Crazy Nuts in the Nutty Blogging World

Blogging is a strange and wonderful thing. You start blogging not knowing what to expect. In the beginning, the photos are fuzzy, the posts are random, and you are just aching for just one reader other than yourself or significant other.

Then hours upon hours are spent surfing the other blogs out in the great, big blogworld. Gradually you find 10, 20, 30 and even 100s of other blogs writing about topics similar to yours. Too many hours are spent devouring the recipes, stories, movie reviews, and gossip posted on the World Wide Web. You are hooked and can't get enough.

Your posts flow so freely that you are blogging every other day. New readers are reading. And then it happens. You get your first comment and, it is not from your best friend or a family member. The reader likes your photos or has had a similar experience as you. You have connected.

Blogging is about sharing. You learned in kindergarten that it is nice to share. When you share with others they will want to share with you. How about sharing some Crazy Nuts with a co-worker, neighbor, or teacher? I'll share the recipe with you and, you share the Crazy Nuts with someone else.

Let the sharing begin.


Crazy Nuts

makes 2 pounds of nuts

1 pound of whole, raw walnuts
1 pound of whole, raw almonds
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried chipolte or cayenne pepper
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place nuts on a large rimmed baking sheet. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and add seasonings. Stir to combine. Drizzle butter mixture over nuts and toss to coat.

Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. The nuts should be browned but not burned when done.

Remove nuts from oven and cool. Stir in cranberries. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy for up to one week.

Print recipe

Tilapia 2 Ways

A frequent request I receive from readers of my blog is for dinner ideas that appeal to kids and adults alike. Many people find it a challenge to make dinner let alone one that pleases everyone at the dinner table. Many of my dinners include something for everyone albeit grilled chicken, creamy mac and cheese, or black bean and corn salad.

Even though I am not an advocate of making two different dinners to satisfy all members in your family, this meal is easy enough to prepare without any extra effort. We frequently have white fish like flounder, halibut or tilapia. Our whole family likes fish, so that is one battle I do not have to fight.

Tilapia 2 Ways includes a simply to prepare crab topped tilapia with a slightly spicy kick and roasted tilapia with seasoned breadcrumbs and melted butter. The Husband and I love the crab and fish combo while the kids always ask for seconds of their roasted tilapia. It is actually less work to make half of the dinner for the kids so I feel like I am coming out ahead.

This entree can be prepared ahead of dinner time in one of two ways; either assemble, refrigerate, and bake just before dinner or prepare, bake and reheat on 70% power when ready to serve. We opted for the second prep method because tonight we ate in shifts with softball practice for My Middle One and her Coach Dad. I also served a Black Bean and Corn Salad. I wasn't counting on My Middle One and No Thank You Boy eating the salad. Their loss.

An entree with seafood is my favorite to serve. Tilapia 2 Ways is a delicious preparation which will make everyone happy at your dinner table.


Tilapia 2 Ways

serves 5 - 6

8 tilapia fillets
1 cup crab meat
3 Ritz crackers, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
chipolte seasoning
2 - 3 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place tilapia on a large rimmed baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Set aside.

Prepare crab stuffing in a small bowl. Combine crab meat, Ritz cracker crumbs, Old Bay seasoning, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise. Divide the crab mixture into 4 portions and mound slightly on 4 of the fish fillets. Sprinkle with a small amount of the chipolte seasoning. On the remaining fish fillets, sprinkle with a generous amount of the breadcrumbs. Drizzle all of the fillets with the melted butter.

Bake for 8 - 10 minutes or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

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Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Memorial Day signals the start of the summer party season. Having lived in the Midwest and now the Northeast, I have become accustomed to the unpredictable weather of the first weekend of summer. It can be either 50 degrees and drizzling or 95 degrees with 100% humidity. Do to the fickleness of the weather, I tweaked a couple recipes to come up with an entree that can be either roasted in the oven or cooked on the grill depending on if the weather cooperates or not.

Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin combines two of my family's favorite flavors: smokey barbecue sauce and gingery teriyaki sauce. As we would not be eating dinner until after No Thank You Boy's lacrosse game, I made the pork tenderloin, ginger honey barbecue sauce and Very Veggie Fried Rice (recipe to follow in the next blog post) in the late afternoon after getting home from cooking for my #1 client. The menu lends itself well to reheating so it can easily made well in advance of dinner time.

After returning from the lacrosse game (a 7 - 1 win), I quickly reheated the pork, barbecue sauce, and rice on 70% power in the microwave for about a minute and a half. Dinner is served!

"I love the ginger in the rice," said No Thank You Boy. And as so not to break his streak of avoiding anything green, he added, "But I wouldn't mind less vegetables and more rice."

