Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

I can have this ready in 15 minutes and it is always wonderful!  Make pasta or rice on the side so you have somewhere to put the extra sauce.  It also tastes good on the vegetables too.

1 C micrograted Parmesan Cheese or about 4-5 oz.
1/4 C. Butter, room temp.
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 1 teaspoon fresh minced (or from fresh tube)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh garlic or powder
1/2 teaspoon 21 seasoning from Trader Joes or other celery seasoning

2 pounds tilapia fillets fresh or thawed if previously frozen.  You can thaw frozen fillets individually sealed from Costco in about 15 minutes in hot water.  When I make this sometimes I'm only cooking 2-3 fillets.  The parmesan mixture can be saved in the fridge or frozen.

Preheat your broiler.  Line a 9x13 or other boiler pan with tin foil or parchment paper.  Spray the foil or paper.  You want to be able to save the extra sauce!

Mix cheese, butter, mayo, and lemon juice.  Add seasonings.  Mix well and  keep in fridge or if using right away I put it in the freezer for a few minutes. You want it cold.

Dry the fillets with paper towels and place in prepared pan.  Broil a few inches from the heat for 3-4 minutes.  Flip fillets over and broil for a few more minutes until done. Remove the pan from the broiler and cover the fish as quickly as you can and as best you can with the cheese mixture.  Be generous, but it will slide off.  It's ok: it will all broil up and you will use every drop!  Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned.

I have made this with grated parmesan like from Trader Joes (my favorite store).  But it was grainy and not as good.  A micro plainer is a wonderful tool and makes the parmesan cheese like feathery soft.  I stated 1 cup because the micrograted cheese is so lofty. This recipie also calls for no salt.  The parmesan cheese is quite salty already.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

2 C. flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 C. cold buttermilk
1 cold extra-large egg
1 C. grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese mixed with a tablespoon of flour
extra melted butter

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  With mixer on low, add the better and mix until the butter is the size of peas.  You can use a food processor, but be careful not to over mix.
Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork.  With mixer still on low, quickly and buttermilk to flour mixture and mix only until moistened. Add cheese.  Mix only until just combined.  Don't over mix.
Spray cookie sheet and spray 1/4 Cup measuring cup.  By hand push some dough into cup..fill but don't pack.  Then shake cup into your hand and then place biscuit on cookie sheet.  They'll be about an inch high or so.  Place on cookie sheet not touching.  The crags and irregular top will make crispy nobby tops on the biscuits.  Bake 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.  When done brush with the melted butter and transfer the biscuits to cooling racks to keep bottoms from getting soggy.  Enjoy!

Fruit Cream

I made this the first time for my grand daughter Kaili's birthday.  James, my grandson, says I should market this!  I usually mix cut up strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.  but you could use other fruit just as well.

1 carton Creme Fraiche
1 carton mascapone cream cheese
4-6 scoopers powdered stevia (Trader Joes Brand is really best)
 
Actually i get all these ingrediants from Trader Joes!  This is not cheap, but is soooo good!  And as a hypoglycemic I can eat it!  I put some of this cream in the bottom of a small serving bowl, then add the fruit, and add a dollop on the top.  You can make this days ahead if you want, but hide it or it will be gone by the time you need it!

Smashed Potatoes

This was a great recipe for potatoes when there will be not gravy.  They are so easy and taste great! No potatoes to peel! This would be enough for 6-8 servings.  I doubled it for 8 adults and 4 kids and there for some leftovers, but not too much.

2# red potatoes (try for a uniform size so they cook evenly)

Salt for water

1-2 bay leaves

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted

4 oz. cream cheese at room temp.

3 Tablespoons chopped chives

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon powdered garlic

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

 SAVED WATER FROM COOKING POTATOES  (I capitalized this because I always forget to save it!)

Boil the potatoes and return them to the pot to dry out a bit.  Them push on the potatoes to break the top of each.  Don't mash them!  Them add the butter/cheese mixture and mix with the potatoes.  Add potato water to right consistency.  You want it a little thinner then the finished desired consistency because it will thicken as it sits. You will get some mashed creamy affect, but there will still be larger pieces of potatoes too.  Don't over mix!  I mixed the cream cheese, butter, chives, and spices the day before and kept it in the fridge.  Them I heated it in the microwave to add it warm to the potatoes.  This made it so easy on the day of a big meal!

Mother's Day Ham

Well it was a great Mother's day!  And a great menu.  So here are a few of the recipes I used this year.

Ham- 7-8 pounds- spiral cut- fully cooked

Bring the ham up to room temperature and then some by putting the sealed wrapped ham in hot water for 45 minutes and then change the water with more hot water for another 45 min.  Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Then remove the sealed wrap and place the ham cut side down in a baking bag for the oven keeping the juices. Apply 1/3 of the glaze. Then tie it up using the tie provided and poke 4-5 holes near the top. Put the bagged ham in a 9x13 pan and heat to 100 degrees (about 1-1 1/2 hours).  When the ham reaches 100 degrees remove the ham from the oven and adjust the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the bag at the top and push the bag down out of the way and apply 1/3  of the glaze and return the ham to the oven for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes take the ham out of the oven discard the cooking bag and tent with foil until ready to cut. Mix the last 1/3 of the glaze with the juices of the ham- 4 Tables or more to taste and need.  It was really good.

Maple Orange Glaze

3/4 Cup real maple syrup
1/2 Cup Orange marmalade
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Cook this for about 5-10 minutes until syrupy. This was so good and I got the original and a great video from America's Test Kitchen!  The "gravey made from the glaze and juices was so good!  And the ham was still moist and not dried out at all!

americastestkitchen.com

Sweet Potatoes

1/2 C. Sugar
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 C. butter
6-7 sweet potatoes (peeled and sliced-thick slices)
1 T. vanilla
Brady or rum extract or orange zest whatever....

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat: add sweet potatoes, and stir to coat. Sprinkle sugar mixture over the sweet potatoes, and stir. Add extract and or zest if you want. Cover skillet and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. or until the sauce is dark and the potatoes are candied. They should be tender, but a little hard around the edges.

Sir in vanilla.

Pour into 9x13 pan and cover with marshmallows and put in oven at 350 degrees until lightly brown. Or if you watch really closely you can put it under the broiler. It will burn really fast!

Frozen Yogurt Salad

1- 3oz. pkg cream cheese
1 8oz. yogurt
1/4 C. sugar
sliced strawberries, peaches, pineapple to match yogurt

Blend first 3 ingredients in blender. Add fruit. Pour into cupcake liners in muffin tins and freeze. Peel paper off before serving while still frozen.

2-8oz cream cheese , 1 32 oz yogurt, 1 cup of sugar and 2 C. diced fruit makes 25 cupcake sized.

Exactly doubled makes 12 cupcake sized servings