Posts

Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia Fillets

/1 Comment/in , /by

We love Fish & Chips- flaky fish- with a crunchy coating and potato wedges or chips- sprinkled with lots of salt and Malt Vinegar. This not-so-heart-healthy combo is our favorite during sporting events-  but especially when watching the World Cup-as we did over the weekend.

photo 1 (1)

When we were shopping at Trader Joe’s for our Fish & Chips dinner we decided to check out a new kind of fish- and it was just delish!

Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia Fillets

This box just sorta jumped out at us while we were checking out all the other options. I think I was lured by the idea of the crunch Panko breading and the thinner pieces of fish.

photo 3

An added advantage was that the fish was individually bagged so that you could take out only the amount you needed for a meal, and keep the rest of the fish in the freezer for next time.  Nice!

We followed the suggestions on the box and placed the fish on a foil lined pan and cooked it for 10 minutes, then flipped it over for 10 more minutes on the other side. The fish was nice and crispy and golden brown- and it sizzled when we took it  out of the oven.  (We did take a piece of paper towel to each side of the fish just to see if we could get any extra oil from each piece- and there was a little bit to blot up- just FYI.)

photo 2

To TRY and keep this meal under some kind of control, we served it up with home made oven roasted potatoes to star as the “chips”  and a few carrot sticks.

Well…..

OK we just loved the fish. It was crunch yet still moist in the middle. The Panko breading was crisp without being super thick/ or way greasy. We sprinkled the fish with some Malt Vinegar- and it just went so well together… YUMMO!

Other Ideas to try with this fish:

Fish Tacos

This would be a great fish to use in Fish Tacos. The pieces cook up crunchy and the fish is nice and thin but still moist. My though is to cook the fish and split it in half the long way, then place each half in a tortilla or taco shell with your favorite fixings.

Salad Topper

Another idea we had was to bake the fish and then serve it on top of a nice bunch of salad greens, tomatoes, etc…   This would be a lovely contrast in flavors (cool- hot- crunchy- creamy dressing etc…)

 So the next time you are searching for a nice, crunchy fish for dinner, give Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Tilapia Fillets a try and tell us what you think!

 

 

 

Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix

/4 Comments/in /by

It’s Baack! Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix has returned!

It seems like fall is really here, beyond the date on the calendar…. Trader Joe’s is bursting with great Pumpkin items!   It was a hard (internal ) debate in the store…. which mix  would I be going home with this week?

Pumpkin bread or Pumpkin Pancakes… I have to choose?? Yikes!

uh…a hard choice… made even harder when I found out that the sample that cool Friday AM was warm Pumpkin bread…. ohhhh just delish.

But in the end, the box in our trolley was the Pumpkin Pancake mix. Super easy and (OK honestly) I could make up a small batch and devour them quickly, and make another batch up at a later time.   I guess waiting until I have a “thing” to bake the Pumpkin bread for is a better idea… then I can grab a slice and still look like an office hero, right??

OK, back to business…. below are the directions for both the pancakes & waffles just in case you need them:

Pumpkin Pancake Directions (Mini batch)

Makes approximately 6-8 (5″) pancakes

You will need:

  • 1 cup Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake Mix
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter (1/4 stick)
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

~~

1. Preheat griddle to 350 degrees (Medium heat).

2. Measure out 1 cup pancake mix, and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, combine egg, milk, melted butter. Add the dry pancake mix and stir until almost all the lumps disappear.  Do not over mix.  Let the batter stand for a few minutes before using… you may need to add a few spoonfuls of milk if the batter gets too thick.

4. Pour 1/4 cup of batter on hot, greased griddle. Pancakes are ready to turn when bubbles form and break and the edges appear cooked. Turn and brown lightly on the other side.

I then transferred the cooked  pancakes to a plate that was in my oven, set on a low temperature (like 200 degrees) to keep them all toasty warm until we were ready to eat.

Cooking Directions for Pumpkin Waffles

Makes 4 (4″) waffles

You will need:

  • 1 cup Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake mix
  • 2 Tablespoons Melted butter (1/4 stick)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

~~

1. Preheat waffle iron (follow the directions that came with it).

2. Measure out 1 cup of pancake mix, set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, combine egg, water and melted butter together.   Add the dry pancake mix and stir together until the large lumps disappear. Do not over mix.

4. Ladle onto hot waffle iron and remove when golden brown.

YUM! anyway you make these… they are just fantastic!

I made the smaller batch… like I said so that I would not have THAT many leftover pancakes and it was just the right amount.  I ate the leftovers cold slathered with Trader Joe’s almond butter!

