Good Dinner Mrs. Mellen

Tilapia is a very mild white fish that has a mild taste, not at all fishy.  This is a very easy and quick meal that is light on calorie and heavy on taste. If you never cook fish this is a good recipe to begin with. 4 Tilapia fillets 2 tablespoon water 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoon Northwards seasoning by Penzeys or  seasoning specifically for fish 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon capers, drained 1/2 cup sliced cherry tomatoes 4 thin slices of lemon Place water in large pan on oven top. Put fillets on top poring lemon juice over fish. Season fish with fish seasoning, pepper and salt, add capers, tomatoes and top with lemon slices. Simmer for 5 minutes covered. Remove cover and simmer for few minutes more until liquid is almost evaporated. Enjoy

This is for my friend Abby. Last night Abby said I want recipes that I can make quickly and don't have many steps and ingredients.  So I decided to make something for Abby that is easy and quick. Not only is this recipe easy but healthy! Easy Sausage and Pasta 4 mild Italian Chicken Sausage 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 shallot or small onion, chopped 1 can(14.5 oz) Diced Tomatoes, no salt added 1 can (15.5 oz) Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (14.5 oz) Light, Fat Free and Low Salt Chicken Broth 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning 1 cup elbow macaroni Parmesan cheese Roast Sausages in 425 oven for 25 minutes turning sausages over at 15 minutes to brown on other side. Slice sausage on diagonal into two inch slices. While sausage is in the oven saute garlic and onions in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, chicken broth, sausage and seasoning. Simmer on low for ten minutes. Add macaroni simmer for another ten to fifteen minutes u...

I make this pasta dish from a recipe in the current, March 2011, Bon Appetit issue. Very rich in taste with the addition of heavy cream, but I think not all calories are the same. You feel more satisfied from delicious calories then junk calories. So skip processed and junk food in favor of a wonderful meal. And remember portion control is always an option to cutting calories. www.bonappetit.com Enjoy

One of the first cakes I remember making after I got married was this Chocolate Nut Upside-Down Cake.  A favorite of my husband and family. What could be better than a wonderful fudge cake with a delicious caramel nut topping. The best part is this cake is not only delicious, but very easily to make. I promise, just try and you will see!. Chocolate Nut Upside-Down Cake 10 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar 2/3 cup light corn syrup 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 cup broken walnuts or pecans 1 3/4 cup sifted cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 2 eggs, separated 3 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup milk 1. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan; stir in brown sugar; heat until bubbly. Stir in corn syrup and cream; heat , stirring constantly, just to boiling. Add nuts; pour into a generously greased 10-inch bundt pan.  Let stand while preparing cake batter. 2....

This is a wonderful country french chicken dish that I have made for years. It can be made earlier in the day and reheated before serving. I dress this dish down or up depending on the occasion. If I want to make it more Sunday or company fancy I use split chicken breast, or for everyday I use an assortment of chicken pieces. Either way it is an easy and wonderful meal that will be enjoyed by everyone. Chicken Veronique Assortment of Chicken pieces ( Split breast, thighs and legs) about 3 lbs total or 6 Split Breast 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoon olive oil 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced 2 leeks, thinly sliced( Use just the white part of the leek) 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 tablespoon flour 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 bay leaf, crushed 1 can (10 3/4-oz size) chicken broth( I use low fat, low salt) 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 1/2 cup of seedless green grapes Small cluster of gr...

This recipe for Stracciatella is an old family recipe that my grandmother passed down to my mother and my mother to me. Every Italian family has their own way of making Stracciatella, some families use eggs, cheese and pasta, some families use only eggs and cheese, our family uses spinach, eggs, cheese and chicken. I love this wonderful soup that is a meal  with a salad and a beautiful loaf of bread. I have included my mothers recipe for Chicken stock or you can substitute low fat chicken broth.(chicken stock isn't that hard to make!) If you use chicken broth use 4 quarts. And I love chicken in the soup so just add 3 cups of cooked chicken. Stracciatella Chicken Stock 1  4 1/2 lb 5 lb whole chicken 2 celery ribs, cut into 2-inch lengths 2 carrots, quartered 2 medium onions, halved 6 fresh parsley stems(without leaves) 1 Turkish bay leaf 8 black peppercorns 3-4 qt cold water, enough to cover the chicken 1 1/2 tsp salt Wash chicken well. My mother always put...

I wanted to make a "meat" sauce that tasted wonderful but didn't use red meat to cut down on fat and calories. I used ground turkey and turkey sausage to make this flavorful sauce. And the sauce is EASY to make! 1/2 lb. Italian chicken sausage, remove casings 1/2 lb. ground turkey 1 cup chopped onion(1 large) 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (1 medium) 1/2 cup chopped green pepper(1 small) 1/4 cup chopped celery 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 1 6-ounce can tomato paste 1/2 cup dry red wine or chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 cup park skim ricotta 1/4 cup fresh basil 2 tablespoons snipped fresh oregano In a 4-quart Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground turkey, carrot, sweet pepper, celery, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is good and onion is tender, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat.(using lean turkey you don't have much fat) Stir in tomatoes, tomato p...