And while I'm at it, this seems as good a place as any to thank Beth4 for the cake recipe she gave us. I took it to my parents' for dessert last night along with some blueberries and strawberries, and we all loved it. Highly recommended. Thanks Beth!

Glazed Lemon Sour Cream Cake
From The California Cook cookbook
Serves 8-10

Note this cake may be prepared up to 3 days in advance, and kept at room temperature, tightly covered. The cake can also be wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and frozen for up to 2 months. Serve with seasonal berries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 Tablespoon minced lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 cup sour cream

Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
½ cup strained fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped lemon zest

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch lightweight Bundt pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda together in a medium mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed, or in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs, zest, and lemon extract and mix for 2 minutes.
3. Reduce the mixer to the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture, and mix until well combined. Add half the sour cream, mixing constantly, and then add the rest of the flour and sour cream, ending with the sour cream.
4. Pour the mixture into the prepared Bundt pan, and bake for about 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cake rack. Make the glaze.
5. Using a wire strainer, sift the powdered sugar into a small non-aluminum bowl. Add the juice and lemon zest, and whisk to break up any clumps.
6. Place the cake on a wax paper-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a long skewer, poke holes in the cake almost going through the bottom at 1-inch intervals. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, making sure itÂs absorbed as you pour. Let the cake come to room temperature.

I have been roasting tomatoes by the peck and they are delish, particularly on basil and fresh mozzarella pizza.

They freeze well.

Roasted Tomatoes;

Line jelly roll pans with tin foil. Brush with plenty of evoo.
Slice tomatoes into 1/2"-3/4' thick slices and spread closely on pan. Don't seed.
Top with salt, pepper, sugar and herbs (desired)
For one pan I use about 1 teaspoon each of salt and sugar and several grindings of pepper.

Bake at 300 degrees for several hours or until tomatoes look somewhat shriveled and edges caramelized.

I had company for dinner last night and made chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate cookbook. It was yummy. I used Cavit's Pino Grigio for the wine. I marinated the chicken for about 6 hours the day of the dinner and it was wonderful! I served it with homemade stuffing and green beans and we had blueberry pie for dessert!

Chicken Marbella Recipe
Ingredients
2 chickens, 2 1/2 lbs each, quartered, bone-in, skin-on
1/2 head of garlic, peeled and finely puréed
2 Tbsp dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/4 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/4 cup capers with a bit of juice
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
2 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
Method
1 In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F.

3 Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4 Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).

5 With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Serve remaining gravy in a gravy boat.

*Bumble, I LOVE roasted tomatoes and this is the time of year for me to go to the farmer's market to get a bushel of toms. I scatter garlic cloves around the tomatoes; this is a 2fer because I roast garlic for future use.

This is a quick and easy yummy salad plus it gives me another opportunity to use capers:

Caper Salad 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
Pinch salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 head Boston lettuce, cleaned
2 tablespoons capers

Combine the mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a resealable plastic container. Put the lid on the container and shake until contents are well combined.

Break the lettuce into leaves and place on 4 plates. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and sprinkle with capers.

Just tried by far the best recipe for zucchini pancakes I've ever had. The addition of parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and lots of fresh herbs made these so delicious. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and everything in it was just right -- including the cooking times... I served them with a light salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil, and it was the perfect summer dinner.

Zucchini Pancakes -- From Serious Eats

* 2 medium zucchini
* 1/2 medium yellow onion
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 clove garlic, finely minced
* 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or oregano (I used more like 1/4 cup -- with fresh herbs, you wouldn't even taste 1/4 teaspoon!)
* 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

1. Shred the zucchini and onion on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor with the shredding disk. Place the shredded vegetables in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with the salt. Toss to combine. Let drain for 30 minutes, then pick up by the handful and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Place on a kitchen towel or double layer of paper towels.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, garlic, cheese, herbs, lemon zest, and pepper. Beat well with a fork. Add the drained zucchini mixture and mix together. Sprinkle the flour and baking powder on top and mix with a fork just until well combined.
3. Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy pan. When the oil is hot, drop the batter into the pan by heaping tablespoonful. Cook for about three minutes on the first side, until nicely browned. Flip and cook for about two minutes more. Place the cooked pancakes on a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining oil and batter. Serve with a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, tzatziki or applesauce.

