Housewarming Apple Pie & 10 Open House Tips

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There is not much that can make a house feel like a ‘warm home’ like the smell of a home-made apple pie baking in the oven.  That is probably why when perspective buyers are to walk through a home, the advice usually starts with “bake an apple pie”.  Hence the Housewarming Apple Pie! As I have mentioned in past posts, my husband and I have listed our home and what better smell to have wafting through it than this? Absolutely none!

As part of ‘Home Month’ I thought I would list out some great open house tips like these for those of you who might be thinking of listing your home and then we can get right to the business of baking this beautiful autumn treat! Whether you are working with a realtor, which I highly recommend, or listing yourself, these tips are invaluable when presenting what you want people to envision as their next home…

10 TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT OPEN HOUSE:

1. Bake an apple pie or simmer some apple cider with cinnamon sticks on the stove.  Smell is one of those senses that are almost subliminal in helping people to feel comfortable in a situation.

2. Clean up. One might think this is self-explanatory, but sometimes we are blind to the “clutter” spots in our own homes, get those too!

3. Play some soft music, think ambiance.

4. Leave.  Your realtor should tell you this, but perspective buyers normally won’t feel comfortable if you are hanging around. If you don’t have a realtor, find a trusted friend to handle the open house for you and have them gather information from anyone who tours the home on a sheet of paper with their realtor’s information.

5. Take pets with you.  You want people to feel comfortable and even if you have the friendliest animal in the world, you still don’t want Fido panting up someone’s leg.  Not to mention you never know what people’s allergies are.

6. Set your dining room table.  This helps people to visualize themselves eating dinner in your home.

7. Turn on lights.  You want to be sure people can see what they are looking for without searching out light switches. Seems basic, but sometimes very over looked.

8. Let in as much natural light as possible.  The more curtains and blinds you can open the better.  Natural light tends to make a home feel more open.

9. Make sure people know about it.  I can’t stress this enough.  Advertize the open house at least one week in advance.  Utilize sites like Craigslist, Yahoo Classifieds and Recycler.com.  Utilize social media, put your MLS listing with pictures up and advertize the date and time a week ahead asking that friends share the information.  Then a couple of days ahead of time, place signs in your neighborhood directing people to your home.

10. Don’t forget about curb appeal.  Remember, the first thing people see when they get to your home is the front door and the outside of your home.  Be sure your lawn is mowed.  Be sure toys are tidy if you have children.  And add a pretty touch like the Autumn Wreath we made last week!

Whether you plan on making this home-made apple pie for your next open house, to bring to a housewarming party for someone with a new home or just to enjoy around your family table, you won’t be disappointed with the outcome!  You could purchase a ready-made pie crust, but in case you are looking for the full effect, I will start off by taking you through a super tender and delicious home-made crust that can be used for virtually any pie!

Start by adding flour to a large bowl.

Add in salt and sugar (they look virtually the same, so I won’t bore you with two photos) 1 tsp. kosher salt and 1 Tbs. sugar will do it.

Dice up some cold butter, very cold.

Add butter to the flour.

Then use some shortening. I used this butter flavored shortening which comes in this convenient bar that I keep in the fridge so it is cold as well.

Dice this up as well although it isn’t nearly as stiff as the butter.

Once you have both butter and shortening in the flour you are ready to cut into the flour.

If you have a food processor, have at it. Mine is on the fritz, but honestly, this process take like 45 seconds longer with a hand pastry tool like this one, so to me it isn’t worth making the mess of the food processor for one pie crust. If you don’t have either, you can still make a pie crust, in the old days, it was done with a couple of butter knives, so have at it, cut away!

You want to cut the butter into the flour until it looks ‘mealy’ like so.

To this, I add in very cold tap water.

You want just enough moisture for it to come together without being too sticky. It should still be flaky like so.  Try and do most of the working with your wooden spoon to avoid too much warmth from your hands melting that butter.  But, once it is almost there, you will need to help it along a bit.

Divide the dough in two, form two discs and place on a plate divided by parchment paper.

Add the second half right on top. Cover lightly and pop in the fridge while you make the filling.

Here are my apples… I have all different varieties here, some from the Farmer’s Market, some from the grocery store and some from apple picking! A variety of different apples, some tart, some sweet will yield you the best pie!

Cut them up to a medium slice. I don’t go too uniform as long as they are similar in size, shape doesn’t really matter to me. I like biting into a variety.  I don’t place them in a bowl, but rather a large pot. (that’s another secret)

So a lot of people like to use flour in their pie. One of my secrets to a pie that is not ‘watery’ is to use corn starch. I feel like it does a better job at thickening the apple juices. Also, if you pick up a gluten-free pie crust, you can actually have a gluten-free pie!

Add it into your pot.

Add in one tablespoon of cinnamon.

No need to stir yet, just sprinkle right on top of the corn starch.

Then the nutmeg. I have said this before, if you don’t have fresh nutmeg, omit this ingredient entirely. Please don’t use powdered nutmeg from a jar. The fresh stuff is not that expensive and the difference in the taste is substantial.

Sprinkle over the top.

Add in kosher salt.

Next add in just a pinch of Ground Allspice. This is NOT the Portuguese All Spice I use in my savory recipes. This is an actual spice that is called Allspice.

