MarloElaine » Recipes

5 Ingredient Dinner: Baked Costco Salmon and Cream Scalloped Potatoes

Elaine — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:40:16 +0000

I recently discovered the Heavenly Homemakers blog. The woman who runs it, Laura, seems to do it all. She home-schools all four of her children, grows and cans her own food, cooks and cleans for her family, and still has time to maintain a very popular blog.

One of my favorite recipes on her site is the High Five Recipes: Cream Scalloped Potatoes. It’s a part of her High 5 Recipe Series with 5 ingredients or less. As you all know, I am a fan of recipes with five ingredients or less. I have already posted the following recipes with 3-5 ingredients on MarloElaine.com:
* Decadent Oreo Truffles Recipe
* Delightful Cucumber Sandwiches Recipe
* Hearty Chili Cheese Dip Recipe
* Perfect Prosciutto Pasta Recipe
* Super Easy Costco Salmon Recipe

For dinner last week, I was able to make 2 different dishes with a total of only 5 ingredients. I made a variation of my Super Easy Costco Salmon Recipe, so I modified the Heavenly Homemakers recipe a bit to accommodate what I had on hand. The results were delicious!

3 Ingredient Baked Costco Salmon
Ingredients:
2 pounds of boneless salmon fillet
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 envelope of onion soup mix

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the salmon in a Pyrex baking pan or foil covered baking sheet.
3. Pour the olive oil and sprinkle the onion soup mix over the salmon.
4. Massage the oil and seasonings into the fish to coat all surfaces of the salmon evenly.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thickest part is 145 degrees.
6. Serve with 3 Ingredient Cream Scalloped Potatoes and vegetables.

3 Ingredient Cream Scalloped Potatoes
Ingredients:
6 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups cream
1/2 envelope of onion soup mix

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Layer the potato slices in a Pyrex baking pan or foil covered baking sheet.
3. Mix the cream and the onion soup mix together, breaking up any lumps.
4. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes, stirring to coat.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40-60 minutes, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
6. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove from the oven. The starch from the potatoes should have thickened the cream mixture into a lovely gravy.
7. Serve with 3 Ingredient Baked Salmon and vegetables.

MarloElaine’s Turkey and Vegetable Cobbler Recipe

Elaine — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:23:56 +0000

I enjoy watching Mark Bittman as The Minimalist on our TiVo’d New York Times recordings. Today I watched him make Chicken and Vegetable Cobbler. Normally when I watch Bittman’s programs, I become hungry, but not necessarily inspired to cook. Today was a rare occasion. I actually had all of the ingredients on hand! Well, close enough that I could make my variation of his dish anyways.

I had some ground turkey in the fridge that I was planning on cooking with chorizo to make taco meat, but that never materialized. I also had some baby carrots and celery that I intended for snacking, but that didn’t work out either. I had half a carton of white mushrooms left over from last weekend’s sausage, mushroom, and onion egg white omelette. What pushed me over the edge was the refrigerated biscuit dough that I purchased just this morning during a really good sale and with a coupon (double bonus!). So I set about preparing my version of Bittman’s Chicken Cobbler, which he compares to a Chicken Pot Pie without all the work.

I really like this recipe because it forms a nice, creamy sauce without the canned cream of mushroom soup. This dish can easily be modified to control salt, fat, or cholesterol content. It can also accommodate whatever vegetables or meats you have on hand. Since I have a picky eater, I sneak in pureed vegetables whenever I can, just in case my daughter insists on picking out all the visible vegetable chunks. I have made my own pureed vegetables in the past, but this time I simply used a container of Stage 2 Carrots baby food.

MarloElaine’s Turkey and Vegetable Cobbler

Ingredients:
2 T cooking oil (vegetable, canola, olive, etc.)
1 C chopped onions
6 cloves of garlic
12 ounces of ground turkey
3 small russet potatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1 small container of pureed vegetables (baby food) *optional
1 cup chicken stock (or 1 cup water and 2 cubes chicken bouillion)
2 T corn starch
salt, seasoned salt, and/or black pepper to taste
1 tube of refrigerated biscuit dough

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent.
3. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up into small chunks.
4. Brown the turkey meat slightly, then add the potatoes and carrots.
5. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft and the turkey is thoroughly cooked, add the celery and mushrooms.
6. If using the pureed vegetables, add them now.
7. Add the chicken stock to the saucepan, reserving 2T of liquid.
8. In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and 2 T of the chicken stock or water. Mix to form a slurry.
9. Add the corn starch slurry to the meat and vegetables and bring the liquid to a boil.
10. Once the sauce begins to tighten up, season to taste.
11. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
12. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
13. Spoon the turkey and vegetable mixture into a baking dish. I used a 9″ x 13″ Pyrex glassware, but you could opt for a deeper one if you like a higher meat to biscuit ratio.
14. Spread the biscuits evenly over the top of the filling. Split the biscuits in half lengthwise if needed.

