{Easy & Delicious} Grilled Salmon

Salmon is one of my families favorite types of fish to eat.  I have tried countless recipes {hey, I get bored easily}.  This is one I keep coming back to.  It doesn't sound very impressive judging from the ingredient list, but is better than many of the far "fancier" recipes that I have tried.  Please, give it a try!  It is a perfect recipe for an easy weeknight meal for summer!  

{Easy & Delicious} Grilled Salmon

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillets

lemon pepper to taste

garlic powder to taste

salt to taste

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Lightly oil grill grate.  Preheat grill for medium heat.

 Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

Source:  Allrecipes

Knock You Naked Brownies

Need an over-the-top fantastic sweet recipe to take somewhere?  PLEASE, try these!  You won't regret it!  They are so rich and fantastic, they beg to be shared.  This is my new favorite brownie recipe, hand down!  I apologize for the poor picture!  It was late, dark, and you can see the hand of my 2 youngest battling for "who gets the first brownie after mom takes her picture".  Oh, the joys of sibling rivalry!   

Knock You Naked Brownies

1 box (18.5 Ounce) German Chocolate Cake Mix

1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans

⅓ cups Evaporated Milk

½ cups Evaporated Milk (additional)

½ cups Butter, Melted

60 whole Caramels, Unwrapped {one 14 oz. package}

⅓ cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

¼ cups Powdered Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, chopped pecans, 1/3 cup evaporated milk, and melted butter. Stir together until totally combined. Mixture will be very thick.

Press half the mixture into a well-greased 9 x 9 inch square baking pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and set aside.

In a double boiler (or a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water) melt caramels with additional 1/2 cup evaporated milk. When melted and combined, pour over brownie base. Sprinkle chocolate chips as evenly as you can over the caramel.

Turn out remaining brownie dough on work surface. Use your hands to press it into a large square a little smaller than the pan. Use a spatula to remove it from the surface, then set it on top of the caramel and chocolate chips.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for several hours. When ready to serve, generously sift powdered sugar over the surface of the brownies. Cut into either nine or twelve helpings, and carefully remove from the pan.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Homemade Soft Pretzels

My kids L~O~V~E pretzels.  OK, so do I {especially jalapeño ones like the one pictured below}.  I have been meaning to come up with a recipe we really like for a long time.  Why have I waited so long???  They really are not that complicated and they are SO worth it!  They are actually kind of fun to make!  Get creative and personalize them according to what YOU like!  What would you get yourself if you were actually at the pretzel shop?  Once you have the basic recipe down, it is so easy to do!  

Homemade Soft Pretzels

makes 12 pretzels

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups hot water

4 Tbsp melted butter, for topping

Kosher salt, for topping

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough {I use my kitchen aide bread hook which makes my life very easy}. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. 

Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. {I can never find a good place for dough to rise around here, so I warm the oven to 120-170 degrees, then turn it off.  It is then a perfect environment for dough to rise}.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope {about 24" long} and twist into a pretzel shape.

 Bring baking soda and water to a boil in a large skillet.  Place pretzels in the boiling solution 2 at a time for about 15-20 seconds.  Remove with a large spatula to a kitchen towel or paper towels to dry the excess water {to prevent the bottoms from burning}.  Place the pretzels on a greased baking sheet. 

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned.

Melt 4 Tbsp. of butter.  As soon as you remove the pretzels from the oven, lightly brush them with butter using a pastry brush.  Immediately sprinkle them with kosher salt.

Enjoy plain or with a dipping sauce of your choice!  Our favorite is cheese sauce!

Variation: Add 1/4-1/3 c. of Jalapenos to the dough for spicy Jalapeno Pretzels!  This is a favorite of mine!  That is what you see in many of the pictures above!  You can get creative and add just about anything your heart desires to the dough!  Don't be afraid to experiment with other toppings too!  Parmesan cheese is a delicious coating instead of the kosher salt!

Beef Noodle Salad Bowls

Finally!  I new recipe!  I have still been cooking and have lots of new recipes to share, I just haven't gotten around to blogging much lately.  It has been a difficult spring.  Our family has lost 2 very close family members and our town has been experiencing some major flooding {and still is}.  We have also been very busy with our kids' activities, as always. 

This recipe for Beef Salad Bowls was a perfect summertime meal.  I made it early in the day and threw it in the fridge.  When we got back home {late} from baseball it was ready to be eaten!  It is meant to be eaten cold {which would be perfect on a hot summer day}.  Unfortunately, we haven't really had any of those yet.  The day we ate this ended up being very cool, therefore I wasn't really in the mood for a a cold meal so I heated mine up.  This is also excellent warm.  My husband did eat his cold and loved it that way too.  I know we will be having this again!  It would also be a fun and different salad to bring to a gathering to share!

