Month: March 2017

Crab Cakes

Ingredients

1 T jalapeño pepper diced

1 T  green onion thinly sliced

2 T mayonnaise

1 egg

1  t Old Bay Seasoning

1 1/2 t Dijon

1 t Worcestershire sauce

1/4 t hot sauce

1 1/2 t lemon juice*

1 pound Phillips™crab meat

1/2 C Panko Italian style bread crumbs.

Directions

Foil cover a baking sheet   Serves 3

In medium mixing bowl add  mayonnaise,egg, Dijon, Old Bay, Worcestershire, hot sauce, lemon juice, jalapeño, and shallot. Mix until combined

Drain crab and pick through for shell fragments without breaking up the crab. Add to it the bowl and gently mix. Add Panko and gently combine. Form into 6 crab cakes* and place on bake sheet. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Remove crab cakes from refrigerator. Add canola oil to non stick fry pan on high heat. Place crab cakes in pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side. I cover pan with a grease shield as sometimes hot oil is splattered. Gently flip them over.

Remove and serve with Tartar sauce or a cilantro lime mayonnaise. Cole slaw and potato salad with crab cakes are a great warm weather meal.

Notes:

*Lime juice can be used in place of lemon juice

*Don’t form them into tightly packed cakes

Can also be made into appetizer sizes. Use an ice scoop and make 10-12 appetizers.

Turkey Egg Noodle Bake

Ingredients

3 T olive oil

1 onion diced

2 garlic cloves minced

1 pound Cremini mushrooms sliced

1/2 C white wine

1 t thyme sliced

2 C leftover turkey diced*

1 container of creme fraiche (7.5 ounces)*

1 C chicken broth

1/4 t nutmeg

1 C green peas frozen

1/2 C Parmesan*

1/2 package of wide egg noodles

Salt and pepper

Directions

Add olive oil to large fry pan and heat then add garlic and onions. Cook until translucent. Add cremini mushrooms and thyme and cook until mushrooms have released their liquid. Deglaze with white wine over medium high heart.  Add creme fraiche, chicken broth, nutmeg and combine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add turkey and peas and cook until peas and turkey heated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bring 4-5 quarts of water salted to boil. Add noodles and cook unit all dente or about  6 minutes. Drain and combine with turkey mixture. Butter a 12″ by 9 ” pan and transfer mixture to the dish. Top with Parmesan cheese and bake for about 20 minutes. 

Note:

*Cooked chicken can be substituted in place of turkey.

* I have substituted sour cream or  Mexican creme when I was out of creme fraiche.

*I have also added crushed garlic croutons to the top with the Parmesan before baking. 

 

Easy Spaghetti Sauce with Pasta

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An easy to make spicy pasta sauce made from scratch served over pasta that is low fat but flavorful.

Ingredients

3 T olive oil

1 red onion diced

2 carrots diced

4 garlic cloves minced

2 Jalapeños diced

1 pound 93% lean ground beef

1 T oregano sliced

1 T Worcestershire sauce

3 T Kalmata olives sliced

1/2 C red wine

3 T Cento® tomato paste

3 C tomato sauce

2 C crushed tomatoes

1 box of spaghetti or linguine

5-6 quarts of salted water

1/2 C grated Parmesan(optional)

Directions

Serves 6 – 8

Heat olive oil in large skillet then add onions,carrots, Jalapeño, and garlic and cook 7-10 minutes. Add in ground beef  and cook until meat is brown. Add red wine, tomato paste, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to boil then lower heat. Add in olives and oregano and simmer 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Ready to serve.

Bring salted water to boil and add pasta. Boil for 9-10 minutes for al dente. Drain and plate in large spaghetti bowl. Pour sauce over the pasta and sprinkle on cheese. Serve with green beans and in the summer with a simple Caprese salad.

 

My Bouillabaisse

Ingredients

3 T olive oil

1 onion diced

2 celery ribs diced

1 carrot diced

1 large fennel bulb fronds removed and thin sliced

1 leek white part diced

4 garlic cloves minced

3/4 t red pepper flakes

1 t marjoram chopped

1 t thyme chopped

2 T tomato paste

14.5 ounce can plum tomatoes

1 C dry white wine

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes cubed

6 C fish stock

2 bay leaves

Pinch of saffron

1 1/2 pound halibut cubed

1/2 pound  shrimp

1 pound clams

1 pound mussels washed and de bearded 

1/2 pound scallops

1 3/4 pound Alaska king crab* cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces*

Directions

Serves 8-10

Heat olive oil in large pot. add onions, carrot, celery, leek, and fennel. Cook about 7-10 minutes then add in garlic,tomato paste, wine,and plum tomatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes.Add chopped herbs, saffron, and bay leaves and bring to boil. . Add fish stock and simmer 20 minutes.  Add red pepper flakes and potatoes. Cook  until potatoes are  tender about 10 minutes.

Add clams and cook until they pop open about 3 minutes. Add halibut, scallops, and mussels, and cook about 5 minutes. Then add crab and shrimp and cook for two minutes.

Season with salt and pepper. Plate and serve with garlic crostini and a pinch of chopped fennel frond.

Serve  in large bowls.*

Notes:

*I like the red king more than the golden crab

*I substitute more white fish also in place of the crab.

* I don’t make Rouille

 To make it more affordable I look for fresh white fish and shrimp on sale and clams and mussels from Costco.

 

 

 

 

Cherry Pie

Ingredients

3/4 C white sugar

3/4 brown sugar

4 T corn starch

2 32 ounce cans red tart cherries

2/3 C juice from canned cherries

1/4 t red food coloring

1/2 t almond extract

1/2 t vanilla

1 T cinnamon

1/2 t butter

1 9 inch deep dish pie crust

Topping

1 9 inch pie crust

6 T butter

6 T flour

4 T brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

Directions

Oven 400º  Line oven with foil.

