Sazon Tangy Baked Fish

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That may be true, but not wanting to go to the grocery store is a pretty good motivator as well! Maybe a second cousin of invention or something.

Anyway, I invented this tangy baked fish recipe today just because I had thawed out some striped bass and I didn't want to go to the grocery store.



It turned out pretty darn good! I would make it again. I mixed in a bowl 1/4 cup Miracle Whip, 1/4 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Salad Dressing (from a bottle) and 1/2 cup Wish Bone Italian Dressing. I tasted that and decided it needed a bit more kick. A friend recently turned me on to this stuff...



I whipped one packet of Sazon Goya con Azafran into the mixture and it gave it a nice flavor and turned it a pretty orange color to boot. Then I lined a cake pan with foil, layed my fish in the bottom of it and spooned my mixture on top. Then sprinkled liberally with California Style Lemon Pepper.



I baked it at 325 for 30 minutes. It has a sort of tangy southwest flavor. I ate a lot of it. Sorry about the anemic looking asparagus! It was frozen and I zapped it in the microwave a little too long. Oh well.

I guess I'll call it Sazon Tangy Baked fish. That is, unless you can suggest a better name. What say you?

Man Dip

Today I want to share with you a very simple recipe that I got from fellow blogger, Beth at Playinwiththepaulsens. One of the reasons I enjoy Beth's blog is because she shares the adventures of her two sons, Russ and Jedd. Now, these two are real he-man types who kill ducks and shrug off broken noses! So when Russ requested "Man Dip" during a little down time, I knew it must be the real deal!

Just mix four ingredients... very simple.

4 or 5 green onions
2-1/2 cups mayo
Two 3 oz packages of Oscar Meyer bacon bits
1 lb finely shredded sharp cheddar



Chopped green onions...



Mix in the mayo and the bacon bits...



Mix in the cheese and dig in!



This goes great on crackers...



But I've already found out it also makes a great topper for hamburgers! And, although I haven't tried it yet, I can't imagine why it wouldn't be wonderful on baked potatoes!

I deviated slightly from Beth's recipe only because Oscar Meyer is apparently packaging their bacon bits in smaller sizes now.

Here is Beth's original post on Man Dip.

Frozen Margaritas

By now, everyone knows about the big 100th Post Celebration that Debbie of Talking Trash is throwing! It is the party of all parties! I hate to show up for a party empty handed. But what hostess gift to bring? One thing that every Texas party needs is a great frozen margarita! So today, in Debbie's honor, I share with you my very easy margarita recipe. For your convenience, I have created a PDF file that you can download and print by clicking here.



Frozen Margaritas

These are real easy, refreshing and not overly sweet. This recipe makes about four pretty good sized margaritas like the one pictured above. I recommend just using the cardboard can from the frozen limeade to measure everything else.

Mix the following in a pitcher:
One 6 ounce can of frozen limeade.
6 ounces 7-up or Sprite
6 ounces of high quality tequila. My favorites are Cabo Wabo or Tarantula Azul.
3 ounces Cointreau. You can use Grand Marnier in a pinch.

If you’re making them in the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction maker, use the above for the concentrate and you can make them one, two or three glasses at a time. If you’re making them in a blender, fill the blender with crushed ice and then pour the above mixture over the top and blend.

Dress it up with fresh limes. For two drinks, I like to slice a lime crossways in four slices. I use the two heels to wet the rim of the glasses so that the salt will stick. The two center slices are used to garnish the edge of the glass. Positive presentation is key!

Enjoy!

OK, back to the party!!

I looked around my house to find something I could dress up for the party. I decided to follow Cher's lead and use a critter. This guy seemed like the best candidate. He has a big neck!



Does he look like he's ready to party? He's not a great dancer... four left hooves! And he doesn't have a name like George Cooney or Squirrelly MacLaine. Maybe you could help me come up with one? Any suggestions?

Naturally, I'll be spending most of my evening with the love of my life.


And after seeing her smile...Can you blame me?!!!!

Shrimp Diavolo

Shrimp Diavolo - Served, originally uploaded by Snakelover61.

