Shrimp Scampi

I combined a couple recipes and modified slightly (the substitutions worked wonderfully). 

 Serves: 4

1 1lb shrimp approximately

3 T butter

1-2 T olive oil

3-4 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup dry white wine (substituted with 1/8c chicken bullion/broth & 1/8 c apple juice (could use real grape)

1/2 t fresh ground black pepper   

2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or otherwise

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or dried)

1/4 t Red pepper flakes

1/4 t Oregano

1 Heat a sauté pan on medium-high and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, foams up and subsides, add the garlic and a dash of red pepper flakes. If using unsalted butter, sprinkle with salt. Sauté for a minute, or until you see the edges of some of the garlic just beginning to brown.

2 As soon as the garlic begins to brown, add the shrimp to the pan. Then add the white wine (broth and apple juice) and stir to combine and coat the shrimp with the butter, oil, and liquid. Spread the shrimp out in an even layer in the pan. Increase the heat to the highest setting and let the wine boil vigorously for 2-3 minutes.

3 Turn the shrimp over, or toss them so the cooked sides are mostly facing up, and boil for another minute. Remove from the heat, add the lemon juice, parsley/black pepper/oregano and toss to combine.

Serve alone, with crusty bread, over pasta, or over rice (for gluten-free version).

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/linguine-with-shrimp-scampi-recipe3/index.html

http://southernfood.about.com/od/shrimprecipes/r/bln81.htm

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp_scampi/

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/shrimp-scampi-recipe/index.html?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer&utm_content=buffer9b97f

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/shrimp-scampi-recipe/index.html

substitution chart:

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blalcohol6.htm

http://www.thekitchn.com/non-alcoholic-cooking-wine-substitutes-184394

Hummus-Sesame Noodles

I can't take credit for this recipe. It tasted surprisingly good, with subtle and nutty flavors.

Thin 1/4 cup hummus into a sauce using 1/4 cup chicken broth, 2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar, and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce. Toss with 6 cups cooked spaghetti (8 oz. dry) and 1 Tbsp. sesame oil. Top with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.

* I used 1T white vinegar and a different pasta. The green onions and toasted sesame seeds would have added to the dish.

[ http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/article/10-things-to-do-with-hummus ]

Feta Cheese

Feta

1gallon milk
Rennet
6.4T buttermilk (cultured buttermilk) (just under a half cup)



Heat to 90 degrees for 1 hr

Add 1/5t liquid rennet and stir for one full minute (we used crushed rennet tablet)

Let sit for 40 min or until coagulated

Cut into cubes to break up   

Stir 20 min

Let drain overnight

Salt the exterior periodically throughout the next day to draw out moisture. After salting for a day, cube, and store in olive oil. We didn't have much luck storing in a salt brine...the cheese fell apart on us and became gooey.



(We had success with our feta and our ricotta cheeses.)



Other cheese web pages:




http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Feta-Cheese

http://hoeggerfarmyard.com/the-farmyard/cheese-making/make-feta/
(preservation and flavor the feta)

http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/feta.html
http://www.cheesemaking.com/Feta.html

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/Feta.htm


http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Ricotta-Cheese

http://simpledailyrecipes.com/7349/how-to-make-ricotta-cheese-using-only-whey/

http://www.instructables.com/id/Great-Ricotta-Cheese-From-Whey/

salts brined
http://bbq.about.com/od/spicesseasonings/a/aa102007a.htm

http://www.homemadecheese.co.nz/making-a-7--low-salt-brine-with-added-calcium-chloride.html

mozerella
1 gal milk
3.5T buttermilk
3 T yogurt

rennet to coagulate 2 gallons milk (1/2 Hansens tablet) dissolved in about 1/2 cup Cold water.

Spinach Pasta Sauce...pesto-like

I was craving spinach and wanted to make some kind of sauce for pasta...but not putting it in a cream sauce, like I have been the last few times. That is delicious too by the way!

I put all the ingredients in the blender... presto! It tasted like pesto!

