Tag: butter

Baked Tilapia


More Tilapia! I decided to make this dish last night since I had two remaining vacuumed-sealed frozen filets in the freezer and really didn’t feel like venturing out to the grocery story, and because it’s easy (and quick) to make. It turned out super delicious and just melts in your mouth with a nice buttery flavor, hint of lemon, and little salty tang from the capers.

Baked Tilapia and Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 2 tilapia fillets (6 oz. each)
  • 3 tbsp. butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 2 tbsp. capers, drained
  • 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp. paprika

Directions

  1. Place tilapia in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish.
  2. Season fish with salt, garlic and onion powder.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the butter and lemon juice; pour over the fillets.
  4. Sprinkle with oregano, paprika and capers.
  5. Bake, uncovered, at 425°F for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

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Almond Thin Cookies (aka Pain d’amonde)


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Around Christmas time, our office was overflowing with succulent treats from our vendors, which is how I discovered (and fell in love) with small crisp almond thin cookies from Jules Destrooper. I think I might have actually eaten half of the box. At that point, I was on a mad hunt to find these, and had planned on ordering some (okay, a dozen) when I found them. Thankfully, I came to my senses and resisted my urge as I knew the majority of them would remain in my house (and then consumed). Just recently, I started thinking (dreaming) of those delicious thins, and decided to see if I could find the recipe online. I came across two, and after reading the ingredients and directions, I chose to go with this one on David Lebovitz‘s site, which came from Flo Braker. I highly recommend checking them out if you’re not familiar with David or Flo!

Ingredients

  • 8 tbsp.  butter, salted or unsalted, cubed
  • 1 1/3 cups coarse crystal golden sugar*
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 1/3 cups  flour
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 cup sliced almonds, blanched or unblanched

* You should be able to find course crystal golden sugar in your local grocery store. I used Sugar in the Raw Natural Cane Turbinado Sugar.

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat with the sugar, cinnamon, and water. Stir until the butter just melts but don’t allow to boil: most of the sugar should not be dissolved.
  2. Remove from heat and stir in the flour, baking soda, and almonds until well mixed.
  3. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap and press the dough into the pan so the top is smooth. Chill until firm.
  4. To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 325°F.
  5. Using a very sharp chef’s knife, slice the dough crosswise, as thin as possible, into rectangles (I cut my rectangles in half). If you can get them as thin as a coin, all the better. The thinner they are, the more delicate and crisp they’ll be.
  6. Space the cookies on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cookies feel slightly firm and the undersides are golden brown. Flip the cookies over and bake an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cookies are crisp and deep golden-brown on top. The baking times depend on how thin you cut the cookies.
  7. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

For storage: Once baked, the cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to three days. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days, or frozen for up to two months, if well-wrapped.

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Quick & Easy Microwave Hollandaise Sauce


As you may (or may not) know, I have a great light Hollandaise Sauce already on here, but decided to give you another one that I’ve been using for a while and only takes five minutes to make, if that. And, this one has even fewer calories than my other recipe! Score! While it’s not as creamy as the other recipe, since there isn’t any heavy whipping cream, I still think it’s delicious and really great if you’re short on time. This recipe yields one serving so double/triple it, if necessary.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • White pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

  1. Put butter in a coffee cup (if making one or two servings) or a bowl (if making three or more servings), and microwave for about 15 seconds, until just melted. 
  2. Separate egg white & yolk, and add yolk to cup.
  3. Stir together well with a fork (or a whisk if using a bowl).
  4. Add lemon juice and white pepper, and stir.
  5. Put into microwave and set the time to 30 seconds (although you probably won’t need that much time). When the timer shows 22 seconds, open the door (pausing the microwave), remove cup and stir the hollandaise sauce vigorously with the fork. Return cup to the microwave with the hollandaise sauce and press “Start” again. Allow only about 7-9 seconds to pass, then repeat: open the microwave, remove the cup and stir the hollandaise sauce vigorously. Continue to stir and cook until the hollandaise sauce is light and fluffy.
  6. Remove from microwave and add mustard, stir well.
  7. Taste, and adjust seasonings of lemon juice and pepper, if desired.
  8. Serve over your food and enjoy!

