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Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Main Dishes

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

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Lately I have felt like I was in a cooking rut; I feel like I cook the same things all the time and have just been getting bored with our meals.  I made a deal with myself, I decided that I would try to start incorporating at least one new dish every week whether it be a recipe from one of my cook books, something from the blogs I read or something that I found from a site on the internet.  I just decided that it was time to jazz things up a little bit and incorporate new recipes into our weekly meals.  It seems like I tend to stick with chicken and beef just becaue it’s easy and I always have both on hand but there are so many other good varieties of meats out there that I don’t even utilize.  I have decided to step out of my comfort zone and to get away from the same old things.

In my attempt to get out of my rut and to introduce new recipes into our weekly routines I decided to make a salmon dish.  I actually had some salmon at the house that was just waiting to be eaten so I when I came across this recipe by Bobby Flay I knew it would be the perfect dish to serve.  Since the glaze had a lot of flavor I decided to keep the sides simple by serving it on brown rice along with a side salad.  It was delicious and so filling, but it wasn’t heavy at all.  This was a great, lighter meal and one that is great for week nights.

Salmon with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 Cup dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons olive oi
1 Tablespoon finely grated ginger
Vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 Salmon fillets, 6 ounces each

Directions:

Place a small sauce pan over medium-high heat and add the butter, brown sugar, and honey.  Keep on heat until ingredients are melted together.  Once ingredients are melted, remove from heat and add the mustard, soy sauce, olive oil and ginger and whisk together.  Let cool.

Preheat grill to medium heat.

Brush salmon with vegetable oil, then season salt and pepper to taste.  Place the salmon skin side down on the grill.  Coat the flesh of the salmon fillets with brown sugar and mustard glaze.  Grill for 6 to 8 minutes, for medium doneness, turning once after 5 to 6 minutes.

Recipe Source: Bobby Flay, Food Network

Saucy Catfish

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Although I watch Food Network quite often, I always see things that I want to make and eventually I do.  It is very rare that I watch an episode and decide that I need/want to make everything that was made; that being said usually when I want to make everything from an episode I don’t make it all at once.  I guess there is a first time for everything!  I was watching Paula’s Best Dishes and she and Trisha Yearwood were making true southern dishes; saucy catfish, jalapeno hushpuppies with a sweet and spicy chili sauce, stewed collard greens and chocolate pecan cobbler with caramel topping.  Everything they made looked absolutely delicious and I knew I had to make everything and I decided to make it all together.  I’m so glad I did, the meal was incredible!

This fish was so good, it was the perfect texture and so flakey and the sauce was really good as well.  The sauce that it is baked in is like Thousand Island Dressing with a little sweetness.  When the fish is served with the spicey hushpuppies and the salty greens it compliments each other wonderfully.  This meal really does have all the flavors and ingredients of a true southern meal and having all the tastes of the south brings a level of comfort to the table.  The next time you want a home cooked, southern style meal I would definitely suggest this and don’t forget the chocolate cobbler!

Saucy Catfish

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Pounds catfish (about 4 filets)
2 Teaspoons salt
1/2 Cup ketchup
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 Cup brown sugar
2 Teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 Cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 Cup chopped, sweet onion
1 Lemon, sliced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Line a 9×13 glass casserole dish with aluminum foil

Sprinkle the fillets with salt and place in a single layer in the pan.

Make the basting sauce by combining and mixing all of the ingredients besides the lemon.  Once the sauce is made pour over the fish fillets.  Place the fillets in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until it flakes easily with a fork.  Baste the fist every 10 minutes while it is baking. 

Remove the fish from the oven and transfer to a serving platter and garnish with lemon slices.

Recipe source: Paula’s Best Dishes, Food Network

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

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When I saw these pork chops on Paula’s Best Dishes; she was doing a chocolate episode so I was already interested since I’m a huge chocoholic but when she said she was making chocolate spiced pork chops I was glued to the t.v. because it sounded very interesting.  After I saw her make these I knew I had to try them, there isn’t a lot of chocolate in the recipe so don’t be worried about them being over chocolatey, but there is just enough to add a different depth of flavor.  The rub itself was incredible, it had all the different flavor elements; sweet, salty and spicy and they blended together perfectly and created a wonderful flavor.  The rub would be great not only on pork, but we inted to try it on some red meat as well as chicken.  This has quickly become one of our favorite recipes; it’s easy and the ingredients are ones that most people usually have on hand at all times.  

