Spicy Squash Relish

Spicy Squash Relish

 

10 cups chopped squash. (I used yellow and zucchini- did not peel them)

3 cups chopped onion

3 seeded jalapeno peppers, minced fine

4 TBS himalayan (pink) salt

2 cups apple cider vinegar

3 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp tumeric

2 tsp celery seed

1 tsp mustard seed

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Sprinkle chopped squash and onions with the salt.

Combine thoroughly.

Add enough cold water to cover squash.

Refrigerate overnight.

Next morning, rinse the squash mixture with cold water and allow to drain.

In a large (stainless steel) pot, combine the sugar, vinegar, tumeric, celery seed and mustard seed.

Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Add the drained squash to the syrup mixture.

Return to boil, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.

Ladle into sterilized half- pint (or pint) jars.

Wipe rims with a clean cloth.

Place lids and rings onto jars.

Submerge in a boiling water bath for 10 -(15) minutes.

Remove from boiling water bath and allow to cool in a draft free place overnight. Check seals.



Spinach Salad... two?

Spinach Salad

I say two, after Tyrel's Spinach salad "soup" on this blog!

Fresh Spinach
Leaf lettuce, if desired
 tomatoes
cucumbers, chopped
cooked cubed turkey
sliced fresh mushrooms
chopped fresh sweet peppers
shredded cheese
dried cranberries
mixed nuts
salad dressing of choice

 Wash spinach and tear to bite sized pieces. Wash and prepare leaf lettuce.
I set the ingredients out in bowls, in a "create your own" style.

It was wonderful.

Oven "Fried" Tilapia Fish

Oven Fried Tilapia

 

Thawed/ fresh tilapia filets

crushed Ritz* Crackers (I used the Roasted Vegetable variety)

Panko bread crumbs

eggs

 Bleu Cheese salad dressing (I used Marzetti)

milk

coconut oil

flour (I used whole wheat)

Salt

garlic

cayenne/ ground red pepper

grated Parmesan cheese

 

I preheated the oven to 425*

 

Melted* a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil in a casserole dish. Coconut oil is solid to 77*, but liquid above that. It is still cold here!

 

Then, I got out three shallow dishes. In the first, I had about 1/2 cup of flour, some salt, and some garlic, and ground red pepper. Use as much as your family likes the taste of!

 

In the second, I mixed 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Marzetti Bleu Cheese salad dressing, 2 beaten eggs, and about 1/2 cup of milk to make a thick viscosity liquid.

 

In the third, I crushed up about 3/4 of a sleeve of the roasted vegetable Ritz crackers. I added about 3/4 cup of Panko bread crumbs. (We prefer the taste of the Kikkoman brand here!)

 

 

I laid out a sheet of waxed paper. Dipped each thawed tilapia fillet  into the flour, rolling to coat. Then into the egg/blue cheese mixture, and finally into the cracker/panko mixture.

 

 

When all were coated, I transferred them into the casserole dish, and turned to coat both sides with the melted coconut oil. I could of gone right from the last dip into the oiled pan, except my coconut oil was still melting at the time!











 

 

I sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, and baked 25 minutes.

 

This was the best (home made) baked fish I ever ate. Seriously.

 

Potato Fishcakes... from leftovers

Potato Fishcakes

 

 

It is the day before grocery day! In the refrigerator, I had some leftovers;

 

Baked tilapia fillets with (somewhat soggy) Panko crumb breading

Garlic mashed potatoes

Celery (because my hubby can't walk through the produce section without buying celery.)

Onions (sweet onions that are going soft quickly!)

Eggs

Seasonings (Curry powder, garlic granules, salt, red pepper) (Technically, these were not in the fridge)

 

I flaked up three tilapia fillets (Already cooked!) in a bowl. I added 3/4 cup of garlic mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup each of minced celery and onion, and seasoning. I beat 2 eggs, and stirred all this up with the mixture. If my fish had not already been breaded, I would of added flour, or cracker crumbs to the mixture to hep bind it.

 

I heated my cast iron skillet and melted just a bit of (coconut) oil on it, then drop large spoonfuls of my mixture onto the hot skillet, and flattened it a bit. I let the patties/ cakes brown on one side, turned them, and cooked until they were brown on both sides and hot throughout.

 

Mr C ate his on bread, with salsa. It would be good with leftover cocktail sauce, or tartar sauce. Served with coleslaw. (He ate two sandwiches, and yet another patty by itself. For one of my 'creations', he seemed to really like it!)



Lemon Rosemary Chicken

I made this a few nights ago and it warranted a compliment from Mr C! (He eats pretty much everything, but seldom offers compliments.)

Chicken breasts (I used boneless, skinless)
Potatoes (Pre boil whole potatoes until ALMOST done)
Whole lemons (I actually used limes because I didn't have fresh lemons.)
Fresh Rosemary
salt
fresh garlic, peeled
olive or coconut oil
slivered onion, if desired

On your cutting board, mince garlic and a sprig of rosemary. (My sprig was about 3" long)
Add a teaspoon of "whole salt" (I used Himalayan Pink Salt) (Yes, regular salt will work fine).

Smash the garlic, rosemary and salt together. Put this all into a bowl and add about 1/4 cup of your oil. I used coconut oil, but the original recipe called for olive oil.

Add the juice of one lemon and a bit of the zest into the oil and herb mixture.

Roll your chicken breasts in the oil to coat, and dump the whole bowl of seasoning, oil, and chicken into a large cast iron (or oven safe) skillet.  Lightly brown the chicken on both sides.

While the chicken is browning, cut your boiled potatoes into large pieces. (Quarter or eighths or such). Add the potatoes to the skillet and roll to coat in oil. (I added some onion slices because I had them on hand and thought it sounded good)

Drizzle with more lemon juice. (I used bottled, but fresh is better if you have it.) Top with another whole sprig of rosemary or two (for appearance as well as flavor.)
The original recipe added the squeezed out lemon halves into the skillet. I did not.)
Place in the oven at 350* for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are browning.

This was REALLY good!

Seriously. Awesome. Simple. Guacamole.

Seriously Awesome Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

1/4 cup Marzetti Ranch dressing (or your favorite brand) (I used light!)

1/4 cup Pace Picante Sauce

1/2 lime

Peel and mash the ripe avocados.

Zest the lime peel into the mashed avocado, then squeeze in the juice.

Add the picante sauce and the ranch dressing.

Stir together.

 Enjoy with tortilla chips or your favorite Mexican foods.

I got the original recipe from my daughter, who in turn got it from Julie Zesch. We added the limes of our own accord, and it really put this dip over the top!

Orange Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Ingredients

:• boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks (I used four)

• 1/2cup flour
• coconut oil
• 1/2 Tbl. salt
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbl. ketchup
• 4 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate

• 3 Tbl.  brown sugar 

1/2 to 1 tsp+ red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon teriyaki sauce

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Toasting the Sesame Seeds

In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, ketchup, and teriyaki sauce . 

Pour the flour in a gallon sized  ziplock bag. 

Place the chicken chunks into the bag and shake to coat the pieces.

In a heavy skillet, heat a small amount of coconut oil. (I recently switched from Olive Oil to Coconut)

Shaking the excess flour from the chicken, lightly brown the chunks in the oil. (They do not have to be cooked through, as they will finish in the slow cooker.)

After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crock pot.

Then cover the chicken with your sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3.

Pan toast the sesame seeds until they are lightly browned. Add about half to the crockpot during the last half hour of cooking. Reserve the rest to sprinkle over the chciken before serving.

 

Orange Chicken

I served this over rice with a side of steamed brocolli.