Inexpensive and Easy Fall Centerpiece and Table Decorations

This has to be one of the best mistakes I've ever made,"Necessity is the mother of invention."  I was carving pumpkins to use as centerpieces for a women's retreat and had one of the pieces of my carving break off after it was almost completed. I decided to cut a hole around my mistake and use my Dollar Tree leaves that I spruced up with glitter to cover the hole. I used hot glue to attach the leaves to both the pumpkin and to attach one leaf to another. I used 2 or 3 flame-less candles inside the pumpkin so that I could leave the top on the pumpkin without worrying about real candles burning a hole in the cover, and also to add a little more glow. 

I glued the Dollar Tree leaves together in groups of three, allowing enough room for the flame-less candles to show through to make additional decorations for the table. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Shrimp Taco With Spicy Cream Sauce

Here is yet another recipe from my favorite cookbook "Southern Living All-Time Favorites". I've made some changes to this simple but tasty recipe. Now if only I had a margarita to go with it.


Ingredients
1-8oz. container light sour cream
1&1/2 tsp. chili powder (divided)
3/4 tsp. ground cumin (divided)
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper (divided)
3/4 tsp. salt (divided)
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
1 to 1-1/2 lb. peeled and deveined, medium-size raw shrimp
1- large red bell pepper sliced thin
1- small onion sliced
3 Tbs. orange juice
2 garlic gloves
3 tsp. olive oil
1 avocado sliced
8 (6-inch) tortillas, warmed
(Mexican blend cheese optional)

Direction
1. Whisk together sour cream, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. red pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt,
1/8 tsp. cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup milk, stirring until smooth. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
2. Combine remaining 1 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. cumin, 1/4 tsp. red pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt in a large zip-top plastic bag; add orange juice and raw shrimp, seal bag, turning to coat. Chill for 1/2 hr. Remove shrimp from marinade, discarding marinade.
3. Saute' red bell peppers and onions on medium, in olive oil in large skillet for about 5 mins., remove from pan and set aside. Add a little more olive oil and garlic and saute' for about 2 mins. then add shrimp and saute' until shrimp turn pink. Return the onions and peppers to the pan and stir and heat until warmed. Serve with sour cream mixture and avocado. Mexican cheese blend can also be added.

 

Wisconsin Cheese Curd Lovers Bacon and Sausage Quiche

If you haven't experienced Wisconsin cheese curds, it's something you must try if you ever visit the "Cheesehead state". They are nuggets of cheese that when fresh and bitten into, provide a delicious squeak and flavor that are like nothing you have ever experienced. They are affectionately referred to as "squeaky cheese" by those who love them.

Ingredients
1 deep dish pie crust (I used frozen ready made)
1/3 lb. Breakfast Turkey Sausage
1/3 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 lb. fresh crumbled bacon ,or 6 slices precooked bacon (crumbled)
1/4 lb. (about) yellow cheddar cheese curds ( cut into nugget sizes)
3/4 measuring cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup or 3 green onions sliced (I include 1/2 of the green portion)                                                 

4 sun dried tomato halves (chopped in small bits)
8 large fresh basil leaves julienne or about 1/4 cup
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard          
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. course ground pepper 

It's definitely best to get your cheese curds as fresh as possible. There are grocery stores in Wisconsin that will have a table loaded with cheese curds marked,"Fresh Today". The fresher the curd, the squeakier the bite.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place about 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese in the bottom of the pan. Fry up bacon and sausage (sprinkle oregano on sausage while frying). Distribute sausage evenly in the bottom of the pie crust. Place nuggets of cheese curds, half of the bacon bits, onions, half the julienne basil, and sun dried tomato bits and evenly distributed in the pan. Mix milk, eggs, mustard, salt, and pepper and poor over ingredients in pie shell. Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella cheese and bacon. Place in preheated oven for about an hour (check at 50 mins.), or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle of the pie. Sprinkle with remaining fresh basil on top.  Let sit for about 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

 I love that the curds get warm but don't totally melt, leaving you with little chunks of ooey-gooey deliciousness.

Seafood Stew

I saw Michael Symon make this dish on Live with Kelly and Michael, and decided to try it. I loved it and have made it several times since, but was unable to pin it to share with others because there was no picture to go with the recipe. It's not difficult to make, and then there is the fun part where you get to set the dish on fire! :) Symon mentioned that it's important to use San Marzano tomatoes for their taste because they are sweeter, less bitter, and have less seeds. I loved the flavor of the tomatoes and have started using them in other dishes that call for tomatoes. I used some fun pasta I found at World Market to go with the stew.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbl olive oil

6 to10 scallops (drypack)

10 to16 shrimp shell on deveined (I used 1 lb. of shrimp that were shelled and deveined.)

1lb. calamari (I did not include this...maybe next time)

1lb. mussels (I used 6 mussels so we could all try it.)

2 cloves sliced garlic

4 sliced scallions

½ cup chopped parsley                                                          

½ tsp chile flake
                                                                      
2 oz Sambuca (I bought this Italian Anise flavored liqueur in a mini bottle to save on buying something I wouldn't use often.)

16 oz San Marzano tomatoes (chopped)           

10 oz. stock (I used fish stock)

1 pinch saffron

zest of 1 orange

¼ tsp ground coriander

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Season shrimp liberally with salt. In large pan heat olive oil over medium high heat

Add shrimp and scallops and sear for 1 minute

Flip and add mussels and garlic

Add sambuca and flame (This is the fun part!)

