Lemon Garlic Shrimp

Lemon Garlic Shrimp

from Keeping Up

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound uncooked (medium or large) shrimp, peeled and devained

1 1/2 teaspoons creole seasoning

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1/2 lemon

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

3/4 pound angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute (do not let brown).  Add shrimp and creole seasoning.  Cook just until shrimp turn pink, stirring often, 4 to 6 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, zest and parsley.  Serve immediately over angel hair pasta.

If you can't find creole seasoning, such as Tony Chachere's or Emeril's Essence, use 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

from Ina Garten

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade

2 chicken bouillon cubes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

2 cups yellow onions, chopped (2 onions)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups medium-diced carrots, blanched for 2 minutes

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

For the pastry:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

Flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin. Cut the chicken into large dice. You will have 4 to 6 cups of cubed chicken.

In a small saucepan, heat the chicken stock and dissolve the bouillon cubes in the stock. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock to the sauce. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Add the cubed chicken, carrots, peas, onions and parsley. Mix well.

For the pastry, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the shortening and butter and mix quickly with your fingers until each piece is coated with flour. Pulse 10 times, or until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough tomoisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the filling equally among 4 ovenproof bowls. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each piece into an 8-inch circle. Brush the outside edges of each bowl with the egg wash, then place the dough on top. Trim the circle to 1/2-inch larger than the top of the bowl. Crimp the dough to fold over the side, pressing it to make it stick. Brush the dough with egg wash and make 3 slits in the top. Sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

{cooks note}

Warning: this is a labor intensive meal, but worth it.  You could take some short cuts like buying frozen carrots, but those just don't cut it for me.  There are a few things you could definitely prepare ahead of time to make the actual process shorter.  Something I would do differently the next time I make these is to not cube my chicken.  I think I will just buy a whole cooked chicken at Costco or cook my own and then pull the meat off of it.  I didn't really like the texture of the cubed chicken.  That's just me, though.  Oh, and I also just used boneless skinless chicken.  For the pastry, I do not have a food processor...yet.  I just made it the good old fashioned way and it turned out great.  Below is a picture of the reason why I post very little on this blog lately.  She is by my side constantly through this ear infection, cold, flu and most of all teething time. She is scheduled to see an ENT soon, so let's hope that solves the ear problems.  In the picture, she is teething on a cupboard knob.  Nice.

Bake and cube chicken.  Set aside.

Saute onions in butter.  I did not have frozen small whole onions, so I just cut up a yellow onion into larger chunks.

I like to use fresh herbs whenever possible.  Using fresh herbs really makes a difference in certain dishes.  

The filling.  Make sure you cut your carrot so it is bite sized.  

Once the pastry is over all of your pies, spread an egg wash (yolk/water mixture) over the top to help with browning.  Make three slits at the top for air to escape and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

About an hour later you have this to look forward to.  The perfect comfort food for a cold winter evening and it is even better the second day.

Crockpot Oatmeal

Crockpot Oatmeal
from Keeping Up


2 cups steel cut oats (not quick or old-fashioned oats)
6 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Stir together ingredients in a greased crockpot.  Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.  To cook for 8 to 10 hours, add 1 additional cup of water.  Serve oatmeal topped with sliced bananas and toasted nuts, if desired.

{cooks note}

Simple, easy, healthy, wonderful smelling breakfast to wake up to.  A little preparation is needed at night, but that's it.  Sometimes I leave the apples out.  I never add raisins because they are not my thing.  I love fresh or frozen fruit on the top.  Steel cut oats can be purchased at just about any grocery store.  I like to buy mine in the bulk foods section at Winco.  Talk about cheap!

Freezing Fresh Lemon Juice

I love the scent of fresh lemons.  When shopping in the produce section of my local Costco, I spotted packages of meyer lemons and couldn't pass them up.  I brought some home with me and decided to freeze the juicy goodness into ice cubes.  It's very simple and adds the perfect touch to any lemon dessert.  I wanted to also try and freeze the peel, so I zested it and froze what I could into two ice cubes.  I haven't used any yet in a recipe, so I can't tell you if it tastes just as good as fresh or not.  

A good zester is a must.  Mine is a Microplane.

I stuffed the zest into two ice cube molds and filled the rest with the juice.

I made a total of 32 lemon cubes.  I only used about 6-8 lemons.  Once the cubes are frozen I take them out of the molds and store them in a freezer zip lock bag.  When using in a recipe make sure you allow enough time for the cube to melt; otherwise, try the microwave.

