Coconut Shrimp

On Halloween night, my husband and I hid away at my mother's house. Mainly because she gets a limited number of trick-or-treaters (and when I say limited I mean she got about 50 kids), whereas in my neighborhood we get into the 100s. I live in a townhouse community, so it's insane the amount of kids that come knocking on the door. One year we stayed home to give out candy. I probably spent about $60 on candy and ran out in two hours. We then had to hid upstairs with the lights off in the hopes that they would stop ringing the doorbell! In addition to that, opening and closing the door to service these little costumed bands of children is made even that more difficult by the fact that I have three cats. Let me add to that, three cats who like to try to escape every time the front door lingers open. Not a good combination. So, we went to my mother's, handed out candy and cooked up some finger foods to munch on. Among those, was this Coconut Shrimp that I found at Food Network .

Instead of frying them like the recipe calls for, we baked them. It was less messy and better for you as well. The coconut flavor was perfect and we baked them on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the coconut coating was crisp and beginning to brown.

The only thing we really didn't like about this recipe was the accompanying dipping sauce. The orange marmalade was way too potent and just didn't go well with the shrimp. Next time, I may make some kind of pineapple or mango puree sauce instead. Other than that though, the shrimp were crispy and tasty. Enjoy!

Neely's Jumbo Coconut Shrimp
The Neelys, Food Network

Peanut oil, for frying
1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder
Zesty Dipping Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Butterfly shrimp and set aside.

In medium bowl mix together panko and coconut. In another medium bowl beat eggs and dash of salt and pepper. In a third bowl mix flour, onion and garlic powder together. Dredge shrimp in flour, then eggs, then the bread crumbs.

Place in preheated deep-fryer and fry, in batches, until crisp and golden brown; 2 to 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Serve hot with Zesty Dipping Sauce on the side.

Zesty Dipping Sauce:

1 (6-ounce) jar orange marmalade
1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
1 lime, juiced
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

Caramel Pumpkin Seeds with Macadamia Nuts

I know these are a bit late, since Halloween is now over, but I just had to share because they were so tasty. Be warned though, eating too many pumpkin seeds may do a number on your stomach.

I found the hulls a bit rough to digest even though they are edible - and these sticky little morsels are so easy to overindulge on that you may find your stomach seed-filled before you know it. I thought this was a great alternative to traditional roasted pumpkin seeds and I'll definitely be making this easy recipe again next year. And I have to say, I normally don't find many of Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade recipes enticing, but once in a while she has a zinger that really intrigues me. This is one of those times and I'm glad I went with my instincts on this one. Sandra hit a semi-homemade home run here. Enjoy!

Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds
Sandra Lee, Semi-Homemade, www.foodnetwork.com

1/2 cup butterscotch caramel sauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon extract

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups pumpkin seeds, roasted

1 cup almonds, crushed (I used macadamia nuts because it's all I had around)


Lightly coat baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.


In a large skillet, slowly melt the caramel sauce and sugar. When melted stir in cinnamon extract and cayenne. Continue cooking until mixture reaches a temperature of 310 degrees F. Stir in pumpkin seeds until completely coated. Spread caramelized seeds onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with crushed almonds. Separate seeds with wooden spoon until cooled.


Cook's Notes:

Melted sugar is very hot. Please use extreme caution when handling and pouring. Pumpkin seeds may be purchased already roasted. If using the seeds from a jack-o-lantern, rinse and clean seeds. Place on a baking sheet, lightly coated with cooking spray, in a preheated 250 degree F oven. Roast seeds for about 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes. The actual seed of the pumpkin is inside the hull. The hull is edible.

Fall at Longwood Gardens

We took a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania a few weekends ago to see their pumpkin display and check out the fall foliage. If you live nearby, it's a great place to walk through on a beautiful, sunny day. They have tons of gardens and a grand conservatory with a myriad of flowers, plus a topiary garden and in the summer and spring, an elaborate fountain garden dances for visitors. Here are a few pics from our recent visit.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

I can't believe I haven't made some version of this soup sooner! Why? Well simply because I just love butternut squash. It's not only a fabulous fall vegetable, but it packs so many vitamins and minerals into each sweet spoonful. It's like superfood! And these days, everyone can use a little of that.

My recipe below is kind of a hybrid of a couple of versions I've seen out there. But I can namely give inspirational credit to the butternut squash recipes on both the Jenn Cuisine blog and La Tartine Gourmande's blog .

And, at the risk of sounding trite, I can safely say that this recipe was taste-tested and approved by my husband, who is not a fan of sweet root vegetables, ie sweet potatoes, butternut squash etc. but he really liked this soup, which made me feel good. I think the salty crunch of pancetta on the top helped...meat is truly the way to my man's heart for sure! Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup


1 medium-sized butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
1 large sweet potato
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 vidalia onion, diced
3 to 4 medium-sized carrots, shredded
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter (ok, I probably actually added more like 4, but I was trying to appear conservative here)
about 1/4 cup of chopped sage leaves (I didn't measure so I'm guesstimating here. I love the taste of sage, so I used a lot. You can certainly use less, like 1/8 cup if you think 1/4 cup will be too much for your taste. Or you can subsitute fresh thyme if you prefer.)
1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how hot you like it)
pinch of nutmeg
1 bay leaf
5 cups water
salt and pepper
crispy pancetta for garnishing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place your two squash halves, skin side down, alongside your whole sweet potato onto a baking sheet. Drizzle the exposed squash flesh with a tablespoon of your olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rub oil on your sweet potato as well and then season it with salt and pepper. Roast the vegetables in the oven for an hour or until soft and fully cooked. Once cooked remove from the oven and scrape the soft flesh away from the skins of the vegetables. Puree the squash and potato in a blender or food processor.
Meanwhile, while squash is roasting, you can heat up your remaining olive oil and butter. Once the butter and oil are melted together, add your onions, shredded carrots and garlic. Let cook until slightly softened. Add in your sage, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and bay leaf and saute a bit longer. Finally add in your water and season with salt and pepper. Allow the flavors to mingle and simmer together, then add in your root vegetable puree.
At this point, you can serve the soup as is or you can puree the entire thing in a food processor or blender in small batches and then return to the soup pot. I like a smooth soup, so I took the puree route. If you find your soup is too thick after pureeing it, simply add more water, but remember to reseason appropriately with salt and pepper after doing so or your soup may lack flavor. Serve hot topped with crispy bacon or pancetta bits. The salty/sweet combo will give your tastebuds another reason to love fall's cornucopia of flavors!

Barefoot Bloggers: Blue Cheese Souffle

Do souffles remind anyone else of Superman the Movie?? Remember that scene where Lois tries to make a souffle and it falls the minute she takes it out of the oven? Then Superman saves it with a simple touch or look or something like that. Fortunately, I didn't have a need for Superman's souffle puffing touch - mine turned out pretty, puffy and tasty. However, souffle still confuses me a bit.

Or maybe I should say, savory souffles confuse me a bit. Sweet souffles I get - they are dessert and they fit neatly into the dessert category. Where do savory souffles go though? Breakfast, lunch, side dish, bread course, main course?? I wasn't really sure how to serve this. Considering I don't usually make elaborate lunches, lunch was out. I guess I could have made this for a weekend breakfast, but I don't think my husband would be too happy about giving up his traditional grand slam for a souffle.

So I served this Barefoot Bloggers recipe for dinner as a side dish with some homemade butternut squash soup (which I'll post tomorrow). This seemed to work out well although when my husband dug into the little ramekin his first question was, "What is this? Eggs?". He wasn't completely sold. I can't say I was either. I mean the souffles were tasty enough, but they just seemed kind of pointless and odd. The egginess was a little weird for both of us. And truth be told, I don't really like eggs except for breakfast and once in a while in the occassional quiche. I liked the cheese flavor, but I think in conclusion I'm just not a fan of souffles in general. Oh well, c'est la vie! They do photograph well however, n'est ce pas?
Sorry for the intermittent French - I couldn't resist :) Enjoy!


Blue Cheese Souffle
Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup scalded milk
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne pepper
Pinch nutmeg
4 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
3 ounces good Roquefort cheese, chopped
5 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Butter the inside of an 8-cup souffle dish (7 1/2 inches in diameter and 3 1/4 inches deep) and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. With a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the hot milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, and nutmeg. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, until smooth and thick.

Off the heat, while still hot, whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time. Stir in the Roquefort and the 1/4 cup of Parmesan and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Put the egg whites, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed for 1 minute, on medium speed for 1 minute, then finally on high speed until they form firm, glossy peaks.

Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the cheese sauce to lighten and then fold in the rest. Pour into the souffle dish, then smooth the top. Draw a large circle on top with the spatula to help the souffle rise evenly, and place in the middle of the oven. Turn the temperature down to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (don't peek!) until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Mexican Quiche

I threw this recipe together one evening by basically cleaning out my fridge and pantry. I knew I wanted something with Mexican flavors, but I wasn't feeling the usual fajitas or quesadillas. I had some leftover homemade pie crusts in the freezer and it dawned on me - Mexican quiche! Why not? I combined sausage, black beans, spinach, cheese, salsa, onions, peppers and spices to come up with a pretty hearty pie. It's not a traditional quiche by any means - it uses far less eggs than a usual quiche, which uses twice or three times the amount of eggs that I did. But it still fit the bill to satisfy my Mexican craving and it provided perfect leftovers for lunch the next two days. Enjoy! Oh and sorry for the lame photo. I was too lazy to set up my light box and too hungry to shoot again. Oh well. You get the idea.

Mexican Quiche

1 pie crust (store bought or homemade)
3 links of sausage (your choice - turkey, pork or chicken), casings removed
1 small onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped (I think I really used more like 4 but I'm a garlic fiend)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can black beans, drained
1 10oz package of frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups of cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup salsa (your choice, I used ChiChi's mild)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin (You can use less if cumin isn't your thing - I like it nicely spiced though)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional for heat)
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half (you can use milk if you like)
sour cream (for garnish)
chopped chives or scallions (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
First, lay out your pie crust in a deep dish pie plate - and I mean deep dish, this is one thick quiche.
Next, brown your sausage and then drain and let cool on paper towels. In a skillet, saute your onions, peppers and garlic with the olive oil. Once softened, remove to a large bowl. Add your sausage and the rest of your ingredients, except your eggs and half and half.
Mix the sausage, bean, spinach, cheese and onion mixture well and disperse the salsa and spices evenly throughout the mixture. Dump the mixture into your pie plate. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and half and half. Pour the mixture over top of your quiche and distribute evenly.
Place your quiche in a preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour or until eggs are set. Keep an eye on out to prevent burning or over baking. Remove and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkling or chopped chives or scallions. Ole!

Chicken Milanese Panino

Don't be intimidated! That's just a fancy way to say, "Fried Chicken Sandwich". It's also, a fancy way to make it as well, or at least it looks fancier than your typical fried chicken sandwich.

First, I breaded the chicken in flour, egg and then a parmesan/bread crumb mixture. Then I pan fried it olive oil until juicy and tender. I heated my beautiful Mario Batali Panini Press and went to work constructing my paninis.
I used some soft, pre-sliced sourdough bread from my store's bakery. Try to look for large slices of bread - they make the best paninis because the large surface area helps keep the sandwich together and avoids having to stack your ingredients too high between the bread.

I generously spread pesto sauce on both slices of bread. Then I layered on the fillings - roasted red peppers, provolone cheese and my breaded chicken.
I oiled my hot panini press by brushing the bottom and the heavy cast iron lid with olive oil. Then I put my sandwiches in, enjoyed the sizzle, and placed the lid on top. I kept an eye on them to prevent burning and flipped them once in the process, since the top lid never gets as hot as the bottom pan.
These were delicious - the sweet roasted peppers, nutty pesto, breaded chicken and rich provolone were a great combination. I served them with bowls of soup, but they could have easily made a meal in themselves.

So get creative! Heat up your panini press - or get a large brick from the hardware store - and throw together some good ingredients. You'll be saying "Panini's ready" in no time! Enjoy!