Green Veggie Casserole

Happy Tuesday Coffee & Kahlua readers! 

Its been way too long since I posted a recipe. 

I've been in the home-buying process for months and between boxes, paperwork, a slip and fall at the old house (which makes me even less useful then i was) and trying to get this house unpacked and un-spidered/un-mosquitoed,  I have been completely overwhelmed. Thankfully my husband is just as motivated as he is handsome, so its coming along slowly but very much nicely. 

This recipe is my own creation but was largely inspired by my best friends spinach casserole that I have loved for years.  Like with every recipe i find that I love,  I always want to make it my own. And for me if I'm making a casserole with veggies instead of meat...I want LOTS of veggies & even more flavor of course.So I pulled out my veggie drawer and used almost all of what was in there.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Cheddar Jack Cheese - 1/2 Cup

Parmesan Cheese - Just enough to sprinkle on top

Spinach - half a bag

Green Bell Pepper - 1 whole chopped

Yellow Onion - 1 whole sliced/chopped

Asparagus - Half a bunch cut in half or chopped

Mushrooms - 1 box of pre-washed sliced

Balsamic Vinegar - about 4 tbsp

Unagi Sushi Sauce - 2 tbsp

Butter or Margarine - for saute'

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter in medium frying pan and add chopped asparagus, onions, and bell peppers. Sautee' on medium low until asparagus is soft but not mushy.

Meanwhile start layering your half bag of spinach, mushrooms & cheese to a casserole dish of your choice. Keep in mind that spinach shrinks when its cooked, I used a smaller one. An 8x10 rectangle.

Add balsamic to sauteed veggie pan and let bubble 2 minutes.

Add Unagi sauce to pan and turn to medium heat for 1 min stirring constantly.

Add contents of pan to casserole dish and mix it up. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool for about 20 minutes & Enjoy! 

Smothered Parmesan Crockpot Pork Chops

Yesterday the hubby and I went to the our local meat market (Roseville Meat Company) and bought a 45 lb variety box. I love my meat market, not only because of their prices but because of their integrity. The markets been in business since 1946 and has employees that have been there now since the 1980s. When you walk in youre greeted by a friendly "Hello!" and a smile. I know not every meat market is like ours but I highly suggest that if youre looking to save a buck or two (depending where ya shop already) and want some tasty meat that cuts out some of the middle men, you go look at your local meat market. You might be surprised! 

So out of this 45lbs of meat Matt chose the pork chops for tonights dinner and after watching wayyyyyy too many (not possible) cooking shows the last 2 nights on tv I decided to make some comfort food. Nevermind that its almost summer and 90 degrees out!  =) Heres my own recipe for some smothered cheesy slow cooker pork chops. Ive made this without the parmesan as well and its still fantastic!
My kids and husband LOVE these. They are a  Herman household staple so I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! 

Ingredients:

4 -6 Pork Chops
1 cup of parmesan cheese (shaved)

1 1/2 cups of Cream or Milk

1 can of Cream Of Chicken 

1 cup of Chicken Broth 

2 Yellow Onions (sliced)

Green Bell Peppers (chopped )

1 1/2 tsps Basil

1 tsp Parsley

2 tsps Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:

Slice the onions and place in bottom of crockpot

Rub salt into pork chops 

place pork chops in crockpot

Mix parm, cream, chicken broth, chicken soup , and herbs in a bowl and pour over chops.

Take the chopped bell peppers and drop them all over the sauce. 

Cook on low 6 - 8 hours.
I prefer my sauce a little thicker than most so heres a way to get it almost gravy like.

When done transfer sauce to saucepan. (optional)
In separate cup mix 1/2 cup milk & 1 Tbs of corn starch until dissolved.
Add slowly to sauce stirring until thickened up. 

Enjoy!

This recipe was written by me. Any similarities to other recipes is purely coincidental.

Easy Baked Tilapia with Cream Sauce

I love cooking Tilapia.

  Its such a universal fish. I can think of 5 different recipes off the top of my head right now that I've made that are completely different then the next. And it cooks fast which is always a plus in my house! Heres a recipe I made a few nights ago on a whim & an hour til dinner.

Ingredients for fish

6 tilapia thawed 1 large lemon cut into slices Salt & Pepper to taste In a glass baking dish add fish filets & salt pepper to taste. Place slices of lemon on top & a tab of butter per filet.(or drizzle olive oil)

For Sauce

1 yellow onion chopped up into small pieces

2 tbs of garlic powder (depending how much you like the taste more or less)

4 cups of heavy whipped cream (can substitute with half & half)

3 tbs of butter to add to cream and 1tbs for saute' or 2tbs of olive oil for saute'

1 cup white wine In medium saucepan use medium heat & melt 1bs butter. Add onion and garlic powder. Saute' until onions are softened and butter is mostly evaporated. Add white wine & simmer for 4 minutes

Add cream and stir in remaining butter and whisk consistently until sauce thickens. Bake Tilapia at 400 for 25 minutes or until fish flakes with fork (say that 5 times fast!) Plate tilapia and drizzle cream sauce over filets. I served these with broccoli & lemon wedges (sorry didn't get the pictures after they were plated & sauce was on but they were delicious)

  Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy! Hope ya like it!

And don't forget to comment and let me know you tried it. All feedback is welcome!

This recipe was written by me. Any similarities to other recipes is purely coincidental.