Seafood Joe

I took a cooking class at an upscale grocery store when we lived in Olympia, WA. The teachers of the class were the owners/chefs of a restaurant at the Washington coast, named the The Ark. They taught us their recipe of Seafood Joe. It is a variation of a recipe that they created when they owned a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, that was a breakfast recipe with eggs and sausage. We love this recipe and serve it on special occasions. This is their recipe from the class, with my changes in Red.

Seafood Joe

Recipe is per serving: multiply as needed

Seafood Bits*
2 tablespoons clarified butter (I'm lazy. I just use regular butter.)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (Fresh Mushrooms, of course!)
Juice of 1 lemon wedge
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shot of Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced shallots (I use minced onion.)
1/2 cup fresh, chopped spinach
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup dry vermouth (I never use this.)

Garlic Toasts (They showed us to slice french bread into thick slices and spread with a mixture of melted butter and garlic, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Broil the garlic toasts until browned.)

For each serving, saute 6 or more seafood bits* in clarified butter with 1/3 cup sliced mushrooms. Add juice of 1 lemon wedge, salt, pepper to taste, 1 shot of Tabasco, minced garlic and shallot. Saute until fish flakes. Total cooking time is about 4-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Toward the end, add 1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach. Deglaze with 1/4 cup dry vermouth. Bind with one whipped egg. (That means add in the egg and gently stir it around until the egg cooks.) Serve open faced on toasted garlic bread. (The garlic toast is a must! It supports the fish and egg mixture perfectly.)

Chef's Notes:
* For seafood bits, cut into 1/2" cubes- salmon, halibut, ling cod, perch, scallops, prawns or any other perferred fish. (We love to use the salmon and halibut. And recently we have started including shrimp. You can't go wrong with any mixture, though.)

This recipe works well with italian sausage. One sliced link per person. (This makes the breakfast version.)

Serve with lemon wedges and tomato wedges on the side.

My option: Serve over rice. Serve the garlic toasts on the side. We found that we like a bed of rice, but it is still important to serve the garlice toasts.

Broccoli Salad

This is a recipe that I have had for a very long time. We still have it on occasion but it used to be a weekly recipe. It is very delicious. I'll have to serve it again soon!

Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced and chopped
1/2 cup craisins (or raisins)
1 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Mix the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a blender (or whisk together in a small bowl). Mix salad and dressing together. Refrigerate until time to serve.

Recipe shared by Robin

14 Karat Cake

This is a recipe that I was given when I was in college at BYU. It is a great carrot cake recipe! We usually have it at Easter and for special occasions.

14 Karat Cake

4 eggs
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots (3 medium size carrots)

Beat together eggs and oil. Add sugar. Add in dry ingredients. Then add in the carrots. Bake in a 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until brown.  (I like to use 2 round cake pans.)

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 box powdered sugar
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 cube butter
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix ingredients together well. Spread on cake. Top with chopped nuts. (I like walnuts.)

Recipe shared by Robin.

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

This is a recipe that I received from a friend of mine, Libby, when I worked at Tumwater High School. I loved working there, and I loved this cake when Libby shared it at school.

Chocolate Applesauce Cake

1 1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder (Not the drink mix!)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup oil

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour batter into a 9x13 greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Frosting

1/4 cup water
2 chocolate squares OR 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt these ingredients in a saucepan. Take pan off of the burner and add:

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cups chopped nuts (I use walnuts)
1 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

Spread on the warm cake. Enjoy!

It's great with vanilla ice cream!

Recipe shared by Robin.

Liquid Laundry Detergent

I have been making this liquid Laundry Detergent recipe for many years. I like the smell and I like having a lot of detergent ready to go when I need it. It also cleans your clothes!

Liquid Laundry Detergent

1 bar Fels Naptha soap
1 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Borax
Water

Grate or shave the bar of soap. Place 4 cups hot water in a saucepan and add the soap.  Cook on medium until all the soap dissolves, stirring constantly. Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot water. Add soap mixture, the washing soda and the Borax. Stir until dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with hot water. Stir and seal. Let it cool over night. Pour 1/2 gallon of the cool soap mixture into a large bowl or bucket. Add 1/2 gallon of hot water and stir well until mixed. Pour into gallon containers. (I use 4- 50 oz. used liquid detergent containers. They are all the same brand and color. I like the look of all of them lined up on the shelf above the washer and dryer.)

Shake well before using.
Use 1/2 cup per load.
Or 2/3 cup for heavily soiled laundry.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Cranberry Apple Nut Bread

This is a recipe that I was given by my friend, Susan, a long time ago, when we lived in Olympia, WA. She brought me a loaf one day and I have been hooked ever since!

Cranberry-Apple-Nut Bread

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup shredded, peeled apple (about 1 medium-sized apple)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom only of a 8x4 or 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar, the oil and egg. Stir in apple, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in walnuts and cranberries. Pour batter into pan. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle over the batter.

