Shrimp Cakes By Don

We had some spot prawns (huge) in the freezer and Don thought these could be as tasty as his Crab Cakes. Well, everyone, it works and they are fabulous. Served with a lovely Bearnaise sauce, rice and micro greens. it was perfect.

  • 1 pound raw spot prawns, peeled and deveined
  • 3/4 cup saltine cracker crumbs
  • 3 tbsp. sliced shallots
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp.  pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 4 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. Dijon Mustard
  • pinch of Old Bay seasoning

Optional: sour cream and lemon wedges for serving,

Place shrimp in bowl of food processor and pulse coarsely only. Do not make a paste.

Transfer to a bowl and add the saltine crumbs, salt, pepper, eggs and lemon zest, stirring gently to combine. Now form into 6 cakes.

Heat the olive oil in large pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp patties in  single layer and cook for 4-5 minutes each side or until golden brown.

Bearnaise Sauce

  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 2 shallots chopped
  • 1 sprig fresh tarragon
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon
  • salt and pepper

In a blender add eggs, vinegar, white wine, shallots and tarragon.

Slowly add melted butter until emulsified.  Remove from blender and add pinch of salt and pepper.

When serving, top with a sprinkle of chopped tarragon.

Serve over a mound of rice, topping with bearnaise sauce or sour cream, adding a small bunch of micro greens and have a glass of chilled white wine.

Easiest Macaroni and Cheese Ever

Believe me, this is not the usual recipe I make, but it is good, fast and easy. We did enjoy it.

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 3 tbsp. flour
  • 1 lb. good cheddar cheese, shredded, for a much better flavour (not cheese slices for sandwiches)
  • 1/4 lb. Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/4 lb. Brie, outer skin removed and discarded.
  • 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
  • pinch white pepper
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • pinch cayenne
  • pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 lb. macaroni (elbow) noodles

Crumb Topping

  • 1/4 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and keep hot until ready to cook your pasta.

In a sauce pan, bring the milk and cream to scalding but not boiling and in another sauce pan melt the butter and add the flour, cooking for about 3 minutes.

Slowly add the hot milk to the flour mixture, whisking all the while to attain a smooth sauce.

Now add the pasta to the hot water, cooking for 3 minutes or whatever the pasta instructions say, cook 3 minutes less. They will continue to cook in the oven.

Now add the 3 cheeses to the white sauce and stir with a wooden spoon until all melted and smooth.

In a small bowl, add the balance of the seasonings and add a drop or two of water to make a slurry and add to the sauce, whisking well.

Drain the pasta and add to the sauce and stir gently. Add together all the topping ingredients and mix well.

Spray a 9 inch square pan and pour in the pasta. Sprinkle the topping over the surface and bake now for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Add a green salad, glass of wine and enjoy.

Great Italian Tomato Sauce

Kelly was coming for dinner the other night, so Don made this up and believe me, this is awsome. Much nicer than most tomato sauces.

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 crushed garlic cloves
  • 3/4 chopped onion (optional)
  • 1 tsp. fresh chopped oregano, divided
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil, divided
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh mint, divided
  • 1 tbsp. fresh Italian parsley,
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 tp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
  • 28 oz. can of San Marzano whole tomatoes or 1/2 quart freshly canned garden tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese
  • 2 tbsp. butter

Before you begin, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hand. Don’t break them up too small, just large chunks or zap in your blender for a smooth sauce, like I did.

In a large, heavy bottom pot with lid, pour in the olive oil and add the pepper flakes, garlic, onion, most of the oregano, basil and mint,(save a little of each for the end), sugar, salt and pepper. Turn on the burner and slowly bring to hot. When the onions begin to cook, stir for 5 minutes.

Remove the pot from the burner  and add the tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium and stir until they begin to boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

After 90 minutes, remove from the heat, add the reserved herbs and cheese. Add the butter to round out the flavours. Stir again and serve.

In a word: AWESOME

Cauliflower Rice and Oven Baked Trout

Don, our own private Chef, made this the other night and I wanted you to try it as well. It is absolutely yummy.

 

This recipe is for two. If more at your table, just adjust the amounts.

