Shrimp Fitters

(Makes about 30)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb raw tiger shrimp, peeled and cut into chunks
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

 

Preheat oil to 350°F.
 

Place shrimp, green onions and garlic into a large mixing bowl and toss together. Set Aside.
 

Pour water into medium pot and add butter and salt and bring to a boil.
 

Once mixture has come to a boil, add flour and quickly stir with a wooden spoon, until dough forms. Continue to stir over medium heat, for about 3 minutes.
 

Place dough into a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment and run on medium speed, allowing steam to escape.
 

Once most of the steam has disappeared add the egg, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
 

Fold pepper into the pate a choux (the doughy/battery mixture).
 

Fold the shrimp mixture into the pate a choux until fully incorporated.
 

Once oil is hot, add tablespoon sized balls of the shrimp mixture into the oil (you’ll have to do this in batches); make sure not to crowd the pan/fryer.
 

Fry each fritter for 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway if necessary. Drain on a paper towel and season lightly with salt. Serve immediately. 

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:

4 pounds bottom round, well trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
2 large onions, diced (2 cups)
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 pound potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1/2 pound baby carrots (about 2 cups)
2 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions:

Coat the beef in the flour. Heat a few tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the meat, a few pieces at a time, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. 

Add the onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and coat the onions; transfer to the cooker. 

Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any browned bits; add to the cooker. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, broth, salt, thyme, and bay leaf. 

Cover and cook on low heat for 7 1/2 hours, or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas and heat through.

Mexican Meatloaf

Ingredients:

Meatloaf

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 rib finely chopped celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound ground beef
6 ounces soft Mexican chorizo, removed from casing and crumbled
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, and diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 eggs, well beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sour cream or Mexican sour cream
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Salsa-Glaze

2 medium tomatoes, cored
1/4 medium white onion
2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 to 3 serrano chiles
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a heavy skillet, add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring often until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 

In a large bowl combine the sauteed vegetables, ground beef, chorizo, and diced poblano chile.

In a medium bowl, combine the salt, pepper, cayenne, cumin, and eggs. Add the ketchup and sour cream. Mix well with a fork and pour it on top of the mixed meats. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and mix thoroughly with clean hands.

Put the mixture into a 9 by 13-inch loaf-pan. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meatloaf registers 160 degrees F, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully pour off any accumulated pan juices.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the whole tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, and serrano chiles. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly charred on all sides. Peel the garlic cloves. Add all the charred ingredients to a blender. Pulse until chunky, then pour into a small skillet. Stir in the sugar, chipotle chile and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Cook until slightly thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, to taste.

Slice the meatloaf and arrange on a platter. Spoon the salsa-glaze over the meatloaf and serve.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
2 (8-inch) pizza crusts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups shredded jack cheese blend
4 fully cooked sausage patties, crumbled
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
1 medium tomato, diced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

In a medium pan over medium heat, scramble eggs in butter; set aside.

Lay out pizza crusts and brush each with oil. Top with eggs, cheese, crumbled sausage, Parmesan, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. 

Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and begins to bubble. 

Serve hot, cut into wedges. 

Slow Cooker Chicken Dinner

Ingredients:

6 medium red or yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks
4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (or equal amount baby carrots)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10-3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 to 4 tablespoons mashed potato flakes, optional

Directions:

Place potatoes and carrots in the bottom of a 5-qt. slow cooker.

Place chicken on top of the vegetables.

In a bowl, combine the soups and garlic salt. Spread the mixture over the chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

To thicken sauce, stir in potato flakes and cook 30 minutes longer, if desired. Makes 4 servings

Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Ingredients:

2 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened (1 ¼ cups)
4 oz softened cream cheese
3 tsp. vanilla extract, divided
1 tsp. dry active yeast
1 cup granulated sugar
3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ Tb. cinnamon
3 Tb. whole milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Mix 2 tsp. vanilla extract with 1 tsp. of dry active yeast.

Cream the butter, cream cheese, vanilla with yeast, and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy—2-3 minutes.

Turn the mixer on low. Add the salt, then slowly add the flour. Scrape the bowl and mix until well combined.

Press the dough into a flat disk. Wrap and refrigerate the dough for (at least) 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl.
Cut the dough in half and leave one half in the fridge while working with the first half.

Flour a piece of wax paper and roll the dough into a 7 X 18 inch rectangle that is approximately ¼ inch thick.

Sprinkle half the cinnamon sugar over the dough leaving 1 1/2 inches bare along the long edge. 

 

Starting on the cinnamon covered side, carefully roll the dough tightly toward the bare edge. You may want to cut the dough into two sections to make the rolling easier. *At this point, you can place the rolls back in the fridge and save for weeks if needed.

Press the seam firmly, then cut the roll into 1/3-1/2 inch slices and lay on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Repeat with the remaining dough and cinnamon sugar.

Bake for 9-12 minutes.

Cool completely. Then whisk the powdered sugar, milk and remaining vanilla extract together in a small bowl. Dip the face of each cookie into the glaze and set on a rack to dry.

Pesto Mac & Cheese

Pesto Ingredients:

2-3 cloves garlic depending on your taste
2 cups, packed fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
½ cup pine nuts
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
½ to 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

 
In a food processor, pulse the garlic, basil, pinch salt, pine nuts and cheeses into a paste. Gradually stream in olive oil until the sauce becomes a smooth creamy texture. Transfer to a tightly sealed container and store in the refrigerator. 

Béchamel Sauce Ingredients:

5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden color, about 6 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Mac-n-Cheese Ingredients:

1 16oz. box of mezzi rigatoni cooked two minutes under the recommended time.

2 cups grated parmigiano-reggiano

2 cups grated mild white cheddar

Completion Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take a glass 9×13 casserole dish and butter all sides and dump your pasta in. Then take your pesto sauce and stir into the béchamel sauce and add to the casserole dish with your cheese minus a handful for sprinkling on the top. Gently stir everything together and sprinkle the remaining cheese over they top. Bake for about 20 minutes until the dish is bubbling and golden brown on top.