Sunday, July 31, 2011

Shrimp Creole



Shrimp Creole

6 tbsp butter
1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups julienned bell pepper (I used a mix of yellow, red and green)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp hot sauce or to taste (I used about double that)
2 cans sliced stewed tomatoes
1 cup V-8 vegetable juice
24 oz peeled and deveined shrimp (31-41 per lb)
Garlic & Herb seasoning

In a large saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and bell peppers and saute about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika and cajun seasoning and continue cooking another 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Simmer about 15-20 minutes.

In another large skillet, melt the remaining 4 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add shrimp. sprinkle with a little Garlic & Herb seasoning and saute, stirring constantly 5-6 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and tender. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and toss to coat well. Serve over hot, buttered rice.

This was delicious!

Lime Cream Pie

Lime Cream Pie

1 graham cracker crust
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
8-oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/2 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
Zest from 1 lime
1/2 cup lime juice
Up to 1/3 cup sugar, depending on the tartness of your limes

Beat the cream until soft peaks form and set aside.

Combine cream cheese, condensed milk, lime zest, and lime juice and beat until smooth and well blended. Taste and add sugar, if necessary, to suit your taste. Fold in whipped cream and spoon into graham crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Really good flavor, but next time I'd only use about 3/4 cup of the heavy cream. I thought this was too...er, "fluffy" for lack of a better word. John loved it though! Nice and light and cool. Perfect for a hot weather dessert.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Black Beans and Yellow Rice with Fresh Tomato Relish

Black Beans and Yellow Rice with Fresh Tomato Relish

Tomato Relish:
2 large, ripe tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp minced red onion
1 tbsp minced cilantro
2-3 tsp lime juice
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Yellow Rice:
2.5 cups water
2 tbsp butter
11 oz can Mexicorn
10 oz pkg Vigo Yellow Rice mix
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp minced cilantro

Black Beans:
2 cans Black Beans
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp catsup
1 heaping Tbsp diced pickled jalapenos

Sour cream, if desired

Combine Tomato Relish ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well. Cover and chill for 2 hours.

About 1/2 hour before serving, bring water, butter and Mexicorn to a boil over high heat in a medium sized saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Stir in yellow rice mix, cumin, chili powder and cilanto and boil 1 minute. Cover with lid, reduce heat to low and cook 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

In the meantime, combine beans, cumin, tomato paste, catsup, and jalapenos and heat, stirring often, over medium heat until thoroughly hot.

Spoon yellow rice mixture onto plate, top with beans, a spoonful of the tomato relish and a dollop of sour cream.

This was absolutely the best Yellow Rice and Black Beans I've ever made! Really good! And it was really pretty to look at...I have to start taking pictures!

Ranchero Pork

Ranchero Pork

3-4 lb bone-in pork shoulder roast or pork butt
Garlic Salt, Pepper and Chili Powder
14 oz can mild enchilada sauce
4 oz can chopped green chiles
1 large red onion, sliced

Season the pork roast with garlic salt, pepper and chili powder. Combine the enchilada sauce, green chiles and onion slices in a large crockpot. Place the roast in the pot and turn to coat with the sauce. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until roast is very tender and completely cooked.

Very good. I served this with Black Beans, Yellow Rice and a Fresh Tomato Relish. John raved!

Adapted from Woman's Day Magazine.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Brown Sugar Shortbread

Brown Sugar Shortbread

1 cup flour
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon, if desired

Preheat the oven to 350°. Using an electric mixer, combine the flour, butter and sugar. Press the dough evenly into a 9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Bake until golden around the edges, 18 to 20 minutes.

Let the shortbread cool slightly in the pan, then cut into 16 squares and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

These were OK, but not nearly as good as my old recipe. Though these are ridiculously easy and fast!

Adapted from

Catalina Taco Salad

Catalina Taco Salad

1 lb ground chuck
1 pkg low sodium taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz can chili beans
8 oz Catalina salad dressing
1 bag assorted salad greens
1 large tomato, chopped
Shredded Cheddar
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Salsa

Brown and crumble ground chuck in a skillet over medium-medium high heat, stirring often. Add taco seasoning, chili beans and Catalina dressing and stir well. Simmer over low heat until all ingredients are hot.

Serve over salad greens with tomatoes, Cheddar, tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.

This was good, but a tad sweet for my taste...John liked it better than I did. I'd rather have spicy taco meat personally.

Adapted from Taco Salad I at allrecipes.com

Friday, July 22, 2011

Brunswick Stew

Brunswick Stew

2 quarts water
1/2 whole fryer chicken, cut up
Salt and Black Pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can baby lima beans, undrained
1 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 yellow onion, diced
2 splashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp Liquid Smoke
2 cups frozen baby lima beans
3 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1(15-ounce) can cream-style corn
1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
3 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tsp McCormick's Salt Free Garlic & Herb seasoning
Drizzle of Pickled Jalapeno juice

Bring water, chicken, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to a boil in a Dutch oven. Reduce heat, and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender.

Remove chicken, and set aside. Reserve 3 cups broth in Dutch oven. Pour canned lima beans and liquid through a wire-mesh strainer into Dutch oven. Reserve beans. Add tomatoes and chopped onions to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, for 40 minutes or until liquid is reduced by 1/3.

Skin, bone, and shred chicken. Mash reserved beans with a potato masher. Add chicken, mashed lima beans, Worcestershire sauce and Liquid Smoke and continue cooking another 40 minutes.

Add frozen beans, potatoes, corn, butter, garlic-herb seasoning and hot sauce to Dutch oven. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cook over low heat, stirring often, for an additional 40 minutes or so.

