Oven-Poached Salmon in Garlic Broth

The cabbage-and-carrot mixture adds a crispy contrast to this flavorful poached fish. The dish is best served in a large, shallow pasta bowl.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons lemon juice
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Place coleslaw in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish; arrange fish on top of coleslaw. Pour juice mixture over fish; sprinkle with cilantro and pepper. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 salmon fillet and about 1 cup slaw mixture)

Cajun Shrimp Boil

Ingredients
1/2 lb. Large shrimp in shell (10 - 15 count)
12 Red Potatoes
1 Ear of corn per person Cut in half
2 medium lemons cut in eighths
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Cloves ground
1/2 clove Garlic
1/2 Bay Leaf
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp Black Pepper - coarse ground
2 dashes Tabasco as required
1 lb. Andouille Sausage sliced
2 Small onions

Instructions
In a large boiling pot, bring a gallon of water, lemons, cayenne pepper, cloves, garlic, bay leaf, Old Bay Seasoning, Black Pepper, and Tabasco to a boil. Add potatoes and boil for 10 minutes. Add onions and sausage and boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and corn. Boil for 5 minutes more. Drain and serve with crusty bread.

Steamed Blue Crabs

Place the live crabs in an ice water bath before cooking. This icing process numbs the crabs, making them easier to handle, keeps the crabs from losing their claws during the steaming process, and helps the seasonings stick to the shells.

Ingredients:
2 cans (12 ounces each) flat beer (see below)

2 cups distilled white vinegar

Ice water (optional)

24 live large male blue crabs(jimmies)

3/4 cup Old Bay seasoning

6 tablespoons kosher salt

Directions:
Pour the beer and vinegar into a steamer pot or a large heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. Put a round raised rack that is tall enough to clear the liquid into the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil.
While the pot is coming to a boil, fill a tub with ice water, if desired, and put the crabs in it for 3 minutes or so.
Mix the Old Bay seasoning and salt together in a small bowl. Place a layer of crabs on the rack in the pot. Sprinkle with a generous coating of the seasoning. Working quickly, continue layering and seasoning the crabs until all the blues are in the pot and you have used up all the seasoning. Put on the lid and steam over medium-high heat until the crabs are bright red, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the crabs with tongs.
Serve hot. Leftover crabs may be refrigerated and either eaten cold the next day or picked for crabmeat to use in your favorite recipe.

NOTE: Flat beer does not impart the harsh, almost metallic taste that fresh beer does. To flatten beer, simply pour it into a bowl and leave it at room temperature for an hour or two. A trick used to hasten the flattening process is to sprinkle a little salt into the beer--it flattens the beer quicker.

Fresh Strawberries with Grand Marnier Sauce

A really easy liqueur-laced sauce turns strawberries into a sophisticated dessert.

2 pints ripe strawberries, quartered
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, Cointreau or orange liqueur
1/4 cup sugar
4 fresh mint sprigs, optional garnish

Grand Marnier Sauce:
1 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup Grand Marnier, Cointreau or orange liqueur
2/3 cup heavy (whipping) cream, chilled

Combine the strawberries, 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, and the sugar in a bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, sift the confectioner's sugar into a bowl. Whisk in the egg yolk and the Grand Marnier. Whip the heavy cream until it is almost stiff. Add half of the whipped cream to the confectioner’s sugar mixture to lighten, then fold in the remaining cream.
Place a layer of strawberries in each of 4 wine goblets or bowls. Top with a dollop of Grand Marnier sauce. Layer more berries and sauce in each serving dish. Refrigerate until serving time. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Mama’s Bread Pudding with Jack Daniels Sauce

Mama's Bread Pudding

Spread over the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, preferably glass:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Cut into 1⁄2-inch-thick slices:

1 1⁄4 pounds French or Italian bread (1 1⁄2 to 2 loaves)

Spread the bread evenly in the prepared baking dish, the scatter over the top:

1-1 1/2 cups raisins(optional)

Whisk in a large bowl until frothy:

4 large eggs

3 cups whole milk

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Pour the liquid over the bread and let stand for 30 minutes, periodically pressing down with a spatula to help absorb the liquids. Preheat the oven to 375°F. bake the pudding in a water bath (A pan of simmering water in which a smaller pan is set into. This allows for a food to be cooked slowly and gently) until puffed and firm in the center, about 75 minutes.

