Baked Scallops

Being born and raised in the Mid-west, seafood was never a staple in my house.  In fact, I can't remember a single time in my childhood that my mom made anything with seafood (with the exception of Tuna Casserole and I'm pretty sure that doesn't count :).  Given it's heath benefits, I've been trying to experiment with more types of seafood.  Last night was my latest venture...scallops.  It was a super easy recipe and one which we will be having again.  Next time I will make some type of creamy pasta to go along with it - didn't think in advance this last time, so I let my oldest pick out the last minute side dish.  Figured I would include it with this post, because I found it quite comical that we were eating these two combinations together.  The sophisticated meal of scallops...and what else but fruit cocktail pudding :)

Baked Scallops

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp butter

1 ½ lbs bay scallops, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs combined with 1 tsp Tastefully Simple Italian Seasoning Salt

1 tsp Tastefully Simple Onion Onion

2 Tbsp Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Melt butter in microwave with Garlic Garlic in a 2 qt casserole dish

Distribute butter and scallops evenly inside the dish

Combine bread crumbs, Onion Onion and Parmesan cheese – sprinkle over scallops

Bake in pre-heated oven until scallops are firm, about 20 minutes.

Fruit Cocktail Pudding

Ingredients:

29 oz. can fruit cocktail (use all of it - juice included)

1 small box vanilla instant pudding

handful of mini marshmallows

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Colder temps = Comfort Food!

The 20 degree drop in temperature this week has me in the mood for some good ole comfort food!  Picked up some Smoked Pork Chops from Fareway, mixed up some Onion Onion Hash Brown Casserole to bake in the oven, and figure we will top it off w/ some Lotsa Lemon Bars.  Of course....it is still summertime, so I am preparing it all with a Golden Mango Mojito in hand. 

Here's a photo of those Lotsa Lemon Bars...they are back for limited time only! (Until the end of July)  The vanilla chips in the mix make a great combination w/ the lemon.  Now of course, my MIL makes the best  lemon bars.  However, being that I don't do much 'made from scratch' cooking - these are definitely next in line!

Onion Onion Hash Brown Casserole

Ingredients
32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes
1/4 cup Onion Onion™
1 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Pepper to taste

Directions
Break apart frozen potatoes in large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients; fold into partially thawed potatoes. Place in greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour. Makes 12-15 servings.

Shrimp Tacos!

Here's a recipe I actually came up with myself.  My husband and I both enjoyed it very much!  Kids weren't as willing to try it...so they just ate the shrimp and tortilla shells separately :) Good light summer meal.

Shrimp Taco's

Ingredients
Tbsp. Tastefully Simple Roasted Garlic Infused Oil
Tastefully Simple Garlic Pepper Seasoning
Medium shrimp (I skewered them to cook on grill)
1/4 cup Tastefully Simple Vidalia Onion Dressing
1/2 bag pre-shredded coleslaw mix
2-3 avacado's
3 Tbsp water
1 pkg Tastefully Simple Giddyup Guacamole Mix
flour tortillas

Directions
Brush Roasted Garlic Infused Oil on shrimp and sprinkle with Garlic Pepper Seasoning.  Either skewer shrimp and cook on grill or cook in skillet.  Prepare Giddyup Guacamole Mix according to package instructions.  Combine Vidalia Onion Dressing with coleslaw mix.  Assemble taco's by spreading guacamole on tortilla, then coleslaw mix, top with shrimp and enjoy!

Balsamic & Basil Roasted Potatoes

My Mom treated me to a trip to the Farmer's Market last weekend.  Some of our purchases resulted in this tasty dish.  I LOVE orange peppers, but they are generally so expensive in the grocery stores.  I took advantage of the better deals at the market to make one of my favorite side dishes!

Pictured on the left - fresh focaccia from South Union Bakery (YUM) with some Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil and Parmesan cheese.  On right - Balsamic & Basil Roasted Potatoes recipe listed below.  Works great in a grill basket if you have one. (This one I got from Pampered Chef.) Also works well to place on a baking sheet and roast in oven.

