Thursday, February 24, 2011

Low Calorie Easy Shrimp Scampi

Most shrimp scampi recipes use loads of butter, this one uses only a little butter and olive oil. The dish feels fancy but really it's easy and healthy (but don't tell anyone!).

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb. linguine
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 4 tsp olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • 1 lb. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • dash salt
  • 2 Tbsp grated, fresh Parmesan

Preparation:

 

1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.
While the pasta cooks, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, and cook 3 minutes. Add the shrimp, parsley, lemon juice, and salt, and cook until the shrimp are pink and curled.
3. Toss the pasta together with the shrimp and the Parmesan, and serve.

Serves 4
Per Serving Calories 340

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Sweet Potato Ham Roll Ups


A great dish for Holidays and special occasions.

Ingredients;
·         2 medium sweet potatoes or 2 medium yams
·         3 tablespoons butter, melted
·         ½ C crushed pineapple, drain and reserve juice
·         ¼ C pecans, chopped
·         ½ C cracker crumbs  
·         3 tablespoons brown sugar
·         2 lbs ham slices, slices of your favorite deli-ham. Have them slice it thick enough to wrap around something without falling apart. An eighth-inch is about right.
·         ¾  C pineapple juice
·         ¼ C Shredded Coconut, firmly packed

Directions;
1.      Bake sweet potatoes wrapped in foil (crimped side up) until tender.
2.      Peel and mash.
3.      Add butter, pineapple, nuts, crumbs and brown sugar; mix well.
4.      Preheat oven to 350°F.
5.      Spread a thick layer of filling on each ham slice; roll as for a jelly roll, lay in pan against one another so they don’t unroll.
6.      Place in a baking dish; pour pineapple juice over and sprinkle the top with coconut
7.      Cover with foil.
8.      Bake (1 hour for smoked ham and 20 minutes for boiled ham).


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Cream Cheese Pie


A great refreshing pie made with fresh or frozen fruits or berries.

Soften 14 ozs of Cream Cheese. To this add in a mixer using a paddle;
2/3 C Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
3 Eggs

Pour this into an unbaked pie crust and bake at 350 about 25 minutes until a knife comes out clean. Cool to room temperature.

Here's where you show your creativity!

To make a fruit glaze, take any fresh fruit and lightly boil in water till the color is well into the water. For berries, use the less desirable ones like slightly green strawberries and trimmings or perhaps any blueberries that may have split or aren't quite perfect. Peach skin and fruit, etc. Or if your using canned, use the juice or syrup drained off them (but do note you'll have to adjust the sugar).

To top a pie with Fresh Peaches (or Nectarines), it takes about 3 medium ones sliced. Spread a little of the glaze on the pie, arrange the peach slices like a pinwheel from the center, then fit in remaining slices around the perimeter. Spoon the remaining glaze over the fruit while it is still warm enough to work with and fill in the gaps. To make the glaze use about;

1 1/4 C of juice
1 C Granulated Sugar

Bring this to a boil. Mix together and add slowly, stirring constantly;

1/4 C cold Juice
3 Tbsp Cornstarch

Cook until thick and clear.

It takes about 3 C fresh Blueberries which you can do as above, or put all the glaze on the pie then top with the berries, or mix it with the glaze like a compote. It takes about 4 C of Marion, Black, or Raspberries. For Cherries you would use the Compote method. Wen using fresh Strawberries, clean them in cold water and core them then stand them pointed end up on paper towels. If you use frozen berries, thaw them out on paper towels to just thawed, don't let them get too warm.

Pipe Sweetened Whipped Cream around the perimeter of a chilled pie.

Dill Sauce (cold)


We like this Dill Sauce instead of tartar sauce with Salmon cooked on a BBQ, or baked, or poached, or broiled, well you get the idea.

Combine all the ingredients until smooth and then chill a while to let it rest and the flavors to mingle.

Ingredients;

1/3 C Sour Cream
1/3 C Mayonnaise (I use Best Foods / Hellman's)
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Onion
1 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
1 tsp Prepared Horseradish
3/4 tsp Dill Weed
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt (I use a Garlic Sea Salt Grinder)
Pepper to taste (I like a fresh ground black pepper, some say you should use white pepper).

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Cream Pie Filling (For Banana, Coconut, Peanutbutter, & Chocolate)


This is the basis for just about any cream pie. I'll show you later in the recipe.

This recipe makes about 3 quarts of filling. It can be eaten as pudding or as a cream pie filling.

Place 2 Quarts Milk (set aside 1 C of that) into a double boiler (we use a dutch oven and a stainless steel mixing bowl) and heat to scalding.
Meanwhile combine;
  • 8 Eggs, slightly beaten with a wire whip by hand.
  • 2 C Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
Dissolve 1/4 C Cornstarch in reserved 1 C Milk and add to the Egg, Sugar, and Salt mixture. Mix well.

When the Milk is scalding hot, gradually add the Egg mix, stirring constantly with a wire whip.
Cook until it is well thickened.
Remove from the heat and add;
  • 4 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 oz Butter
  • 1 oz margarine
Do not store in aluminum. Glass, stainless steel, or plastic is best. Place plastic wrap on top of pudding while it is still warm and smooth out any air pockets.

