Fettuccini with Cilantro Lime Shrimp in Ginger Cream Sauce
16 oz heavy cream serves 4
2 T powdered ginger 30-45 minutes to prepare
2 eggplant – 1 cut in batonetts using the outside aubergine edges.
1 eggplant cut diagonally into ¼ inch diagonal slices (To be used as garnish).
2 zucchini cut in batonettes using the outside peel edges.
4 T Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
1 pound of fettuccini noodles
1 ½ pounds of shrimp Approximately 24 Shrimp shelled and de-veined, with tails on.
2 T butter
2 T Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
¼ cup finely chopped sweet onion
¼ cup cilantro chopped and 10 whole leaves for garnish
1 Can – 12 ounces of Canada Dry Ginger Ale
4 limes – juice 3 and serve the last as garnish on each plate.

Add 6 quarts of water and salt to stock pot and bring to boil. When water is boiling, add pasta and cook until just al dente.
In heavy small sauce pan, add cream and ginger. Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer and allow to reduce to 1/3.
Lightly coat eggplant and zucchini with oil and salt and pepper, bake eggplant and zucchini batonetts for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Top eggplant slices with cilantro leaf using oil to stick the two together. Bake until just slightly browned. Set aside.
Your pasta should be in the pot cooking before this next step of cooking the shrimp.
Heat a sauté pan on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium high and add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add the garlic. Sauté for a minute and add onion and sauté for another couple of minutes. Add Shrimp. Then add ginger ale and stir to combine and coat the shrimp with the butter. Spread shrimp in even layer in the pan. As soon as the shrimp are almost all pink, add ginger cream sauce and lime juice and cilantro. Add fettuccini to pan, stir allowing to absorb the cream sauce.
Add zucchini and eggplant batonetts: plate pasta, divide shrimp equally among 4 plates, garnish zucchini and eggplant batonetts, cilantro, lime, and zucchini and eggplant slices.
Variations: Serve with linguini, rice or crusty bread. If you want to heat it up, you can add diced jalapenos while sautéing the onions for the shrimp.

Krusteaz Sugar Cookie Mix
Bisquick Biscuits
2 tsp of vanilla extract or black walnut extract
1 cup diced black walnuts
1/2 cup rolled oats
Optional – Choose one: Raisins, Dried Cranberries or nothing at all!
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 T water or milk

Prepare as you would according to the directions, although in this case mix the dry ingredients together of both mixes and then the wet ingredients include the extracts and then combine. Then add chopped black walnuts and optional raisins or cranberries.
Divide into two parts and then with your hands pat into rounds on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with Pam.
While patting down pour 1/4 cup of rolled oats on top of each round.

With a long knife, cut into 8 pieces as you would a pizza.
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown at 375 degrees.

After you take the scones out of the oven, combine the confectioners sugar and 1 T water or milk and combine until the mixture resembles heavy cream.
Drizzle the topping over the golden scone. Hurry and eat before they are gone!

Awesome Scones!

In a pot of hot salted water boil your spaghetti. Get it started, then dice your ham or bacon, I like ham for this dish. Set it aside. Finely dice garlic or if you have roasted garlic like I do in my refrigerator, use that. Set it aside. If you are going to use vegetables that are fresh, then you should blanch them or steam in the microwave until fork tender. Careful not to turn them into mush. Then grate the cheese. I used 1/2 parmesan and 1/2 white cheddar.

When you add the spaghetti to the boiling water, get your frying pan out and through in the diced ham. You want it to look like it has been fried and it will release some of its water. Remove from the heat and wait for the spaghetti to be ready.

Wisk the eggs, grated cheese and sour cream together with the spice you have choosen.
Drain the spaghetti when it is al dente and pour into a large enough pan that you can stir additional ingredients into. I use a casserole pan.
Add ham, and your while the spaghetti is still hot, pour the eggs and cheese mixture into the spaghetti. You want it hot because it will cook the eggs in your sauce. You need to stir it to avoid scrambling the eggs – not what you want! Add a little of the hot water from the cooked spaghetti if you need more moisture. Stir and then add your veggies.
If dinner time is a few minutes away, put the casserole pan in the oven at 200 degrees to keep warm.
You can easily double this recipe for a large gathering!

2 eggs
1 cup cheese
1 cup sour cream

1 pkg spaghetti
1 cup diced ham fried
2 tsp fresh basil or oregano
Salt and pepper
Roasted garlic or 4 cloves diced
Optional: Veggies
My favorite combinations: peas and carrots, zucchini and yellow squash, broccoli and califlower, mushrooms and green beans
If you want to spice this dish up, you can either add a tsp of red pepper flakes, or sliced jalapeno peppers!

Serve with freshly grated cheese.

Eggs Portugal

Eggs Portugal

8 slices bread
3/4 lb. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 lbs. sausage
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4 t. mustard
1 can mushroom soup
1/4 cup vermouth (think I would use something else….more milk, cream, dash of sherry)
1 can sliced mushrooms

Brown sausage and crumble up
Cube bread and put into a 9 x 13 casserole
Mix eggs, milk, mustard and a dash of salt.
Pour mixture over casserole
Let stand over night in the frig

Pour soup, mushrooms and vermouth over all
Bake 1 1/2 hours at 300′

Hmmm Hmm Good!