15. Place the pan in the center rack of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and the sauce is bubbling.
16. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.

My son Sammy really enjoyed my Turkey and Vegetable Cobbler. He is very aware of which foods are healthy and which are unhealthy. Sammy proclaimed that his favorite parts of the dish were the vegetables, then the turkey and the “cookie” or biscuit.

I’d love to hear your reviews of this recipe, including any variations you make to it. Please post your comments below.

Fresh Southwestern Salsa Recipe

Elaine — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 16:08:40 +0000

I first tasted this delicious salsa at a friend’s house during a playdate. It was so tasty and refreshing! And since it is healthy, no one felt guilty for snacking on it all day long.

Ingredients:
1 (15 or 16 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn, drained OR 1 cup frozen corn kernels OR 2-3 ears of fresh cooked corn
1 can black olives, drained and sliced
1 large tomato, diced OR 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber, peeled and cubed (seeds removed)
2 avocados, cubed
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 of a medium red onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup prepared italian dressing (reduced fat or regular)

salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
1/4 tsp cumin (optional)
sweet or spicy peppers (optional)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently. Serve chilled with tortilla chips or with your favorite TexMex dish. Can even be eaten as is for a salad or side dish.

If making in advance, add the avocado just before serving to prevent browning.

This recipe can be easily altered to your tastes and diet restrictions, or just to what you have on hand.

Octo-Dog Recipe

Elaine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 04:11:11 +0000

Are you tired of feeding your kids the same old boring hot dogs? Next time, ask the kids to help you make Octo-Dogs! This is another one of my “5 ingredients or less” recipes.

Marlo got this creative recipe idea from an old friend, so I tested it out on my playgroup this week. The Octo-Dogs were a hit! (Thanks to Kathy W. for the clever name!)

Octo-Dog Recipe

Ingredients:

1 package of hot dogs, any kind, preferably one without nitrates
1 package of spaghetti noodles, preferably whole wheat or multi-grain
1 cup of spaghetti sauce, jarred or homemade

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water. Add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil.
Slice each hot dog into 6 or 8 pieces. If serving to toddlers, first slice the hot dog lengthwise to reduce the risk of choking.
Skewer each hot dog piece with 4 pieces of uncooked spaghetti. Center the hot dog on the pasta strands, as pictured below. Children could help with this step.
When the water is boiling, cook the Octo-Dogs according to the pasta package directions.
Gently warm the spaghetti sauce on the stove top or in the microwave.
Drain and rinse the Octo-Dogs with lukewarm water to prevent sticking.
Serve warm with pasta sauce on the side for dipping.

Variations:

Experiment with different kinds of sausages, pastas, and sauces. Perhaps a chicken sausage with fettuccini noodles and alfredo sauce? Or Italian sausage with angel hair pasta and pizza sauce? The possibilities are endless! Please try this recipe at home and let us know how your family likes it!

Reduced Fat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Elaine — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:49:34 +0000

I’ve been getting a lot of compliments on my Delicious Pumpkin Muffin and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffin Recipes. Lately I’ve been baking single batches of the low fat version and adding chocolate chips. Here’s the new and improved recipe:

Reduced Fat Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe Summary:
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes for muffins, 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins
Yield: 18 regular size muffins, or 2-3 dozen mini-muffins

Ingredients:
DRY:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

WET:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 large or extra large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups raw shredded pumpkin, fresh or previously frozen
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prep the baking pans with: butter and flour, nonstick cooking spray, or paper cupcake liners.
Sift the dry ingredients together: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures. Do not over-mix or you’ll get large air pockets or tunnels.
Fold in the shredded pumpkin and chocolate chips. (If using thawed shredded pumpkin, be sure to squeeze out the excess liquid and discard it.)
Once the ingredients are all incorporated, pour or scoop into muffin tins. I like to use a small cookie disher for this.
Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes for regular sized muffins or 20-25 minutes for mini-muffins. At this point, a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf should come out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack. I found that one chopstick in each hand is a very effective way to remove warm mini-muffins without getting myself sticky.
Serve as breakfast, dessert, or snack. Great with coffee and/or ice cream.
Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in broiler or toaster oven for best results. Can also microwave them in 15 second increments until the muffins are warm and the chocolate is gooey. Yum!

Variations:

Substitute the semi-sweet chocolate chips for chopped up pieces of holiday chocolate. Every Easter, Halloween, and Christmas, my kids always get tons of chocolate from family, friends, school, etc. If I bake the chocolate in these muffins, they eat less candy and more fruit (pumpkin and applesauce).
No need to peel the pumpkin before shredding! Just wash and cut the pumpkin, then shred it in the food processor or salad shooter. This adds color, texture, and probably fiber and vitamins as well. Thanks to readers Sandy and Jeff for the suggestions!

