List your own "can't miss recipes!"

[CarolinaGal]

Great idea for a the new forum! Thanks for setting it up.

I thought I would start a thread of great recipes we have at home that are sure-fire winners.

Please post your favorite for us to enjoy.:lick:

[CarolinaGal]

Pappadeaux Blackened Oyster and Shrimp Fondeaux

Pappadeaux is a family favorite restaurant known for large portions of cajun style cooking. We love to have this fondue with a fresh green salad, and crisp white wine, and warm garlic toast

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
4 shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oysters
Blackened seasonings to taste
Melted butter as needed
1 C. chopped spinach
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 oz. lump crab meat
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
4 to 5 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Garlic Bread

Preparation:
Make sauce and set aside. Season shrimp and oysters with blackened seasonings (available in most supermarkets). Melt butter in hot sauté pan,and sauté shrimp and oysters, about 2 minutes per side. Add spinach, mushrooms, crab and green onion. Saute until mushrooms and spinach soften. Fold in sauce and bring to a simmer. Pour into heatproof dish; top with grated cheese. Place under a broiler until cheese melts. Use garlic bread
as dippers. Makes 4 servings.


Sauce
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 onion, chopped
1 C. shrimp stock or water
1/2 C. white wine
Pinch of cayenne
1 tsp. salt
1 C. whipping cream

Melt butter in a saucepan; whisk in flour and chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender. Slowly stir in stock and wine; whisk until smooth. Add cayenne and salt; Simmer 10 minutes. Add cream; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare shrimp stock by boiling down 1 cup of shrimp shells in 4 cups of water. Boil shells for 30 minutes.

[Nija]

MrGreg sent this one to me, and I've modified it to fit with what we like. We replace the brandy for a heavy red wine (Cab Sav/Zin) for better flavoring. I've never exactly gotten it to work correctly, so I always cook it for longer than it says (when I've cooked it, it comes out bloody and I don't like my steak mooing at me)

I usually make it with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and serve it with the wine I used to make the sauce.

Steak au Poivre with Brandied Cream Sauce

To save time, crush the peppercorns and trim the steaks while the broth mixture simmers. Many pepper mills do not have a sufficiently coarse setting. In that case, crush peppercorns with a sauté pan or rolling pin, (see below).

Serves 4

Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium shallot , minced
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup brandy
1 tablespoon brandy
1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
Table salt

Steaks
4 strip steaks (8 to 10 ounces each), 3/4 to 1 inch thick and no larger than 3 inches at widest points, trimmed of exterior gristle
Table salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns , crushed


1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat; when foaming subsides, add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add beef and chicken broths, increase heat to high, and boil until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 8 minutes. Set reduced broth mixture aside. Rinse and wipe out skillet.

2. Meanwhile, sprinkle both sides of steaks with salt; rub one side of each steak with 1 teaspoon crushed peppercorns, and, using fingers, press peppercorns into steaks to make them adhere.

3. Place now-empty skillet over medium heat until hot, about 4 minutes. Lay steaks unpeppered-side down in hot skillet, increase heat to medium-high, firmly press down on steaks with bottom of cake pan (see illustration below), and cook steaks without moving them until well-browned, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, flip steaks, firmly press down on steaks with bottom of cake pan, and cook on peppered side, about 3 minutes longer for rare, about 4 minutes longer for medium-rare, or about 5 minutes longer for medium. Transfer steaks to large plate and tent loosely with foil to keep warm.

4. Pour reduced broth, cream, and 1/4 cup brandy into now-empty skillet; increase heat to high and bring to boil, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Simmer until deep golden brown and thick enough to heavily coat back of metal tablespoon or soup spoon, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in remaining 3 tablespoons butter, remaining 1 tablespoon brandy, lemon juice or vinegar, and any accumulated meat juices. Adjust seasonings with salt.

5. Set steaks on individual dinner plates, spoon portion of sauce over steaks, and serve immediately.

[oblongmelon]

2 slices of any decent crusty bread..
Fresh sliced turkey breast (about 4 medium sliced pieces)
1 very thinly sliced Granny Smith Apple (remove seeds, peel and stem)
gruyere cheese
Hot spicey mustard

Place meat/cheese condiments on bread..place in panini iron and get nice and hot..the cheese melts just right, the sweetness comes from the apple and a bit of spice comes from the mustard..it's REALLY good.
I call it the Uncle Georgie (for my brother Georgio) as he LOVES this and has me make it for him all the time.