1 small onion roughly chopped
4 cucumbers
2 avocados
Juice from 2 limes
1 clove garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
Tabasco or Jalapeno to your taste.
Chopped Cilantro – for garnish

Take all the ingredients and using a blender, cream them.
Add the salt and pepper to taste.
Place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or overnight. Allow the flavors to blend. Re-season as needed.

Serve with Cheese Pizza or Garlic Bread

2 cups kiwi fruit peeled and chopped
2 cups mandarin orange peeled and chopped
1 tsp of salt
2 cups mandarin orange juice
1 box of pectin
4 cups of sugar

Bring to a simmer and allow the fruit to cook and thicken about 20 minutes.
Pour the hot liquid through a food strainer. Use the largest if you want to keep the seeds. Put back onto the stove and bring back to simmer boil that you can not stir down. Add your pectin and stir. Bring back to roaring boil for 1 minute. Once the jam is back to a roaring boil, add 4 cups of sugar and let boil for 1 more minute. Working quickly, process into your jars. It should look pretty!
Process your jam in a water bath.

Label and they should be lookin’ pretty! Awesome Bites!

Here is the lucky couple, James & Christine! The flowers were done by my friend Abby and me and a few of the bridesmaids. Great fun to create pretty things.

Bride and Groom

Mmmm tasty. Daughter Denny and I made this for Mother’s Day brunch this year.
2 boxes Lemon Cake Mix
1 Can Poppy Seeds
4- 8 Tablespoons of Lemoncello Liqueur
3 jars lemon curd (or you can make your own)
1 can Cream Cheese Frosting
3 cans Pink Lemonade Frosting

Prepare Cake Mix according to package directions and bake.
Using a toothpick, poke holes in each cake layer and sprinkle Lemoncello and allow to absorb into cake. About 1-2 Tablespoons per layer.
Once the cake is cool, fill between layers with lemon curd, 1 jar per layer.
Frost the entire cake with Pink Lemonade frosting and put in refrigerator for 30 minutes so it can firm up. Using the white cream cheese frosting and a piping attachment with frosting bag, pipe a curvy line all over the cake.
Easy, but looks wonderful and taste awesome!

Yummy Lemon Filling!

Salmon baked perfectly!

Salmon Filet
Salt & Pepper
1 white onion finely diced
1 package Cream Cheese
1 small bottle of capers
Finely chopped dill – Optional
Black olives – Optional
1 Carrot for garnish

Rinse salmon filet and dry. Lay on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Salt and Pepper filet. Optionally, you can sprinkle with dill if you desire.
Preheat oven and broil at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven. DO NOT OVERCOOK!

To serve, slide the salmon onto a platter. Surround with sliced lemons. Serve next to the diced onions and Capers and Cream Cheese. Your guests can serve themselves! Easy.

Drain capers and sprinkle them on top over cream cheese. Now, if you want to have a bit more fun, you can always make cream cheese penguins. This is where the black olives come in. After you roll the cream cheese and capers into small balls, slice the olives and make tuxedos for your penguins. Add a small bit of carrot for the nose. Serve surrounded by finely diced onions. Everyone will smile.

Cream Cheese & Caper Penguins

Serve with finely diced white onions and Crackers. I like Kebbler Rectangle Crackers, the buttery ones.

This is a great appetizer. I have served it for a buffet on Mother’s day. Everyone loves it.

My sister-in-law once said she loved Coq Au Vin. I had never made it, but the thought was stored until the other day. The time was now. So, I put this together. Husband Dennis loved, loved, loved it!

Since all my kids have flown the coup, my office is the lucky group that get my leftovers. I think they are goin’ like it!

4 pieces of bacon or ham slices, coarsely chopped
2 chickens
2 chopped onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Thyme
Salt and Pepper
16 ounces large crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, halved
8-12 carrots, chopped into 1 inch chunks
1 fennel bulb chopped into quarters
4 whole garlic cloves
2 bottles red wine. Merlot, Cabernet, Syrah all work.)
1 small can tomato paste
1/4 cup beef gravy mix

Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°F. Sauté bacon or ham in large cast iron pan that will hold two chickens. Add all ingredients except the gravy mix.

Bake for 4 hours at 300 degrees. Move the pot from the oven to the stovetop.
Add Gravy mix to 1/2 cup water, stir to mix and then add to drippings.
Let simmer 5 minutes and serve over mashed potatoes.

If you do not have gravy mix, use flour. Place flour in small cup.
Add 1/4 cup water, stirring until smooth. Add flour mixture to sauce. Cook until sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken on platter; stir juices from dish into sauce and spoon over chicken. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon fresh thyme.

I started this at lunch time, and finished it off by making mashed potatoes when I got home from work. This is a keeper.