Grilled Salmon with Ginger Orange Mustard Glaze

1/4C fresh orange juice

1/4C tamari or soy sauce

1/4C cream sherry

1/4C dijon mustard

2T fresh ginger, peeled, grated

2T honey

4(6)oz salmon fillets

Combine all ingredients but salmon in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add salmon to bag, seal and marinate in the fridge 30 minutes. Remove salmon from bag reserving marinade. Prepare grill or broiler by spraying with non-stick spray. Cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Basting frequently with reserved marinade. Place remaining marinade in a sauce pan; bring to a boil and serve with salmon.

http://www.recipezaar.com/ #4444

I served this with some sauteed vegetables and mushrooms and boiled brown rice. Wow I wish you could smell it, it made the whole house smell wonderful & it tasted absolutely fabulous!!!!!!

Oops!

Well ladies and gentlemen I have done it again! I guess its safe to say that the dishwasher is not safe for squirt bottles that you would like to clean out and use for a different cleaner. Better wash those bottles by hand or else they'll look like mine!

So tell me all about your Oops! if you dare!

My Weight Loss Journey

Okay, this morning I was telling my one of my best friends about my weight loss this week. She informed me that I should share my journey and maybe it would inspire others.
I initially decided to challenge myself with losing two dress sizes for my sister in law Kendra's wedding on August 30. My four year old son asked "Mommy why is your belly fat?" That comment may come off rude for some folks, but I answered his question with well mommy had two children and that made her belly get bigger. After thinking about it I was a little upset at the thought that my child thinks mommy is fat. I started out easily just watching what I was eating. I have done weight watchers a few times and quit, so my Hubby just thinks well whatever she is starting okay big deal she is just gonna quit again like she always does. Maybe this is mean of him, but the stubborness in me is fueled by this reaction from him. Last week I thought well, how can I really boost my weight loss other than just eating less. So I started going to my friend Trena's to walk on her treadmill. I quickly realized that having to load up two kids and drive 5 miles to her house would be an easy excuse for me to be lazy still and not go, so I started shopping around for a treadmill of my own. I quickly was discouraged because the starting price for a new treadmill is $250 and up. Then I thought why not try calling some resale stores and seeing if they have one and I found one for $49.95. It may not be the most beautiful thing in the world, but it is fully functional and it does the job just fine. So instead of just going to my friends every other day I can walk at home everyday which is much more convenient. So far I have walked a mile 6/7 days that I have had the treadmill and this week I have lost 6.6lbs!!!! For those who want to know what are you eating well, I am following weight watchers flex plan at home. I won't give you my points range because that would give away part of my weight, lol. I will tell you that to "kickstart" my weight loss I have been eating about 5 points less than my points for the day. I don't know if weight watchers recommends it or not and I really don't care. I just know that it is working for me. I don't starve myself I know that the points can be used if I need them and on a few days I do need them. I have been trying not to sit in front of the t.v. or the computer too long, then I just think about eating. I have been completing a few things that need to be done around here one at a time and keeping my house clean by chasing my kids around picking up after them, just keeping myself busy in general is keeping me from snacking all day. I also have been trying to keep myself from getting "hungry", by drinking alot of water and coffee. Once that "hungry" feeling creeps up on me I'm tempted to binge and end up overeating so keeping it at bay is helping me tremendously. I hope someone else is inspired by my attempt to make myself feel better and make my son feel better and proud of his mommy. I'll keep posting about my progress!!!

Cheddar Roasted Red Potatoes

1 pkg baby red potatoes
2 containers molly mcbutter cheese powder
a little garlic powder, oregano, italian seasoning, basil and some dried chives


I halved and then quartered the baby potatoes to make them bite size even for kids. Rinsed them in water. Then added all the dry ingredients to a gallon freezer bag, then added the potatoes gave them a shake and put them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and baked at 425 for about an hour or until the potatoes start to brown a bit on the edges.