Add stock, tomatoes, pepper flakes, coriander and saffron, then bring to simmer.

When mussels open add calamari, parsley and zest. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with green onions.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I love making this hearty soup when the temps outside are brutal. It really hits the spot and tastes great with a crusty roll.


Ingredients

1/2 lb. bacon diced and fried (reserve fat)
1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
2 medium stalks of celery diced
1 cup shredded carrots
8 oz. package fresh mushrooms
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth
2 to 4 cups (according to preference) cooked wild rice*
2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs.  garam masala (you may use curry powder in place of the garam masala)
1/2 tsp. dry ground mustard
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. course ground pepper
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 cups half n half
1 cup slivered or sliced toasted almonds for garnish


Directions

Fry diced bacon in the bottom of a large pot until crisp. Take bacon out and drain on paper towel and set aside for use as a garnish. Using bacon fat fry onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 mins., then add mushrooms and fry for another 3 mins. Add flour and stir well, cooking for about 2 mins. Gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly, until all has been added. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer.
Add rice, chicken, salt, garam masala, mustard, parsley, black pepper, and sherry. Heat through and then add half n half. Let it simmer for one to two hours, do not allow to boil. (If it becomes too thick you can add water a little at a time.) Serve garnished with bacon and slivered or sliced almonds.

*Easy Oven Prepared Wild Rice

1 cup wild rice
3 cups boiling water
1 chicken Bouillon cube (I use a tsp. of Better Than Bouillon) 
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
put everything in a covered Pyrex or glass dish, put in oven and turn the oven OFF. Either do it overnight or in the morning so it's ready for supper. Works great!



I love Garam Masala, and use it in place of curry powder in many of my recipes. I found it at a local grocery store, but you can also make your own if you are unable to find it.

        
          Recipe for Garam Masala


 http://www.rakskitchen.net/2012/11/garam-masala-powder-recipe.html

Chalupa Dinner Bowl (Crockpot)

I had a pork loin roast in the freezer that I wanted to use, so I went looking for a recipe in my Southern Living All-Time Favorites cookbook, and I was not disappointed! I actually happened to have all of the ingredients on hand to make this delicious versatile pork-and-bean mixture. This mixture could be used in a burrito, as nachos, quesadillas, or tacos. (I have made a few alterations to the original recipe.)

Ingredients

1 lb. dried pinto beans
1 (3 1/2 pound) bone-in-pork loin roast (my roast was boneless and worked very well)
2 (4-ounce) cans chopped green chiles
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (32 ounce) container chicken broth
(I used Better Than Bouillon, which  is a bit saltier than container broths. If you use a container broth, then go with 2 teaspoons of salt rather than 1 tsp.)
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles with lime juice and cilantro
(I used RO-TEL and added my own cilantro and lime juice, but you can buy the RO-TEL with the lime juice and cilantro already included.)
8 taco salad shells (I used Azteca brand shells that you form and bake in your oven)
Shredded iceberg lettuce

toppings: shredded Mexican cheese blend, or shredded Monterey Jack cheese, halved grape tomatoes, green onions, black olives, chopped avocado, sour cream...(the possibilities are endless)






Directions

1. Rinse beans and place in the bottom of a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker; add roast and next 6 ingredients. Pour chicken broth evenly over top of roast.

2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour; reduce to LOW, and cook for an additional 7 to 7 1/2 hours. The original recipe calls for an additional 9 hours, but that seemed a bit long, and I was correct. Time may vary depending on your crockpot.

3. Remove bones (if you used a bone-in roast) and fat from roast; pull roast into large pieces with two forks. Stir in diced tomatoes and green chiles. If the mixture seems to have too much liquid, cook, uncovered, on HIGH for 1 more hour to allow the mixture to thicken.

4. Heat taco salad shells according to package directions; place shredded lettuce evenly into shells. Spoon about 1 cup pork-and-bean mixture into each shell using a slotted spoon. Serve with desired toppings.

I was very happy with the results, and think this makes an ideal make ahead meal to serve for a party.

Low Cal Creamy Avocado-Cilantro Dressing

My sister gave me some Kefir she couldn't make use of, so I decided to make salad dressing from it since I've had Kefir dressings from the grocery store in the past. I'm very pleasantly surprised at how tasty and easy it is to make for something that has to be so low cal. The Kefir I used was 1%, which is only 120 calories a cup. So if I'm using 3 Tbs. of dressing that only has a little olive oil in it, the dressing has to be no more than 65 calories a serving. I think I'll be making my own dressings from now on. I can't wait to experiment with other ingredients.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup 1% Kefir (can be found at health food stores like Whole Foods...)
1 ripe avocado
1/3 to 1/2 cups chopped fresh Cilantro (to taste)
3 Tbs. olive oil (I used Bertolli Extra Light, which is 120 calories a Tbs.)
1 or 2 cloves minced garlic (I used 2 because I'm a garlic lover)
Juice of half a lime
2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt


 Directions

Place all ingredients in a blender or use an immersion blender to combine until smooth and well blended. The dressing should be good until the expiration date of the Kefir. 

This dressing was delicious with a salad of mixed greens, shrimp, avocado, green onions, yellow bell pepper, mush, pine nuts, and fresh shredded Parmesan cheese.