After you slice cream pies, place a piece of wax paper or parchment on the cut edges to seal out the air, this will prolong the life and look of your pies!


To make Chocolate Cream Pie Filling:

Place;
  • 6 C hot cream filling
  • 1 regular size Hershey Chocolate bar
  • 3 squares Bakers semi-sweet Chocolate
in a bowl and slowly mix by hand with a wire whip until all chocolate is dissolved. Allow to cool. Place in baked pie shells, top with sweet whipped cream, and shaved chocolate.

For Coconut Cream Pie:

Add about 1 C. Bakers Angel Flake Coconut to about 3 C chilled filling. Spoon into a baked pie shell and smooth out. Top the pie with sweet whipped cream, making sure to cover all surface filling. Sprinkle some coconut in a pie tin and place under a broiler for a few minutes stirring often until it is golden brown. Allow to cool and sprinkle over the whipped cream.

For Peanut-butter Cream Pie:

Add about 1/2 C PNB to 3 C filling, give or take to your own taste. Continue as for above but sprinkle with chopped nuts instead of toasted coconut.

For Banana Cream Pie:

Layer in the baked pie shell, filling, then sliced bananas, then filling, etc. ending with filling. Top w Sweetened whip cream.


For Chocolate Peanut-butter Cream Pie OR PNB Cup Pie:

Simply layer Chocolate and PNB.

 

Sour Cream Pear Pie


Combine;
  • 3/4 C Granulated Sugar
  • 3 Tbsp AP Flour
  • 1 1/2 cups Sour Cream
  • 2 Eggs beaten
  • 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Pinch of salt
Add;
  • 3 C Chunked Pears (canned)
Pour into an unbaked pie shell.

Crumble together by hand and sprinkle over pie;
  • 1 C AP Flour
  • 1/2 C Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 C Margarine
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes until golden brown and filling shows signs of bubbling.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Sour Cream Raisin Pie


Beat together;

  • 1 1/3 C Sugar
  • 4 Eggs

Add;
  • 1 1/3 C Sour Cream
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Stir in;
  • 6 oz Raisins rinsed in warm water
Pour into an unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 325 until a knife comes out clean.
Chill and top with sweet whipped cream.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Glazed Lemon Bread


2/3 C Melted Butter
2 1/2 C Granulated Sugar
       Mix together in mixer til smooth
4 Eggs
       Add 1 at a time
1/2 tsp Almond Extract
       Add
3 C Flour (AP)
2 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Salt
      Combine and add alternating with
1 C Milk
      Fold in;
2 Tbsp Lemon Zest
1 C Chopped Nuts (usually walnuts)
6 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Bake in 2 greased and floured loaf pans at 350 degree oven for about 70 minutes.
Remove from pans and cool slightly and brush with;
Juice and Zest of 1 lemon mixed with enough powdered sugar to make a thin glaze.

Alfredo Classico


Ingredients:
  • 1 lb Fettuccine Noodles
  • 2/3 C Margarine (or Butter)
  • 1 1/2 C Grated Fresh Parmesan
  • 1 1/2 C Whipping Cream
  • 1/4 C Parsley, Chopped Fresh

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to pkg. instructions
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt margarine over med heat.
3. Stir in Minced garlic to taste.
4. Gradually stir in cheese then cream until well blended.
5. Continue heating sauce, stirring constantly, just to boiling point.
6. Remove from heat.
7. Stir in Parsley.
8. Salt (always taste it first and may not need with shrimp) and Pepper (fresh ground)
9. Add sauce to cooked pasta; toss lightly.

NOTES:
  1. Try it with Chicken or Shrimp.
  2. Some recipes call for a pinch of nutmeg.
  3. Add mushrooms to sauce then pour over noodles
  4. Try it with Sun Dried Tomatoes (diced) or Roasted Peppers ( diced)

Runza’s

Originated in Russia.

According to Wikipedia, "A runza (also called a bierock, fleischkuche or Kraut Pirok) is a yeast dough bread pocket with a filling consisting of beef, pork, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. They are baked in various shapes such as a half-moon, rectangle, round (bun), square, or triangle. In Nebraska, the runza is usually baked in a rectangular shape. The bierocks of Kansas, on the other hand, are generally baked in the shape of a bun."

Ingredients: Dough
2 c Warm Water
2 pkg Yeast
½ c Sugar
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 ea Egg
¼ c Margarine (melted and cooled)
3 c Flour
3 ½ c Flour, reserve

Directions:
1.  Beat together 1st 7 ingredients
2. Stir in remaining flour.
3.Let rise 1 hr at room temp.

Ingredients: Filling
1 ½ lb Hamburger
½ c Chopped Onion
3 c Shredded Cabbage
½ c Water
1 ½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
3 dash Tabasco

Directions:
1. Brown Hamburger then add Onion till translucent.
2. Add remaining, cover and simmer 15-20 mins.
3.Let cool to touch.
4. Roll out dough into a rectangle ~ ¼ thick and cut into 16 squares.
5. Divide filling between squares.
6. Fold corners to center and seal edges (forming a 4 sided dome).
7. Bake 350° until golden brown, brush w/ margarine.