Grilled Lime Chicken

1/4C fresh parsley chopped (I used dried)
1/2t grated lime zest
1C dry white wine or chablis
1/2t pepper
2T lime juice
6 chicken breast halves (I used chicken leg quarters they're cheaper at aldi's)
Combine all ingredients except chicken in a shallow baking dish. Add chicken turning to coat. Cover and marinate in fridgerator for 1 day. Remove chicken from marinade reserving marinade. Coat grill rack with pam. Cook for 5 minutes on each side or until done on med-high grill basting with marinade. Another find from recipezaar.com #8360

This chicken was awesome! It was an interesting change from lemon flavored chicken. Sorry the picture is a little blurry. The roasted cheddar potatoes were incredible too, closest I have gotten since they quit making shake n bake cheddar potatoes

Works for me Wednesday

I really like to cook!!! Especially with 5 ingredients or less so here a few of my favorite recipes.

Hamburger Goulash

1pkg egg noodles

1lb ground beef(I use ground turkey instead)

1 family size can of cream of mushroom soup

Boil egg noodles, brown ground beef. Add all together in pot mix up well and enjoy!

Tatertot Casserole

1lb ground beef(I used ground turkey)

1 family size can of cream of mushroom soup

1 pkg tatertots

1 bag shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef and mix it with the cream of mushroom soup. Spread into a 9x13 pan, cover with tatertots and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until tatertots are done. Remove from oven cover with shredded cheddar and bake just until cheese is melted.

Pork Chops & Potatoes in the crock pot

2 boxes scalloped or au gratin potatoes

milk & butter for the potatoes

4-6 pork chops

I usually put 2 pork chops in the bottom and 1bx of potatoes mixed then 2 more pork chops and the other box of potatoes mixed. I turn the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours and have wonderfully tender pork chops that literally fall apart.

Hope you all enjoy my easy 5 ingredient or less recipes!!!!! Have a wonderful week!!!!

Parmesan Tilapia

1C Mayo(Not miracle whip)

1/2C parmesan cheese

1 1/2T garlic powder

1T black pepper

2T Lemon-Dill Blend

4-6 Tilapia Fillets

Mix all ingredients but the Tilapia. If it appears too thick add a little extra mayo. If it appears too creamy add another few shakes of cheese. The consistency will be thick, but still stirable and slightly creamy. Coat only one side of the fillet and place coating side up in a slightly greased oven dish and bake on lower rack at 350 for 35 minutes. Don't worry if it browns some some browning adds to the flavor. I served this with a side of cornbread stuffing. Recipe #186913 on http://www.recipezaar.com/

I made this for dinner this evening. The tilapia was okay, but I thought the mixture was too thick and it needed to be even creamier I think this could be accomplished by adding a little milk next time. Family enjoyed, I did still notice the "fish" taste in this which I don't mind but some folks might. All in all it was a good recipe although I don't think it will become a regular for us. Anyways here is a pic of dinner tonight. So I'm curious...What did you have for supper this evening?

My Deep Freeze Cleaned & Dethawed

Well, I was inspired to clean my deep freeze today by a post on The Lazy Organizer's Page on Talk about Tuesday. So I unplugged it, emptied it, placed a pan of HOT water in there, closed the lid and left it for 30 minutes. When I came back the ice slid right off. I scooped it all out. Cleaned the inside and wiped up all the water. Then instead of throwing everything back in like it was, I grabbed a couple of milk crates to sort everything and make the search process much easier next time I am after something specific. I put all the meat into its own crate, all the ice cream and desserts in one, anything related to breakfast in its own and a small storage container minus the lid was perfect for the few veggies I keep in the deep freeze. Awesome! I did it and it really didn't take me that long and it's all over and soooooooooooo much nicer! I can't wait to hear what my hubby says next time he goes looking for some ice cream snacks and doesn't have to dig!!

Menu for Plan for week of 7/19 thru 7/25/08

I am posting early as I am going to town Wednesday this week instead of on Friday as we will have a very busy weekend.