 

 

 

SPINACH SAUCE:

1 lb. fresh spinach
8 sprigs fresh flatleaf parsley (I used 1-2 tbsp of dried parsley)
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. pine nuts (sunflower seeds were good)
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and pour into serving bowl. Wash spinach and place in container of food processor. Add parsley, garlic, pine nuts, oil, salt and pepper and puree for 2 minutes. To serve, toss pasta with sauce and pass Parmesan cheese for garnish. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

 

 

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1915,158164-240199,00.html

Snicker desert salad

http://www.ericasbloggityblog.com/2011/10/delicious-revision.html

I have yet to try this. Someone made this, and my inlaws said it was good. We may try it sometime

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze

The other day I made some blueberry scones with lemon frosting.  I used my roommate Jayne's recipe, which she got from food network.  I love them, and so did Hollis.  So this time around I made a double batch.  And we didn't have blueberries, so I used frozen wild berries.  And we didn't have a lemon, so I used an orange instead.  It was delicious with my substitutions.  Also, the recipe says to roll out the dough and cut it, but I just scooped it like I would cookies.

This is the recipe:

Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence foodnetwork.com

Recipe Summary 
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8 scones
User Rating: 5 Stars

Blueberry Scones:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones
1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough. 

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze. 

Technically you should make this simple lemon glaze in a double boiler (i.e. over a pot of simmering water with a heatproof bowl set on top) but it's even simpler to zap it in the microwave. Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

Perfect Pesto

1.5-2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts (or double the cheese)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (or parm or other hard cheeses)

Blend ingredients all together and presto, you have the perfect pesto.

Yogurt delight

I have recently become addicted to homemade yogurt. I read a half dozen recipes online and then combined a few of them for the bits that seemed easiest. I almost bought a yogurt maker but felt such a craving for yogurt I searched until I found recipes that didn't mention it. I wanted to try the crock pot recipe, but was using it to make ham for dinner that night. Consequently, I discovered another method for maintaining the temperature optimal for the cultures to yogurtify my milk--a cooler and hot water (to be described later).

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon milk (I did not notice a significant difference between using skim and using 2%)

1/2 c powdered milk (I used vanilla milk--a recipe online said that powdered milk makes it creamier, but lots of recipes don't have it)

2 tbsp plain yogurt that specifically says live and active cultures

Add powdered milk (whisk in until dissolved) while heating milk up to 180 degrees (I use a digital thermometer that beeps and tells me when it's reached that temperature. One recipe suggested keeping it around 180 for 20 minutes to create a thicker consistency. It thickens alright even if you flip off the burner once it reaches that point and only gets a little thicker if on longer. However, you risk getting the temperature above 180 and scalding it to the bottom of the pan.)

Cool milk to between 105 and 120 degrees (either use the thermometer or test with your finger--the milk will be comfortably warm).

Mix in 2 tbsp of the plain active cultured yogurt. You can take out a cup of warm milk and mix in the yogurt to that to break it up and smooth it into the milk. Add this yogurt/milk to the entire pot of milk.

Pour your milk-urt into containers; you can use glass mason jars or the large 1 quart plastic yogurt containers (will make two quarts).

Place milk-urt in a cooler.

Heat up water (microwave) in two glass mason jars (scalding temperature) and place these jars in a cooler between the two quarts of milk-urt.

Cover cooler with pillows or blankets to seal in the heat.

Let sit for 5-6 hours.

Put yogurt in fridge overnight.

Enjoy!


Notes:
This may turn out a little thinner than store yogurt and you may see more whey than in the store stuff, but you can mix it right back in. If it's too thin, it is still great to add to smoothies etc.

The longer it sits in the warm cooler, the stronger the flavor of the yogurt.

I love plain yogurt but think the vanilla powdered milk may take the edge off its plainness.

One recipe said that the yogurt you use as the starter directly impacts the taste and texture of your yogurt.

According to most recipes, you can also use some of your yogurt as starter for the next batch; some say to limit this to about 3 generations because it becomes weaker.

You can add flavors: Jam, Honey, fruit, etc. (Simon loves strawberry jam mixed into the yogurt.)


And the best part (aside from its delicious taste)!!!
Cost Analysis: 1 gallon milk= 2.50 (Creamery 1.90), plain active culture yogurt $1.20 (used for 3 batches, 1.5 gallons milk)

This is about $5 for 6 quarts of yogurt. A single quart generally costs around $2.50 ($15 for 6 quarts).

Crusty French Bread

This is one of our favorite bread recipes and you can experiment and add ingredients for a greater variety.

