Caramelized Salmon with Mango Salsa

Ingredients
4 pieces of salmon
Sugar
Salt
Pepper

Dredge salmon in sugar mixture and cook over medium heat until sugar is caramelized a nice golden brown. Turn and finish with other side. Serve with rice.

Mango Salsa (Make 1st if you want to put it over the top of the salmon.)
1 cup diced mango
¼ cup red onion
¼ cup green pepper
½ cup roma tomatoes
splash of olive oil
splash of nice vinegar
dash of salt
dash of pepper
1 small bunch of cilantro
Thai sweet chili sauce

Preparation
Dice mango, onion, peppers, and tomatoes. Toss together with oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and sweet chili sauce. Set aside in refrigerator.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

I made these for a ward Christmas party. Andrew asked me today if I would give him mom the recipe. They are Really good!

Recipe From “Family Dinner Cookbook” by Debbie G. Harman
www.cookingwithangel.com

Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
1 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 ½ cups flour
4 cups oatmeal

Filling:
1 (12 oz.) pkg butterscotch chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
¼ t. salt

Preparation:Combine ingredients until well blended. Reserve half mixture for top. Press into bottom of large cookie sheet. Mix all filling ingredients in a saucepan. Cook and stir over low heat until melted. Spread over crust. Top with reserved crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cut into Squares.

Sticky Coconut Chicken

6-8 boned, skinned chicken thighs (about 1½ lbs.) - I use Chicken Breasts
2/3 cup canned coconut milk
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes
¾ cup rice vinegar
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot chili flakes
4-5 green onions, finely chopped

Rinse chicken and pat dry. In a large bowl mix coconut milk, ginger, pepper and hot chili flakes. Add chicken and mix; cover and chill at least 1 hour or up to a day.
Lift chicken from bowl, reserving marinade; pull thighs open and lay flat on a lightly oiled grill on high heat. Cover and cook, turning thighs as needed to brown on both sides, until meat is no longer pink in the center of the thickest part (about 10-12 minutes total). Baste frequently with remaining marinade…and use it all.

Transfer thighs to a warm platter and pour the chili glaze evenly over meat; garnish with green onions.

Chili glaze:
In a 2-3 quart pan, combine rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, and hot chili flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced to ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Use hot. Makes ½ cup of glaze

Homemade Swedish Meatballs

I just saw this recipe on Good Things Utah. Dustin served his mission in Sweeden, so I thought I might try them out this week.

Yield: 4-6 servings

2 slices fresh white bread
¼ cup milk
3 tablespoons butter-divided
½ cup onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 ¾ pound ground turkey
2 eggs
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
¼ cup sour cream

In a food processor, pulse bread until you have coarse chunks.
Place in a mixing bowl with the milk and set aside.
In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter.
Add the onion and a pinch of salt.
Cook until onions are soft.
Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the bread and milk mixture, ground turkey, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, allspice, nutmeg and onions.
Mix well using your hands.
NOTE: Meatballs may be prepared up to this point one day ahead and chilled, covered.

Using a scoop or teaspoon to measure, shape meatballs with your hands, rolling into 1 ¼-inch balls.
Heat remaining butter in the sauté pan over medium heat.
Add meatballs and sauté in two batches until golden brown on all sides, shaking the pan to turn them.
Remove and keep warm while you sauté remaining meatballs, reserving any drippings in the skillet.
Once all meatballs are cooked, decrease heat to low and add the flour to the pan.
Whisk until lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes.
Gradually add beef stock and sherry.
Whisk until sauce begins to thicken.
Add sour cream and continue to cook until gravy is thickened.
Add the meatballs, stirring gently to coat.

They suggested to serve over egg noodles.
Dustin Love's Lingonberries from Ikea. That's what they eat their meatballs with. If you use lingonberries, don't make the gravy. ENJOY!

Chicken Enchilada's

This has become a staple for us. My sister gave me the recipe and we love it!

2 Chicken breats (cooked and chopped)
1 package-ish Cream Cheese
1 can diced Diced Green Chilies
(I usually put a little shredded cheese in here too.)

Mix together and spoon into 4-6 tortilla shells. Depending on how much mix you put in each one.

Place in square caserole dish. Pour 3/4 can of green enichilada sauce (you can try red, but we've liked green the best) over tortilla's and about a cup of shredded cheese.

Bake for 25 mins at 350 degrees.

**We tried diced black olives the other night. It was GREAT!

Best Ever Gingerbread Cookies

Pollis' THICK AND CHEWY GINGERBREAD COOKIES
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened slightly
3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons milk

1. In food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade, process flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda until combined, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture and process until mixture is sandy and resembles very fine meal, about 15 seconds. With machine running, gradually add molasses and milk; process until dough is evenly moistened and forms soft mass, about 10 seconds. Alternatively, in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, stir together flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and baking soda at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and add butter pieces; mix at medium-low speed until mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and, with mixer running, gradually add molasses and milk; mix until dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.

2. Scrape dough onto work surface; divide in half. Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll 1/4-inch thick between two large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving dough sandwiched between parchment layers, stack on cookie sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate dough 2 hours or overnight.)

3. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4. Remove one dough sheet from freezer; place on work surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and gently lay it back in place. Flip dough over; peel off and discard second parchment layer. Cut dough into 5-inch gingerbread people or 3-inch gingerbread cookies, transferring shapes to parchment-lined cookie sheets with wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4 inch apart; set scraps aside. Repeat with remaining dough until cookie sheets are full. Bake cookies until set in centers and dough barely retains imprint when touched very gently with fingertip, 8 to 11 minutes, rotating cookie sheets front to back and switching positions top to bottom halfway through baking time. Do not overbake. Cool cookies on sheets 2 minutes, then remove with wide metal spatula to wire rack; cool to room temperature.

5. Gather scraps; repeat rolling, cutting, and baking in steps 2 and 4. Repeat with remaining dough until all dough is used. For about twenty 5-inch gingerbread people or thirty 3-inch cookies

Don't overbake the cookies or they will be dry.
Store soft gingerbread in a wide, shallow airtight container or tin with a sheet of parchment or waxed paper between each cookie layer.
These cookies are best eaten within one week.

BACON WRAPPED WATER CHESTNUTS: A HOLIDAY FAVORITE

Package of your favorite Bacon
2-3 cans of whole water chestnuts
soy sauce

Cut bacon into thirds wrap water chestnut with bacon piece and secure with a toothpick.
Place in a pie tin and splash with desired amount of soy sauce (I like to have at least the bottom of the pan covered). Bake in oven according to bacon package directions.
Serve Immediately