Salmon Patties

This is something we have in the house once or twice a month. It is a good way to get some fish, as well as those omega fatty acids that are good for you. I use canned boneless skinless salmon. I used to use just regular canned salmon, but I found that I was throwing away more and more of it picking out the bones and skin (my dad's preference, otherwise I would leave the skin). This is a very simple recipe. I use three cans of boneless skinless salmon for 5 people.

3 cans boneless skinless salmon (drained)
2 eggs
1/3 cup of breadcrumbs
1 small onion chopped
1 tsp - 1 tbls of dillweed (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)

Mix everything together in a large bowl until well incorporated. Heat just enough oil to coat a large frying pan. I use a 1/3 cup measure to make patties. Then place them in the hot oil and fry until golden brown on the outside. Usually takes about 5 minutes a side depending on the heat setting.

Crispy Oven Tilapia

Another favorite in our house. Every Friday I try and get some fish into us, since we really should eat more. With my dad pretty picky, and my hubby not liking anything with a strong fishy smell, it tends to limit my options. Tilapia is a nice mild white fish that you can find just about anywhere these days. This recipe works with both frozen and fresh fish. Some recipes I have tried do not work as well with the frozen, it tends to get a little dry sometimes depending on how it is cooked.

This recipe is very simple and quick to put together.

1 pound or so of tilapia (fresh or frozen, defrosted)
Non-stick spray
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of dried basil
2 cups crushed potato chips (actually made it one time with crushed soup crackers, too)
3 tbls of melted butter

Preheat the oven to 425. Spray a 9x13 pan with the non stick spray and arrange tilapia in a single layer in the pan (a little overlap isn't a big deal).



Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the fish, and then just a little dried basil.



Then pour the 2 cups of crushed potato chip over the cheese and basil and spread so it covers the top in a layer. Drizzle the melted butter over the chips. And bake for about 20 minutes (more or less depending on the thickness of your fish).



YUM!

Yodeling Chicken

This was originally a recipe for chicken cordon bleu casserole, but I needed to leave out the ham, heehee. So my dad renamed it yodeling chicken (swiss cheese, swiss people yodel.... you get the joke). My husband got very excited when he found out I was making this for supper last night. I had been avoiding putting it on my menu because it involves turning on the oven, but I caved to the will of my family and made it. It is a very simple recipe.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks
2 eggs
1 cup of plain breadcrumbs
poultry seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
oil
cream of chicken/ celery/ or mushroom soup
1/2 can of milk
6 slices of swiss cheese (more if you like it cheesy)

Preheat oven to 350. Heat the oil to medium high heat in a large frying pan. Whisk together the egg and a splash of milk and soak the chicken in it for 5 minutes. Mix together the breadcrumbs, some poultry seasoning (approx 1 tablespoon) and some salt and pepper.



Coat the chicken chunks in the breadcrumb mixture and brown in the oil. Place in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish. Once all of the chicken is browned, place the slices of swiss cheese over the chicken. Whisk together the cream soup with 1/2 of the can filled with milk, and then pour over the cheese and chicken.



Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.



YUM! I serve it with rice. The cheesy sauce is delicious on rice.

Chicken Enchiladas

This is a family favorite. It isn't exactly a traditional enchilada, but the flavors are there and it is easy to do substitutions. I made this last weekend, and there are leftovers in the fridge.

1 whole chicken, cooked and shredded
3 cups of chicken broth (I reserve this from the water the chicken was boiled in)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped (you can use a hotter pepper if you prefer spicy)
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
several tablespoons of chili powder, cumin, and cayanne pepper (if you want it spicy)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of butter
1/4 cup of flour
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of corn (I use frozen and fill the can of beans after it has been rinsed)
3-4 cups of cheddar cheese
1 package of burrito size tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan. In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of chili powder and cumin (and cayenne if you like it spicy), then saute the onion, peppers, and garlic until softened. Remove from the pan (I usually add to the bowl of the shredded chicken). In the same pan melt the butter, once the butter is melted completely, add the flour and cook until it is "blonde". To this add the chicken broth and whisk well to get rid of any lumps. Bring it to a boil and thickened. Add 1 cup of the cheese, the chicken, sauteed veggies, beans, and corn, another 2 tablespoons of chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined and heat until bubbly. In the greased 9x13 pan, place some of the sauce mixture, then tear apart teh tortillas and cover that completely, layer on several scoops of the sauce mixture, sprinkle with the cheese, and cover with another layer of torn tortillas, repeat layers until the pan is full ending with a topping of cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.



Serving suggestions:
Top with a dollop of sour cream, chopped green onion, chopped tomatoes, black olives, guacamole, etc...

Lasagna

Lasagna is a favorite in my house, we usually eat it about once a month. Since summer is coming I probably won't make it as much, but I usually get a request from those who do not have to stand in the hot kitchen and make it, heehee... And it is a good follow up to the tomato sauce recipe, since I use it in this recipe.

1/2-3/4 of the basic tomato sauce recipe (depending on how saucy you like it and if you like extra sauce on the side, my clan does :-)
16 oz container of ricotta cheese (if you are a traditionalist), or cottage cheese (if you are like my mom)
1 box of no boil lasagna noodles (I prefer Barilla)
1 pound of ground meat (beef, turkey, or lamb)
1 pound of mozzarella
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon of dried basil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Olive oil a 9x13 pan. Brown the meat in a skillet. Once brown add the tomato sauce and bring to a bubble then let simmer. In a bowl mix together the ricotta (or cottage) cheese, the Parmesan cheese, the egg and the basil. In the olive oiled pan place a small amount of the sauce in the bottom. Lay three noodle sheets on top of the sauce. Ladle some of the meat sauce onto the noodles. Take small spoonfuls of the cheese mixture and scatter them around the sauce. Then a layer of the mozzarella cheese. Continue layering until you have about 4-5 layers, ending with mozzarella with some additional Parmesan cheese if you like. Cover with foil sprayed with olive oil spray (any oven non stick spray will do)(this is so the cheese doesn't stick to the foil while baking). Put it in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Then take the foil off and return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. After you pull it out for best results let it sit for 10-15 minutes to set.