Friday, October 1, 2010

Cheese Garlic Biscuits

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese


• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add the milk and cheddar cheese; stir to combine. Drop batter by spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. While biscuits are baking mix melted butter and minced garlic. Brush garlic butter over hot baked biscuits.

Ham and Cheese Puffs

• 2 1/2 ounces sliced ham, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients; set aside. Divide crescent dough into 24 portions. Press into greased miniature muffin cups.

2. Spoon 1 tablespoon ham mixture into each cup. Bake at 350 degrees F for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheeseburger Soup

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup shredded carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
• 4 cups cubed potatoes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups cubed Cheddar cheese (or velvetta)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter or margarine over medium heat: cook and stir vegetables and beef , until beef is brown.

2. Stir in basil and parsley. Add broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

3. Melt the remainder of butter and stir in flour. Add the milk, stirring until smooth.

4. Gradually add milk mixture to the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted, add sour cream and heat through. Do not boil.

Coconut Macaroons

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, coconut and salt. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla using your hands until well blended. Use an ice cream scoop to drop dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about golf ball size.

3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until coconut is toasted.

Baja Stuffed Potatoes

Ingredients

• 6 large baking potatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese
• 1 - 2 (11 ounce) cans Mexican-style corn, drained
• 2 (4 ounce) cans green chile peppers, drained
(BUTTER OPTIONAL)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Pierce each potato several times and rub generously with oil. Bake until softened, about 45 to 55 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine sour cream, cheese, corn and chiles.

4. When the potatoes are cooked, cut a slit in the top of each one and squeeze or scoop out the flesh, leaving a 1/2 inch thick shell. Combine the potato flesh with the cheese mixture; mix well. Spoon the potato mixture back into the shells, and place them on a baking sheet.

5. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden brown

Yummy!!!!!! This is a must try. We have had this once and we all fell in love. The 2nd time I made it to a cassarole. Mashed everything together and baked it till melted and golden...... so good. Saved time from scooping the potatoes.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups flaked sweetened coconut
• 3 egg whites, beaten until foamy

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bow; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.

3. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through

**Absolutely delicious!

Orange Marmalade Sauce

1 cup of orange marmalade, two tablespoons horseradish, and two tablespoons dijon mustard.

Outback's sauce that they serve with these -
1/2 cup orange marmalade, 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard with seeds, 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish and a dash of salt. It really does taste exactly like Outback's.

1 lb of 30 count shrimp and the measurements turned out perfect.

Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 4 pounds chicken
• 7-10 cups water (cover chicken)
• 1 large onion, halved peel included
• 3 stalks celery
• 3 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• salt to taste

• Place the chicken in a large pot over high heat. Add water to cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour.

• Remove chicken from pot. Leave water in pot. Cool chicken. Remove skin and bones from meat. Return bones and skin to pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, ginger, and salt. Continue simmering for 3 to 4 hours.

• Strain and cool the stock, uncovered.

• Use the meat for soups, salads, sandwiches, or other dishes where cooked chicken is needed. After stock has been defatted, use or freeze immediately. I freeze the stock in one-cup amounts and use instead of water for cooking rice or vegetables or making gravy.


**Best chicken stock i have ever made! The smell of your chicken in the winter time is amazing. We put them in muffin pan's and freeze them. When they are frozen we pop them out and put them in a ziplock bag. They will stay fresh for 6 months and you can easily add them to other recipes.

You can add or take away ingredients depending on your tastes. Sometimes I add a leek to add flavor to the broth. All of the flavor of the stock is definatley from returning the bones to the pot.

***I also added a few whole peppercorns

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
• 13 ounces butter, room temperature
• 5 ounces Romano cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup and 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (or roasted garlic)
• 2-1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 45 minutes; drain. Stir in butter, cheese, garlic, salt and oregano. Mash with a potato masher or with an electric mixer.

This was unbelievably delicious with roasted garlic.

To Roast Garlic: slice the top portion off a head of garlic and remove excess papery skin. Drizzle olive oil on top and season with salt. Wrap garlic tightly in foil and place in oven preheated at 375F for 35 minutes. I scaled this recipe down to 6 servings using a 3-pound bag of new red potatoes.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

2. Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

4. Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven

PBJ n' Banana Burritos

• 2 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
• 1 whole wheat tortilla
• 1 banana
• 1 tablespoon apricot jelly (or jelly of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon honey

Directions

1. Spread the peanut butter evenly over the middle of the tortilla; spread the jelly in a layer over the peanut butter. Lie the banana atop the peanut butter and jelly layers. Drizzle the honey over the banana. Fold the two ends of the tortilla over the tips of the banana and roll the other two ends of the tortilla over the mixture to form a burrito.