Garlic Lemon Tilapia

I don't have a lot of experience cooking or eating fish, but I've realized that if I want my kids to have familiarity with seafood, it's my responsibility to give them opportunity and exposure. I decided to be brave and add in one "Fish Day" to our 3 week summer meal rotation and plan to keep it for fall as well. 

My favorite seafood experience I've ever had was eating a bowl of mussels, clams, and scallops at a little seafood restaurant overlooking the ocean on the coast of Oregon. Oh, tied with favorite is eating shrimp in Hawaii with my mom and Grandma (I also had an amazing piece of MahiMahi in Hawaii). This isn't anywhere close to any of those - but I hope that by adding in one day of fish each month my kids will have experiences with seafood that will lead to a well rounded and healthy life. 




Garlic Lemon Tilapia

Source: Diethood

Ingredients
4 tilapia fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper,, to taste
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons butter,, melted
4 cloves garlic,, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon lemon zest
1 lemon,, sliced into rounds, for garnish
Red pepper flakes,, for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
Lemon slices, for garnish

(Serve with our favorite garlic butter rice, recipe below, and steamed veggies)

https://thepeadenkitchen.blogspot.com/2024/08/garlic-butter-rice.html

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Season tilapia with salt, pepper, paprika, thyme, and oregano; arrange fish in a 9x13 baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon zest; pour over tilapia.
Bake tilapia for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fish flakes and is fork-tender.
Garnish with pepper flakes, parsley, and lemon slices. Serve.

I also thought this note about "How Long to Bake Tilapia" was helpful for a fish newbie like me: 

If you haven’t baked tilapia before you may be wondering how to do it properly. Here are a few quick tips for the best baked tilapia:Like most fish fillets, tilapia cooks up pretty quickly! You’ll want to check on it as soon as it’s been in the oven for 10 minutes, or even sooner if your oven runs hot.
The fillets are done when they flake easily with a fork (but aren’t dry).
If you’re using a meat thermometer, insert it sideways into the thickest part of the fillet. The temperature should be 145°F.

Garlic Butter Rice

 Garlic Butter Rice

Source: Crave It All

Garlic Butter Rice has so much flavor, it makes the perfect side to go with anything! All cooked in one pot, forget about plain rice!

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (2oz. | 60g) butter, divided
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice, long gran, Basmati or Jasmine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish

Instructions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in rice to coat with the garlic butter.
Add broth, dried parsley, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Cover with lid and reduce heat to low so the liquid is simmering very gently. Cook until all liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Uncover and stir through fresh parsley.
Remove from heat, cover with lid and let stand 5-10 minutes, until soft.
Fluff rice with a fork. Stir through remaining butter and season with a little extra salt, pepper and dried parsley.
Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley.

Biscuits and Gravy

My sister Jenna frequently makes biscuits and gravy when we get together with our family. It always feels so decadent and I feel spoiled when she cooks for us. This summer when I was trying to shake up our breakfast meal plan, I added this to our Friday mornings and when I went to make it for the first time I was shocked at how easy it was! In the past, I've made large batches of biscuits (to eat and to freeze) - but recently discovered Walmarts frozen biscuits and they are just so good and easy, that's what I've been using all summer with no regrets. 

Biscuits and Gravy

Source: All Recipes

Ingredients:
8 Biscuits (Walmart frozen biscuits are better than any canned biscuit - but 
1 pound pork sausage
3 Tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange biscuits 1 to 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 13 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Stir in flour until well combined. Gradually add milk, stirring continuously, until the gravy thickens and comes to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer and stir for 2 more minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Serve-
Split biscuits in half. Place 2 halves on each of 8 plates; top with about 1/3 cup gravy.

Brown sausage in a large saucepan. Use a paper towel to blot out most of the grease from the pan.

Homemade Pizza Dough

I've been using this pizza recipe for years and always tell myself that today is the day I will post the recipe on my own blog, especially because I always make a few modifications from the original anyway. This is hands down my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe. 






MY FAVORITE HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH
Source: Janssen Bradshaw from Everyday Reading
Servings 2 14-inch pizzas
Prep time: 3 hours

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
3 cup all-purpose flour (can sub out half wheat flour or white wheat flour, but I never do)

Instructions
In a stand mixer, add water, honey, sugar, and yeast for 5-10 minutes until the yeast is frothy. Add in all remaining ingredients and let mix for 5 minutes (or 10 minutes if you're doing it by hand). Resist the urge to add more flour. 
Spray a bowl with cooking spray, scrape your dough into the bowl and cover. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Two to three hours before you're ready to make your pizza, take it out and let it come to room temperature and rise on the counter. (If you freeze half the dough, put it on the counter about 3-5 hours before you're ready to cook). *If I am in a hurry - I just let this raise for an hour on my counter and it still turns out great.* 

When ready to form crusts: 
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out dough and transfer to greased cookie sheet or baking sheet (Or pizza stone). Poke with fork several times around crust so it won't get puffy and par-bake in oven. You want it to be cooked through but not starting to brown. 

