bacon, you can not taste the bacon.  It only serves to keep the fish moist and juicy. Now, what else can I wrap in bacon?

Not Mom's Lasagna



1 lb. ground beef
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
1 (26 oz) can of tomato sauce
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. Oregano
1 box (1 lb.) of Penne pasta
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup of Swiss cheese
1 (16 oz) container of (small curd)
             cottage cheese
3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese




                   This is not my mom's lasagna.  Her lasagna is real lasagna, made to perfection with a whole lot of love.  I have loved and enjoyed this dish my entire life, but now that I am a mom I lack the patience to perfectly layer lasagna like my mom does.  This recipe is the next best thing to Mom's.  All of the ingredients are the same except for the noodle.  

                   In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef; add the minced garlic and seasonings.  Add the tomato sauce, then tomato paste and simmer on low for 20 minutes.  Cook the penne until al dente (still somewhat firm but not hard) then drain back to the pot and toss with olive oil.

                   Lightly grease an 8 x 11.5 baking dish and spoon a single layer of penne into the bottom.  Sprinkle half of the Swiss cheese on top of the pasta.  Place half of the cottage cheese (in spoonfuls) on top of the Swiss followed by a layer of meat sauce.  Repeat the layering (penne, swiss, cottage cheese, meat sauce) then top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees; let it cool so it can be cut and served in squares.  Now consume large portions of this ridiculously yummy mummy lasagna.

Crock-pot Chicken Creole

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. salt

1 tbsp. Creole or Cajun Seasoning*

1 (14.5 ounce) undrained can of
       Stewed Tomatoes

¼ cup of salsa (optional)

1 green pepper, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, diced

½ of a small onion, sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

1 cup of fresh mushrooms, sliced

*Creole Seasoning:  Black Pepper, Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Paprika, Red Pepper, Salt & Thyme 

               The other day while visiting a friend, I actually used the bathroom and left the door open.  When she shouted down the hall to me, "Sami, did you forget something?"  My very natural response was "No." 
               Motherhood comes with quite a few things and apparently manners is not one of them.  With the lack of my own manners I'm thankful that a few of my friends have managed to keep theirs intact.  This very scrumptious dish was shared with me by a friend (and mommy) who not only has great taste in friends but also in easy and flavourful dishes.

               Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, black pepper, and the Creole or Cajun seasoning (see the suggested list of spices above if you are interested in creating your own Creole seasoning).   Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock-pot and add the remaining ingredients directly on top; saving the mushrooms for the final 30 minutes of cooking.  Cook on high for 5 hours.  Serve the chicken either whole or cut into pieces atop pasta or rice.  If you're serving with pasta, toss the pasta with some of the sauce prior to serving. 

               For the other ill-mannered mommies out there (those guilty of leaving the loo ajar and having occasional lil visitors), pair this dish with a BIG glass of red and let's toast to having our very own personal flushers!  ChEeRs!

Delicious with the chicken shredded too!

  

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg
¼ cup of onion, finely chopped
¼ cup of Italian Style Bread Crumbs
Salt & Black pepper

Sweet & Sour Sauce:

1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
¼ cup of water
1 (14 ounce) can of whole cranberry sauce
½ cup of BBQ sauce

Make small meatballs by combining the first set of ingredients in a bowl. Lay the balls in a lightly greased baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan (on the stove top) combine the second set of ingredients; mix well and simmer on low to medium heat. When the meatballs are done, gently transfer them to the sweet and sour sauce and simmer uncovered for fifteen minutes. Serve over white rice.

Grandma Rose



Some advice my grandmother shared with me ~

“Either learn to cook and keep your husband fed or send him to cooking school so he can learn to feed you.”

She went with the latter. However, this recipe is hers, it's one of her very few.