Beef Noodle Salad Bowls

1 whole Sirloin Steak, 1 Pound

Kosher Salt To Taste

1 1/8 cups Ponzo Or Regular Soy Sauce

4 1/4 Tablespoons Pure Sesame Oil

3 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 1/2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoon Hot Chili Oil--I couldn't find this anywhere, so I used Sriracha Sauce which worked well

3 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced Finely

1 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Ginger

3 Tablespoons Packed Brown Sugar

3/4 cups Sliced Green Onion

1 lb. Thin Spaghetti

Cilantro Leaves

Season both sides of the sirloin with salt. Grill on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan until medium rare. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine ponzu (or soy), sesame oil, olive oil, rice wine vinegar, hot chili oil, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar. Mix to combine, then taste and adjust flavors/seasonings to your taste.

When steak is cool enough, place in a large plastic storage bag. Add 3 tablespoons of dressing. Seal bag tightly and place in fridge until needed.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place in a bowl. Pour remaining dressing over the top and toss to combine. Finally, toss in green onions. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours or until cool. You can make the steak and noodles well in advance of when you want to serve.

To serve, remove steak from storage bag and slice against the grain into thin strips. Drizzle a little ponzu (or soy) over noodles just to give it a little flavor boost, throw in plenty of cilantro leaves, and toss to combine. Serve strips of beef over mound of noodles, or throw it all into a bowl together. Serve with chopsticks if you have them.

Delicious!

Source:  Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:

Tuesday:  Baked Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Wednesday:  Shrimp Enchiladas & Mexican Rice

Thursday:  Mouthwatering Beef Dip Sandwiches

Friday

Saturday:

Sunday:

BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos

Hello!  So sorry for the extended absence, I hope you didn't die from missing me!  Things have been crazy around here on many fronts.  It was the end of the school year for my 3 kids, which meant all kinds of craziness, followed by establishing a new summer routine and the start of summer activities.  My oven has also been broken for several weeks, which kind of sapped my joy in the kitchen and made me crave baked goods more than ever.  I did learn how to make chocolate cake in 3 minutes in the microwave though!  Not the same, but will do in a chocolate-craving pinch (of which I have many).

Last, but not least, we have been experiencing flooding here in Bismarck, ND.  The Missouri River has exceeded flood stage and is expected to keep getting worse and stay above flood stage for most all of the summer.  This has resulted in a city-wide sandbagging effort to (hopefully) save the hundreds and hundreds of homes that are expected (and have already been) affected.  The National Guard has been in town building Levey's and dikes to protect many areas of town.  It has been surreal.  If you think of us here, we could certainly use your prayers.

Here is a recipe that I made a few weeks back.  Everyone in my family really enjoyed this unique twist on nachos.  It made for a perfect easy meal after getting home late from the boys' baseball games.  I do think it would be better with my own homemade shredded pork, but I didn't have any on hand.    I plan to freeze a bit next time I make it though with this recipe in mind!  We did individual plates, which worked out well because everyone could build their plates how they wanted.

BBQ Pulled Pork Nachos

1 bag (around 12 oz.) triangle-shaped corn tortilla chips

3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 can (16 oz) chili beans in medium sauce, undrained (I used Bush’s)

1 container (18 oz) refrigerated seasoned shredded pork in original BBQ sauce (I used Curley’s) or about 2 1/4 cup leftover bbq shredded pork

1 lb.creamy-style deli coleslaw, drained or leftover creamy coleslaw, drained (I made my favorite recipe)

2 medium green onions, sliced (2 tablespoons)

Oven Method (party style)

Heat oven to 400°F. Line 12-inch pizza pan or 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray. Spread half of chips evenly on pan. Sprinkle 1 cup of the cheese over chips.

In medium bowl, mix together chili beans and pork. Drop half of mixture by small spoonfuls over chips. Repeat layers with chips, cheese and pork mixture.

Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with coleslaw and green onions. Serve immediately.

Microwave Method (individual plates)

Divide chips between about 5 to 6 plates. Top each plate of chips with about 1/2 cup cheese.

In medium sauce pan, mix together chili beans and pork. Heat over medium heat until heated through.

Microwave each place of chips for about 30 second to 1 minute until cheese is melted.

Top each plate of nachos with about 1/2 cup of the meat/bean mixture followed with some of the coleslaw and green onions. Serve immediately.

Source: Real Mom Kitchen

Menu Plan Monday

Things are still crazy around here.  Hopefully I will get time to start posting recipes again very soon.  I had to modify my menu plan because I am STILL without a working oven!  We decided to try to fix mine since it is only 5 years old and it is still broken after part #1 was installed and we are now waiting on part #2.  At least I have the option of grilling now with the nice weather!

Monday:  Mongolian Beef, Rice, & Egg Rolls

Tuesday: Slow Cooker Country Scalloped Potatoes & Ham & Salad

Wednesday:

Thursday: Beef Noodle Salad Bowls

Friday:  The Best Taco Meat & Homemade Shells

Saturday:  California BLT's

Sunday:  Hawaiian Kabobs & Rice