Chicken Pad Thai

(pic & recipe shared by Corinne Ritz)

Serves: 6-8

2 pounds of chicken cut into small strips

2 Tbsp oil (I use grapeseed oil for this.)

1/2-2 Tbsp Siracha hot chili sauce (my family likes spicy and 1/2 is plenty of heat for us)

1 Lime juiced 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

3-4 shakes soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 package fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package then toss with a little oil

3/4 cup carrots julienned

2 cups broccoli florets cut bite sized

1 bunch green onions sliced

For Garnish - 

chopped peanuts

cilantro

limes

Peanut Sauce

In a sauce pan combine till well blended and heat - 

1 cup chicken broth

6 Tbsp (heaping) creamy Peanut Butter

2-4 tsp. Siracha Hot chili sauce (2 is plenty hot for us, you may even want to start with less.)

3 Tbsp. Honey

6 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

3 Tbsp. Ginger, minced

4-5 tsp Garlic, minced

Sauce will thicken as it sits.

In a large skillet or wok saute chicken in oil.  As it is cooking add in the chili sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and salt & pepper to taste.

While chicken is cooking cook the pasta, and prepare the peanut sauce.

After the chicken is cooked add in the carrots, green onions and broccoli.  Also add in some of the cilantro and chopped peanuts saving a small amount for garnish.  Saute veggies with the chicken with a stir-fry technique.  Continue till veggies are crisp-tender.  Take off heat.  

Add noodles and sauce to skillet with the chicken and veggies.  Toss all together till all is evenly distributed.  

Garnish with more cilantro, peanuts and lime wedges.  

Hawaiian Meatballs

(recipe & pic adapted from family gone healthy)

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the meatballs

• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup milk
• ¾ pound 80/20 grass feed ground beef
• ½ pound lean grass feed ground pork
• 1 large egg
• Foil

For the hawaiian glaze

• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, finely diced (I use an 8oz can of crushed pineapple, drained)
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger (powdered ginger works fine too)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoons sesame seeds
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 cup of chopped fresh pineapple (for serving,I use a large can of pineapple tidbits)
• 1 or 2 cups of brown or white rice (for serving)
• chopped chives or green onions (for serving)

Instructions

Make the meatballs

1. Add all of the meatball ingredients to the bowl and mix with your hands gently.
2. Put foil on a large baking sheet. Roll the meat into 1-inch balls and arrange them a couple of inches apart on the sheet.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the meatballs until cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Cut a meatball to make sure it’s not red/pink.

Make the hawaiian glaze

1. Add all of the ingredients except the corn starch and sesame seeds to a medium sauce pan. Heat on medium heat.
2. Bring to a boil and lower heat so it simmers. whisk in the corn starch cook for 5 minutes stirring often.
3. Add in the sesame seeds and cook for an additional minute.

Combine glaze, meatballs, and pineapple tidbits in serving bowl and garnish with chives or green onions.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Best Ever Pulled Pork Sandwiches

(picture from breannasrecipebox.blogspot.com)

Pork

3-4 lb pork roast

2 onions chopped

16oz of your favorite BBQ sauce

6-8 oz of your favorite BBQ sauce, we like Sweet Baby Rays Sweet & Spicy (set aside)

Sandwich Buns

Place pork roast, onions and 16 oz of BBQ sauce in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.  Remove from crock pot and shred with forks. Do not return to crock pot.  In separate bowl toss meat with remaining 6-8oz of sauce or drizzle this sauce over pork once its on the buns.  Then toast buns, place meat on buns and top with coleslaw.  The coleslaw is awesome so don't skip it!!

Dead Simple Slaw

I use the 16-ounce bag of pre-shredded cabbage

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped 

1 large carrot, coarsely grated

1 1/4 cups mayonnaise

1/3 cup cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

Toss all vegetables in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar, then toss with the slaw.  Chill, covered, stirring occasionally, at least 1 hour (for vegetables to wilt and flavors to blend).

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

Big Al's K.C. Bar-B-Q Sauce 

*haven't tried this yet, but I want to

2 cups ketchup

2 cups tomato sauce

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

4 teaspoons hickory-flavored liquid smoke (I use mesquite)

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I use 1/4 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter.  Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes.  For thicker sauce, simmer longer and for thinner, less time is needed. 

Recipe is from Allrecipes

Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken

We love this Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe.  It reminds us of one we used to get at the Thai Orchid Restaurant. It uses bottled sauce which is why it's quick and easy,  I realize that may not be as healthy, but it is what is is people.  We like it.

Kikkoman Sweet and Sour Sauce (for basting or simmering, not their dipping sauce, I get a 4lb 11oz bottle from Cash and Carry and I can get 4+ meals for my family of 7 out of one container.  It's also much cheaper than the itty bitty store bottles.)

3 chicken breasts sliced very thin

1 red pepper, sliced thin

1 yellow onion, sliced

1 seedless cucumber cut into spears

1 large can pineapple chunks, drained or fresh pineapple

Pour some oil in a large skillet and stir fry onions and peppers. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until chicken is no longer pink.  Add as much sauce as you like along with the cucumbers and pineapple and simmer for a few minutes then serve over rice.  

Just a heads up that the cucumbers make this.  Seriously my husband was totally skeptical and not a huge cucumber fan but the crunch they give is awesome.  The other thing we love about it is having the chicken sliced really thin.

This recipe feeds my family of 7 with a little left over.  So you may want to adjust if you don't feed an army every night.  :)

Indonesian Beef Curry with Coconut Basmati Rice

Another great recipe from my friend Corinne.  She found it in Cooking Light magazine.  I made a few adjustments for our tastes/heat tolerance. :)  It also makes a great freezer meal.

Curry - 

Cooking Spray             
1 1/2 lbs. lean top round, cut into thin slices (I also use petite sirloin)

1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil 
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (I minced an onion)

1 Tbsp. minced, fresh ginger 

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (I use 6 tsp. bottled, minced garlic)

1 serrano chile, thinly sliced (I mince them - wear food prep gloves)

2 tsp. ground coriander   1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 tsp. salt                     1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. black pepper      3 cardamom pods, crushed (I use 1 tsp. ground cardamom)

1 stick of cinnamon         1 cup vegetable broth

1 Tbsp. lime juice

Rice - 

1 1/4  cups water   (1\2-3/4 cup water if doing in rice cooker)

1 cup uncooked basmati rice

1 cup light coconut milk

1/4 tsp. salt

To prepare curry - 

Heat a large skillet, coated with cooking spray.  Cook beef, in single layer.  Do one 1/2 at a time if needed.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes.  Place beef in bowl on the side.

Reduce heat, drain liquid and add oil to pan.  Add Shallots, ginger, garlic, and chili's.  Cook 4 minutes stirring occasionally.  Stir in Coriander, cumin, salt, cloves, pepper, cardamom and cinnamon stick.  Cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Return beef to pan, and add broth. 

Cover, reduce heat. (**This is when I let it cool and freeze it flat in a Ziploc bag.**)  Simmer 35 minutes or until beef is tender.  Uncover and cook for 10 more minutes, or until sauce is thick.  Discard Cinnamon stick and add in lime juice.  

To Prepare Rice on Stovetop:

Bring all ingredients to a boil.  Cover and turn heat down and simmer for 18 minutes.    Take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.

In Rice Cooker:

Dump it in (see water adjustment) and let it work it's magic!

*I like to double this for my family.  It feeds us dinner one night and lunch for a few people the next day.

Balsamic Beef Sandwiches

This recipe is from my friend Corinne.  She made these sandwiches on a Girls  Weekend once and they were a huge hit.  I like to serve them with Sweet Potato Fries and a broccoli slaw.  It's also a great freezer meal. I cook it up in the crock pot, then let it sit and cool a bit before transferring to plastic bags and freeze flat.  I like to freeze my leftovers to do sandwiches another night, or make shredded beef enchilada's.  

