Honey Oatmeal Bread

I found this recipe a while back and finally made it Easter weekend.  It is SO good!  We loved it and it was gone in less than 24 hours.  Baking this bread also makes your house smell wonderful!!

I like to think it is pretty healthy too.  It has some whole wheat flour and whole grain oat.  But it has enough all-purpose flour in it to keep even the pickiest palate interested.  I also like that it has honey instead of sugar.  This recipe does have a little bit of butter.  I think it could easily be made dairy-free with a non-dairy margarine.

Honey Oatmeal Bread << Click here to link to recipe.

Lemon Cream Pie {Egg-free} UPDATE

The last few times I have made this pie, my filling was kind of grainy.  I made it again for Easter weekend and decided to make some changes.  Ah... so much better!  It is lemony, smooth and delicious.  I am updating my original recipe here.

If you are familiar with my original recipe, I reduced the sugar in the crust because it would get kind of sticky and would stick to the pie plate.  I also took out the added sugar in the filling because the sweetened condensed milk has plenty!  I also doubled the lemon zest and adjusted the cooking instructions to make sure you don't curdle the milk during cooking.  I figured out that was my biggest problem with the filling.

Happy Easter everyone!!

Lemon Cream Pie (EF)  <<Click to link to recipe.

Southwest Barbecue Chicken

We have been trying to grill most weekend, even during the winter months.  It has been wonderful!  I love grilled food and it makes excellent leftovers!  Mmmmm.

This recipe came out of my husband's favorite grilling book.  I think a friend recommended it to him.  If you are looking for a good one, check it the link below.  The recipe below is one-third of the the one in the book.  We adjusted it for the amount of chicken we were cooking so we wouldn't have to store the leftover spice mix that would likely get lost in the cabinet.  We also added some more specific instructions.

 Try the grilled chicken cut up with some southwest tossed salad!

Southwest Barbecue Chicken

Recipe credit:  Wild Willy's Number One-derful Rub 

Smoke & Spice: Cooking with Smoke, the Real Way to Barbecue by Cheryl and Bill Jamison

¼ c paprika

2 T black pepper

1T salt

1T sugar

2 t chili powder

2 t garlic

2 t onion

1 t cayenne (optional)

½ c vegetable oil

Mix vegetable oil and spices in a resealable plastic bag.  Place chicken into the bag.  Knead bag to coat chicken with marinade. Squeeze out air, seal bag, and refrigerate at least 4 hours up to overnight.  Remove chicken from marinade.  Grill chicken on preheated grill until browned, the juices run clear, and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest piece reads at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

We have a kamado style smoker and convection grill.  These aren’t extremely common.  But if you do have one, this is how we cooked it.  Set the dome temperature to 370 ^oF.  Cook on each side for about 10-12 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken is more than 160 ^oF. 

Blackened Tilapia

I am so glad my kids will eat fish.  It cooks up pretty quick and is a great source of lean protein.  I looked up several recipes for blackened tilapia.  Blackened Tilapia on the blog Like Mother Like Daughter is the recipe I got the most inspiration from.  Enjoy!

Blackened Tilapia
Inspired by:  Blackened Tilapia on the blog Like Mother Like Daughter

2 T chili powder
2 T paprika
2 t black pepper
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
1-2 t brown sugar
1 t salt
1 t cayenne (optional)
2 pounds of tilapia
olive oil to grease your skillet

Mix all the spices in a rimmed plate.  I like to use a glass pie plate.  Rinse and pat dry your thawed tilapia.  Press one side of the tilapia onto the spice mixture.  Turn over and press again until both sides have a thin coating of spice.  For best results, cover with plastic wrap and put into your fridge about a hour.  I have skipped this step and the fish still cooks up great.  Preheat 1 to 2 TBSP olive oil at a time in a large frying pan on medium high heat.  Place your tilapia in pan and fry 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fish is cooked throughout and flakes easily with a fork.