Japanese Zucchini and Onions

This was very tasty and a nice change from our usual green beans and almonds. Great veggie side dish! Found it here at allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS:
*2 T vegetable oil (used olive oil)
*1 medium onion, thinly sliced
*2 medium zucchinis, cut into thin strips
*2 T teriyaki sauce
*1 T soy sauce
*1 T toasted sesame seeds
*ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, and cook 5 minutes.

2. Add zucchini, and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and sesame seeds. Cook until zucchini are tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Stir in ground pepper, and serve immediately.

Maple Salmon

This sounded so yummy and simple to make. Found this from allrecipes.com. Although it was yummy, I thought it might have a little more maple flavor. Will definitely make again though!

INGREDIENTS:
*1/4 cup maple syrup
*2 T soy sauce
*1 clove garlic, minced (I used 1/2 tsp minced garlic)
*1/4 tsp garlic salt
*1/8 tsp ground black pepper
*1 pound salmon (I used 1.5 pounds wild Alaskan sockeye salmon)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Manicotti with Spicy Sausage

This is one of my favorite Italian dishes...so yummy with a kick of spiciness. I found it on allrecipes.com .

INGREDIENTS:
*1 pound spicy Italian sausage (we used the Bob Evans zesty one)
*1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
*1 (26 ounce) jar marinara sauce (I used about 1 1/2 jars)
*2 eggs, beaten
*3 cups ricotta cheese
*3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
*1 (4 ounce) can green chilies
*3 T minced fresh parsley
*1 tsp Italian seasoning
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 tsp garlic powder
*1/2 tsp black pepper
*1 box manicotti noodles (don't cook them)
*1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used more than this...just bought one package)


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain and set aside. In the same skillet, bring tomatoes and marinara sauce to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, chilies, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt, garlic powder and pepper.

2. Divide 2 cups of sauce between two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes. Stuff uncooked manicotti shells with cheese mixture. Place in prepared pans. Sprinkle with sausage; top with remaining sauce.

3. Cover and bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and manicotti is tender. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Honey Grilled Shrimp

Another fabulous recipe from Lindsay who found it on allrecipes.com . Instead of grilling it, I broiled it in our oven, and it turned out great. One mistake I made was not reading the directions thoroughly before cooking. I didn't realize I had to let the shrimp marinate for one hour in the fridge. Our shrimp marinated for about 30 or so minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
*1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on (we used 1.3 pounds and removed the tails)
*1/2 tsp garlic powder
*1 tsp ground black pepper
*1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
*2 T dry white wine
*2 T Italian-style salad dressing
*1/4 cup honey (we added a little more)
*1/4 cup butter, melted (we used Plugra unsalted)
*2 T Worcestershire sauce
*skewers


DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large bowl, mix together garlic powder, black pepper, 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce, wine, and salad dressing; add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2. Preheat grill for high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.

3. In a small bowl, stir together honey, melted butter, and remaining 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce. Set aside for basting.

4. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until opaque. Baste occasionally with the honey-butter sauce while grilling. (We broiled our shrimp in our oven, about 3-5 min each side, basting before and in-between; we started on a low-broil, and changed it to high-broil during the last half).

Taco Bake

This is Lindsay's recipe , and it is soooooo yummy! I could eat this everyday! Nate and I both had seconds...and even Evan loved the noodles in it.

INGREDIENTS:
*1 lb. ground beef (we used ground turkey)
*1 packet taco seasoning
*15 oz can tomato sauce
*8 oz seashell pasta
*8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened in microwave (we used fat-free)
*1/2 cup sour cream (we used close to 1 cup of light sour cream)
*8 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese


DIRECTIONS:
(preheat oven to 350 degrees)

1. Brown ground beef, drain, return to pan. Add taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Bring to boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

3. In a small bowl, mix softened cream cheese and sour cream.

4. Spray bottom of 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. Put pasta in bottom of pan.

5. Spread cream cheese mixture over pasta. Spoon ground meat mixture over this.

6. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

Oreo Refrigerator Cake

This stuff is AMAZING!!! Wow! I made this for Family Night at Nate's firehouse last weekend, and it was a hit! My cousin Lisa gave me the recipe after she had made it for one of our family get-togethers.

INGREDIENTS:
*1 pkg Oreo cookies (I used 2 pkgs of Oreo Double-Stuffed)
*1 cup margarine
*2 (8oz) tubs of Cool Whip
*1 cup powdered sugar
*2 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese
*1 large package of instant chocolate pudding mix
*3 cups milk (for pudding)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Crumble cookies and spread half of them on the bottom of a 9x13 pan (save other half for later). Pour 1 cup of melted margarine over the cookies. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

2. In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with fork until smooth. Add 1 cup powdered sugar, beat until smooth. Add 1 tub (or 8oz) Cool Whip, mix well. Pour mixture over cookies. Refrigerate.

3. Make instant chocolate pudding according to instructions on the box. Pour over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 1 hour.

4. Top with 1 tub (or 8oz) of Cool Whip. Sprinkle with remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Crock Pot Round Steak

I found this on Stephanie Cooks . I had modified it since I couldn't find a good cut of London broil at the local store. In cooking this recipe, I have realized we need a smaller (3-4qt) crock pot. I made this in our 6qt one, and this cooked a lot faster than I had wanted. This was yummy, but the meat was too chewy. Will definitely make this again in our new crock pot! We both loved the sauce...so simple, yet flavorful. We paired this with Oven Roasted Potatoes...and our favorite green beans with almonds.


INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds flank steak (we used round steak)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place meat in the bottom of the slow cooker; if necessary, slice meat to make it fit!

2. In a medium bowl, mix together mushroom and tomato soup. Pour mixture over beef. Sprinkle dry onion soup mix over top.

3. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours (our too-big crock pot cooked this in 2 hours...oops).

Oven Roasted Potatoes

I've been wanting to make these for awhile after seeing them on Lindsay's food blog . These are now my new favorite potato side dish! So easy to make, simple ingredients!


INGREDIENTS:
* 1/8 cup olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
* 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
* 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (I left peels on)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.
3. Roast for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.