Cajun Seasoning

 

Cajun Seasoning

Ingredients:

5 teaspoons paprika
4 teaspoons sea salt
4 teaspoons garlic powder
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions:

Combine all spices together.

Burnt Grapes

Burnt Grapes
Recipe submitted by Dorothy Huter

Burnt Grapes comment, 10/15/12

Oh, my...sweet harmony.  With a pleasant combination of creme topping, the surprising burst of the fresh grape, and heartwarming, home-cooked caramel-OH!, this dish is sure to awaken the senses.  It has lifted us to a heavenly place where food is art, and a balance of all things yummy.  Thanks for the trip!!

Erica & Travis

Ingredients:

5 cups seedless whole grapes

2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine sour cream, white sugar and vanilla.  Add seedless whole grapes, and mix together.  Pour into a 8 x 8 pan.

In a sauce pan, bring the brown sugar and butter to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Pour topping over grapes.  DO NOT MIX TOPPING AND GRAPE MIXTURE TOGETHER - ONLY POUR TOPPING OVER GRAPE MIXTURE.

Chill 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Recipe submitted by Dorothy Huter

Pesto Sauce

Pesto Sauce
Recipe submitted by Jessica Knight

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed 
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse and dry basil leaves.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a food processor.

Turn on the food processor, and slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube. 

Mix well, and season with salt and pepper.

Key Lime Pie

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust

1 to 1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Filling

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup key lime juice
1/2 cup butter (cubed)
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin (softened)
1 key lime, zested

Directions:

Combine Graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press into pie pan and refrigerate.

In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, sugar, lime juice and last, cubed butter.

In a double broiler, cook the mixture over boiling water until it thickens, stirring frequently.

Once thickened, add softened gelatin and lime zest.

Cool slightly, and pour into pie shell.

Refrigerate 3 hours, or overnight.

Garnish with lime slices.

Grilled Cajun Ranch Chicken Pasta

Grilled Cajun Ranch Chicken Pasta
Original recipe from www.plainchicken.com

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes. 

Pound chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness. 

Place chicken in the gallon size ziplock bag, and stir to coat with the marinade.  CLOSE ZIPLOCK BAG AND REFRIGERATE FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS (THE LONGER THE BETTER). 

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.  Grill chicken for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.  Slice and serve over pasta.

Pasta

16 ounce penne pasta
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon pepper
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, Cajun seasoning, pepper, and Parmesan cheese.  Whisk together on low heat for 5 to 6 minutes.

In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta.

Top with sliced Cajun ranch chicken and sprinkle a little bit more shredded Parmesan cheese on top.

Panna Cotta

 

Panna Cotta
Original recipe by, www.italianfoodforever.com

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups milk, divided
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup of sugar

Topping:

1 package frozen blueberries, thawed
Sugar (desired sweetness)

Directions:

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup of milk.  Let stand for 5 minutes, and mix well. 

In a saucepan, combine 2 cups of milk,  sugar, and cream.  Bring to just a boil.

Once the milk mixture comes to just a boil, remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla and the softened gelatin.

Pour into four 5-ounce ramekin cups.

Cover and chill for at least six hours, or up to 1 day.

Topping:

Blend the blueberries and sugar together in a food processor.  (SAVE SOME BLUEBERRIES FOR GARNISH)

Place the mixture over medium heat and bring to a boil.   Lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Strain for seeds.

Cool

To serve, gently run a knife around the edge of each ramekin cup and invert onto a chilled plate. 

Drizzle the topping over each panna cotta.

Chocolate Panna Cotta

Chocolate Panna Cotta
Original recipe by Williams-Sonoma

What is Panna Cotta?
 
Panna cotta (from Italian cooked cream) is an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set. It is generally from the Northern Italian region of Piedmont, although it is eaten all over Italy, where it is served with wild berries, caramel, chocolate sauce or fruit coulis. It is not known exactly how or when this dessert came to be, but some theories suggest that cream, for which mountainous Northern Italy is famous, was historically eaten plain or sweetened with fruit or hazelnuts. (Definition from Wikipedia)

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/4 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
2 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

Chocolate Ganache Topping

2 ounce semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

Coat four 5-ounce ramekins lightly with flavorless oil.

Pour 1/4 cup of the cream into a small bowl, and sprinkle the gelatin over it and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes.  Place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and stir until the gelatin has dissolved.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, bring the remaining heavy cream, sugar, and salt just to a boil.  Remove the pan from the heat, and add the chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Add the gelatin mixture to the chocolate mixture and stir until well blended.  Pour, dividing mixture evenly among the ramekins and let cool at room temperature.

Cover the panna cotta loosely and refrigerate until set and thoroughly chilled, at least 6 hours or up to 1 day.

To serve, dip the ramekins one at a time into a bowl of hot water for about 5 seconds, then run a table knife around the edges of the ramekins and invert onto a chilled serving plate.

Chocolate Ganache Topping

In a saucepan, melt the chocolate pieces and heavy cream together.  Before drizzling chocolate ganache over panna cotta, cut strawberries lengthwise and place around panna cotta.  Once chocolate ganache is melted, drizzle over chocolate panna cotta.

Serves 4