  • 1/2 medium head of cauliflower. cleaned, cored and cut into 2 inch wide florets (makes 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 large garlic clove, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 x 6 oz. trout fillets
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tbsp. butter

Sauce

  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 2 tsp. whole grain mustard
  • 1 tbsp. Ponzu sauce

Mix well and drizzle over the trout when ready to dine.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower and garlic in a medium pot and cover with water. Set the pot on the stove on medium-high heat and bring to a simmer, cooking for 10 minutes or until very tender.

When that is cooking, line a cooking tray with parchment paper and set the trout fillets, skin side down and brush each one with 1 tsp. olive oil. Roast for about 12 minutes or until just cooked through.

Drain the cauliflower and with a potato masher, mash it thoroughly.  Cover and keep warm.

To plate, mound the cauliflower equally on each dinner plate. Set the trout fillet on top and drizzle the awesome sauce over. Add any vegetable you like and enjoy. Sure a glass of white wine is a perfect addition.

Double Cornbread with Cheddar Cheese

This is my second cornbread recipe. There are a few subtle changes but, believe me, it is super good and tasty. Don put this together and I told him, I may have to quit the baking side of this marriage.

  • Vegetable oil spray to spray the loaf pan with.( 8 1/2 inch loaf pan works great.)
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp. baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup corn kernals (1 medium cob with cutting kernals off should be enough.)
  • pinch of freshly ground pepper
  • 3/4 cup aged cheddar cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven at 350 degrees and spray loaf pan. Place cornmeal, flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add the corn, cheese and pepper and stir to combine well.

Break egg in small bowl and whisk well then add the buttermilk and melted butter.

Add the egg mixture and flour mixture together and mix until just combined.

Spoon batter in the loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes. Check that the loaf springs back when gently touched in the center.

Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes then turn out on a cutting board. Slice when still warm and serve.

A Really Tasty Shepherd’s Pie (Yummier Now With Subtle Changes)

This is the 1,829 recipe on my site. Enjoy!

This recipe is great when having company and the meal is more on the casual theme.

This recipe will serve 6, but you can easily double the ingredients to serve 12.

  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tsp. worchestshire sauce
  • 1 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbsp. Italian parsley
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 can whole kernal corn (Green Giant is best)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 4 large potatoes boiled in water along with 1 garlic clove (making garlic mashed potatoes)
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 /4 cup cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large pan, heat the oil and add the onion, carrot, and meat. Cook until browned which would take about 10 minutes.

Drain the fat, add the broth tomato paste and herbs, simmering until the juice begins to thicken and then add the peas and corn.

Pour this into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and set aside.

Cook the potatoes until done. Drain the water and put the potatoes through a ricer, then add the butter, cream cheese and cream. You only need to mix this with a spatula, it is soooo creamy and delicious.

Pile the potatoes over the meat mixture and bake for about 35 minutes until the potatoes are a golden colour around the edges. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top before baking.

**NOTE:  July 2023 -Don made this yesterday and we all said how great it was. He laughed and said it was my own recipe and he just made a couple of “adjustments” to it. WOW! it truly is delicious and worthy of praise.

 

 

Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni

Word of caution: Read through first. It looks long but, believe  as well, it is truly delicious.  Don made it the other day and we did take pics but I didn’t get them posted yet. patience!

Ingredients

Sauce, you do need a lot

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tbsp. fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp. fresh oregano
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/3 tsp. black pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp. sugar
  • 2/3 cup roughly torn basil leaves

Filling

  • 1 lb. chopped spinach (I used fresh)
  • 1 lb. full fat ricotta
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (Mozzarella, Colby, Cheddar, Gruyere, Swiss)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • grated nutmeg, just a sprinkle
  • 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Cannelloni

  • 18-22 dried cannelloni tubes
  • 1/3 cup finely shredded parmesan
  •  1 1/4 cups shredded Mozzarella
  • basil and parmesan for garnish

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a small pot over a medium high heat. Add the garlic, onion, bay leaf, thyme and oregano. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion become translucent.  Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

Add the wine, increasing the heat to high and let it simmer rapidly for about 2 minutes, until it is mostly evaporated.

Add the tomatoes, stock, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir then simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf and blitz with a stick bender until smooth. Simmer for 1 more minute and remove from the heat. Stir in the basil and cover to keep warm.

