Recipes

Truffle Tots with Garlic Truffle Aioli

Published on by carol lou

I had a bag of tater tots in my freezer and decided it was time to make these gems into Truffle Tots. Out came my white truffle oil, Parmesan cheese, and a few other quick to prepare ingredients. I think you will agree, Truffle Tots are hard to resist, especially with the Garlic Truffle Aioli. A great accompaniment to any grilled protein.

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Truffle Tots with Garlic Truffle Aioli

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 32 oz bag frozen tater tots
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons white truffle oil, divided
  • 2 tablespoons finely minced Italian parsley
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven as directed on tater tots package. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease. Place tots on baking sheet and bake as directed on package. While the tots are baking mix the aioli – mix together 1 1/2 tablespoon truffle oil, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice and pepper. Mix well and refrigerate. Mince the parsley and place in a medium bowl large enough to toss the tots in. When the tots are finished cooking and golden brown, toss in the bowl with the remaining 2 tablespoons of truffle oil, Parmesan cheese and parsley. Serve immediately with aioli.

Today (August 4, 2020) is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

Published on by carol lou

I could not let this day pass without passing along my Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe. I have tried numerous other cookie recipes and we always comment that Mom’s Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is the best. Warm chocolate chip cookies with a glass of milk – what a treat!

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Make Now/Bake Later Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 12 oz package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together.  In a mixing bowl, beat butter, shortening and sugars.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time.  Mix well.  Add flour mixture and mix until all of the dry ingredients are well incorporated.  Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop batter by 1/4 cup scoops on a parchment lined baking sheet (I use a cookie scoop), lightly flatten each cookie with the back of a spatula, freeze dough for 1 hour.  Remove from freezer and place dough balls in a zip top freezer bag and return to the freezer.

    When you are ready to bake the cookies. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place the amount of cookies you want to bake on a parchment lined baking sheet and let thaw on the baking sheet for 30 minutes prior to baking. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, Time to enjoy delicious warm chocolate chip cookies.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Pimento Cheese Fondue

Published on by carol lou

We recently traveled to Greenville, SC and had a marvelous dinner in town. One of the stand-out appetizers was Fried Green Tomatoes with Pimento Cheese Fondue. It was so good, I wanted to try my hand at making a similar version. A real Southern treat.

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Fried Green Tomatoes with Pimento Cheese Fondue

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • Pimento Cheese Fondue
  • 6 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 oz. cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup diced pimento
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • Fried Green Tomatoes
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 cup flour, divided
  • 1/3 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 green tomatoes, cut into 1/3 inch slices
  • canola oil

Instructions

  1. For the Pimento Cheese Fondue – combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, over medium heat, stir until all of the cheese has melted and the mixture is creamy. This will take 5 – 8 minutes.

    Fried Green Tomatoes – slice tomatoes into 1/3 inch slices. In three shallow bowls place the following

    1. 1/4 cup flour

    2. egg, slightly beaten mixed with the buttermilk

    3. remaining flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper

    Dredge the tomato slices in the flour, then the egg mixture, then the cornmeal mixture. Let dry slightly while the oil is heating on a wire rack. Heat approx. 1/4 – 1/2 inch of canola oil in a heavy saucepan, I used my cast iron skillet. Heat oil to 375 degrees. When the oil has come to temperature, fry tomato slices for 2 minutes on each side. Remove and drain on a paper towel lined cooling rack. Season with salt. ( Depending on the size of your green tomatoes – my 3 green tomatoes yielded 9 slices )

    Serve warm fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese fondue.

Butterscotch Pudding with Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon

Published on by carol lou

Every once in awhile, I love to combine two unlikely ingredients. This time it was dessert with the touch of Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon. I have always loved Butterscotch Pudding and this time adding the bacon topping was an especially good addition. Always fun to surprise guests with an unexpected combination.

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Butterscotch Pudding with Brown Sugar Glazed Bacon

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • PUDDING
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup evaporated milk
  • 2 cups milk (I use 1% milk)
  • 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • whipped cream, for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay the bacon pieces on the foil. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and drain the grease. Spread the 2 tablespoons of brown sugar evenly over the bacon, return to the oven and bake an additional 5 minutes or until crisp (watch carefully). Remove bacon from the oven and drain on a paper towel. When cool, finely chop and set aside.

    In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in both milks, and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stir constantly. Continue to cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat, stir a few tablespoons of the hot mixture into the egg yolks to temper the eggs. Then pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot pudding, cook and stir an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and vanilla, stir to combine. Cool slightly and then pour into serving dishes. Put plastic wrap directly on the top of the puddings to prevent a skin from forming. (I served mine in small canning jars). Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Just prior to serving – top with whipped cream and brown sugar glazed bacon.

Grilled Cherry Tomato Compote

Published on by carol lou

When the grill is roaring it is a perfect time for Grilled Cherry Tomato Compote. These tomatoes are just delicious spread on toasted crusty bread. Perfect as an appetizer or side with your favorite grilled meat, fish or seafood.

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Grilled Cherry Tomato Compote

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/3 cup cold butter
  • kosher salt
  • fresh torn basil leaves
  • grilled crusty bread slices

Instructions

  1. Place the tomatoes in a grill ready pan – add the olive oil and toss. When your grill it hot – place the pan on the grill and cook the tomatoes 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the skins have burst and the tomatoes are soft. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the butter until melted, sprinkle with salt and top with fresh torn basil leaves. Serve with warm grilled crusty bread. To make the crusty bread – I simply sliced a baguette diagonally, brushed one side with olive oil, and toasted on the grill.

Upside Down Baked Orange French Toast

Published on by carol lou

This recipe gives you the opportunity to bake an entire pan of french toast and have it ready when you are. No more flipping and turning french toast piece by piece. It also has a wonderful orange sugar glaze when it comes out of the oven – syrup is optional! A wonderful morning taste treat.

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Upside Down Baked Orange French Toast

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons grated orange rind
  • 4 eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2/3 cup orange juice
  • 8 slices of bread (I like to use brioche)
  • powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine sugar, cinnamon and orange rind in a small bowl. In a shallow bowl, combine the eggs and orange juice. Melt butter in a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan. Sprinkle sugar mixture evenly over the melted butter. Dip bread in egg misture, soaking well, and arrange on top of the butter/sugar mixture. Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, watch carefully. Remove from the oven and carefully lift each piece out and flip over onto each plate. Dust with powdered sugar.

S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches Dipped in Chocolate Ganache

Published on by carol lou

School’s out for the summer and it is time to think about fun summer food. S’mores always come to mind especially when I smell a fire pit roaring. I thought it might be fun to make ice cream sandwiches that taste like a S’more. I layered graham crackers with marshmallows, toasted them under the broiler, added a scoop of ice cream, topped them with another graham cracker and dipped them in chocolate ganache. For fun I dipped some in assorted sprinkles and a few in crushed salted cashews. These are so easy to make and just the thing for a warm summer night. You can make these ahead and have them ready in the freezer. Especially nice since we are not as likely to venture out as much as we used to and staying home more than we are accustomed to!

One of my taste testers, I think he likes it!
5 from 1 vote
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S’Mores Ice Cream Sandwiches Dipped in Chocolate Ganache

Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 16 2 1/2 inch squares honey graham crackers
  • 80 mini marshmallows
  • 14 oz ice cream (I used assorted flavors of Haagen-Dazs ice cream)
  • 8 oz milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • assorted sprinkles

Instructions

  1. Line a baking sheet that will fit in your freezer with foil. Place 8 graham cracker squares on the baking sheet. Place 10 mini marshmallows on each square. Place under the broiler and watch carefully until the marshmallows become golden brown. Remove from the broiler and cool. Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it soften a bit to make it easier to scoop. Place one scoop of ice cream on each cracker that has the toasted marshmallows on them. Top each scoop with the top cracker. Place in the freezer until the sandwich is frozen and firm. After the sandwiches are frozen – combine the chocolate chips and cream in a microwaveable dish that is large enough to dip the sandwiches in. I used a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for 15 seconds and stir until thick and smooth. Cool slightly. Assembly – have everything prepared because you will need to work quickly. Quickly dip each sandwich in the chocolate ganache, sprinkle with toppings if desired, place on the baking sheet. Return the baking sheet in the freezer. Freeze several hours until hard. Wrap each sandwich individually.

Cooking from My Freezer – Shrimp Rolls

Published on by carol lou

There is nothing I like more than a wonderful lobster roll. However, I am being resourceful and using what I have in my freezer. I found a bag of precooked wild-caught jumbo shrimp in the freezer. So, out it came and time to figure out what to do with the shrimp. I also had a few hot dogs buns in the freezer (ideally they would have been split-top buns but I used what I had on hand). You guessed it, Shrimp Rolls! I thawed the shrimp, cut into large chunks and tossed in a few more ingredients I had on hand. One large scoop on a toasted bun – amazing.

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Shrimp Rolls

Servings 3

Ingredients

  • 12 oz precooked jumbo shrimp
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons fat-free plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 – 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 – 2 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • hot dog buns
  • butter

Instructions

  1. Cut shrimp into bite size pieces. Mix in a bowl with the yogurt, mayonnaise, (add one tablespoon at a time of the yogurt and mayonnaise until you reach your desired consistency), celery, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper. Spread butter on the hot dog bun and toast under your broiler until golden brown. Fill rolls with shrimp mixture and serve.

Spiralized Zucchini with Tomatoes and Burrata

Published on by carol lou

Now that I keep cooking at home, I am running out of ideas for vegetables. I was at the store and found spiralized zucchini noodles and thought that would be the perfect vegetable to try. I also knew I had some Burrata in the refrigerator and cherry tomatoes at home. After a quick stir-fry of the zucchini, a touch of garlic, a toss of cherry tomatoes, a dusting of grated Parmesan and topped with Burrata – we had an incredible side dish. If you need a new and interesting vegetable, I highly recommend this delicious vegetable dish.

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Spiralized Zucchini with Tomatoes and Burrata

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. spiralized zucchini
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • 8 oz. Burrata cheese
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet, toss zucchini in hot skillet for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue to cook for 1 minutes. Add the tomatoes and toss until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place cooked zucchini in a serving dish, top with Burrata and dust with the Parmesan cheese

Quick, Easy and Delicious -Salsa Sausage Dip

Published on by carol lou

When I first made this recipe, we thought it was so delicious with tortilla chips that we could hardly eat dinner since we ate so much of this dip! Five ingredients that are all readily available in your local market. Sausage, salsa, taco seasoning, cream cheese and sharp cheddar cheese. You just won’t believe what a great combination. Trust me on this one. You can also double or cut in half, depending on the number serving.

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Salsa Sausage Dip

Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground sausage, hot, mild or sage
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
  • 1 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot – your choice)
  • 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • tortilla chips

Instructions

  1. In an oven-proof medium skillet (cast iron works great) over medium heat, brown sausage, stirring frequently to break the sausage up into small bits. Drain any excess grease. Return to the skillet, over medium-low heat, stir in cream cheese, salsa, and taco seasoning. Stir until the cream cheese has melted. At this point you can pour mixture into an oven/microwave dish; cool and refrigerate. If serving immediately, top mixture with cheese, put into a 350 oven until the cheese has melted. If you are reheating from the refrigerator, top the cooled mixture with the cheddar cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven 15 – 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. You can also heat in the microwave – top with cheddar cheese, cover and microwave on high in 30 second increments until hot and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips.