Dad's Salmon

Ingredients:

4-6 Salmon Fillets (medium sized)

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil (vegetable oil works too)

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of lemon pepper

Directions:

Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and oil in a ziploc bag. Mix the ingredients around in the bag until the sugar feels more dissolved. Sprinkle the fish fillets with garlic powder, lemon pepper, and any other spices you may want. Add the fish to the marinade and place in the refrigerator for at least 1-3 hours (or longer). Heat your grill to medium high. Spray the grill with non-stick spray (don't spray the flame or you'll catch the oil on fire). Cook the fish 6-8 minutes each side until the fish is flaky and no longer raw looking. Tip: Sprinkle a little brown sugar on the fish when it is first put on the grill to get a yummy crust.

Time to Make: a few hours marinating plus 15 minutes on the grill.

Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Origin: Dad

Cheescake Bars

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup honey (optional)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla. Beat with a mixer until smooth and sugar isn't grainy. Spread out one of the rolls of crescents across the bottom (not the sides) of the pan. Press the seams together so that it looks like a crust. Spread the cream cheese mixture on top of the rolled out rolls. Roll out the other package of crescent rolls and lay on top of the cream cheese layer (so that it looks like a crust on top of the dessert).

In a small bowl, combine the butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, and cinnamon. Stir until well blended. Using a spoon, drop small dots of the butter mixture all across the top of the dessert until all the butter mixture is gone. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes (until the top is golden brown and no longer doughy looking). Remove from oven and drizzle with honey (optional). Cool completely and cut into bars.

Time to Make: about 45 minutes plus cooling time
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sopapilla-cheesecake-pie/

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 cup minced onion
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup ham, cubed
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper (black is okay too)
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

Directions:
In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, potatoes, onion, celery, and spices. Bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Combine the cream cheese with some of the soup broth and blend till smooth. Reduce the heat and add the cream cheese mixture to the soup. (You could also chunk up the cream cheese to small cubes and stir them in the soup until they are melted - just be sure the heat is reduced so you don't curdle the cheese.) If desired, thicken the soup a little with cornstarch. Serve warm.

To Freeze:
Prepare soup as directed above. Chill until cool in the refrigerator and then divide into labeled freezer bags. If you double this recipe you will get 4-5 quart sized freezer bags of 4 cups of soup in each. To reheat, thaw over night in the fridge or thaw under warm water. Then reheat over low-medium heat until hot.

Time to Make: about 45 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Recipe Origin: adapted from the recipe posted here.