Add in sugar.

Now mix.

This is what you want it to look like.

Add in two tablespoons of unsalted butter.

Turn on the heat to medium. This is my second secret.

Cook while stirring occasionally for about 8-10 mins. Your goal is not to fully cook the apples, but to melt the butter and sugar so they are evenly distributed and gel well with the corn starch. And to par cook the apples.

At about the half way of cooking mark add in the juice of half a fresh lemon. Again, if you don’t have fresh lemon, please omit this ingredient. There is no substitution for fresh lemon juice. This lemon is my third secret, it provides just enough tartness to counter the sugar.

Once the filling is made, take one round out of the fridge at a time, you want this to stay cold. Place it on a rolling mat if you have one, I LOVE this one and use it quite often for all kinds of projects. You’ll also want to have flour at the ready to help with sticking. Flour the mat and the top for the round lightly to prevent sticking.

Roll out to a little larger than your pie plate.

To easily add your crust to your plate without breaking, roll it onto your rolling pin using your mat to help lift.

Once it’s on your rolling pin, unroll it onto your pie plate.

Now you are ready to fill.

Once filled, repeat the rollingout process and place second crust over the top.

Form a pretty edge being sure that you are sealing the two crusts together to prevent leaking.

Here it is with the completed edge, cut off any remaining edge.

Add in vent holes, this is important to allow the steam to escape.

Next, make a thick egg wash with one egg yolk and just a splash of water.

Brush onto the the crust.

Sprinkle with sugar. (At this point you could store in the fridge for later or bake right away… If you are planning this for an open house, make in the morning and pop in the oven just before show time! Just let your realtor know to take it out and place on stovetop when ready!)

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 45-50 mins until crust is golden brown.

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And even better than this is Alla-Mode!

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Housewarming Apple Pie

Serves 6-10

Filling Ingredients:

7-9 large apples, different varieties, peeled, cored and sliced

1/3 cup corn starch

2/3 cup sugar

1 Tbs. cinnamon

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/8 tsp. fresh nutmeg, ground

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

Ingredients for Pie Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, diced

1/3 cup cold butter flavored shortening, cubed

2 Tbs. sugar, divided

1 tsp. salt

3/4 cup cold water

1 egg yolk, beaten with splash of water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Prepare pie crust first and refrigerate while preparing filling.

To prepare crust: Place flour in a large bowl.  Add in butter, shortening, 1 Tbs. sugar, and salt.  Cut together with a pastry cutter until crumbly.  Add in water, mix with wooden spoon until water is absorbed fully.  Finish bringing dough together quickly with hands.  Avoid touching with warm hands as much as possible. Divide dough, form into two discs and refrigerate until ready for use.

For the apple filling: Add apple slices into a large pot on the stove.  Add in corn starch, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and stir.  Turn on heat to medium and add butter, stir.  Heat for 5 minutes stirring a few times to distribute the ingredients as they melt. Add in juice of half a lemon, sitr again.  Heat for another two minutes and remove from heat.

Roll out the pie dough.  Place one half in pie plate, fill with apple filling and lay the second rolled dough on top.  Pinch together edges and form a seal then make into a pretty crust edging.  Place vent holes on top of the crust to allow steam out.  Brush top with egg wash (1 beaten egg yolk with splash of water) and sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbs. sugar.

Bake for 45-50 minutes until golden brown.  Allow to cool for at least one hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Madrinha’s Coconut Queijadas (Queijadas de Coco)

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My family, being Portuguese, is rather large by today’s standards.  My father grew up with 7 sisters and a brother and was one of 9 siblings.  This made for great parties growing up! I feel like almost every weekend of my childhood was spent attending a birthday party, baptism, 1st Communion, graduation, Confirmation, holiday celebration or just getting together to get together!  And at every single one of those events my Titia Tina, who would eventually become my Madrinha at my own Confirmation, would make these delectable little treats.  A creamy, crustless, coconut creation that once you try you will wonder what on earth you were doing all your life that you missed out enjoying it.

As I got older, I wondered how she made this family mainstay.  So, I asked time and time again… Her response was always, come on by when I’m making them and I’ll show you.  Well, time never allowed for an in person lesson unfortunately.  But, for my wedding shower, my cousin Stephanie, her daughter, nailed down the recipe with measurements for me and submitted it to be part of my family wedding recipe collection! (which by the way is one of my very favorite ideas for any bridal shower… what a wonderful way to preserve family recipes and memories!)

I was so excited to get the recipe and so I tried it right away… And I was absolutely amazed at just how easy and inexpensive it is! For such a fabulous treat! So, now I am sharing it with all of you. Here’s how we do it…

Start with 4 eggs in a large bowl. My bowl is by Pampered Chef and it has the pour spout (that is ideal!).  Wisk the eggs.

Measure out sugar.

Add sugar in while wisking.

Wisk your eggs and sugar until smooth.

For this recipe margarine is called for, not butter. I have never tried it with butter, but suspect it would be similar if you needed to substitute. Since this is what the recipe calls for and it’s much less expensive, it’s what I use.

You’ll need to melt the butter, so place it in a microwave safe container, in this case I use my handy-dandy Pampered Chef measuring cup and call it a day.

Add in your melted margarine wisking briskly, remember you have eggs in that bowl that can easily cook with still hot liquid.