Blind bake pie crust. Line with parchment paper and fill with beans or beads and bake until golden. Remove beans and parchment and gently pierce bottom. Bake for 10 minutes.

Cherry Filling

Drain cherries and reserve 2/3 cup of juice. Add cherries, juice, sugars, and cinnamon to medium sauce pan. Stir in the corn starch and cook  over medium high heat until mixture comes to boil stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in almond and vanilla extract. Pour into pie crust and dot with butter.

Crumble

In medium bowl mix butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Break frozen pie crusts into pieces into bowl and mix with fingers until combined. Sprinkle over top of filling and bake 30-45 minutes. Place pie crust shield on crust for first 15-20 minutes to prevent over cooked crust.

Remove to rack and cool.

 

 

 

Sugar Spiced Pecans

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A delicious, easy to make spicy, sugared pecan recipe. Tasty with cheese and fruit plates or on salads.

Ingredients

8 ounces pecan halves

4 T sugar

1/4 – 1/2 t cayenne pepper

2 T butter, melted

Directions

Oven 350º

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread pecans out on baking sheet and bake for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from oven, toss, cool, and place in air tight container.

Note:

Serve with a cheese platter or on a green salad.

Richard’s Pork Tenderloin and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

Brine

1 quart of water

1/3 C Kosher salt

1/4 C brown sugar

1 garlic clove smashed

2 bruised rosemary stems

1 t sage leaves

2 pound pork tenderloin

Recipe

Brined tenderloins 

1 C brown rice

1 onion fine sliced

1 can of beef consommé

1 1/2 C water

Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 350º Serves 4

Mix brine ingredients and pour into gallon resealable  bag. Add pork tenderloins that have fat and silver removed. Brine in refrigerator for two hours.

Add rice and sliced onions to 9 inch square dish or large loaf pan then add consommé plus water.  Remove tenderloin from brine, dry and season  with salt and pepper.  Place on top of rice.

Cover and seal dish with aluminum foil. Bake for about 1 hour. Serve with steamed broccoli.

Note:

My friend was going to law school and I was a financially struggling undergrad. He occasionally fed me. His favorite to share was his Granny’s pork tenderloin rice casserole. Not fancy but easy and tasty.

Lemon Chicken Breast with Dill and Feta Stuffing

Ingredients

Marinade

1/2 C lemon juice

1/2 C olive oil

2 t garlic minced

1 T dill rough cut

2 t salt

Fresh ground pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded*

Stuffing*

3 Shitake mushrooms diced

3/4 C brined Feta crumbled

2 T dill fine chopped

1 garlic clove minced

4 T Kalmata  olives chopped

1 t lemon juice

Recipe

3 T olive oil

4 stuffed chicken breasts

1 T chopped dill,

Directions

Heat oven to 350º Serves 4

Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound to about 1/2 inch in thickness.

Mix marinade ingredients together in medium bowl and add the chicken. Toss the breasts in the marinade then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for four hours.

Add stuffing ingredients together in medium bowl and set aside.

Remove breasts from marinade and put at least 3 tablespoons or more of stuffing on each breast, fold and use toothpick to seal stuffing. Set aside remaining marinade.

Heat olive oil in oven ready skillet over high heat. Cook chicken breast 3 minutes per side. Drizzle set aside  marinade on breasts. Place in oven and bake to 165º F or about 20 minutes.

Remove and cover breasts with foil. Rest for 5 minutes.

Plate chicken breasts and spoon any left over jus over the breasts and reserved dill. Serve with roasted fingerlings  with a big dollop of Tzatziki sauce and a green salad.

Note:

* I pound the chicken to get a consistent thickness for cooking. You can cut a slit in the breasts and stuff but I found that the breasts have different thicknesses and can be over baked in thinner sections.

*If any stuffing is leftover I sprinkle it on the fingerlings toward end of the roasting cycle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Willie Sue’s Rolls

 

Ingredients

1 cup warm milk 110- 115º

1 1/2 pkg of dry yeast*

1 t sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup melted butter or margarine

2 T sugar

3 t salt

4-6 cups flour

3 T butter melted

Directions

Oven  temperatureI 350º F

Dissolve yeast in warm milk with sugar and dissolve for a couple minutes in large bowl.

Mix in egg, butter, and sugar. Combine 4 cups of flour and salt then add to liquid ingredients. Mix and knead ingredients into dough until a smooth finish is achieved. If needed add add additional flour to achieve smooth finish. Grease dough and let rise in warm area until double in size. 

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Deflate the dough and divide into 12 pieces and shape into balls. Place onto baking sheet and cover. Let rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours. Bake 20-30 minutes Brush with melted butter and cool on a rack.

Note: 

* If you use Quick-Rise™ or RapidRise® yeast you do not need to dissolve before using. But your liquid temperature is 120-130º F.  Mix all ingredients together and add warmer liquid. All other steps the same.

 

 

Tzatziki Sauce

IMG_2639

Chunky tzatziki sauce with dill and lemon. With 2% low fat greek yogurt, this dip is low calorie and big-flavored.

Ingredients 

1 C Greek yogurt plain

1/2 cucumber de seeded, grated or diced*

1 garlic clove grated

2 t lemon zest

1 T lemon juice

1 T white wine vinegar

1 T dill chopped

1/2 t salt

Pepper to taste

Directions

Place double layer of paper towels in small bowl. Place yogurt on paper towels to de water for 30 minutes. At same time de water cucumbers by placing in double layer of paper towels.

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and adjust seasoning. Cover and rest for 4 hours to over night. Ready to serve with pita, vegetable sticks, topping for vegetables, fish, or chicken.

Note

* Cucumbers can be peeled