Foodonastump---Thanks for letting me know you tried and liked the cake. I'm so pleased! :)

Tonight was a couple of firsts for us. We had Chase's Watermelon Feta Salad and it was fantastic. Of course, like everyone else we left out the mint LOL!

As the main course we had a Greek Grilled Chicken Thighs. This is the recipe that inspired me, and my changes.

Greek Chicken Thighs
Serves 5-6

2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used regular bone in thighs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder (I used fresh)
2 teaspoons dried oregano (I used fresh)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper (several grinds)

Honey Lemon Drizzle
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large bowl, mix together olive oil, garlic powder, salt,oregano and pepper. Add chicken thighs and coat chicken well with olive oil mixture. Set aside until ready to cook. (You can do this ahead of time and just leave it covered in the refrigerator until needed. I let it sit for a few hours)

Move oven rack as close to top as possible. Preheat oven to 500. Place chicken on cookie sheet or roasting rack in a single even layer. Cook for about 8 minutes. While chicken is cooking, mix together lemon juice and honey. After chicken is fully cooked, drizzle honey lemon juice mixture over. Return chicken to oven for another 1-2 minutes, or until it is slightly charred and golden.

For additional flavor, you can drizzle more honey and lemon mixture if you so desire.

**** I put them on the grill and let them go skin side down for about 20 minutes at 375F. Turn them over and let them go another 15 - 20 minutes until they are cooked all the way through. Glaze the thighs with the honey lemon mixture, turn and keep basting until it is gone.

I made a Roasted Tomato Breadpudding for a luncheon today and it was great. I had been wanting to try it since I saw it in Gourmet back in 2008 and now I had enough nice fresh tomatoes to do the recipe. My tomatoes were Big Boys and Lemon Boys so I just quartered them. I also reduced the herbs to 1 tsp.

3 pounds plum tomatoes such as Roma, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 head garlic, left whole
10 cups cubed (1-inch) country-style Italian bread (1 pound)
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
8 large eggs
2 cups coarsely grated chilled Italian Fontina (9 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
print a shopping list for this recipe

PreparationPreheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter a 3-quart shallow baking dish (about 13 by 9 inches).

Toss tomatoes in a bowl with herbes de Provence, 1 tablespoon oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, in a large heavy 4-sided sheet pan.

Cut off and discard 1/4 inch from top of garlic head to expose cloves, then put on a sheet of foil and drizzle with 1 teaspoon oil. Wrap garlic in foil and roast in pan with tomatoes until tomatoes are browned but still juicy and garlic is soft, 50 to 60 minutes. (Leave oven on.) Cool garlic to warm, then force through a medium-mesh sieve with a rubber spatula, discarding skins. Reserve purée

While garlic cooks, toss bread cubes in a large bowl with remaining oil until coated, then spread out in a large 4-sided sheet pan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Whisk together milk, cream, eggs, garlic purée, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in cheeses. Transfer bread to baking dish, then pour egg mixture over bread and add tomatoes, pushing some down between bread cubes. Bake until firm to the touch and golden brown in spots, 50 to 60 minutes.

I made Woodie's Pasta Salad yesterday; very good!

Woodie's Pasta Salad

1 lb small shell macaroni, cooked and drained
1/2 pound provolone cheese, diced
1/2 pound salami, diced
1/2 pound pepperoni, cut in half lengthwise then sliced into small half rounds
3 pounds tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 green or red pepper, diced
1 can black olives
1 jar pimento stuffed green olives
1 red onion, diced

DRESSING
3/4 cup oil
1/2 cup vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon basil
celery salt to taste

Mix dressing and pour over pasta, refrigerate until serving.

