Garlic Shrimp

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• salt to taste
• 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon caper brine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cold butter
• 1/3 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cold butter
• water, as needed

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until it just begins to smoke. Place shrimp in an even layer on the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 minute without stirring.
2. Season shrimp with salt; cook and stir until shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook and stir 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice, caper brine, 1 1/2 teaspoon cold butter, and half the parsley.
4. Cook until butter has melted, about 1 minute, then turn heat to low and stir in 1 1/2 tablespoon cold butter. Cook and stir until all butter has melted to form a thick sauce and shrimp are pink and opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; continue to cook butter sauce, adding water 1 teaspoon at a time if too thick, about 2 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
6. Serve shrimp topped with the pan sauce. Garnish with remaining flat-leaf parsley.

Korean-Style Grilled Flank Steak

ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 1 tablespoon grated peeled ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (Southeast Asian chile sauce)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 1 to 1 1/4 pound flank steak
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

• Accompaniments: white rice; soft leaf lettuce

Stir together soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, garlic, Sriracha, sugar, and sesame oil.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat.

Oil grill rack, then grill steak, covered, turning over once, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer steak to a cutting board and drizzle with 2 tablespoons sauce, then let stand, uncovered, 5 minutes. Thinly slice steak across the grain. Serve with remaining sauce, scallions, and sesame seeds.

Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1lb ground chicken breast
1/2 onion, minced
salt & pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1″ knob ginger, peeled & minced
2-1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 Tablespoon water
1/2 Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hotter)
dash of pepper
3 green onions, chopped
1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
1/4 cup peanuts, chopped
10-12 large outer lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry

Directions:

1. Heat a large, non-stick skillet on high. Add chicken, onion, salt & pepper, then cook until chicken is nearly done, stirring often to break up the meat. Add garlic and ginger then continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink.

2. Meanwhile, in a microwave safe bowl, combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, peanut butter, water, honey, chili garlic sauce and pepper. Microwave for 20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Add into the skillet and stir to combine.

3 Add green onions and water chestnuts into the skillet then cook for 1-2 minutes until the onions are soft and the water chestnuts are heated through.

4. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, and serve with cold lettuce leaves.

Crescent Mummy Dogs

Ingredients

1

can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

2 1/2

slices American cheese, quartered (2.5 oz)

10

large hot dogs

Cooking spray

Mustard or ketchup, if desired

Steps

1Heat oven to 375°F.

2If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate at perforations, creating 4 rectangles. Press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 4 rectangles.

3With knife or kitchen scissors, cut each rectangle lengthwise into 10 pieces, making a total of 40 pieces of dough. Slice cheese slices into quarters (1/2 slice cheese, cut in half).

4Wrap 4 pieces of dough around each hot dog and 1/4 slice of cheese to look like "bandages," stretching dough slightly to completely cover hot dog. About 1/2 inch from one end of each hot dog, separate "bandages" so hot dog shows through for "face." On ungreased large cookie sheet, place wrapped hot dogs (cheese side down); spray dough lightly with cooking spray.

5Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until dough is light golden brown and hot dogs are hot. With mustard, draw features on "face."

Hawaiian Beef Teriyaki

Ingredients

• 1 can pineapple chunks with juice (15 oz.)
• 1 c. soy sauce
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger
• *1 Lb. skirt steak, sliced very thin (carne asada works GREAT)

Instructions

• Mix together all ingredients, excluding beef. Set aside about 1/2 c. of the sauce, cover and refrigerate.
• Place beef in a Ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Press out all the air, seal, and marinate for at least 6 hours (overnight works great).
• Over prepared grill on medium-high heat, grill steak a minute or two on each size until cooked to your desired doneness (with the steak being so thin, you don't have to grill it for too long). Place beef in a large bowl, pour remaining sauce over the cooked beef and stir until well covered. Serve with rice (or grilled fresh pineapple).

Guacamole

Avocado lightly smashed

diced tomato

diced red pepper

chopped cilantro

salt 
pepper

cumin

lime juice

mix it all together and just adjust the seasoning to your personal preference

Chinese Fried Rice

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
3 drops soy sauce (I used about 1 tbsp)
3 drops sesame oil (I used about 1 tsp)
8 ounces cooked lean boneless pork or 8 ounces chicken (I used left over turkey - about a cup) chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot (very small)
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
4 cups cold cooked rice, grains separated 
4 green onions, chopped
2 cups bean sprouts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce (add more if you like)

Directions:
1 Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add chopped onions and stir-fry until onions turn a nice brown color, about 8-10 minutes; remove from wok.
2 Allow wok to cool slightly.
3 Mix egg with 3 drops of soy and 3 drops of sesame oil; set aside.
4 Add 1/2 tbsp oil to wok, swirling to coat surfaces; add egg mixture; working quickly, swirl egg until egg sets against wok; when egg puffs, flip egg and cook other side briefly; remove from wok, and chop into small pieces.
5 Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok; add selected meat to wok, along with carrots, peas, and cooked onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes.
6 Add rice, green onions, and bean sprouts, tossing to mix well; stir-fry for 3 minutes.
7 Add 2 tbsp of light soy sauce and chopped egg to rice mixture and fold in; stir-fry for 1 minute more; serve.
8 Set out additional soy sauce on the table, if desired.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

3-4 boneless chicken breasts

salt + pepper

1 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup canola oil

The sweet and sour sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbs ketchup

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Directions :

Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces.

Add salt and pepper to cornstarch. Coat chicken piece in this mixture.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet and cook your chicken until browned but not cooked through.

Place the chicken in a 9x13 greased baking dish. Mix all the sweet and sour sauce ingredients in a bowl with a whisk and then pour evenly over the chicken.

Bake for 30-45 min, turn chicken every 15 min or so.

Potato Fennel Gratin

• 
  
• 
  
• 2 small fennel bulbs
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes (4 large potatoes)
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (1/2 pound)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Butter the inside of a 10-by-15-by-2-inch (10-cup) baking dish

Remove the stalks from the fennel and cut the bulbs in half lengthwise. Remove the cores and thinly slice the bulbs crosswise, making approximately 4 cups of sliced fennel. Saute the fennel and onions in the olive oil and butter on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

Peel the potatoes, then thinly slice them by hand or with a mandoline like I did. Mix the sliced potatoes in a large bowl with 2 cups of cream, 2 cups of Gruyère, salt, and pepper. Add the sauteed fennel and onion and mix well.

Pour the potatoes into the baking dish. Press down to smooth the potatoes. Combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 cup of Gruyère and sprinkle on the top. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the potatoes are very tender and the top is browned and bubbly. Allow to set for 10 minutes and serve.

Crockpot Granola

Another good one from the ultra cool Stephanie, the crockpot lady


- 5 cups oats 
- 1/4 cup honey * (see note below)
- 1/4 cup melted butter * (see note below)
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut 
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (I used raisins and cranberries)

The Directions.

Put all the dry ingredients into your crockpot. 

Melt the butter in the microwave, and add. Add the honey. Toss well.

*note: if you add this amount of honey and butter, the granola will be cereal-like, and not trail-mix like. If you'd rather the granola clump together in pieces, you'll need to add more honey and butter. I tried it with the honey and butter doubled (1/2 cup each) and it still didn't clump much--so if you'd prefer your granola that way, you'll need to add at least 3/4 cup of honey. I didn't want that much sugar, and my kids are cool with eating it like this. 

Cover, but vent with a chopstick. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, stirring every so often.

If you can smell the granola cooking, go stir. It will burn if you don't keep an eye on it. But it won't burn as quickly as it does in the oven!

Dump out on some parchment paper and let cool. Eat with milk like cereal, warmed with milk like oatmeal, or as is. Seal well in an air-tight container or in a ziplock. Granola freezes well. 

Cinnamon Sugared Almonds

1 cup sugar 

3 tablespoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg white

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

I package whole raw almonds 

aluminum foil or parchment paper

Directions.

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set this bowl aside.

Whisk together the egg white and vanilla extract in the crock pot.  Add almonds and stir well to coat. Add your cinnamon mixture to the pot and toss with spoons to fully coat.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes or so to keep the almonds on the side of the crock from getting too crispy.

When the nuts are all hot and toasty, let them cool fully on a length of foil or parchment paper. When fully cool, store in an air-tight container.  

Pear Crisp

From the Kraft Foods What's Cooking magazine.

1 Lemon

1/2 cup  Granulated sugar, divided

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp. flour, divided

1 tsp.  Ground cinnamon, divided

8 fresh pears (2-1/2 lb./1.1 kg), peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup  packed brown sugar

1/3 cup cold butter, cut up

1/2 cup  sliced almonds

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

GRATE enough lemon peel to measure 1/2 tsp. zest. Squeeze enough juice to measure 4-1/2 tsp. Mix 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in large bowl. Add pears, lemon zest and juice; toss until pears are evenly coated. Spoon into 8-inch square baking dish.

MIX brown sugar and remaining granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon in medium bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture forms coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts; sprinkle over pears.

BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until topping is golden brown and pears are hot and bubbly. 

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Tuna Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Tuna Cakes:

2 cans (170 grams each) Chunk light tuna, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
3/4 cup crushed unsalted soda crackers
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup plain yogurt or mayo. 
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp horseradish
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 large egg.

Preheat oven to 375F. 

Place all the above ingredients into a large mixing bowl and mix well. Place parchment paper over a baking sheet. Pack tuna into a 1/4 cup, lightly tap to drop onto the baking sheet and flatten to make 1/2" cakes. Bake in the over for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and finish under the broiler to further brown the tops.

Aioli recipe

1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
2 roasted red peppers, skin removed, seeded and drained on paper towel
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp honey
1 cup low fat mayo
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (skipped because I forgot)

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Serve over the tuna cakes while they are still warm.

Roasted Carrots

Carrots - peels, ends cut and sliced in half.

Add Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

Roast at 375F for about 45 minutes to an hour -- mix them up part way through baking. 

Overnight Raspberry French Toast

8 Slices white bread, cut or torn into small pieces

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese cut into small pieces

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (no need to thaw if frozen)

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

6 eggs

1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

1 tsp ground cinnamon

maple syrup (optional)

Grease an 8 inch square glass baking dish. Scatter half the bread pieces in dish. Arrange cream cheese, raspberries and almonds on top. Finish with the remaining  bread pieces.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, 1/4 cup of the sugar, milk, cream and cinnamon.  Pour over bread. Sprinkle the remaining sugar over top. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat the over to 350F. Bake french toast, covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Serve with maple syrup if you wish.