Category Archives: Cooking

Fish Tacos

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 28 July, 2014 None comments

Today was an absolutely beautiful day filled with church, relaxation and good eats. My husband and I had some great conversations while enjoying the sun. Typically we spend every weekend busy with chores or out traveling around. Today we sat and had great conversations with some yummy iced coffee and delicious food.

Fish tacos were not on the menu for tonight’s dinner, but as the night progressed it simply turned into that as we both decided we had been talking about fish tacos for awhile.

They were so incredible, we were thankful we succumbed to the desire. After eating dinner we went on a nice long walk through the forest as it’s basically in our backyard. Quiet and peaceful was the remainder of our day topped off with a Cherry Turnover from my Aunt’s berry store in Salem. Woo-hoo!

Ingredients:

4 fillets of Mahi (any kind works great)
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp chipotle seasoning
½ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tbsp garlic butter, melted

Toppings:

Grilled Corn
Kidney Beans
Cheese
Rice
Tomato
Avocado
Ranch

In a small bowl mix together chili powder, chipotle, garlic and sea salt together. Sprinkle over fish.

Grill the fish on the BBQ and while cooking, baste the fish with melted garlic butter.

Once cooked, allow to cool and shred fish.

Toast tortillas on the grill.

Grill the corn on the barbecue with garlic butter and salt.

Once tortillas are cooked, serve warm with all the toppings you enjoy.

Assemble with cheese, rice, beans, tomatoes, corn, ranch and avocado.

So delicious! Yummy!

Hope you enjoy as much as we did! :)

Mini Pizza

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 25 July, 2014 None comments

I used to be a horrible morning person. All growing up I could never get up in time for school. My dad would come in on a bright sunny morning with extreme excitement in his voice. “Honey, it snowed last night!” I would try and process which season we were in, whether I should be excited or simply the sad reality that what my dad just shared was absurd. It was summer, 70 degrees by 7 am and my dad is trying to get me out of bed with snowflakes.

When that approach turned out to be anything but successful, he would often take a running shot at my bed and plummet down directly on me. “Wake up, isn’t it a beautiful day?!” This would often make me so mad that this grown man is jumping on my sleeping, lifeless body to somehow muster up some excitement to come running from the room? It made no sense to me, what was to wonderful to quickly wake up when sleeping was my number one friend.

Oh my poor dad. I look back and contemplate how he survived with three daughters, not how we survived. We were blessed and taken care of immensely with a wonderful Father who even though couldn’t get his girls up in the morning, taught us everything else we needed to know about life. :)

As I’ve grown, the morning side hasn’t really left me. Loving my sleep and late nights was a usual for me until I had my son……boy was that an eye opener for me. I have adapted extremely well which requires me to be in bed by 9:30. :) Although he’s a great sleeper, I can’t seem to catch up on years of lost sleep while chasing a toddler around.

So with the early morning routine, I am often up by 6:30 and not because little man is up by then, but because it allows me to get some stuff done before the day truly begins. Which is an easy prompt for early bedtime. Never sitting until touching foot in bed to read and let my mind rest, is a long awaited pleasure all day long.

This night in particular, Michael was out with some buddies and I was watching a movie. My tummy began to rumble and even though I had dinner (an hour ago), I was hungry. I decided to make a yummy little pizza on english muffins. It was probably 9:30 when I turned the oven on. My mind was telling me this would be great, while my tummy was telling me don’t even think about it….my mind won that battle.

After eating these delicious little pizza snacks, my tummy paid for it all night long.

Ingredients:

Butter
Garlic salt
Pepperoni
Cheese
Fresh Basil

I reverted to a heaping hand of butter with a generous amount of garlic salt. Topping with pepperoni and cheese and then toasting them lightly in the oven.

Using a generous portion of garlic and butter creates something worth devouring. This late night snack was incredible with a nice touch of basil to flow with the flavors, but my advice would be…”Do not eat it too late!” :)

Something so simple but so garlicy and buttery was a wonderful moment to devour.

