Almond Crusted Fish with Coconut Oil

Fran and Jamie have been whipping up some pretty healthy meals lately. Here is another one we made just the other night using coconut oil again.

We started off with four nice haddock fillets, some whole wheat bread crumbs, almonds, 2 eggs, and of course the coconut oil.

Here is what we did:

• Use about 3/4 cups of whole almonds chopped in a food processor or your blender.
• On serving platter spread out the whole wheat bread crumbs and mix in the chopped almonds.
• In bowl crack and beat 2 large eggs
• Add 5 or 6 tablespoons to a frying pan; we used an electric Dutch oven set on low enough to melt the coconut oil making sure it is enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
• Dip the fish in the egg and then the coating of almonds and breadcrumbs.
• Turn the setting on the Dutch oven up to 350 degrees.
• Now cook the fish for about 6 minutes per side or longer depending on the thickness.

Melting the coconut oil

Prepare the coating

Frying the fish

We served this with rice and Brussel sprouts for a very healthy meal. This was so good I was looking for more after it was gone.

As always Thanks for stopping by, I sure hope you enjoyed.

Copper Chef 9.5" Square Fry Pan with LidHamilton Beach 38528 Deep Dish Ceramic SkilletNature's Way Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil- Pure, Cold-pressed, Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-free- 32 Ounce

Broiled Flank Steak

We picked up a 1-1/2 lb. flank steak last week, and I had all intentions of grilling this to perfection. The weather in Western NY just didn’t cooperate that day, so we did the next best thing was to broil it.

Flank steak is a long flat cut from the belly or butt of the cow, and is used in many dishes such as London broil, Asian Stir fry and also famous as the steak for Fajitas.

We decided to make a dry hand rub, after mixing the ingredients we rubbed both sides of the flank stake, set the oven on broil. The steak was 1-1/2 lbs. so we broiled it for about 10 to 12 minutes per side. Cutting the steak against the grain we had nice juicy slices and served with rice and kale this made a delicious meal.

Here are the seasonings we used for the rub:

4 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. mustard powder

¼ tsp. dried thyme

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp sea salt

Now find out how to cook flank steak for your Fajitas here and enjoy many more of his recipes:

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

We picked up a peppercorn seasoned pork tenderloin the other day at our local grocery store and decided to cook it on the grill. Since this was already seasoned, all I really had to do was grill it. You can buy unseasoned pork tenderloins and add your own special seasoning to your liking.



Here is how I grilled this 1-1/2 lb. pork tenderloin. I first set my gas grill on high and let it heat up. I then seared both sides of the tenderloin on high for five minutes per side.



Then I turned the heat down to the low setting on my grill, closed the lid, and grilled for another 20 minutes until the internal temperature reached 160 degrees.

Here are the results, I ended up very nice juicy slices of pork tenderloin, We served this with Roasted Sweet Potatoes in Coconut oil.

As always Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Coconut Oil

This is such a delightful compliment to any meal. My daughter made these with pork tenderloin, which I happened to cook on the grill, but I’m saving that one for another post. This one is all about these delicious roasted sweet potatoes. 

Okay here is what you need:

3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, like home fries.

3 tbs. of coconut oil

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ginger

1 tsp nutmeg

Now this is what you do: 

1.     Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.
2.       Add the coconut oil and turn over to coat the potatoes
3.       Add the three spices and turn several times to coat again
4.       Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
5.       Spread them out on a cookie sheet, and bake for about one hour

You have to give this one a try, if you like sweet potatoes you’ll love these. All of the flavors seem to just come together. Need I say that I ate every last one!!

As always Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoyed!

Viva Labs The Finest Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, 16Nature's Way Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil, 32-OunceIsland Fresh Superior Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, 54 Ounce

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Niagara Falls - Great Vacation Spot

If you looking for a wonderful day, a weekend getaway or a nice vacation for the family take a trip to Niagara Falls. If you have ever been there then you've experienced the roar of water crashing over the falls, the mist, and the beauty of it all.

If you have never been there, consider packing your bags. We are fortunate enough to live in Western New York, and the Falls are only two hours away, so we have been there several times.

Every time we go it never ceases to amaze me. Niagara Falls is made up of three waterfalls, the Horseshoe Falls, The American Falls, and the smallest the Bridal Veil Falls. Collectively the falls are on the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S., state of New York.

The Horseshoe Falls - Also Known As the Canadian Falls the Largest of the Three

About 90% of the Niagara River flows over the Horseshoe Falls the remaining 10% flows over the American Falls.

This is our son, Sammy and his beautiful wife Tricia in front of the Horseshoe Falls

The American Falls are in the United States in New York

The Bridal Falls

The Bridal Falls are the smallest of the three falls. This is where the Cave of the Winds is located. This is another amazing attraction that the American Falls has to offer.

Cave of the Winds - New York

The Cave of the Winds is a natural cave behind the Bridal Veil Falls. An elevator will take you down to the level of the Niagara River at the base of the American Falls. There you will be able to walk out onto a series of decks and platforms that lead to the base of the Bridal Falls.

There will be water crashing down on you and water flowing under the decks; here you can experience tropical storm-like conditions. Oh, don't worry they will give you foot ware and raincoats to wear, and Ladies if you just had your hair done just the way you like it you may want to think twice about going out on the decks. 

The Maid of the Mist - A Fantastic Boat Trip

This boat ride is going to take you right up to the base of the Horseshoe Falls. Once again you're going to get wet. But don't worry they do give you raincoats here also.