Balsamic & Basil Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
8 - 10 diced red potatoes
1 diced yellow bell pepper
1 diced yellow bell pepper
2 diced medium onions
1/2 cup Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
Combine first 4 ingredients; drizzle with Balsamic & Basil Dipping Oil. Toss. Place in large baking pan. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese before serving. Makes 8-10 servings.

Bold-n-Bossy Stromboli

I've been testing out recipes for some 'Returning Favorite' products Tastefully Simple is re-introducing in June/July.  Came across this one, and it is definitely a winner!  I'm going to have to stock up on the Bold-n-Bossy Honey Mustard for this recipe alone.  It is such an easy meal to make.  Works great for us since it can be prepared earlier in the day as well!

Ingredients:
1 tube refrigerated crusty French loaf or Italian loaf bread dough
6-8 oz. thinly sliced deli ham
2-3 Tbsp. Bold & Bossy™ Honey Mustard Sauce
8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
4-6 green onions, chopped
6-8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese (can substitute mozzarella)

Directions:
Unroll dough on a greased baking sheet. (I used a baking stone.)  Place ham over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Spread Bold & Bossy Honey Mustard Sauce over ham. Sprinkle with bacon, onion and cheese. Starting from long edge, roll dough jelly-roll style. Pinch seams to seal and tuck ends under. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Cut several small slits on top of loaf. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm. Makes 6-8 servings.

I also brushed an egg wash over the top of the loaf before baking.   This is simply an egg (I use the egg white and yolk) whisked with a tsp or so of water.

Sorry - no picture.  Forgot to take one and there were no leftovers.

Awesome Pulled Turkey

I've been itching to try some recipes with our new Awesome American™ BBQ Sauce, but mother nature has been cranky and I have a minimum 60 degree threshold to stand out by the grill.  This week I needed a slow cooker meal if we were all going to sit down together to eat.  I came across this one that worked perfect.  I used a 5 lb turkey and used the entire bottle of BBQ Sauce.  Great flavor!

Note:  I typically avoid any recipe that involves working with bone-in meat.  Grosses me out.  I decided to give this one a try and will say it was pretty painless.  The turkey breast pulled off the bone easily.  This recipe also made a huge amount, so either plan on recipes or look for something you can re-use the remaining meat.

Awesome Pulled Turkey
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
5-6 lb. bone-in turkey breast
1-2 Tbsp. Everyday Grillin'™ Seasoning
Awesome American™ BBQ Sauce

Directions
Place turkey in a greased slow cooker; sprinkle with Everyday Grillin'™ Seasoning to taste. Cover; cook on low 6-8 hours (don't add liquid). Remove turkey from slow cooker; shred meat (discard bones and skin). Stir in Awesome American BBQ Sauce until you reach desired consistency. Server meat warm on buns or thick bread. Makes 6-8 servings.

Dar's Hamburger & Noodle Skillet Dinner

We all have those times where we've been gone all weekend, didn't get time to buy groceries, and now Monday meal time is here.  Here's a simple noodle dish to help bail you out when this happens.  Staple items that most of us will have in the house (at least those of us in the mid-west :).

Tastefully Simple Perfect Parmesan Biscuits made a nice side.

Warning:  It made a TON!  This picture shows how much was left AFTER my family of 5 all had one if not two helpings.  Leftovers were good the next day though!

Dar's Hamburger & Noodle Skillet Dinner
Submitted by Darlene Pfab (IA)

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 Tbsp. Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic™
1 Tbsp. Tastefully Simple Onion Onion™
1 tsp. Tastefully Simple Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. black pepper (I used our Garlic Pepper Seasoning in place)
10.75 oz. can cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
4 cups cooked wide egg noodles

Directions
Brown beef in large skillet; drain. Add remaining ingredients; heat through.Makes 6-8 servings.