Cilantro Lemon Chicken

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 22 July, 2014 None comments

The other night I was in a rush to make dinner as the remainder of the week was a bit hectic for me. Trying to prep for visiting my aunt and picking berries on their farm as well as leaving town for a week the following day was a chore in and of itself. It becomes a bit chaotic when trying to plan for the week with a little one who has had medical needs as of recent. Hoping and praying he has a good trip without coming down with anything or being hospitalized is all I can ask for right now.

I’ve realized how much energy I’ve lacked since our hospital visits and extreme amount of doctors appointments and the stress that all brings. It’s been exhausting and really wearing on my body. I had no clue how tired I was until I finally got away from home. Leaving town can sometimes lift the burden as the house chores aren’t hanging over my head as well as cooking three meals a day for the fam.

So, the other night I decided to make Cilantro Lemon Chicken with rice and grilled romaine. I was in need of using the chicken in the fridge as I hate letting food go to waste while on vacation. This was a great 30 minute meal and is versatile for many different things. :)

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, cooked
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp thyme
2 lemon slices, squeezed
1 handful fresh cilantro
1 handful fresh chives
Avocado (optional)
Rice (optional)

Cook chicken and shred into medium size pieces. (I used rotisserie chicken) Toss in a medium skillet with EVOO and begin to heat through.

Add in cumin, cayenne, garlic salt and thyme.

Squeeze in lemon juice and turn heat to low.

Chop a handful of chives and cilantro. I must admit this was my first picking of chives and cilantro for the year out of my beautiful garden. :)

Stir into chicken and turn the heat off.

Mix and serve.

Great for chicken burritos, on rice, or as is.

Tonight I served this on a bed of rice with some teriyaki sauce and grilled romaine hearts.

This meal was even great for leftovers. My sister enjoyed this the following night after a long day of driving and berry picking. I fed her and my niece while they avoided rush hour traffic. :)

Quick Sausage

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 21 July, 2014 1 comments

This is great for a snack, side dish or main course. My son, husband and I love sausage and often when I know he wont eat what I will be preparing for dinner, I think of other options that will be a hit and have a variety of protein and vegetables.

Ingredients:

Sausage
Mushrooms
Onion
EVOO
Garlic Salt
Salt & Pepper

In a skillet, saute all ingredients until heated through and cooked.

Serve over rice as a main dish or simply serve as is for a side dish.

My silly little goose wearing the colander as a hat.

Showing off his little modeling skills

Tonight we had Mahi with rice and salad. I decided to serve the sausage as a side dish as I know my son absolutely loves it.

My sweet little baby enjoying dinner with Leo the Lion.

We all love to eat dinner and hang out on our patio….boo hoo for when summer decides to leave us! :(

The Best Potato Salad

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 20 July, 2014 None comments

This recipe is very simple for potato salad and is rich in flavor leaving your mouth watering for more.

My husband and his step dad embarked on my cooking yet again. Tonight’s menu: Barbecued Chicken with potato salad and fresh grilled garlic green beans.

I’ve actually never made potato salad as my mom makes the best and I typically don’t crave such food because it can often be too rich, too mushy, too mustardy (if that’s even a word). I’ve had store bought to potluck potato salad and never really desire it because it never is “right.” Well, today I decided to make it for the first time as I have been craving this for some odd reason and to my surprise I love the flavors.

If you are so-so with potato salad, this recipe is a must try.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs Russet potatoes
1 lb red potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise (NO miracle whip and no light mayo)
½ cup ranch dressing
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 baby dill pickles, finely chopped
2 hardboiled eggs, grated
¼ tsp celery salt
¼ tsp garlic salt

In a large pot, add diced potatoes and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. (Do not over cook as you don’t want your salad to be mushy) Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large glass bowl, combine mayonnaise, ranch, celery salt and garlic salt. Add to potatoes and stir well.

Place potatoes in a glass bowl and add chopped celery.

Add finely chopped pickles.

And grate the eggs directly into potatoes.

Give the salad a good stir. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Serve with BBQ Chicken and grilled beans and corn.

So delicious!

Corn Dogs

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 July, 2014 None comments

Easy-peasy yummy and easy. Who doesn’t love a corn dog, I know I would eat them all the time if they were as healthy as the blueberries we grow.

Anyway, this recipe developed through a long time pondering what to make for our annual movies in the park picnic. All week long I had thought and contemplated what delicious picnic to pack. It was opening night for movies in our neighborhood park this past weekend and my conclusion ended with these delicious homemade corn dogs.

With a busy day watching a girlfriends two kids and my son getting pictures all in the same afternoon, I was hoping to conquer my desire to make these corn dogs as well unsure how long it would actually take. Preparing early in the morning was my best friend. This enabled a helpful evening of simply frying them during Cooper’s nap so when we returned home, dinner would be DONE!

Waking my son up from a nap led me to believe pictures would be a challenge let alone, a long evening with a late bedtime. To my surprise, my little bundle exceed expectations and we returned home by 9:30 with a very happy baby. I love nights where my son is uber-snuggly and interacting with me on a level I didn’t realize he was old enough for. It was precious to play with his super-duper sweet attitude while we also laid on the blanket looking up at the sky. The trees that billowed out above us and a pink sky surpassing the quiet trees was absolutely astonishing. His little mind taking in the essence of a “pink” sunset was adorable. So much so we even talked about it the following morning.

We played on the blanket with toys and even played in the water feature the beautiful park holds. We left when the movie got going as my son wasn’t there for a quiet evening but rather, an active, loud adventure. We enjoyed our corn dog picnic and couldn’t have asked for a better night.

Ingredients:

Batter:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup unbleached flour
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk

Hot Dog Prep:

1/3 cup flour
8-10 hot dogs
3 cups Vegetable Oil
4-5 wooden skewers, cut in half

Mix together all the dry ingredients for the batter into a small bowl or measuring cup and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix together egg and milk.

Add in dry ingredients. Place in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a fry pan, add your oil and heat on low heat. I use this pan specifically for frying only. It’s become that pan.

While the oil is heating, prep your hot dogs….

Cut skewers in half and slide hot dog onto skewer.

On a small plate with flour, coat your hot dog. This helps the cornmeal stick to the dog.

After cornmeal has been refrigerated, dip the dog into the batter. This will take some manuvering to get the batter to stick. I basically dump the batter on top. Let it rest, than flip the dog and do the same on the other side.

Quickly transfer dog to oil and slightly turn up the heat.

Use tongs to help hold the batter close to the hot dog.

After the batter begins to cook, flip the hot dog with tongs to keep from burning yourself with the oil.

Once fully cooled, place on a foil lined baking pan to catch the oil.

Serve with a delicious honey mustard or spicy mustard. Mmmm so good!

Adapted from Carlsbadcravings.com

The Ultimate Breakfast Wrap

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 17 July, 2014 None comments

Happy breakfast time. I made these this past weekend and was overjoyed with the outcome. These suckers are amazing and has all the best ingredients a breakfast could hold.

This breakfast wrap is no typical breakfast wrap. It contains hash-brown links layered within your ooey gooey eggs and sausage! I love hash-browns and decided to combine all my favorite breakfast ingredients together into one perfect breakfast wrap.

Let me tell you….it was incredible and mess free and made my tummy very happy.

Ingredients:

Scrambled Eggs
2-4 hash browns
Cheese
Sausage
2-4 tortillas
Hot Sauce (optional)

In a fry pan, place your hash browns on medium heat to begin browning.

In a separate skillet, cook your scrambled eggs and add cheese.

On a heated tortilla, layer your cooked hash brown

And add sausage and eggs.

Add hot sauce if you so desire and roll up your tortilla into a burrito.

These suckers are deliciously filling and incredible. A mouthful of complete goodness. :)

Fruity Smoothie

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 July, 2014 None comments

I was at the grocery store yesterday and the clerk asked me if I was enjoying summer. I looked at Cooper and with a big smile I said yes. My little man has made this summer incredible. Spending time traveling as a family, park dates, family pool time and just hanging out has been all I could ask for.