15.9 g fat / 157 cal / 1.1 g carb / 2.8 g protein per serving

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Maple Glazed Carrots


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope today finds you blessed with an abundance of love, happiness, and of course, food. This year, I’m having a very low-key day by celebrating the holiday at home with just my pet family, but I’m still planning on having a scrumptious dinner with the traditional fixin’s. I always make carrots as one of my side dishes, and usually cook them with some honey, but decided to try them with maple syrup last night. I only taste-tested a couple, as I’m saving them for today’s “big” feast, but they were amazing. And, the fact that there’s only four ingredients and are super easy to make, is an added bonus!

Ingredients

  • Approximately 25 baby carrots
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Directions

  1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add carrots and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain & set aside.
  2. Combine butter, 1/4 cup water, and maple syrup  in large skillet over medium-low heat.
  3. When butter is melted, mix in carrots and cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer.
  4. Cook until most of liquid evaporates, stirring frequently, approximately 8 minutes.
  5. Uncover, stir, and cook one more minute.
  6. Enjoy!

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Cheddar Bay Biscuits


I made these a while back, and remembered how tasty they were so decided to make them again. Apparently, they’re very similar to those served at Red Lobster, but I haven’t eaten there in years so can’t compare. However, I just informed by a friend, that there’s a Red Lobster very close to me… which I drive by everyday to and from work. Pretty funny that I didn’t remember that. But, now that I know, I will definitely be popping in to check out their infamous biscuits. Anywho, if you like garlic, cheddar & biscuits, then you’ll surely enjoy these.

Ingredients

Biscuits:

  • 1 1/4 cups Bisquick
  • 2 tbsp. cold butter
  • 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Little less than 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

Butter Glaze:

  • 1 1/2 tbsp. butter
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease or line one cookie sheet with parchment; set aside.
  2. Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter (or use 2 forks). Don’t worry about mixing too thoroughly; there will be small chunks of butter in the mix about the size of peas.
  3. Add cheddar cheese, milk, garlic powder, and Old Bay.
  4. Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.
  5. Drop 1/4 cup portions of the dough onto cookie sheet.
  6. Bake for 11-13 minutes in preheated oven or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.
  7. While the biscuits are baking, melt butter is a small bowl in the microwave.
  8. Stir in garlic powder and dried parsley flakes.
  9. Use a brush to spread the garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits.

This recipe makes about 6 biscuits. Double the ingredients if you want more. 

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New York Strip Steak (with Tarragon Melting Sauce)


When I’m in the mood for steak, I usually pick up beef tenderloin or tri tip, but the Smart & Final near my house only carries NY strips so I will occasionally grab one if I don’t feel like heading over to Trader Joe’s or Von’s (that’s rare, but it does happen). About a week ago, I got a NY Strip and was looking at various recipes to try something different, and came across one from Paula Deen that tickled my fancy, so decided to give it a whirl. The marinade is easy and quite tasty, and I plan to use it the next time I make a filet. As for the melting sauce, it was a nice compliment to the steak. In the event you didn’t know, I’m into sauces big-time, so was eager to taste this one. The recipe for it does yield a lot, even though I’ve already cut it in half…twice, and I only use a very small amount since it is butter-based (we know Paul Deen likes her butter), but it’s also great on baked potatoes and warm rolls.

NY Strip w/Tarragon Melting Sauce and Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus oil for skillet
  • 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 3 (1-inch thick) boneless New York strip steaks
  • Tarragon Melting Sauce, recipe follows

Directions

  1. In a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, combine oil, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire and pepper. (I like to press a little salt & ground pepper onto the steaks before marinating).
  2. Add steaks to bag. Press the air out of the bag, and seal tightly. Turn the bag several times to distribute the marinade; place the bag in a bowl and refrigerate 30 minutes, turning bag occasionally.
  3. Heat a large oiled skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Remove steaks from marinade, discarding marinade.
  5. Place steaks in hot skillet; cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or to the desired degree of doneness.
  6. Remove steaks to a serving plate, and keep warm.
  7. Top each steak with a teaspoon (or desired amount) of Tarragon Melting Sauce.

Tarragon Melting Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tbsp. green onion, minced 
  • 1/4 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves, minced (or 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon) – you could substitute rosemary
  • 1/4 tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped (or 1/4 tsp. dried parsley)
  • 1/4 cup light or nonfat sour cream
  • 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. In a bowl, add all ingredients together and mix until smooth. Cover, and refrigerate.

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