Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

                                             Please note: Photo was taken before being cooked

I am a big fish fan, especially salmon. We tend to eat fish at least 3 times a month. I have noticed that I make salmon the same way pretty much every time I cook it so I went onto pinterest one afternoon so that I could find a few new ideas salmon. I was curious about a brown sugar glaze for salmon as I have never really thought about using sugar on salmon, so tonight I thought I would give it a try.

The recipe was simple enough: brown sugar, Dijon mustard and a little salt and pepper to taste. Whisk the brown sugar and Dijon mustard together and you have your glaze!

The recipe calls for you to use your broiler, however, I decided to bake the salmon instead. I pre-heated the oven to 350 F, put a little olive oil on top of aluminium foil and then placed the salmon on top. I rubbed in a little garlic powder, onion powder and squeezed some fresh lemon juice on top. I then spread the glaze on. Once the fish was ready to go in, I wrapped the foil around the fish and placed it in the oven. I set the timer for 30 minutes, but due to rack placement the salmon took 40 minutes to cook. 

The fish came out perfectly! It was moist and basically fell apart like a well cooked salmon should. The glaze tasted amazing!! It was not too sweet and it mixed nicely with the natural taste of salmon. I was a little worried that the brown sugar would become crunchy while baking, but this was not the case at all. The glaze basically melted and became more like a sauce; which helped to keep the salmon from drying out while cooking.

I served the fish with rice and carrot sticks. I was going to chop and steam the carrots but my daughter asked for "arrot iks" so I made sticks instead. This was a very easy and delicious weekday meal. You can make this at the end of the work day and not feel like you are stuck in the kitchen. The glaze took less than 5 minutes to make, which is always an added bonus. 

Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

1/4 cup of light brown sugar

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard

Salmon (any cut will do)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source; prepare the rack of a broiler pan with cooking spray.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and arrange onto the prepared broiler pan. Whisk together the brown sugar and Dijon mustard in a small bowl; spoon mixture evenly onto top of salmon fillets.
3. Cook under the preheated broiler until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Rating:

Preparation: 10/10...So very simple!! The glaze takes less than 5 minutes to mix up. Salmon is typically quick and easy to prepare in order to hit the oven (especially if you buy a boneless cut).

Taste: 9/10...This glaze added to the taste of salmon for sure, considering salmon is mild in flavour when it comes to fish, but I think next time I would add a little lime or even lemon juice to the glaze instead of the fish itself to give it a extra punch of flavour.

Servings: 10/10...There was more than enough glaze to cover the piece of salmon I was serving. I think this glaze recipe is pretty versatile depending on how much salmon you are serving. The measurements are simple so you could easily increase or decrease the measurements depending on servings needed. 

Total: 29/30...I feel that this is a nice addition to my recipe book. I like that it is easy to make, especially after a busy work day, and leaves your taste-buds satisfied.

~Amanda 

Potato and Farmer Sausage Casserole

Yesterday, Monday, was an incredibly lazy, pajama worthy, kind of day. So, I took to Pinterest looking for an easy meal to cook for dinner. I came across this recipe. Two main ingredients and a quick sauce piqued my interested. I summoned my motivation from its haze, and set out to make the easiest comfort food known to my kitchen.

Call it a moment of pure genius, but while I was whipping the sauce, I realized the recipe is just a scalloped potato recipe with meat tossed in the mix. I know, my brilliance knows no boundaries.


Having looked at the recipe bellow, you are acquainted with the ingredients and have them all prepped and ready on the counter. Meaning, you've sliced the potatoes and farmer sausage, and shredded the cheese.

(Note: I didn't want to wait 1 1/2 hours for my meal, so I precooked the potatoes. The farmer sausage was bought pre-cooked.)

Starting with the butter and flour, make a paste over low heat. Melt the butter in the saucepan, add the flour. Using a whisk, make sure the butter/flour mix is smooth.

Add the salt and milk. I did half milk, half cream. Stir well. Add the soup, once mixed, add the shredded cheese. Stir until all the cheese is melted

Once the cheese is melted, your sauce should look smooth, like the above picture. Set it to the side.