Peronal Note: I added fresh garlic and omitted the green olives.

I'm nopt a big fan of Rachel Ray, but Elery made a batch of her sweet potato and salmon cakes this weekend and even Ashley liked them. We left out the white wine and I woould have probably added less sweet potato but they were good. We didn't use the sauce or the arugula, we used a dill and mustard sauce that Elery threw together with some yogurt.

Salmon and Sweet Potato Cakes with Agrodolce Relish and Arugula
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

.Prep Time:15 minInactive Prep Time:--Cook Time:20 minLevel:
EasyServes:
4 servings.Ingredients
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into small chunks
Salt
3 (6-ounce) pieces salmon fillet
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, a palmful (recommended: Old Bay)
1 1/2 cups cracker crumbs (recommended: Saltines)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 scallions, finely chopped
3 to 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 small ribs celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 rounded teaspoon sugar
4 cups arugula or baby arugula leaves
Directions
Put the potatoes in a small pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Salt the water and cook until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, then return the potatoes to the pot and mash.

Meanwhile, put the salmon fillets in a skillet with the wine, bay leaf, and enough water to come up to the top of the fillets, but do not cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and poach until opaque about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the skin and transfer the salmon to a bowl. Flake the fish with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the mashed sweet potatoes to the bowl along with the seafood seasoning, half of the cracker crumbs, the egg, thyme, hot sauce, scallions, and dill. Mix to combine. The fish cake mixture needs to be just firm enough to mold into cakes. If its too wet, add a few more crumbs.

Heat 2 skillets, side by side, 1 with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (2 turns of the pan) over medium heat, the other with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (a turn of the pan) over medium-high heat. Form the salmon mixture into 4 (4-inch) patties, coat in the remaining crumbs, and then add them to the first pan. Cook the fish cakes until light golden, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Add the red onions, celery, and garlic to the second pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and cook 2 minutes more. Stir the vinegar into the sauce, then sprinkle the sugar over top and toss to coat the tomatoes. And arugula.

Arrange the fish cakes on individual serving plates alongside the arugula. Top with the agrodolce relish and serve.

Annie

Alexa, what other dishes did you serve with the chicken thighs?

I happen to have them on the billet for Tuesday, and have all the ingredients for that recipe.

I've made two recipes this month that were deemed keepers.
Blueberry Crumb Bars I broke up about 4 oz of cream cheese over the blueberries, before adding the crumb.

And these were yummy I only used 3/4 c brown sugar and used 1 1/4c Whole Wheat Pastry and 1 c AP.
Brown Sugar and Banana Muffins with Pecans

Terri

I made orzo with a splash of lemon juice and a little zest, green beans with a bit of oregano and Sharon's Watermelon Feta salad (without the mint). It was really yummy and even the Picky One ate without complaining.

A

I made steelmagnolia's Awesome Chicken Tenders to taek on my girl's weekend and they were truly awesome! All the girls loved them and there wasn't so much as a morsel leftover! Found some individual ranch dressing and honey mustard dipping sauces at Wally World and brought fresh fruit along, too.

Thanks, SM. I'll be making these again!

Linda

Yesterday I made a Smoked Trout Spread that everyone raved about. I preferred the smoked trout on its own but was greatly outnumbered.

I smoked the trout myself but that is not at all necessary, you can buy smoked trout for this recipe.

An interesting and different appetizer that I will be making often.

Smoked Trout Rillettes

4 oz unsalted butter
2 TBSP minced onion
8 oz skinless, boneless smoked trout fillets
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp lemon zest (I used a tsp maybe even more)
1 tsp kosher salt
ground white pepper (I used black)
2 TBSP finely chopped chives

Melt the butter and saute onions over medium low heat until soft but not browned.

Add the trout, wine, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cook stirring until the wine is almost totally absorbed. 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let come to room temp.

