Baked Trout

Another great weekend has come and gone.  Today was a great day as well with temperatures in the  80s.  Got to love Texas and it's weather...cold, warm, wet, dry, windy, stormy...different from hour to hour, day to day.

Before I get to today's dinner menu, I thought I would post the wall I was working on and finished.

Turned out great and just how I imagined it....LOVE the turquoise table I had redone.  It was a desk that my husband had when he was young.  Let me know what you think!

Tonight, I decided to bake some fish.  We love fish in our family.  Today's menu...baked Trout, baked garlic red potatoes, and fresh asparagus.  It's very easy and simple meal, but very healthy for you and your family.

First, start with the trout.  Buy fresh or frozen; your choice.  I chose frozen individual packs that you buy at Sams Club.  Defrost the fish in cold water for 30 minutes.  Then take them out of the packets and place them on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.  Use your favorite seafood herbs combination and mix it with a half to a whole stick of melted butter.  Pour over fish and bake for 10-15 minutes on 375 degrees.  I added my fresh asparagus seasoned a little with salt and pepper.

again...use your favorite seasonings for fish/seafood

before 

after

To go with it, I made my kids' favorite potatoes.  Wash red potatoes, quartered them, and drizzled olive oil on them and season with Garlic Salt with Parsley and pepper.  I LOVE this seasoning....garlic salt.  It is so good on fresh veggies and meats.  

Because potatoes take longer to cook, put the potaotes in before the fish.  375 degrees for 20 minutes and then put fish in and cook the potatoes with the fish in the oven for the 10-15 minutes.  So the potatoes take 30-35 minutes or until tender and the part against the pan is brown and crispy.  That's the best part!

before 

I did bake some hush puppies to complete the meal!

It was delicious and you can do this recipe with salmon as well!!

Enjoy!

Hallway and Fans Make Overs

Hope everyone had an awesome holiday weekend!  I sure did...spent time with  my family, got some painting done, and watched a few movies!  Last night, I made the spaghetti sauce and Italian meat that I froze.

The sauce is very flavorful and very easy to make...would be great with any pastas or over toast or over a salad, even in a taco shell.

Now let's get to the makeovers.  I recently was given some fans that my Opa had in one of his rent houses.  When he found a good deal on something, he would buy many of that one item. My dad on his last visit to help settle some of his estate brought me back 3 fans.  I had two fans that the motor was going out, so the fan would only go one speed. I was glad to get these fans free....If you don't know me well...I'm extremely frugal!!    When I got these fans, of course, they were in the ugly bright gold and I wanted it in the Oil Rubbed Bronze like I had redone my door knobs in...yes, I redid all my doorknobs back in the Spring in Oil Rubbed Bronze using Rustoleum's spray paint they sell in that color.  Goodbye ugly gold knobs and hindges!!  It's a bit pricey as far as spray paints go, but it is well worth the money.  The color is great, and it covers well.  The fans, therefore, got a much needed face lift to 2013!  And here is one of the 3 I did.....

Left is before and right is after painting, curing, and putting it up.

Paint I used for the project

So don't throw away your old fan if you want to upgrade...just paint it. :0)

Now onto my next project I did this weekend, the hallway.  I've been wanting to do this for some time.  It 's not complete yet.  I have a friend of mine refinishing a desk/table in a distressed turquoise that I will put against the wall and put two pretty lamps on each side.  But first, I had to get the wall painted.  I decided to do a Family Tree Wall!!  It turned out great.  I free-handed the design with paint, but of course, you wouldn't have to do it that way...you could draw it on the wall with pencil or even use a projector to project the image on the wall and trace.  I have just always be good at free-handing designs that I have in my head or see in a picture, so I go for it.   I already had a black gloss paint from a previous project, so you can just use a black indoor wall paint in your favorite brand.  

                    BEFORE

 

                                                                               After

                                                    (Still needs more pictures and the table)

 

This is the base of the tree and 

the Family saying...

You can buy the Family decal at some stores....

It says...

Family

like branches on a tree

we are grow in different directions

yet our roots remain as one

Instead, I just painted it with a very thin paint brush.

                

Added some swirls and leaves

Here is the tree swirls above the 

Family saying....

and the leaves being "blown"

off the tree above the door.

Some of the pictures I've taken of my kids and Rodney and I hung in black frames.

More pictures to hang this week.

