Salmon With Mango Chimichurri

Fruit salsas are the perfect accompaniment to grilled fish.  The absolute best fish to try with this is triggerfish if  you can get it.  Salmon is great too.  As you can tell from the picture I like a lot of salsa with my fish.

Ingredients:

1 mango, peeled, pitted, and diced small
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/4 c. oil, plus more for grilling
2 T. lime juice
salt and pepper
6 salmon fillets (2 pounds)

Directions:

1.  Stir together mango, cilantro, red pepper flakes, oil, and lime juice; seaon with salt and pepper.

2.  Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high.  Clean and lightly oil hot grill.  Season salmon with salt and pepper and lightly brush with oil.  Grill until salmon begins to turn opaque, 4 to 6 minutes.  Flip and cook until opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes.  Transfer to a platter, spoon chimichurri over top, and serve.

Source:  Unknown

Noble Fatherhood

In preparing for my Sharing Time today I came across this wonderful talk from President James E. Faust. In it he said, "Recently a father of a family of six children, who has had the sole responsibility for raising the family, beginning when the youngest was in diapers, told of the struggles in raising the family alone. One night he came home from work, faced with the problems of being both father and mother and felt unusually burdened with his responsibilities. One of his appreciative little girls, age 12 years, approached him eagerly, after having laid a rock on his dresser, which she had painted at school. On the flat portion of the rock she had written, “Happiness is having a dad who cares.” This painted rock and its sublime message instantly and permanently lightened the burden of this father." -Happiness is Having a Father Who Cares by James E. Faust

What a truly amazing thing it is to have a father who cares.  My husband and I have often talked of our roles as parents and we have come to the decision that if we are representatives of our Heavenly Parents here on earth then our children will probably view Deity to have similarities to us.  It makes me view parenting a little differently.  James E. Faust also said, "Noble fatherhood gives us a glimpse of the divine."  I am so blessed to have men in my life who make this statement true.  I am so grateful for fathers everywhere who take the time to care and love their children and wives, they make the world a better place. 

Happy Father's Day!

Layered Turtle Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• 6 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• FILLING:
• 4 packages (8 ounces each) Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips, melted and cooled
• 1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans
• GANACHE:
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
• Additional caramel ice cream topping, optional

Directions

• Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
• In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and pecans; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup flour, cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Remove 1 cup batter to a small bowl; stir in melted chocolate. Spread over crust.
• In another bowl, mix caramel topping and remaining flour; stir in pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls over chocolate batter. Top with remaining batter. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.
• Bake at 325° for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
• For ganache, place chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chips; whisk until smooth. Cool slightly, stirring occasionally.
• Remove sides of springform pan. Spread ganache over cheesecake; sprinkle with pecans. Refrigerate until set. If desired, drizzle with additional caramel topping before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Rainbow Green Smoothie

We finally joined the green side of things and invested in a good blender.  Wow!  It makes a huge difference.  I am amazed at the smooth consistency.  I discovered though that there are limits to what my blender can do.  Unfortunately, it can't turn un-tasty healthy things into pure deliciousness.   Because everything the demonstrators make at Costco tastes delicious, I expected to be able to throw in whatever I wanted (it sure seems like they do that) and have it come out tasting like mint chocolate chip ice cream.  But I learned the hard way that a little bit of kale goes a long way. 

After some experimentation,  I came up with a smoothie that I really like and that is chalk full of good stuff.

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

1 handful of kale

2 handfuls of spinach

1 handful of pineapple

1 mango

5-6 large frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana

3-5 carrots (depending on size)

1 nice chunk of squash 

1/2 an avacado

1 apple

1 orange

1 handful of almonds

1 TBSP each of hemp, sesame, chia, and flax seeds

Directions:

-Add into the blender in the order listed and blend until smooth (mine has a pre-set smoothie setting)

-You can add a little ice if you want it colder and definitely add ice if your strawberries and banana aren't frozen.

Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu

Oh my goodness, this is so yummy and definitely on my "comfort foods" list from now on.  The recipe was super easy to put together. We enjoyed it, and it looked a little on the fancy side to serve to our guest. Yet all I had to do was put it all in the slow cooker and wait for it. It was creamy and really satisfying. We served a really great spinach salad with it and some rolls and corn on the cobb. Enjoy!          

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

(or one breast per person. I had 8.)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 cup of milk (I used 1-1/4c)

6 slices of deli ham

(OR 1 slice per breast...get some really good ham!)

6 slices of Swiss cheese (1 slice per chicken breast.)

1 (8 Oz) package of Stovetop Herb Stuffing mix 

1/4 cup melted butter

Mix the soup and milk in a bowl. Pour some of the soup onto the bottom of the slow cooker and spread it around so it coats the bottom of the cooker. Then layer the chicken breasts over the sauce.  Next layer the ham over the chicken and then layer the Swiss cheese over the ham. If you had more chicken breast, like I did, then you would do another layer of chicken breasts and ham and cheese.

 Sprinkle the stuffing over the top and then pour the remaining soup mixture over the stuffing. Try to cover the stuffing. Then pour the melted butter over the that.  I think it works best if you try to wet your stuffing. You don't want it to be crunchy. Spread the soup mixture a bit over the stuffing or even try to poke a spoon or fork down and in between the layers. Cover the slow cooker and cook on med to high for 4-6 hours.

Adapted from recipe by Six Sister's Stuff

Raspberry Cheese Dip

When I first saw this dish and asked what was in it, I was expecting...well...gross.  It just sounded nasty to me.  And then I tasted it.  Heaven!   This recipe is one of the most-requested recipes among my own collection of favorites and I have gotten several people addicted to it!  My oldest son, who is pickier than anyone else I know, loves this dip.  It gets eaten up in no time whenever I make it.

Ingredients:
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayo
2 green onions, chopped
12 ounces raspberry preserves
Ritz crackers

1.  Combine cheese, mayo, and onions in mixing bowl.  Fold together until well blended and spread in a shallow dish (pie plate works well).
2.  Spread raspberry preserves across the top of the cheese mixture.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with Ritz crackers.

Source:  fellow Maven (and sister!) Amy

Mayonnaise Chocolate Cake

I know, I know, the picture doesn't really show the deliciousness of the cake....but it does show the most creative birthday cake I have ever made (thanks to Julie Finlayson)!  This is my go to cake recipe.  It is always yummy and it is really easy.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt (I usually do a little less)
1 tsp. baking soda

Mix above ingredients together then add:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup hot water
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together well and bake in a greased and floured 9X13 pan at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  I often times (as in the above cake) will 1 1/2 times the recipe and bake it as a sheet cake, when doing this the baking time will decrease by about 5 minutes.

Source: My husband's grandma Mary Smith