I added the last couple of ingredients and the extra hot sauce to try to cut the sweet taste. The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of sugar (!) and even though I only used half that amount I thought this tasted unreasonably sweet. Next time I'd only add about 1-2 TEASPOONS of sugar, if I add sugar at all! This was definitely good enough to give it another try!!!

This is adapted from a Food Network recipe "courtesy of Bob Garner; Author North Carolina Barbecue".

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Lemon Cream Chicken with Pasta

Lemon Cream Chicken with Pasta

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp Maggi instant chicken bouillon
Sea Salt
1 lb thin spaghetti (or pasta of choice)
1 lb chicken tenderloins
McCormick's Garlic & Herb Salt Free Seasoning
Lemon Pepper
4 tbsp butter
Zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 - 3/4 cups grated Parmesan

Add the lemon juice, bouillon and sea salt to enough water in a large pot to cook pasta and bring to a boil over hight heat.

Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes and season with Garlic & Herb seasoning and Lemon Pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet until sizzling. Add chicken and cook over medium heat until chicken is completely cooked. Stir in lemon zest and juice, thyme and cream and heat until barely simmering over low to medium heat. Stir in Parmesan and stir frequently until sauce is well combined.

In the meantime, cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Toss pasta with sauce and chicken and serve hot.

Yum-OH!! Best Lemon Chicken Pasta I've ever made!!!

Roasted Smoked Sausage with Mustard Sauce

Roasted Smoked Sausage with Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp Grey Poupon Spicy Brown Mustard
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp horseradish sauce
1 tsp Montreal Steak seasoning
1 tsp honey
1 splash Hot Pickled Pepper juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/2-in.-thick wedges
3 carrots, cut in 1 1/2-in. pieces (or 2 cups baby carrots)
4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, cut lengthwise in quarters, then halved crosswise
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
14-oz pkg smoked sausage, cut into 2" pieces

Combine the first 8 ingredients and whisk until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 450^F. Place the onion, carrots and potatoes in a 9x13" baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Roast for 15-20 minutes. Add sausage pieces to vegetables and return to oven. Roast another 15 minutes or until vegetables are completely cooked. Serve with Mustard Sauce .

This tasted good, but was way too greasy! Probably won't make it again.

Adapted from a Woman's Day magazine recipe.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Cheese & Onion Meatloaf

Cheese & Onion Meatloaf

1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup catsup
2 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1.5 lb meatloaf mix (combination of ground chuck and ground pork)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
3 tbsp catsup
4 oz shredded Cheddar
3 oz can French Fried Onions, lightly crushed

Preheat oven to 350^F. Gently combine the breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, catsup, mustard, Worcestershire, meat, salt and pepper until well mixed and lightly pack into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Combine 1 tbsp mustard and 3 tbsp catsup and spread over the top of the meatloaf. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

This was OK. Barely.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Cinnamon Ice Cream

I was throwing things out of the garage the other day and found my Deni Ice Cream Maker. I'd completely forgotten I had one of those! So I'm making ice cream this afternoon to top an Apple Pie for dessert tonight.

Cinnamon Ice Cream

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix milk and sugar together using a wire whisk or hand mixer so that the sugar completely dissolves. Stir in heavy cream, vanilla, and cinnamon, making sure that the cinnamon is well blended throughout. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker. Mix about 20-25 minutes. Makes 1 1/2 quarts

Helpful Hint: Cinnamon has a tendency to sink to the bottom of the ice cream mixture, so make sure that the ice cream is freshly stirred before pouring it in the ice cream maker!

This needs a pinch of salt! And next time I'd reduce the amount of heavy cream and increase the milk by the same amount.

From

Monday, July 4, 2011

Cayenne Cinnamon Baby Back Ribs with Maple Glaze

Cayenne Cinnamon Baby Back Ribs with Maple Glaze

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cayenne powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 pounds pork baby back ribs
1/4 cup maple syrup

Preheat oven to 375F (or prepare your grill. We're using the oven because it's too hot and too rainy to grill!). Remove the tough membrane from the underside of the ribs.

In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, garlic powder, both paprikas, ground cinnamon, cayenne and salt. Place ribs on a double layer of tin foil (large enough to wrap around ribs) and season the ribs on both sides with the rub. Fold over foil and completely cover ribs. Place ribs on baking sheet or roasting pan.

Bake 1-1/2 hours or until meat starts to pull away from bones.

Carefully open foil. Brush ribs with maple syrup. Return to oven (leaving foil open) and roast 30 minutes. Carefully turn ribs over, brush with remaining maple syrup and bake for 15-30 minutes more or until ribs are very tender and browned.

These were very good! Falling apart tender, nice flavor, but a little too sweet for my taste. I'll definitely use the rub again, but instead of maple syrup I'll switch to a vinegar based BBQ sauce...but that's strictly my personal preference. I'll also double the cayenne.

Adapted from a recipe at steamykitchen.com

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Croque Madame a la Martha


Croque Madame

1 Tbsp butter, room temperature
4 slices thin white sandwich bread
4 thin slices Gruyere cheese
8 thin slices deli ham
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spread 1/2 teaspoon butter on each bread slice and place 2 slices, butter side down, on a rimmed baking sheet. Divide cheese and ham evenly among slices, season with salt and pepper, and top with remaining bread slices, butter side up. Bake until bread is golden brown and cheese is melted, about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 teaspoons butter over medium heat. Cook 2 eggs until whites are set and yolks are still runny, about 4 minutes (or until done to your liking!) Top each sandwich with 1 egg. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

This was good. And easy. Always a winning combination as far as I'm concerned!

http://www.marthastewart.com/print/349728