Beer Battered Fish Tacos

There's nothing better than some good fish tacos from a local Mexican restaurant, except for fish tacos made at home with beer! Were still trying to cook light so by adding a light beer to the mix makes for a lighter crispier batter. This recipe doesn't require much and you can get creative with the slaw or sauces you want to use, and since I am in a creative mood lately this was perfect.

Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Yields: 2 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 TBSP Flour
• 1/2 TSP Cayenne Pepper
• 1/8 TSP Cumin
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/3 Cup Light Beer
• 2 Tilapia Filets (thawed and cut into 1 inch chunks)
• 2 TBSP Vegetable or Canola Oil
• Pre cut Cabbage slaw
• 1/4 Cup Sour Cream
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 TBSP Store bought Salsa
• 1 Roma Tomato
• 1 Medium Avocado
• 2 TBSP Diced Onion
• 2 TBSP Fresh Cilantro
• 1/2 Lime Juiced

PREPARATION:

Mix the slaw, tomatoes, sour cream, salt and pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro,lime juice, salsa into a mixing bowl and reserve. Add the diced avocado when ready to serve.

In another bowl add the flour, cayenne, salt and pepper, and cumin. Whisk in the beer until the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over med-high heat. While heating, dip the fish pieces into the beer batter and let excess drip off. Add pieces to the oil and let cook until golden and crispy (about 3-5 minutes a side). Take out and let drip on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb any grease.

TO SERVE:

Serve some fish onto a heated tortilla top with the slaw mixture, with Mexican rice and beans on the side. ENJOY!!

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• When the fish come out of the oil while they are still hot...sprinkle with salt or Tony's so that the spice will absorb.
• Wear an apron or have a splatter guard because when frying anything you will have some hot oil splatters.
• To heat the tortillas, take 2 damp paper towels and wrap around the tortillas and heat in microwave for 1 minute.

Surf and Turf with Orzo

So fall has begun, the weather is beautiful and I have actually not been cooking much.  I was at Kroger today and came across some good deals on some shrimp and porterhouse steaks so I decided to make a spin on surf and turf and since we eat alot of potatos normally I decided to get some orzo. Its a rice shaped pasta but it seems lighter than normal pasta and makes for a delicious side item. I have made the orzo before in a previous recipe but i simplified it and made it a little bit different.

Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 2 Servings


INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 LB Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
• 1 Porterhouse Steak (divided and marinated with S&P and Worcestershire Sauce)
• 1/4 Box Orzo
• 1 Can Chicken Broth
• 1/2 Zucchini (sliced)
• 1/2 Squash (sliced)
• 1/4 Cup Diced Onions
• 1/4 Cup Grape Tomatoes
• 1 Bunch of Asparagus 
• 1 Clove Garlic
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1 Dash of Dried Parsley

PREPARATION:

Bring a pot with 1 can of chicken broth and 1 can of water to a boil.  Add Orzo and let boil for 9 minutes or until just shy of al dente, uncover but keep warm.

While the water is coming to a boil, heat up the EVOO in a pan and add the onions, cook until transparent (about 3-5 minutes). Add garlic and heat up until fragrant (30 seconds). Add the veggies, salt and pepper, and cook until just softened (5 Minutes), take out and put into a bowl but leave the tomatoes so they can soften more. Push the tomatoes to the outside making a pocket in the middle, Add the shrimp and cook until pink. Return the veggies to the pan and heat them back up, sprinkle with parsley.

Throw the steaks on a heated grill for about 5 minutes a side or until desired temperature.

TO SERVE:
Spoon some Orzo onto a plate, top with the shrimp and veggies on the side of the delicious and juicy steak. YUMMY YUMMY in our TUMMY!!

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• You will know when the veggies are done when the tomatoes start to burst. 
• You can refer back to my other Orzo recipe and make a lemon vinaigrette sauce for extra flavoring.

Tiger Burgers

Good LSU Football calls for good friends and  good food. I've never heard of Brontosaurus Burgers before but if I had to think of what they were they would be very meaty and large burgers.  The burgers we had on Saturday were very meaty, stuffed with cheese, onions, and bacon, and very large... but naming them after a vegetarian dinosaur didn't make much sense so I named it accordingly....TIGER BURGER! Its basically 2 burgers with toppings all in one patty, a very filling and perfect way to celebrate yet another WIN!

Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Yields: 8 Large Burgers

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs of Ground Chuck
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs
• 1 TBSP Oregano
• 1 Onion (Diced)
• 1/2 lb Bacon
• 1 Cup Pepper Cheese

PREPARATION:

Heat a skillet over med-high heat and cut the bacon into bite size pieces and cook until crispy, take out and reserve on a papertowel to absorb the bacon grease. Keep 1 TSP of Bacon grease and cook the onions until transparant, take out with a slotted spoon and add to the Bacon pieces.  Add 1 cup of cheese after everything has cooled and keep to the side until ready to use.

After mixing the ground meat, eggs, garlic, worcestershire sauce, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, oregano together in a large mixing bowl, start forming thin patties in equal pairs because you will be stacking one on top of the other. You chould make about 16 thin patties.

Take one pattie and place a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the middle. Take another pattie and put on top pinching the sides to form one larger pattie. Continut until all the patties are paired up and used.

Heat the grill and cook burgers on each side until meat is cooked throughout.

TO SERVE:

Top with Lettuce, Tomato, Pickles and your favorite condiments on a large sesame seed bun. We served some homemade sweet potato and regular homefries.  MMmmm!!

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• Make sure to absorb as much bacon grease as you can or else it will leak out and make the burgers separate.

Italian Dressed Tilapia

So we decided to give running another try...we haven't been since the last time and I think if we keep it up it is bound to get easier. In addition to being able to run longer we might actually drop some post-wedding lbs.  Neither one of us was really hungry but we couldn't go without dinner so I threw together a miniature version of a delicious and healthy dinner. It was probably a good thing that we weren't that hungry because we have gotten down to our last tiny little Tilapia filet and since we are married we split it (I was generous and gave him the bigger half). It came out really good and it  was super easy!

Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Yields: 1 Serving or 2 Mini Servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Tilapia Filet (Thawed)
• 1/2 TSP Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 TBSP Italian Salad Dressing

PREPARATION:

Heat the butter over med heat, salt and pepper both sides of the filet and put into pan. Add the Italian Dressing and let cook for 3-4 minutes per side.

We had some leftover white rice from a previous dish so I tossed it into the pan with some italian dressing, salt and pepper until it was heated.

TO SERVE:

We split the Tilapia and served it with some quick steamed broccoli and the dressed up white rice. I then sprinkled some shaved parmesan cheese over top of everything... MMMmmm!!

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• Obviously if you need to make more, than make adjustments to the recipe.
• Use a smaller plate, smaller fork and it will appear as though there is more food than is actually there.

Chicken and Green Enchiladas

Evidently we aren't the only household that acquires problems! Our friends Gomez and Scott are without Internet and cable this week so Gomez has found refuge over at our house. But empty handed he is not, whether he brings candy, angry birds or a treat for Lucy, he is a welcomed house guest. I whipped up something tonight that started as an experiment but wound up being pretty tasty and he and Matt were my guinea pigs!

Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Yields: 3 Servings and lunch for Tomorrow


INGREDIENTS:

• 3 Boneless/ Skinless Chicken Breasts (Cut into Bite sized pieces)
• 1 Onion (Dicedl)
• 2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
• 1 Stalk of Celery (Diced)
• 1 Bell Pepper (Diced)
• 1 Bunch Asparagus (cut in 1 inch pieces)
• 1/2 Cup Salsa
• 1/4 Cup White Cheese (pepper jack is best)
• 3 TBSP EVOO
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1 TBSP Crushed Red Peppers
• 1 1/2 TSP Oregano
• Corn Tortillas
• 2 TSP Flour
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

You will need half of the vegetables for the enchilada's filling and the other half for the cheese sauce, so divide and reserve half for the sauce. Saute one half in 2 TBSP of EVOO for about 5 minutes or until transparent, add half the oregano and pepper flakes to mixture.  Salt and Pepper the Chicken and add to pot, brown for about 10 minutes or until cooked throughout. Remove using a slotted spoon and reserve until later.

While the chicken is cooking, wrap corn tortillas in foil and warm in the oven. Take the other half of the veggies, oregano and red pepper flakes and put into a food processor and mince.

Whisk flour into some cold water (about 2 TBSP) and add to the chicken juice stirring constantly until thickened. Add the minced vegetables to the pot and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Add salsa, sour cream, and cheese stirring in a figure 8 until well blended and cheese is melted.  Put lid on pot and keep warm until ready to use, if sauce is too thick you can add water or chicken broth until desired consistency.

