Tilapia with Peach and Pepper Salsa

This cooking light recipe has been in my recipe binder for months now.  I had fresh tilapia this past week and figured this would be a perfect summer recipe.  The salsa was simple to make.  I didn't use arugula and opted for a jalapeno pepper instead of a habanero. 

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped peeled yellow peaches (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh arugula
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 9 ingredients; toss gently. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

**For the fish**

I dipped the fish in one egg and coated it with instant mashed potato mix from Betty Crocker. I cooked it at 375 for 15 minutes.  I served it with the salsa on top.   

Zucchini Chips

This is another recipe I found over on Pinterest.  I made zucchini sticks last year and they were a big hit. I figured these would be just as good! And...they were.  I used regular seasoned breadcrumbs and the only thing I'll do differently next time is use Panko crubms.  Enjoy!

Oven-Fried Parmesan Zucchini Chips

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup milk

2 small zucchini cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices

Cooking spray or vegetable/olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Grease a large oven-proof wire rack set on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk together bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, onion powder and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk in a separate shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk then in breadcrumb mixture patting the crumbs on. Place slices on wire rack. Repeat until all are coated.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with basil dipping sauce if desired.

Tortellini and Tomato Salad

I don't know what I did before the days of Pinterest!  I found this a picture of this recipe on Pinterest and made it immediately.  It was so easy to make and unbelievably delicious.  Recipe is from Southern Living.

Tortellini and Tomato Salad 

Ingredients

• 2 (9-oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• Salt and pepper
• 
  

Preparation

1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions.

• 2. Meanwhile, process olive oil and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Toss olive oil mixture with hot cooked tortellini, tomatoes, and next 3 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Festive Favorite Layered Dip

This was another July 4th appetizer recipe.  I was looking for quick and easy appetizers. Kraft came through again, as usual.  This one took about 10 minutes to make.  It's very similar to the seven layer dips minus the beans and a few other ingredients.  The only change I made was in the sour cream. I used the new chipotle sour cream, which I loved.  It added a little spice to the dip.  

What You Need

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread

1/2 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1/4 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing

1 cup  TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2   tomatoes, chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2   green onions, chopped

RITZ Crackers

Make It

MIX first 3 ingredients; spread onto bottom of shallow 1-1/2-qt. bowl.

TOP with all remaining ingredients except crackers.

SERVE with crackers

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

I've said it time and time again, I can live off of appetizers. I'm a grazer, appetizers are perfect for grazing all day or during a party. I made this kraft recipe for our Fourth of July party. Not only was it a simple recipe, but one that didn't need the oven. When hosting a party there are usually so many items that need to be baked. I was able to get more done because this was done in the microwave. Everyone was asking for this recipe.  Definitely a good one for parties.  I'm sure we  will be using it a lot for football season! 

Ingredients

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

1 lb.  (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 can  (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

Directions

  

MICROWAVE ingredients in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 min.

White Chocolate Strawberries and Pretzels...July 4th

I saw some cute July 4th creations on Pinterest and decided to recreate them for our party last night.  These two creations were easy to prepare before hand.  All you need is a double boiler and white baking chips.  I melted the baking chips and started with the pretzels.  I dip, twirled and sprinkled.  I laid them on wax paper to dry.  They're as easy as that! Put them in a glass vase for the prefect presentation.  

For the strawberries, I used the remaining white chocolate.  I dipped them and held them up for  a minute to harden a bit.  Then I dipped them into a bowl of blue sprinkles.  After that, I laid them on wax paper to harden.  The key to getting the blue sprinkles to stick is not dipping the strawberry directly into the sprinkles after the white chocolate.  Give it about 20 seconds to harden and then dip.  Enjoy!

Patriotic Wreath Tutorial

Happy 4th of July!

I love wreaths hanging on my front door.  I especially love wreaths that are hand made especially for holidays.  Here is the wreath I made for the 4th.  

Materials:

Red, White and Blue Yarn

Scissors

3 Felt Stars

3 Star Buttons

Directions: 

Start our with a round foam wreath. Any Size.

Divide the wreath into a color pattern and mark it.  I decided to do a red, white, blue, white pattern.  I used a sharpie to mark it.  This helped me know where to start and stop each section of the yarn.  

Wrap the yarn around the wreath.  I tied the yarn in a knot to start it out and continued to wrap it until I came to the marked line.  When changing colors, I tied the two colors together to start the new section.  

You're wreath is now finished.  I found some felt stars at Jo Ann's (6 for $1).  I glued them on the bottom left side of the wreath.  When I was done with that, I felt like it needed a little more.  So, I added a few star buttons on top of the felt stars. 

Ta Da!