Everyone was very intrigued by the recipe when I first told them about it, mainly because of the chocolate.  Spencer was very skeptical, and at first he wanted me to omit the chocolate from the rub but when I started mixing it up he had a change of heart and decided it would venture out of his comfort zone and give it a try.  He was very pleasantly surprised with the end result, and he couldn’t get enough.  My parents were over at our house the night I made these and my dad tried a little bite of mine because his curiosity got the best of him since there was chocolate in it and he loved them.  A few days later they asked if we could eat together and asked if I would make the pork chops again, and I gladly did so!  Needless to say these are definitely a crowd pleaser and they are also wonderful for week night meals since there isn’t a lot of prep time.

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

    

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 Teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons unsweetend cocoa powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons garlic powder
1 Teaspoon paprika
1/2 Teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon fresh, ground black pepper
4 (1 1/2 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Rub the mixture evenly on the pork chops. 

Add the vegetable oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pork chops to the heated skillet and cook on both sides for 3 minutes each.  Put the skillet in the oven and bake pork chops until cooked through, the time will vary depending on the size of the pork chops. I cooked mine in the oven about 15 minutes.  

Remove skillet from oven and serve pork chops while hot.

Recipe Source: Paula Deen,  Food Network 

Kielbasa Reubens with Sauerkraut

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I came across this recipe quite some time ago, I’ve made it several times and Spencer still gets excited when I make it.  I don’t know why I haven’t blogged about it before now, but since this has been a recurring meal at our house I thought I would share it.  These sandwiches are so good and very hearty.  I love the flavor combinations; the tanginess of the mustard, sweetness of the red pepper relish and the saltiness of the kielbasa compliment one another perfectly and the melted cheese just puts it over the top. I love trying new flavor combinations; the ingredients of this sandwich are not out of the ordinary but they aren’t really anything I would have thought about pairing together myself but they work together so well.  Another great thing about this is it’s very quick to prepare and assemble so it makes for a quick and easy week night meqal.  This is a pretty big sandwich and pretty filling by itself so I usually just make something light to go with it.  Spencer can usually eat the entire thing; but most of the time I end up halving one for myself.  These quickly grew to be one of our favorites, hopefully it will become one of your family favorites too!

Keilbasa Reubens with Sauerkraut

 

Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon caraway seed
1 Pound sack sauerkraut, drained
1 Cup beer or apple cider
1/4 Cup spicey brown grainy mustard
2 Sticks (or 1 long folded link) keilbasa or turkey kielbasa (1 1/4 pound)
1/4 Stick butter, softened
8 Slices marbeled rye bread
8 Slices cheese ( I used provolone)
1/2 Cup red pepper relish

Directions:
Preheat a grill/griddle pan over medium heat.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat, toast caraway seeds in pan and then add the sauerkraut, beer, and mustard and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Cut the kielbasa into 4 portions and split the pieces in half, across, opening them up.  Grill the pieces on the hot griddle/grill pan until crisp on both sides, about 7-8 minutes total.  Wipe some of the grease off the pan and lower the heat to low. 
Lightly butter 1 side of the slices of bread.  Build the sandwiches with the butter side out, starting with the kielbasa, sauerkraut, and 2 pieces of cheese and spread the tops of the sandwich with the red pepper relish before placing on sandwich. 
Grill the sandwiches, until the bread is crisp and cheese is melted and then remove, cut and serve. 

Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray,Food Network

BLT'S With Roasted Onion Mayonnaise

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 BLT’s are one of my all time favorite sandwiches and although there is nothing wrong with a plain BLT it doesn’t hurt to add a twist to it from time to time.  I love making BLT’s at home because I’m able to be creative with what I add and I can I can pile on as much bacon, lettuce and tomato as I want.  When I was on maternity leave I was the queen of sandwiches; there were days where I would have plain turkey sandwiches but there were other days where I wanted a change so I would get creative with what I put on them.  I had already had BLT’s a few days one week and it still sounded good but I decided to change it up a little bit by making a roasted onion mayonnaise.  The flavor of the roasted onions added another element of flavor to this sandwich and it was absolutley delicious.  

