HASSELBACK POTATOES WITH CHEESE

Hasselback potatoes were first introduced in the Hasselback Restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden in the 1940s. This is another classic recipe from the past. They would be excellent served with a steak or pork chops.

6 T unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, pressed

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

½ t paprika

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium size Yukon gold potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the garlic, most of the Parmigiano cheese, and paprika.
Heat for one minute then turn off heat and set aside.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rinse and scrub the potatoes.

Place the potatoes on a cutting board and cut off a thin slice from the bottom of each potato and discard. This will keep the potatoes standing upright.

Place two long wooden handle spoons or wooden chopsticks on the side of each potato. This will keep you from cutting through the entire potato.

Using a sharp knife, make cuts all the way until you hit the spoons.

Place the potatoes in a baking sheet and spoon half of the butter mixture over the potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush each potato with the rest of the butter mixture and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.

Place back in the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Serves 4

THAI CHICKEN CURRY

This is an easy week-night meal to prepare.  You can make it with shrimp instead of chicken, just stir-fry the shrimp for 2 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

Thai Curry Sauce

1 (13.5 oz) can full fat coconut milk 

½ (4-oz bottle)Thai red curry paste 

2 T Thai Basil Garlic

2 T brown sugar

2 t fish sauce

2 t grated ginger

2 t lemon grass powder

Juice of ½ lime

Stir-Fry

2 T avocado or coconut oil, divided

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

4 cups assorted cut-up vegetables, onion, red bell pepper, carrots, sugar snap peas 

8 oz Thai noodles, cooked, set aside, and kept warm

2 scallions thinly sliced lengthwise, for garnish

1 lime, sliced into wedges

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, Thai basil garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, grated ginger, lemon grass powder, and lime juice.

Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl around the skillet.

Add chicken and stir-fry about 4 minutes, until mostly cooked.  Remove and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil and stir-fry vegetables about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the chicken and Curry Sauce and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.

Divide rice between 4 bowls and top with Thai Chicken Curry.

Serve with sliced scallions and lime wedges.

Serves 4

CLASSIC QUICHE LORRAINE

Real men do eat quiche!  It's not just for a "Ladies Luncheon".  To save time, use a store-bought pie shell.

Pastry

1 ½ cup pastry or all-purpose flour

¼ t sea salt

6 T unsalted butter, diced

3 T ice cold water

In a food processor, mix the flour and salt together.

Add the butter and mix until it resembles bread crumbs.

Add the water a little at a time until pastry forms a ball.

Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and loosely close up and form into a disc.

Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Once chilled, on a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a circle larger than the tart or pie pie.

Place the pastry into the pan and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Fill with dry beans and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove beans and foil and bake another 5 mimutes.

Let cool before filling.

Filling

1 medium leek or medium onion

3 T unsalted butter

1 cup shredded Gruyére cheese or a mixture of Edam and Gruyére

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups half-and-half or heavy cream

¼ t sea salt

¼ t ground black pepper

¼ t ground nutmeg

In a skillet, melt butter and sauté leeks for 10 minutes.

Layer cheeses and bacon in pastry shell.

Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half or cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pour into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300 degrees F and bake another 30 minutes.

Spinach-Cheese Quiche Lorraine

Add 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Crab-Cheese Quiche Lorraine

Add ½ cup cooked crabmeat

GRILLED BAJA SHRIMP TACOS

Shrimp tacos are an all time favorite in our house. Serve with fresh salsa, from the cold section of your grocery store, or Mango Salsa, Baja Sauce, cilantro, and lime slices. After you add the chopped lettuce and shrimp to the tortillas, put the toppings in bowls on the table for individual serving.  These tacos are better than any restaurant tacos and as good as upgraded street tacos from Mexico!

Marinade

12 extra-jumbo (16-20 per lb) shrimp or 18 jumbo (21-30 per lb), peeled and deveined

1 T avocado oil

1 T adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers, freeze the rest

1 t ground cumin

1 t garlic powder

½ t onion powder

¼ t sea salt

¼ t ground black pepper

Juice of ½ lime

In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, add oil, adobo sauce, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice.

Add shrimp and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

Baja Sauce

¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

¼ cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt

¼ t ground cumin

1 t adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers, freeze the rest 

½ t Mexican hot sauce (optional)

Juice of ½ lime

Mix together and pour into a squeeze bottle to drizzle over tacos or you can drizzle with a spoon. 
Refrigerate until ready to serve.

6 (4-inch) flour or corn street tortillas, lightly browned in a skillet with a little oil

Finely chopped Romain lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, or cabbage

Fresh salsa

Mango Salsa

Baja Sauce

Cilantro, for garnish

Lime slices, for garnish

Thread shrimp on metal skewers and grill about 1 minute, each side.

