Tag Archives: Recipes

DELIGHTFUL Whole Grain Oatmeal Cookies!

100% Whole Grain Oatmeal Cookies—They Disappear!

(Makes 4 dozen regular or 3 dozen large cookies)

Distributed from Shannon’s Kitchen

Ingredients

    3  C. quick-cooking rolled oats

    1 ½ C. White Whole Wheat Flour (regular flour can be used here)

    1 t. cinnamon

    1 t. baking soda

    1 C. butter, softened

    1 C. granulated sugar

    1 C. brown sugar

   3 eggs (2 if using xxL)

   2 t. vanilla extract

Add Ins:  (Choose two or three to taste and/or dietary requirements)

  1 C. chocolate chips

  ½ C. chopped walnuts

½   C. chopped Pecans

  1 C. dried fruit (cherries, cranberries or currants)

Preparation

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 F

2.      Measure the oats, flour, cinnamon, and baking soda into a bowl, mix with a fork

3.      Cream butter and both sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and creamy

4.      Beat in eggs and vanilla

5.      Slowly beat in the dry ingredients

6.      Mix in chosen add-ins

7.   Drop batter by rounded  spoonfuls onto cookie sheets

8.      Bake 10-12 minutes

9.      Cool slightly then move to wire racks to cool

Italian Seafood Pasta

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Italians enjoy their surf and turf!  This plate includes: Shrimp, Mussels, Clams, Crab and Lobster. Prep time 5 minutes. Cooking time:  15-20 minutes from stove to table!  This recipe maybe used exclusively for any single item of seafood of your choosing. (ex. Only clams or mussels (use 2 lb.’s) or shrimp (Use 1 -2 lb’s).  Don’t forget to choose a wine

Serves 6 people

  • 4 garlic cloves (minced and set aside. use half for initial sauté, remaining half is added at the end or recipe.)
  • 1/2 cup Olive Oil
  • 1/2 onion chopped
  • 4 Tbsp Parsley ( chopped and set aside)
  • 360 g of Barilla Pasta (Spaghetti or Fettuccine)
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1/2 pound cherry tomatoes (optional)
  • 1/2 lb Clams
  • 1/2 pound Mussels
  • 3/4 cup cream (optional)
  • 1-1/2 cup wine. (0ptional)
  • 1 Lobster Tail (meat loosened and removed from shell)
  • 1/2 pound Shrimp (peeled) or Pre-Cooked Shrimp
  • 1 pound Crab Legs
  • 1 tsp Salt & Pepper to taste.

BEGIN

In one large pan start to boil water.

Place clams and mussels in a colander, wash and scrub shells with cold water.

Second large pan: Healt 1/2 cup Olive oil on Medium heat with two garlic cloves for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add onions,  1/2 lb. Raw Shrimp, Mussels and Clams (and tomatoes optional).  Return pan to medium heat. FYI: Immediately cover dish to avoid hot oil splatter. Pour cream and wine onto fish. Cook together for 3 minutes.

At this time remove pasta from box and add Pasta ( Barilla Spaghetti or Fettuccine) to salted (1 tbsp salt) boiling water allow to boil for 8 minutes.

Place loosened lobster meat from the lobster tail, Pre-cooked Shrimp, Crab and 2 minced garlic cloves and parsley to the cooking mussels and clams. Allow to warm together for 2 minutes.  Add 1 tsp Salt and Pepper to taste.  Cover remove turn off heat. Add 2 ladles of pasta water to simmering seafood.

Drain water from pasta and Add Pasta to seafood carefully turning both, incorporating seafood and pasta together for about 2-3 minutes.  Drizzle fresh oil on seafood and pasta garnish with chopped parsley.

Buon Appettito!

By Kimberly Crocker

La Focaccia Italiana

Most requested Italian Recipe!  Dalla cucina italiana…Buon Appettito!!!    

Delicious Focaccia from Puglia!

FOCACCIA…

A thick airy crust that can be served warm or cold. Very simple to make and can be prepared by hand, or with a kitchen mixer by using the bread hook and setting the mixer on stir in 5 minutes. The dough rises only for 1 hour and is ready for toppings and to placed in the oven where it takes only 15 minutes to bake!


Ingredients needed: Flour, Sugar, Water, Milk, Boiled Potato, Salt, Olive Oil, Butter, Yeast.  Those in the states will likely use Dry/ Dry Active Yeast, while in Europe Fresh Yeast (beer yeast)  is more readily available. I using Fresh Yeast skip to part two.  

FYI:  Careful to not combine hot milk or salt directly to the yeast as they will kill the yeast and the dough will not rise. 

Part One  In a bowl combine together with a fork the following ingredients and allow the starter dough to sponge for 20 minutes.  