I ended up having to make these again for supper one night, because when Spencer got home I told him about the sandwich and showed him the picture and his mouth was watering.  When I made these for us to have one night, he went on and on about them and said we would definitely have to have them again.  Another reason he loved them is because there was tons of bacon on the sandwich.  He really likes these sandwiches but they never seem to fill him up when he orders one from somewhere, so when I made his I was sure to load it with a lot of everything!  He’s now a huge fan of homemade BLT’s.

BLT’s with Roasted Onion Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

8-10 slices of bacon
1 Medium tomato, sliced
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Thin slices of onion, cut in strips
4 Slices bread, lightly toasted
salt and pepper
hint of onion powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place a slotted rack (I used cooling racks) on a sheet pan and lay slices of bacon on the rack in a single layer.  Place bacon in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, turn bacon over and cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove the bacon from the oven and place onion slices on the sheet pan and place the onions and bacon back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  If the bacon isn’t completely cooked place back in oven until it’s cooked to your liking.

Remove cooled onions from the pan and place on a paper towel to remove the bacon grease.  Roughly chop the onions, place them in the mayonnaise and stir together.  Add salt, pepper and onion powder to taste and mix together.  Spread the mayonnaise onto the 4 toasted slices of bread, add the bacon, lettuce and tomato to two slices of the bread and then top with the other two slices.

Recipe Source: Lynsey

Hot Dogs Stuffed with Cheese and Roasted Vegetables

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I love hot dogs and lately I have been making them quite a bit.  I love the taste of hot dogs off the grill but during the winter months one of the last things I want to do is stand in the cold and grill, so during the cooler months I just use the stove and oven to make my dogs and that’s how I prepared these.  Although I love hot dogs with just a little mayo and mustard, I do like thinking of new and different ways to prepare them just to have a little change from time to time.  These dogs were awesome; the hot dog itself had a great flavor and topping them with cheese, roasted onions and peppers, and spicey relish put them over the top.  The way these were prepared wasn’t too out of the ordinary but I personally have never topped a plain hotdog with cheese so it was a little different to me.  I kept these pretty simple, just using a good sharp cheddar, but the next time I make them I am going to find a different type of cheese and see what I can do with it to give the standard hot dog a twist.  Now that summer is just around the corner I hope to have quite a few variations of hot dogs to blog about!

Hot Dogs Stuffed with cheese and roasted veggies
  
Ingredients:
1/4 small onion, cut in long slices
1/4 medium bell pepper, cut in long slices
1 1/2 Teaspoons olive oil
1/4 Cup sweet and hot pickle relish
6 Slices sharp cheddar cheese
4 Beef hot dogs
4 Hot dog buns, buttered and toasted (if desired)
Mayonnaise
Spicey mustard
salt
pepper
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Fill a sauce pan half way with water and bring water to a boil.  Slice the hot dogs, long ways, down the center leaving them in tact at the bottom.  Once water has come to a boil, place the hot dogs in the water and boil for about 4-5 minutes, until they have plumped and opened up.  Remove from water, place on a jelly-roll pan and put in the oven for 3-5 minutes, just until the sides begin to crisp.  Once hot dogs are cooked, remove from oven and place 1 1/2 slices of cheese in each one and put back in oven long enough to melt the cheese. 
While hot dogs are boiling, toss onion and pepper slices in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Spread evenly on baking sheet and place in oven for 5-7 minutes, until onions begin to turn translucent.  Remove from oven and set aside.
To assemble; mayonnaise and mustard on the bun, place hot dog with melted cheese in the bun and then top with roasted onions and peppers and the sweet and hot pickle relish.
***for the relish I just bought Tony Packo’s sweet hots and diced them into a relish form.
Recipe Source: Lynsey

Steakhouse Steaks

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Sometime last year I saw Ina Garten making what she called a “steakhouse meal” and it looked absolutely incredible.  She made onion rings, sauteed mushrooms and filets; everything about that entire episode had me drooling.  I always love a good steak, but when you go out to a restaurant sometimes you’re left still craving that good steak you went there to get.  I had a feeling this meal wouldn’t leave me wishing or wanting for anything, other than more, and boy was I right.  Spencer and I spent the evening in the kitchen cooking this meal together, we had so much fun, and the end product was amazing.  The steaks were cooked to perfection; they were tender and juicy and I have never had a better tasting steak.  To top the steak she made a Roquefort chive sauce, and that was pure heaven in my mouth.  The sauce added a lot of flavor to the steak, and in my opinion, it complimented it perfectly.  We enjoyed these steaks so much when we made them last year, we decided that they would also make the perfect Valentine’s meal this year! 