You should have a creamy consistency after adding in margarine.

Measure out flour.

Add in your first measurement of flour and wisk.

Then your next. And continue wisking.

Add in 1 lemon rind. Be sure it is all in one solid piece like so, you will be removing this before baking.

You want to incorporate the lemon right into your batter.

Measure out your milk… I am using that same Pampered Chef 2-cup measuring cup so it still has some of the margarine in it, those are the yellow specks you can see.

Now add in your milk.

Once you have a nice smooth consistency, You are ready for the coconut.

Measure out your sweetened coconut. I’ve never tried unsweetened coconut in this recipe, but if you want to reduce the sugar content, I suppose this is where you might do that.

Spray your pan with cooking spray. This recipe is not made with cupcake liners.

In my madrinha’s recipe she suggests pouring your batter into a measuring cup with a spout to pour batter into the muffin tin… If you don’t have a handy-dandy spouted measuring bowl, definitely do this.

Fill each compartment about 3/4 of the way up.

As you are pouring your lemon peel will surface, be sure to pull it out and discard, it has done its job.

Once filled, you want to place pan in a pre-heated oven at 375°F for 20-30 mins. depending on your oven… it could go as far as 40 mins if they aren’t browning. When you come to 20 mins or so, turn on your oven light and take a peek, try not to open your oven if you can avoid it. You will be looking for a nice sunny golden brown.

Allow to cool once out of the oven.

Notice how it is “puffed up” right now and the center has not fallen… this is because it just came out of the oven and it is much too soon to remove it from the muffin tin.

Scoop each one out with a large soup spoon so you don’t dent the bottom edges taking it out of the pan. As you can see, the centers have now fallen with the cooling and they are looking perfect.

And this is what each little gem will look like when you place it on your serving platter.

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Madrinha’s Coconut Queijadas (Queijadas de Coco)

Yields: 2 1/2 – 3 dozen

Ingredients:

4 cups of whole milk

4 eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 stick margarine, melted

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

1 lemon rind

cooking spray

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, wisk eggs.  Add in sugar, wisk.  Add in margarine slowly while wisking briskly. Add in flour and lemon rind and continue to wisk.  Next, add in milk while slowing wisking.  Lastly, add in coconut and slowly mix into the batter.

Spray a 12 count muffin tin with cooking spray (if you have 3 muffin tins, this would be ideal).  Fill each 3/4 up with batter.  Bake 20-30 minutes until lightly golden brown.  You want to check your oven starting at 20 minutes utilizing your oven light, not opening your oven.  It may go as far as 40 minutes depending on your oven (ie. gas vs. electic).

Allow to cool before removing from tin.  Each queijada will be puffy when first coming out of the oven, they will fall as they cool in the center.  Place each in a cupcake liner and then onto your serving platter.

Enjoy!

Portuguese Bean Soup (Molho de Feijão)

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This amazingly creamy and hearty soup was one of my Vavó Olinda’s specialties! She would always make a batch of this at the same time as she made a batch of Feijão Assado (Portuguese Baked Beans). The soup would always get eaten up first and then all week long, the baked beans were there to enjoy… I’ve never been able to decide which one I prefer more, but I can tell you I love them both. My Vavó passed away in 2007, she was 93 years old and sharp as a whip and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her and think about all the wonderful time we had together shopping and cooking, eating and talking, and just spending quality time with one another.  I was truly blessed to have the special connection I had with my Vavó and this is one of those recipes that brings her right back to me.  Funny how food does that.

My Vavó always referred to this soup as Molho de Feijão although many refer to it as Sopa de Feijão.  Whatever you like to call it, it’s a simple recipe really.  Under 10 ingredients, no soaking of beans, no special tools needed.  The creaminess comes from the combination of the pasta, potatoes and beans, no milk at all. A bowl of this soup and a nice fresh Portuguese Pop-seco bread roll is all you need for a hearty lunch or even dinner.  It freezes beautifully, so I highly suggest making the full batch even if it is too much for your size family.

Here is your bag of beans. Any white bean will do it, but my Vavó always prefered the smallest bean available.

I wash the beans twice… The first rinse in a strainer just to get out any dirt that might be left behind.

Then I get a pot going with some water…

Pour the beans in…

and agitate them with my hand to reveal any stray pebbles or bad beans, I pick them out and carefully pour the water out leaving the beans in the pot… The water usually takes with it anything I missed in the first rinsing.

Then I fill the pot again with water and set over high heat on the stove.

While the pot is starting to heat up on the stove, I chop up one onion into a fairly small dice.

Add that onion into the pot.

Crush, peel and mince two cloves of garlic.

Crush, peel and mince two cloves of garlic.

Then add that into the pot.

Bring the water to a boil and cover and turn the flame down to the point where the water is at a gentle boil. DO NOT ADD SALT.

While the pot is set to simmer for a couple of hours you can prepare your ingredients… 5-6 potatoes.

Peeled and washed.

Peeled and washed.

Diced into a relatively small dice.

1/2 lb. of chouriço. This is hot Portuguese Chouriço.

Peel and slice.

After a couple of hours on the stove, this is what you get… Do not stop boiling until your beans are to this point of tenderness. If you look closely you will see many of them are starting to bust open.