SHRIMP DIAVOLO
Hot and Spicy Shrimp Over Linguini

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 LB. MEDIUM RAW PEELED SHRIMP
• 1/3 CUP MARGARINE
• 1 TSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
• 1/4 CUP WHITE WINE
• 1/2 TSP PEPPER
• 1/2 TSP CRUSHED RED PEPPER
• 1 TSP GROUND (CAYENNE) RED PEPPER
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1 TSP BASIL
• 1/2 TSP THYME
• 1/2 TSP OREGANO
• 1- 1/2 TSP GARLIC (CRUSHED OR MINCED)
• 1 LARGE CAN DICED TOMATOES
• 1 SMALL PACKAGE LINGUINI

DIRECTIONS:
• In a pot, melt margarine. Add Worcestershire sauce and wine. Add the seasonings (pepper, crushed red pepper, basil, cayenne pepper, salt, thyme, oregano and garlic), heating this mixture as you go.
• Add the tomatoes, continuing to heat.
• While all this is going on, cook your linguini in a different pot per directions on the package.
• When the sauce mixture reaches boiling, add the shrimp.
• Cook until the shrimp are pink.
• Serve over the linguini.


Variations and Serving Suggestions:

This is an Italian dish and you have probably had some variation of it at your favorite Italian restaurant. Most of the variations revolve around what kind of meat is used. You can remove the tails from the shrimp or leave them on at your discretion. You can even use unpeeled shrimp, making it a "peel and eat" sort of dish. The more traditional way is to leave the tails on. But I prefer not to have to remove anything while I'm eating it, so I carefully pull the tails off before cooking.

You can also use already cooked shrimp if you want. In that case, as soon as the shrimp is hot it's ready to serve. You can also add slices or chunks of cooked Italian Sausage in lieu of or in addition to the shrimp. Also scallops or even squid can be used. Some restaurants serve a variation made with pieces of cooked chicken. Use whatever meat you want; the secret is in the sauce!

Click here for an easy to download and print PDF file of this recipe.

Taco Soup

As the weather gets colder, it's nice to have something hot to warm up your insides. It's the perfect time to make a big ol' pot of Taco Soup.

Brown a couple pounds of meat with some chopped onions.

Add a couple packs of seasoning.

Add a few cans of this and that. Some of it's kind of hot.

Throw in a little chopped cilantro. It makes everything taste better!

It should look something like this when it's done.

Put some corn chips in your bowls.

And serve up some fresh Taco Soup.

Now, in case you're convinced, here's the recipe...

TACO SOUP

INGREDIENTS:
• 2 LBS LEAN GROUND BEEF
• 1 FRESH WHITE ONION
• 1 CAN DICED ROTEL
• 2 CANS DICED TOMATOS
• 1 CAN WHOLE KERNEL CORN (Drained)
• 2 CANS PINTO BEANS
• 1 CAN RANCH STYLE BEANS WITH JALAPENOS
• 1 PKG TACO SEASONING
• 1 PKG RANCH DRESSING MIX
• 1 "CLUMP" FRESH CILANTRO (OPTIONAL)

DIRECTIONS:
• Chop the onion.
• If you'll be using cilantro, chop it very finely.
• Brown the ground beef with the diced onion in a large soup pot.
• Stir in the taco seasoning and the ranch dressing mix until the meat is evenly coated.
• Pour in all the canned items, continuing to stir and heat.
• If you're using cilantro, put that in last after all the canned items.
• Heat the soup until hot. If you have the time, simmering makes it better.


Variations and Serving Suggestions:

For those who like it spicier, you can “turn up the heat" by substituting more Diced Rotel for one or both cans of the Diced Tomatos, substituting more Ranch Style Beans with Jalapenos for one or both cans of the Pinto Beans, and/or substituting HOT Taco Seasoning for the regular kind.

I like a thick soup and so I drain the water off the corn and leave the lid off the pot to let some of the water evaporate during heating. If you like a thinner soup, you don't have to drain the corn and you can keep the lid on the pot. For my tastes, the leaner the ground beef, the better. If you use ground beef that is not lean, you’ll probably want to drain off the grease after you brown it and before you add the other ingredients. For a wild game version, you can use ground venison or ground wild pork instead of the lean ground beef.

The soup is good poured over Fritos corn chips or crumbled tortilla chips. Try sprinkling grated cheese over the top and letting it melt in with the soup.

This makes, I'd say, about eight good servings. The original recipe didn't include cilantro, but I found that it really adds flavor and highly recommend it! The soup is actually quite a bit better when reheated the second day. So make a big pot and enjoy the leftovers!

Click here for an easy to download and print PDF file of this recipe.