Transfer mixture to a bowl and add the chives. Mix with a wooden spoon until smooth. Adjust seasonings, place in ramekins and chill. Can be kept for up to 10 days.

I saw this on 'Cooking For Real' last week. It looked intersting & we had some fresh tomatillos waiting to be made into salsa for the Pat's game Thursday night. Normally, I use canned tomatillos but fresh looked good & were on sale for $.99/lb. (normally $2.99/lb. here). Anyway, if you can't find fresh you could use canned for this recipe...just roast the onion, jalapeno, & garlic then add warmed canned tomatillos when blending.

We aren't fond of lasagna or other red sauce pasta dishes but love Mexican. This sounded like an interesting dish & we really enjoyed it although it was a bit heavy considering the weather. We'll like it better this winter!

Maniladas with White Cheese and Roasted Tomatillo Sauces
Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package manicotti shells
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (we roasted a small chix & used about 3 cups cubed meat both white & dark)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup sour cream

For the Tomatillo sauce:

1 pound tomatillos, quartered
1 small red onion, quartered
1 jalapeno, halved
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
2 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil manicotti in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water and set pasta aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and mix in chicken, tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream. Set aside.

To make the Tomatillo Sauce:

Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a baking dish. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatillos turn golden around the edges and are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and blend ingredients together until smooth. Use reserved pasta water to thin sauce, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To make the cheese sauce:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add cheese and nutmeg and stir until melted. Season sauce with salt, to taste.

To assemble:

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Stuff manicotti tubes with chicken mixture and assemble in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Pour tomatillo sauce on Maniladas before serving.

/tricia

Tricia hat does sound good! What would you think about using tortillas instead of the shells....would it work?

I'm going to be making these crab cakes tomorrow. I saw the recipe online yesterday. They sound so good to me.

CRAB CAKES
1/3 cup mayonnaise (preferably flavored with
olive oil)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 large egg
1 pound lump crabmeat
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to
taste
1 cup bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, mix together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, Old Bay, parsley, scallions, and egg. Add crab meat, season with salt and pepper, and stir well.

Form crab cakes into a ball using about 1/4 cup of crab mixture for each cake. Dip the cakes into the breadcrumbs, flatten to about 1 inch high, and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

I'll let you know how they come out.

Shaun, I'll be interested to hear how your crab cakes turn out. I've only made them once and I didn't think they were all that good. I like your recipe because they're baked rather than fried.

I went to a friend's house today for lunch and she made a crab salad for us. It was really good, good enough that I looked it up online when I got home and have added it to my files so I can make it for my family.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Maryland Crab Cake Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons seafood seasoning
1 tablespoon capers -- drained
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat -- drained
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup seeded -- finely diced cucumber
1/2 cup minced green onion
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Japanese breadcrumbs (panko)
4 cups mixed salad greens

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. When crabmeat is evenly coated, fold in bell pepper, cucumber, and green onion.

Melt butter in a medium skillet. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring frequently, over high heat 4 minutes or until golden brown and toasted.

Serve crabmeat salad over mixed greens, and top each serving with toasted breadcrumbs.

4 Servings

Wine note: Pour a 2005 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, such as the 2005 Huia Sauvignon Blanc.

Coastal Living, JULY 2006

This is my take on one of my favorite tex-mex restaurants specials. When a friend suggested adding a little cheese at the end it really came together.

Pollo Marisco

These are approximate amounts of what I use. You don't have to measure anything. I never cook anything the same way twice. Adjust heat and ingredients as you see fit. Just don't get it too salty, you can add a little at the end.

2 chicken breasts pounded between saran wrap and seasoned with salt and pepper
Red onion and poblano pepper in equal parts about 1/2 cup total, specific amounts not too important
Serrano pepper, if you don't like spicy add more poblano or substitute bell pepper, red bell pepper makes the dish more attractive
1 clove garlic
3/4 cube of Knorr shrimp boullion, dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water, or substitute shrimp stock or seafood base
About a dozen medium shrimp, or however many you want, can add crawfish too
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

heat butter and olive oil in skillet
Cook chicken, don't overcook it, remove and wrap in tin foil. You can also grill the chicken and make the sauce separately.
add vegetables and saute for a couple of minutes
add wine and cook until almost dry
add shrimp and boullion, reduce by 1/2
add cream, boil for about a minute
turn off burner and add cheese, add enough to thicken sauce a little,
taste and adjust seasoning, salt, cayenne, whatever. I like it spicy.

Serve with flour tortillas and the usual suspects.

Becky, I'll let you know! Your recipe sounds delicious too! Saving that one, thanks for posting it.

I posted this over at the What's for Dinner Thread, but since it was a new recipe, figured I'd post it here too.

Avocado Bread-- the avocado added moistness but really, no discernable taste to my palate. Personally, I will NOT be making this agin.

This recipe was posted by Jen from the UK in another forum, but no source was given for the original recipe.
3/4 cup mashed ripe avocados
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp vanilla
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 9- x 5-inch loaf pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the loaf pan and set aside.

Mash the avocados and mix with the eggs, oil, and vanilla. Blend well. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Fold in the nuts. Bake for 1-1/2 hours. Cover the top loosely with foil after the first 30 minutes. Jen noted: You can use your favourite banana bread recipe and substitute with avocado.

{{gwi:1545423}}

Sharon, I'm sure the tortillas would work but you'd lose the the Italian/Mexican idea of the dish. The pasta & fontina are the Italian & the tomatillo sauce & chix seasonings are the Mexican. It was a good combo. If I were to make something similar using tortillas I'd use another cheese. It was really good, we'll definitely make it again.

/tricia

I made these fish tacos for dinner last night. The combination of flavors and textures was delicious. The mango salsa is to die for!

The recipe looks really long and complicated, but from start to finish I had dinner on the table in about 30 minutes. Very quick and easy!

The only thing I would change is the corn tortillas just didn't hold up to eating out of hand. I will make them again but use either flour or whole wheat tortillas next time.

Fish Tacos Recipe
From Simply Recipes

1 lb of very fresh fish fillets - (Good fish for tacos are firm fish like swordfish or shark)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 doz corn tortillas (3 tortillas per person)
Vegetable oil or butter (optional, depending on how you heat your tortillas)
Salsa - (See Mango Salsa Recipe.)
1 ripe Avocado
Cabbage (or iceberg lettuce)
Cider vinegar
Salt

1 Prepare the salsa. Either use store bought or make your own. (See above link for Mango Salsa, which is especially good with fish.)

2 Prepare the cabbage and avocado. Thinly slice cabbage. Put in a small serving bowl. Sprinkle with cider vinegar (about a Tbsp) and salt (about a tsp). Mix in the vinegar and salt. Peel avocado and remove seed. Chop and reserve for later.

3 Heat the tortillas. Unless you have made fresh tortillas from scratch, you will need to soften them somehow. One way to easily soften and heat a tortilla to simply heat it in the microwave for 20-25 seconds on high heat, on top of a napkin or paper towel to absorb the moisture that is released. We often will heat two tortillas at once in the microwave, heating them for a total of 40 seconds.

Another way is to heat a well seasoned (black) large cast iron skillet to medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spread a half a teaspoon of butter on one side of one tortilla. Place tortilla in the pan (butter side down if you are using butter). As the tortilla sizzles, flip the tortilla with a spatula so that the other side gets some of the oil or butter from the pan. Continue to flip every 10-30 seconds until the tortillas begins to develop air pockets, about a minute. If the pan begins to smoke, lower the temperature. You can skip the butter or oil if you wish and just heat the tortillas up on the skillet without them. We have found that the flavor of packaged tortillas benefits from heating them with a bit of oil.