Saute the chopped spinach with a little oil to wilt it down and remove excess liquid. Cool down and proceed.

Place the spinach in a bowl with the remaining filling ingredients. Mix, taste it and adjust the salt and pepper as the different cheeses vary in saltiness.

Now the fun begins.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a baking dish(8.5 x 10.5 inch) as it will hold 20 tubes nicely.

Spread 1 cup of the sauce on the base of the baking dish. Transfer the filling mixture to a piping bag with a large nozzle. You can use a zip lock bag by cutting a hole in a corner that will hold the nozzle and now pipe the filling into each tube and place in the baking dish. Pour the remaining sauce  over all the tubes to cover.

Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes. Remove the cover and scatter the parmesan cheese then the mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Garnish with more parmesan and basil if wanted.

Your family and company will have a wonderful evening and lively conversations. What more could you ask for? Oh, sorry….would you like another glass of wine?

Lemon Pistachio Cake With Special Topping

I have, over the past gazillion years, done a lot of baking. This one is a cheater though, so bear with me on this. (I don’t always cheat). It is one of the tastier cakes with the special topping and I know you will make it….over and over again.

  • 1 Betty Crocker lemon cake mix
  • 1 pkg. pistachio instant pudding
  • approximately 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup coffee cream (50/50)
  • 1/2 cup Crisco oil
  • 3 eggs

Beat this together in your electric mixer until completely smooth. Let sit for a couple of minutes. Pour this into a well oiled 8″x 11″ cake pan and place in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes. Check for doneness with a cake tester. Then remove from oven and let completely cool down.

Topping

  • 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese, softened to room temperature
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp, whipping cream
  • 1 lemon, grated for zest
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2-1 cup chopped toasted pistachios

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth, being careful not to over mix as this will curdle the icing, and ice the cake. Sprinkle the cake with the pistachios.

Serve right away or cover and place in the fridge. I put toothpicks in the 4 corners and covered with plastic wrap. It is such a darned tasty and moist cake to serve your family, company or for a celebration. We did this for Don’s Father’s Day dinner at Kelly’s.

Yup! Now say “damn I can do this”.

 

Pork Loin With Honey Garlic Sauce

I promise you, this is THE best pork loin. Don made it yesterday and it literally melts in  your mouth. Get ready! Here we go.

  • 2.5-3.5 pork loin roast, fat and skin removed
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil

RUB

  • 1 1/4 tsp. paprika (mild or smoked)
  • 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. each garlic powder and onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp. red chili powder (optional)
  • 1 1/4 tsp. coarse salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil

HONEY GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

  • 1/3 cup golden corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp. red wine vinegar
  • good pinch of salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper

ADDITIONAL

  • 1/3 cup low sodium stock (beef or chicken) or broth
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Pat dry pork with a paper towel. Combine 1 tbsp. of oil with the rub ingredients. Season pork, rubbing the mixture into the meat.

Heat remaining oil (about 2 tsp.) in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Sear pork all over until golden brown, rotating the pork around to avoid burning the spices.

Melt butter in the same pan as the pork was in, scraping up any leftover bits in the pan. Stir in remaining sauce ingredients, bringing to a rapid simmer for 1 minute.

SLOW COOKER

Place seared pork in a 6 qt. slow cooker. Pour sauce over the pork, cover with a lid and cook on LOW setting for 4-5 hours.

Transfer pork onto serving dish and loosely tent with foil. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.

While pork is resting, pour juices from the slow cooker bowl into a pot large enough to fit the liquid. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat.

Mix 2 tbsp. of the juices with 4 tsp. of cornstarch. Whisk cornstarch slurry into sauce and let simmer for a good 5 minutes. Note: sauce will thicken as it cooks. Simply thicken to syrup-like consistency.

Slice pork and serve drizzle with the Honey Garlic sauce.

Don served with potato rostis, but you could used mashed potatoes in you prefer.

 

Skillet Fried Chicken

This is a really nice way to up the ante on chicken for dinner. Don made this last night and it is delicious.

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp. paprika
  • 1  tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 3 – 3 1/2 lb. chicken, cut up
  • vegetable oil for skillet
  • pinch each of garlic powder and onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Lawery’s seasoning salt
  • 1/3 tsp. baking powder
  • buttermilk for dredging

Dredge the chicken in buttermilk.