2 1/2 - 3 pound boneless beef rump roast
1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pepper
1 large sweet onion (I use yellow if I have no sweet on hand)
3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
8 Sandwich buns split, ciabatta buns are great.
1/4 cup sun dried tomato spread (I mix a Tbsp or 2 with a 1/4 cup of Mayonnaise.
sliced Provolone cheese

1. Spray large skillet with cooking spray.  If roast comes in netting, do not remove.  Sprinkle beef with seasonings, and brown on all sides.

2. Spray a 5-6 qt. slow cooker with cooking spray.  Place sliced onion on bottom.  Place beef on top.  Pour dressing over the beef and onion.

3.  Cover on low setting and cook for 8-9 hours.

4.  Place beef on large cutting board and cut off netting if necessary.  Cut or shred beef.  Return beef to the crock pot, and the juices.

To Serve - Spread the Sun dried tomato mix on both sides of a toasted bun.

Place some shredded beef and onion on, using a slotted spoon.   Top with a slice of cheese.

Delicious!

Hawaiian Haystack Sauce

This is my favorite sauce to go with Hawaiian Haystacks, it's from my mama.  I'll try and add a picture later.  We serve the sauce over rice and then add any of the following to the top:

shredded cheese
pineapple tidbits (a must!)
green onions (chopped)
red peppers (diced)
shredded coconut
chopped olives

Make a roux using:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour

Add:
2-3 cups water
2-3 tsp chicken bouillon (I like "Better than Bouillon")
1 cup milk or half and half

Cook until thickened.  Stir often so it doesn't scorch on bottom.

Add:
1 can cream of chicken soup
shredded cooked chicken ( I usually have a Costco rotisserie chicken and us about half of it)

Simmer about 10-15 minutes.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning.

Serves: about 6, I usually double it cause we love the leftovers!!

I'm part of a Gourmet Dinner Club and wanted to post the recipes for that here so I have them with all my other recipes.  This is mostly just for me but if you are interested the recipes are at the bottom of the post.

On September 25th we had the great pleasure of attending a Southern dinner party hosted by GG and Brittany.

We received postcard style invites explaining that we would be enjoying "A Night in the South", and to dress appropriately.  We had fun pretending to be Southern Belle's.

When we arrived GG and Brittany met us out front.  We took group pictures while it was still light out.  

GG and Brittany

The whole group

Top Row - Holly, Tanya, Alisha

Bottom Row - Tori, Brenda, Brittany, Carrie, Emily, GG, Mandy, Corinne, Alyssa

The event was hosted at GG's parents home overlooking the Sandy River.  It was absolutely gorgeous.

We were first escorted to the side lawn for appetizers.

 The little tables were so beautifully set with lace squares and fresh flowers.

Each place setting had it's own little bud vase.  I loved this touch.

Blackberry Lemonade was served in jam jars with the appetizers.

For appetizers we ate Fried Green Tomatoes, Corn Chowder and Chicken Salad Tartlets.  It was beautiful and yummy.  The chicken salad was especially good served in a cup made out of cheese with fresh blackberries for garnish!

We were then guided to the back patio for the salad and entree courses.  Along the walkway and around the patio there were candles hanging in Mason jars with purple ribbon.  It added so much ambiance.  My favorite part was that they had rented an outdoor patio heater to keep us warm while we ate.  On a September evening in Oregon it's hard to keep warm.

I loved this table configuration.  It was formal, and yet personal.  It made it easy to be able to chat with everyone there. 

The table had more lace, wild flowers and purple.   Our name cards and the menus were held up by bent forks. 

The sun set and we enjoyed the coziness they had created for us on the patio. 

 

Salad Course was a Juicy Watermelon Salad.  It was a delicious balance of sweet and savory.

The beverage served with the entree was a sparkling grape juice.  My favorite part was the kabob stick of frozen grapes as garnish.  They served as a perfect palette cleanser.

 And now for something very special!  The entree is served!

Lobster Tail (YES! Lobster Tail!), Cole Slaw and a cheese and herb roll.  Brittany was out on the patio with us while we ate our watermelon salads she was grilling the lobster tails.  She did a fabulous job.  Her pregnant brain did forget to put her apron on, but no matter because she did a great job of cooking our lobster to perfection!  It was a special treat, and I can't wait to use this recipe at home.