I don’t know why I waited so long to make them again but I was hoped that our expectations wouldn’t leave us wanting more once we had this meal again.  These steaks turned out just as good, if not better, than they did the first time.  They were just as tender and juicy as we remembered and it was a perfect selection for our Valentine’s meal.  It is a really simple recipe that really makes a great meal.  I love the minimal amount of seasoning that is used on the steak, it doesn’t cover up the natural flavor of the steak but just accentuates it.  These steaks would be just as good without the sauce as they are with it; but I will always opt for the sauce just because it is so good!

Steakhouse Steaks

Ingredients:

2 (10 oz) filet mignon

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp fleur de sel (I used Kosher salt)

1 Tbsp coarsely cracked black peppercorns

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, optional

Roquefort chive sauce, recipe below

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat, around 5 to 7 minutes. 

Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel, brush them lightly with the vegetable oil.  Combine the salt and pepper on a plate and roll the steaks in the mixture. 

Once the skillet is ready, sear steaks evenly on all sides, about two minutes on each side, for a total of 10 minutes.

Top each steak with butter, if using, and place the skillet in the oven.  Cooks steaks to desired wellness; 120 degrees for rare, 125 for medium-rare in an instant read thermometer.

Once steaks are done, remove to a serving platter and cover tightly with foil and allow them to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes.  Serve hot with Roquefort chive sauce.

Roquefort Chive Sauce

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups heavy cream

2 oz French Roquefort cheese, crumbled

1/2 Tsp Kosher salt

1/4 Tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring heavy cream to a boil.  Cook at a low boil, occasionally stirring, until the mixture has become thick and creamy, about 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from heat, add the cheese, salt, pepper and chives and whisk rapidly until the cheese melts.

Recipe Source: Food Network ,Barefoot Contessa

Sloppy Joes

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I actually can’t remember the last time I had a sloppy joe, and I very rarely crave them.  I kept seeing commercials for sloppy joes while I was pregnant and they really looked appealing to me, I never got a sloppy joe while I was pregnant and I’ve continued to crave them.  It seemed like as more time went by I kept seeing more and more things pertaining to sloppy joes; commercials and cooking shows, and they were calling out to me to make some.  I felt like a kid when I was eating this, it’s just something about certain things that just bring out the kid in you.  This was so good, and it really didn’t take that long to put together so it’s great for a weeknight meal.  All of the flavors came together and it really tasted great, and another plus is that you really do get quite a bit of vegetables in this one dish.  We really enjoyed these and I’m sure this recipe will become quite a popular one in our rotation of meals. 

 

Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 Pounds ground beef

1/2 Small onion, chopped

2 Ribs celery with leaves, chopped

3 Tbsp shredded carrots

1 Can stewed tomatoes

1/4 Cup ketchup

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp steak sauce (I used A1)

1/2 Tsp garlic salt

1/4 Tsp spicey mustard

1/4 Tsp paprika

1 Tbsp hot sauce

Directions:

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add beef, onion, celery and carrots.  Cook until meat is cooked through and the vegetables are tender and then drain.

Return meat and vegetables to the skillet and then add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix together and then simmer for 30 minutes. 

Serve hot on a toasted bun.

Recipe Source: adapted from Taste of Home 

Chili

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As much as I hate to see summer go, I’m so glad fall is here.  Fall is the start of so many things, including food, and it also opens the door for a lot of different types of food that aren’t craved so much during the warmer months.  Sometimes there is just nothing better than a big bowl of hot soup or chili on a cool fall evening.  There is just something about a warm bowl of chili that says comfort and makes you feel so good.