[gwilks98]

McDonald's Quick Fix

Take 1 part car mix with 2 parts motivation. Gently work in 5 parts money being careful not to spill.

Stand beside 1 part counter and beat until fed.

[zenbooty]

Start with one to one and a half pounds of dry red kidney beans. Soak them overnight in a large pot (6 qts) as directed on the package.

Drain and rinse the beans, toss them back in the pot, and fill the pot with water about 3/4" over the beans. Bring the beans to a low simmer over low heat. Keep the beans at a low simmer throughout the cooking.

Once the beans are simmering, toss in one ham hock, a few cloves of crushed garlic (garlic powder will do in a pinch), a teaspoon or so of cayenne pepper, some basil and a bay leaf. All spices are according to taste. I play around with them and whatever else I have in the house at the time. However, I ALWAYS add some cayenne pepper, and garlic. Let the beans simmer, checking it and stirring some every 20-30 minutes or so, until the beans and fluid reach desired thickness. This could be anywhere from 3 to 6 hours, depending on how low you keep your simmer, how much water was added, etc. Note that the beans will thicken a bit when refrigerated, so you'll want to account for that if you're making a batch to eat over many days.

While waiting on the beans, dice one medium yellow onion. Take about one pound of Andouille sausage, halve the links lengthwise and then cut the halves into half-moon slices. bout an hour before the beans are finished, add the onion. Pull out the hamhock (It may have fallen apart by now, and you'll have to fish out the pieces, but whatever). If you got a good hamhock, it'll have meat on it, or falling off of it by now, probably. If so, you've scored and should chop up that meat with a cleaver. Toss the meat along with the andouille sausage in 20-30 minutes before the beans are done.

Take the beans off, stir it up and ladle the mixture over a bed of white rice. Serve with hot sauce (I recommend Crystal's) and cajun seasoning powder (Zatarain's or Tony Chachere's type stuff).


You'll note there is a lot of imprecision in this recipe, as far as cooking times and measurements go. Red beans are sturdy food, and can generally handle any reasonable amount of cooking as long as you stir them occasionally and don't let them stick to the bottom and burn. And the rest of the ingredients are robust type flavors. In short, there's not much subtlety in the flavor or texture of this dish, so you've got a fair bit of leeway as far as timing things. If you put the onions in too late and it starts to get too thick, you can always add a little water if necessary. In the end, you'll have a nice odiferous sludge that sticks to your ribs and goes great with the rice.

[oblongmelon]

now THIS recipe sounds sooo delicious!..I love beans-black, white, kidney..all kinds..I am especially fond of the dry 15 bean soup mix pack that you can buy at the grocery store..except I don't use their spice pack..only the beans!..
I would probably skip the rice while eating your dinner, but that's for blood sugar reasons..Mind if I copy this and try it out?

[oblongmelon]

Pappadeaux Blackened Oyster and Shrimp Fondeaux

Pappadeaux is a family favorite restaurant known for large portions of cajun style cooking. We love to have this fondue with a fresh green salad, and crisp white wine, and warm garlic toast

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:
4 shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 oysters
Blackened seasonings to taste
Melted butter as needed
1 C. chopped spinach
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 oz. lump crab meat
2 Tbsp. chopped green onion
4 to 5 oz Monterey Jack cheese, grated
Garlic Bread

Preparation:
Make sauce and set aside. Season shrimp and oysters with blackened seasonings (available in most supermarkets). Melt butter in hot sauté pan,and sauté shrimp and oysters, about 2 minutes per side. Add spinach, mushrooms, crab and green onion. Saute until mushrooms and spinach soften. Fold in sauce and bring to a simmer. Pour into heatproof dish; top with grated cheese. Place under a broiler until cheese melts. Use garlic bread
as dippers. Makes 4 servings.