If you're on the top deck or bow of the boat for sure plan on getting wet. If you visit the falls this is something that you don't want to miss.

 

The American Falls at Night

The Falls are so beautiful at night, both the U.S. and Canadian sides light up the Falls for a spectacular light show that you won't want to miss.

If you plan a Niagara Falls vacation don't forget your passport so you can visit the Canadian side of the Falls for more fun and attractions.

 

As always Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit to Niagara Falls

Moon Niagara Falls: Including the Canadian & U.S. Sides (Travel Guide)Niagara Falls for Everybody: What to See and Enjoy-A Complete Guide

How to Can Tomatoes

Every spring I help my daughter Jamie plant a small garden. This year Jamie planted about a dozen tomato and pepper plants, some onions, and fresh basil.

This gave us plenty of fresh tomatoes and peppers into the late summer months. Last season Jamie decided that she wanted to do some canning. I was so excited and offered my help right away, as I hadn’t canned anything in years.

Although we had some tomatoes and hot peppers left from her garden, we wanted more, so we proceeded to go out and buy more. We decided that two more boxes of tomatoes would do the trick, and the following is how we did it.

With the tomatoes from her garden and the two boxes we purchased we figured that we had a bushel or more.

Instructions for Canning Tomatoes

We didn't have our old family recipe, so we used the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving as a reference. This book was a great help. We didn’t have a pressure cooker and this book walked us through the process.

  Step 1 

We put the tomatoes in boiling water for 60 seconds, and then put them in ice water; this process makes it easy to remove the skin and the core of the tomato. Then we cut the tomatoes into quarters and put them in bowls. We did this all by hand.

Step 2

After washing the jars in soapy water and thoroughly rinsing them we added: 2-Tablespoons of Lemon Juice and 1-Teaspoon of pickling salt to each jar. Then we filled the jars with the cut tomatoes and packed them down tightly.

Step 3

After the tomatoes were packed in the jars we ladled in boiling water until it was just over the top of the tomatoes.

Then Jamie worked out the air bubbles with that handy little tool that you see in the picture by pushing all around the jar. Wipe the mouth of the jars clean. Place the lid, rubber side down and screw on the ring to secure the lid

 Step 4

We then put the jars in boiling water making sure there are at least two inches of water over the tops of the jars, cover the pot with a lid and boil for 55 minutes.
Lift the jars out of the pot using a jar lifter, let them sit for 48 hours, look at the center lid of the jar, it should be concave after this process.

The Finished Product

We yielded 26 quarts of tomatoes for the day. Now we'll have fresh tomatoes for pasta, salsa, and chili.
This was our big weekend of canning, we had so much fun.

I hope you enjoyed our method of canning tomatoes. Please feel free to leave any of your tips for canning in the comments.

Are you preserving Hot Peppers this year? Find out how here

As always thanks for stopping by.

Granite Ware 0707-1 Steel/Porcelain Water-Bath Canner with Rack, 21.5-Quart, BlackNorpro 5 Piece Canning Preserving Set New Include Jar Lifter Magnetic Lid LifterBall Mason 16-Ounce Canning Jars, Pint, Regular, 12 CountBall Enamel Water Bath Canner, Including Chrome-Plated Rack and 4-Piece Utensil SetPresto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and CookerBall Complete Book of Home Preserving

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The New Grilling Book-Better Homes and Gardens

The New Grilling Book

We live in Western New York where the grilling season can be short. Outdoor cooking has always been a passion of mine. I have cooked on gas grills, but I really prefer charcoal. I like the ease and connivance of cooking on a gas grill, bur love the flavor of cooking with charcoal, so I do both.

You may live in a part of the country where you can cook outdoors all year long and that's fantastic. I highly recommend The New Grilling Book from Better Homes and Gardens. Although who said that you can't cook outdoors in the winter, I've done it on several occasions.

The New Grilling Book offers the best advice for cooking on charcoal and gas grills, smokers, indoor grilling and rotisseries. This book gives you what they call GRILLING BASICS, with some great techniques, and understanding the difference between direct and indirect heat. The book is also packed with page after page of fantastic grilling recipes.

There are so many great books out there for grilling, but this happens to be the one I have, and I love to use over and over again.

Cooking Ribs using indirect heat here:

As always Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy.

Breakfast for Dinner

Have you ever had breakfast for dinner? Oh yes we do this a couple of times a month. Most of the time we have pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

This time my daughter decided to make Eggs Benedict, with bacon and sausage on the side, and we also had pancakes.

So the next time you have breakfast for dinner or breakfast in the morning you may want to give this one a try.

To make this delicious meal even quicker she used McCormick’s Hollandaise sauce in a package.

Here is what you need:

1 package of hollandaise sauce (Follow the package instructions)

6 slices of Canadian bacon

3 English Muffins

6 Eggs

1 lb of bacon

1 package of sausage links

Sprinkle of Paprika

First prepare the hollandaise sauce, bacon, and sausage links. I don’t know about you but I like my bacon crispy.

Toast the English muffins, and fry your eggs on your favorite griddle. Now place the Canadian bacon on the muffin halves, add your egg on top, and pour over the hollandaise sauce. Top it all off with a sprinkle of Paprika.

Serve with your bacon and sausage links for a great breakfast for dinner. This was enough for 3 adults, the kids had the pancakes.

As always Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.