Pile chicken mixture into warm corn tortillas and roll. Line casserole or baking dish with enchiladas, seam side down.  Pour Hot sauce over enchiladas and place in the oven for about 25 minutes or until mixture starts to bubble and tortillas brown on edges.

TO SERVE:

We put 2-3 Enchiladas on a plate and served with white rice with any remaining cheese sauce on top.  MMmmmm!!!

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• Mix the white rice with any remaining sauce prior to serving and let cook for a few minutes.
• Make sure tortillas don't get too soft or else they will tear, if they are not hot enough then they will tear (it is a tricky task so if you have a secret...do share)!
• If you prefer shredded chicken you can use precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

My mom made these sandwiches last weekend when we were home and I just had to give them a try. Its super easy and if you have a crock pot then you are a couple of hours away from a hearty, tasty and simple meal! I wanted to make it yesterday for the guys cause I knew we were going to be eating all day and this goes really far, but we had so much other food it was unnecessary so I decided it would be a perfect Sunday dinner idea after watching football all day and vegging on the couch. It makes a lot so Matt will have lunch for the week, or we will be prepared for our guests later.

Cook Time: 6 Hours
Yields: 1 pound of meat, 6+ sandwiches
Calls Home to Mom: 2


INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Eye of the Round Roast (or any nice lean looking roast, about 1lb)
• 1 Onion
• 3 Cloves Garlic 
• 1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Water
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 TSP Dried Oregano

PREPARATION:

Turn Crock Pot on high heat, Cut up the onion and garlic add to the crock with 1/4 cup of water. Salt and Pepper the roast and place in the pot and coat with the BBQ sauce and sprinkle Oregano. Put the lid on and let cook for 5-6 Hours (no peeking). After letting it slow cook, take 2 forks and pull the meat apart.  Let warm in the crock pot until ready to eat. THATS IT!!!

TO SERVE:


We got some Hoagie buns and scooped some meat on the bread with some fresh cut onions, and dill pickle slices... MMmmmm!

 SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• Add extra BBQ sauce if you like your sandwiches more sloppy. 
• If there is any fat on the roast, remove after cooked (it makes for yummy juice).
• The longer you let it cook untouched, the more tender the meat will be.
• We had some Asparagus so I threw some stalks in on top of the meat in the crock pot for the last 30 minutes and it was delicious...it was sort of BBQ infused steamed asparagus.

Jitterbug Stuffed and Stewed Chicken

After a long weekend at home visiting the family and playing the tourist role in New Orleans, I felt it was only necessary to have some good friends over and cook a New Orleans inspired meal for the ever anticipated Saints game. Emeril makes a Jitterbug Stewed Chicken and I wanted to go a step above that so I decided to stuff the chicken breast with spinach and mushrooms before stewing them. It is a very filling and seemingly healthy way to do chicken in a different way.

Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Yields: 4 Servings

Calls Home to Mom: 1 due to burning 4 outta 5 fingers on my right hand :-(

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Onion (Finely chopped)
• 1 Bell Pepper (Finely chopped)
• 2 Stalks of Celery
• 4 Cloves of Garlic
• 1/4 Cup EVOO
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 QT Chicken Stock
• 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breats
• 1 Box Frozen Spinach
• 1 1/2 Cup Chopped White Mushrooms 
• 1/4 Cup Romano Cheese
• 1 TSP Butter

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the spinach according to package and drain using a dish towel until dry, transfer a pan and saute with mushrooms and garlic for about 4 minutes or until the mushrooms are softened. Add romano cheese, salt and pepper, and 1 Tsp Butter. Transfer to a mixing bowl and reserve for the stuffing.

Pound the chicken breast until about 1/4 inch thick, lay a spoonfull of above mixture down the middle and roll up securing with toothpicks. Salt and Pepper both sides of the Rollups. In a saute pan heat up the EVOO over Med-High heat and brown the chicken (3 minutes a side). Transfer to a plate and reduce heat on pan to medium.

In the same pan the chicken was browned in, add onions, bell peppers, celery and saute until the vegetables are transparant (about 5-6 Minutes). Add garlic and cook till fragrant (about 30 seconds).  Slowly add flour while constantly stirring forming a roux. Once thickened, slowly add the chicken stock. Bring sauce to a boil and stir (scraping the bottom to release the bits of chicken). Add the Chicken rollups and place in the oven for an additional 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked throughout (180 degrees)

TO SERVE:

We served a Chicken Rollup over cheese filled raviollis and poured the sauce over everything. It seemed like a goolosh but was delicious. We also had Garlic bread to help sop up the sauce.