In these pictures, you can also see the door knobs and hinges I painted last spring with the same Rustoleum paint as the fans.  It's a great paint and I highly recommend it for any project!!

That is what I did with my holiday weekend....hehe!  I love to do things around the house that makes me happy and makes my house feel more like a home.  I LOVE family picture.  I guess that is why I have a photography business. It makes me smile to see my pictures hanging and sitting around the house.

Hope you enjoyed my latest projects.  I have more fans painted that need to be hung.  Pictures will soon follow.  I'm also hard at work working on next month's recipes for the freezer.  It's shaping up to be a great menu for you and your family.

Be sure to share my blog with others and on your Facebook   I would love to hear from you in the comments section.  I believe you have to become a follower on Google to comment...there's a link to become a member and follow me on the right side of my blog.  

Enjoy your Tuesday!

Eph 2:9: not by works, so that no one can boast.

Breakfast Is Served (Blueberry Muffin Recipe)

Yesterday was a great day.....we finished school, I got the house cleaned, and we had a great dinner in the crockpot to complete the day.  Last night I made the Italian Sausage and Peppers and I served it with chips and queso.  Since I've cut out bread in my diet, I had mine on a salad and I have to say...I didn't miss that hot dog bun!  It froze very well!!

I am so thankful it's Saturday.  On the weekends, I try to cook breakfast instead of just cereal or something we have frozen in the freezer.  Today, since I was having a slice of my blueberry coffee cake I posted on the last post, I thought I would make some blueberry muffins since there's not enough cake left.  Here's the recipe:

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups Bisquick or any baking mix

1/3 cup sugar (you can use Splenda for diabetics or dieters)

2/3 cup milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 egg

Preheat oven to 400.  Mix all the ingredients above.  Then fold in fresh or frozen blueberries (about 3/4 cup...I use the pint containers...so I use the whole thing!)  Grease muffin pan with cooking spray and use a ice cream scoop to scoop about 1/2 to 3/4 full per cup.  I divide it to make a dozen muffins.  But if you like big muffins, this would make about 9.  Bake for 13-18 minutes depending on how big the muffins.

About to go in oven

HOT and out of the oven!!  YUM!

You should have heard the excitement through the house when I said "blueberry muffins"!  "Heck YEAH!"...."I could eat the WHOLE pan!" are what I heard....lol.   Enjoy and pray you have a blessed Martin Luther King holiday weekend with your family and friends.

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Blueberry Coffee Cake...and the Beef Stew (Cake Recipe)

Like I said in my previous entry, I put the beef stew in the crockpot, that I froze on Sunday, for dinner tonight.  I did put the bag in the microwave for 20 minutes on defrost before putting in the crock. You don't have to if you don't want, but it was easier to get out of the bag that way.  It filled the house with such awesome aroma!  Of course, the family loves it!!

I served it will Dark Sweet Rolls...the kind you get at fancy restaurants before the meal!

After dinner, I thought I would treat the family to a coffee cake to go with milk, or hot cocoa, or coffee....and it would be great for breakfast in the morning as well.

To tweak the recipe, I used Splenda in place of sugar in the dry mixture  but used real sugar for the top of the cake.  And because some of my kids don't like almonds, I just omitted the almonds.  Also, I used fresh blueberries, versus frozen, and didn't dust them with flour.  Let's just say....DELICIOUS!  This will be made again and again!

Just out of oven

Spingform pan

Blueberry Coffee Cake

1 egg

1/2 cup fat free milk

1/2 cup plain fat free yogurt (I used vanilla fat free because it is what I had on hand)

3 tbsp. veg oil

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used Splenda)

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup blueberries, frozen (I used fresh)

1 tbsp all purpose flour (I omitted)

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp almonds, sliced

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Whisk first 4 ingredients together in large bowl.  Sift together flour, and next three ingredients in another bowl.  Stir flour mixure into the egg mixture.  The batter is very thick.  Toss in 1 1/4 cup blueberries tossed in flour; fold into batter carefully.  Pour into a lightly greased with cooking spray springform pan.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup blueberries, cinnamon, sugar, and almonds.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center comes out clean.  Cool pan for about 15 minutes, remove side of pan.  Enjoy!

Out of pan

YUMMY!!!

Remember, this is a coffee cake so it's not as sweet as a dessert cake.  

Would be a perfect breakfast or snack cake!

