Hudson's Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

Ok, continuing the lemon theme of this month, but branching out from desserts (there are more to come, I promise) - fish! With lemon! And dill! What could be better?? (the hubby disagrees on the fish part, but he's rather silly, so we shall ignore him this time)

Hudson's Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

      Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
 4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
 salt and pepper to taste
 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste
 1 lemon, thinly sliced
        Sauce
 1/4 cup mayonnaise
 1/2 cup sour cream
 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

     Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2) Season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning on both sides. Arrange the seasoned fillets in a single layer in the baking dish. Place a layer of lemon slices over the fish fillets. I usually use about 2 slices on each piece so that it covers most of the surface of the fish.

3) Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

4) While the fish is baking, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, lemon juice and dill in a small bowl. Serve with tilapia.

   I love fish, and the hubby does not, so I'm always looking for new fish recipes for "fend-for-yourself-night", which are at least a bi-weekly occurrence in our household. Plus, anything with dill is always a good option. Add sour cream...even better! Now, on to changes. :D 

   I don't have Cajun seasoning, so I used the Grill Mates Mojito Lime Marinade rubbed on half of the fish filets, and a mixture of seasoning salt, pepper, and garlic salt for the other half. I really liked that combination of flavors with the lemon and dill sauce. I tend to bake my fish a little bit longer than directed, about 25ish minutes for this recipe...I have this phobia of uncooked fish, so I tend on the over-cooked side. These were still moist, so I consider it a success. 

    Made the sauce as directed, with a extra couple dashes of dill (because really, can you have too much dill??), and added a bit less mayo than called for. It was soooooo good! I had more sauce than needed for 1 pound of fish, and I was trying to figure out what else I could use it on! No luck on that, by the way. I served it with roasted asparagus...yum yum! 

Roasted Chicken, Potatoes, and Veggies

It is summer, and I'm a firm believer that summer food is grilled food! Seriously, could live on anything grilled. So I started some chicken breasts marinating, with the purpose of grilling last night. Then realized that we were out of charcoal, and I wasn't going shopping until AFTER dinner. Well then. So what did I do with my yummy marinated chicken, you may ask? Created a masterpiece! :D This is a versatile creation, so play around with the seasonings and have fun!

        Ingredients
Makes 8 servings

4 chicken breasts, marinated in GrillMates Mexican Fiesta Marinade made as directed
~2 pounds of potatoes, cut into small chunks
Asparagus (I used a steamer box that was 8 oz...would increase next time!)
~3 Tblspn Olive Oil
1/2 cup butter, melted
Garlic powder, seasoning salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste


        Directions
Preheat oven to 425. Once everything is cut into small pieces (chicken, potatoes, and veggies), drizzle in olive oil, pour over the remaining marinade from the chicken, add seasonings, and mix until evenly coated. Divide into 2 9x13 baking pans, and drizzle with melted butter. (I think it would be fine to leave this step out - the olive oil does a good job, but it did make it extra tasty!)  Bake both pans on the top rack of the oven for 30 minutes, then stir. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked and getting lightly brown. Serve, and enjoy!

My only addition/future change to this would be to add green beans as an additional veggie. I added some today when I reheated leftovers, and it was delectable! It just added that little extra something. I'd also like to try it mixing sweet potatoes in the mix, or maybe some acorn squash. The possibilities are endless! I definitely recommend marinating the chicken prior to roasting - the flavor was incredible, and I think without it, the chicken would be a bit bland.

Best Steak Marinade

I love really flavorful steak (well done of course! I've had waiters tell me I'm "ruining" the meat...I'm sorry, I just don't want it mooing on my plate!). Tried this marinade, and was quite pleased with it. Definitely will be making it again!

Best Steak Marinade

Original recipe makes 1 1/3 cups
 1/3 cup soy sauce
 1/2 cup olive oil
 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic powder
 3 tablespoons dried basil
 1 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)
 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (optional)

I think for the first time in a long time, I actually followed this one as directed! I did use fresh minced garlic instead of dried, and forwent the hot pepper sauce. But since both of those were optional, I'm sticking with my original statement! ;)  Wasn't sure about the basil addition, but it turned out the perfect balance. I used some top sirloin steaks and pan seared them until done. It was delicious! Served with loaded mashed potatoes (cheese, chives, and bacon bits), and fresh salad.