bbq desserts

Tilapia with Tomato Cream Sauce

Here is another great recipe I received from one of my iVillage daily emails. The recipe is from Eating Well magazine and actually calls for cod, but tilapia is nice swap out. What I really like about this dish is that it's healthy and has only 227 calories. This would be a great meal to serve for a small dinner party. Serve this over farro, rice or barley and make a simple mixed green salad to accompany it.

Ingredients:
1 lb tilapia or cod fillets, cut into four pieces
3 tsps chopped fresh thyme, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half
1/2 tsp cornstarch

Season fish with 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, garlic and 1 teaspoon thyme; cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add wine, tomatoes and the fish to the pan; bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the fish is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the fish to a large plate; keep warm.

Whisk cream and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the pan, along with the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Divide the fish and sauce among 4 shallow bowls.

(This obviously isn't my picture; it is from the magazine, but mine turned out just like this.)

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Family: Movie Night

Tonight was family movie night. The girls and I started off the night by making one of our family's favorite meals.

We made pitas from scratch.

Once the pitas were ready we made stuffed them with herbed cream cheese.

The girls also helped me prepare the bean salad. They peeled the cucumbers and taste tested the cherry tomatoes for quality purposes...lol....

Apparently I worked Abby so hard that she fell asleep on the job standing up. Good thing her twin, Zoey was there to support her!

We spread our blanket out on the living room floor and enjoyed our

movie of the night.

After the girls finished their dinner, I made Cinnamon Kettle Corn.

It was a great movie night and mommy got got to enjoy

quality time with my babies.

Movie

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Menu

Oh So Tasty Bean Salad

Herb Cream Cheese Stuffed Pitas

Cinnamon Kettle Corn

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Recipe Review: Go Bananas Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies....doesn't that sound like yummy goodness? I think so and decided to make a batch after seeing whoopie pies featured in the current issue of Taste of Home. I scored an awesome deal of 10 pounds of ripe bananas for a whole dollar and wanted to use them up quick. This was my first attempt at making whoopie pies. The method is simple but they do require a bit of time.

The cookie is soft and very moist. I found that refrigerating the dough about 30 minutes before baking made it easier to scoop it out evenly. You want to bake the cookies and watch them carefully. After making the first few batches, I realized that my edges were a bit more brown that I like (as you can see in the photo). When I make these again, I will pull them out just as they are starting to brown on the edges.

The filling is very soft and I realized as I was putting the filling onto the cookies that it would have been better to let it set up in the refrigerator as well. The next time that I make this, I think I will pipe the filling onto the cookies.

My family enjoyed these very much and they were gone quickly. This is a great recipe that I will be making again.

Go Bananas Whoopie Pie

(recipe from Taste of Home)

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Ingredients

COOKIE:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additional confectioners' sugar

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine banana and buttermilk. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter until fluffy. Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread filling on the bottoms of half of the cookies, about 1 tablespoon on each; top with remaining cookies. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2 dozen.

Linked To:
* My Sweet and Savory: Let's Do Brunch
* EKat's Kitchen: Friday Potluck
* Designs by Gollum: Foodie Friday
* Paisley Passions: Fun With Food Friday
* Sweet As Sugar Cookies: Sweets for Saturday
* Lamb Around: Not Baad Sundays
* Fudge Ripple: Tuesday Night Supper Club
* Don't Waste your Homemaking: Unwasted Homemaking Party

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Project Ideas: Table Runner

Photo by A Girl and a Glue Gun

A Girl and a Glue Gun has such a cute and easy project just in time for St. Patrick's day. But, really, I think it could also be used during spring or even Easter. This burlap table runner looks like a cinch to make and there is step-by-step instructions to help you.

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Recipe Review: Roasted Roma Tomato Lasagna

We are a lasagna lovin' family. I have a recipe that I have used for at least six years that my family loves. Several of my kids ask for as their birthday meal. I love this recipe, but it's a lot of work. When I saw Martha make this version of a meatless lasagna, I knew that I had to try it. First off, the roasted Roma tomatoes are amazing! I shared this recipe last week because it is so good! Second, the lasagna is unusual because it is made with a bechamel sauce. I tweaked the original recipe just a bit for my family tastes.

The family verdict? Loved it! They didn't seem to miss the meat or red sauce. This is definitely a keeper that I will make often.

Enjoy!

Roasted Roma Tomato Lasagna
(adapted from the original recipe by Zahra Tangorra)
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Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound dried lasagna noodles
8 cups Bechamel Sauce (recipe follows)
6 cups Roasted Roma Tomatoes, and their juices
2 cups ricotta cheese
4 cups grated pecorino cheese
2 cups fresh spinach

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and place a single layer of lasagna noodles in the dish. Pour 2 cups bechamel evenly over pasta; top with 2 cups of the roasted tomatoes in their juices, one third of the ricotta, 1 cup pecorino, and one third of the basil. Repeat process twice and top with remaining lasagna noodles. Top with remaining 2 cups bechamel and 1 cup pecorino. Cover baking dish with parchment paper-lined aluminum foil. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and transfer to oven; bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue baking until lasagna noodles are tender, about 25 minutes more. Remove from oven and let stand 30 to 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

Bechamel Sauce
(recipe by Zahra Tangorra)

Ingredients
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
10 cups milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground nutmeg

Directions
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour and stir until absorbed, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in milk, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes before using.

Makes about 8 cups.

Linked To:
* Balancing Beauty and Bedlam: Tasty Tuesday
* Simply Sugar & Gluten Free: Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
* Not So Homemade: What's Cooking Wednesday
* It's A Blog Party: Delicious Dishes
* Dining with Debbie: What's on the Menu Wednesday
* It's a Keeper: It's a Keeper Thursday
* Paisley Passions: Thrilling Thursday
* Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
* Prairie Story: Recipe Swap Thursday
* Simply Sweet Home: Friday Favorites
* Crazy Domestic: All Things Domestic
* Life as Mom: Ultimate Recipe Swap
* Mommy's Kitchen: Potluck Sunday
* My Sweet and Savory: Meatless Mondays
* Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy: Hearth and Soul
* Six Sister's Stuff: Strut Your Stuff Saturday

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Maple-Mustard Pork Chops

Here's a recipe that I tweaked from one of my iVillage daily food emails. The original recipe called for a whole loin that you marinate and wrap in bacon before cooking, which don't get me wrong, sounds delicious. My grocery had pork chops on sale this week, so I decided to go with those and just improvise. The result was pretty damn good.

What You'll Need:
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 Tbsps. pure maple syrup
3/4 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp dried rosemary
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled, sliced
4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1/2 an inch thick

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the mustard, maple syrup, hot sauce, chopped rosemary, garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the pork and turn to coat; refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook, heat a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove the pork chops from the bag, wiping off excess marinade and the garlic slices.

Place the pork in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.

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