Hope you enjoy these recipes!  Beef stew and blueberry coffee cake....who could have asked for anything better on such a busy day of school and volleyball!  And tomorrow's Friday...and if you are lucky...it's a long weekend with Monday being a holiday!  Hope you enjoy time with your family!  I plan to...

I will close with my kids' devotional verse they studied today!  

Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Chipotle Macaroni Casserole And my favorite salad dressing

Last night I made yet made one of the recipes I froze on Sunday. The  Chipotle Macaroni Casserole (which as I said Sunday, I used whole wheat ziti so you can use your favorite pasta) was a HIT!  Delicious.... you have to try this casserole.  And it froze very well and was fast to heat up and virtually NO clean up.

I thought I would also share my favorite salad dressing.  It is low in fat and made of yogurt but you wouldn't know it.  Tastes very good and has a cheesy taste to it so you don't miss the cheese in your salad.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!

I plan on trying more of this brand of dressings and I will let you know what's good and what's not. Tonight we will have the beef stew....it's in the crockpot and will delicious!!  Pics to come!!   Enjoy!

Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Oma and Opa's Treasures

My grandmother has been in Heaven for almost 25 years now, and until recent, her things sat collecting dust in my grandparents' home they shared since the 1950s.  My Opa passed away a little over a year ago, and my aunt (mainly my aunt and cousins since they live there) and Dad have had the horrible task of going through so much of my grandparents things because there's no other word to say but....hoarders.  They kept everything and never got rid of things at all.  I hear of many of their generation who do hoard things because they have gone through wars and economic devastation in their life time.  Can we blame them?  My grandmother was from what was East Germany and was the only one of her family who got out before the wall was built.  She died right before the wall was taken down and destroyed.  She would have been thrilled.  In this process of going through their things, I have gotten some great things of hers that I will cherish.  I washed all of her knick nacs that I received,  antiqued with black paint her great shadow boxes, and now have them displayed in my home!  I LOVE it and thought I would share with all of you.

These are her beloved tea cup and saucer collection.

I remember admiring them as a child.

Decided to put in my curio cabinet (my first gift from my husband after we were married) and

place in my kitchen sitting area.

Closer view

My grandmother's shadow boxes she had up for as long as I remember.  

They were already red and cream so cleaned them and added black to antique them a bit.

The green wine set, crystal bell, and red crystal vase and basket were all hers!

Since taking the above picture, I added her picture that I restored in a frame and put on the shelf.

Lena Martha Nagel Zalasar 

This is the picture I digitally restored.  It had a crease across her face and stains.

After my grandfather passed in August 2011, my dad recieved one of my Opa's uniforms.  

Here is a picture of the shadow box I put together for my dad so he could

enjoy his father's uniform instead of having it hanging in a closet.

  

My dad was very touched when he unwrapped this priceless gift!  

I feel it is a blessing to have things of our family around us to keep their memory alive and make our house a home.  I'd love to hear from you about what you've done with family heirlooms.   

 Psalm 103:17 

But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children—

Beef Enchiladas and Teriyaki Chicken

Yesterday, I made the Beef Enchiladas (made one, froze one because I ran out of time Sunday) and served it with tortilla chips.  I normally prefer Chicken Enchiladas but I have to say, these were the best beef enchiladas I've ever had or made.  I did use 2 cups of cheese on this recipe and the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups, but feel free to do what you want to fit your family.  Recipe is under the blog entry title Recipes.  Enjoy!!

Today I made the Teriyaki Chicken (recipe on previous blog post titled Recipes) from the freezer in the crockpot.  No defrosting, just straight in the crockpot on low all day.  It is so delicious!  I served it with steamed rice and asparagus.  On the rice, I use my rice cooker.  Just add equal parts water to equal parts rice, salt and pepper to taste, and a few bay leaves.  I love bay leaves in my rice and if you have peppercorns, it's delicious in place of the ground pepper.  Of course, if you don't have a rice cooker, use the rice you want and add the bay leaves to it.   Be sure to remove the peppercorns and leaves before serving.  My rice cooker has a steam basket, so I just washed half a bundle of fresh asparagus and that way I didn't have to eat much of the rice since I am watching my starches.  To prepare esparagus, you just bend the stalks hold each end and let it snap naturally.  Throw away the bottom part.  This is definitely a satisfying meal for the family!  Try it...you'll love this and so will your kids.  Shhh....don't tell them it's healthy!

Matthew 25:35

I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.