RSS

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps




Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

original recipe: http://bakehouse.squarespace.com/home/2011/7/20/zucchini-parmesan-crisps.html

Ingredients:
  • 1 lb. zucchini or squash (about 2 medium-sized)
  • 1/4 cup shredded parmesan (heaping)
  • 1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs (heaping)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil and spray lightly with vegetable spray.

Slice zucchini or squash into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Toss rounds with oil, coating well.

In a wide bowl or plate, combine breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.

Place rounds in parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, coating both sides of each round, pressing to adhere. The mixture will not completely cover each round, but provides a light coating on each side.

Place rounds in a single layer on baking sheets. Sprinkle any remaining breadcrumb mixture over the rounds.

Bake for about 22 to 27 minutes, until golden brown. (There is no need to flip them during baking -- they crisp up on both sides as is.)

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Cheesy Shrimp Dip...

 photo credit: http://www.pauladeen.com



Cheesy Shrimp Dip


Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
  • 1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch cracked black pepper
  • Assorted crackers, for serving

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and green onions and cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, cheeses, and mayonnaise. Add the salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve with assorted crackers.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Stuffed Cheesy Sourdough Loaf


 photo credit: http://nancycreative.com



Stuffed Cheesy Sourdough Loaf

original recipe: http://nancycreative.com/2012/02/08/cheesy-stuffed-sourdough-loaf/

Ingredients:
  • 1 (1 lb. 8 oz.) round sourdough bread loaf (or substitute another type of bread if you don’t like sourdough)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1/3 to 1/2 lb. (or about 5 to 8 ounces) thinly sliced roasted chicken, turkey, ham, or salami
  • 10 to 12 ounces sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese, or 5 to 6 ounces of each (about 14 slices total)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar, well-drained (I drained mine on a paper towel; if you don’t drain them, they’ll make the bread soggy)
  • Optional: 1/3 to 1/2 cup sliced olives or any of the following–chopped marinated artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, sliced mushrooms

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place your loaf on the sheet.

Slice your round loaf of bread vertically into 3/4″ to 1″ thick slices–but do not slice all the way through to the bottom! (You should end up with about 10 or 11 “slices,” giving you 9 or 10 “slits” to stuff with cheese, meat, and roasted peppers).

In medium bowl, combine olive oil, oregano, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and minced garlic, stirring to mix well. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of all the bread “slices” generously with this olive oil mixture.

In assembly-line fashion, make 14 “piles” with each slice of cheese, topped with a thin slice of deli meat, then topped with a roasted red pepper slice or two (you could also add or substitute some chopped olives, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, etc. with or in place of the red pepper).

Bend each cheese slice “pile” as if you were going to fold it in half, and fit down in between your bread slices. Because several of the end slices are narrower, one “pile” is enough to fill them up. The wider middle slices will require two “piles” stuffed in between them. For the other slices, I stuffed one-and-a-half of the cheese “piles” in between them. If this sounds confusing, all you really need to remember is to stuff the bread slices with your piles of cheese and other goodies till your loaf is well-stuffed!

Bake your stuffed loaf on the baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, and serve while warm! You can just pull the slices apart as you’re eating it, or cut them with a knife.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Homemade English Toffee




Homemade English Toffee

original recipe: http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/12/english-toffee-recipe.html

Ingredients:
  • 1 c. butter
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 3 Tbl. water
  • 1/8 tsp. salt (omit if you use salted butter)
  • 1 1/2 Tbl. light corn syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 3/4 c. chocolate chips
  • chopped nuts, opt.

Instructions:

Melt butter in a heavy-bottom sauce pan, over medium-low heat. Add the sugar, water and salt; stir well to incorporate. Bring to a boil and add the corn syrup. While stirring, use a wet pastry brush to wash down the sides of the pan to dissolve any undissolved sugar crystals. Continue boiling and stirring until mixture reaches 280-285 degrees (this is at high altitude, so if you are not at high altitude, then you will probably need to cook it longer - 290-295 degrees). Remove from heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir to combine and pour into a well-buttered cookie sheet or an 8x8 casserole dish. Do not scrape the sides of the pan. Use a rubber scraper and spread out to desired thickness. You can either drop the chocolate chips onto the hot toffee and spread out when melted or you can melt the chocolate in the microwave and spread over the toffee. Sprinkle with chopped nuts, if adding. Allow to set up completely, then break into chunks. Store in an air-tight container.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Summer Peach and Balsamic Pizza





Summer Peach and Balsamic Pizza

original recipe: http://www.loveandoliveoil.com/2011/09/summer-peach-and-balsamic-pizza.html

Ingredients:
  • 1 batch pizza dough (use your favorite recipe, or use mine here)
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced or grated
  • 2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
  • 4 peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil

Instructions:

To prepare the balsamic reduction, pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vinegar has reduced to 1/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F or as high as your oven will go. If you have a pizza stone, preheat the stone in the oven for at least 30 minutes to allow it to get thoroughly hot.

Divide dough into tennis-ball sized pieces. Take one piece of dough and punch it down on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a circle approximately 1/4-inch thin. Place the pizza on a pizza peel or pan that has been generously coated with corn meal. Lightly brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Top with mozzarella, goat cheese, and peach slices. Drizzle the pizza with balsamic reduction. Repeat for remaining pizzas.

Place the pizza in the oven-directly on the pizza stone, if using one, or on the oven rack. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until pizza crust is golden and cheese is melted. Remove from oven and top with basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Cut into slices and serve.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Dijon Chicken Linguine with Chanterelle Mushrooms




Dijon Chicken Linguine with Chanterelle Mushrooms

original recipe: http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2007/10/dijon-chicken-linguine-with-chanterelle.html

Ingredients:
  • 350 gram package fresh linguine, cooked
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup chanterelle mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan over medium low heat. Add chicken breasts, garlic, season with salt and pepper and continue to fry the chicken until completely cooked.
Remove chicken from pan and hold in a warm oven.

Add to the pan:

4 oz white wine

Simmer until volume is reduced by half. Then add:

2 cups whipping cream
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to season.

Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a metal spoon. Return Chicken to the sauce, add the chanterelle mushrooms and simmer for an additional 2 minutes. Serve over cooked linguine. Sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

New Orleans Barbequed Shrimp


 

New Orleans Barbequed Shrimp

original recipe: http://www.mrbsbistro.com/recipes_shrimp.php

Ingredients:
  • 16 jumbo shrimp (12 per pound, about 1 1/2 pounds), with heads and unpeeled
  • 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • French bread as accompaniment

Instructions:

In a large skillet combine shrimp, Worcestershire, lemon juice, black peppers, Creole seasoning, and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute on each side. Reduce heat to moderate and stir in butter, a few cubes at a time, stirring constantly and adding more only when butter is melted. Remove skillet from heat. Place shrimp in a bowl and pour sauce over top. Serve with French bread for dipping.

Yield: 4 appetizers or 2 entrees

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS