Recipes

Creamy Crab Dip

Published on by carol lou

I have to admit that Crab Dip is a real family favorite and one that we usually order when it is on a menu.    Our daughter was in town this past weekend and I know that Crab Dip is one of her favorites.  I purchased one pound of jumbo lump crab from Louisiana (I am a real believer of USA produced seafood and always look for seafood products with the USA label) and mixed it with the following ingredients.  It was just delicious; we served it with wine she brought from Argentina when she was visiting vineyards in Mendoza. It was just a wonderful evening, very relaxing, just what we needed after we took a Segway tour of DC. I even have enough Crab Dip left to toss with pasta for my second round of crab.  I call these recipes Take2 – another recipe using the leftovers, as good as the first!

  creamy crab dip 2

Creamy Crab Dip
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Ingredients
  1. 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
  2. 3/4 cup sour cream
  3. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  4. 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  5. 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  6. 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
  7. 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  8. 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
  9. I tablespoons Italian parsley, chopped for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325
  2. Mix all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Spread evenly in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle the top with additional Old Bay Seasoning. Bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with Italian parsley.
  3. Serve with baguette slices, crackers, or tortilla chips.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/
 

Parmesan Chicken Strips

Published on by carol lou

Chicken is one of my go-to ingredients.  The easier and quicker I can make dinner, the better.  There are just those days when I want to not think about dinner and put something together that I can make in a flash.  These chicken strips are quick, easy and delicious.  I like to coat the chicken and then refrigerate for fifteen minutes so the coating has a few minutes to sit and adhere to the chicken.  You will find the coating does not fall off when cooking.  These strips would also be great on a salad or in a roll with condiments of your choice.  Looking for a picnic idea, make these ahead and serve cold.

parmesan chicken strips

Parmesan Chicken Strips
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Ingredients
  1. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  2. 3 tablespoons flour
  3. 1 teaspoon salt
  4. 2 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
  5. 1/2 cup Panko crumbs
  6. 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  7. Grated fresh pepper
  8. 1 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  9. 3 tablespoons butter
  10. 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
  1. Slice chicken breasts into approx. 1 1/2 inch strips.
  2. Arrange three shallow bowls for dredging the chicken.
  3. 1st bowl - flour and salt
  4. 2nd bowl - eggs and water
  5. 3rd bowl - Panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, pepper and seasonings
  6. Take each chicken strip and roll in flour mixture, eggs mixture, and roll in crumb mixture.
  7. Place on a plate. When you have finished coating all chicken breasts, refrigerate for 15 minutes.
  8. In a large heavy skillet, melt butter and oil over medium high heat.
  9. Cook chicken in skillet, turning when each side is golden brown. This will take approx. 10 minutes - watch closely. Some strips will probably cook faster than others, depending on size. Remove strips when golden, drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Grilled Lamb Chops with Plum Balsamic Sauce

Published on by carol lou

One of our favorite dishes is grilled lamb chops.  This recipe is so easy and the results are so spectacular.  It is great to grill a rack of chops, individually cut.  They are quick to grill and always a company favorite.   I must admit that I tried a mint bourbon sauce but resorted to this plum balsamic sauce which is just delicious as a dipping sauce with these chops.  The fresh rosemary infuses the lamb when cooking and imparts a wonderful taste.  A perfect spring dinner.

lamb chops

Lamb Chops with Plum Balsamic Sauce
Serves 2
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Ingredients
  1. One rack of lamb chops
  2. Olive oil
  3. Salt and pepper
  4. Fresh rosemary, chopped
  5. 1/2 cup plum jam
  6. 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  7. 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  8. Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Cut lamb rack into individual chops. Drizzle olive oil over chops and season both sides with salt, pepper, and fresh rosemary.
  2. Prepare grill, over medium high heat, grill chops one side for 5 minutes, turn and grill an additional 3 - 4 minutes.
  3. For the sauce, mix remaining ingredients. Serve along side the lamb chops.
  4. Plan one rack of chops serves 2.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Salted Caramel Pecan Muffins

Published on by carol lou

This past weekend, we traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to experience the food scene in this thriving college town.  One of the highlights of the weekend was our walking food tour of Carrboro and Chapel Hill.  Our tour was conducted by Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours and our guide, Will, definitely showed us the best in the area.  One of the stops was the Carrboro Farmer’s Market.  There were many wonderful purveyors at the market.  We met Alfred de la Houssaye and his daughter, Brianna.  They had a wonderful story of moving from the hustle of Manhattan to a farm in North Carolina. For those of you that travel the 95 corridor in Virginia, Alfred designed the logo for Potomac Mills Mall, when working in design in NYC.  The farm is Sweetwater Pecan Orchard and they grow various crops including pecans, oriental persimmons, figs, grapes, peaches, herbs and Brianna is a skilled handler of their chickens and egg production.  Needless to say, we were fascinated with their story and  Alfred’s wonderful pralines and pecan pie were marvelous.  I left with over one pound of fresh pecans; they were the inspiration for my recipe below.  I will be posting additional highlights from Chapel Hill in future posts.  If you ever go to Chapel Hill, I highly recommend the Taste of Carolina Tours, it was just great.

pecan farm

Here we are with Alfred and Brianna from Sweetwater Pecan Orchard at the Carrboro Farmer’s Market

pecan muffins

 

Salted Caramel Pecan Muffins
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Ingredients
  1. 1/3 cup butter
  2. 1 cup dark brown sugar
  3. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  4. 1/2 cup flour
  5. 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  6. 1/8 teaspoon salt
  7. 2 eggs, slightly beaten
  8. 1 cup chopped pecans
  9. Fleur de Sel, for garnish
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 - grease mini-muffin pans
  2. In a medium sauce pan, melt butter. Remove from heat, stir in brown sugar. Cool slightly. Quickly stir in eggs, add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Fold in pecans.
  3. Fill muffins 3/4 full - Bake mini-muffins 15 - 18 minutes.
  4. Remove from pan, cool.
  5. If desired, sprinkle with Fleur de Sel prior to serving. Makes 30 mini-muffins
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

 

 

Kalamata Caramelized Onion Tart

Published on by carol lou

We recently visited a Greek restaurant when we were in Chapel Hill, NC.  I automatically thought of the Greek olive oil I purchased from Spartan Oil a few weeks ago.  I decided to create a tart that highlighted the oil with kalamata olives, feta cheese, caramelized onions and pine nuts.  The results were wonderful; the bold flavor of the oil both in the crust and in the topping certainly made me feel I was back in that Greek restaurant.

onion tart 3

 

Kalamata Caramelized Onion Tart
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Ingredients
  1. Crust
  2. 2 cups flour
  3. 2 teaspoons baking powder
  4. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  5. 3/4 cup milk
  6. 1/4 cup Greek olive oil
  7. Topping
  8. 2 red onions, thinly sliced
  9. 3 tablespoons Greek olive oil
  10. 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  11. 1 teaspoon sugar
  12. 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
  13. 1/2 cup Klamath olives, pitted and chopped
  14. 1/4 cup pine nuts
  15. Additional olive oil drizzling over tart
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425
  2. Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat, add 3 tablespoons olive oil. Add onions and cook stirring frequently over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add thyme leaves, salt and pepper, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium low and cook onions, stirring occasionally, an additional 20 minutes until brown and caramelized.
  3. Prepare crust - in a large bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in milk and olive oil and mix until combined. Turn out onto a floured board and kneed until combined and smooth. Roll or press until dough is approx. 1/4 inch thin on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  4. Top with onions, olives, pine nuts and cheese. Drizzle lightly with additional oil.
  5. Bake for approx. 20 minutes until crust is golden brown.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Easy Slice Sugar Cookies

Published on by carol lou

This is a recipe I have used for years.  The cookies always come out perfect and I think they are as close as you can get to the perfect sugar cookie.  These are easier to make than the drive to the store to purchase pre-made slice and bake cookies.  I don’t even want to discuss the ingredient differences.  Let’s just say, these have all natural ingredients with no artificial ingredients.  Easy to make, slice and bake.  You will be thrilled with the results!

easy slice sugar cookies

 

Easy Slice Sugar Cookies
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Ingredients
  1. 1 cup butter, softened
  2. 1 cup sugar
  3. 1 egg
  4. 1 tablespoon vanilla
  5. 2 1/4 cups flour
  6. 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar and butter. Beat in egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in flour and baking soda. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a roll approx. 1 1/2" in diameter. Wrap and refrigerated for 1 hour or until well chilled.
  2. Preheat oven to 375, when you are ready to bake the cookies.
  3. Cut rolls into 1/4" slices. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle each cookie generously with sugar.
  4. Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Cool on a rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.
Notes
  1. I like to bake one cookie roll and freeze the other roll. Just put the frozen cookie roll in the refrigerator to thaw, then slice and bake as directed above.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Carol’s Carbonara

Published on by carol lou

I was looking in the refrigerator and found some thin sliced bacon that needed to be used – my first thought was Pasta Carbonara.  I decided to take what I had in the refrigerator and freezer and create a pasta sauce.  I always cook with a 3×5 card next to me to take notes as I go. 

Here is an example of my notes as I go when developing a recipe.

notes 2

This recipe turned out exceptionally well and you can see how I wrote down the steps as I went along.  My husband’s first comment was “if we ordered this in any restaurant, we would say it was fabulous!”   He is my biggest fan and number one taste-tester and I love his comments. 

 

 carol's carbonara 2

 

 

Carol's Carbonara
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Ingredients
  1. 8 slices of bacon, diced
  2. 1 clove garlic, minced
  3. 3 egg yolks
  4. 1 cup half and half, warmed
  5. 1 cup frozen peas
  6. 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  7. Salt and pepper, to taste
  8. 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, minced
  9. 1/2 pound pasta, cooked according to package directions, al dente
Instructions
  1. Prepare pasta as directed on package
  2. In a large heavy sauce pan, cook bacon over medium heat until golden brown, stir frequently.
  3. Add garlic, reduce heat to low.
  4. Add cooked pasta and frozen peas to bacon mixture in sauce pan and toss. Add parmesan and toss. Slowly add the egg yolks to the cream and whisk briskly. Slowly pour over the pasta. With tongs, continue tossing the pasta with the cream mixture for approx. 5 - 7 minutes until the sauce is thick and creamy. Add the Italian parsley and combine. Serves 4.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Raspberry Romaine Salad

Published on by carol lou

When I walked into the grocery store this morning,  I immediately saw the fruits that are bold in color and look beautiful after a long winter.  I picked up these jumbo raspberries and decided to add them to a salad.  This is a simple salad made with romaine, raspberries and chopped pecans.  I used white balsamic raspberry blush vinegar when I made the vinaigrette.  I think goat cheese would also be wonderful crumbled on top of the raspberries.

Raspberry Romaine Salad

Raspberry Romaine Salad
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Ingredients
  1. Vinaigrette
  2. 1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
  3. 2 tablespoons honey
  4. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  5. 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
  6. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  7. 1/4 cup canola oil
  8. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  9. Assorted salad greens, my preference is romaine
  10. Raspberries
  11. Chopped pecans
  12. Goat Cheese (optional)
Instructions
  1. Combine vinaigrette ingredients. In a large bowl combine salad ingredients, drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad and toss gently. Serve.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Tarragon Chicken

Published on by carol lou

Tarragon is an herb with narrow pointed leaves and has a distinctive mild anise or licorice flavor.  It is best when paired with artichokes, béarnaise sauce, carrots, chicken, eggs, lobster, mushrooms and onions.  This recipe highlights the flavor of tarragon adding a wonderful flavor combination to this dish.  The chicken is easy to prepare and the results are an exciting new twist that highlights chicken and mushrooms.  This is one to try, you will be glad you did.tarragon chicken

Tarragon Chicken
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Ingredients
  1. 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded 1/2 inch thin
  2. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons, flour
  3. 4 tablespoons butter
  4. 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
  5. 2 tablespoons flour
  6. 1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon
  7. 1 cup chicken broth
  8. 1/2 cup half and half
  9. Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325
  2. Dredge chicken breasts in 1/4 cup flour. Over medium high heat melt butter in skillet. Add chicken and brown on both sides. Remove chicken to a baking pan and put in preheated oven to finish cooking, while preparing tarragon sauce.
  3. Add mushrooms to skillet, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss to coat and slowly add chicken broth and tarragon. Cook until thickened.
  4. Slowly add the half and half, season with salt and pepper.
  5. Return chicken to pan and heat through.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/

Cranberry Pecan Butterscotch Bars

Published on by carol lou

Bar cookies are the easiest cookies to make.  With this recipe you mix the ingredients in a saucepan, the same pan that you melt the butter in.  So easy to assemble and the bars are moist and delicious.  My husband is the ultimate cookie lover.  I know when he says this is a ‘winning’ recipe that it is good. He is the best gauge of a cookie recipe.  You can be assured that this recipe has been given the blue ribbon by my cookie lover. 

cranberry pecan butterscotch bars

Cranberry Pecan Butterscotch Bars
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Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup butter
  2. 1 cup packed brown sugar
  3. 1 egg, slightly beaten
  4. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  5. 3/4 cup flour
  6. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  7. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  8. 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  9. 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Melt butter is a medium sauce pan over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in brown sugar. Slowly add egg and vanilla, stir quickly with a fork. (You do not want the egg to scramble) Stir in remaining ingredients.
  3. Spread in a greased 8 inch square pan.
  4. Bake 25 minutes.
  5. Cool. Cut into squares.
A Passion for Entertaining https://apassionforentertaining.com/