Oh I love love love this recipe! (Sorry Katie - it's another seafood-ish recipe) Crab Cakes are one of my favorite foods and this is an easy version to make at home but with Salmon and the flavor is really fresh and tasty. I actually found the recipe on a package of Chicken of the Sea® Salmon. They don't print the recipe anymore on the package but luckily I have it written down.

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
1 (7.1-oz.) pouch Chicken of the Sea® Premium Skinless & Boneless Pink Salmon
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or crushed Saltine crackers)
3 Tablespoons butter (or EVOO)


In bowl, combine red pepper, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, seasoned salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in Salmon, egg and 1/3-cup breadcrumbs (mixture may be sticky). Divide and form mixture into 4 balls. Roll salmon balls in remaining breadcrumbs; flatten into cakes about 1/2-inch thick. In skillet, melt butter or EVOO over Medium heat. Fry salmon cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Makes 4 servings. Note - this is good for a lunch or light dinner for 2. If you are serving more than two or want a more substantial meal, I suggest doubling the recipe.


Serve with mixed greens and either Basmati rice or whole wheat pasta tossed with butter and fresh Parmesan. Dollop these cakes with an easy Lemon Dill and Chive Sauce. Simply combine 1/3-cup of sour cream with a pinch of lemon zest and 1-teaspoon each of fresh dill and chives. My children's sophisticated palates prefer ranch dressing to dip them in!

One of my husband's absolute favorite things to eat is carnitas. For those that may have never heard of it before - carnitas is really slow cooked pork. It is typically made on some type of rotisserie and the skin is oh-so-crunchy and the meat is fall-apart-tender. It melts in your mouth. Truly delicious! Well...I'm scared of pork. I don't like cooking with it. I usually over cook it or under cook it, but it never turns out right. But, we love carnitas and I love my crock pot and I figured if I cook it for 10 hours it should be cooked all the way through! :) Anyway, I found a recipe that is very simple and it turned out incredibly good. There are a couple of spices in here that you may not have on an ordinary day in your kitchen, but I guarantee that you'll use them again just to make this recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (2-4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth


Mix together salt, garlic powder and all of the spices in a bowl.
Coat pork with the spice mixture.
Place the two bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top.
Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork,  being careful not to wash off any of the spice mixture.
Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. I cooked mine a little over 10 hours and it came out perfectly. Also, my pork was completely defrosted when I put it in.
When pork is done, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks, using cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.
I used mine as taco meat and served with chopped onions and cilantro. It was YUMMY! But, you could also serve it as the main dish with a side of beans and rice as well. Enjoy!!

I have several enchilada recipes, but this is one of my favorites because it is so easy. I got the recipe from my mother in law, who is the queen of delicious but quick and easy meals. I'm also sort of embarrassed because I've made it for a lot of people and they think I make the sauce from scratch. Now the truth comes out!


1 can Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Chicken
1 can Campbells Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom
1 can Salsa Verde
Corn Tortillas
1/2 cup chopped onion
Shredded Muenster Cheese
Approx 1/2 cup milk
Approx 1/2 cup water

You will notice I didn't picture the onion or milk, it was one of those nights. I was multi-tasking dinner and 1st grade homework which included an oral spelling bee :) Add 2-3 Tbs EVOO to a large shallow sauce pan. Add the onion and sauté until browned.

Add Cream of Chicken soup and Cream of Mushroom soup. Alternate between adding milk and water to reach the right consistency. I used about 1/2 cup of milk and a 1/2 cup of water. Continue stirring together under medium-low heat. Add salsa. I used a little more than 1/2 of a 7 oz. can.

Once everything is mixed well, reduce heat to low. In small frying pan add a couple Tbs of oil and heat over medium heat. Add corn tortillas one at a time and brown on both sides. I like mine to be slightly crispy. Remove tortilla from frying pan and blot out extra oil with a papertowel.

Cook all the tortillas first. I make about 3 tortillas per adult serving. To construct the fakechiladas layer one tortilla, then cheese, then spoon the sauce over it and repeat. I serve them with rice and salad.

Another variation is to create the layers in a casserole dish.Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, top with sour cream. We are too hungry and impatient for that step most nights!

This is by far one of my husband's favorite dinners. I love it because it's super simple and requires NO seasoning from my pantry and the clean up is easy squeezy. It's my lazy man's take on chicken parmesan but with a healthy twist because there is NO frying AND the breading is more of a light crust. Here we go!

I have to say, this recipe is ALL about the gravy. The chicken is nothing fancy but the gravy is just delish. I kept reading recipes that said the same thing, "the chicken doesn't absorb the marinade" which is entirely true, BUT when you use the marinade and cook it down, it renders a lovely orange rosemary gravy that is outstanding and just amazing when poured over the chicken. I hope you all enjoy!

Orange Rosemary Chicken
1lb boneless skinless chicken breast
11/2 cups of Orange Juice
Zest of 2 Oranges
1/4 cup EVOO
2 chopped fresh chives
3tbsp of chopped fresh rosemary
1tsp. salt
1tsp. pepper
garlic salt OR meat seasoning

In a large bowl mix orange juice, zest of 1 orange, EVOO, chives, rosemary, salt and pepper. Lightly season both sides of the chicken with your choice of garlic salt or meat seasoning. Place the pieces of chicken in the bowl of marinade and cover for at least 4hrs.


To cook, use a griddle pan lightly covered in EVOO on medium heat. Place pieces of chicken on the griddle, drizzle a spoonful of marinade on each one. Cook covered on each side for approx 4-6 mins or until fully cooked through when juices are clear.


In a separate saucepan on medium heat, bring the leftover marinade and zest of 1 orange to a simmer for approx. 10 mins or until it thickens up. Once chicken is ready to be served, pour spoonful or two of marinade aka gravy on each piece of chicken.



Sliced n' Diced Lazy Potatoes
3 medium sized potatoes (or 1 potato per person)
1/4 cup of VERY thinly sliced onion
1 medium clove of garlic chopped
3tbsp EVOO
1tsp pepper
1tsp garlic salt (if you don't have it plain salt will do)

Cream Mixture:
2tbsp of mixed cheese blend (I had my infamous mexican blend on hand)
2tbsp of sour cream
1tbsp of butter
1 pinch of pepper


In a large saucepan over medium heat saute EVOO, onion and garlic. Peel and dice potatoes into silver dollar slices (not too thick) and put into pan adding garlic salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes brown up and soften up.

In a small bowl mix cheese, sour cream, butter, and pepper. Once potatoes have fully cooked combine them with the creamed mixture.

Here is the finished product!