Super Easy Costco Salmon Recipe

Elaine — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 19:00:13 +0000

If your family is like mine, you spend a lot of time shopping at warehouse stores such as Costco or Sam’s Club. The groceries are often priced at a great value, but packaged in huge quantities. Whenever I pass by the beautiful slabs of fresh salmon, I’m tempted to buy a package. If I’m not having people over, the thought of eating salmon every day for a week usually changes my mind.

We discovered a new recipe when we hosted a pot luck Christmas party with friends a few weeks ago. Our dear friend Anne borrowed our kitchen to make her new salmon dish. She brought three ingredients, assembled them, and popped them in the oven. About 30 minutes later, a delicious main course was served! By the end of the night, every delicious morsel had been eaten.

Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise (may use regular or low fat)
1 packet onion soup mix (any brand)
1 large salmon fillet from Costco

Preparation:
Stir the onion soup mix into the mayonnaise. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to bake.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the salmon on an aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Be sure the pan is deep enough to catch any drippings.
Cover the top of the salmon with the onion-mayo sauce.
Bake approximately 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. When your kitchen fills with the scent of onions and salmon, start checking the fish. The internal temperature of the thickest portion should reach 140 degrees. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, the fish should flake easily with a fork when fully cooked.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. The sauce will turn into a tasty brown crust that keeps the fish moist and tender. Delicious!

Serve over a bed of rice and a side of steamed spinach for a super healthy, easy meal.

We’ve also prepared the salmon by seasoning it with salt and pepper and grilling on a hickory plank as well as sprinkling it with Hawaiian salt and olive oil before baking. We’d love to hear how you prepare your Costco salmon.

Please check out our other recipes. Many of them have 5 ingredients or less!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Elaine — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:14:52 +0000

I just baked a double batch of Pumpkin Muffins today. I experimented with chocolate chips after seeing a friend’s chocolate chip pumpkin bread recipe. They turned out really good! Here’s the revised recipe:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe Summary:
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes for mini-muffins or 35 minutes for regular sized muffins
Yield: 6 dozen mini-muffins or 3 dozen muffins

Dry Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 cups fresh shredded pumpkin
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Prepare the baking pans by either buttering and flouring them, spraying the pans with nonstick cooking spray, or lining them with paper muffin liners or parchment paper.
Sift the dry ingredients together: flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients: sugar, vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs, and vanilla.
Combine both mixtures and fold in the shredded pumpkin and chocolate chips.
Once the ingredients are all incorporated, scoop into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 25 minutes for mini-muffins or 35 minutes for regular sized muffins. Since ovens vary, start checking the muffins when your kitchen starts to smell really good. When the muffins are done, a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of a center muffin will come out clean.
Cool for 15 minutes and turn out onto a cooling rack.
Refrigerate leftovers. Reheat in broiler or toaster oven for best results.

Variations:
Substitute leftover Halloween candy for the the chocolate chips! Just cut up chocolate bars into bite sized pieces and fold in with the shredded pumpkin. Hershey bars and M&M’s are the obvious choices, but feel free to experiment with Snickers, Almond Joy, etc.!

Fabulous Filipino Fruit Salad Recipe

Elaine — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:15:51 +0000

Filipino Fruit Salad is a creamy, tasty dessert made with many different kinds of canned and preserved fruits. It is a staple at many Filipino gatherings. People love the way I prepare it and often ask me for the recipe.

Here’s how I make my fruit salad:

Ingredients:
1 – 10 oz jar maraschino cherries without stems
3 – 30 oz cans fruit cocktail (or 1 – #10 can)
1 – 20 oz can pineapple chunks
1 – 15 oz can mandarin orange segments
1/2 – 12 oz jar coconut sport (aka macapuno)*
1/2 – 12 oz jar sugar palm fruit (aka kaong)*
1/2 – 12 oz jar pineapple gel (aka nata de pina) and/or coconut gel (aka nata de coco)*
1 – 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 – 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 – 12 oz jar or can of jackfruit (aka langka) in syrup*
*can be found in most Filipino or Asian grocery stores

Directions:

Drain & rinse the cherries, drain all fruits except the jackfruit. Set aside.
Blend the jackfruit and liquid in a food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk, process until smooth.
Transfer the jackfruit-dairy mixture into a large mixing bowl. Gently stir in the rest of the drained fruits. Mix until all the fruit is coated in the creamy, white mixture.
Chill for several hours or overnight. Serve cold. Refrigerate leftovers promptly.