Layer the potatoes and farmer sausage, then pour the sauce overtop.
Did I mention a preheated oven set at 350? If your potatoes are raw, place your covered casserole in the oven for 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. If you cheated, as I did, and precooked your potatoes, then bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Easy peasy.

I chucked a few pieces of asparagus into a frying pan with butter, a pinch of salt, white wine, and sliced garlic. The asparagus made a perfect side dish.

Overall, the dish was incredibly easy to make, it was creamy and had good flavour. It was also very filling.

Enjoy!
~Alea

Potato and Farmer Sausage Casserole Recipe 

Ingredients
6 small – med. potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 - 3/4 link farmer sausage, peeled and sliced

Sauce
1 Tbsp butter 
1 Tbsp flour 
1/4 tsp salt 
½ cup milk
½ - 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Arrange potatoes and farmer sausage in layers in greased 8 cup casserole dish. Melt butter; blend in flour, salt and milk gradually, stirring constantly. Add cheese and soup, stirring until sauce cooks. Pour over potatoes and sausage. Bake at 350F for 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours.

Rating - 28/30

Preparation - 10 - Aside from chopping some potatoes, slicing some farmer sausage and making an easy sauce, it did not involve a lot of work, or concentration for that matter.

Taste - 8 - This recipe is pretty straight forward, there aren't many flavours involved, other than the cheese and soup. Yes, if you do not enjoy mushroom soup, I don't think you'd enjoy this recipe. I suppose you could switch the mushroom soup for cream of chicken.

Servings - 10 - This recipe yields a good amount, but is easily adjustable.

Quick and Easy Naan

Butter Chicken has become one of my favourtie meals to make over the past couple of years. The sauce is always easy to make and I love how you can change the spices according to your own taste. I have also recently discovered a delicious jarred Butter Chicken sauce from President's Choice which comes in handy for a quick weekday meal. I typically order a side of Naan from my neighbourhood Indian restaurant, however, I was excited to come across a recipe for Quick and Easy Naan bread on pinterest. 

Here is the link for the recipe:

http://budgetbytes.blogspot.ca/2010/09/naan-127-recipe-016-serving.html

Although the description was "quick and easy," I will admit that yes, it was easy, but quick is a little deceiving. In total, it will take about an hour and a half to make this Naan recipe due to the fact that the dough needs about 45 minutes to rise. If you are planning to make your own Naan, I would not suggest whipping it up after work with hungry kids (or significant other) waiting for dinner. However, this Naan is worth the wait! 

The 5 steps are pretty simple and easy to follow. I was going to take a picture of each step, but my 3 year old helper was so excited that we had to just keep on going! The website that I have inserted above has step by step pictures for you. 

Although this recipe was supposed to bubble, mine did not bubble so well. I know it was because I rolled it out too soon. The recipe says to not roll out the ball until it is ready to be placed on the skillet. I got a little too a head of myself and basically rolled them all at the same time. Even though it did not bubble very much, the Naan turned out like it is supposed to. It was light, soft and delicious!! One of two things I would do differently in the future would be to use a little less cooking spray on the skillet. I found that it left a little bit of an after-taste and took away from the overall taste of the Naan. Although Nann does not have much flavour, I could definitely taste the cooking spray. Secondly, I would of waited to roll out the balls so that it would of been a little more bubbly. 

So, for my first attempt at making Naan bread, I would have to say that this recipe is really good!! It tasted almost as good as my neighbourhood Indian restaurant and I enjoyed making it as well. 

Preparation: 8/10...I would not necessarily say that it was quick. Yes, an hour and a half preparation is really not much, but you definitely need to be aware of the preparation time. 

Taste:9/10...I think if I would of used a little less cooking spray this would of been an easy 10 out of 10. However, when something leaves a bit of an after-taste in your mouth, it tends to take away from the taste in its entirety. 

Servings: 10/10...This recipe yielded 8 pieces which is plenty!! I have quite a few pieces leftover for lunch or even a snack of Naan with melted garlic butter (nom nom).

Total:...This recipe is a good 27/30. I will be for sure making this recipe again (as it will be a money saver), however, it is not the best for a quick throw together meal on a busy week night. I would suggest saving this for your Sunday family meal.

~Amanda

"The Best Roast Beef"

I suppose I'm cheating, as I already know the outcome of this recipe. Having found it a few months back, I've made it a handful of times and each time the results have been finger lickin' good.

I've also included the recipe and instructions for yorkshire pudding, as roast beef and yorkshire pudding were made for one another.

So, lets get started. First things first, a glass of wine and some cooking music. ;)

 

 I used my crock pot to cook my roast, which was completely thawed. I set it on the lowest setting and cooked it for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. If your roast is frozen, still set your slow cooker on the lowest setting, but let it cook for the suggested time, which is 6-8 hours. Keep an eye on it though, nobody enjoys an overcooked roast. You can also cook it in the oven, the package in which your roast came should have suggested cooking times.

Now that we've got the cooking method figured out, make a thin paste with the ranch, italian and gravy dry packet dressings. Pour the contents into the crockpot and add 1/4 cup water. Mix thoroughly.

Add your roast to the crock pot and spoon the liquid over the roast. Make sure the crockpot is on and at the correct setting, close the lid and forget about it for an hour or so, returning to baste the roast.

(I neglected to add the dry gravy because I didn't have any on hand, oops!) 

You're roast is done and resting, so lets get on with the yorkshire pudding. Turn the oven on to 400 and fill your muffin tray with about 1 - 1 1/2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil in each cup, the point is to ensure the bottom of each cup is covered in oil. 

(When taking the oil out of the oven, please use extreme caution, and ensure you don't have kids or pets near you.)

Put the muffin tray into the pre-heated oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes you should see bubbles in the oil, and there will be some smoke/steam when you open the oven door. That means you're good to go! (Putting the overhead fan on might serve you well, as would opening a window slightly). 

But, while your oil is getting good and hot, whip up your yorkshire pudding mixture. (Recipe below). 

Your oil is hot, and your pudding mixture is thoroughly whipped, so lets fill those cups up. Cups will be filled to about half or 3/4 full.

Keeping your oven set at 400, put the filled muffin tray back into the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Check on the puddings before the 15 minutes, if they're puffed and starting to brown, turn the oven down to 350 and reset the timer for 15 minutes.

While your puddings are cooking, peel and chop your potatoes and carrots, or get on with fixing whatever side you want to serve.

Slice your roast and let it sit in the juice while the puddings cook.

By the time you've got your sides well on the way to being cooked, and your roast sliced, your yorkshire pudding should be cooked. Take out the muffin tray, and flip the puddings to drain the oil. Your yorkshire puddings should be fluffy and wonderful. If you ended up with the dough version of hockey pucks, it's okay, we've all been there. The "hockey pucks" will still taste delicious, and the error was that the oil was not hot enough.

(Not my pictures. The top is what your puddings should look like, the bottom is result of the oil not being hot enough)

Whip up your gravy, by pouring the pan drippings into a saucepan. I like thickening it up with flour, by adding 1/4 cup hot water to a cup then 1tbsp flour to the water and stirring until all the clumps are gone. Add the flour/water paste to the pan drippings and stir until it thickens.

Et voila, a Traditional Roast Beef Dinner.

Overall, the roast beef recipe is a huge hit at our house. The gravy made from the pan drippings is the best I've ever had.

Enjoy!
~Alea


"The Best Roast Beef" Recipe

Ingredients
 - 1 Package Dry Italian Dressing
 - 1 Package Dry Ranch Dressing
 - 1 Package Brown Gravy

Directions
   1. Add to 1/4 water and make a thin paste, pour over the roast.
   2. Cook in the crockpot on low for 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Don't forget to baste the roast.


Yorkshire Pudding Recipe

Ingredients
 - 3 Eggs
 - 1 Cup Flour
 - Salt and Pepper To Taste
 - 1 Cup Milk
 - 1/4 Cup Melted Butter
      

Directions

1. Preheat oven at 400 degrees.
2. Put a little dab of oil in each muffin cup of the muffin tray. Put the tray in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile blend all the ingredients in a blender until well mixed.
4. Take out the muffin tray after 15 minutes and fill each cup 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with the mixture and return to the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. Pop out and place in bread basket and serve with gravy on top.

Rating - 20/20

Preparation - 10 - What's easier than throwing together some dry dressings in water and pouring it overtop a roast?

Taste - 10 - Stumbling across this recipe is probably the best thing to ever happen to my taste buds. You will not be disappointed.

Mexican Mini-Pizza's...Fun and Easy!

A couple of months ago, I had a good friend coming over for dinner. I really enjoy cooking for her as she comes a long way to visit and the pure joy on my daughter's face makes our visits amazing. Tired of cooking her the usual, I was looking for something delicious and different...also something that would surprise her :)

I had pinned this Mexican Mini-Pizza recipe and when I was looking at my food board I thought that it was perfect! I used ground chicken as the meat.
Here is the recipe: 

3-4	Large whole wheat tortillas, or enough to cut out 12 small circles (I prefer LaTortilla brand)
1 cup	Lean ground turkey, cooked (or lean ground beef or 1 cup Morning Star Meatless Crumbles™)
1/2 cup	Salsa of choice (I used one with corn)
2 tsp	Dry taco seasoning
1/2 cup	Low fat refried beans
1/2 cup	Low fat shredded Mexican blend or 2% cheddar cheese
Optional	Toppings: sliced black olives, shredded lettuce, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Here is the method:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 12 count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray

2) Start by laying each tortilla out individually on a flat surface, use an empty can, glass cup, or a cookie cutter to cut 3-4 medium circles out of each wrap.

3) Press each wrap circle into muffin tin using your fingers. (Note: it doesn't have to cover the entire side of the tin, it should just fit snuggly!)

4) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together the ground meat, salsa, taco seasoning, and refried beans. Stir until well combined

5) Scoop 1/8th of cup of meat mixture into each wrap.

6) Top with shredded cheese (dividing evenly between each pizza), and olives if desired.

7) Bake in pre-heated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted

8) Wait for mini Mexican pizzas to coo, and remove from muffin tin using a fork or knife. Pizza's should pop out with ease!

9) Serve with a side of salsa, low fat sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and/or shredded lettuce if desired!


I had sour cream and salsa to add on top once they were baked and I served them with a green salad that I added fresh cut veggies to.

This recipe was so easy and yielded way more than 12 pizza's. I put the left over mixture in the fridge and made a taco salad with it the next night. It was nice getting 2 meals out of this simple recipe as well. The taste was really nice. My daughter ate them up as well and kept asking for more.

On a scale of 1-10, I would give this recipe the following:

Preparation: 9...I really liked that you can prepare this the night before and then just put it in the fridge. It only took 20 minutes to prepare. I spent the most time cutting out the tortilla's but it was not tedious by any means.

Taste: 10...Honestly, they were delicious!! We found ourselves putting another and then another on our plate because they just tasted that good :) I like that you can top with pretty much anything your taste-buds desire, so it really keeps it simple.

Servings: 10...It was nice that the mixture yielded more than a dozen. You can freeze the mixture for another meal or make a salad. I'm sure you could make taco's or a burrito out of the mixture too. The meal was also satisfying. It filled you up and left you feeling like you had a good meal.

Total:...this recipe is a 29/30 and I will be making this for dinner again very soon. It can also be brought for lunch at work or school too.

-Amanda

Karisafication! A Special Mention

As much as we are excited about our new adventure, we have a heavy heart tonight. A member of a very special community that we value has lost her battle with stage 4 adrenal cancer. One of her last wishes was to spread awareness regarding this type of cancer. We are asking you to please head over to facebook and like the page Karisification to keep her amazing strength alive.

Thank you,

Alea and Amanda

Welcome!!

We are very excited that you have decided to follow us on this journey!! We both enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, as well as many other activities. We have pinned a number of recipes each on pinterest and we thought it was time that we challenge ourselves to trying them. We hope to each make one recipe a week. With each new blog entry you can expect to find instructions on how to make the dish yourself as well as some hints and insights. So stop in weekly because you never know what you may find!

Thank you for joining us :)

Alea and Amanda