Cedar Plank Trout

Have you ever used cedar planks to grill fish? If not…please try this ASAP!!

 

Last night Joe and I had such an awesome dinner, and it was mostly due to these special things.

We picked up this pack of Cedar planks at Costco. I think they were $10 for 6 planks. I highly recommend you look for them at Costco- we saw them for $10 for only 2 or 3 planks at the grocery store. (RIP OFF ALERT!)

 

The other thing you need to know, is that on the night you’ll make the fish, you need to soak the plank in water for a few hours to make sure they don’t go up in flames on the grill.

 

For our dinner we placed some fresh rainbow trout fillets on the planks-  topped them with salt and pepper and then brushed them with some melted butter mixed with fresh chopped parsley, a few dashes of garlic powder, and the juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon. (Sorry I didn’t take in process pictures!)

 

After that, just place the planks on a medium-high grill for about 8-10 minutes.

 

(I wish I got a picture of it outside, but we were so hungry that I barely even got this one (and that little piece taken out was done by me!)) We threw some garden tomatoes on the plank too to see what would happen. (They were too smoky for me!)

 

I paired my fish with roasted asparagus with olive oil and lemon and some brown rice.

A delicious dinner I highly recommend you try while it’s still grilling season!

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Simple, Quick, and Healthy

Those are the three words I would use to describe my dinner tonight.

I bought the fresh ingredients this morning, and then when I came home from class, dinner was on the table in 20 minutes.

 

Tonight’s Menu:
Lemon Pepper Panko Crusted wild caught flounder

Sautéed Spinach with garlic and lemon

Bulgur cooked in chicken broth (leftover)

 

The fish came together super fast. I simply placed it on a baking sheet with pam, lightly salted and peppered it, and put some Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko on top.

I got these crumbs free from My Blog Spark a month or so ago, and really liked them.

While the fish was cooking on 350 for 15 minutes, I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil. Added a huge bag of baby spinach, salt and pepper and it wilted down just in time to take the fish out of the oven. At the very end, I stirred in some grated lemon zest and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

I heated up the bulgur in the microwave while the fish cooled down, and also made a bag of Trader Joe’s brown rice for Joe since he isn’t really into bulgur.

Dinner is served!

 

Off to watch Boardwalk Empire which we missed on Sunday. Night!

 
What three words describe your dinner tonight?

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Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko & Autographed Cookbook Giveaway!

YAY!! It’s giveaway time!! I feel like a low budget Oprah!

 

“YOU get a panko!” and “YOU get a panko!” and “YOU get a panko!”

 

I knew that the folks at MyBlogSpark were sending me some of Progresso Foods new lemon pepper panko, which I was excited to try..but I was so EXCITED when I saw that there was something else in the package!

Progresso Foods is working with Chef Michael Chiarello to create some new dishes using their panko and other products. So they enclosed an AUTOGRAPHED copy of his latest cookbook!!

Seriously guys, I’m a Food Network and Top Chef junkie and Michael has appeared on both and almost won Top Chef Masters! His recipes are amazing and this cookbook is so cool. It’s worth $40!

Before I got excited about the panko, I wanted to test it out. When I think lemon/pepper, I think fish. So I was set on making baked lemon pepper fish sandwiches.

Lemon Pepper Panko Fish Sandwiches

Ingredients:

Fresh flounder (I used small fillets, 2 per sandwich)

2 eggs

salt/pepper

lemon pepper panko bread crumbs

kaiser rolls

 

How To:

Coat the fillets in egg and then bread in the panko.

(Panko is a larger breadcrumb that creates a crispier/crunchier texture than regular bread crumbs)

Spray a pan with pam and place the breaded fillets on the pan. Spray the tops with pam again to get them more crispy.

Bake on 350 for 15 minutes

Serve on a kaiser roll with some mayo or tartar sauce and lettuce! You know what I’m having on the side!

REVIEW: The panko is really crispy and you can definitely taste the lemon and pepper! I wish that the serving size was a little bigger since you don’t get that much for 1/4 a cup. But I think it’s also possible to just use it as a topping instead of coating the whole piece of fish. I’d definitely use this again for fish sandwiches or crab cakes or even chicken fingers.

 

Now you too can win a box of Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko and your own AUTOGRAPHED copy of Michael Chiarello’s cookbook, Bottega.

Here’s how to enter – 5 ways!!

(separate entry for each one)

1. Check out Michael Chiarello’s signature recipes HERE and tell me which one you’d like to try.

2. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did.

3. Tweet about this giveaway (please add the hashtag #myblogspark)and leave a comment telling me you did.

4. Link to this giveaway from your blog and leave a comment telling me you did.

5. Add me to your blogroll and leave a comment telling me you did.

 

The giveaway winner will be picked next Wednesday! GOOD LUCK!!

 

**The information & giveaway were provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.
**This review and all my reviews are my opinion and my opinion only!**
**Winner will be chosen via random.org & must respond within 48 hrs or another winner will be chosen**

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"Do you want that in the can?"

"No, I’ll have it right here"

 

National Lampoons European Vacation anyone? Great movie.

Well today’s lunch came from a can.

I mixed the tuna with a combo of greek yogurt, diced celery, salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried dill

Once it’s all mixed, I add a little light mayo (for taste, because the yogurt already makes the consistency the same as if there were a lot of mayo in there)

And a dash of red wine vinegar.

Place on top of a toasted everything bagel thin, top with tomatoes if you like. I put a few of those cucumbers on top too.

$Money Saving Tip$- if you live near a Costco, buy tuna there. It’s a great deal. The cans are bigger and you get a lot more for your money. Plus it lasts for a really long time, so it’s a great thing to buy in bulk.

 

image source

 

Look kids! Big Ben! Parliament!

(seriously, if you don’t know what I’m talking about you must see this movie)

 

Are you a National Lampoon’s Vacation fan?

How do you make your tuna?

Have you ever been asked those two questions at the same time before?

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A Recipe you Can Count On

Tonight’s dinner is an old standby. Its actually the most reliable recipe I know. My mom passed it on to me, and I’ve been making it forever! I actually cooked this for Joe the first time I ever made him dinner.  So ladies, you can call this recipe:

Marriage Material Salmon (serves 2)

Ingredients:

1 lb. salmon

1 tbsp. mayo (just like Paul Mitchell products are not valid if you don’t buy them in a salon, I do not vouch for this recipe if you use miracle whip, or low fat or fat free mayo)

salt, pepper, garlic powder

dried dill

How To:

Season the fish with salt, pepper, garlic powder

Put the mayo on top and spread it out on the fish

Sprinkle with dill

Bake on 350 for 20-25 minutes depending on the thickness of the salmon

I am eating this with some roasted green beans and brown rice. Saw the green bean idea on Jessica’s Blog. Thanks girl!

I can’t believe tomorrow is already Thursday. This week is flying!

What are your most reliable recipes?

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