Mediterranean Shrimp

  From the kitchen of Linda Reidinger

Ingredients:

1-pound large shrimp 40 to 50 per pound peeled, deveined shrimp, tails on or off (fresh or frozen and thawed)

¾ teaspoon kosher salt divided

½ teaspoon ground black pepper divided

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small red onion chopped

2 cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes in their juices

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon honey  

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts drained and quartered

½ cup pitted Kalamata olives

¾ cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from about ½ medium lemon

For serving: rice, whole wheat couscous, crusty bread, pasta

Directions:

Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pat the shrimp dry, place in a mixing bowl, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Toss to coat, then set aside.

In a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add onion and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed so that the onion softens but does not brown. Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let gently simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the red wine vinegar and honey. Remove from the heat.

Scatter the artichokes and olives over the top, then arrange the shrimp on top in a single layer. Sprinkle with the feta.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the tomatoes are bubbling, cheese has browned slightly, and the shrimp are cooked through. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Enjoy hot.

TO STORE: Place leftovers in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

  Perfect Pastry Pie Crust

    From the kitchen of Diana Orso

Ingredients:

Shortening

Boiling Water

Milk or Half & Half

Salt

Flour

Wax Paper

Directions:

Take 3/4 cup shortening in a room temperature or slightly warmed bowl and add 1/4 cup boiling water.  Using two forks, or a pastry blender that has been warmed with a bit of the extra boiling water, whip the water into the shortening.  Add one tablespoon of cold milk, or half and half, continue whipping until blended, the cold milk will firm up the shortening a bit.  Add a pinch of salt and 2 cups of flour, blend in just enough to form a ball of dough. 

Break the dough ball in two and roll each portion out between wax paper.  Place the wax paper with pie crust inside it, in the fridge for a minimum of 10 minutes.  When ready to use, remove from fridge and peel off one side of the wax paper, place pie crust into pan or on top of pie filling, then peel off other piece of wax paper.  Bake at the temperature your pie recipe calls for. 

If filling with a custard (like pumpkin), pre-bake the bottom crust at 425 for 10-12 minutes.  If you don’t have a pie crust shield, you can use strips of aluminum foil on outside ridge of pie crust to prevent over browning and remove foil about 10 minutes before the pie is done baking.  

Note:  Crisco has changed their shortening formula, I was told by a cooking expert at Sweet Basil that the Walmart Great Value shortening is closest to the original Crisco. 

  Fast Easy Delicious Short Ribs

      From the kitchen of Bev Guss

Ingredients:

5 lbs short ribs

1/2 cup flour, salt and peppered

2 cups sliced onions

3/4 cup ketchup

2 T. vinegar

2 T. Worcestershire

4 T. soy sauce

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

Directions:

Roll ribs in seasoned flour.

Arrange in casserole.

Cover with onions.

Mix together ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, soy sauce, sugar, water.

Pour mixture over ribs.

Bake covered 300F for 3 hours.

**Remove cover last 1/2 hour to crisp.**

Avocado Toast with Feta Cherry Tomatoes Cranberries and Walnuts

From the kitchen of Barb Shea

Ingredients:

4 slices rustic sourdough or whole-grain bread

2 ripe avocados, mashed

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp dried cranberries

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Toast bread slices until golden and crisp. In a bowl, mash avocados with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Spread avocado mixture over toast, top with cherry tomatoes, feta, cranberries, and walnuts. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately for a sweet and savory twist on classic avocado toast.

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

From the kitchen of Barb Shea

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

3 Tbsp. butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

3 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

In a skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken and season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Cook until browned on both sides and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 165°, 8 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are beginning to burst then add spinach and cook until spinach is beginning to wilt. 

Stir in heavy cream and parmesan and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. 

Serve with lemon wedges.

    Sweet Onion Dip

   Submitted by Diana Orso

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup Apple Cider

2 cups water

1 large Sweet Onion, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3/4 teaspoon dried dill

Directions:

Mix sugar, apple cider vinegar and water in a medium sized bowl until sugar dissolves. 

Add onion into sugar mixture and marinate overnight. 

Drain onions well and mix in mayonnaise and dill. 

Serve on Ritz crackers.