So my suggestion is to get to Trader Joe’s, grab a box of Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle mix and whip up a batch this weekend~ you’ll be glad you did!

 

 

Easy Stuffing Recipe

/1 Comment/in , /by

Are you searching for an Easy Stuffing Recipe to make for Thanksgiving (or any meal ….)??.

Well keep reading and I will give you a very simple recipe that you will enjoy  with Turkey or any kind of roasted meat really…. I will admit that I love the stuffing leftovers (crusty corners) with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes~ yum!

In my mind there are two important parts to the stuffing… the bread part or maybe stuffing base, and the flavoring parts which can include items celery and onions and also cranberries, sausage and the classic ingredient,  oysters (yikes … not in my stuffing thank you….).

Today I will share a basic/ simple stuffing that you can try as well as some options at the bottom to help you expand out into new flavors.

Easy Stuffing Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 loaf of Challah bread
  • 1 package of Diced Onions, garlic & Shallots (or 1 medium onion, diced fine)
  • 1 apple (optional) I used one large Honey Crisp
  • dried fruit (optional – I am using dried cranberries with orange oil from Trader Joe’s)
  • 1 package Hearty Vegetable Stock (or chicken stock, which ever you like best)
  • Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute ( 1 teaspoon- or more to taste)
  • Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper, dried or fresh Sage leaf –

How To:

1. Dice the Challah bread into 1-2 inch pieces. I like to dry the bread out for a bit, so I chopped it up before work today and then made the stuffing when I came home tonight.

2. Cook the package of diced onions, garlic and shallots together in a pan with olive oil  until they get a bit of color… Add the apple (chopped up small) if you are using and let it cook for a few minutes. Here is where I also add Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute and the dry Sage (maybe a 1/2 to a whole teaspoon or to taste…. this is where the real “stuffing” flavor comes from in my opinion ).

3.  I had some yummy dried cranberries with orange in the pantry and thought why not??  so I chopped them up just a bit and then added them to the pan for a few minutes to warm up.

4. Now add about a cup of the Hearty Vegetable Stock to the pan and let it come to a boil. I like to do this to “clean the pan” a bit and loosen up any brown flavor bits that might be on the bottom. The liquid will also “plump” up the dried fruits a little.

4. Pour the contents of the pan over the bread cubes and toss well. Add more stock from the carton until the bread is nicely moist but not too soggy….

5. Turn out the stuffing into a greased baking dish.

6. Now the stuffing is ready to place in the refrigerator until you are ready to heat it  up. I like to make stuffing a day or two ahead of time to let the flavors all blend together, but don’t worry  you can also make it and bake it right away….

Bake at 350 degrees  for 45 minutes covered. It will sorta steam. Remove foil after 30 minutes and let it get a bit crusty if you like….

Ta-da! You have just made Easy Homemade Stuffing! This stuffing might be OK for Vegetarians or Vegans as there are no animal products in the recipe, just check the ingredients in the Challah bread to make sure it is OK for you.

Ideas/ Options for Stuffing

  • Save up bread scraps/ ends/ toast that the kids did not finish etc… in the freezer and use for your stuffing.
  • Find day old bread specials at the store and use that for stuffing
  • Cornbread or Cornbread muffins are yummy crumbled for stuffing.
  • Try adding items like green onions, celery and other favorite vegetables to your stuffing.
  • For Southwest flavor, add diced green chilies to a cornbread base…. maybe sprinkle the top with cheese?

We hope you found this Easy Stuffing Recipe helpful for you. Leave a comment below or on Facebook and share what you used to make your stuffing…..

 

Blackburn & James, Paso Robles, Red Blend – 2009

/4 Comments/in /by

Ok this Paso Robles rocks, and I wish I had saved it for Turkey Day. Nonetheless, I am enjoying it right now. It is lighter and dare I say fruiter than I remember when they were passing out samples at our Trader Joe’s. Yet I like it, even though it is not the usually heavy wine I typically like this time of year.

The bottle doesn’t brag about what grapes that make up the blend. But I recall the Sampler saying Zinfandel was one of the grapes, probably how it made it in the cart.  The wine offers strong blackberry flavor through and though, there is a spice but it is more of a finisher than a distracter. There is a nice wood, maybe oak, scent that brightens the whole experience. The finish is dryer but the whole experience rest easy on the tongue.

The bottle boasts that it would pair nicely with a wide range of dishes from Asian spiced to pasta to chocolate mousse. I paired it with Pizza and it was great. More importantly, I feel this wine would also pair nicely with a turkey and some mashed potatoes.

Cheers,