Cover with: Jack Daniels Sauce

Jack Daniels Sauce

Ingredients:

8oz butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup Jack Daniels
2T water
¼ t ground nutmeg
1/8 t salt
1 large egg

Directions:
Melt butter over low heat in saucepan. Cook sugar, Jack Daniels, water, nutmeg and salt, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and the mixture is blended. Remove from heat. Whisk large egg until light and frothy. Vigorously whisk egg into liquor mixture. Set sauce over medium heat, strring gently, bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens about 1 minute. Serve over bread pudding

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with easy Mexican fare

Crab Quesadilla
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
2 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
4 scallions, chopped
1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
8 ounces pasteurized crabmeat, drained if necessary
4 (8 inch) whole-wheat tortillas
2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

Directions:
Combine Cheddar, cream cheese, scallions, bell pepper, cilantro, jalapenos (if using), orange zest and juice in a medium bowl. Gently stir in crab. Lay tortillas out on a work surface. Spread one-fourth of the filling on half of each tortilla. Fold tortillas in half, pressing gently to flatten.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place 2 quesadillas in the pan and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

1 medium white onion, diced
4 large tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a large bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes at room temperature to let flavors develop. Serve; or store, covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Guacamole
Ingredients:

1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
1 1/4 teaspoons finely chopped seeded jalapeno
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more for seasoning if desired
1 ripe Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped seeded tomato
2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro

Directions:

Mash onion, 1 tablespoon cilantro, jalapeno, and salt until smooth and juicy. Add avocado, and mash slightly (avocado should remain somewhat chunky). Stir in tomato and remaining 2 teaspoons cilantro. Season with salt, if desired. Use immediately.

Spicy Garlic Shrimp

"quick and easy summer appetizer with a little bite"

INGREDIENTS:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Asian chile paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 wooden skewers, soaked in water
DIRECTIONS:
1. Whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, parsley, hot sauce, minced garlic, ketchup, chile sauce, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Set aside about 1/3 of this marinade to use while grilling.
2. Place the shrimp in a large, resealable plastic bag. Pour in the remaining marinade and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat. Thread shrimp onto skewers, piercing once near the tail and once near the head. Discard marinade.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes per side until opaque, basting frequently with reserved marinade.

FETA AND SPINACH STUFFED MUSHROOMS

These stuffed mushroom appetizers are the perfect party food. With their warm feta cheese and spinach stuffing, they'll be the highlight your party.
Ingredients:
1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
1 (14-ounce) package large, stuffing-size mushrooms (approx. 9 mushrooms)
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 small cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for drizzling
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
In a small frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is heated through and the garlic is evenly distributed. Remove from heat. Allow spinach to cool slightly. In a medium bowl, combine the spinach with the feta and stuff each mushroom with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Remove the stems from the mushrooms (if present) and set aside for another use. Place the mushroom caps on the prepared baking sheet and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until mushrooms are soft and darker in color.

Ingredients:

4 (4 ounce) salmon fillets
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/3 cup Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette Dressing


Directions:

Place salmon fillets, skin sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Mix remaining ingredients until well blended; spoon over salmon.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with fork.
Yield: 4 servings

Bacon Cheddar Deviled Eggs

INGREDIENTS:
12 eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon mustard

chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice. Crumble and set aside. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to a small bowl. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon and cheese. Stir in mustard. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving. Before serving sprinkle chili powder gently over eggs.