You can serve it with rice or any of your favorite side items.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• After the pot has been in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, the lid will be quite hot, so dont go grabbin it with bare fingers!!
• After burning your fingers, immediately grab ice cubes and keep covered!!

Chicken and Fettucine with Bordelaise Sauce

Since we have been out of town and last week I was blessed with the lovely stomach virus, we haven't been cooking much nor have we had much food in our fridge, but today I managed to locate 2 lonely chicken breast, a half box of fettuccine, frozen broccoli and a few other ingredients in order to concoct this yummy and quite gourmet little meal, and it was just enough for the 2 of us. I received an Emeril's cookbook as a wedding gift and this is a spinoff of his Spaghetti Bordelaise so I guess we should rename this recipe Cheri's Fettucine Bordelaise (so I did). I swapped out a few ingredients for ones we had around but its pretty much the same idea.

Cook Time: 40 Minutes
Yields: 2 Servings


INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
• 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 6 TBSP unsalted Butter
• 2 TBSP EVOO
• 1 TBSP Dried Parsley
• 1 TBSP Dried Chives (or fresh if you have them)
• 1/4 Lemon (Juiced)
• 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Dash Hot Sauce to Taste
• Salt and Pepper to Taste
• 1 Splash Chicken Broth
• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Bread Crumbs

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt and pepper the chicken breast, dip in egg, and coat with italian bread crumb. Put in a greased baking dish and cook for about 30 minutes or until the meat registers 180 degrees in the middle.

Heat the butter and EVOO in a sauce pan over Med-High heat, when it starts to foam add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add Onions, Parsley, Chives, Worcestershire sauce, chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce and simmer for 20 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, boil a pot of salted water and add your fettucine. Cook 9 minutes or until just shy of al dente (a little bite to it). Drain and pour half of the bordelaise sauce but keep the rest to pour over your chicken or to add to the pasta before serving.

TO SERVE:

Put a spoonfull of pasta on the plate,  top with a chicken breast and then pour the sauce over top of everything. Serve with your favorite side item.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• I like the sauce more smooth so I took a hand blender and whipped it around for a few minutes. 
• We have a meat fork thermometer what tells us when different meats are cooked to eliminate guessing.
• If the sauce is too thin you can add a gravy thickener until you get the desired consistency.

Inside-Out Sausage Pork Chops

In the words of David Gomez..."The blog must go on!!". We were run out of our house for over a week and since we have such nice and hospitable friends they offered to let us stay at their house (for a small fee of course) in exchange for dinner, and since I aim to please I thought what a perfect way to try out a few more of my recipes.  I decided to do a pork chop recipe that winds up tasting like italian sausage and serve it with roasted pepper and potatoes...It was tasty!

Cook Time: 35 Minutes
Yields: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS;

• 5-6 Boneless Pork Chops
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 TBSP EVOO
• 2 Onions (Thinly Sliced)
• 3 Cloves Garlic
• 1 TBSP Fennel Seeds
• 1 TSP Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Red, Yellow, Green, and Orange Bell Pepper

PREPARATION:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 2 Tbsp EVOO in a pan over medium high heat, Salt and pepper the chops and transfer to heated pan, sear on both sides or until they are golden brown (about 3-4 minutes a side).

While the chops are browning, Toss bellpeppers with a tsp of EVOO and salt and pepper. Place in the oven and cook until they are crisp around the edges but tender to the bite. (about 20 minutes)

Transfer chops to a baking sheet and let finish cooking in the oven for 10 minutes with the peppers.


Add 1 Tsp of EVOO to the same pan the chops were cooked in and heat over med-high heat, add the thinly sliced onions, garlic, pepper flakes, and fennel seeds and saute until tender.  Place a piece of foil over the onions to smother them until they caramelize.

TO SERVE:

Serve a pork chop with a spoonfull of the caramelized onions on top and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.Its amazing how much it tastes like sausage! Serve the peppers along side and with some of your favorite style potatoes. ENJOY!!

SOME HELPFUL TIPS:

• Its easier if you chop and slice up everything before you start to cook.
• If chops are really thin, reduce cooking time.