Lime and Coconut Chicken

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lime and Coconut Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Marinade:
½ cup coconut milk
3 Tbsps. oil
zest of 1 lime
2 Tbsps. sugar
2 Tbsps. soy sauce
2 tsps. curry powder
1 ½ tsps. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
pinch cayenne
1 small Serrano chile

Garnish:
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
fresh lime wedges

Trim fat from chicken breasts.  Starting on thick side of the breasts, slice the chicken breasts in half.  Place each chicken piece between two pieces of plastic wrap.  Using a small heavy pan, bottle or smooth meat mallet, lightly pound out each breast into even thickness.

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large Ziploc bag.  Add the chicken, and marinate, in the fridge, for up to two hours.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off excess marinade.  Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil.  Boil for at least two minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

In a large heavy non-stick skillet, heat a bit of oil over medium-high heat.  Working in batches, place the chicken in the hot pan and cook without turning for about two minutes.  Turn chicken and cook until the other side is golden, one to two minutes.  Remove chicken to a warm plate and cover with foil as you cook the remaining chicken.  Serve with the boiled marinade and sprinkled with the chopped cilantro and freshly squeezed lime juice.

Serves 4

Roasted Beet Salad

Roasted Beet Salad

2 medium to large beets, any variety
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups baby salad greens
1 to 2 tablespoons soft goat cheese, or feta cheese
1 teaspoon thyme leaves, minced
extra virgin olive oil
good balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375°.

Peel beets and slice about 1/4" thick. Place sliced beets on a foil covered baking pan; drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until beets are tender and starting to brown.

Remove from oven and let cool to room temperature.

Divide the salad greens onto two salad plates. Arrange beet slices on top of greens. Crumble goat cheese or feta over the beets. Sprinkle with thyme. 

Drizzle each salad with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately

Red, White and Blue Cobbler

Red, White and Blue Cobbler

1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Place the berries in a lightly greased 8" casserole; sprinkle with the lime juice.

Combine the flour, sugar, salt and egg until crumbly; sprinkle evenly on top of the berries.

Pour the melted butter over all and bake in a 375° oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream (This is the white part of the red, white and blue) 

Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie

Crust:
18 whole graham crackers (two sleeves)
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 tablespoon, (heaping) lime zest
1/2 cup lime juice
2 large egg yolks
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust:
Crush crackers in a food processor or Ziploc bag. Pour into a bowl and stir in sugar and melted butter. Press crumbs into a pie pan and bake for 5 minutes or until golden and set. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

(Can be made ahead, cooled and covered until ready to fill and bake. Just reheat in the oven 2-3 minutes before adding filling.)

For the filling:
Mix lime zest, lime juice, and egg yolks in a mixing bowl. Add the condensed milk and mix on high until smooth and thick. Pour mixture into crust and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour...more if possible. Serve with sweetened whipped cream and lime slices to garnish.

Swedish 3 Layer Bars

Swedish 3 Layer Bars
 
First Layer:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 cups flour
pinch salt

Second Layer:
4 eggs
4 tablespoons flour
1 pound light brown sugar
pinch salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts
8 ounces coconut

Third Layer:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 pound confectioner's sugar

Directions

First layer:
Mix all ingredients until crumbly; press into a 15x10" jelly roll pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes.

Second layer:
Beat eggs; add flour, sugar and salt and beat to combine. Stir in vanilla, nuts and coconut. Spread over bottom later. Bake for 15 minutes at 300 degrees. Turn oven to 350 degrees and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until set. Cool completely.

Third layer:
Beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioner's sugar. Spread on top of cooled bars. Chill in fridge for at leat an hour. Cut into very small bars.

Yield: 80 bars

Hello Dollies

Hello Dollies

1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 3 ounce can flaked coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups pecan pieces
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix butter and crumbs; press firmly in a 9" square pan. 

Add a layer each of coconut, chocolate chips, and pecans. Pour condensed milk over top. 

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the nuts on top are nicely browned. 

Cool completely before cutting into small squares.

Note: The Hello Dollies are in the center of the plate.  The other bars are the mincemeat bars in the recipe below.

Mincemeat Bars

Mincemeat Bars
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3 tablespoons hot water
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1 9 oz. package mincemeat, broken up
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons hot milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Combine butter, brown sugar, eggs, molasses, and vanilla; mix thoroughly. 
 
Sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir into sugar mixture. 
 
Stir in hot water; mix well. 

Next stir in almonds, raisins, and mincemeat. Mix well. 

Spread into 2 greased 8x12 pans. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 16 minutes.
  
Remove pans to wire racks. 

Combine confectioners sugar, hot milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Spread over hot bars and cool completely. 

Cut into small bars and store in an airtight container.

Note: The mincemeat bars are the ones on the outer edge of the plate.  The bars in the center are Hello Dollies (Recipe will be posted)

Butterscotch Pie

Butterscotch Pie

1 9 inch pie shell, baked and cooled
2 1.4 oz Skor or Heath bars, chopped

FILLING:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup boiling water
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING:
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
2 teaspoons bourbon
1 1.4 oz Skor or Heath bar, chopped

Sprinkle two chopped Skor bars in the bottom of cooled pie sheel; set aside.

FILLING:
Whisk together milk, cornstarch, and salt for slurry in a bowl; set aside.

Brown 10 tablespoons butter for the filling in a saute' pan over medium heat, 10 to 15 minutes, or until brown flecks appear in the butter. This will provide a toasty nutty flavor. Add brown sugar and golden syrup; bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, whisk in boiling water until smooth, boil 1 minute more.

Whisk slurry into sugar mixture and increase heat to medium-high. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture comes to a boil, about 5 minutes; cook 1 minute more and remove from heat.

Drizzle 1 cup of butterscotch into the 4 egg yolks to temper, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and gradually whisk tempered mixture back into filling. Simmer filling 1 minute to thicken, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour filling into pie shell.

Press plastic wrap onto filling to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature, then chill overnight.

TOPPING:
Beat heavy cream to soft peaks in a bowl with a hand mixer on medium. Add 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar and 2 teaspoons bourbon, beating until combined.

Top pie with the whipped cream and garnish with the remaining chopped Skor bar. Chill until ready to serve.

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/16 teaspoon ground cloves
1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 (15 ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin

Sugar syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water

Cinnamon Sugar:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices; add to egg mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition.

Transfer batter to a greased 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool the cake for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. While cake is baking, combine the sugar and water for the sugar syrup; heat in a small saucepan over medium heat, or in a small microwave safe bowl in the microwave; stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Combine the remaining sugar with the cinnamon; set aside.

After removing cake from pan, brush hot cake with the sugar syrup, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar onto the cake. Let the cake cool completely before serving.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff

1 pound beef tenderloin
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 medium onion, minced
1 can condensed beef broth (Campbell's)
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup sour cream
3 cups hot cooked noodles (3 to 4)

Cut meat across the grain into 1/2" strips, about 1 1/2 " long. Melt butter in large skillet. Add mushrooms and onions; cook and stir until onion is tender, then remove from skillet. In same skillet, cook meat until light brown. Reserving 1/3 cup of the broth, stir in remaining broth, the catsup, garlic and salt. Cover; simmer 15 minutes.

Blend reserved broth and flour; stir into meat mixture. Add mushrooms and onions. Heat to boiling; stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat. Stir in sour cream; heat. Serve over noodles.