 This was really a progressive dinner of sorts.  After dinner we moved to a third table setting for dessert.  

Dessert was held in the dining room.  More lace and fresh flowers, of course, but also these really fun purple flower chargers.

For Dessert

Lemon Lush, Mississippi Mud, Nana Pudding

Oh my goodness!  These were all so scrumptious and very Southern!

The table had down the middle, printed and framed black and white prints of our group photo from earlier in the night.  We each got to take one home.

Our other take home gifts were homemade hand soap in a mason jar with pump, and a baked mini pecan pie in little mason jar.  It was really fun!  I have to say that it was really fun to eat the pie later in the week.  It was really good!  I can't wait to add this to my Thanksgiving menu.  

GG and Brittany did a fantastic job!  They put so much into this event and it showed in all the little details.

Thank You!!!

 Recipes

Blackberry Lemonade

Ingredients

6 Lemons

2 cups water

2 cup lime soda

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup blackberries

Zest 4 of the lemons and place in a 1 cup measuring cup. Add to the measuring cup the juice from the lemons until the juice and zest combine to make 1 cup.

In a saucepan boil 2 cups water with sugar, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Add zest, lemon juice, and let cool.

Smash the blackberries. Combine the lemon mixture, blackberries, and 2 cups lime soda. Add ice, or desired garnish (lemon slices, frozen whole blackberries, or mint). Enjoy.

LEMON LUSH

Ingredients

1 1/2 stick butter
1 1/2  cup flour
3/4 cup chopped nuts (walnuts) (plus enough to sprinkle over the top)

8 oz cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tub cool whip (separated)

(2) 3.5 oz packages lemon pudding (can do chocolate or other flavors)
3 cups milk

In small mixing bowl mix butter, flour and chopped nuts. Press into a 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Cool.

When cool, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1 cup cool whip in a medium mixing bowl and spread on the first step.

Wisk the pudding with the milk and spread on to make the third layer. Refrigerate until set (5-10 minutes)

Spread remaining cool whip over the top. Sprinkle with chopped nuts.

(Can be made a few days in advance)

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

5.0 2

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Total: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:Find local grocery deals. Edit your ZIP code and select your favorite grocery stores to see what ingredients are on sale right now.

·         1 large egg, lightly beaten  

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·         1/2 cup buttermilk

·         1/2 cup self-rising cornmeal mix

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon pepper

·         1/2 cup all-purpose flour

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·         3 medium-size, firm green tomatoes, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/4 lb.)

·         Vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.     1. Whisk together egg and buttermilk. Combine cornmeal mix, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Dredge tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture, and dredge in cornmeal mixture.

2.    2. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375° over medium-high heat. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt to taste.

SWEET SUMMER CORN CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS:

·         6 ears of local sweet corn, shucked

·         1 ½ cups of half and half or cream

·         4 Tbs of butter

·         6 cups chicken stock

·         8 slices of bacon, diced

·         1 Walla Walla sweet onion diced

·         1 – 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ to ¾ inch pieces

·         4 – 6 Tbs flour dissolved in enough cold water to make a thick slurry for thickening

·         1 Tbs chicken base

·         1 Tbs high quality soy sauce, Yaasa is a

         good one

·         1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

·         Freshly cracked black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

·         Saute the onions in the butter until soft and opaque, then add the bacon and cook

until the bacon is done                                                                                                

·         Add the soy sauce, the half and half or cream, the chicken stock and base

·         Add the potatoes and gently simmer until they are almost tender

·         Just before the potatoes are done, add the flour water slowly, checking consistency

While the potatoes are cooking, prep the corn:

·         On a large platter, stand an ear on its end and very carefully with a very sharp knife cut the kernels off.  Catch all of the corn and milk.

·         After removing the kernels, carefully using the knife as a scraper, drag it down the corn at a 90 degree angle to extract any remaining corn milk from the cob.  This milk adds natural sugar.

·         When steps to prep the soup are completed, add the corn and simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

·         Garnish each serving with a pat of butter, a sprinkle of paprika, and some fresh parsley.

