Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Carribean style MoJo fondue

5 1/4 cups vegetable or chicken bouillon
1/4 cup orange juice, fresh-squeezed
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. jerk seasoning
2 Tbsp. black pepper, cracked
2 Tbsp. lime juice, fresh-squeezed
1 Tbsp. minced garlic

Combine ingredients in saucepan. On stove top, bring to boil. Transfer to fondue pot with alternative heat source.
Cook meat, veggies until done to your liking. INCREDIBLE!

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Artichoke Heart Strata

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 1/4 cups chopped onions
2 15 ounce cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
9 eggs beaten
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
salt to taste

Oven: 350 35-40 minutes. 10-12 servings. Melt butter. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the melted butter with the bread crumbs. Saute the onions in remaining butter. Combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients. Pour into an ungreased 13x9 inch pan. At this point you may refrigerate overnight or to continue top strate with reserved bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Fresh Berry Soup

1 Quart fresh orange juice
4 cups of any combination of yogurt, buttermilk or sour cream
1 Tablespoon of honey (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of Nutmeg
1 1/2 Pints fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, etc.)

Whisk together everything except berries. Chill thoroughly. Wash and drain berries. Blueberries or raspberries should be left whole. Large strawberries should be sliced. When ready to serve, divide berries into individual serving bowls. Ladle the soup on top. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Valentines Day English Scones (more pink than red)

Pre-heat 400 degrees
1 ¾ c flour
3 tbls sugar
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 c butter (firm)
1 large egg
½ c craisins
4 to 6 tbls half-and-half
2-3 drops red food coloring (if desired)
Additional half-and-half
Crystal sugar

Mix 1 ¾ c flour, 3 tbls sugar, 2 ½ tsp baking powder, and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Cut in 1/3c butter until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in 1 egg, and ½ c craisins. Mix half-and-half and food coloring in small bowl. Stir in enough of the 4-6 tbls half-and-half mixture so dough leaves sides of the bowl.

Put dough on floured surface and knead 10 times. Shape into an 8 inch circle and place into ungreased pie plate. Cut into slices (like a pizza), but do not separate (At this point you can shape these into hearts. Points towards the center, outsides into 2 humps.). Brush top with half-and-half and sprinkle with crystal sugar.

Bake 14-16 minutes until golden brown. Take out of pie plate, separate, serve warm or cold.

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

FRUIT SALSA & CINNAMON CHIPS
Preheat: 475
Bake: 5-7 min.
FRUIT SALSA:
2 med. Apples (chopped)
1 cup Strawberries (sliced)
1 Kiwi (chopped)
1 small Orange
2 TBS. Brown Sugar
2 TBS. Apple Jelly

CHIPS:
2 lrg. Flour Tortillas
Spray Water
1 TBS. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Lightly spray tortillas with water from a spraybottle. Combine sugar & cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Cut tortillas into 8 wedges & place on cookie sheet. Bake.

Peel & chop apples. Chop strawberries & kiwi also. Zest & juice orange. Combine fruit, orange zest, orange juice, brown sugar & apple jelly.
Serve together!

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Butterflied Chicken with
Lemon and Rosemary

1 butterflied chicken or approximately 3-4 lbs. of whole chicken pieces (breasts, thighs, whatever you like)
3 long strips of rosemary
Juice of 1 lemon with 1-2 more lemons to serve
1 red onion, cut into large pieces
6 T of olive oil
1 t. of salt

1. Put chicken into a large Ziploc freezer bag. Pull the needles off two of the sprigs of rosemary and drop them on top.
2. Juice a lemon and put juice in bag, dropping the rinds in afterward, as well. Add the olive oil and then close the bag. Marinate the chicken for at least a couple of hours or overnight. Marinating for a couple of days yields incredible results!
3. Preheat oven to 425°. With chicken at room temperature, lay chicken (skin side up) along with the lemon rinds and onion pieces, on a foil-lined pan. Add remaining sprig of rosemary torn into a few pieces and tuck into leg and breast of chicken.
4. Cook for 45 minutes. The chicken should be crisp-skinned and tender within. Take the pan out and cut chicken into four pieces. Arrange on a large plate along with onion bits.
5. Pour over any juices from the pan and sprinkle with salt. Cut a lemon or two into quarters or slices and squeeze some of the juice onto the chicken. Place the lemon quarters around the plate for decoration. Sprinkle the teaspoon of salt over the chicken. Serve!

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Shrimp Cristoforo

Make basil butter in a large, deep fry pan:

2 cubes of butter (You can use 1, but it tastes better with two and there’s more sauce.)
2 bunches of fresh basil
1-2 cloves of garlic
¼ t. of salt
¼ t. of pepper
3 T of Parmesan cheese (Freshly shredded, not grated. I put a lot more than 3 Tbsp.)
1 T of Romano cheese (can leave this out)

1. Melt basil butter over medium heat.
2. Add shrimp and sauté just until done—about 2 or 3 minutes.
3. Serve over angel hair pasta.

Red/ Special Occasion Recipe

Raspberry Pretzel Stuff
Crust
4 cup's pretzels (before crushing)
3/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp. sugar
Melt butter, add sugar, add crushed pretzels, press into the bottom of greased 9X13 pan, Bake 10 min. at 350*
Filling
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 large Cool Whip
Beat cream cheese and sugar well, fold in cool whip. Spread on cooled crust.
Topping
1 (6oz.) package raspberry jello
2 sm. pkgs frozen raspberries
2 cups boiling water
Add 2 cups boiling water to jello; mix well. Add raspberries to jello mixture. Cool jello mixture until thick. Pour or spoon over cream cheese mixture and set until firm.

February 21, 2007

This months theme is your favorite "special occasion" recipe, or your favorite "red" recipe. Club will be held at 7:30pm at Chalyce Valgardson's home.