Last night we had our first batch of chili for the fall.  Spencer has been asking me to make some for quite some time but we kept having stuff come up and I just never got around to making it until now.  He had been away for the day, so I decided to do some housework and surprise him with some chili.  When he got home he had the mindset that we would go out, since I had been working around the house, and to his surprise I had started making the chili.  He was so excited about finally getting his chili and I was looking forward to curling up on the couch with a big bowl myself.  I have made a couple of traditional chili recipes in the past but I have to say that this recipe is by far my favorite.  This had the right amount of spice, it wasn’t too spicy but wasn’t to bland either, it definitely had a kick to it.  If you’re not a fan of spice reduce the amount of red pepper flakes and hot sauce.  The combination of all of the flavors was so good, and there wasn’t one ingredient that overpowered the rest, it was a perfect blend of everything.

Chili

Chili 
Ingredients:
1 Pound ground beef

1 Pound sausage (I used regular mild)
1 Medium bell pepper, chopped
1 Medium onion, chopped
2 Cans kidney beans, drained
1 Can black beans
2 Cans stewed tomatoes
1 Can Rotel
1 Can tomato paste
1 Tsp red pepper flakes
1 Tsp garlic salt
1 1/2 Tsp chili powder
Pepper to taste
1/4 Cup hot sauce (I use Louisiana Hot Sauce)
1 Tbs butter
/2 Cup water

Directions:
In a large skillet brown the ground beef and sausage.  Once cooked drain the meat and set aside.

In the same skillet add onions, bell pepper, and butter.  Saute the veggies until onions begin to turn clear.  Remove from heat. 
Place meat and onions in crock pot or large pot and mix.  Add the beans, tomatoes, rotel, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, pepper, chili powder, water, hot sauce and tomato paste and mix together.  Once ingredients are incorporated turn crock pot on high (Or stove on low-medium) and let cook. 
If you are using a crock pot; cook on high for about 1 1/2 -2 hours stirring occasionally.  For stove top, cook on low-medium heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Chili
Recipe Source: A Lynsey original

Broccoli Cheese Soup

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Broccoli Cheese Soup

It’s August in the south and the last thing on my mind should be soup, but for some reason it sounds so good.  I believe I’ve had more soup this past summer than I’ve had any other summer.  I don’t know what my deal is but there is just something so comforting about a big bowl of soup, no matter what season. 

I don’t think I’ve met a soup that I don’t like but I do have my top favorites: broccoli cheddar, potato and chicken tortilla.  Those three are my “go to’s” that I can eat any time.  Out of those three soups the only soup I’ve tried to make at home so far is the potato.  The potato soup turned out well; it was thick, creamy and it had a little richness to it.  It was definitely a hit and although I did like it a lot I am still going to try to create another potato recipe that isn’t so rich; jus so I can have a choice when it comes to making it.  So, I say all that to say this, since those are my favorite soups I figured I need to find some recipes that I like that I can make at home.  Going out to get a bowl of soup is great but it would be so much better to just stay at home and have some comofort food in the comfort of your own home.  So I’m working on finding or creating some soup recipes that I love that I can add to my recipe collection. 

This was my first attempt making homemade broccoli cheese soup and for my first attempt I think it was pretty good.  I honestly wasn’t sure what all went into making this type of soup but it wasn’t hard at all and there really wasn’t that much to it.  Overall, I believe it had a pretty good consistency and it tasted good too.  I believe next time I may puree some of the soup so some of the broccoli pieces are a little bit smaller and I think I may add some more cheese to the next batch too.  You can never have too much cheese:)!  For my first attempt I’m pretty happy with the way it all turned out.  I will definitely be making it again and hopefully the next time I will come up with the perfect consistency. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 Cup chopped sweet onion
3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
12 1/2 Ounces chicken broth
5 1/2 Cups broccoli florets, chopped (fresh or frozen, I used frozen)
1/4 Teaspoon parsely
1 1/2 Cups half and half
1/4 Cup cream
1 1/2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in a large nonstick saucepan and then add onions and garlic.  Saute both until tender.  Stir in the flour, make sure the mixture is well blended, and cook for 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in the chicken broth.  Bring the mixture to a boil, cook and stir for 1-2 mintues or until slightly thickened.
Add the broccoli, parsley, salt and pepper and return to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.  Reduce heat to low and then add 1 to 1 1/4 cups cheese.  Stir the cheese until it’s melted. 
Serve while warm and top with shredded cheese. 

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Recipe Source: adapted from Taste of Home

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