CHUNKY CHICKEN SALAD

With Grapes & Pecans

Prep time: 25 min.   Yield: 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

·         ½ cup mayonnaise

·         2 Tbsp. sour cream

·         1 Tbsp. lemon juice

·         1/8 tsp. salt

·         1/8 tsp. pepper

·         4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

·         1 ¼ cups seedless red grapes, halved

·         ½ cup chopped pecants

·         ½ cup chopped celery

·         ¼ cup chopped sweet onion, optional

DIRECTIONS:

·         In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients.

·         Add the chicken, grapes, pecans, celery and, if desired, onion.

·         Mix lightly to coat.

·         Spoon into parmesan cups, garnish with blackberry, papaya curl and mint leaf and serve.

PARMESAN CUPS

·         Heat oven to 350°.

·         Spoon about 1/8 cup of grated parmesan cheese into a mound on a silpat.

·         Make six mounds on the silpat then, using your fingers, pat gently to spread into a larger circle.

·         Bake in middle rack of oven until they are bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes.  Watch carefully. Wafers should be golden in color and lacy in appearance.

·         Remove as soon as they can be handled and gently place inside a muffin cup to form a small bowl.  Allow to cool and become firm.

JUICY WATERMELON SALAD

 INGREDIENTS:

·         8 cups cubed seedless watermelon (about 1 medium)

·         1 small red onion, cut into rings

·         1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or slivered almonds, toasted

·         1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach

·         1/3 cup balsamic vinaigrette

·         3 Tbsp. canola oil

·         Watermelon slices

·         1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled blue cheese

DIRECTIONS:

·         Cut triangle slices of watermelon and place on 10 salad plates.

·         Sprinkle cubed watermelon onto slices, distribute evenly.

·         Lay onion rings (2 or three per plate) onto watermelon

·         Add nuts and arugula or spinach.

·         Drizzle vinaigrette and oil over salads.

·         Sprinkle each salad with blue cheese

Note: To toast nuts, spread nuts in a baking pan.  Bake at 350° for 5 – 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

 

CHIPOTLE COLESLAW

 INGREDIENTS:

·         ¾ cup low-fat plain yogurt

·         ¼ cup low-fat olive oil mayonnaise

·         2 tbsp fresh lime juice

·         1 tbsp finely chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

·         ½ tsp ground cumin

·         1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

·         4 cups coarsely shredded red cabbage

·         4 cups coarsely shredded Savoy or green cabbage

·         1 cup unsalted cooked black beans or BPA-free canned black beans

·         Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         In large bowl, combine yogurt, mayonnaise, 2 tbsp lime juice, chipotle chiles with sauce and cumin.

·         Fold in remaining coleslaw ingredients and set aside.

·         Coleslaw can be prepared up to 2 days in advance.

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD SWIRLS

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 tablespoon active dry yeast

·         1 ½ cups warm water

·         1 ½ tablespoons sugar

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         3 tablespoons vegetable oil

·         1 egg yolk

·         4 – 5 ½ cups flour

·         ½ cup real butter,  softened

·         1 ½ tablespoons Garlic Bread Seasoning (see below)

DIRECTIONS:

·         Combine the yeast, water, and sugar in large mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly.

·         Add salt, vegetable oil, and egg yolk and combine.

·         Add 3 cups of flour and mix well until combined.

·         Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger.

·         Knead, either by hand or in a mixer for another 2 – 3 minutes. 

·         Cover and allow to rise 1 hour.

·         While dough is rising, combine butter and garlic bread seasoning. Set aside.

·         When dough has risen, roll the dough into an 18 X 6-inch rectangle on a work surface lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray or sprinkled with flour.

·         Smear garlic butter over the entire surface of the dough and then sprinkle with cheese.

·         Roll up the dough jelly-roll style and then use dental floss to cut it into 12 equal slices.

·         Place each slice in a muffin tin cup that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Cover.

·         Preheat oven to 350° and allow rolls to rise while the oven is heating.

·         Bake 18 – 22 minutes.  If rolls start to get too brown place a sheet of aluminum foil over the rolls.