The lady behind me spoke up and said “this heat is a killer though!” As I agreed, I also explained that we can’t seem to be happy here in Oregon with it’s extreme weather changes. If we all had AC, there would be no question about it. She nodded and said she it glad she lives here but definitely wishes the weather to be mid 70’s-80’s so people would stop complaining.

I thought it was funny as we can’t ever seem to be happy. Either it rains or it scorches. I love the sun, so I am not too worried about it and our house stays really cool. :) I’m thankful for beautiful weather and a beautiful backyard to enjoy it in.

So since summer is here and will be over before we know it, take time to enjoy the sun and relax with your family while doing something exciting. And don’t forget to drink a protein packed smoothie full of vitamins and nutrients your body is craving in this hot heat.

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed fruit; mango, pineapple, guava
1 apple
2 bananas
1 spoonful protein powder (almond butter is a great substitute)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup coconut milk

Compile all ingredients into a blender and ENJOY!!!!

These hot weathered days must enjoy a healthy snack.

Best Scrambled Eggs To Date

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 15 July, 2014 2 comments

Scrambled eggs can be manipulated in one too many ways. It kind of grosses me out. While we were in Bend, OR a couple weeks ago, the hotel we stayed at had breakfast. Mind you, their breakfast was actually really good and filled with multiple options to choose from. Apart from the usual mass produced plastic tasting scrambled eggs, I thoroughly enjoyed everything else. I find anytime you travel, the scrambled eggs are a “must RUN” dish. Don’t touch, don’t eat, don’t even try! They always let you down.

Isn’t it crazy how scrambling eggs can bring out the best and the worst of an egg? I’ve found that it is almost too easy to make them different each time. My husband is the type who likes to constantly stir the egg and mash it into the smallest pieces known to man. He loves to stir those puppies and stir and stir. I found that over stirring will keep Cooper from touching the egg. :) I will give my husband the benefit of the doubt and say, I do make eggs every day for Cooper, so he’s just used to my chunky, cheesy, ooey goodness of an egg. ;)

I will give all the credit to my mama who taught me many tips and tricks in the kitchen. She is a fabulous cook and always had the best eggs growing up and I’ve now brought them to my abode. The key to our scrambled eggs is not, I repeat, NOT to over stir.

Ingredients:

2-3 tbsp butter
8-10 eggs (serves 5-6 people)
3 tbsp cream cheese
1- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
(Patience) :)

In a medium size skillet greased with 2-3 tbsp butter, crack your eggs over med-low heat. Let them sit until they look like this. (break the yoke)

Using a spatula light scrap the bottom of the pan to “stir” them. Leave in large chunks.

Add in chunks of cream cheese and shredded cheese. (This pictures shows sliced cheese)

Give it one last stir. If you feel it needs to cook through a little longer, give it a couple good stirs without chopping your eggs into tiny pieces. :)

Serve with toast and sausage or in a breakfast sandwich.

I found great pleasure when the little gal I nannied for said she HATED eggs but once she took a bite of mine she proudly stood and said “these are the best eggs in the WHOOOOLLLLEEE world.” I was very honored that a 5 year old would be so complimentary towards my eggs that were previously looked down upon. She enjoyed them so much she asked for my scrambled eggs for her birthday breakfast. Needless to say, her mom “took a lesson” on scrambling eggs. :)

Shrimp & Mushroom Cream Sauce

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 14 July, 2014 None comments

WHATS FOR DINNER TONIGHT??? Shrimp and mushrooms in a tomato bisque cream sauce. Oh-My-Goodness!!!!

This 30 minute meal is filled with sweet, spicy and everything nice. It’s beyond incredible that I can’t even begin to explain the awesomeness of this recipe. Something about the slightly tender mushrooms, perfect shrimp and the flavors of the sauce combined gives this dish something to rant and rave about.

This is in my favorites section as I personally rate this meal a 5 star! No words can describe this meal until tasted on your lips.

Ingredients: