Any good recipes?

[trinityroyal]

StepTo2's thread about her children being picky eaters got me thinking. We haven't had a recipe thread in a while.

So...anything delicious that you've cooked lately?

Here's one that I made for one lunch party and two dinner parties in a row. Everyone was very pleased.

Spicy Salsa Shrimp

(Note: I tend to cook by throwing random things in a pan, so I'm guessing at quantities.)

Ingredients:

• One large bag of cooked frozen shrimp, thawed, tails removed (you can use raw shrimp if you prefer)
• Olive oil, about 2 tbsp
• Salsa, 2 or 3 cups, depending on how "saucy" you want the dish to be. I use medium or hot, but mild works well too if you don't like food too spicy. I like the really chunky salsa, but again, let your taste prevail.
• Tomato sauce, about 1/2 cup. This mellows out the spice from the salsa but feel free to leave it out if you want the full-on spicy flavour.

1. Heat a large frying pan until a drop of water sizzles.
2. Put the olive oil in the pan and swirl around to warm the oil
3. Add the thawed shrimp. Cook on medium-high until they start to let out water and are firm-ish.
4. Add the salsa and tomato sauce. Stir until all the shrimp are well coated.
5. Lower the heat to about medium and let everything simmer for about 7 or 8 minutes.
6. Increase the heat a bit and stir vigirously for a few minutes. This lets the sauce reduce a bit.
7. Pour the whole mess into a serving bowl. You're done.

 

[trinityroyal]

Oh, I forgot to mention. The spicy salsa/tomato sauce thing also works well with chicken or pork. So, if you don't like shrimp, you can substitute.

 

[DaisyFace]

What a fun thread!

I made "Ultimate Shortcake" the other night....

2 cups fresh berries (I used strawberries and blackberries)
2 cups frozen berries (I used a mixed berry variety--starwberries, blueberries, raspberries)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon flour or cornstarch (for thickening)
sliced angel food or pound cake
whipped topping

Thaw the frozen berries and puree in a blender. Combine berry puree, sugar, constarch and 1/2 water and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Set aside to cool.
Cut fresh berries into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with sugar (not too much). Chill for one hour.
Add chilled berries to berry sauce...stirring to coat evenly.
Spoon sauce-covered berries over cake slice and top with whipped cream.

Fantastic!

 

[Mom2oddson]

I have a quick, easy dip recipe that goes over big everywhere I take it.

I throw things together so the measurements are rough estimates

equal parts sour cream and mayo (about a cup each)
1 bunch of green onions finely chopped
2-3 roma tomatoes finely chopped
1/2+ cup real bacon bits (not imitation)
1 cup fine shredded cheese ( I've used a variety of types cheddar (sharp or mild), mexican blends...whatevers been in the house)

Mix together and serve with wheat thins. (I usually make it the day before serving so that the flavors blend really well). Oh and I rarely have any left-over.

 

[trinityroyal]

Gosh! Those sound wonderful. I'm going to have to try both of those recipes.

Another one I just remembered. A light soup that I tend to make when the weather is warmer, rather than the thick heavy winter soups and stews.

As with all my recipes, quantities are...um...flexible.

Ingredients:

• Chicken stock
• Shredded chicken (usu. whatever is left on the carcass when I'm making the stock, but if you have chicken lying around that's good too. Cooked, though.)
• Celery, about 2 or 3 large stalks
• Onions. I like the large spanish or vidalia onions, but regular cooking ones will do fine too. 1 or 2 spanish, 3 or 4 vidalia, 5 or 6 cooking.
• Napa cabbage. 1 or 2 large leaves
• 2 tbsp canola oil (I don't use olive oil for this, because it's got a strong flavour)
• Season to taste. Since I usually start with a roast chicken, it's usually already seasoned. Feel free to add salt, pepper, garlic, or whatever else suits you.

Other optional ingredients:
Green onions, cabbage, whatever other vegetables you like in chicken soup. Part of keeping it "light" for my recipe is adding only clear, white or pale green things to the soup. The flavours are very delicate that way.

1. Decide on how much soup you want to make, and find the appropriate sized pot.
2. Chop the onions, celery, napa and whatever else finely. (Is that called dicing? If so, do that)
3. Heat the pot until a drop of water sizzles.
4. Add the oil to the pan, and then add the chopped vegetables.
5. Cook the vegetables on medium high until they start to get tender, stirring often.
6. Add 1/2 cup stock and continue to cook the vegetables until they are as tender as you like them.
7. Add the cooked chicken and chicken stock
8. Turn the heat down to medium low and let it simmer. The longer you cook it the more the flavours combine.

You can also make this in a crock pot.

 

[DammitJanet]

Something easy-peasy for those times when you are in a pinch and need a quick supper that is good and most will eat if they will eat steamed cabbage.

Core a cabbage and slice up.

Get one or two smoked sausages- you know those that are the "u" shaped ones (cant think of the brand name)

Cut up the smoked sausage into slices about a half inch thick

add cabbage and sausage to a large pot and add about a cup of water and cover and put on low heat and simmer for about half an hour..maybe 45 minutes. Check cabbage. it should be done but still fairly crisp not slimy. Serve with salt and pepper and I like butter and warm rolls.


Another recipe but takes a bit more time.

Get two boxes of Ranch Pasta Salad.
Imitation Crab meat
Cucumber
grape tomatoes

Cook ranch pasta salad as directed...set aside to cool

cut up crab meat and cucumber into small chunks. Cut grape tomatoes in half.