Garlic Bread Seasoning:

INGREDIENTS:

·         ½ cup powdered Parmesan cheese

·         2 teaspoons kosher salt

·         1 tablespoons garlic powder

·         2 teaspoons each: oregano, basil, marjoram and parsley

DIRECTIONS:

·         Shake ingredients together in an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

GRILLED LOBSTER TAILS

With Chile-Cilantro Butter

LOBSTER TAILS

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         ½ jalapeno or green chile pepper, seeded and minced

·         3 tbls chopped fresh cilantro

·         2 tbsp organic unsalted butter, melted

·         2 tbsp olive oil

·         1 tsp olive oil

·         1 tsp lime zest

·         2 tsp fresh lime juice

·         Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

·         6 lobster tails (6 to 8 oz each), fresh or frozen, thawed

·         High heat cooking oil (such as sunflower, safflower, peanut or grape seed oil, as needed

·         1 lime, cut into wedges, optional

INSTRUCTIONS:

·         Prepare butter: In a small bowl, combine garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, butter, oil, lime zest, 2 tsp lime juice, salt and black pepper.

·         With kitchen shears, cut away the soft shell of the entire underside of each lobster tail, towards tail and about 1 ½ inches wide, exposing meat.

·         Heat grill on medium-high and brush with high-heat cooking oil.

·         Add lobster tails to grill, cut side down, and cover.

·         Cook until shells are bright red, 4 to 6 minutes.

·         Turn and brush meat with butter mixture, dividing evenly.

·         Cover and cook until lobster meat is opaque throughout, 4 to 6 minutes.

·         Place on serving plates and serve with coleslaw and lime wedges.

SPARKLING WHITE GRAPE PUNCH

·        Chill one 64-oz bottle white grape juice and one 2-liter bottle lemon-lime soda.

·        Combine grape juice, soda and 1 ½ cups white cranberry juice in a 5-qt. punch bowl

·        Keep chilled with frozen grapes on a skewer

·        Serve immediately

Makes 24 (3/4-cup) servings

CARAMELIZED BANANA PUDDING

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Total: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes

INGREDIENTS:

·         1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

·         1/4 cup butter

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·         1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         4 large ripe bananas, sliced

·         1 cup granulated sugar, divided

·         1/3 cup all-purpose flour

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·         2 large eggs

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·         2 cups milk

·         4 large eggs, separated

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·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         48 vanilla wafers

DIRECTIONS:

1.     1. Cook first 3 ingredients in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until bubbly. Add bananas; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat.

2.    2. Whisk together 3/4 cup granulated sugar, next 3 ingredients, and 4 egg yolks in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 8 to 10 minutes or until a pudding-like thickness. (Mixture will just begin to bubble and will hold soft peaks when whisk is lifted.) Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla.

3.    3. Divide half of banana mixture, pudding, and wafers among 8 (1-cup) ramekins or ovenproof glass dishes. Layer with remaining banana mixture, pudding, and vanilla wafers.

4.    4. Beat 4 egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until foamy. Add remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves (2 to 4 minutes). Spread meringue over ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet.

5.    5. Bake at 325° for 15 to 20 minutes or until meringue is golden. Let cool on a wire rack 30 minutes.

PECAN PIE IN A MASON JAR

This pecan pie filling will make a large 9" pie or about 8 of the ½ pint jar pies.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. soft butter
4 large eggs and 1 yolk
1/2 C. sugar, granulated or I like to use granulated Maple Syrup
1 C. Lyle's Golden Syrup or dark Karo
1/2 C. light Karo
2 t. vanilla
pinch of salt
1 1/2 T. heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Line 1/2 pint large mouth Mason Jelly Jars with pie crusts and trim. Take special care to push the pie dough out into the corners of the bottom of the jars. 

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat with the sugar, add the syrups and soft butter and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the salt, cream, and pecans until combined. Spoon into the unbaked pie crust jars leaving 1/8" space at the top. Place a pecan half in the center of each jar of pie. Place the jars on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes until done.

Cool and add lid.  Keep in refrigerator until ready to eat.

Note: Use the crust recipe from the “Apple Pie” recipe from the Taste of Oregon 

Gourmet Club Dinner.