At this point you can add salt.

Add in your potatoes.

Add in your chouriço.

Add in a couple of tablesspoons of ground red pepper. BE CAREFUL here. I put in a couple of tablespoons because as you can see, my pepper is mostly lacking seeds, if you have a spicier version of this pepper, reduce the amount, more can always be added at the end, but once it’s there, you can’t take it away. Stir this all together and cook for about a half hour until the potatoes are fork tender.

Now add in your pasta and stir. My Vavó loved the small shells in this soup, and so that is what I am using today. However, you could also use a Dilatini. Something short and hearty, but still fine. An elbow is a bit too much.

You want to over cook the pasta here… this is not a place for al-dente… After about another half an hour, this is what you should see…

Add in half a small can of tomato sauce. Taste for salt and you are done.

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Portuguese Bean Soup (Molho de Feijão)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 16oz. package dry white Navy Beans, rinsed and picked through

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves, garlic, crushed and minced

1/2 lb. Hot Portuguese Chouriço, peeled and sliced

5-6 medium potatoes, peeled, diced

1/2 package small shells pasta

1/2 8oz. can tomato sauce

2 Tbs. ground red pepper (wet)

1 Tbs. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Directions:

Fill a large pot about 3/4 with water.  Add in dry beans, onion and garlic.  Bring to a boil, cover and cook for about 1 1/2 -2 hours until beans are very tender.  Most of your water will have evaporated, refill the water.  Add in chouriço, potatoes salt and red pepper.  Bring back to a boil and cover,  cook for about 30 more minutes until potatoes are good and tender.  Add in pasta, cook for an additional 30 minutes.  Add in tomato sauce and taste for salt.  Serve with  fresh bread… Enjoy!

*Note – a gluten free adjustement for this recipe is to either simly omit the pasta or use a gluten free pasta, it will be just as delicious!

4-Cheese Mac&Cheese

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This is the time of year that people start to crave Mac&Cheese. Whether for a football party, a church pot luck, Thanksgiving or a Sunday side or a regular ole weeknight meal, Mac&Cheese is on the menu for many Americans starting in September and continues until you just don’t want to turn your oven on anymore sometime in June.  Now, we are talking baked macaroni and cheese here, this is clearly not the boxed stuff.  Although, the boxed stuff has its place, I see them as two totally different animals entirely.

I never really had REAL Mac&Cheese growing up.  This is not a Portuguese meal and I was never exposed to it.  Not until maybe the last 10 years or so did I really even come to understand the appeal.  I had tried it a few times in my 20’s and honestly I don’t remember who made it, but it just wasn’t very good. Not having grown up with the dish, I had no real point of reference to fall back on.  But, people would always tell me just how much they love it, so I didn’t want to give up on trying it.  There were a few times I gave some a try at a party or gathering and was starting to see where people were coming from, but it still wasn’t there for me, honestly, I found it kind of boring.

So, I set out to create a Mac&Cheese that I could really get behind.  It definitely took a lot fails.  Learning to get that sauce just right took a lot of practice and I got to see just why I had tried so many mediocre versions of the dish.  Eventually, I got it to good.  Once I got it to good, then I could tweak it to really good. From there, I worked on it until it became what we have today, a delicious, not boring, really yummy, 10-years-in-the-making 4-Cheese Mac&Cheese.

I start by filling a large pot with well salted water.

Once you set your water to boil over high heat, you want to start prepping your cheese…

Here are your four cheese. Notice how they come in block form… the key to a good mac&cheese starts with shredding your own cheese. Not just because cheese you shred yourself turns out better, fresher and isn’t dried out by preservatives like flour or corn starch, but because you get to choose exactly what kind of cheese to use. Most of these varieties of cheese are not found in the preshredded bags hanging in the dairy aisle.

Shred each kind and leave each in their separate little mound.

Each cheese is chosen for a specific reason… Muenster has a lovely flavor and is a great melting cheese, so it adds in a smoothness to the recipe.

Monterey Jack is also a great melting cheese, but adds in a little more bite as it is a jack cheese.

Then forget about boring mac&cheese we are adding in some Pepper Jack! This is also a nicely melting cheese, but it is full of delicious flavor with that kick of pepper.

And last but not least a nice sharp aged cheddar. Use whatever your favorite is, but I have been addicted to Cabot Creamery’s Alpine Cheddar. I eat it nearly every morning with a cup of tea. It’s got these beautiful little crunchy bits from the aging process, OMG, yum!

Now that your cheese is set, your water should be boiling, so start the macaroni going…

I like a to use a macaroni that has ridges. I go back and forth between these medium shells and Barilla's elbows. I say Barilla's, because their elbows have ridges.

I like a to use a macaroni that has ridges. I go back and forth between these medium shells and Barilla’s elbows. I say Barilla’s, because their elbows have ridges.

Once the water is boiling, add in the pasta.

Once the water is boiling, add in the pasta.

Give it a stir right away. You want to cook covered over low heat (enough to keep it boiling) until about 1 minute under the package instructions, al dente.

Give it a stir right away. You want to cook covered over low heat (enough to keep it boiling) until about 1 minute under the package instructions, al dente.

In a large sauce pan add in 4 Tbs. of butter. You want to set your burner to med/low.