Add to pasta salad and mix with mayo. Serve

 

[DaisyFace]

Mom2oddson--

The dip sounds great!

Trinity--

That summer soup sounds really fantastic!

Janet--

I'm not a cabbage eater, myself, but husband would love that recipe!

**********************

So who's got a good recipe using mandarin oranges...?

I have a big can of them, and I don't have any ideas what to do with them!

By the way--the "Ultimate Shortcake" recipe I posted earlier can be modified to make "Ultimate Fruit Crepes"...

Instead of cake and whipped topping, spread the berry mixture onto crepes (store-bought or home-made)...roll...and top with sour cream. Yummy!

 

[AnnieO]

Bubble & Squeak, huh Janet???

I love pasta salad. I made some the other night and - too late - realized I had no ranch dressing, no Italian, no mayo... No bacon bits. So I pulled out some balsamic vinaigrette and some raspberry vinaigrette and did it in equal parts.

Sweeter than I'd normally like but OMG it was GOOD!

I also like to slice zucchini into halves, scoop out seeds, fill with cheese and spices then grill for about 2 minutes. Long enough to lightly roast the outside and melt the cheese.

 

[crazymama30]

Simmered Chinese Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 tbs oil

Sauce ingredients

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup water
1 clove pressed garlic
1TBSP ketchup
1 sliced green onion
¼ cup dry sherry or apple juice
crushed red pepper

other

2 TBSP cornstarch
2 TBSP water
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Instructions: rinse chicken and pat dry. Brown. Mix together sauce. Pour over chicken and simmer 30-45 minutes or until internal temperature of meatiest part of thigh is 180. turn chicken once during cooking. Remove chicken from pan, draining juices back into pan. Place chicken on platter. Make thickener and add to sauce/remaining drippings. Top chicken with toasted sesame seeds.

I cook this in the crock pot, and I skip the browning. I shred it and serve with rice and stir fry vegies.

 

[DammitJanet]

Manderin Oranges go in jello.

 

[trinityroyal]

Mandarin oranges are also delicious in salads.

Romaine lettuce, bean sprouts, shaved blanched almonds, mandarin oranges, and some sort of sweet-ish vinaigrette dressing (balsamic, raspberry, sweet basil, that sort of thing).
Throw the works into a large bowl, toss the salad with the dressing, serve.

 

[trinityroyal]

And sometimes Mandarin oranges go straight from the tin into my mouth with aid of a large spoon

 

[DammitJanet]

LOL...or just with the fingers! Hand Keyana a big ole can of Manderin Oranges and she is happy as a lark.

 

[AnnieO]

LOL - I have the smaller, individual-serving-sized bowls in my desk drawer at work. Quick, reasonably decent sugar for when mine tanks...

 

[MyFriendKita]

So who's got a good recipe using mandarin oranges...?

My family has made this cake for several years (we call it Georgia Surprise Cake):

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mandarin-Orange-Cake-I/Detail.aspx

 

[babybear]

I found this recipe for super easy alfredo sauce. Tons of fat but really good.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 cups milk
• 6 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Melt butter in a medium, non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

I just let the butter and cream cheese melt a little add the rest and beat it with a hand mixer.

 

[ML]

I love this thread!

Oven-Fried Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
*
1/4 cup AP flour
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package (about 1 1/4 lb) chicken breast tenders
Favorite dipping sauce, if desired

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray.
2. In shallow dish, place flour. In another shallow dish, beat egg and water.
In third shallow dish, mix bread crumbs and cheese.
Coat chicken with flour; dip into egg mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture. Place on cookie sheet.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until chicken is no longer pink in center and coating is golden brown.

 

[donna723]

I thought I already posted this but I guess not.

Does anybody like homemade soup? I cut this recipe out of the paper a while ago but just tried it a few days ago and I loved it. The ingredients are very simple and inexpensive, it only takes about a half hour to make, and it's WONDERFUL!!! The recipe doesn't make a whole lot, maybe three big bowlsful, so for a family you would want to double or even triple it. And trust me on this one, you WILL want to eat the leftovers!

It's sort of a homemade potato soup with asparagus and cheese in it. They said the recipe came out of an old Mennonite cookbook. I don't know what a half-pound of asparagus is because it comes in bunches (are the bunches one pound?) - I used about half of a 'bunch'. You can use a different kind of cheese if you want to and if you don't like asparagus you can use some other kind of vegetable.

You don't even have to put another vegetable in it besides the potatoes and onions. I'm going to make it again tonight and put little pieces of cooked, cubed chicken breast in it.

Asparagus-Potato Soup

1-3/4 cups (one can) chicken broth
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb. of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1-1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup Colby cheese - cubed or sliced

1. Combine the broth, potatoes, onion and salt in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook 10 minutes more.

2. Whisk the milk and flour together well in a small bowl and then whisk into the broth mixture, cooking until it's slightly thickened. Stir in the cheese until melted.

 

[AnnieO]

Made homemade chicken & noodles tonight...

Took 4 pieces of leftover chicken (no clue what they were! Frozen in a lump. Boiled them in water for hours while I cleaned, with garlic, onion, parsley, oregano, basil, caraway, and some salt. Stripped off bones & skin, shredded the rest, added some carrots and mushrooms, then homemade noodles.

HUGE stock pot... One serving left.

 

[graceupongrace]

ML,

I make something similar to your chicken tenders, but I sprinkle the chicken with Lawry's seasoned salt first, and I use the Japanese bread crumbs called panko. They make a really light, crispy crust. And I use boneless chicken thighs -- very flavorful. The leftovers are a favorite for school lunches!