Sauce
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 onion, chopped
1 C. shrimp stock or water
1/2 C. white wine
Pinch of cayenne
1 tsp. salt
1 C. whipping cream

Melt butter in a saucepan; whisk in flour and chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is tender. Slowly stir in stock and wine; whisk until smooth. Add cayenne and salt; Simmer 10 minutes. Add cream; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Prepare shrimp stock by boiling down 1 cup of shrimp shells in 4 cups of water. Boil shells for 30 minutes.
Leave out the oysters and I'd probably be in love with this!

[zenbooty]

now THIS recipe sounds sooo delicious!..I love beans-black, white, kidney..all kinds..I am especially fond of the dry 15 bean soup mix pack that you can buy at the grocery store..except I don't use their spice pack..only the beans!..
I would probably skip the rice while eating your dinner, but that's for blood sugar reasons..Mind if I copy this and try it out?
Of course you may, but I demand royalties if you should ever add it to any future publications :D .

[oblongmelon]

Of course you may, but I demand royalties if you should ever add it to any future publications :D .
I would give credit where credit is due lol..

[GraingerGuy]

I just have a simple spice rubbed chicken I grill

Chili Powder
Cumin
Red Pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper
A hint of Nutmeg
Rub down the chicken with the spice mix, let it sit a little bit to let the flavor soak in. Toss it on the pan/grill/etc, bam. Chicken ala awesome....:)

[Cheesypuff]

Homemade Vanilla Pudding
Servings: 5

Ingredients:
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon butter (do NOT substitute!!!!)
1 beaten egg (optional)
4 tsp chocolate chips (optional)


Directions:
1. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges.
In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time,
stirring to dissolve. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the
back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Pour into
serving dishes. Chill before serving.

[chrissy]

Green Beans with Gorgonzola

2 lbs. fresh geen beans, trimmed and snipped
1/4 c olive oil (use less if you want)
4-6 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 c water
1/2 c crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Put oil and garlic in pan together and heat over med heat. When garlic starts to break down, add in green beans and cook about 5-7 minutes, shaking pan frequently to make sure everything is evenly coated. Then add in water and cover tightly and cook 10-15 minutes or so. When green beans have started to caramelize, add in gorgonzola and stir to coat. Shut off stove and allow the cheese to melt.

Season with salt and pepper.

[uncledaddy]

McDonald's Quick Fix

Take 1 part car mix with 2 parts motivation. Gently work in 5 parts money being careful not to spill.

Stand beside 1 part counter and beat until fed.

Too funny. :laugh:

[CarolinaGal]

This is a family recipe that is perfect for a slow-cooker, or to simmer slowly on the stove.....

4-6 Lean Pork chops, ¾ - 1 inch thick
2 t Dry Mustard
1-2 cups all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
garlic salt if preferred
Vegetable oil for pan frying
Small white onion, sliced thin
Quart of chicken stock, or 3 cans - low sodium is fine

To begin, rinse pork chops under running water and pat dry lightly. Mix the flour and dry mustard and season liberally with salt and pepper to create a dredge. In a large hot skillet, add enough oil to fry chops and bring to temperature. Dredge each pork chop through the flour mixture and place in frying pan, frying each side to light golden brown. Drain the chops on paper towels. In the remaining oil, lightly fry the onions that have been dredged in the flour mixture (If the flour is not sticking, you can use a light egg was to help bind the coating). Drain onion on paper towels.

Pour out remaining oil in the frying pan until you have about ½ cup left, and remove any bits that seem burned. Gradually blend in flour mixture stirring constantly on low heat to create a roux, removing any hard lumps. Brown roux until it reaches a caramel color, and then slowly stir in chicken broth to make a gravy mixture. You will want to make this a very thin gravy, as it will be cooked down into a thicker gravy.

Carefully add back the pork chops and the onions and cook on low heat – it can cook as quickly as one hour on a little bit hotter stove, or as long as 6 hours in a slow cooker. Do not over stir while cooking – just slosh the gravy around and make sure the chops don’t stick.

You can play around with the seasonings according to taste – I like to use a bit more mustard powder and garlic salt for flavoring.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes. This is a great freezer meal – cook thoroughly and pack into flat freezer safe containers.

Enjoy!