My New Blender and Homemade Peanut Butter

I've been researching the best of the best blenders for quite a few years now.  I narrowed it down to two: the Vitamix and the Blendtec.  I reviewed Consumer Reports, youtube videos, websites and even the actual blenders themselves.  I'm lucky enough to have two people in my family with  both.  I decided on the Blendtec for a few reasons.  There are two sizes that the Blendtec jars come in.  The standard is the 64 ounce and then they have come out with a new 96 ounce jar that has a four inch blade.  The actual blender itself comes with a 64 ounce jar.  I purchased the larger jar in addition to the 64 ounce one.  I have my reasons for wanting two jars.  The rest of my reasons for purchasing the Blendtec over the Vitamix are as follows:

Quiter

Computerized

Fits under a standard cabinet

Lighter base

More shallow jars (easier for scraping things out)

No plunger needed

There are more reasons, but those are the major one's.  My family, like most, love green smoothies.  This machine makes them so easy to make.  No shaking of the blender, or plunging ingredients down.  In 20 seconds or less we have a wonderful, nutritious, green smooth packed with wholesome goodness.  I purchased mine through Costco and got an additional 4 year warranty making the total warranty 7 years.  That is identical to Vitamix.  I like the Vitamix also, I just decided to go with the Blendtec because I liked it a little bit better.  

Today, I made homemade peanut butter in less than a minute.  I put in three cups of dry roasted unsalted peanuts.  Set the level to 1 and let it grind for about 15 seconds.  Then I turned the speed to level 5 and let the machine do the rest of the work for an additional 30 seconds or so.  I made smooth today, but chunky would be just as easy.  I added about 3/4 teaspoon of salt.  I had a few empty peanut butter jars so I filled them right up.  I made a total of three batches (3 cups of peanuts in each) and filled two Costco size peanut butter jars (the organic kind).  I love the flavor and so does my family.  I bought the bag of peanuts in the bulk section at my local Winco.  I paid $4.81 for the bag.  

I have a list a mile long of all the different foods I want to try out.  I'll keep you posted on how that goes.  For now, I will easily use my blender 2-3 times a day.  It even whips fresh whipping cream in a matter of seconds.    If you are in the market, I highly recommend Blendtec.  It's definitely an investment, but one worth making.

{I was not paid by Blendtec to write this post.}

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

from kelseyskitchen

Yield: (2) 9" round cakes or (1) 9x13" pan

Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Pumpkin Filling

1 (14 oz.) can pumpkin puree (1 1/2 cups)

3 eggs

2/3 cups whole milk

1 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

Crumb Topping

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and prepare baking pan(s).

Make cake batter:  In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Mix in vanilla.  In a separate mixing bowl, mix (or sift) flour, salt and baking powder together.  Add dry ingredients to butter and egg mixture.  Mix just until combined.  Set aside.

Make Filling:  In a separate large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, brown sugar and spices.  Set aside.  

Make Crumb Topping:  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, baking powder and spices.  Mix until topping is loose and crumbly.

Fill the bottom of your pan(s) with the prepared cake batter.  Next, pour the pumpkin filling over the top of the cake batter, and sprinkle the crumb topping on top of the filling.  Bake for 45 minutes or until the filling is set and topping is golden brown.  Cool before slicing . Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

{cooks note}

This cake is extremely good.  I served mine with fresh whipped cream.  I took my pictures when there was no natural light to be seen (the darn winter months will be tough for me to take decent pictures since it get's dark so fast in the evening).  I'm not a pumpkin pie fan, so this type of dessert is my thing.  I'm totally diggin' it and it's on my top 5 favorite fall desserts.  It takes quite a few mixing bowls, but definitely worth the effort.

Back In The Saddle Again

Wow, have I really taken this much time off?  Well, to make it up to you, I will post my new favorite pumpkin recipe.  It will definitely knock your socks off.  Stay tuned...

I am finding it harder and harder to post since the computer I work on is now in my babies room.  She is supposed to take two naps a day, but in the past few days has refused due to her molars coming in and I believe an ear infection.  So, when she is napping, I can't work on my posts and when she is up I can't work on my posts.  My children take priority and they don't let me sit and spend the time I need to on this little blog.  I'm trying to work something out.  In them meantime enjoy the upcoming recipes.  Oh, and I'm sorry to inform you that I will not be much help for your Thanksgiving Day feast.  With our move and everything else going on, I just haven't gotten it done.  Maybe next year...