Smoked Lamb

Spring has arrived! With the warm weather, the sun shining, and the pool about to open, what better time to start cooking out? We were having some friends over for a cookout and wanted to cook up a meal that would feed a lot of people. This recipe has a quick prep time and does not require a lot of work while it is on the smoker. I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did!

XOXO,
Esra

Smoked Lamb
3 Gals and a Kitchen

5lb lamb leg boneless roast
1 teaspoons of Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Seasoning
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon rosemary
3 cloves of garlic

Preheat the smoker. Meanwhile, place lamb on a plate and begin adding Jane’s Krazy Mixed-up Seasoning, pepper, rosemary, and garlic to both sides of the lamb. Smoke lamb until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 (approximately 20 minutes per pound for medium). Remove the lamb from the smoker, cover with foil, and let rest for 10-12 minutes before carving.

Figure Friendly Spicy Fish Tacos

Yellow polka dot bikini and board short season is upon us, so the quick stops at the fast food joints won't be on your agenda anymore. With this recipe, you can have that margarita with dinner tonight and not feel quite so guilty about it.

XOXO,
Esra

Figure Friendly Spicy Fish Tacos

1-1/2 pounds white fish (grouper, cod, etc.) - I used cod
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt to taste
1/2 cup coarse cornmeal - I used yellow cornmeal
1/3 teaspoon pepper
12 whole wheat flour tortillas, 4 inches in diameter (can also use corn tortillas if you prefer)
Southwestern Slaw
1/2 cup Lime Crema
Lime wedges for garnish

Southwestern Slaw (I decided to save time and buy a low cal premade slaw)
1 cup fine-shredded green cabbage
1 cup fine-shredded red cabbage
1 tablespoon lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 teaspoon minced jalapeños
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lime Crema:
1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
1-1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon adobo sauce (optional) - I like spicy so I used 3 tsp and it still wasn't spicy
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Slice fish into 2-inch strips. Place fish in the bowl to marinate for 30 minutes. Add in cornmeal and pepper. Place on parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for approximately 7-10 minutes or until cooked throughout. Remove from oven and place on warm plate until needed. Tent with foil to keep warm.

To prepare the Southwestern Slaw: combine all the ingredients and allow the mixture to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

To prepare the Lime Crema: combine all the ingredients and mix well. It can be stored for up to two days.

To serve: grill the tortillas until they have light grill marks and are heated throughout, about 15 seconds on the first side. Turn the tortillas and grill them until they just start to bubble, another 15 seconds. Center 2 pieces of grilled fish on each tortilla, and top with the Slaw. Add a dollop of the Lime Crema, fold in half, and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Recipe by AccentHealth Chef Donna Brousseau

Best Cheese Dip

This is hands down my favorite cheese dip I have ever tasted. It makes for an amazing appetizer! I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand.

XOXO,
Esra

Best Cheese Dip aka Kuymak
3 Gals and a Kitchen

¾ c warm water
3 TBSP corn meal
1 ½ c mozzarella cheese (or any stringy cheese)
4 TBSP butter

In a small skillet on medium heat, place water and butter, let it boil. Slowly add corn meal, stir, & let cook until it starts popping (add more corn meal if the consistencydoesn't seem thick enough). Add cheese and let it melt down a little. Stir it some until the sides look cooked about 2 minutes after the cheese is added. Do not overcook or the cheese will not be right for the recipe.

Serve with fresh bread or a baguette. Don't forget to ask the bakery to preslice your baguette. They have a fancy machine that does that in only a few seconds. Save yourself some time and effort.

BBQ Beef-Filled Biscuits

This meal couldn't have been any easier to make. The hardest part for me was removing the biscuits from the muffin tin. They'll slide right out of the muffin pan as long as you give them a chance to cool for a few minutes. These biscuits were fun to eat and made for a pretty presentation - no forks necessary! For those of you who have a hard time deciding on a BBQ sauce, let me recommend Sweet Baby Ray's Original BBQ Sauce.
Enjoy! - Allison Y.