Turkey (or Chicken) Scallopini

Submitted by Diana Orso

Ingredients:

1 package turkey breast cutlets (about a pound)

1/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons water

1 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter cubed

Minced fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

Flatten turkey to 1/4 inch thickness, in a shallow bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper, in another bowl beat egg and water, and in a third shallow bowl combine breadcrumbs and cheese.

Dredge turkey in flour mixture, then dip in egg mixture and coat with crumbs. Let stand 5 minutes.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook turkey for 2-3 minutes on each side or until meat is no longer pink and coating is golden brown. Sprinkle with parsley.

 Homemade Enchilada Sauce

        From the kitchen of Bev Guss

Yields about 2 cups (16 ounces) sauce.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons flour (whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blends all work!)

1 tablespoon ground chili powder (scale back if you’re sensitive to spice or using particularly spicy chili powder)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt, to taste

Pinch of cinnamon (optional but recommended)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups vegetable broth

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

This sauce comes together quickly once you get started, so measure the dry ingredients (the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and optional cinnamon) into a small bowl and place it near the stove. Place the tomato paste and broth near the stove as well.

In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, warm the oil until it’s hot enough that a light sprinkle of the flour/spice mixture sizzles on contact. This might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and don’t step away from the stove!

Once it’s ready, pour in the flour and spice mixture. While whisking constantly, cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute. Whisk the tomato paste into the mixture, then slowly pour in the broth while whisking constantly to remove any lumps.

Raise heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, whisking often, for about 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened a bit and a spoon encounters some resistance as you stir it. (The sauce will thicken some more as it cools.)

Remove from heat, then whisk in the vinegar and season to taste with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add more salt, if necessary (I usually add another pinch or two). Go forth and make enchiladas!

   

   Chicken Enchiladas

From the kitchen on Madeline Condon

Ingredients:

Cooked & shredded chicken (either 2 - 3 thighs or 1/3 of a market cooked chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 container of low fat sour cream
1 large bottle Green Salsa (save half for placing on bottom of pan as well on top of enchiladas)
1 bunch cilantro (chopped)
Grated cheddar cheese to taste
12 medium size flour tortillas

Mix together all ingredients.
Place a large spoonful on each tortilla.
Roll up each tortilla and place in a pan sprayed with Pam as well as some salsa on bottom.
Sprinkle the tops with cheese.
Bake 20 minutes covered at 350 degrees.
Remove cover and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

Mandarin Orange Chicken Salad

      From the kitchen of Barb Shea

Ingredients:

3 c. finely chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce

2 c. shredded red cabbage

2 c. shredded chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken is great for this recipe

1/2 c. jarred mandarin oranges, drained

1 instant ramen packet, crushed (flavor packet discarded)

1/2 c. shredded carrot

1/3 c. sliced green onions

1/4 c. sliced almonds

Dressing:

3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

1 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. hoisin sauce

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. minced ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 c. vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, red cabbage, chicken, mandarin oranges, crushed ramen noodles, carrots, green onions, and sliced almonds.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in vegetable oil, whisking constantly until emulsified.

Before serving, drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine. 

     Parmesan Chicken             From the kitchen of Robin Stuck

Ingredients:

1 cup Dijon mustard

1/3-1/2 cup white wine

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

2 cups grated parmesan

1 3lb fryer (cut up) or 6 chicken breasts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Thin mustard with wine until consistency is reached.

Combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

Dip chicken in mustard mix then roll in bread crumb mixture.

Place on greased baking sheet.

Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Serve warm or room temperature.

 Quick and Easy Quiche

  From the kitchen of Bev Guss

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie shell

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup milk

2 eggs

1 Tbls cornstarch

Dash of pepper

1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/3 cup diced green onion

Directions:

Whisk mayo, milk, eggs, cornstarch and pepper together in a large bowl.

Place shredded cheese and green onion into the pie shell.

Pour egg mixture over cheese.

Bake 350 for 35 – 40 minutes.

Options:

Add whatever else you have around, like chopped cooked bacon or ham, cooked veggies like broccoli or zucchini are all good!

Mexican cheese blend is good, so is Swiss or mozzarella!

If using a deep-dish pie shell you may have to double the recipe.