Citrus Herb Chicken and Vegetable Kabobs

Marinade:
1/2 cup Orange juice
2 T dry Sherry
1 Green onion, chopped
1/8 t Ginger, minced
1/4c Light Soy Sauce
1 T Olive Oil
1t Garlic, minced
Combine above ingredients, mix well.
Makes 1 cup.
Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves,
cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
4 cups assorted fresh vegetable pieces,
such as bell pepper, onion, corn, zucchini and mushrooms
Directions:
Place chicken cubes in large resealable plastic bag or glass dish. Add marinade; turn to coat well. Refrigerate 15 minutes or longer for extra flavor. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Alternately thread chicken cubes and vegetable pieces onto skewers. Grill kabobs over medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
Tip: If using wooden skewers, soak thoroughly in water for at least 30 minutes before threading with chicken and vegetables. This prevents them from burning when on the grill.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

This soup can be served as a first course or a light main course.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 (19-ounces) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups water
1 Bay leaf
salt and pepper
cheddar cheese
sour cream
chopped red onion
Directions:
Heat oil in a 4-to 5-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onion, garlic, and jalapeño with chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until onion is beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, water, and bay leaf and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until soup has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Transfer about 2 cups soup to a blender and purée (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot and reheat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with garnishes.
Serves 6.

Margherita Pizza

The ingredients used to make a Margherita pizza, tomatos, mozzarella cheese and basil, imitate the colors of the Italian flag. Queen Margherita liked the pizza so much that she wrote a thank you letter to Esposito, who decided to name the pizza after the Queen.

Ingredients
1 12" uncooked pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
1t extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic clove, crushed
5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1c shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
1t balsamic vinegar
1/2 c thinly sliced fresh basil
salt
black pepper
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. Place crust dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 8 minutes. Remove crust from oven, and brush with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Rub crust with cut sides of garlic. Arrange tomato slices on crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden. Combine 1/2 teaspoon oil and vinegar, stirring with a whisk. Sprinkle pizza evenly with sliced basil, salt, and pepper. Drizzle the vinegar mixture evenly over the pizza. Cut pizza into 8 pieces.

Serves 4(2 pieces each)

Jerk Chicken Recipe

Jerk Chicken is traditionally spicy hot, but you can adjust to your liking or do like I do and rinse it down with a cold Red Stripe beer. Happy March Madness! Back to the grill.

Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces, or use equal weight of legs and thighs
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño chile, seeded, or 1 teaspoon dried chile flakes
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Directions:
The suggested amounts provide a fairly mild flavored recipe; if desired, adjust to taste. In a food processor, mix all ingredients except chicken and process into a paste. Smear this all over the chicken pieces, put the chicken into a plastic bag and refrigerate from 2 to 24 hours. To cook, remove chicken from refrigerator while grill heats. Grill medium-hot, until chicken is browned on all sides (10 - 15 minutes). When nicely browned, reduce heat (gas) or rake coals to one side (charcoal), cover, and continue to cook, turning as needed to prevent burning, until done (20 - 30 minutes).

TIP: Can also be cooked in an oven: preheat to 400°F, put chicken on a rack in a shallow pan, and roast until brown and tender, 30 - 40 minutes.

Serves 4.

Mini-Kobe Burgers

There is nothing like great grilled burgers for the start of the
NCAA March Madness Sweet 16 today.

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground American Kobe beef
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 Kings Hawaiian rolls,
16 tomato slices
16 small butter lettuce leaves
Thousand Island dressing
Directions:
Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, preheat a gas grill to medium-high, or preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
Divide the beef into 16 equal portions of 2 ounces each. Shape each portion into a patty about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Season the patties on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes total for medium-rare, or until done to your liking.
To serve, place a burger on each bun bottom and top with a tomato slice, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Thousand Island dressing, a lettuce leaf, and then the top of the bun. Arrange on a platter or tray and serve immediately

Iced Green Tea

Green teas are much more delicate and should never be brewed with boiling water or steeped as long as black teas are. The optimum water temperature varies from one variety to another. If you aren’t sure, brew it with water that is between 175F and 180F degrees and let it steep for only 2 minutes.

