Parsley Lemon Butter Salmon

I HATE seafood--this recipe is the only fish I eat! Easy and simple and sure to impress the roommates.

college dorm kitchen portion (for 1):

4 oz. salmon fillet
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
pepper, garlic salt, and parsley to taste

Heat pan on medium. Melt butter and lemon juice in small dish. Mix in garlic salt, pepper, and parsley. Brush each side of fish with butter sauce. When pan is heated, place fillet skin-side down and cook 4-5 minutes. Brush with butter sauce again before flipping, and cook the other side for 4-5 minutes. I usually pour the remaining sauce on the fillet just before I take it off the heat. Great with cold black bean and pea salad--we college ladies have to get our protein somewhere!!

Easy Roasted Vegetables

1 green and 1 yellow zucchini, alternately peeled and sliced 1 inch on diagonal
1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced into rounds
8 oz mushrooms sliced in half
4 plum tomatoes, quartered lenghtwise
1/4 C olive oil
Melissa's Organic Chile Seasoning (in produce section of market)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 C Cilantro sprigs (leave whole w/stem)
Shredded hard cheese, such as Manchego or Parmesan

Preheat oven 450. Take large piece of foil and assemble vegetables. Drizzle w/olive oil and sprinkle generously with Melissa's seasoning and salt and pepper. Lay cilantro over evenly. Cover w/2nd piece of foil and seal tight by folding ends together. Roast 20 minutes and turn off heat. Let sit in over an additional 10 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle w/cheese.
Serves 4 as side dish or 2 as entree.

Moore Family Potato Casserole

1 stick butter
8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 cans undiluted cream of celery soup
1 sm onion chopped
8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
24 oz bag frozen hash brown potatoes

Melt butter in saucepan. Add onions, saute until softened. Add soup and cream cheese and stir until cheese melts and thick sauce forms. In 9 x 13 pan, greased, put 1/2 potatoes, top with 1/2 sauce and 1/2 cheddar cheese. Layer remaining ingredients. Bake 350 1 hour uncovered. May need to adjust cooking time if using a casserole dish.

Raspberry Cobbler

Saw this recipe in a recent issue of The Red Eye about farmer's markets. It comes from Mandy Piedt of Piedt Farms. Although I haven't tried it yet, it sounds delicious and appears to be quite easy. I'm posting it here so I can toss the torn newspaper article :)

Pour a half cup of melted butter into a 7x11 baking dish. In a bowl, mix 3/4 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder. Pour over the butter (do not stir). Pour 2 cups of raspberries over the batter and butter (do not stir) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until crust is golden. Let set and serve.

Sweet Chex Mix

Here's a recipe Meghan sent me several months ago. I'm posting it here so I always know where to find it :)

1 lb white chocolate
6 cups Crispex
3 cups Cheerios
2 cups dry roasted mixed nuts
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 large bag of M&Ms

Melt chocolate. While melting, stir rest of the ingredients together. Pour in white chocolate and stir well. Pour mixture onto waxed paper and allow to cool. Break up into pieces.

Sopa de Lima (Yucatan Lime Soup)

Chris and I enjoyed this soup while in Mexico a few months ago. Allow me to pat myself on the back when I say that the version I made tonight was better than what we had in the Yucatan :) I'm surprised how much of an afterthought the limes are in this recipe - the juice is squeezed in right before serving. The fresh avocado and cilantro are super important garnishes, so don't skip them!

This recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock or canned low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Cut the tortillas into 1/4-inch strips. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and, when very hot, fry the tortilla strips, in small batches, until lightly golden and crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with salt, to taste. Repeat until all tortilla strips have been fried. Set fried tortilla strips aside and reserve the vegetable oil.

Transfer 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking oil to a large saucepan and add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and jalapeno pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and Mexican oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until the tomato is softened and has released its liquid and the mixture is nearly dry, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and chicken breasts and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the soup and set aside until cool enough to handle. Allow soup to continue simmering.

When the chicken has cooled a bit, shred into bite size pieces and return to the pot along with the green onions and lime juice. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through and the soup is piping hot. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and ladle the soup into wide soup bowls, with a handful of tortilla strips added to each bowl. Garnish with the avocado and cilantro and serve immediately.

Appetizers

Not sure if I have posted this here before, so please forgive me if I have. But, this link has a very handy list of 101 simple appetizers that can be prepared in 20 minutes or less. Could be useful if you are preparing anything for a Super Bowl party on Sunday!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/dining/19mini.html