To that add in about 4 Tbs. of flour. You want to cook this flour for about a minute to get rid of that raw flour taste. If you are making this dish with a gluten free pasta and wish to keep this a gluten free dish, just use the same mesurements in corn starch, but you don't need to cook it off, just wisk to combine and move on.

To that add in about 4 Tbs. of flour. You want to cook this flour for about a minute to get rid of that raw flour taste. If you are making this dish with a gluten-free pasta and wish to keep this a gluten-free dish, just use the same measurements in corn starch, but you don’t need to cook it off, just wisk to combine and move on.

Wisk that until somewhat smooth, if its a little lumpy, just add the next step in very slowly until you get a smooth mixture.

Wisk that until somewhat smooth, if it’s a little lumpy, just add the next step in very slowly until you get a smooth mixture.

Slowly add in 3 cups of whole milk. The first cup should be added extra slowly to ensure your wisking allows for no lumps.

You should come up with a nice smooth base sauce.

This is one of those secret ingredients that can only be done if you do it exactly like this. If you have fresh nutmeg, grate some in. If you only have the kind of nutmeg that comes powdered, skip this step, it will kill your recipe.

Add in one cheese at a time, wisking slowly after each addition until fully combined.

I won’t go through pictures of all four as it looks pretty much the same for each step, just take it slow. This isn’t something that can be rushed.

Once all four cheeses have been combined, this is the kind of thickness you should have in your sauce.

To this add a fair amount of fresh cracked black pepper.

Before draining your macaroni, reserve one ladle of the pasta cooking water.

If your sauce is at the end stage after you’ve added in the black pepper, then great, add in the entire ladle of water to the sauce…. I know, you are ruining that lovely creaminess, but trust me, the sauce is too thick right now… remember, it still needs to be baked and our macaroni is al dente, so it needs to finish cooking. If the sauce is too thick, you will get a clumpy, dense macaroni and cheese. And nobody wants that.

After adding in that ladle of cooking water, this is now your sauce consistency. See how it got loosened right up?

Now that your sauce is set, hopefully it is timing out to be the same time as when your macaroni is ready, so let’s take care of that next…

You have already reserved a ladle of pasta cooking water, so now it’s time to drain out the rest and get to mixing.

Return your drained macaroni to the cooking pot. Your shells will naturally hold on to a little bit of the water, not to worry… This is cooked al dente, so it’s perfectly ok.

Pour your sauce over the macaroni.

I know this looks way too saucy right? It’s not, trust me.

Taste for salt at this point and add if needed. When I say taste, I mean taste with a piece of macaroni, you want to make sure the seasoning is right and this is your last shot.

I like to spray with cooking spray although it may not be necessary if you have the right dish.

Now you can add in to your baking dishes. This is a 12″x12″ baking dish and all of the Mac&Cheese would fit here, but for my family, we are only two adults and two small children, so I decided to divide it into one large dinner size portion.

One portion to freeze for later in this metal pan.

And one small casserole as an individual serving for my husband to bring to work.

Next and final step is the topping!

These are the scraps left on the cutting board from shredding your cheese… you want to gather those up and use them for the start to your topping.

Place them in a smallish bowl.

Baked Mac&Cheese just isn’t the same without a nice crispy topping. Start off with dicing up some butter.

Now, panko breadcrumbs, in my opinion, are the only way to go here. Add them in to your cheese and butter. (If you are making this gluten-free, I would suggest doing 1/2 gluten-free bread crumbs and half grated parmesan cheese, making it 5 cheese mac&cheese!)

Sprinkle with some salt and that’s it.

Just take a fork and combine, slicing with the side of the fork further breaking down that butter and cheese and folding the bread crumbs into it.

Liberally sprinkle over top.

Don’t forget the extra dishes…. However, I want to say, if you are freezing some, great, add this on… but, if you are refrigerating until the next day, hold off on adding the topping until just before baking. If you refrigerate the panko, they tend to soften up, hard to have a crispy topping with softened bread crumbs.

Bake the larger dish on 375°F for 40 mins, less for smaller dishes (I kept the individual one in there for 30 mins)… Everything is cooked, the goal here is to let the sauce marry with the macaroni and the topping to crisp up and brown a bit.

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Recipe for 4-Cheese Mac&Cheese:

(serves 6)

1 cup Muenster Cheese, shredded

1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

1 cup Pepper Jack Cheese, shredded

1 cup Aged cheddar cheese, shredded (Alpine cheddar preferred)

4 Tbs. flour

4 Tbs. Butter

3 cups milk

1 cup macaroni cooking water

1 lb. medium shells macaroni, cooked with salted water to al dente (or elbows with ridges)

 

fresh cracked black pepper

kosher salt to taste

For topping:

2 Tbs. butter, cubed

1 cup panko bread crumbs

real nutmeg, grated

1/2 cup combination of above shredded cheeses

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

In a large sauce pan over med/low heat, melt butter. Wisk in flour and cook for a minute.  Slowly add in milk while wisking slowly.  Heat through until hot enough to melt cheese.  Add in each of the four portions of cheese separately, being sure to wisk each one in to combine fully before adding the next.  Your sauce should now be pretty thick.  Add in a few grates of nutmeg.  Then add in a few cracks of black pepper.  Now continue wisking and wisk in one ladle of the hot macaroni cooking water (about 1 cup). Your sauce should be a bit more thinned out now.