Variations:

For a sweeter fruit salad, use the whole can of sweetened condensed milk.
Neuchatel cheese (8 oz) or Nestle Table Cream (1 or 2 – 8 oz cans) may be substituted for the cream cheese for a reduced fat version
Amounts of fruits can be varied according to preferences and availability.
Fresh fruits such as diced apples, sliced bananas, or halved grapes may be added as well.

I hope you try this recipe and let me know how it turns out. I’d love to hear your additions or substitutions.

Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes and Mashed Potato Soup Recipes

Elaine — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 02:54:42 +0000

Every time I make sour cream & chive mashed potatoes, I double the recipe so I can make mashed potato soup with the leftovers. The soup is so good, especially on a chilly winter day! My kids love both the mashed potatoes and the soup! I modified these recipes after first seeing them on the Rachael Ray Show. Here they are:

Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
5 pounds of Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup regular or reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Yields: 6 servings

Directions:

Place the potatoes in a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook the potatoes for 10-12 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a knife.
When the potatoes have finished cooking, drain them well. If you like, return them to the pot they came out of and place over high heat to dry them out a bit, 1-2 minutes.
Add sour cream, butter, chives, and parsley (reserving some of the herbs for garnish), and mash them well with a potato masher or stick blender. Cover to keep warm.
Garnish with remaining parsley and chives before serving.
Serve as is, with your favorite gravy, OR they way Sammy and Sophie like it: with mozzarella cheese/string cheese melted over it.

This is the original Rachael Ray’s Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes recipe.

Mashed Potato Soup

Ingredients:
6 slices bacon
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
8 ounces shredded yellow cheddar cheese
Chopped chives, for garnish

Yields: 4 servings

Directions:

Cook the bacon in a medium pot or Dutch oven medium-high heat until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Cut into small pieces when cooled. (I like to use scissors for this.)
Drain off excess bacon fat from the pot and add butter.
When the butter is melted, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle flour into the pot and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cook until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the mashed potatoes, then the cheddar cheese.
Cook until the potatoes are hot and the cheese is melted.
Garnish with the reserved bacon and chopped chives.

Here’s the original Rachael Ray’s Mashed Potato Soup recipe.

Perfect Prosciutto Pasta Recipe

Elaine — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 03:37:27 +0000

A couple of months ago, I was grocery shopping at my local Trader Joe’s. They were featuring samples of Prosciutto Pasta, which my kids absolutely loved. After they ate two mini-helpings each, I decided to buy all five ingredients listed in the recipe that they handed out. It was easy to prepare and my family gobbled up the healthy, tasty dish.

Last week, I wanted to make the Prosciutto Pasta again, but I misplaced the recipe card. I scoured the Trader Joe’s website, but could not find the recipe. I emailed Trader Joe’s, but unfortunately, they did not have a copy of the recipe because it was created by the local store. I searched my favorite recipe websites, but could not find the recipe I was looking for. I decided to search my kitchen again, and I found the tiny white scrap of paper containing the treasured recipe. I immediately typed it out and saved copies in my Palm Pilot and my email account so I would never lose it again.

Last night, I prepared the recipe again, with rave reviews from my youngest critics. Here is the recipe from the Trader Joe’s Kitchen:

Prosciutto Pasta

1 pkg Trader Joe’s Petite Frozen Peas
3 oz Trader Joe’s Shaved Parmesan/Reggianno
10-12 oz Penne Pasta
1 1/2 tsp TJ’s Pasta Seasoning
3 oz TJ’s Sliced Prosciutto

Slice prosciutto, prepare peas in microwave, add to large bowl. Prepare pasta according to package, reserve some pasta water. Add pasta to peas, add prosciutto, pasta seasoning, and a bit of pasta water. Add cheese last. The cheese and extra pasta water make the sauce.

I altered the recipe slightly using one 16 oz bag of frozen green peas (I couldn’t remember how big the bag of TJ’s peas was), one 16 oz box of Mostaccioli Rigati, 4 oz shaved parmesan cheese, 2 tsp TJ’s Pasta Seasoning, and 3.5 ounces of sliced prosciutto. I also reserved some cheese for garnish.

If you don’t have TJ’s Pasta Seasoning on hand, you could probably try to make your own. The listed ingredients are onion, garlic, basil, lemon peel, paprika, fennel, oregano, black pepper, ginger, thyme, and lemon oil.

I prefer to use scissors over a knife to cut the prosciutto into bite sized pieces. Be sure to separate the prosciutto layers after slicing it, otherwise it will clump when added to the pasta. I also took a shortcut and added the frozen peas in with the boiling pasta during the last few minutes of cooking. This did bring down the temperature of the pasta water significantly, so I had to cook the pasta and peas a little bit longer, but I thought it was worth it to minimize dirty dishes!

I don’t normally have prosciutto on hand, so next time I might experiment with this recipe using diced chicken breast, ham, or even Spam! Let me know if you have other suggestions or similar recipes. I’d love to hear your comments!