  • 1 package  dry yeast ( for 1 cube beer yeast se recipe below as yeast is mixed directly in to flour with no preparation)
  • 1/3 cup warm water  ( room temperature to 110 F or 43 C)
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp sugar

The yeast mixture should have bubbled and increased in size.

Peel and boil 1 small potato, allow to cool.  Mash with a fork. The potato

Dough will rise to double it’s original slice and be supple to the touch

provides extra levitation to the dough and gives a nice crunch to the crust.  Potato to be added in Part Two.

Part Two

  • Yeast Starter or 1 cube fresh beer yeast crumbled,
  • 2 ¼ cup flour (500 grams)
  • 1 Potato, peeled, boiled, mashed (optional)
  • 1 c warm milk (110 F or 43 C) (or may substitute with water)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in large bowl: Yeast, Flour, Potato, Milk, Salt  May use dough hook, kneading for 5 minutes, or knead by hand. Knead dough until texture of dough is supple and elastic, not sticky, for about 5 minutes. With a small amount of oil on your hands gently spread the oil onto dough ball, place into a large bowl and loosely cover bowl with plastic wrap, setting aside in a warm area to rise for 1 hours. 

 Part Three  Pre-Heat oven to 425 F

Generously grease cookie sheet with 1 tsp of butter.

Place risen dough onto cookie sheet and extend dough into any round or square form.

TOPPINGS

  1. Traditional Preparation: halved cherry tomatoes, inverted and gently pushed into extended dough.  Sprinkle on top of dough:   1/8 tsp oregano, 1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt, 1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, Drizzle ¼ cup Olive Oil.
  2. Try Focaccia with sliced onions spread over dough and gently pressed into dough with fingers. Add 1/8 tsp Oregano, 1/8 teaspoon Rosemary, 1 teaspoon Coarse Sea Salt, 1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese

Bake in preheated oven at 425 F  for 15 minutes. Before serving drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil over Focaccia for extra flavor.


By Kimberly Crocker

BUON APPETTITO!!!

Low Sodium Rubs, Marinades and Glaze

 Great for Grilling and Barbecuing Meats and Poultry 

Cajun Spice Rub

2 Tbsp Paprika, 1 Tbsp ground Cumin, 1 Tsbp dried Thyme, 4 mined garlic cloves, 1 diced onion, 1 Tbsp dired Oregano1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp Gound Cayenne

Allspice, Garlic, Marjoram, Parsley ,Thyme   • Mix 1 tsp of each and rub into any any red meat.

Marjoram, Rosemary, Tarragon, Lemon Zest    • Combining 1 tsp of each spice and the zest of half of lemon rub into the chicken or turkey.

Cayene, Gound Cumin, Garlic to spice up your meats.  Mix together1 Tbsp Cumin, 1 tsp Cayene, 2 minced Garlic  and rub into meat.

Marinades

Soy Sauce, Garlic, Olive Oil, Balsalmic Vinegar Great for Pork!

2 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce,

2 minced garlic

1 Tbsp Olive Oil,

3 Tbsp Balsalmic Vinegar.

Place meat inside 1 gallon plastic bag and let marinade for two hours. May store in refrigerator for up to three days.

Basic Wine Marinade

1/4 (60 ml) cup olive oil,

1/4 (60 ml) Red Wine (RED MEATS) and White Wine (WHITE MEATS),

1 onion grated,

2 garlic cloves minced,

1 tbsp herbs (oregano, rosemary, marjoram, or bay leaf, or Italian Seasoning),

1 tsp pepper,

and 1/4 tsp salt.

Combine all ingredients with meat into a 1 gallon plastic bag.  Allow to marinade for 2-4 hours and up to 48 hours.

Glaze

Rum Glaze

1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar

2 Tbsp dark rum

grated zest of 1 lime

Juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp dry mustard

Mix all ingredients together.

Coat meat with a Dry Rub of your choice. Cook over low heat. Brush on glaze at end of cooking time.

Mango Mustard Glaze

2 1/2 tbsp mango chutney

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tbsp apricot jam

3 -5 drops Tabasco Sauce

Mix all ingredients together then brush over cooked meat.  Return to grill and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes make sure that it glazes, but does not burn.

By Kimberly Crocker

Waldorf Salad

Waldorf Salad

Salad

2 c’s chopped apples

1 ¼ c chopped celery

½  c. chopped walnuts

6 c. mixed greens

Dressing

1/3 c. nonfat vanilla yogurt (substitute for 1/3 c. mayonnaise)

dash allspice

2 t. sugar

1 t. lemon juice

For presentation

5-6 twisted lemon pinwheels