In a shallow dish, mix together the dry ingredients.

In a 12 inch nonstick skillet, heat about 2 cups of oil over a medium high heat. Cook the chicken, skin side down,  for about 10 minutes until a light brown. Reduce the heat to low and turn the chicken pieces over. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, without turning, until the juices in the thickest pieces, when cut to the bone, run clear. Test the temperature to 165 degrees.

Add some steamed baby potatoes, vegetable and a light salad. YUM!

Roasted Pork Loin

This recipe will serve 4 – 6 people

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 lb. center cut pork loin, boned, rolled and tied*
  • 4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 7-8 small carrots, peeled and left mostly whole
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. apple juice, divided
  • 1 large white onion, peeled and cut in 8 sections
  • 1 tsp dry Rosemary,
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/8 cup  Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 4 Russet potatoes, peeled and cut in bite sized pieces (3 lbs in total)
  • 2 tbsp. butter
  • 3 tbsp. all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pat dry the pork with paper towels  and place on a platter. Coat with 3 tbsp. of the oil, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

In a large, heavy bottomed roasting pan or Dutch oven, large enough to fit your roast, bring burner to medium high and once hot, add two tbsp of the oil . When simmering hot, add the pork, fat side down and sear and turn every two minutes for a total of 10 minutes This should sear the roast on all sides, including both ends.

Remove the roast from the pan to the platter. Add 1 cup of apple juice to deglaze the pan. After this has reduced by half and all the brown bits are scraped up from the bottom shut the burner off and add all the carrots, onions and Rosemary. Pour the chicken stock over the vegetables and set the roast on top of the vegetables.

In a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, garlic powder, Dijon mustard and 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar, Using a pastry brush, brush this all over the seared roast.

Place the pan in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove from the oven, and cover with tin foil until the roast has reached 140 degrees (about 45 min)., and the vegetables continue cooking. Our 3 lb. roast took 45 minutes ater the initial 30 minutes to reach 140 degrees.

Remove the roast to a platter. Pour off all the liquid into a saucepan.

Add the potatoes to the pan with the vegetables and add the remaining 1 tbsp. of oil, 1/2 , tsp of the salt and remaining pepper and toss. roast for 15-25 minutes until they are tender.  After 15 minutes, toss the vegetables and roast a further 15 – 20 minutes. While these are roasting, in a small saute  pan melt the butter over medium low heat and add the flour, cooking for about 4 minutes to make a smooth roux.

Heat 2 cups of the reserved liquid that collected from resting the meat, and once it starts to bubble, add all the roux and whisk to make the gravy Keep  temperature of the gravy on low, or reheat when ready to serve.

When the vegetables are cooked, uncover the roast and slice,  serving with the vegetables and gravy.

Your family (guests) will rave about this and you can think to yourself “Damn I did this”.

Arroz Con Pollo, the most flavourable dish

As I am sure you are all aware that Don is the “Chef  of Chefs” and this dish is beyond anything.  Arroz Con Pollo has always been my favourite Mexican dish and boy oh boy did he do it up right. This is now on our list for ‘do agains’.

  • 2 cups uncooked instant rice
  • 3 skinless chicken breasts, slice in half lengthwise, then in thirds
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 box of chicken broth (about 26 oz.)
  • 1  8 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 3/4 jar of  garlic Classico sauce (secret ingredient here)
  • 1/2 finely chopped onion
  • 1/4 cup loosely chopped fresh parley
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 3/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
  • 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray (even a 14 x 10 Le Creuset casserole dish works well).

Add the rice to the baking dish. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper and place evenly over the rice.

In a large bowl, combine the broth, tomato sauce, Classico sauce, onion, parsley, chili and cumin, stirring until well combined. Spoon over the chicken and rice, making sure to cover it all.

Cover with foil and bake until thermometer reads 165 degrees (about 60-70 minutes). Remove the foil, and sprinkle the cheeses over the surface. Bake uncovered until the cheese has melted and is starting to show a dark caramelized colour. this will take about 7 minutes.

Let stand a few minutes and serve.

I promise you, you will roll your eyes in pure delight.