French Toast Sticks

SOURCE: http://myfridgefood.com/recipes/breakfast/french-toast-sticks

Ingredients:

• 4 thick slices white bread (see notes)
• 1½ tbsp butter
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• Salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder

Directions:

1. Cut each slice into 4 sticks. (Remove the crust if you want - this is optional. Makes it look neater.)
2. Combine the eggs, milk and a pinch of salt in a bowl large enough to roll the bread sticks in.
3. Combine the cinnamon and sugar on a plate.
4. Heat half the butter in a large pan over medium high heat.
5. Roll the sticks in the egg mixture quickly (do not soak them), shake off excess and place in pan. In my pan I can fit 8 sticks so I cook them in 2 batches.
6. Turn to cook each side until golden.
7. Immediately transfer to the plate with the cinnamon sugar and roll to coat. It's important to do this quickly while they are hot straight out of the pan so it sticks.
8. Serve immediately with maple syrup to dunk the sticks in.

NOTES:

1. French toast is best made using stale bread. Fresh bread soaks up too much egg mixture, making it soggy on the inside and your sticks will flop when you pick them up.
2. It is best to use a loaf so you can cut thick slices as the thicker the sticks are (and the staler the bread is), the stiffer the sticks are (ie. they won't flop when picked up using fingers).

Shrimp Scampi with Garlic Toasts

SOURCE: http://www.foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 8 1/2 -inch-thick slices crusty bread
• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• 3/4 cup dry white wine or low-sodium chicken broth
• Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat the broiler. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes and cook 1 to 2 minutes; remove from the heat. Brush both sides of the bread with some of the garlic mixture and arrange on a baking sheet. Broil the bread until toasted, about 1 minute per side. Divide the bread among 4 bowls.
Place the skillet with the remaining garlic mixture over high heat. Add the shrimp and toss to coat, then stir in the wine and lemon zest and juice. Transfer to the broiler and cook until the shrimp are pink, about 3 minutes. Transfer the shrimp with a slotted spoon to the bowls.
Return the skillet to high heat and boil the cooking liquid until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and chives. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and simmer 1 to 2 more minutes; pour over the shrimp. Serve with lemon wedges.


Per serving: Calories 578; Fat 22 g (Saturated 7 g); Cholesterol 299 mg; Sodium 963 mg; Carbohydrate 44 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 38 g

Crockpot Cranberry Butter

SOURCE: http://theviewfromgreatisland.com

Yield: makes about 2 cups 

What You Will Need

• 2 12-oz bags of cranberries, rinsed
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 1 cup apple cider

Instructions

1. Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and stir to combine well. Turn on high. Let it cook for about 2 hours or until the cranberries are soft.
2. Remove the cinnamon stick and puree the mixture in a food processor. Do this in two batches. Be careful as the mixture is hot, I cover the top opening of the machine with a dish cloth. Let the machine run for a full minute to puree the cranberries very finely.
3. Force the cranberry puree through a mesh sieve or strainer. Push forcefully with the back of a spoon to get as much cranberry puree as you can. Discard the solids.
4. Pour the puree back into the crockpot. Turn the crockpot to high, and leave the lid ajar. Cook until thickened, approximately another 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Put the cranberry butter into clean jars with tight fitting lids and let cool. Store in the refrigerator and consume within a month.

Notes:

Be sure to remove the cinnamon stick before pureeing the cooked cranberries...I learned the hard way!

Marvelous Meatballs – Bulk Cooking Recipe

SOURCE: http://www.5dollardinners.com

Yield – 60 meatballs
Preparation Time – 1 hour
Cooking Time – 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 5 lbs ground beef
• 1 lb bacon
• 1 lb shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 6 eggs
• 3 tsp salt

Directions

• Dice raw bacon then saute in a skillet on medium heat until brown.
• After the bacon has cooled, mix with all remaining ingredients by hand in a large bowl.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Make 60 golf ball size meatballs from the mixture, place on baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
• Allow to cool completely then freeze in meal size portions.
• For future meals bake frozen meatballs for 30 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 350 degrees.

