Thursday, May 28, 2009

Grilled Salmon



I have made this recipe so many times for our family and guests. I started out not liking Salmon, but now, I eat it because this recipe is so good. If you are new to grilling fish, this is a good one to try.










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.
Preheat grill for medium heat.
Lightly oil grill grate. 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.

Cook's Note: If your grill flames up easily or gets really hot, put the fish on aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray. You might not get the grill marks, but you won't overcook it either.



Recipe found at allrecipes.com

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Smokestack Baked Beans




These beans always go over well at BBQ's.
Enjoy your holiday weekend!








4 slices bacon
1 large can pork and beans
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 TBS minced onion
1/2 to 1 TBS chili powder
1 TBS mustard
1 tsp liquid smoke
3/4 c. barbecue sauce
1/4 c. ketchup
1/4 c. sorghum or molasses (this is a must)




Cook bacon. Add rest of ingredients and bake in low oven at 325 degrees for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Grilled Lemon Herb Pork Chops




These pork chops are so flavorful and moist, you can't beat that. I use thicker pork chops so they don't dry out on the grill. Plus I always marinate them as long as I possibly can-the longer the better! (and they don't always burn like in this picture, these were thin pork chops)





1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh is better but bottled will work)
2 TBS vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (I use the kind in the jar for this)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
a sprinkle or two of salt
6 boneless pork loin chops


In a large resealable bag, combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt, oregano and pepper. Place chops in bag, seal and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Turn bag frequently.

Preheat grill and go for it!


Balsamic Carrots






These carrots are great even without the balsamic vinegar added. My kids tend to eat them better without the vinegar because they think they are burnt once you pour the black vinegar on them. My husband and I love them either way. They go great with the pork chops and I think fresh peeled and cut carrots taste so much better than the baby carrots, but do what works best for you. Enjoy!




3 cups baby carrots
1 TBS olive oil
1 1/2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar


Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute carrots in oil for about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, mix to coat and serve.

(I have found that steaming the carrots for a couple minutes in the microwave to start the cooking process really helps them soften faster in the skillet)




Recipe found at allrecipes.com

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The Best Lasagna


This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I thought long and hard on trying to decide what was worthy enough of being posted first and I finally decided on this one. This is the best traditional lasagna that I have ever had or made. It also freezes wonderfully and can sit in the fridge for a day before baking. Enjoy!



1.5 pounds of lean hamburger
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce)can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce)cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 TBS white sugar
2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 TBS chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

In Dutch oven, cook hamburger, onions and garlic over medium heat until browned. Stir in all tomatoes and water. Season with sugar, basil, Italian seasoning, pepper and 2 TBS parsley. Simmer, covered for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt water then add noodles. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg and remaining parlsey. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To assemlbe, spread 1.5 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of the mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1.5 cups meat sauce over mozzarella and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Repeat layers, and top with remaining cheeses. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, spray foil with non-stick spray. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Cool 15 minutes before serving.