I had to deter My Oldest from eating all the fried rice way before dinner time. She declared, "I could eat this meal every day. The pork is so tender."

Not really having any complaints about the meal was My Middle One. She did comment though that she would like to see a few more steaks in our meal rotation. Mooooo!!

The Husband was feeling a little under the weather. He was quarantined to his room, but surfaced for a bowl of fried rice after his afternoon of eating chicken noodle soup.

Next time I make this recipe, I will definitely grill the pork tenderloin for an added layer of smokey flavor. Also, I will triple the barbecue sauce recipe. Having a container of it on hand for slathering on chicken and even salmon would be nice. If you will be roasting the pork in the oven, make sure to line the baking sheet with foil. The baked-on sauce will reek havoc and you will end up throwing the baking sheet out instead of trying to chisel off the black gook.



Let's hope for warm temperatures and sunny skies for this weekend. Fire up the grill!


Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

The pork tenderloin can be grilled instead of roasting in the oven. Grill until the internal temperature is between 135 and 140 degrees. Watch for flare ups. The sauce will burn because of the sugar content.

serves 5

olive oil
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 pounds total weight
Chinese 5-Spice seasoning
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

To prepare the ginger barbecue sauce, in a small saucepan combine honey, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, ground ginger, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Heat a large saute pan to medium high and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Season tenderloins with the Chinese 5-Spice. Brown on all sides in the saute pan. Place tenderloin on the foil lined baking sheet. Brush the tenderloin with some of the ginger barbecue sauce. Roast tenderloins in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers about 135 - 140 degrees. Remove from oven, place on a cutting board and tent with foil. Let pork rest for about 10 minutes.

To serve pork, slice into medallions about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and drizzle with the remaining barbecue sauce.

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Balsamic Red Onion and Tomato Chicken

A dinner that has a cooked-all-day flavor doesn't have to take all day to cook. What?! How do you do that? Balsamic Red Onion and Tomato Chicken is full of rich caramelized onion and balsamic vinegar flavor and tastes like it was simmering all day long. In reality, in less than a half an hour, dinner will be on the table.

Thin cut chicken breasts are seasoned and sauteed until golden brown in a large saute pan. The same pan is used to caramelize the onions and prepare the balsamic vinegar and tomato based sauce that tops the chicken. Both tomato paste and chopped fresh tomatoes added a double dose of tomatoey flavor to the sauce.

With sides of wild rice and steamed broccoli, this dinner will please your family as well as the unexpected company that stops by on a Saturday night. And be sure to make plenty because the leftovers taste even better the next day. The sauce can be also served as an appetizer. Top toasted thin slices of a baguette with a spoonful of the sauce and a crumble of feta or goat cheese and serve.

Balsamic Red Onion and Tomato Chicken

serves about 4 - 5

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, sliced lengthwise into thin cutlets
Montreal Chicken Seasoning or other multi-purpose chicken seasoning
olive oil
2 cups red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped tomato
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Season chicken with Montreal Chicken seasoning. Heat a large saute pan to medium high that has been drizzled with oil. Saute chicken in batches until golden brown. Place chicken on a platter and cover with foil. Set aside.

In the same pan, add a little oil if necessary and the onions. Saute for about 10 - 12 minutes or until wilted and beginning to caramelize and brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for about 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and reduce for a minute, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the tomato paste, chicken stock, and brown sugar. Add the butter and stir sauce until the butter has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the sauce over chicken and serve.

A Little Blue for Mother's Day

With Mother's Day fast approaching, here are a couple recipes for all you moms to print out for your families to help them in preparing your breakfast in bed this Sunday morning. A buttery, crumb-topped muffin studded with plump blueberries and a blueberry yogurt smoothie would be welcome additions to your leisurely morning spent lounging and reading the Sunday newspaper.


Just print out the recipes and place them in a spot your family will find them. Hopefully they will get the hint.

Happy Mother's Day!



Blueberry Crumb Muffins

makes about 12 muffins

for the muffins -
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon flour

for the crumb topping -
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a standard sized muffin pan with cupcake liners and set aside.

For the muffins, in a large bowl cream together 1/2 cup butter, and 3/4 cup sugar. Add egg and beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with the milk. Toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon of flour and gently fold into batter. Fill each muffin liner about 2/3 full. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the topping ingredients until it is crumbly. Use your fingers or a fork to combine ingredients. Sprinkle some of the topping on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Serve warm with butter.

The Blueberriest Smoothie

Using frozen fruit produces a thick smoothie without adding ice.


makes 1


1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen banana chunks
1/2 cup blueberry or vanilla yogurt - I like Greek yogurt
1/2 - 3/4 cup pineapple juice


Place ingredients in a blender in the order listed. Blend on medium high speed just until the fruit is no longer chunky. Serve in a tall glass with a straw.