Pizza Margherita

SOURCE: http://www.epicurious.com

YIELD: Makes 6 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 35 min

TOTAL TIME: 1 3/4 hr (includes rising time)

Ingredients

For dough:

• 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 cup warm water, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

For topping:

• 1 (14-to 15-ounces) can whole tomatoes in juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 basil leaves plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

• Equipment: a pizza stone

Preparation

Make dough:
Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.)
Add 1 1/4 cups flour, remaining 1/2 cup water, salt, and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour (1/4 to 1/3 cup) for dough to begin to pull away from side of bowl. (Dough will be slightly wet.)
Knead on a floured surface, lightly reflouring when dough becomes too sticky, until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, and dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.
Make tomato sauce while dough rises:
Pulse tomatoes with juice in a blender briefly to make a chunky purée.
Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant and pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add tomato purée, basil, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and cool.
Heat pizza stone while dough rises:
At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put stone on oven rack in lower third of electric oven (or on floor of gas oven) and preheat oven to 500°F.
Shape dough:
Do not punch down. Dust dough with flour, then transfer to a parchment-lined pizza peel or large baking sheet. Pat out dough evenly with your fingers and stretch into a 14-inch round, reflouring fingers if necessary.
Assemble pizza:
Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1-inch border (there may be some sauce left over). Arrange cheese on top, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border.
Slide pizza on parchment onto pizza stone. Bake until dough is crisp and browned and cheese is golden and bubbling in spots, 13 to 16 minutes. Using peel or baking sheet, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with some basil leaves before slicing. 

Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)

*SOURCE: http://www.seriouseats.com*

Yield:	serves 4
Active time:	30 minutes
Total time:	30 minutes
Special equipment:	grill

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
• 1/2 cup finely crumbled cotija or feta cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho or guajillo chili powder, plus more for serving
• 1 medium clove garlic, finely minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 4 ears shucked corn
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Procedures

1. 
   
   
   Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over half of coal grate. Alternatively, set half the burners of a gas grill to high heat. Set cooking grate in place, cover gill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
   
2. 
   
   
   While coals heat, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, chili powder, garlic, and cilantro in a large bowl. Stir until homogenous and set aside.
   
3. 
   
   
   When grill is hot, place corn directly over hot side of grill and cook, rotating occasionally, until cooked through and charred in spots on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
   
4. 
   
   
   Transfer corn to bowl with cheese mixture and use a large spoon to evenly coat corn on all sides with mixture. Sprinkle with extra cheese and chili powder and serve immediately with lime wedges.

Baked Potato Grilled Cheese

*SOURCE: http://myfridgefood.com*

Details

Cooking Time:		10
Recipes Makes:		1
Calories:		650
Carbs:		41
Fat:		39
Protein:		34

Ingredients Related Tips

2-3 Strips of Bacon
1 Potato
2 tbsp of Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Green Onions/Chives
2 Slices of Bread
Butter
Canola Oil
Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper

Directions

To start things off, get a pan on medium heat with enough canola oil to lightly cover the bottom (you could also use olive oil or butter). Cut your potato into even slices, you will need 4-5 slices for the sandwich, then place them in your pan, cooking each side until browned and crispy.

While cooking, salt and pepper the potatoes to taste (they dont have to be too salty as the bacon with help with the saltiness as well) and sprinkle a light pinch of garlic powder. In another pan cook your bacon on medium heat to desired tenderness (I liked mine crispy for this sandwich!).

While everything is cooking, slice your bread (use some crusty bread like french or sourdough if you have it), and generously butter the outside of each piece. On the inside, put about 1 tablespoon of sour cream on each slice as well as slices of cheddar cheese on each side. Once your potatoes and bacon are finished frying, dab them on paper towel to remove some grease, then fan the potatoes out on your bottom slice of bread, put a little more sour cream on top of the potatoes if you desire (I did to help the bacon and chives stick in the sandwich). Slice up one green onion stalk and spread it on top of the potatoes along with the bacon. Place your other slice of cheese on top of all of this and top with your bread!

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Meatball Recipe

SOURCE: http://everybodylovesitalian.com/meatball-recipe-chef-pasquale/

Ingredients:

Pork and/or Beef
4 chopped Garlic cloves
Half cup of chopped Parsley
Teaspoon of Salt
Teaspoon of Black Pepper
3 Eggs
1oz of Olive Oil
Half cup Bread Crumbs
Half cup of Parmigiana Cheese
Tomato sauce


The first thing that needs to be prepared is the meat for the meatballs. You can either use beef or pork, or both as I do in this recipe. You can buy the meat already prepared from the  super market or you can ground it up yourself, which is what I prefer. Place your ground beef/pork into a big bowl. Next you will need to put in the chopped garlic, parsley, salt, black  pepper, 3 eggs, bread crumbs and parmigiana cheese. Mix it evenly, with your hands or with a wooden spoon. Once mixed, roll golf ball sized meatballs and place them in a baking pan. Make sure the pan is coated with the olive oil first. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.