Remove from oven, flip over, add toppings, and return to oven to finish baking. 

Pizza crusts can be made ahead and even frozen for quick dinner prep. 

Meatballs

My Mom makes the BEST meatballs (Sweet and Sour Meatballs - Found here) but for whatever reason, they never quite turn out when I make them. I finally found this recipe and really liked the flavor and feel that they turned out really well. The recipe calls for beef and pork, but I only had ground beef on hand so that's what I used and it was still really flavorful. I also used Kraft parmesan cheese instead of grated parmesan and that worked, too. I would like to try it with the pork and grated parmesan, though, so I'm leaving the recipe with that included. The author says "This classic baked meatball recipe is easy to make, full of great flavor, and totally versatile. Pair it with your favorite Italian marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Swedish cream sauce…and beyond!"

Meatballs

Source: Adapted from Ali at Gimme Some Oven

prep time: 35 MINS
cook time: 10 MINS
total time: 45 MINS
yield: 24-30 MEATBALLS 1X


Ingredients:1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/3 cup milk
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2 eggs
1 cup (1 1/2 ounces) finely-grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely-chopped fresh Italian herbs, or 2 T dried Italian herbs (I used a Garlic Italian Parmersan Spice, but regular Italian seasoning or basil and oregano would be great)
1/4 cup grated yellow onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

INSTRUCTIONS


Make the panade. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the panko and milk until combined. Set the mixture aside to soak for 5 to 10 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
Combine remaining ingredients. Add the ground beef, ground pork, garlic, eggs, Parmesan, fresh herbs, onion and Worcestershire sauce to the (same) mixing bowl. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes evenly on top. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until evenly combined, being careful not to over-mix the ingredients.
Chill (optional step). To make the meatballs easier to form, I recommend covering and chilling the mixture in the refrigerator for 1 hour. But if you’re pressed for time, you can skip this step.
Prep oven and baking sheet. Heat the oven to 425°F and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Form the meatballs. Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop and roll the mixture into 2-tablespoon balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. (I recommend greasing your hands with a bit of olive oil to prevent the mixture from sticking.)
Bake. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer measures the internal temperature of the meatballs to be 160°F. Remove pan and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
Serve. Serve meatballs immediately and enjoy!

Also from "Gimme Some Oven" 

WAYS TO SERVE MEATBALLS:

This baked meatballs recipe is incredibly versatile and can be served a number of ways! You could use it to make…

Spaghetti and meatballs: Pair the meatballs with a 1-pound package of spaghetti (cooked until al dente) and a batch of my favorite marinara sauce recipe to make Italian meatballs.

Swedish meatballs: Pair with your favorite Swedish cream sauce recipe to make Swedish meatballs.

Alfredo meatballs: Pair with a batch of my favorite Alfredo sauce recipe to make Alfredo meatballs.

BBQ meatballs: Pair with a batch of my favorite homemade BBQ sauce recipe to make BBQ meatballs.

Grape jelly meatballs: Pair with a grape jelly sauce (just simmer together 1.5 cups ketchup and 1 cup grape jelly) to make retro grape jelly meatballs.

Italian Zucchini-Vegetable Soup

Italian Zucchini-Vegetable Soup

Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/232096/slow-cooker-zucchini-soup/


Ingredients
1 ½ pounds sweet Italian sausage
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces celery
2 pounds zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper, 1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped onion

1 tbs minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon garlic powder

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste


Instructions:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes; drain and discard grease. Mix celery into cooked sausage; cook and stir until celery is softened, about 10 minutes.

Put sausage mixture into crock pot and using the remaining grease add garlic, onion, and pepper in the hot skillet until starting to get soft. Add to crock pot. Add some butter to skillet and sear zucchini slices, just until they get some color on the outside but before they get soft add them to the crock pot. 

Add tomatoes to the crock pot. 

Combine sausage mixture, zucchini, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, salt, sugar, oregano, Italian seasoning, basil, and garlic powder in a slow cooker.

Cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours. Garnish each serving with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.

Beef and Broccoli

Easy Beef and Broccoli
Source: Kelly Senyei, Just a Taste


Ingredients
▢3 Tablespoons cornstarch, divided
▢1 pound flank steak or sirloin steak, cut into thin 1-inch pieces
▢1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
▢3 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
▢1 Tablespoon minced garlic
▢2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
▢2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
▢4 cups small broccoli florets
▢1/2 cup sliced white onions

Directions: 
In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Add the beef to the bowl and toss to combine.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Set the sauce aside.
Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and once it is hot, add the beef and cook, stirring constantly until the beef is almost cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beef to a plate and set it aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and once it is hot, add the broccoli florets and sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender, about 4 minutes. (See Kelly’s Notes.)
Return the beef to the pan then add the prepared sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the sauce thickens slightly. Serve with rice or noodles.

To guarantee bright green broccoli, blanch the florets in boiling water then drain and dry it very well before adding it to the pan. If you opt for this additional blanching step, reduce the cooking time of the broccoli to 2 minutes.
The sauce must come to a boil in order for the cornstarch to work as a thickening agent.