Honey Peppered Salmon ~ page 180

I made this salmon with the Crunchy Romaine Toss and some steamed asparagus. It was a very light meal especially since the fish has no oil added to it...just honey and pepper! I did use Agave Nectar instead of honey with great results. Sorry about the fuzzy picture above, my camera has good and bad days! Here is a picture of the fish marinading. My daughters thought the skin was so cool, they kept petting it, wanting to name the fish! I guess they had never felt the slippery skin of a fish before. For this dinner my guests were about 20 minutes late, I just covered the fish and let it sit once it came out of the oven, then once they arrived I popped it back in for 5 minutes to reheat it, worked great. I was nervous about overcooked fish, but everyone went for seconds, that is always a good sign!

--Carissa

Crunchy Romaine Toss ~ page 66

This salad is so fast and easy to serve to company because you can prep each ingredient ahead of time. Only mix up what you think you will use at a time though. Once mixed up, the leftovers are not good...the lettuce gets soggy, and the nuts get soft and chewy. I cut my broccoli pretty small, I think the recipe says "coarsely". I don't like huge bites of raw broccoli in my salad. I have served this with meals that have an Asian flare, and it works very nicely since the dressing has a touch of soy sauce. Try this one if you haven't yet. --Carissa

Indoor Grilled Fish Tacos ~ page 181

I have eaten these fish tacos at Carissa’s house many times, but actually never made them myself till tonight. I hear through the grapevine that my niece, Christy, makes then for her new husband, John, almost weekly! Well now I can see why. These are really, really tasty and easy and fast. Not to mention this is an extremely low calorie meal…and sometimes it is hard to find a “light” meal that men really enjoy. But all guys seem to love these spicy fish tacos. Here is all you need…

First get your tortillas heating in the oven. I wrap them in parchment paper, then in foil, and put the packet in a 325 degree oven for about 10 minutes—which is about how long it takes to make this dish!

Now mix up the slaw dressing in a salad bowl, then put in the onion, garlic, cilantro and broccoli slaw.  That is all there is to it. 

I have a grill pan I like to use for the tilapia fillets—it makes nice grill marks on the fish—but a skillet will work just as well.

Slice your avocado, and you are ready to assemble. I like to add some hot sauce.

I served these with pinto beans (left over from the night before).  The cookbook says this will make 4 servings…but I am not sure about that. David and I ate every last bite of those 4 servings…

Twice Baked Potatoes ~ page 107

These are the perfect make ahead side dish, that is probably why I make them so often. These pics were taken the night I was making them, I didn't actually heat them up and serve them till the next day. Guests are always surprised that they aren't loaded with butter. I use low fat sour cream, so they really aren't bad for you. Below is a picture of a hollowed out potato. I use a grapefruit spoon to really clean out the insides good.

For ease in filling the potatoes I put the filling in a large zipper-top baggie and cut a corner off one of the bottom corners. Squeeze the mashed potatoes into each potato skin without alot of mess. Works great. Enjoy! -Carissa

Prune Muffins ~ page 323

Well, these are just too good to eat just one. Even if you aren't a prune fan...you gotta try these muffins. As you can see my girls were stuffing them in as fast as they could! I haven't actually ever made these as full size muffins, I love that it makes 48 mini muffins, so I always do that so they are bite size for packing in Lillian's lunch at school. I cooked mine 10-11 minutes and they were perfect, so check them after 10 so you don't overcook them. --Carissa

Pesto Tomato Soup ~ page 52

I bet I have made this tomato soup almost a dozen times this last Fall and Winter. Every time I make it I re-buy the ingredients the next time I go to the store so I can always have a "pantry meal" ready and waiting for me. If your store doesn't carry the McCormick dry pesto mix, look for Knorr, they have a dry creamy pesto mix that I use sometimes. If you want it really luxurious try adding more butter...the original recipe had 4 tablespoons of butter. I just cut it down to make it healthier. But if you are wanting to splurge on calories, give it a try!

--Carissa

New Recipe: Banana-Coconut Crunch Muffins

You can find this fabulous new muffin recipe under the tab New Recipes.  Have a look, and if you make them, tell us what you think!

New Corrections:

Click the Corrections tab and scroll to the bottom to view corrections for Catherine's Cheese Scones, pg. 276, and Penne Pasta with Roasted Veggies, pg. 100

Snickerdoodles ~ page 218

Wow, are these ever yummy! I am not eating dessert, or at least trying not to while I'm pregnant... but I failed miserable yesterday! These are just TOO good warm from the oven! My oven is old and uneven in it's cooking sometimes so, I cook mine for 6 minutes on a lower rack in my oven, then move them up to the next higher rack for the last 2 minutes...so 8 minutes total, and they are perfect. Don't overcook, you want the center to still be very soft when you take them out. If any of you bakers out there weigh your flour, I used 440 grams of flour. These freeze like a charm...which is good since you have to freeze them to keep yourself from eating too many! --Carissa

Peanut Butter Fiber Balls ~ page 259

These are a favorite around my house. With me being pregnant they are a great energy snack since I am trying to stay away from too many carbs so I don't get too huge! My girls eat them for snacks all the time. I use Agave Nectar instead of honey....just a little lighter taste and less calories. To make the balls more firm for traveling in my purse in a zip-top baggie I cut the honey amount down a little. Below is a picture of my container I keep in my fridge for easy snacking!
--Carissa

Catherine's Cheese Scones ~ page 276

I cut these into 24 small scones, which was perfect to eat with dinner. I undercooked them several minutes and froze them till I needed them for some friends coming over for dinner a couple days later. Then I thawed at room temp and then baked barely 5 minutes at 350...perfect! Now there was a typo in the directions...1 teaspoon of salt is mentioned in the ingredient list, but not in the directions. When you make these add the salt in with the flour mixture. These can look a little messy when they come out of the oven because the cheese can "ooze" out on the baking sheet, but don't fret...just trim them up with a knife and eat the crispy cheese edges yourself! The smaller you dice the cheese the less ooze you will have.
--Carissa

Salmon Patties ~ page 185

I made these for lunch today, after being out of town for several days--meaning I needed to go to the grocery store. So I looked to see what I could cook from my pantry. A can of salmon is handy to keep on the pantry shelf! I cut this recipe in half, since I just had a small can of salmon. I don't like a lot of crackers in my patties, so I usually just mix in a few at a time till it all holds together. For half a recipe I used about 9 Ritz crackers. I also had some green onions and fresh parsley on hand, so chopped those fine and added it to the salmon, even though that is not in the recipe. It was a nice addition, I think.

I wanted to show you a handy trick for crushing crackers--just put them in a plastic baggie, and run your rolling pin over them to cush them.

If you wanted to make your salmon patties up early in the day, they can easily be made into patties then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated till ready to cook.

We like our salmon patties with a bottle of hot sauce on the table, or you can use the Lemon Dill Sauce recipe at the bottom of the page. It is delicious for those that want to keep things mild.