Bake 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool 10 minutes, Loosen sides of loaf from pan. Remove from pan onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 1/2 hours, before slicing.

Makes 12 slices.

***Options:

• Make into mini-muffins. Cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Make into regular size muffins. Cook at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Cafe Rio #3

These is a Cafe Rio recipe that I found on the internet. It is a Chicken Recipe. That is why I am including it.

Cafe Rio Chicken

5 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless, skinless

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced

Cook all together in a crock pot for 5-7 hours. Shred meat, return to crockpot and cook 1 hour longer.

Cafe Rio #1 from Carolyn

This is another version of the Cafe Rio recipes. These are the recipes from Carolyn.

Sweet Pork

3-5 lb. pork roast (boneless pork loin recommended)

2 cups salsa (use Pace or one similiar, not the fresh salsa)

1 cup brown sugar

Place ingredients in a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours. Shred pork with a fork before serving. Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 minutes so juices will thicken.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked rice

1 teaspoon butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon lime zest

1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth

1 1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan, combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot, cooked rice. (Carolyn- We actually thought it was too strong with the line juice, sugar and cilantro on top. So, we skipped that the second time we made it. But, try it both ways.)

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing

1 cup sour cream

1 envelope Ranch salad dressing

1 1/2 envelope Fiesta Ranch salad dressing

6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice from 2 limes, freshly squeezed

1 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a blender. (Put the liquids in first!) Blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. (Carolyn- I couldn't find the Fiesta Ranch- only the regular Ranch. So, I just used two packages of regular Ranch dressing.)

Black Beans

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 1/3 cup tomato juice

2 cloves garlice, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it.  Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heat through. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro.

Recipes shared by Carolyn.

Custard

Jay has been looking for a recipe that was like the custard that his Grandma used to make for him. It is a favorite childhood memory he has of his Grandma serving custard when he went to visit her.

Picture is from herbivoracious.com

Custard

1 1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a saucepan. When the cornstarch is dissolved, slowly add the rest of the milk and the sugar. Cook over moderated heat until the sauce starts to thicken and comes to a boil. Remover from the heat.  In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks with a fork. Take a cup of the sauce and slowly add it to the eggs, beating briskly as you pour. Return the egg/sauce mixture to the saucepan, stirring into the hot sauce.  Bring the mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla. Pour custard into a bowl, a jug or a pitcher to serve.

To prevent the custard from forming a skin as it cools, cover it with plastic wrap.

Recipe shared by Jay.

Baked Pesto Chicken

This is from the cookbook, "South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook.

Baked Pesto Chicken

4 (6 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 cup pesto (from a jar)

1/2 cup (2 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese

salt and pepper

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Spread 1/4 cup of pesto in a 9x13 pan. Lay chicken breasts over pesto in an even layer and spread with remaining 1/4 cup of pesto.

Cover pan with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and top with cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 minutes more. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

Recipe shared by Robin.

Nelma's Soft Molasses Cookies

This is a recipe from Jay's Mom, Nelma Irvine. We love the softness of the cookies. We recently did a taste test of 4 different boxes of Gingersnap from the grocery store. They were okay but we were still not satisfied. Then, I remembered this recipe (I had to do some digging to find it in my pile of recipes.) So, I made a batch of the cookies and we both think that this recipe is better than any of the store bought cookies. Bake a batch and decide for yourself!

Nelma's Soft Molasses Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 1/4 teaspoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix all ingredients together. *Chill. Roll into teaspoon size balls. Drop into sugar. Roll in sugar to coat. Bake at 350 degrees on greased baking sheets for 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

*Chill- for fluffier cookies
*Don't chill- for crunchier cookies

Recipe shared by Robin.

Fried Eggs in Onion Nests

This recipe is from Suzanne Somer's Get Skinny on Fabulous Foods Cookbook. I decided that I want to collect my favorite recipes from cookbooks on to this blog. So, this is the first of many recipes that I love from a cookbook.

Fried Eggs in Onion Nests

Makes 2 Servings

2 large onions
4 Tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
4 large eggs

To make the Onion Nests:
Peel the onions and slice as thinly as possible, In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the sliced onions. Let them cook until they are brown and crispy, almost burned. This could take 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape the onions up with a spatula and place on 2 plates, creating 2 "nest" shapes per plate.

To fry the eggs:
Add the remaining 3 Tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet. When the oil is hot, Crack 2 eggs into the hot oil. Let the eggs cook until the whites start to brown on the edges. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 1 minute longer. The whites will be cooked all the way through and the yolks will be runny. (If you prefer the yolks are cooked more, leave the lid on until the yolks are cooked to your liking.) Lift the eggs out of the skillet with a spatula and place 1 egg in the center of each "nest". Repeat the process with the last 2 eggs.

Recipe shared by Robin.