Drain macaroni and place back into large cooking pot.  Pour sauce over macaroni.  Mix together and taste for salt.  Add salt if needed.  Pour into prepared sprayed casserole.

In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the topping and mush together with a fork.  Liberally sprinkle over top of the casserole.

Bake at 375°F for 30-40 mins. until golden brown on top.

Enjoy!

*Gluten-free adjustments can be found in the tutorial portion of this recipe. (use gluten-free macaroni and replace flour with corn starch also replace the panko bread crumbs with 1/2 gluten free bread crumbs and half grated parmesan cheese)

Beef Burrito Casserole with Pico de Gallo

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I love a good burrito, but I must confess, I don’t always have the time to make each one out separately.  Sometimes, it’s just easier to throw it all together and make what is essentially one giant burrito… A Beef Burrito Casserole!

Filled with fresh veggies, lean ground beef, protein packed beans, cheese, brown rice and whole wheat flour tortilla, you’ve got everything thing you need to make a balanced meal in one 9×13″ casserole dish!  And all in under 30 minutes from start to finish!

Top this plate off with a dollop of sour cream and a nice fresh Pico de Gallo.  I like to start with the Pico de Gallo so the flavors have time to hang out together a bit while I prepare the rest.

This meal is perfect for hungry families, company and pot lucks!  Once you make it once, it is sure to become a family favorite that you will find yourself making time and time again!

I start by dicing half a large red onion.

Then I like to soak it in water to take the bite out of the onion.

While your onions are soaking, gather up about a dozen grape tomatoes… if you only have cherry that’s fine too…

Chop them up to a medium dice… I like grape tomatoes because aside from them being super sweet, they are also low in liquid.

Drain water from the tomatoes and start building your Pico de Gallo.

Add the tomatoes in with your onions.

Chop up a good handful of cilantro.

Chop up a good handful of cilantro.

Chop up a good handful of cilantro

Add in with onions and tomatoes.

Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Now my little surprise add in is some pickled hot peppers.

Now my little surprise add in is some pickled hot peppers.

Chop them up and add them in to your mixture.

To finish it off grab a lime.

Add the juice of half a lime.

Add the juice of half a lime.

And here you have it, fresh Pico de Gallo. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit until it’s time to top your plate.

Now we can start building our spice mix:

You can make a spice mix big enough for this one casserole or multiply the amounts in the recipe below and keep your burrito spice mix in a mason jar. It can then be used for burritos, tacos and any manner of Tex-mex and Mexican dishes. And, if you can’t have time or all of the necessary spices, you can always pick up a burrito seasoning packet from the supermarket (I won’t tell anybody).

Mix it all up and it's ready to add in to your casserole.

Mix it all up and it’s ready to add in to your casserole.

Now start prepping your ingredients for your filling:

Start off by dicing one medium onion.

Start off by dicing one medium onion.

Grab a red bell pepper. Halve and seed it.

Slice it up.

Dice it.

Now bring a large skillet to a medium/high heat.

Brown up some ground beef.

To the meat, add in about half the seasoning mix.

Once browned, move the meat to one side of the pan… You can always remove from the pan, but to me this is easier than getting another bowl dirty.

Add the onions and peppers into the other half of the pan and start to saute.

Add the onions and peppers into the other half of the pan and start to saute.

Open up a can of pickled jalapeno. These are not only easier to use than dealing with chopping up fresh jalapeno, but I like the brine that comes along with it.

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Add in a big spoon full of the jalapenos, reserving the rest with the liquid in the can.

Stir it all in together.

Rinse off some canned or frozen black beans.

Rinse off some canned or frozen black beans.

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Add in the black beans.

Rinse off some pinto beans.

Rinse off some pinto beans.

Add them in.

Add them in.

I would normally use corn on the cob, but I didn’t have any on hand, so I opened up a can of corn to add in.

Add in about half a bottle of beer.  This is a light Mexican beer.

Add in about half a bottle of beer. This is a light Mexican beer.

Open up the tomato sauce. Add it into your mixture.

Open up the tomato sauce. Add it into your mixture.

Add in about 2 cups of cooked brown rice. (any rice will do)

Mix everything together and let simmer for about 10 minutes to cook out the alcohol and allow the flavors to mingle a bit.

Mix everything together and let simmer for about 10 minutes to cook out the alcohol and allow the flavors to mingle a bit.

Once the filling is all set, it’s time to build your casserole:

Grab some medium whole wheat tortillas. I normally really like plain flour tortillas, but I find that these hold up well in this dish and you really can’t taste the flavor difference, so why not go with the healthier option?

Pour about 1/4 cup of olive oil into your casserole dish. Be sure to coat the bottom and sides of your dish.

Now line your pan, bottom and sides with the tortillas.

Now line your pan, bottom and sides with the tortillas.

Pour in your filling.

Add on a layer of shredded cheddar cheese.

Now gently start folding in the edges of the tortillas all the way around.

Add a layer of tortillas to the top being sure to cover all the mixture.

Add a layer of tortillas to the top being sure to cover all the mixture.

What you essentially have now is a giant burritos in your casserole dish.

You should find that coming up around the edges is some pools of olive oil, use that to brush right on top of your burritos.