[Mix in sun-dried tomatoes, freshly minced garlic, cheddar cheese or other herbs or ingredients for variety]

Ingredients

2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

5 -5 1/2 cups bread flour

Directions

Dissolve yeast in warm water (110 degrees) and sugar in large bowl; allow yeast to proof or foam (about 10 minutes).

Add salt, oil, and 3 cups flour; beat for 2 minutes.

Stir in 2 cups flour to make a stiff dough.

Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place in oiled bowl, turn dough to coat all sides, cover and let rise until doubled.

Punch down and divide in half.

Shape dough into two long slender loaves.

Grease and sprinkle with cornmeal either a french bread pan or large cookie sheet.

Place loaves in pan and cut diagonal gashes on top of each loaf (I use scissors).

Cover and let rise until doubled.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Note: You can sprinkle or spray water on the loaves during baking if you want a really crunchy crust.

By PCrocker on October 07, 2004

Food.com

Parmesan Pasta, with a hint of lemon

Melt butter.
Sprinkle a coat of parmesan over butter and add some lemon pepper.
Cut up red (or green or yellow) peppers and saute them in the butter mixture.
Spread over pasta.

Yum!

Simon's creation

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

One of the dressings my mom emailed me. Quite tasty!


Olive garden salad dressing

Olive Garden Salad Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Miracle Whip works better, says mom--I'd use less than 1/2 c next time)
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt, or one clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
sugar (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender until well mixed. If this is a little too tart for your own personal taste, add a little extra sugar. You can enjoy your Olive Garden salad dressing for about 10 days if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Another great use for the Olive Garden salad dressing is as a marinade for vegetables or even meats that you might like to grill. So you can see the Olive Garden salad dressing can be used in more than one way.

Be sure to serve this recipe with the Olive Garden Salad Mix.

Red Berry Vinaigrette

My mom started making a few salad dressing recipes. A couple days ago I decided to follow suit. Wow! I think I agree with her; I don't know that I'll ever go back to store-bought dressings.

Here is a delicious Vinaigrette. It calls for Raspberry, but I had strawberry. Voila! Delectable and delightful.

Red Raspberry Vinaigrette OR Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 (10 ounce) jar seedless raspberry jam/ strawberry

Directions

Combine the olive oil, rice vinegar and raspberry jam in the container of a blender. Process

until smooth. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

For smaller quantity half the recipe

1/8 c olive oil

1/2 c rice vinegar

5 oz jam (1/2 c?)

I think I want to try this with apricot jelly too.

Spinach and Orzo

Prep and cooking time: 20-30 min



orzo

spinach
garlic
fresh ground pepper
salt
parsley
basil
milk/water
sundried tomatoes (softened by soaking in olive oil (sped up by microwaving 30sec)

feta


Directions:
1. Cook Orzo pasta

2. While orzo cooks, another pan saute thawed spinach with one large minced garlic clove in olive oil. Put in a dash of parsley and basil. Add a TINY bit of milk or water if needing extra moisture. Grind a little pepper over the top and put a pinch of salt. Add sundried tomatoes and saute a little more.

3. Put spinach over orzo and top with feta.




My inspiration from a few different recipes  (Treasure Cave feta recipe and )
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mediterranean-orzo-salad-with-feta-vinaigrette-10000001065540/


http://allrecipes.com/recipe/greek-orzo-with-feta/


http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/orzo-with-feta-and-tomatoes-recipe/index.html


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Orzo-Feta-and-Tomato-Salad-with-Marjoram-Vinaigrette-108235

Apple Pie

Delicious Apple Pie.

I used three kinds of apples and the apple pie recipe posted on an earlier upload, with the pumpkin pie crust recipe.

Pumpkin Pie for fall

*Libby's Pumpkin Pie recipe with the easiest crust ever!
(Makes one 9-inch deep-dish pie crust)

Crust:
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 c vegetable shortening
2-3 T cold water

COMBINE flour and salt in medium bowl; cut in vegetable shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle with water; blend until mixture holds together.

SHAPE dough into ball; place on lightly floured surface. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Line pie plate with pastry. Turn edge under; crimp edge as desired.

(I rolled between two sheets of wax paper and then took off the top sheet and using the bottom sheet flipped the crust into the pan)

Note: to make two crusts, double all ingredients, follow procedure above and divide dough in half.

No need  to pre-bake crust. Simply dump in pumpkin pie filling.



