A Tale of 2 Fishes.....

So, I have been MIA and I am seriously sorry!  But I am here now, crawling out from under a rock to share some favorites, old and new.  These are 2 similar, but different recipes~Salmon Patties and Tuna Croquettes.  


Salmon Patties


What You Need:
1 can of salmon, bones and nasties removed.  I use 1 large pouch of boneless, skinless.
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1 stack saltine crackers, crushed
oil for cooking


What You Do:
Combine salmon with onion, eggs, pepper, and lemon juice.  Stir in crackers.

Form patties and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes.  This helps them hold together when you start cooking them.


Heat 1/2 inch oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.  When oil is hot, cook patties 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  Make sure patties are cooked all the way through...no cold spots.


These are such a fond memory from my childhood!  My mom used to roll the patties in the crushed crackers, but I have found we prefer the crackers all mixed in.  It makes them wonderfully crunchy.  These are great served with tartar sauce, ketchup, or just a squeeze of lemon.  Growing up we ate them with Worcestershire sauce and I oddly enough liked mustard on them sometimes instead.  If you are really a glutton for punishment, serve them with home fries and cole slaw!


And now on to recipe two....


Tuna Croquettes


What You Need:
1 can tuna, well drained (I rinse before hand as well)
2 green onions, well chopped.
1 stalk celery, well chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
extra panko for breading
oil for cooking


What You Do:
Drain tuna well.  I like to rinse it also just because I don't like "fishy" fish at all.  Combine tuna, green onion, celery, and spices.  Stir in egg.  Mix in panko and allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes.  I tried forming patties immediately and they didn't hold together well. 
Heat 1/2 inch oil over medium high heat.  Form patties and roll in additional panko.  Fry patties until golden brown and crispy.  These were good...much to my husband's surprise.


Tip: Health nuts, please close your browser now.  Everyone else, read on.  So I hate hate hate the smell left in the house after frying!  Don't tell my kids I said hate because I tell them its not nice, but I seriously do.  In his fried chicken episode Alton Brown said shortening was more refined because it is often used in cooking and as a result it doesn't release that "fry smell" into the air as bad.  I have been known to cook salmon patties outside to avoid the smell of fried fish in the house.  The shortening totally helps!  You could tell I'd cooked something but it didn't permeate the house like before.

Homemade Granola

So, you asked, and here it is.  This is the original recipe I read, and below is what I did.  Mommy's Kitchen Homemade Granola  Her blog is awesome, by the way!  She has a ton of great recipes!


Homemade Granola


What I used:
About 3 cups quick oats
2 TBSP whole golden flax seeds
2 TBSP flax seeds, ground
small package slivered almonds (2/3 c maybe?)
small package chopped walnuts (1/2 c. maybe?)
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
1/4-1/2 c. brown sugar
splash of vanilla


What I did:


Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients in a sauce pan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves.  Pour over dry ingredients and stir until everything is coated.  Spread in a large rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 300 for about 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes or so.  I took a spatula and patted it back out each time.  After I took it out, I let it cool a bit then broke it up into large clumps, which my kids have eaten like crazy!


There are a TON of granola recipes out there, and they are all so flexible.  Add different nuts or seeds, dried fruits, swap sweeteners using all brown sugar, or maple syrup for the honey.  Make it your own!  Then sprinkle it on Greek yogurt and eat it up!!!!

Overnight French Toast Casserole

I put this together last night to throw in the oven this morning for Father's Day breakfast.  It was a hit so I thought I'd share it with you all.  It was easy and yummy, great for a special breakfast!  


What you need:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 loaf French bread (or any thick cut bread)
5 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla


What you do:
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat mixing brown sugar and corn syrup in until it comes together as a thick syrup.  Pour into a 13x9 baking dish.  Top with thick pieces of bread covering the bottom.  Mix eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla and pour over top.  Cool slightly and cover with foil then put in the fridge until ready to cook.  Place in oven and turn it on to 350.  (Put cold dish on cold oven if glass so it will warm slowly, cold dish + hot oven = potential glass breakage!)  Bake for 40 minute and remove foil.  Bake about 10 minutes more until well set and starting to brown.  Let sit 5-10 minutes then top pieces with powdered sugar.  Serve with fruit for a yummy treat!

It's not Baskin Robbins....

But it sure is YUMMY!  HEY, did you know tomorrow is Father's Day?  In case you forgot, run get these ingredients and make him this cake.  He'll love you forever!  Well, he will love you forever anyways because he is your Daddy, but he will love this cake forever!


Ice Cream Sammich Cake


What you need:
2 boxes of ice cream sandwiches (regular or sugar free)
Big ole tub of Cool Whip (or a can or 2 or whipped cream, or some real homemade whipped cream if you don't have a bunch of children running around like I do, which make you forget you are whipping cream, then you have butter.  Wait, where was I?  Oh yeah...CAKE)
1 package of Oreo cookies (with several missing because you scarfed them because no one was looking when you opened them)  Oh yeah, crush the rest up.
1 bottle or can of chocolate syrup


What you Do:
Take a 13x9 pan.  Unwrap enough ice cream sandwiches to cover the bottom.  Add a later of Cool Whip nice and thick.  Add crumbled cookies and drizzle chocolate syrup all over.  Repeat.  Freeze that baby and then EAT IT UP.  YUMMMMM!  


Can you tell I just made this?????  I don't know who is more excited, the kids, Daddy, or ME!

Easy Peasy Iced Coffee

So I am a total caffeine addict!  Coffee...tea...diet cokes (which in the south is anything with bubbles!)  Mmmm, love it!  Try this to get your coffee and caffeine fix in hot weather.


What you need:
About 6 cups of strong coffee
1 can Eagle Brand milk


What you do:
Mix it together, chill, pour over ice, drink and swear to your kids it is NOT chocolate milk and they can NOT have a drink!!!


Its so good!!!  You can add vanilla or chocolate syrup also to change the flavor.

Awesome Chicken Marinade

Its as hot as a kiln outside...what better weather to stand over a 500 degree fire in???  At least you aren't heating up your house!  Try this marinade next time you decide to!


Awesome Chicken Marinade
What you need:
2/3 cup oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts


What you do:
Mix it all together add to a large ziploc bag.  Add chicken and allow to marinate 30 minutes to 4 hours in the fridge.  Grill chicken as desired.


This sounds like an odd combination of ingredients, but it is crazy tasty!  Try it!

Chicken Crescent Bundles

These are in the oven for lunch, even though its way too hot to have the oven on!  They were really easy to put together!

Chicken Crescent Bundles

What you need:

2 cups cooked chopped chicken (I used 2 cans)

3-4oz softened cream cheese

1 TBSP chopped green onion

2oz jar chopped pimentos

1/4-1/2 c. shredded cheese, any kind you like or have

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper, to taste

1 can crescent rolls

1 TBSP melted butter

2 TBSP bread crumbs or crushed croutons

What you do:

Soften cream cheese (fat free or low fat could be used) in microwave at 50% powder for 30 seconds if you forget to set it out like I did.  Chop or drain chicken if using canned.  Mix cream cheese with garlic powder and a few grinds of black pepper.  Add in onions, pimentos, cheese, and chicken.  Mix well and taste for salt.

Pop open crescent rolls (I use reduced fat because they don't cook up as greasy).  Leave them in squares of 2 stuck together (you should have 4) and press seams together smushing them out a little (yep, I said smushing)  Put a good scoop of filling on them.  Original recipe said 1/2 cup but I don't think I used that much because I wanted to have room to pull the corners up.  Pull opposite corners up to meet in the middle and press seams together making a nice little square package.  You can also separate into individual triangles before fulling and put a couple of tablespoons of filling on one, top with another, and seal edges.  Brush with melted butter and top with crumbs.  Bake at 350 until golden and yummy, about 20 minutes.  While baking, eat leftover filling on crackers because its crazy tasty!  I am thinking it would make a good chicken salad on its own!