sharing a few recipes . . .

Ok, now ya'll know that I am so far from being a good cook, it's not even funny.. BUT, I have tried a few new things this past week that turned out so lovely, I just had to share...

The first being this Cinnamon French Toast Bake. My grandmother made this for our Christmas Brunch and it was just too yummy to not have again. So, I was in the mood, googled the recipe and made it! The recipe I used was on Yahoo Food , but I'm going to have to call my Grandmother to get hers. Dont get me wrong, the one I used was DELISH, but you know Grandmothers always have the secret ingredient that makes it taste just that much better. When I get it.. I'll update this post! :)

This recipe is SO easy! I even made mine the night before, so all I had to do was pop it in the oven before church! YUMMY!

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 (12.4 ounce) cans Pillsbury(R) Refrigerated Cinnamon Rolls with Icing
6 eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup maple syrup
Icing from cinnamon rolls
Powdered sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup, if desired

Directions

*Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish.

*In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. Sprinkle with pecans; drizzle with 1 cup syrup.

*Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, remove covers from icing; microwave on Medium (50%) for 10 to 15 seconds or until drizzling consistency.

*Drizzle icing over top; sprinkle with powdered sugar. If desired, spoon syrup from dish over individual servings. Serve with the additional 1/2 cup maple syrup.

I mean.. how easy is that?! :)

The next recipe is one for Fish Tacos...

In going along with my "eating healthier" resolution, I thought this would be a fun twist to the beloved "taco night"! Luckily, Chris was all up for trying it out. We first told the kids that it was "chicken" in the tacos, b/c we knew that if we even said the word fish, we would get an immediate NO! Luckily, the loved the "chicken" and asked for more tacos like it! ha! After dinner we told them the truth.. and they still asked for more! YAY!

Well, I got this idea while we were driving, so I wasn't really prepared. I asked Chris to pull into Kroger, as I was "googling" (is that even a word?! ha!) a recipe on my iPhone! haha! Thanks be to Google these past few days! :) Luckily I found one by Bobby Flay from the Food Network.

It turned out pretty good!

Ingredients

Tacos:
1 pound white flaky fish, such as mahi mahi or orata (we used salmon)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 flour tortillas

Garnish:
Shredded white cabbage (we just used lettuce)
Hot sauce
Crema or sour cream
Thinly sliced red onion
Thinly sliced green onion
Chopped cilantro leaves
Pureed Tomato Salsa (we just used a chunky salsa - Pace, I think)

Directions
*Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, ancho, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.

*Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 4 minutes on the first side and then flip for 30 seconds and remove. Let rest for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork.

*Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

(we just broiled our fish in the oven - according to package directions.. and it was just as yummy! i can't wait to try it grilled though.. when it's warmer..ha!)

Look there! Two incredibly easy and oh-so-yummy meals!! Looks like this resolution might not be as bad as I thought! :)