Saturday
We will be having breakfast, lunch and dinner at the tractor show
Sunday
Breakfast: Breakfast Casserole
Lunch: Eat at tractor show
Supper: Tequila Lime Shrimp w/Buttered Corn on the Cob
Monday
Breakfast: Leftover Breakfast Casserole
Lunch: Taco Crescent Bake
Supper: Beef Ribs w/ Jack Daniels Glaze
Tuesday
Breakfast: Store Bought Breakfast Pizzas
Lunch: Sausage Crescent Bake
Supper: Zesty Tilapia w/ Zucchini Herb Casserole
Wednesday
Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos
Lunch: Tatertot Casserole
Supper: Rosemary Lemon Pepper Chicken w/ Battered and Fried Squash
Thursday
Breakfast: Pancakes
Lunch: Chili Dogs w/Potato Chips & Fruit Cup
Supper: Eat on the way to pick up Sister
Friday
Breakfast: Chocolate Cream of Wheat or Bowl of Cereal
Lunch: Breaded Chicken Tenders with Cheese Fries
Supper: Bourbon Glazed Salmon w/ Baked Potatoes and Mushroom Rice

I linked to any recipes already posted (some are my good friends I'm trying out) and I'll add pics of anything without them still one once I fix it each day along with the new recipes on the menu I haven't posted yet. Hope everyone has a great week!!!

Melted Toothpick Holder

Today I learned that the back of the stove is not the proper place for a plastic toothpick holder. The pictures say enough for me. Hope everyone enjoys a good laugh at my expense. Ha Ha

Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes and Leftover Corn on the Cob

Steaks
4 ribeye steaks
1 bottle Andreas Steak Sauce and Marinade

We get several steaks from Angel Food Ministries every month so we have this almost every Monday. It is the only "beef" night of the week my hubby gets.

I usually place 4 steaks of any type in a ziploc or gladware bowl and pour over a bottle of Andreas steak sauce over them on Sunday night before I go to bed. Then they have all night and the next day to soak up the marinade. I find the steak sauce in the meat department at our grocery stores although sometimes it is hard for me to find.

Baked Potatoes
4 lg baking potatoes
Olive Oil
Sea Salt, Freshly Ground Pepper, a little garlic and onion powder

I wash the potato skin very well and brush them with a little olive oil then sprinkle the seasonings on the outside and wrap them with aluminum foil and put them on the grill over low-med heat and cook for 30 minutes or until a knife easily slides into them.

Cupcakes for the Little Ones

Today my little ones asked mommy for cupcakes. I thought I would write about it. I used a regular box cake for the cakes, but I jazzed up the canned frosting a bit. I used just a cheap can of white frosting and added about a 1/4C of pineapple orange banana juice, a few packets of True Orange for some extra orange flavor, a little bit of vanilla, and some extra buttered crisco and powdered sugar to make it fluffier. I used a freezer bag with the tip snipped off to ice them quickly. My kids went crazy for them.

Pinepple Skewered Shrimp w/Corn on the cob

Pineapple Skewered Shrimp

12 Jumbo Shrimp, peeled and deveined(or more depending on people being served) (Shrimp comes in large bags at Aldi's)
3/4C teriyaki sauce
2 green onions, chopped
2 T sugar
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 oz. Pineapple chunks
1/2T fresh ginger(optional)
2T lime zest(optional)
wooden skewers

Add all ingredients except for pineapple and shrimp to marinating pan. Now add the liquid from your pineapple can. Stir until sugar is well mixed. Add the shrimp to the marinade and rotate to coat. Cover and marinate for 2-3 hours. Set aside pineapple chunks. After marinating place shrimp and pineapple alternating on skewers. Coat your grill with a touch of cooking spray or oil. Put the skewers on the grill. Rotate once after two minutes, and once more after two more minutes. Let sit one minute then serve.

Okay, I marinated this overnight on the skewers. It was good, but it was not a family favorite at all. Sorry there is not a picture, I would say that I would post one next time I have this, but I'm not sure if I will make it again. I enjoyed it, it did have a little bit of an oriental taste to it, so If you like oriental flavoring you might try it and let me know what you all think. It just was not a hit with my family, sometimes they are a little harder to please than me.