LIBBY'S FAMOUS PUMPKIN PIE

3/4 c sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
2 eggs
1 can (15 oz) 100% pure pumpkin
1 c evaporated milk (can make your own using powdered milk--see previous entry)
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell


MIX sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell

BAKE in preheated 425 degree F oven for 15 min. Reduce temperature to 350 degree F; bake 40-50 min or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

(2) Sweet and Condensed Milk substitutes

I haven't tried this one yet.

Sweet and Condensed Milk

If you don't have sweetened condensed milk on hand, this simple recipe will make the equivalent of a 14-ounce can.

Ingredients

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup nonfat dry milk

2/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp melted butter

1. Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water into a blender.

2. Add 1 cup of nonfat dry milk.

3. Add 2/3 cup sugar.

4. Add 3 tablespoons of melted butter.

5. Add a few drops of vanilla.

6. Cover and blend on high speed for 30 seconds or until smooth.

7. Remove from the blender.

8. Use in a recipe immediately or store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

[southern food @about.com]

Sweet and Condensed Milk

Original Recipe Yield 1 1/3 cup

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup water

1 1/8 cups powdered milk

Directions

1. In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cook until thick about 15 to 20 minutes.

[All recipes.com]

Evaporated Milk Substutute

I used this in a pumpkin pie recipe because we had no evaporated milk and Simon reallllly wanted pumpkin pie. The pumpkin can was staring at him.

Evaporated Milk Substitute

http://frugalliving.about.com/od/makeyourowningredients/r/Evaporated_Milk.htm

No need to pay a premium for those little cans of evaporated milk. You can make your own in two minutes or less.

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients:

* 2/3 cup non-fat dry milk

* 3/4 cup water

Preparation:

Mix the water and dry milk powder together. Then, use in place of the evaporated milk in any recipe.

Yield: 1 cup (8 ounces)

San Antonio Rice

I found this recipe online or my mom gave it to me a couple years ago. It's really easy and pretty tasty.

San Antonio Rice

Add a Southwest kick to your rice.

Prep: 5 Minutes Total: 30 Minutes

1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 12-ounce jar fresh salsa, mild or hot
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup fresh or canned corn kernels
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups water
- Minced fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Add all ingredients, except cilantro, to the inner pot, stir, close the lid and press the White Rice button. When rice cooker switches to Keep-Warm mode, open the cooker, quickly stir and re-cover. Allow to stand for 8-10 minutes before serving. Spoon onto a serving dish, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.

Makes a flavorful supper or side dish for grilled chicken or fish.

Zucchini Soup

Zucchini Soup

1 cup chopped onions

2 T butter

3 cups sliced zucchini

2 cups chicken broth

1/4 tsp salt

1/8tsp pepper

1/2 cup half and half cream (skim milk works as well)

1 cup grate cheddar cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled (or crumbled sausage)

In a large saucepan cook onions in melted buter until tender. Add sliced zucchini and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (about 15 minutes). Add salt and pepper. Cool slightly. Pour mixture into blender and puree it. Stir in half and half cream. Return to saucepan and reheat, but do not boil. Garnish with grated cheese, sour cream, and bacon bits. Makes 6 servings.

Meatballs

I looked at three recipes online and combined the aspects that made it seem easiest.

Mix seasoning together in a bowl.

Combine beef with wet ingredients.

Mix seasoning with meat (I used my fingers to mix it all together)

1lb ground beef

1/4 c milk

1 egg

1/2 c olive oil

1/2 t salt

1t oregano

1T parsley

1/2 t garlic powder

1/2t ground pepper

1/4 cup parmesan (I didn't have an didn't use)

1 c breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic

1t to 1 T italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheet.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in large bowl. If mixture seems a little loose add more bread crumbs.

Roll meatballs loosely about the size of a golf ball (or smaller if you prefer) and place on baking sheet.

Place into preheated oven for approximately 35 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!

Sauces: http://rmcrayne.hubpages.com/hub/Cocktail-Meatballs-Cocktails-Weenies-Cocktail-Sausage

Favorite Marinade Sauce

This is my favorite chicken marinade, modified for a simmer sauce for meatballs.

½ c balsamic vinegar

½ c soy sauce

½ c water

½ Tbsp garlic powder with parsley

1 tsp basil