You can also stir-fry shrimp in a skillet with a little oil for about 3 minutes.

Cut shrimp into 2 to 3 pieces each, place on a sheet pan and keep warm in a 200 degree F oven, while assembling the tacos.

To Assemble

Add a little of the lettuce to the bottom of each tortilla.

Divide shrimp equally between 6 tacos.

Add a little fresh salsa or Mango Salsa (recipe below)

Drizzle with some Baja Sauce.

Garnish with a few cilantro leaves.

Serve with a couple of lime slices

Mango Salsa

1 large ripe mango

1 avocado, diced

½ of a medium red bell pepper, diced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 T chopped cilantro leaves

¼ jalapeño, seeded and minced

Juice of ½ lime

Pinch of sea salt

Slice mango on all 4 sides of center flat pit, and dice.

Add the rest of the ingredients, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 15 minutes.

Makes 6 tacos

CHICKEN À LA KING

The origin of Chicken à la King has been disputed over the years. One claim is that it was created at Delmonico's Restaurant in New York City. Another version claims it was created at the Claridge's Hotel in London. Another account is that it first appeared in the Bellevue Hotel in Philadelphia, and yet another is it was created at the Brighton Beach Hotel in Brooklyn, New York. We do know for sure is that it was created in the late 1800s. I prefer my version without green bell peppers and pimentos. 

You can also shred the chicken into smaller pieces and serve it inside crêpes instead of over rice, noodles, toast triangles, or puff pastry shells.

4 T unsalted butter

8 oz mushrooms, your favorite, wiped clean and sliced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ t sea salt

½ t freshly ground black pepper

1 t paprika

1 t dried thyme

2 ½ cups chicken broth                                                 

3 boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces

1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

¼ cup dry sherry (optional)    

½ cup frozen peas (optional)                                                  

2 T snipped fresh chives or parsley

                                                            

In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat and add mushrooms and onion, sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add garlic and sauté one more minute.

Sprinkle flour over, stir and sauté another minute.

Stir in salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme.

Add chicken broth and chicken.

Bring to a boil, while stirring.

Lower heat and simmer a couple of minutes.

Stir in cream or half-and-half, sherry, and peas, if using.

Cover and slowly simmer for 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with chives or parsley, for garnish

Serves 4 to 5

POW POW SHRIMP

Pow Pow Shrimp is one of our favorite appetizers at a local restaurant.  I made my own version of this. . .it took a couple times, but my husband loves and asks when can we have Pow Pow Shrimp again.  I made fried rice and served with frozen pot stickers.  Cheaper than a Chinese restaurant and no MSG.

Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sweet chili sauce

2 T hot sauce, Sriracha or your favorite (you can use less, if desired)

1 t rice vinegar

1 small clove garlic, pressed or minced

Breading

½ cup cornstarch

1 large egg, whisked with 1 T water

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup plain or panko breadcrumbs

¾ t sea salt

½ t ground black pepper

¼ t onion powder

Peanut or avocado oil, for frying

12 to 16 large to medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Shredded romaine or cabbage for the bottom of each bowl

2 green onions, sliced, for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

In the 1st shallow bowl, add the cornstarch.

In a 2nd shallow bowl, add the whisked egg.

In a 3rd shallow bowl, add the flour, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and onion powder.

Dip the shrimp in the cornstarch, then dip into the whisked eggs, and finally into the flour-breadcrumb mixture, covering completely.

Set aside on a platter and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a wok, add 2 inches of oil and heat until about 350 degrees F.

You can also test with the end of a wooden spoon to see if bubbles develop around it.

Fry the shrimp in 2 batches until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove with a slotted spoon or a spider spoon and drain on a paper towel lined platter..

Keep warm in a 250 degree oven while frying the final batch.

Line 2 bowls with shredded lettuce or cabbage.

Evenly divide the shrimp between the 2 bowls, generously drizzle with the sauce, and garnish with scallions.

Serves 2

RETRO ICEBOX CAKE

This was a favorite with my children when they were growing up. The recipe is on the box of chocolate cookies, but I changed it slightly.

1 pint heavy whipping cream

¼ cup confectioners' sugar

2 t pure vanilla extract

1 box (9 oz) chocolate wafer cookies

Chocolate bar, slightly more than room temperature.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, whip the cream until medium peaks form.

Add the sugar and vanilla and whip until firm peaks form.

Using a spatula, scoop about 1 tablespoon of whipped cream onto one side of each cookie.

Stack them on their sides and line them up on a platter. You should have 5 to six per row.

Now start spreading the whipped cream on the sides and then the top of the cookies.

Cover gently with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. This gives the cookies time to soften to a cake-like texture.

Remove from refrigerator and using a potato peeler, peel a little chocolate for the top of the cake.

Slice cake diagonally and enjoy!