Grilled Tuna with Mango Salad ~Molly

This is yet another recipe I stole from Epicurious.com, although it was originally in Bon Appétit Magazine. It's super easy and an awesome summer meal.

1 Mango, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3/4 cup Red Onion, chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped

3 T Cilantro (or basil for all you cilantro haters!)

2 T Fresh Lime Juice

2 T Olive Oil

4 Tuna Steaks, 1 inch thick

Mix first five ingredients. Set aside.

Preheat grill or broiler. Brush tuna with olive oil and grill until opaque on both sides. Top with mango salad and serve.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes~by Kelsey

This is what Lydia wants for breakfast every morning.  Riker likes them, too, but he tops his with peanut butter instead of syrup.

Ingredients:
Pancake mix of your choice, made by directions on the package
Chocolate chips

Mix up the batter.  Pour the pancake in the pan.  Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.  Flip.  Enjoy!

Lydia's pancake is supposed to be shaped like an "L" in the above photo.

Chicken Fajita Marinade ~ by Sarah

I got this from allrecipes.com and added chili powder to give it a little kick.  Delicious!

Ingredients:
* 1/4 cup beer
* 1/3 cup fresh lime juice (it took about 5 limes to get this amount)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
* salt to taste
* 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:
1. To prepare the marinade, stir together beer, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, and salt; mix well.
2. To use marinade, pour into a resealable plastic bag, add up to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast, and mix until chicken is well coated. Marinate for 1 to 3 hours in the refrigerator.
3. Saute vegetables, remove from pan, cook meat, then add veggies back to meat mixture to blend flavors.  Serve as desired!

Cheers!

Blueberry Muffins...The Best Way ~ by Sarah

I didn't make the title up--I copied it from TastyKitchen.com--but I agree with it!  I find it hard to beat Betty Crocker's blueberry muffin mix, but I had fresh blueberries I wanted to use, so I found this recipe. They are yummy!  Simple, too!

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Directions:
Mix flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Combine melted butter, eggs, and milk and stir by hand into the dry ingredients until just blended.  Fold berries in lightly and carefully.  Spoon into greased muffin tins.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes--until golden brown.  Makes 12 extra large muffins or about 20 regular-sized muffins.

 

Slow Cooker Pork or Beef Roast ~ by Sarah

This recipe is a combination of ideas from Angela and ideas from me.  You can use a pork roast or a beef roast--the cheaper the better!  It is incredibly delicious!  This is one of Wes's favorite meals.

Ingredients:
1 pork or beef pot roast
1 envelope dry onion soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
1 heaping spoonful diced, jarred garlic
seasoning salt, garlic salt, pepper

Directions:
Drizzle olive oil in large skillet.  Heat over medium-high until oil is hot.  Place roast in skillet and brown on all sides.  Season well while browning. 

 Place roast in crock pot.  Pour golden mushroom soup over roast, then sprinkle the envelope of onion soup.  Add a small amount (about 1/2 a cup) of liquid--water, or beef broth if you're using a beef roast. 

Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Depending on how watery the roast is, the gravy in the crock pot may be thick enough to serve as is.  If it's not, add some flour and milk (I use heavy cream if I have it) and cook over medium-high heat until it's at your desired thickness.

You can add potatoes and/or carrots to the roast when a few hours of cooking time is left.  It makes the gravy a lot more watery, so sometimes I cook them separately.

Anderson Shish Kabobs ~ by Sarah

You've tried Hanning Shish Kabobs, now you should try shish kabobs ala Anderson!  Wes is famous for these--they are to die for!

Ingredients:
1 family-sized package petite sirloin steaks
2 zucchini
1 package whole fresh musrooms
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 sweet onion
1 heaping regular-sized spoonful of pre-minced, jarred garlic
2 bottles teriyaki sauce marinade
1 package shish kabob skewers

Directions:
Cut the vegetables into uniform pieces about 1 inch by 1 inch.  Put in a large bowl and  pour one bottle of marinade over them.  Stir well to coat.  Cover and put in refrigerator.

Trim the meat well and cut into 1 inch by 1 inch pieces.  Place in Ziplock bag.  Add garlic.  Pour in the other bottle of marinade.  Seal bag and mix well to cover the meat.  Put in refrigerator.

Allow veggies and meat to marinate in the refrigerator for at least t 6 hours.

When ready to start cooking, soak the wooden shish kabob skewers in water for about 15 minutes.  Add meat and veggies to the skewers in whatever order suits your fancy.  Save the leftover veggie marinade, but discard the meat marinade.

Barbecue over medium-high heat about 10 minutes or until meat is cooked to your desired wellness.  (Medium-rare, baby!)  While cooking, brush leftover marinade from the veggies on the shish kabobs.

Serve with white or brown rice.  I could eat these daily.  And they're great leftover--even cold from the fridge!

Honey Wheat Bread ~ by Sarah

From allrecipes.com!  Yummy!

Ingredients:
2 c. warm water (110 degrees F)
1 T active dry yeast
1/3 c. honey
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 t. salt
1/3 c. vegetable oil
5 c. all-purpose flour

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add honey and stir well.  Mix in whole wheat flour, salt, and vegetable oil.  Work all-purpose flour in gradually.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 to 15 minutes.  (I used the dough hook on my Kitchen Aid.)  When dough is smooth and elastic, place it in a well-oiled bowl.  Turn it several times in the bowl to coat the surface of the dough, and cover with a damp cloth.  Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk--about 45 minutes.  Punch down the dough.  Shape into two loaves and place into two well-greased 9x5 loaf pans.  Allow to rise until dough is 1 to 1 1/2 inches above pans.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

(I brushed my loaves with a mixture of 1 beaten egg and 1 tablespoon of water before baking to give it a more shiny, flaky crust.)