Homemade Strawberry Syrup

4 c. strawberries
1 c. water
2 c. sugar

In saucepan, bring berries and water to a boil. Lower heat, simmer 10 minutes. Add sugar. Bring to a boil again, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil 2 minutes. Skim off foam. Serve warm!  

*Note: This is a recipe I modified from food.com. The original recipe can be found here. http://www.food.com/recipe/strawberry-syrup-36685 
I like my syrup to have chunks of actual strawberries in it, so I didn't strain it. I also didn't add as much sugar (I had three cups when I was finished), it just didn't need it.  

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

3 -4 tilapia fillets, depending on size
1/4 cup breadcrumbs or 1/4 cup crushed Ritz cracker
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt
pepper
garlic powder
olive oil
Thaw and wash tilapia fillets if frozen. Pat dry on paper towels.Combine crumbs, parmesan, italian seasoning and garlic powder on a plate, mixing well.
On a different plate, pour 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Working 1 at a time, place a fillet on the plate in the lemon juice, sprinkle with desired amount of kosher salt (be careful about how much salt is in your parmesan, crumbs, and other seasonings), black pepper, and garlic powder. Turn the fillet over in the lemon juice and sprinkle seasoning on the other side.
Dredge fillet in the parmesan mixture patting it all over to coat.
Place in an oiled baking dish, repeat with remaining fillets.
Sprinkle a little lemon juice over fillets and drizzle or spray them lightly with olive oil.
Bake at 425ºF for about 20 minutes or until they easily flake with a fork and edges are browning (you can sprinkle some more parmesan on top if desired). You can also bake these faster at 450ºF. 

*Note: You really need to get it that hot so that it will get nice and crispy and not soft and mushy!

Crock Pot Baked Beans

1 (15 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans1 can (1 cup) chili sauce
1/2 lb bacon, cooked slightly- I use the pre-cooked kind from Costco and just chop it up and throw it in
1/2 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup brown sugar 

I just throw it all in the crock pot, stir and let it go! High for 5-6 hours, Low for 2-3 hours. YUMMMM!!

Restaurant Teriyaki Sauce (food.com)

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 5 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 -2 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions:

1. 1
   Mix all but cornstarch and 1/4c water in a sauce pan and begin heating.
2. 2
   Mix cornstarch and cold water in a cup and dissolve. Add to sauce in pan.
3. 3
   Heat until sauce thickens to desired thickness.
4. 4
   Add water to thin if you over-thick it :).

Godfather's Cinnamon Streusel Dessert Pizza

 (http://sorumblyinmytumbly.blogspot.com/2011/06/godfathers-cinnamon-streusel-dessert.html)

Cinnamon Streusel Dessert Pizza

INGREDIENTS:

Pizza dough (You can make your own, I just bought some refrigerated dough at the grocery store)

1 TBSP butter, melted

Cinnamon

Streusel:

1/2 cup plus 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP vegetable shortening

2 TBSP olive oil

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Mix together streusel ingredients with a fork, or your clean hands, then side aside.

To make pizza, pat dough into a 12 inch pizza pan that has been sprayed with oil.  Perforate pizza dough with a fork (this keeps bubbles from forming), then brush with 1 TBSP melted butter. Sprinkle cinnamon all around buttered crust. Top pizza crust with streusel mix.

Bake at 460 F for 8 to 9 minutes depending on the thickness of the pizza.  Mix icing ingredients until it is of a drizzle consistency. If it is too thick, then thin with a small amount of milk until you have reached your desired thinness.

When finished baking, top with icing in a circular pinwheel pattern. Cut up and enjoy!

**Note: Kevin loves butterfingers, so I crumbled up a butterfingers candy bar on top of the streusel mix. Yum Yum!

ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE (food.com)

1 lb uncooked bow tie pasta
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 (12 ounce) bottle roasted red peppers, drained and coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 cup half-and-half

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, divided

thinly sliced fresh basil (optional)

Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook 8 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.

Add bell peppers, cook 2 minutes or until heated through. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Remove from heat, cool 5 minutes.

Place bell pepper mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Return bell pepper mixture to pan, cook over low heat until warm. Combine half and half and tomato paste in a small bowl, stirring with a whisIk until well combined. Stir in ground red pepper.

Combine pasta and bell pepper mixture in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup cheese, tossing to coat. Spoon 1 1/3 cups pasta into each of 6 bowls, top each with about 1 1/2 Tbs cheese.

Garnish with basil if desired.

http://www.food.com/recipe/bow-tie-pasta-with-roasted-red-pepper-and-cream-sauce-167266#ixzz1tqS3nE2K


Note: I really liked this sauce overall, BUT... I did a few things differently, and would do others differently too. First off, I didn't have any half and half, so instead I used cream cheese w/chives since that was what I had on hand. Instead of chopping the onion I grated it. I also didn't have parmigiano-reggiano cheese, so I used a shredded mix I had. I also added a little brown sugar. It also needed salt to taste. It was a little bland, but not too bad for a first try!

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA MARINADE

1 1/2 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. plain yogurt
2 TB lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground red pepper
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 piece minced ginger

Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken for at least an hour. I modified my own a bit because of the ingredients I usually have on hand. I don't usually have plain yogurt, so I subbed in sour cream and used closer to 1/2 c. and I don't usually have fresh ginger, so I used 1 tsp ground ginger. I marinated mine for probably about 2-3 hours (because I finally remembered to get it done a head of time!).
The original recipe skewers the chicken, I didn't. I just cooked it like I cook chicken for a stir-fry in my skillet.  The recipe says to discard the marinade, to that I say, Don't Do It!! It made the sauce sooo yummy!
I also didn't actually make the sauce from this recipe, I intend to, but it's one of those not-having-the-ingredients thing. I happened upon a jar of tikka masala at Walmart for about $3.50, next to all the Asian and Thai cuisine.  Given I don't have to slave over the stove any longer, or buy all the extra ingredients, I think it's totally worth it! I dumped the whole jar into the same skillet once my chicken was cooked. The extra marinade from the chicken had already made its own little sauce and mixed perfectly with the jarred sauce. I won't have the jarred sauce by itself now, that's how good it is!
Here's a link to the original recipe on food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-tikka-masala-25587