Remove the tortilla from the pan and place it folded on a plate. If the pan is large enough you can prepare two or more tortillas at once. Continue until all the tortillas (estimate 3 per person) are cooked. Set aside.

4 Cook the fish. Soak the fish fillets in cold water for at least one minute. Pat dry with a paper towel. Heat a large stick-free skillet to medium high heat. Add a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to the skillet. Place fish on skillet. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillets. A thin fillet may take only one minute on each side to cook. A thicker fillet may take a couple of minutes. Fish should be still barely translucent when cooked. Break off a piece and test if you are not sure. Do not overcook the fish. Remove from pan when done to a separate plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5 Assembly. I think tacos are best when you assemble them yourself. Place the plate of tortillas, the plate of fish, the salsa, the cabbage, and the avocados on the table and let everyone assemble their own.

Serves four.

Linda

Was all set to make the crab cakes today and found out I had no Old Bay Seasoning. So the crab cakes are on hold til I buy some of it.

Ew Shaun! Old Bay is nothing special to begin with (I actually dislike it immensely) and I would sub any crab boil or cajun seasoning you have on hand and like.......

Alexa

I had Cajun Seasoning! I remember you saying you hated Old Bay. I like it.

I was wondering what I could sub for it....should have asked here.

I hated the crab cake recipe. What a waste of crab meat.

Maybe if it didnt have so much lemon zest it would have been just OK. The zest of ONE lemon was overkill! BLECH!

If I could delete the recipe from here I would.

We should start a thread of Recipes I made and HATED.

Shaun, too bad the crab cake recipe didn't turn out :-( The LA Times has a recipe this week for crab cakes too that look good, also baked rather than fried.

Where do you buy your crab? I look in our grocery stores, and all they have is the imitation Krab stuff. I've noticed packaged crab at Costco, pasteurized in a plastic container. Have you (or anybody else) ever tried it?

I tried a new recipe tonight that turned out well for broccoli with garlic sauce. The sauce was fabulous and I'll make it again. I also tried a new Mongolian Beef recipe which was just so-so, I won't be making it again. Just goes to show you that you can't win 'em all :-)

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Garlic Sauce

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chili sauce -- or according to taste (I use 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil
3 - 4 medium garlic cloves -- finely chopped (4 teaspoons - 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic)

Combine the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauces, rice wine or sherry, chili sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl, stirring to combine. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until aromatic (about 30 seconds).

Quickly restir the sauce, add it into the saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring. (This will take about a minute).

Re-stir the cornstarch/water mixture and add it to the sauce, stirring to thicken.

Use the sauce in stir-fry dishes.

Source:
"http://chinesefood.about.com/od/sauces/r/garlic-sauce.htm";
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NOTES : Made 8-20-10 Didn't saute garlic seperately, just mixed all ingredients together and heated until thickened.

Becky, I bought this lump crab meat in a can, near the tuna fish and canned salmon etc. That's where the lady in the video making this particular recipe said to buy it.

Way too much lemon. And I followed the recipes ingredients pretty close; except I didnt use Old Bay Seasoning, I used the Cajun Seasoning instead. Everything else was measured exactly.

That canned lump crab meat was almost $10 a can too. Yikes!

Becky, the Costco crab that comes in the plastic container, by the cheeses and stuff, is what I use to make crab cakes and its great. I recall it coming in a can in lump crab and blue fin varieties.

It's unlike the crab that comes in the small can at the supermarket, which I find too fishy.

Sue

Hey there everyone, How to you keep/store the roasted tomatoes?????? I want to try some today. Does anyone have a great recipe that you make with them?

Karen

Sorry Bubblebeez, I see that you said they freeze well. I guess I should read better!

Thanks

Karen

We're suffering from a beastly heatwave that's just gone on and on and on with no end in sight. This has become my new fave this summer since it's a 'twofer' involving minimal cook time.

