Walnut and Dijon-Crusted Fish

lightly adapted from recipe in November 2016 Cooking Light Magazine

1/2 c raw walnut halves
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
4 (6 oz) halibut fillets (not tail pieces)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
4 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place walnuts in a large ziplock bag. Seal bag. Crush gently with a mallet or heavy pot until nuts break into small pieces. Combine nuts and thyme in a shallow dish. Combine dijon and egg white in a different shallow dish.

Press tops of fillets in egg mixture; shake off excess. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Dip egg side of fillets in walnut mixture, pressing to adhere.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium. Place fillets, walnut side down, in skillet. Cook until walnuts are golden and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn fish. Put pan in oven. Bake at 400 until fish flakes easily with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

I made this with salmon but I'm sure it would be great with halibut. I had to increase the baking time for the size of salmon pieces I had. Our family really enjoyed this recipe.

My rating: 4.5 stars
Boys said: thumbs up

Cranberry-Glazed Pork Roast

from Taste of Home Winning Recipes 

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 boneless rolled pork loin roast (about 3 pounds)

1 c jellied cranberry sauce

1/2 c orange juice

1/4 c packed brown sugar

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place roast in greased roasting pan. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

While the roast is baking, combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice and brown sugar in saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth. 

During the last 20 minutes of baking repeatedly drizzle the glaze on the pork until the sauce is gone.

All this tasty pork needs is a couple of sides like mashed potatoes and green beans! Yum!

Husband rating: 4 stars

Boys gave it two thumbs up

Berry Banana Blast

lightly adapted from blendtec.com

1/4 c vanilla greek yogurt

3/4 c apple juice

1 banana

3/4 frozen blueberries

1 1/2 c frozen strawberries

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

We got a BlendTec for Christmas. It is a big change from our Ninja blender. The Ninja was a good blender but couldn't get the ingredients chopped as finely or make the smoothie as smooth as the BlendTec.

Two thumbs up!

Melanie's White Chicken Chili

The original recipe (that I lightly adapted) comes from a friend's daughter-in-law who happens to have the same name I do-Melanie!

1 large chicken breast 
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 15 oz can corn, drained or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
1 10 oz can mild Mexican-style tomatoes (diced tomatoes with green chilis)
1 package ranch dressing
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 c water
1 8 oz package cream cheese

Put all ingredients in the crockpot, except the cream cheese. Put the block of cream cheese on top. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Take the chicken out and shred it. Put it back in the crock pot and mix all ingredients.

I have to double this recipe because our family likes it so much. The recipe should feed about 4-5 people as is.

Boys give this two thumbs up!

Seafood Pasta Alfredo

adapted from Taste of Home Winning Recipes cookbook, submitted by Rebekah Beyer

16 oz uncooked linguine
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 c julienned carrots (buy the small bag of pre sliced carrots to save time)
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 jar of your favorite alfredo sauce
1 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

Cook linguine according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add onion, garlic, zucchini and carrots. Sauté until crisp-tender. Add shrimp and red pepper flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked and drained linguine. Add the alfredo sauce and mix to coat all ingredients. Heat until warm; about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

I've been in a chicken rut lately! We eat chicken in soup, chicken pot pie, baked chicken and veggies. This is a nice addition to the weekly menu. It breaks up all those nights of chicken! It's easy, quick and affordable.

Husband rating: 4 stars
Boys said: thumbs up

Dragonwood

Our family loves Dragonwood. There is strategy, luck and all kinds of fun creatures to capture in this game. The age recommendation is 8 and up but our son played it without any problems at 6. You even get a bonus of practicing addition and figuring out risk by thinking about percentages as you play!

Italian Sausage Potato Soup

With the weather becoming cooler I have been in the mood for soups and chilis. This is a great recipe. I love finding new recipes our family enjoys!

adapted from ourbestbites.com

1 lb mild ground Italian sausage

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 large onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
8 cups (64 oz) chicken broth
2 pounds red potatoes, diced
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups low-fat milk
3 ounces light cream cheese
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups baby spinach, chopped

Place sausage in large pot. Add red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, onion, and garlic. Sauté over medium heat until the sausage is fully cooked and drain if necessary. Add the chicken broth and Italian seasoning, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook potatoes until tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth. Heat the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, then add the milk mixture and cook over medium heat until thick (like a very thick cream soup or a stirrable pudding). When the potatoes are cooked, add the thickened milk mixture and chopped spinach. If desired, season with additional crushed red pepper flakes and kosher salt to taste and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 8-10.

Husband rating: 3.5 (I give it a 4)