Shrimp Mold

This is a throwback recipe.  In the 70's, recipes to make Molds or Aspic were all the rage.  I know that it is no longer a must have at every party now, but it is still good.  I love the presentation.  I was given a special Tupperware as a shower gift to make Molds or Aspic.  The recipe is straight out of my cookbook that my sister-in-law Darlene made for me.

Ingredients:

•  1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
•  2 packs of gelatin
•  ½ C. water
•  1 can tomato soup
•  1 C. mayonnaise
•  1 C. shrimp, cooked, chopped
•  ¼ C. onions, finely chopped
•  ¼ C. celery, finely chopped
•  ¼ C. pimento stuffed, green olives, chopped
•  ¼ C. yellow bell pepper, finely chopped

Directions:

1. In a small simmering pot, heat the soup to a boil, then add the cream cheese to the hot soup and stir until the cream cheese melts into the soup.
2. In a small bowl, add the gelatin to the water and whisk until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
3. Pour the soup mixture into a large bowl and add the gelatin to the mixture and stir until incorporated.
4. Add the mayonnaise, then the shrimp, onions, celery, olives, and peppers
5. Grease a Bundt pan (or Tupperware makes a Jel-Ring, which is what I use) with mayonnaise, so the finished product will slide out easily.
6. Pour the mixture into the pan and refrigerate overnight.
7. When ready to serve, place a platter under the pan and carefully flip the pan to release the Shrimp Mold.
8. Serve with assorted crackers.

Tips and Tricks:

• This is great to make when you have some leftover boiled shrimp. 
• Yellow bell peppers is NOT necessary, but the different colors look nice. 

Swedish Meatballs

I LOVE meatballs.  I even like the store bought meatballs in the bag.  These are NOT those kind of meatballs.  This recipe takes some work, but it is SO worth it.  The meatballs are almost fall-apart tender and the gravy is rich and creamy.  I used a Emeril recipe and took a Martha Stewart tip to improve it.  It's a winner!

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

• 1 lb. of ground chuck
• 1 lb. of ground pork
• 1 C. onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 T. kosher salt
• ½ t. cayenne pepper
• ½ t. ground allspice
• 1 ¼ C. Panko bread crumbs
• ¾ C. whole milk

Sauce:

• 4 T. butter
• 1 C. onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ C. all-purpose flour
• 2 (14 oz.) cans of beef broth or 3 1/2 C. homemade beef stock
• ¾ C. sour cream
• ¼ C. red currant jelly 

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the Panko and the milk, mix and allow to sit for 5 minutes
2. Mix all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large bowl, including the bread crumbs
3. Make meatballs and place on a wax paper lined, cookie sheet
4. Add ½ T. of butter to a Dutch oven over medium heat and brown off half of the meatball, cook them for about 8 minutes total, turning to brown all sides
5. Remove the batch and set aside
6. Add another ½ T. of butter and brown the second batch
7. Remove, then add 2 T. butter and sauté the onions until limp
8. Add garlic and cook 1 minute
9. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes
10. Whisk in the beef broth a little by little and cook until smooth and thick, about 5 minutes
11. Whisk in the sour cream and the jelly, and bring to a gentle boil
12. Add the meatball back to the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 1 hour
13. Stir occasionally, very gently, the meatballs are very fragile
14. Serve over egg noodles as a meal, or in a chaffing dish or crockpot as an appetizer

Tips and Tricks:

• Meatloaf mix is ground beef, pork, and veal.  It is more expensive then buying the ground chuck and pork, but it makes great meatballs.  It’s your choice.
• I make these meatballs with a 1 ½ inch scoop.  The meatballs are smaller than a traditional Italian meatball.   This recipe will make about 50 meatballs.
• Don’t skip the step of browning the meatball in the Dutch oven.  I KNOW you might think, it’s easier to just brown them in the oven.  It IS easier, but the flavor for your gravy is coming from all the bits of browned meat on the bottom of that Dutch oven.  If you can’t fit the meatballs in 2 batches, make 3, just add ½ T. of butter each time.
• If you don’t have allspice, you can substitute ¼ t. ground cinnamon, 1/8 t. ground cloves, and 1/8 t. ground nutmeg.

Shrimp Remoulade Salad

When I was little I got to help make the Shrimp Remoulade Salads for Thanksgiving Dinner at my friend Marianna's house.  The only addition to this salad is the feta cheese.  You MUST make the Remoulade Sauce.  It's the star of this show.

Ingredients:

• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• 2 lbs. of boiled shrimp
• 1 can of black olives
• 4 oz. of crumbled feta cheese
• Remoulade Sauce

Directions:

1. Boil and peel the shrimp
2. Cover four plates with the iceberg lettuce
3. Add several black olives that have been cut in half
4. Sprinkle 1 oz. of feta cheese over each
5. Add ½ lb. of shrimp to each plate, about 10 - 12 medium shrimp or 6 – 8 jumbo
6. Drizzle with the Remoulade sauce

Tips and Tricks:

• Follow my links for the recipes for boiled shrimp and the Remoulade Sauce.
• Traditional Shrimp Remoulade is served with iceberg lettuce.
• I recommend boiling the shrimp and making the Remoulade Sauce the day before and refrigerating them overnight.  Peel the shrimp when you are ready to make the salads.

Remoulade Sauce

This is a tried and true recipe.  I have tweaked several recipes over the years and this is the one we like.  

Ingredients:

• 2 C. mayonnaise
• ½ C. chili sauce
• ½ C. Creole mustard
• ½ C. green onions, finely chopped
• ½ C. celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 T. horseradish
• 1 T. Crystal hot sauce
• 1 T. lemon juice
• ½ T. Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and refrigerate overnight before serving

Tips and Tricks:

• This is great to make when you are boiling seafood.  Everyone loves it to dip:  shrimp, crawfish, and potatoes.
• This calls for horseradish, NOT horseradish sauce.  There is a difference.  Horseradish sauce is a milder version and is often found on a shelf in the grocery.  Horseradish is REFRIGERATED and is usually found in the dairy section.
• I use Zatarain's Creole mustard.  It has the perfect bite that this sauce needs.

Chicken Cacciatore

This is a comfort food delight.  Rich and flavorful, it makes a wonderful presentation with all of the beautiful colors of red, yellow, and green.  This is a Giada deLaurentiis recipe that I've slightly tweaked.

Ingredients:

• 8 chicken thighs
• ½ C. all purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped in strips
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ½ T. salt
• ½ T. Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 1 C. white wine
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3 T. drained capers
• 1 t. dried oregano
• 1 t. dried basil

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
2. Dry chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour
3. Fry chicken in two batches
4. Fry off chicken skin side down first, 5 minutes on each side
5. Place chicken on a plate and cover with foil while the other batch cooks
6. Remove the second batch and cover with the foil
7. Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt, and Creole seasoning to the pot and cook for 5 minutes, on medium heat
8. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 3 minutes
9. Add the tomatoes with their juice, capers, oregano, and basil
10. Return the chicken to the pot and submerge into the cooking liquids
11. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat
12. Cook for 45 minutes
13. Remove chicken and place it back on the plate and cover with foil
14. Let the sauce boil for 3 minutes to thicken up
15. Return chicken to the pot and heat through for 5 minutes

Tips and Tricks:

• This recipe can be made with all parts of the chicken.  I make it with thighs because they create the best sauce!
• I serve this with angel hair pasta.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the top for an added kick.

Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche

This is a great recipe from Paula Deen.  It is easy to fix and makes a great presentation for a brunch or breakfast celebration.  Don't let the spinach fool you into thinking this is healthy.  You'll realize it's not when you read the ingredients, but it sure is GOOD.

Ingredients:

• 1 (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach
• 4 eggs
• 1 C. sour cream
• 1 C. small curd cottage cheese
• 1 t. kosher salt
• 1 T. Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
• ¼ C. all purpose flour
• ½ C. Parmesan cheese
• ¼ C. of chopped green onions
• 2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. Spray a 8” x  8” baking pan or corning ware with cooking spray, set aside
3. Cook the spinach in the microwave for 4 minutes, in a microwave safe bowl
4. Drain and then remove the excess water with paper towels, set aside
5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, flour, Parmesan, green onions, salt and Creole seasoning together
6. Fold in the spinach, then the cheddar cheese
7. Pour the mixture into the baking dish
8. Bake for 45 minutes
9. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 15 minutes
10. Cut into pieces and serve

Tips and Tricks:

• I use an immersion blender to whisk the eggs with the sour cream.   They are light and fluffy this way.  I use the immersion blender to incorporate all the other ingredients also.
• I usually double this recipe and bake in a 13’ x 9” dish.  I cut the quiche into 16 pieces.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

This is an easy, quick fix dip for football game watching or anytime.  I got the basic recipe from the "Recipe Girl". 

 Ingredients:

• ½ C. sour cream
• 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• ½ t. garlic powder
• 1 C. pizza sauce
• ½ C. pepperoni, cubed or slices cut into fourths
• ¼ C. green onions, finely chopped
• ¼ C. yellow bell peppers, finely chopped
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 2 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine the sour cream, cream cheese, and garlic powder until incorporated
3. Spread the mixture into a pie plate
4. Cover with the pizza sauce, then add the pepperoni
5. Green onion, bell peppers, and garlic, on the next layer
6. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and add the mozzarella cheese
7. Bake for an additional 5 - 8 minutes or until the cheese melts and slightly browns
8. Serve hot with Fritos Scoops

Tips and Tricks:

• I use light sour cream and reduced fat cream cheese.
• I used Ragu bottled pizza sauce.

Key Lime Pie

I made this to serve to my friends after a crawfish boil.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.  I combined some recipes I know well, to create this one.

Ingredients:

Lime Mixture:

• 3 egg yolks
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• ½ C. of fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1 t. lime zest
• 9 inch graham cracker crust

Sour Cream layer:

• 2 C. (16 oz.) sour cream
• 1/3 C. sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 t. lime zest 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Beat the egg yolks with the condensed milk, lime juice and lime zest
3. Pour mixture into the graham cracker crust
4. Bake for 30 minutes
5. While the lime mixture is baking, make the sour cream layer
6. Whisk the sour cream, sugar and vanilla together
7. Remove the lime mixture from the oven
8. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
9. Spread the sour cream layer over the lime mixture and sprinkle the lime zest on top
10. Return to the oven for about 5 minutes, just until it firms up
11. Remove from oven and allow pie to cool
12. Refrigerate the pie overnight and then serve 

Tips and Tricks:

• I have not had luck finding KEY limes.  I make this with fresh lime juice.
• You might need to wrap the edge of the pie pan with foil so the graham cracker crust doesn’t burn during the lime mixture baking step.

Whiskey Sour Slush

This is a recipe from my friend, Ron.  It is a great addition to a party, shower, or dinner party.  Get out a big pot and start combining ingredients!

Ingredients:

• 1 (48 oz.) pineapple juice
• 2 (12 oz.) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 oz. lemon juice
• 1 (6 oz.) jar of maraschino cherries (cherries and juice)
• 1 (2 liter) bottle of ginger ale
• 3 C. of whiskey

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients and stir well until all are incorporated
2. Pour into Ziploc bags and freeze for at least 24 hours
3. Before serving, crush the bags with your hands to create a slushy consistency
4. Serve in a punch bowl

Tips and Tricks:

• Use an inexpensive whiskey for this punch.  A “1/5^th” of liquor is about 1 ounce over 3 C. , so just put in the bottle if you bought a 1/5^th.
• If you are making this for a party you will most likely need to double the recipe.

Croissant Bread Pudding

This will be my NEW go-to dessert when I'm asked to bring something sweet to someone's house.  It puffs up and browns beautifully.  The Barefoot Contessa is who we have to thank for this one.  I have given it my own twist and it is SUPER!

Ingredients:

• 6 croissants, preferably stale
• 3 large eggs
• 5 large egg yolks
• 5 C. half and half
• 2 t. vanilla extract
• 1 ½ C. sugar
• 1 C. dried cherries
• 1 C. semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, half and half, sugar, and vanilla
3. Slice the croissants in half horizontally and place the bottom half of each croissant into a 10” by 15” casserole dish
4. Sprinkle the cherries and chocolate over the croissants and place the tops on each
5. Pour the custard over the croissants and allow the custard to soak into the croissants for 10 minutes before putting the casserole dish into the oven (You can press down on the croissants, so they absorb more of the custard.)
6. Fill a roasting pan with 1 inch of hot water and place the casserole dish inside of the roasting pan (this is called a water bath for the custard)
7. Tightly over the roasting pan with foil
8. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes
9. Serve warm or room temperature

Tips and Tricks:

• This can be made with many different ingredients stuffed in the croissants.  I chose cherries and chocolate because it gives the bread pudding a great rich flavor. 
• This is really easy to make, the hardest part is the water bath.
• This makes 10 large sized servings.