The first day, I boil shrimp (preparing a lb. or so more than we'll eat for dinner) and make extra sauce also. Sometimes we grill a steak and have shrimp cocktail appetizers, and sometimes we just make a meal of the shrimp. The next day, leftovers are turned into a really delicious main course salad.

SHRIMP PASTA SAlAD

For the salad, combine the following, mixing well:

3 cups spiral pasta, cooked according to pkg. directions,
rinsed with cold water and drained well
1 large celery rib, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 green onions, sliced thinly (I include white & green)
10-12 cherry tomatoes, stems removed and halved
minced Italian parsley, to taste
1 lb. cooked shrimp (if large, chop to bite-sized)

For the sauce, whisk the following ingredients together until well-blended:

1/3 cup cocktail sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing/dip
1 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
kosher salt, to taste (you may not think it needs any)
freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Taste and adjust seasonings. (Note: I make my cocktail sauce with a ton of horseradish, and it really adds a lot of flavor to this dish. Also, homemade ranch dressing instead of sto' bought makes a big difference.)

Mix ONLY AS MUCH SAUCE AS NEEDED with salad ingredients -- but don't discard any that's left over! If you serve it soon after mixing, adding all the sauce might make it a little soupy. You'll probably want to use somewhere around 3/4ths of it. But the pasta will continue to soak it up, so if you refrigerate for a few hours, you may need to mix in a little more before serving. Same thing if eating leftovers the next day -- a little extra dribble of sauce may be good.

This makes a wonderful lunch or light dinner. I usually serve it on a bed of lettuce, often with wedges of hard-boiled eggs on the side. Garlic cheese toast or bruschetta and a glass of wine. YUM!

Tonight I made a Lobster Risotto that was worthy of sharing. I will mention that I cut the cream in half for a couple of reasons. I only had 1 qt in the house and I didn;t think we really needed to have more than that anyway! I took a photo and it is on the current WFD thread. My changes are in parentheses

Lobster Risotto

4 servings.

Ingredients
1 (3 to 5-pound) live lobster
1 white onion, chopped fine, plus 1 white onion, finely chopped
7 garlic cloves, minced
Olive oil, for sauteing
3 cups white wine
2 quarts heavy whipping cream (I used 1 qt and subbed water and a little more wine for the other)
2 cups arborio rice
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon pepper
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Directions
Cut lobster by piercing the middle of the skull and continue to cut through to the tail. Clean the inside thoroughly.

Saute 1 of the onions and the garlic together in olive oil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the lobster halves and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the lobster turns a light red color. Remove the lobster. Pull the meat out of the shell, roughly chop and place in the refrigerator. Return the shells to the pan. At this time, deglaze the pan with 2 1/2 cups of the white wine. Add the cream and let cook uncovered until the cream reduces to 3 cups and turns a light red/orange color, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove the shells.

Saute the remaining onion in a saucepan in olive oil for 3 minutes, or until transparent. Add the arborio rice and stir for 1 minute. Deglaze with the remaining 1/2 cup white wine and cook until wine is almost completely absorbed.

Pour in enough water to just cover the rice. Cook until al dente, about 15 minutes. Add the rice to the lobster sauce and cook down for 15 minutes, or until the rice is creamy and tender. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon desired amount of risotto and place the lobster on top. Garnish with parsley. (I mixed the lobster in to reheat it since it had been in the fridge)

This is fully a "shortcut" recipe, but it is still really good. I was looking for quick and simple, had the ingredients on hand. I added 1/2 cup of brownie chunks and reduced the almonds to 1/2 cup. It was like having a complete dessert (a brownie, topped with ice cream, and a sip of coffee) in every bite!! P.S. I have really enjoyed all the brownie and ice cream recipes in this book.

Almond Cappuccino Ice Cream
(Maxwell House® Coffee Drinks and Desserts Cookbook: From Lattes and Muffins to Decadent Cakes and Midnight Treats)

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
2 packages cappuccino mix
1 cup chopped almond, toasted

Blend and freeze according to your manufacturer's directions.