Fish Tacos

Blake and I tried this over the weekend, and it turned out great. There are a few things we might do differently next time -- like try a different kind of fish. Don't get me wrong -- the tilapia we used worked great -- but we're pretty confident there's something better out there. So fish around and experiment (yes, are you kidding me? -- the pun was totally intended).

Ingredients:

• Fish -- whatever you think will taste good. Make sure it's skinned and de-boned. Dice into small chunks
• garlic, to taste
  
• limes
• butter
• diced tomatoes
• chopped green onions
• cilantro
• tarter sauce or sour cream
• corn tortillas

Directions:
Saute the fish in a butter and lime juice mixture. Serve taco style on corn tortillas, topped with tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and tarter sauce or sour cream. Squeeze with more lime juice if desired.

Braised Mushrooms

Kimberly and I made this on Sunday, and boy was it tasty! We only had half of the mushrooms (button and shiitake), and it was still amazing. Goes very well with Chinese food (such as black pepper beef), but I'd recommend it for anything.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. button mushrooms (about 10)
• 1/4 lb. oyster mushrooms
  
• 1/4 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 8)
• One 12-ounce can straw mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Trim the base of the stems of the button and oyster mushrooms. Discard the shiitake mushroom stems. Drain the straw mushrooms.
2. Place a stir-fry pan over high heat until hot. Add the oil and butter and stir until the butter melts. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
3. Add all the mushrooms, the water, soy sauce, sugar, and pepper. Cover and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 8 minutes.
4. Transfer to a serving plate and serve.
   

Easy Donuts

We found this recipe in the "Fake It, Don't Make It" section of my Real Simple magazine and tried it out last night. So fast, so easy, and really, really good (so long as you don't let Blake burn the donuts).

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 8-count package large refrigerated biscuits (such as Pillsbury Grands) (or the equivalent in homemade biscuit dough)
  
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat (and yes, if the temp is any higher, the donuts will be crispy).

Place the biscuits on a cutting board. Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter or equivalent (we just cut out holes with a knife), cut a hole in the center of each biscuit, reserving the extra dough for "holes."

Test the heat of the oil by dipping the edge of a doughnut in the pan. When the oil is hot enough, the edge will bubble. Place 4 of the doughnuts and holes in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain. Add the remaining oil to the skillet, reheat, and cook the remaining doughnuts and holes.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Gently toss the warm doughnuts in the mixture a few at a time. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: Makes 8 doughnuts, plus holes.

French Dip Sandwich

This one is a favorite at our house -- quite possibly because it is so ridiculously easy!

(ideal slow cooker size: 4- or 5-quart)

Ingredients:

• 2-lb beef top round roast, trimmed
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup light soy sauce
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 whole peppercorns (or the equivalent in table-shaker pepper)
  

Directions:
Trim fat from roast. Place roast in slow cooker. Add water, soy sauce, and seasonings. Cover. Cook on high 5-6 hours (though sometimes ours is done around 4-4.5 hours). Remove meat from broth. Thinly slice or shred. Keep warm. Strain broth and skim off fat. Pour broth into small cups for dipping. Serve beef on rolls. Makes approximately 12 servings.

Mexican Caldillo (Stew)

This is one of my favorite soup recipes my mom used to always make.

Ingredients

• half an onion
• 1 lb stew meat (cubed)
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 can green chilies
• 2 large potatoes cubed
• 5 c. water
• 6 beef bullion cubes

Directions

Brown beef with onion and jalapeño in large pot. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are cooked (15-20 min.)

Serves 4 adults.

For a tasty variation serve with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole in the soup (we discovered this to help tone down the spiciness when we thought we'd put in 2 or 3 jalapeños)

South African Vegetarian Curry

I got this recipe from my boss at BYU, Sorrel Jakins. He's from South Africa and would make this curry for us at least twice a month.

Ingredients

• 1 onion chopped
  
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
  
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
  
• 1.5 lbs fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1 tbsp curry (Rajah Curry works best, if you're using regular curry you may want to add some cayenne pepper, chili powder, or paprika to give more flavor)
• 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 pint of cream
• 2 tbsp. corn starch (more if you want it thicker)
• garlic salt to taste
• 1 lb. frozen veggies or stir fry
• Other optional ingredients: Spinach, any type of bean, two bullion cubes dissolved in half cup water, potatoes, etc.

Directions

Cook in medium (4 qt.) crock pot on high for 4 hours (or until desired texture of veggies is reached). Serve over rice with French bread and butter.

Serves 5-6 adults.