BBQ Beef-Filled Biscuits
Adapted from a Kraft Foods recipe

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 small green pepper (finely chopped)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
1 handful mushrooms (chopped)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 can refrigerated large buttermilk biscuits
1 cup shredded cheese - Mexican blend
salt and pepper

*Side note - My veggies all turned out to be about 1/2 cup's worth after being chopped.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium skillet, saute pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Add ground beef and brown until no pink remains. Remove from heat. Stir in barbecue sauce. Separate biscuits. Press 1 biscuit into the bottom and up the sides of 8 muffin cups. Put a little pinch of shredded cheese into each cup. Spoon generous portions of the meat mixture into biscuit cups; Press the meat mixture down into the cups with the back of a spoon, adding more if necessary. Bake for 10 minutes or until the biscuits are lightly browned. Top with cheese; Bake 3 to 4 more minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove biscuits from oven to cool for about 3 minutes before pulling them out of the muffin pan.

Katie's Cheeseburger Rollup

This past weekend, I spent a lot of time discussing the blog with my cousin-in-law, Katherine. We were talking about the need to keep things simple and easy in the kitchen. Yes, there are certainly times to pull out all the stops and make a fancy, intricate meal, but weeknight dinners should be low maintenance. This recipe seems like the perfect weeknight fix. Many thanks to our newest honorary member, Katie, for passing this one along. She recommended tripling the recipe to make three rolls. This will certainly be a hit at my house!

xoxo,
Allison Y.

Katie's Cheeseburger Rollup
A Kraft Foods Recipe

Ingredients: 1 lb lean ground beef, 4 slices of bacon chopped, 1 small onion chopped, 1/2 lb (8 oz) Velveeta cheese, 1pkg refrigerated pizza crust

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef with bacon and onions in a large skillet. Drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add cut up Velveeta and cook until melted. Stir frequently. Cool for 10 minutes. Unroll dough onto a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press the dough into a rectangle. Top the dough with meat mixture. Roll up starting at one of the long sides. Rearrange, if necessary, so that the roll is seam side down. Bake 20 to 25 min or until golden brown.

Broccoli Salad

This is a perfect recipe for your next cookout! My family and I grilled out Friday night and had Broccoli Salad as a side with our burgers. We all devoured it! It's much better after it marinates, so be sure to refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Enjoy!
Alison J.


Ingredients
8 slices of bacon
2 heads of fresh broccoli, chopped
1 1/2 c. sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/8 c. white sugar
2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. mayo
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 handfuls dried cranberries, or raisins if you prefer them

Directions
On medium heat, fry bacon in skillet until brown on both sides. Set bacon aside on a plate covered with a paper towel to cool and drain.

In a large bowl, stir together broccoli, cheese, onion and cranberries or raisins.

In a small bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together red whine vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, mayo and lemon juice.

Pour over broccoli mixture and combine. Once bacon has cooled, crumble it into the salad. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Strawberry Shortcake

3 Gals has really taken off in a short period of time, and I couldn't be happier that so many of our good friends and extended friends have been inspired by our postings. One of our biggest cheerleaders, Katie, has been a busy little cook over the past couple of months, and I am happily naming her an honorary member of 3 Gals. Not only has she been testing out our recipes, but she has also been sharing her own great finds! She sent me a picture of her strawberry shortcake tonight that looked divine, and I had to post the recipe. To all of our honorary members out there, send us more. We love to share and hope you will too!

xoxo,
Allison Y.

Strawberry Shortcake
A Kraft Foods Recipe

Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup sour cream, 3 Tbsp sugar, 2 1/4 cups all purpose baking mix, 1 pkg (3.4 oz) Jell-o vanilla flavor instant pudding, 1 tub (8oz) Cool Whip whipped topping, 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Beat 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup sour cream, and 3 Tablespoons sugar in a large bowl with a whisk until well blended. Stir in the baking mix until moistened. Spread the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9-inch round cake pan. Bake for 12-15 min or until golden brown. Cool the cake in pan for 5 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and cool completely. Beat the pudding mix and remaining milk in medium bowl with a whisk. Stir in half the container of Cool Whip. In a separate bowl, toss the strawberries with 1/3 cup sugar. Cut the cake horizontally in half to make 2 layers. Place the bottom half on a plate. Cover it with half of the strawberries and all of the pudding mixture. Place the other half on top of that and then add the remaining whipped cream and strawberries....Enjoy!