Unstuffed Fish Casserole with Buttery Lemon Sauce

This is a recipe I made up one night when I was feeling creative, and it was a hit with my kids. I wanted to have fish that night, but didn’t feel like making it the same old same old, so I looked around at what I had and it came to me in a flash, which is how recipes usually happen with me. ;) It looks like it’s a more involved recipe, and it is, but with quick easy steps, not long  time intensive ones. I hope you like it.

So, let’s get cooking!

I used frozen fish for this, Tilapia, but you can use fresh and also whatever kind of fish you’d like. Layer the fish in an 11 X 15” baking dish. You don’t need to grease it. With each layer of fish, drizzle on some of the melted butter and sprinkle on some lemon pepper.

Dice the onion and celery, and then sauté in the 4 Tbl butter until tender.

Add the chicken broth and heat for a minute, then shut off the heat and stir in the herb stuffing mix. Cover and let sit for a few minutes.

Distribute the stuffing over the top of the fish in the baking dish, and bake at 350° for 45 minutes or so, until fish is thoroughly cooked in the middle.

Now, while the fish is baking, you can prepare the sauce. Zest the lemon whichever way you like; with a zester or a grater. Next, juice half the lemon. In a small bowl, mix together the 2 Tbl lemon juice and the corn starch.

In a smallish sauce pan, melt the 2 Tbl butter. Add the 1 c chicken stock. Heat for a couple of minutes, and then using a whisk, stir in the lemon juice/corn starch mixture, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in the lemon zest and the sugar.

When the fish casserole is done, place a portion on a plate and ladle some of the Buttery Lemon Sauce on top.

Enjoy! ~TMMF

Unstuffed Fish Casserole with                         
Buttery Lemon Sauce
                                                                         
2-2 ½ lb fish                                                      
2 Tbl butter, melted                                                                                  
Lemon pepper seasoning                                  
1 6 oz box herb stuffing mix                              
½ Vidalia onion
1 ½ stalks celery
4 Tbl butter
1 c chicken stock or broth

Buttery Lemon Sauce

2 Tbl butter
1 c chicken stock
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 ½ Tbl corn starch
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp sugar

Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake

So, it’s Monday again, but I’m cutting down the Gourmet…Way Before Payday recipes to the first Monday of the month. And because of that, I now present you with….<insert dramatic drum roll>….Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake!

Omgoodness, this is so yumminy, you’ll be glad you made it! This recipe comes from lilluna.com. It’s easy, quick, and oh so good! It’s supposed to be made with boneless skinless chicken breasts, but I made it with thighs, and I added some mozzarella cheese to the equation because that’s how I roll. ;)

So, let’s get cooking!

Since I used thighs for this, I removed the skin and some of the extra fat. If you’re using boneless skinless breasts, you’ve got it made in the shade. Place them in a greased 9 X 13" baking dish.

In a smallish bowl, mix together the mayo, sour cream, Parmesan cheese, and spices.

I had no sliced Swiss cheese, but I did have a block of it, so it had to be grated. Maybe you have a block of mozzarella that has to be grated also? You really have no idea if this is Swiss or mozzarella, do you? It could even be extra sharp cheddar for all you know. ;)





Ah, silly me….it really is grated Swiss. I just get giddy when I’m sleep deprived and it’s ridiculous o’clock in the morning and I decide to write. And you are my captive audience, so you are the recipients of my goofiness. ;)

Shall we move on?

Sprinkle the grated Swiss and mozzarella cheeses on top of the chicken in the pan.

Spread the mayo/sour cream mixture evenly on top.

Now bake at 350° for about an hour.

Serve up and listen to the sounds of Yum. Enjoy! ~TMMF

Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake

4-6 pieces chicken
6-8 slices Swiss cheese
   (or 1 c shredded)
¾ c mozzarella cheese
½ c mayonnaise
½ c sour cream
¾ c Parmesan cheese
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Breakfast Burritos

Okay, I’ve been absent due to needing time off for various reasons, but here I am again! And since this is Monday, I have a new recipe for the Gourmet…Way Before Payday series. I’m going to slow it down to the first Monday of the month now. With the summer coming up and my sons out of school soon, I’ll be even busier than ever.

Anyhoo, here we are with this recipe that I’ve been making for a long time, decades. It’s just something I threw together one night and everyone loved it. Yes, it’s Breakfast Burritos, but I don’t think we’ve ever eaten them at breakfast! It’s usually something I make for supper when I need something quick, easy, and inexpensive. And the kids and grown ups love them! At $1.04 per serving, it’s a deal!

So, let’s get cooking!

First up, dice the onion and pepper. I’ve made this a boatload of times with no onion and pepper in it and it’s still yummy as anything!

Break the eggs into a medium bowl. Poke the yolks with a fork and whisk together until solid yellow. Add in the milk and mix thoroughly.

In a skillet, melt a little butter, and pour in the egg mixture. Add the onion and pepper, and cook, stirring and scraping with a spatula, until cooked solid. There will be liquid from the milk you can either drain with a strainer, or use a slotted spoon to scoop the eggs when it’s time to serve.

Now to assemble: Lay a tortilla wrap on the plate or table. Using the spatula, cut through the cooked eggs as if slicing a pie, dividing them into eighths. First you halve it, then halve again. Now you divide each quarter in half, so you end up with eighths. If nothing else, you’ll at least be able to see the outlines of the division lines. Scoop out the egg mixture and lay it onto the tortilla wrap in the very middle, from the top to about ¾ down.

Sprinkle on about ¼ c of the grated cheddar cheese.

Then scoop on ¼ c of the salsa or picante sauce.

Some variations of the cheese that we’ve tried and liked: sprinkle on shredded Fiesta Cheese blend. Or how about sharp cheddar cheese and some mozzarella for that stringy cheesy goodness?

Then simply fold up the bottom flap of the tortilla, and fold one side over, then the other.

Serve and enjoy! ~TMMF

Breakfast Burritos

½ green bell pepper
½ Vidalia onion
10 eggs
2 c milk
2 c cheddar cheese
2 c picante sauce or salsa
8 lg flour tortilla wraps

This cost me $8.35 to make the way I did and serve 8 people. :)