{Healthy} Baked Oatmeal

Now, I'm trying to find the best way to make oatmeal. Whenever I make it in a pot, it actually never tastes very good. So, in my quest, I found this super healthy delicious oatmeal. Obviously the recipe is written with blueberries, but I'm sure that any fruit would be wonderful.

Photo Credit to Real Mom Kitchen

{Healthy} Baked Oatmeal

2 cups uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1/2 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup Splenda granular (or 1/2 cup to taste)
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1 -2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine wet ingredients, add to dry ingredients.
Bake in sprayed 8" square pan for 35-45 minutes.
Cut into 6 squares.

Recipe Source: Food.com

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

More fish! We love fish in our house. Now are we not only obsessed with tuna sandwiches, but this little sucker of a recipe too! Amelia loved it and kind of freaked out about wanting more. It was cute, and worth it. This is a great recipe.

Photo Credit to Favorite Family Recipes

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. butter, softened
4 Tbsp. mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. celery salt
1 Lb. (about 4) tilapia fillets
Old Bay seasoning (or your favorite seafood seasoning salt)
paprika, to taste
parsley, to taste

In a medium-sized bowl combine Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, butter, and mayonnaise.
Add lemon juice, basil, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and celery salt to mixture. Set aside.
Cover a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray with cooking spray.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan and generously sprinkle Old Bay seasoning over the top only.
Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over, sprinkle on the Old Bay seasoning again, then broil for a couple more minutes.
Remove the fillets from the oven and pat about 3 Tbsp of the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side of each fillet.
Sprinkle with paprika and parsley.
Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Recipe Source: Favorite Family Recipes

{Overnight} Baked French Toast

So I love overnight stuff. Where I prepare it while staying up til midnight rather than try and wake up super early to make my family a nice breakfast. This one is a simple "flavor" but I actually really loved it. Probably one of my favorite breakfasts ever.

Photo Credit to Our Best Bites

{Overnight} Baked French Toast
8 eggs
2 cups half and half (one pint)
1 cup milk (whatever kind you have on hand)
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (a little less if using table salt)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 lb loaf of french bread
softened butter for greasing baking dish (2-3 tablespoons)

Topping
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons cold butter

For Serving
melted butter
maple syrup
powdered sugar
berries
whipped cream

cream syrup

Crack eggs into large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in half and half and milk. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Set aside.

Use softened butter to butter bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish. Cut bread into 1 inch chunks and place in dish. Whisk egg mixture one more time and then pour evenly over bread. Use a rubber spatula to very gently toss bread, moving bread on bottom to top, and making sure all of the piece on top get dipped in egg mixture. Spread out evenly, cover dish, and place in fridge overnight.

To make topping, place brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and stir to combine. Cut cold butter into very small pieces and add to bowl. Use clean hands to break up butter and combine mixture until crumbly. Cover and place in fridge until morning.

When ready to bake preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove plastic from dish and sprinkle topping evenly over top. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown. You can stick a knife or skewer in the casserole to make sure the egg mixture is set on the bottom. *Note I have left a generous baking time window because it varies on ovens and the size of your bread cubes. I used to cook this closer to 60 minutes at my old house, but in my new convection ovens it’s done closer to 45. Keep an eye on it and let me know how long yours takes to bake!

Let cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares. Drizzle with melted butter and syrup, top with berries, whipped cream and a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.

Recipe Source: Our Best Bites

{Copycat} Wingers Amazing Sauce

My husband loves Winger's sauce so much. Every time we go to Winger's, he gets so excited, and eats like it's nobody's business. So when I tried this recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, and it was just like it, we both kind of flipped out. We were both so excited…and he dipped everything that he ate in this sauce.

Photo Credit to Favorite Family Recipes

{Copycat} Wingers Amazing Sauce
1/3 c. Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce... no other sauce will taste as good)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water

Heat up hot sauce, brown sugar and water in a saucepot until all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp before adding to wings OR prepare ahead of time and refrigerate. The wings turn out best if you don't pour warm sauce over them. You want it nice and thick.

Recipe Source: Favorite Family Recipes

Mandarin Orange Jello Salad

My mom literally makes this every time my dad's side of the family gets together. Mostly because of my cousin's husband whose favorite it is. But we all really love it. Every time I've made it for something, it's the first salad gone. It makes me very happy.

Photo Credit to Five Little Chefs

Mandarin Orange Jello Salad
Makes 9x13 pan {despite the picture}
1 large package Cook & Serve Lemon pudding
1 large package Orange Jell-o
1 small package Instant Lemon pudding
1 cup milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 8 oz cool whip
1 can mandarin oranges

Prepare Cook & Serve Lemon pudding and the Orange Jell-o as directed for each. Put them both in the 9x13 pan and mix them well. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Mix Instant Lemon pudding, powdered sugar, and milk, then fold in the cool whip. Layer on top of the Orange Jello. Drain can of mandarin oranges, then place them on the pudding layer in a fun pattern of your choosing!

Recipe Source: Susan Warren, aka Mamacita

{Copycat} Orange Julius

We have made this recipe over and over. It's delightful, but I'm not really sure how close it is to the original because I'm too cheap to buy one. But this is so good that I just don't need the original.

Photo Credit to Favorite Family Recipes

Orange Julius

Serves 3-4 adults

1 can (6oz) frozen orange juice concentrate
1 c. milk
1 c. water
1/4 c. sugar
2-3 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
about 10-11 ice cubes

In a blender, blend all ingredients except ice. Slowly add ice cubes one at a time until it reaches a “smoothie” consistency. Serve immediately.
(*If you are adding frozen fruit, add a little at a time BEFORE adding ice cubes. If using fresh fruit, add at the very beginning when you are blending everything else.)

Recipe Source: Favorite Family Recipes

Turkey

Never in my life had I made a turkey. I was scared. I thought only those who were 50+ could make a nice, delicious, juicy turkey. I was mistaken! And I did it! This is such a great recipe, and I love that it only took a couple of hours to cook. I didn't make it on Thanksgiving or anything, but I also didn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it. Try this recipe and you will love yourself.

Photo Credit to Fairfield Green Food Guide

Turkey

1 18-22 pound turkey (I’ve used a 14-pound turkey with great results, also)
carrots, celery (cut into large chunks), onion (peeled and cut into large chunks), garlic cloves (peeled and smashed)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
butter
brown paper bag

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and let it heat for one hour. Meanwhile, remove giblets and neck and wash the turkey. Fill the cavity of the turkey with carrots, celery, garlic and onion. Combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning in a small bowl. With your hands, rub the entire turkey with the lemon juice mixture.
Place the turkey breast down (this is opposite of how a turkey is normally cooked – so just flip the turkey upside down) in a large roasting pan. Place the roasting pan in the hot oven for as many minutes as the turkey weighs (ie. 19 lb. turkey = 19 minutes). Bake for the allotted time.
Meanwhile, grease a large brown paper bag with butter on both sides. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully (because the turkey and roasting pan are HOT) make a tent out of th paper bag and drape it over the turkey, taking care to tuck the sides of the bag into the roasting pan (otherwise, the butter will drip off the bag, leap onto the oven burner and possibly create a large fire…I may or may not know this from experience). See pictures on Mel's website {in the link by "Recipe Source"} for a visual image. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees and cook the turkey for two hours.
Remove the roasting pan and turkey from the oven and let turkey sit for 20 minutes. Remove turkey from the roasting pan and pour the drippings into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to a boil. Make a slurry from flour and water (to the consistency of thick, heavy cream) and add to the drippings until desired consistency is reached.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe