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Monday, March 18, 2024

Meatless Monday

 

Asparagus -One of Spring's First 
Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with a Lemon Herb Vinaigrette Cook's Notes: A fresh, healthy, and incredibly delicious salad that's satisfying while at the same time, light. It's a quick and easy meal to make. The beauty is that it can be enjoyed cold, at room temperature, or warm. Pair the salad with warm bread and a glass of crisp white wine. The recipe serves four and was adapted from http://gimmesomeoven.com/

Cooking Tips:
Dressing can be made ahead and refrigerated in a screw-type jar for several hours. Reshake before using.
Grill or oven-bake salmon ahead, and tent it to keep it at room temperature.
Make orzo ahead according to the manufacturer's directions. Rinse and refrigerate orzo and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Salad Ingredients:
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • Fresh salmon 3/4 lb.
  • 8 oz. asparagus spears, (tough ends discarded) cut into 3-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or pistachios
  • 1/3-1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • Optional; 1 cup cherry tomatoes. halved
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Lemon Herb Dressing Ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon each dried dill and parsley flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
  • Make orzo and cook al dente. Rinse and chill in refrigerate.
  • In a blender add all of the dressing ingredients. Mix well and taste test to balance ingredients. Refrigerate dressing until needed.
  • Grill salmon with your favorite spices or oven-bake. Tent salmon until ready to assemble the salad.
  • In a fry pan heat oil and saute cut asparagus pieces for 4-5 minutes until crisp and tender.
  • In a large mixing bowl add chilled orzo, large chunks of salmon, pine nuts, onions, and sauteed pieces of asparagus. Add to a serving bowl and grate cheese over the top.
  • Reshake the dressing container and drizzle over the salad. Note: There will be a little extra but save for the next day as orzo absorbs any liquid.



Sunday, March 17, 2024

Adding Joy to Your Day

 SHAMROCK COOKIES

The recipe is adapted from Southern Living and makes 22 cookies using a small 3-inch cookie cutter.
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of softened butter (2 sticks)
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 large egg
  • 2-1/4 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone pad.
  • Beat softened butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, add in egg and beat until well blended.
  • Combine flour, salt, and baking powder and add to butter mixture, beating just until blended.
  • Refrigerate dough for 1 hour or in the freezer for 30 minutes.
  • Work with enough dough to roll out for 2-3 cookies at a time.
  • Place cookies two inches apart on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
  • Cool on a baking sheet for 3 minutes and transfer to a wire baking rack to cool.

Icing 

Ingredients:
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and almond extract 
  • Milk as needed 
Directions:
  • Beat ingredients until smooth adding in tablespoons of milk until right consistency.


Friday, March 15, 2024

It's One Lucky Friday

Dear Readers.
This is your lucky weekend. Ever Ready has baked and cooked a few Irish-themed foods so you are ready for St. Patrick's Day.  
Bailey's Butterscotch Brownies
Recipe adapted from tastykitchen.com
Ingredients:
For the brownies
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2/3 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant coffee granules (I used espresso powder)
  • 1/3 cup Baileys (or other similar brand) Irish Cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 oz. 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate bar chopped (I used 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate but a Semi-Sweet Chocolate bar would also work) in small pieces,
  • 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup butterscotch chips
Directions:
  • Preheat oven to 375 and line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil and allow the foil to hang over 2 opposite edges. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  • In the bowl mix the eggs to break them up. Add in the sugar, coffee granules or espresso powder, Baileys, and vanilla. Beat for 6 minutes.
  • Place the butter in a small saucepan, Add broken pieces of chocolate and melt on low, whisking a few times. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa powder.
  • Gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, whisk the flour mixture in and gently mix. Fold in the butterscotch chips.
  • Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake brownies in the preheated oven for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool pan on a wire rack. Remove brownies from the foil when cooled. The top part will be a little crackly but all is good with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
Irish Salad 
Cook's Notes: 
This is an original creation as I was trying to replicate a salad with Irish colors of green and gold.  I made a honey poppy seed dressing for the salad. 
You can increase ingredients depending on how many servings you need. This salad served 4. Avocados brown quickly so make sure to slice right before serving.
Salad Ingredients: 
  • 4 cups mixed greens
  • 3 cuties (orange segments)
  • 1 large avocado
  • 1 medium-sized cucumber 
  • Options include dried cranberries for color and seasoned croutons  
Honey Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Cook's Notes: Always use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
 Ingredients
  • Juice of 1 ½ lemons (about ⅓ cup )
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons honey (use maple syrup for vegan)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Directions:
  • In a blender add the lemon juice, Dijon, honey, minced garlic, and sea salt. Blend on low and then slowly add in the oil. The dressing will turn creamy. Whisk in the poppy seeds.
  • This dressing will keep well in your fridge for at least a week. Store it in a jar and shake before using.
Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Cook's Notes: These muffins are a fun twist on a beloved Irish staple. Instead of the classic round loaf, this sweeter version is baked in a muffin pan studded with Irish Whiskey soaked raisins and sprinkled with crunchy coarse sugar. 
The recipe is from cafesucrefarine.com and makes 12 muffins. 
Ingredients:
  • 6 tablespoons butter (I use salted)
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour You can also use 1½ cups of all-purpose flour combined with ¾ cup of whole wheat or white whole wheat flour.
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (I use Morton)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
  • 1 cup raisins or currants
  • 4 tablespoons Irish Whiskey
  • Coarse sugar ( I used Wilton sparkling sugar found at Michael or Joann)  
Directions: 
  • Measure out whiskey in a small cup and add raisins or currants. Soak for 15 minutes. Drain and discard any liquid.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. 
  • In a microwave-safe bowl melt the butter on high power for 60b seconds. Add the buttermilk and stir well then add the egg and whisk in vanilla. 
  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and currants (or raisins).
  • Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the buttermilk mixture. It will seem like too much flour, at first. Keep mixing, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl just until all of the flour is incorporated. Don’t over-mix!
  • Divide the dough among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle each with a scant ½ teaspoon of course sugar. Bake for 18  minutes until the muffins are nicely domed and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes then remove muffins from the pan to a cooling rack.
  • Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve them plain, or with butter and/or jam.
And don't forget the Irish Stew
Recipe previously posted.
https://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2024/03/irish-stew.html

OH HAPPY DAY!


Tuesday, March 12, 2024

A Lucky No Bake Day

Tired of baking? How about some no-bake all things green and gold for a little bit of luck?

Still, waiting around for a leprechaun to appear with his pot of gold?  Follow the link below for easy directions to make your own pot of gold and wait no more.

https://www.createcraftlove.com/diy-pot-of-gold/

These charcuterie boards have tasty mouth-watering morsels with no baking required.


Shamrock Pretzel Pops
https://dancingthroughtherain.com/shamrock-pretzel-pops/
Grasshopper Cocktail
https://www.thekitchenismyplayground.com/2018/03/grasshopper-cocktail.html
Avocado and Coconut Refresher Smoothie
https://recipes.heart.org/en/recipes/avocado-and-coconut-refresher-smoothie
Ranch Fiesta Spirals
Detox Smoothie
When your body needs a restart try this delicious smoothie. It is GF and vegan and so refreshing.

Ingredients for one large smoothie
  • ½ fresh or frozen banana peeled
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen pineapple chunks
  • ½ Gala, or another sweet apple, cored, seeded, and cut into chunks
  • 1 cup fresh spinach
  • ¾ cup coconut water or water
  • Optional add-in flaxseed
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.


Saturday, March 9, 2024

Cruffins

 

ARE YOU READY FOR A CRUFFIN?

You will love this Cruffin Recipe
Fill your favorite mug with some tea or coffee and pair it with a warm, cozy Cruffin to start your day! These buttery, flaky pastries have layers of sweet cinnamon sugar filling rolled up into a fancy spiral and then baked in a muffin tin!

Just what are cruffins?
If you’ve never tried Cruffins, get ready to be blown away! They are a cross between a croissant and a muffin. You'll go crazy for all the tender layers of a croissant rolled up and cooked in a muffin pan, baked in the shape of a muffin. Cruffins are also similar to cinnamon rolls since the dough is buttered and rolled up with a mix of cinnamon and sugar. They are perfectly sweet, buttery, and over-the-top irresistible!

This Cruffins recipe is delicious and SO easy because instead of making the dough from scratch, you use puff pastry or crescent roll sheets from a tube! With just 4 ingredients, these are so simple that even the most beginner of bakers can create this masterpiece of cinnamon sugar deliciousness!
The recipe makes 6 muffins with one box of puff pastry and was adapted from sugarandsoul.com
Ingredients:
  • 1 box puff pastry=2 sheets
  • 2 tablespoons Saigon cinnamon or 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup salted butter softened

Directions:
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line the muffin pan with 6 cupcake wrappers. 
  • On the counter place a large sheet of wax paper slightly floured, roll slightly.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the cinnamon-sugar mix to be used for sprinkling on the cruffins after baking.
  • Do one pastry sheet at a time. Brush one sheet lightly with butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar mixture. 
  • Place the second sheet of puff pastry on top of the first sheet like a sandwich. Brush lightly with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. 
  • Use a pizza cutter or pastry wheel to cut 6 equal strips from each pastry sheet stack.
  • Roll the slices up (cinnamon roll style), pinch the ends to help the rolls stay closed as they bake, and place each one into a muffin-lined cup.
  • Bake for about 18 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and cool for 1 minute. 
  • Remove the wrapper from each one and roll them around in the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture while warm. Serve immediately for the best texture and flavor.

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Shrimp Louie Salad


The Perfect Friday Lenten Special by Guest Blogger Cathy

Shrimp Louie is a traditional salad from California made with shrimp, lettuce, egg, and tomato. The dressing is similar to Thousand Island Dressing and is made with mayonnaise, ketchup, chili sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion, salt, and pepper. Shrimp Louie originated in San Francisco in the early 1900s. A variation on the salad includes avocado. A version made with crab is known as Crab Louie. 

Cook's Notes Did You Know Costco carries Breaded Panko Shrimp?

Shrimp Louie Salad
Ingredients
  • Breaded Panko Shrimp
Salad Ingredients
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Quartered tomatoes
  • Avocado
  • Chopped red peppers
  • Sliced carrots
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Small shrimp
Directions:
  • Bake breaded shrimp on a lined baking sheet at 400 degrees until crispy about 16 minutes. Turn over once after 10 minutes. Place cooked shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate until serving.
  • Mix the first five salad ingredients and place a serving on each plate. Garnish each salad with slices of egg and small cooked shrimp. Arrange on the outside part of the salad Breaded Panko Shrimp. 
  • Serve salad with homemade Louis dressing and crusty bread.
Homemade Louie Dressing
  • 1 cup mayo regular or vegan
  • 3 tablespoons Heinz chili sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon capers
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish without liquid
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
  • Mix all ingredients except for the pickle relish into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
  • Pour the dressing into a bowl and stir in the pickle relish. Add up to 1 tablespoon more if desired.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Irish Stew

 

I feel like this leprechaun who struck gold with my updated Irish Stew recipe. Despite the long list of ingredients, my time was well worth the effort. Chop and bag meat and veggies ahead for easier preparation. The meat came out tender as well as the potatoes and veggies cooked on low for 4-5 hours. The sauce was the piece de resistance. All were perfection and it enabled me to use my new timed crockpot.😀 You don't need a March holiday to enjoy this dish. The recipe serves 6  but does depend on the size of the bowl. 

Irish Stew
Cook's Notes: Irish stew is a filling, flavorful peasant dish. It was originally made with the cheapest, most readily available ingredients. The Irish raised primarily sheep and root crops for subsistence. The sheep provided wool for warm clothing, milk for drinking and making cheese, and eventually food. Potatoes were the main food crop, before the potato famine.

Irish stew, "ballymaloe" or "stobhach gaelach" as it is called in Gaelic, is traditionally made of lamb or mutton, potatoes, onions, and parsley. The root vegetables added further flavor and thickening power, as well as filling sustenance. Some cooks added turnips or parsnips, carrots, and barley.

When the Irish people began immigrating to the United States, fleeing from the ravages of starvation caused by the potato famine, they naturally brought along their wonderful hearty food traditions. The stew evolved and has adapted to include local offerings. Since sheep were not as plentiful in America, other types of meat were often substituted. The recipe has evolved to often include Guinness Stout. Some variations have exalted this original peasant dish to near-gourmet status.

The addition of the Guinness Beer; a dark beer, adds a robust malty flavor to the stew. This is one of those dishes where the flavor of the stew continues to improve the next day. I found Guinness Draught Beer a better choice for the stew. Guinness Extra Stout is a stronger beer and its taste can overpower the stew's flavor. The stew was paired with Irish Soda Bread. I used a chuck roast and had the butcher cut it into large 3-inch chunks for me.  The secret to this recipe is to use a good cut of beef and cook it slowly.  

Ingredients:
  • 1-1/2 lb. chuck roast cut into 3-inch cubes 
  • 1/2 cup flour 
  • 1 cup chopped onion 
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small box of white mushrooms, rinsed and sliced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 bottle of Guinness Draught beer
  • 1 cup each of diced carrots or sweet potatoes, and celery
  • 2 cups diced Yukon potatoes
  • 6 slices of bacon
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon each allspice and celery seeds
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of marjoram, thyme, and Rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup beef stock and 1 cup chicken broth (use low sodium)
  • 1-14.5 oz can diced roasted tomatoes with garlic and basil 
  • 1/3 cup water mixed with 3 tablespoons flour
Directions:
  • In a zip-loc bag add ½ cup flour and shake beef cubes
  • In a frying pan brown beef cubes in 2 tablespoons of hot olive oil and set aside.
  • Cook bacon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. 
  • Remove some of the grease from the pan. In the same frying pan, sauté mushrooms, minced garlic, and onions until caramelized about 3-4 minutes.
  • In a crock pot or slow cooker add browned beef cubes, beef and chicken broth, canned tomatoes, flour paste mixture, carrots, potatoes, celery, mushroom mixture, spices, bay leaves, tomato paste,  brown sugar, and yes, don't forget the beer!!
  • Cook on low heat covered for about 4 hours until carrots, potatoes, and celery are tender and crisp. 
  • Discard bay leaves before serving.

Meatless Monday

  Asparagus -One of Spring's First  Salmon, Asparagus, and Orzo Salad with a Lemon Herb Vinaigrette Cook's Notes : A fresh, healthy,...