Ingredients:
2 quarts bottled spring water or filtered water

¼ cup loose green tea leaves or 8 standard green tea bags

Sugar to taste

2 lemons, thinly sliced

Instructions:
1. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a teakettle. Put tea leaves in a deep, heatproof bowl or large teapot. As soon as the water begins to boil, remove from heat and cool to the optimum temperature for the variety of green tea that you’re using (see above notes). Pour over tea leaves, stir, and let stand 1 to 2 minutes. 2. Strain liquid through a fine wire-mesh sieve or coffee filter into a pitcher. Sweeten to taste before cooling. If you’re not sweetening the tea, cool completely and serve over ice with sweeteners, lemon and mint passed separately.

Yield: 2 quarts (10 servings).

Monte Cristo

A Monte Cristo is a fried ham and turkey sandwich that can differ regionally. Traditionally it is dipped in its entirety in batter and deep fried. In some regions it is served grilled. It is sometimes served with fruit preserves and powdered sugar.

Ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 slices bread (i prefer sourdough)
8 ounces honey ham, chopped
8 ounces smoked turkey breast, chopped
24 slices Swiss cheese
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg.
Heat a non-stick skillet to medium heat. Dip the bread slices in the egg mixture, place in the skillet and cook until lightly brown on both sides.
Remove bread from skillet. Layer four slices of bread with a slice of Swiss cheese, ham, Swiss cheese, turkey and Swiss cheese again. Cover with remaining four bread slices. Return sandwiches to skillet; grill until cheese has melted and bread has browned. Serve hot.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Breaded Veal Cutlets

Ingredients
2 pounds veal cutlets
2 egg, beaten

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

Basil, 1T fresh, finely minced or 1t dried

Parsley, 1T fresh, finely minced or 1t dried

Rosemary, 1T fresh, finely minced or 1t dried
Salt and pepper to taste

4T butter

1 cup water

1T Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F

In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, basil, parsley and rosemary. Mix well, set aside.
Dip veal in egg and coat with bread crumb mixture, shaking off excess. Season with salt and pepper. Heat butter over medium heat in a nonstick skillet and brown both sides of veal. Cook veal 4-5 minutes eah side. Place veal in casserole or baking dish.
Add the water and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet, stir to pick up any browned bits on the bottom and the pour over the veal. Cover baking dish and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Serves 4 to 5.

Cinnamon Tea Cake Cookies

My mother says this recipe for old fashioned cinnamon tea cakes cookies, made with buttermilk and vanilla, is a little better, not as dry.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup lard, or solid shortening
2 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup Confectioners sugar
Preparation:
Cream sugar and lard; add beaten egg yolks and beaten egg whites separately. Add soda, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and buttermilk. Add just enough flour to make a soft dough, the right consistency to roll out. Cut into desired shapes and bake in a 350° oven just until light brown. Combine 1/2 cup Confectioners sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Roll hot tea cakes in this mixture. Cool.

Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredient
1 pound medium-small shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup lime juice (juice from 4-6 limes)
3/4 cup lemon juice (juice from 2-3 lemons)
1 cup finely chopped red onion
1 serrano chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 avocado, peeled, seed removed, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Direction

1 In a large pot, bring to a boil 4 quarts of water, salted with 2 Tbsp salt. Add the shrimp and cook for 1 minute to 2 minutes max, depending on size of shrimp. (Over-cooking the shrimp will turn it rubbery.) Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
2 Drain the shrimp. Cut each piece of shrimp in half, or into inch-long pieces. Place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl. Mix in the lime and lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate for a half hour.
3 Mix in the chopped red onion and serrano chile. Refrigerate an additional half hour.
4 Right before serving, add the cilantro, cucumber, and avocado.

Serves 4-6.