Corn and Cheese Dip

This is another recipe from Ashley's kitchen. This is really good with tortilla chips.

Mix the following:
2 cans of shoepeg corn (drained)
2 cups of Monterrey jack cheese
1 cup mayo
a dash of garlic powder
1 Tbs. chopped onion
2 Tbs. chopped jalapeno

Chill and serve.

Note from Ashley: I've made the dip even easier on myself by getting the jack cheese that comes with jalapenos in it and by using onion powder instead of real onions. It saves some time and effort and doesn't seem to change the taste.

Baked Chilean Sea Bass (or other mild fish)

You can use this recipe for as many fish fillets as you need - I like to get the thinner pieces rather than the really thick, short ones.

Preheat oven to 400.  Line a baking sheet with foil and place fish on foil.  Lightly drizzle some olive oil over top and using a brush, spread it evenly over each piece.  Salt and pepper each piece generously.  Place a couple of thin lemon slices on each piece.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Serve with your favorite veggies or rice.

Spaghetti w/Broccoli and Lemon

 from Living Simple - serves 4

12 oz spaghetti (I used the wheat)

3 Tbs. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 pkg. frozen broccoli

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 lemon, zest and juice

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta per the instructions.  Reserve 1 cup water, drain pasta, return to pot.

Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic - cook 1-2 minutes.  Add broccoli, red pepper, salt and cook 1-2 minutes until broccoli is tender.  Add that to the pasta with lemon juice, Parmesan and the reserved water.  Cook 2-3 minutes.  Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve.  Also good with chicken or shrimp.

Pizza Roll

I saw this recipe on the Food Network yesterday, tried it tonight, and was instructed to make it again, every night, forever. So I guess it was a hit! I really wouldn't mind making it often, since it only took about five minutes to put together. Here's how I made it:

1 can refrigerated pizza dough
1/4 pound pancetta
fresh spinach
1 cup mozzarella cheese
olive oil

Roll out the dough into a thin rectangle--not too thin, you don't want it to tear, and you can just use your hands if you don't have a rolling pin. Drizzle a little olive oil over the dough and brush it to the edges. Spread a thin layer of mozzarella, then all the pancetta; tear the spinach into pieces and lay it over the pancetta. Sprinkle the top with more mozzarella, then gently roll the dough up into a cylinder shape. Lay it seam-side down on a greased cookie sheet, and brush the top with a little more olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes until golden brown. Let it rest about five minutes before cutting it into slices.

I served this alone, but next time I'll heat up some good marinara sauce for dipping. It has also been suggested by a certain member of my family that this recipe would be good with seasoned hamburger and cheddar cheese. If I do switch up the ingredients, I'll post here how it turns out. Buon appetito!

SHRIMP IN PARMESAN BUTTER

36 lg. shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 c. butter
3 tbsp. capers
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

In large skillet, melt butter and saute shrimp, capers, garlic, and lemon juice until shrimp is done, 5-10 minutes. Add Parmesan and serve over spaghetti, linguine or other pasta. Serves 4.

* This was really good, but you can cut back on the butter and still be ok.

From cooks.com

Asparagus Alternative

I really like asparagus and it's in season now, so it's a great summer vegetable. I usually grill or steam it, but this broiled version is nice too!

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 Tbs. olive oil
S&P

Heat oven broiler. On a baking sheet, toss asparagus with oil, S&P to coat. Arrange in a single layer and broil, shaking occasionally - about 6-8 minutes.

This works well with broccoli too, but I roast it at 400 instead.

Rosemary Chicken & Zucchini

This is from Real Simple and looks great!

1 lb. new potatoes
2 carrots
2 zucchini
1 bunch Rosemary (I Tbs.)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
S&P
2 Tbs. Olive oil
2 Tbs. Whole grain mustard

Heat oven to 400. Quarter potatoes and cut carrots and zucchini into 2-inch sticks. Mix vegetables in bowl with olive oil, mustard, rosemary, S&P. Pour into 9x13 dish and place chicken on top (season chicken with S&P first). Roast for 25 minutes, toss vegetables and turn chicken, continue roasting until chicken is done (about 20-25 more minutes.