Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Margaritas ala Chris

Here it is....Chris' famous margarita recipe! Chris has been making this recipe since our monster Memorial Day weekend camping/floating down the river bashes (before kids of course)! If you have had one of his ritas, then you know how yumm-o they are...if you have not had one...then hurry up and make a pitcher or two!!!

Three 12 oz cans of Limeade
3/4 of a limeade can tequila (Chris prefers Corazon Silver)
Orange rum
Orange Liqueuer (Chris prefers Patron Citronage)
1 large lime
1/2 lemon, juiced

Dump limeade into a gallon pitcher. Fill the limeade can twice with crushed ice topped off with cold water and dump into pitcher. Pour four cans of cold water into pitcher. Fill limeade can 3/4 full with tequila and top off with equal pour of orange rum and liqueur. Wash lime and juice into pitcher, drop lime halves into pitcher. Add lemon juice. Stir to combine and enjoy!

*** Chris uses one of the limeade cans as his measuring cup.

Harrison's Favorite Turkey Burgers

Harrison loves, loves, loves these burgers with a nice thick slice of cheddar cheese!!! He requests these for dinner at least once a week!

1 lb ground turkey
1 egg
1 slice good quality bread
1/4 milk
1 tsp season salt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

6 whole grain or Ezekiel buns

Your family's favorite burger toppings

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until bubbling; remove from heat and add slice of bread. Once bread has absorbed the milk, mash together with a fork and let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine ground turkey, egg, bread milk mixture, and all spices. With your hands, gently combine mixture thoroughly. Make 6 patties and place on baking sheet. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

When ready to grill, preheat grill to med high heat. Lightly spray burgers with olive oil spray. Place a double layer of aluminum foil on grill an place burger patties on foil with oil sprayed side down. Grill burgers 7 minutes; spray with olive oil spray and flip burgers over. Continue grilling another 7 to 8 minutes or until juices run clear. Top with cheese (if using) during last minute of cooking.

Enjoy!!!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Pomegranate Eggplant

This is one of my absolute favorite dishes at Fadi's Mediterranean Grill. I have spent YEARS trying to find/create a recipe that was "the one"...I have finally come up with a recipe that is spot on perfect! You can serve this as a dip with pita chips or as a side dish with chicken or fish. It is sooooo yummy and good for you. My daughter Tori loves to fill a pita with it and chow down...which is exactly what she did at lunch today! You will find pom molasses (or syrup) in the international foods isle at HEB or any good international grocery (like Phoenician Market)... Enjoy!

3 medium eggplants
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint


Preheat oven to 350°F. Prick eggplants with a fork and place on rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Place the eggplant on a cutting board and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel and chop.
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil & saute the onion and garlic until soft and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes,tomato sauce, pomegranate molasses and eggplant, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and mint. Simmer over low heat for another 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or room temp.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Mesquite Chile-Lime Shrimp Tacos

This is my version of Cuisine at Home's shrimp tacos. Not into tacos...keep the shrimp on the skewers and serve with Chipotle cream as a dipping sauce! Even the kiddos like this one.

Marinade

1 1/2 tsp Baron's Savoury Secrets Brand Mesquite Seasoning Secret #5***
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili powder


Chipotle Cream

1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 1/2 tsp minced chipotles in adobe
1 1/2 tsp agave
1 tsp fresh lime juice
generous pinch kosher salt

corn tortillas
1 bag rainbow slaw mix
handful chopped cilantro
Raspberry chipotle Salsa

In a large ziploc bag, combine shrimp and mesquite seasoning. Put in refrigerator and let marinate at least 30 minutes. In a small bowl combine lime juice, chili powder and olive oil; whisk to thoroughly combine. In another bowl, place all chipotle cream ingredients, stir to combine. Put cream in fridge until ready to serve.

Toss slaw and cilantro together and set aside.

Preheat grill to med high heat. While grill is heating, pour chili lime mixture over shrimp, reseal and shake to cover shrimp with sauce. Let shrimp sit in marinade 15 minutes or so. Wrap corn tortillas in foil. When ready to grill, skewer shrimp onto wooden skewers and grill 3-4 minutes per side or until shrimp is opaque. Toss tortillas onto grill while shrimp is cooking and flip packet once.

To serve as tacos - Place a skewer of shrimp in tortilla and top with slaw and a spoonful of chipotle cream and salsa...Enjoy!

*** You can find this seasoning at Whole Foods. It is worth it to make a trip to buy, trust me!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Zoe's Slaw - My Version!

For my sweet friend Laura...Enjoy!

5 cups cabbage, chopped into bite size pieces ( 1/2 of a large cabbage)
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper (fresh cracked of course)

Combine cabbage, green onions, and crumbled feta cheese in a bowl. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients; whisk to combine. Pour dressing over cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Let marinate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

4 tsp vanilla sugar - can use store bought or see recipe below to make your own.

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease muffin pans. Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. Add flour mixture, alternating with milk. Fold in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin pans. Sprinkle tops with vanilla sugar. Bake 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Vanilla Sugar

1 or 2 vanilla beans
2 cups sugar

Place vanilla beans in plastic container. Cover with sugar. Seal with plastic wrap and then lid. Sugar will be ready in 3-4 days.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Lemon Berry Tart

This is my tweaked version of a Jr League tart... it is one of my favorite desserts and always gets huge raves when I make it for dinner parties.

Crust:
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp powdered sugar
2 cups flour

Filling:
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, at room temp, beaten
3 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Topping:
2 cups sliced strawberries
1 small carton blueberries
1 small carton raspberries
1 tsp powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove butter from heat and add sugars, stir to combine. Add the flour, stir to form dough. Let cool 15 minutes. Press the dough into a 9" tart pan with removable bottom. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove form oven and let crust cool.

For the filling - Stir together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the eggs, zest and lemon juice, stir to blend. Pour filling into par baked tart crust. Bake 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let tart cool.

For glaze - Combine powdered sugar, lemon juice and butter in a small bowl, stir to combine. Spread glaze over cooled tart and let sit until glaze firms up, 15-20 minutes.

In a medium bowl, gently combine berries with powdered sugar. Spoon over tart and serve.

Vodka Penne

This one is for Genie & Doug...Enjoy!

7 tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 cup vodka
2 cups canned pureed or crushed Italian tomatoes
3/4 heavy cream
1 tsp season salt
1 pound penne, cooked al dente
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
8 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade

Melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in the pepper flakes and vodka. Simmer two minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cream & continue to simmer for five minutes. Add season salt and stir well. Lower heat and stir in penne. Add parmesan cheese. Spoon into serving bowl, toss with basil and serve immediately.