Once that is all set, you will need to make a quick sauce and top it:

Take what is remaining of your tomato sauce and add it into a bowl.

Take what is remaining of your tomato sauce and add it into a bowl.

Then add in the remainder of the peppers in with that.

Then add in the remainder of the peppers in with that.

To that add in a pinch of kosher salt.

To that add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Then some fresh cracked black pepper and that’s it! Just stir together and top your casserole.

Spread the sauce all over the top.

Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes.

When it's time to serve, top with some sour cream and your freshly made Pico de Gallo! Enjoy!

When it’s time to serve, top with some sour cream and your freshly made Pico de Gallo! Enjoy!

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Recipe for Beef Burrito Casserole:

(serves 6-8)

1 1/4 ground beef, browned

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can pinto beans, rinsed

1 can corn, drained

1 onion, diced (small dice)

1 red bell pepper, diced (small dice)

2 cups brown rice, cooked

1 can chiles, divided

1 can tomato sauce, divided

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup olive oil, divided

9-10 medium tortilla wraps (whole wheat or plain flour)

Taco spice mix (recipe to follow)

For sauce topping:

1/2 can of tomato sauce

1/2 can of jalapeno

pinch of salt

fresh cracked black pepper

For Taco spice mix:

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. paprika

1 Tbs. kosher salt

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. Hungarian paprika

For Pico de Gallo:

1/2 red onion, diced and soaked

12 grape tomatoes, diced

handful of cilantro, chopped

3 Tbs. hot pepper rings, chopped finely

Juice of half a lime

kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Prepare Pico de Gallo: Add all ingredients into a bowl and mix together. Cover and set aside.

Prepare spice mix: Add all spices into a bowl, stir and set aside.

Prepare filling: Saute ground beef and brown.  Add in half the spice mix and stir.  Once browned and seasoned, push to one side of the pan.  On the other side of the pan, add a little olive oil and saute the onions and peppers until tender.  Add in one spoon full of canned jalapeno.  Combine with the meat.

Add in beans, corn and rice.  Then add in half a can of tomato sauce and half a bottle of beer.  Add in the remaining spice mix.  Once the filling is prepared, set aside and prepare the casserole dish.

In a 9″x13″ casserole dish, add in about 1/4 cup of olive oil.  Line the dish with tortillas being sure to go up the sides of the pan.  Add in filling and top with cheese.  Fold the tortilla sides in and cover the top with tortillas.  Brush with olive oil.

Prepare the sauce: To a small bowl add in the remainder of the tomato sauce, the remainder of the jalapenos, a pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Stir.

Top the casserole with the sauce.  Bake for 45 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and Pico de Gallo.

Enjoy!

“Spoon Full of Sugar” 1st Birthday Party!

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When my daughter turned one, I knew I wanted to have a “girly” kind of party with pink and green being the featured colors.  But, her birthday is in December.  December birthday’s are tough because you are not only dealing with the weather (so you really can’t plan anything outside), but also the holidays.  So, before picking a party theme, I thought the best thing to do would be to find a venue first.  That tactic turned out to be the best way to go!  I found a local carousel that was set up for parties and tons of kid fun!  I was able to bring in all my own food and decorations and between the actual carousel, the bounce house on site and little coin operated machines, the entertainment was taken care of!

So, I found the venue, now to come up with a theme that had something to do with a carousel… And it came to me!  One of my all time favorite scenes in Mary Poppins was the whimsical carousel scene and a theme was born.  The carousel horses were there of course.  In the movie there are lots of beautiful sidewalk chalk drawings… So, I made a chalk board detailing all the growing my baby girl had done throughout the year… I then added chalk boards as the party favors and had the kids use them as food place mats to keep them busy as they waited for the pizza to arrive.  I didn’t have dancing penguins, but I did make penguin centerpieces.  Instead of traditional party hats, I got cute top hats for the boys just like Dick Van Dike wore and cute little maid hats just like Julie Andrews wore.  And the centerpiece of the decor was the cake that was dolled up in hand painted stripes to reflect Julie Andrews’ dress in the carousel scene and of course two tiny sterling silver spoons that I sugared to adorn the cake.

As for the party food, I kept things really simple.  I made a couple of finger sandwiches I thought would be great for the adults, Chouriço & Peppers sandwiches, Caçoila sandwiches, Lebanese meat pies and (ordered) pizza were the main courses… A salad, some pop corn and chips and a pasta salad for sides… and individual crudettés were the appetizers.

The venue supplied us with lots of tables, we just brought in table coverings and the food.

The venue supplied us with lots of tables, we just brought in table coverings and the food.

Sandwiches on the left, sides in the middle and aps over to the right.

Sandwiches on the left, sides in the middle and apps over to the right.

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Salad.

Salad.

Some ice tea and punch for drinks.

Some ice tea and punch for drinks. And boxed coffee from a local coffee shop. The chalk boards and chalk are all ready for the kids to take… I was originally going to use them to set the kid’s place setting, but with the set up in the room, I thought it was just better to hand them out.  That worked out best because of the age of many of the guests, they needed to eat with moms and dads.

Spoon Full of Sugar Cake surrounded by the maid hats for the girls on the left and the top hats for the boys on the right.

Spoon Full of Sugar Cake surrounded by the maid hats for the girls on the left and the top hats for the boys on the right.  To make the hats, I just got some $.50 little mini party hats from my local party supply store and embellished the top hats with ribbon and a little lady bug and the maid hat was embellished with a ribbon and a little flower just like she has on her hat in the movie!

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Centerpieces were made with recycled formula cans with the label peeled off for the base, then hand cut out characters glued onto shish kabob skewers and napkins and tissue paper for flare.

Centerpieces were made with recycled formula cans with the label peeled off for the base, then hand cut out characters glued onto shish kabob skewers and napkins and tissue paper for flare.

Some of the details in a hand made keepsake chalk board... I made this with a black foam core board and a Sharpie chalk marker.

Some of the details in a hand made keepsake chalk board… I made this with a black foam core board and a Sharpie chalk marker.  Today, this board is hanging in her bedroom.

There is my son making use of his chalk board... To make these chalk boards, I just got a couple boxes of linoleum floor tiles, the industrial strength kind, painted them with chalk board paint and softened the edges with pink or green duct tape.  Then I just got some pink, green and white chalk and tied a couple of pieces together for each child.

There is my son making use of his chalk board… To make these chalk boards, I just got a couple boxes of linoleum floor tiles, the industrial strength kind, painted them with chalk board paint and softened the edges with pink or green duct tape. Then I just got some pink, green and white chalk and tied a couple of pieces together for each child.

One of the keys to any 1st birthday parties is to make sure the party is not just for the adults… I always like to be sure my child is going to have fun at their own party!

Adults had fun too… that’s just a bonus!

Kid's had lots of fun on the on-site bounce house too!

Kid’s had lots of fun on the on-site bounce house too!

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Always nice to have a table set up for gifts as well just so guests don’t have to guess where to put things.

“Frozen” Birthday Party

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My God daughter turned 6 this summer and my girlfriend, Jennifer (who happens to be the single working mom of my two beautiful God children), put together a really great party for her.  Kinga, my God daughter, like most little girls these days, loves the Disney movie Frozen.  So everything you will see here is centered around the characters and story line of the movie.  I thought she did such a great job that I decided to share it with you all!

Elsa stood by for whom ever wanted to take a picture with the popular princess.

Elsa stood by for whom ever wanted to take a picture with the popular princess.

In the dining room…

A simple white fur Christmas Tree skirt was a perfect table covering with a footed silver bowl used as a chalice.

The bowl filled with fun “Frozen” themed chocolates.

Here is the cake that I made for the birthday girl... It's a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge buttercream filling... then a butter cream exterior that has been air brushed a blue ombre.  And on top, I made "ice" candy and dusted it with powdered sugar for the frosty look.

Here is the cake that I made for the birthday girl… It’s a chocolate cake with chocolate fudge butter cream filling… then a butter cream exterior that has been air brushed a blue ombre. And on top, I made “ice” candy and dusted it with powdered sugar for the frosty look. I then adorned the cake with all the Frozen characters.

In the kitchen, up on the kitchen island was an elaborate snack table!  Take a look…

Blue jello was

Blue jello was “Kristoff’s Ice”.

Rock Candy Pops were used as

Rock Candy Pops were used as “Elsa’s Ice Crystals”

Some pre-packaged powdered donuts were “Olaf’s Snowballs”

Some

Some chocolate covered peanuts were “Frost Bites”

Super cute string cheese was turned into little “Olaf’s” by just using a Sharpie permanent marker to draw him on the white canvas!

Ring pops made for the perfect

Ring pops made for the perfect “Coronation Rings”

There were "Snow Caps"

There were “Arendelle’s Snow Capped Mountains”

"A kiss to melt a frozen heart"

“A kiss to melt a frozen heart”

This was by far my favorite part of the snack table... A build your own snow man treat tray!  Kids (ahem, and adults) got to use the pretzel sticks as the snow man anchor to hold the marshmallows and then the raisins and cheese snacks got to adorn the little snow men!  Too cute!

This was by far my favorite part of the snack table… A build your own snow man treat tray! Kids (ahem, and adults) got to use the pretzel sticks as the snow man anchor to hold the marshmallows and then the raisins and cheese snacks got to adorn the little snow men! Labeled, “Do you want to build a snowman?” …Too cute!

Here is my little Olaf!

Here is my little Olaf!

Outside, the drink station was super cute too…

Outside there were two choices for drinks...

Outside there were two choices for drinks… The first was “Elsa’s Punch”

Then there was a "melted snowman"  which consisted of water, with a carrot ("nose") and two blue berries ("eyes")

Then there was a “melted snowman” which consisted of water, with a carrot (“nose”) and two blue berries (“eyes”) and the sign reads “Some people are worth melting for”

Sandwiches...

Sandwiches… “We finish each other’s sandwiches”

“Coronation Salad”

Hawaiian meatballs… “Troll’s Rocks”

The food table on top of a Frozen table cloth... Waiting for the pizza...

The food table on top of a Frozen table cloth… Waiting for the pizza…

On the kitchen table…

Fun centerpieces were on the main table in the kitchen.

Fun centerpieces were on the main table and scattered Frozen confetti.

The favors were super cute and clever too! A Frozen cup was stuffed with a non-frozen popsicle… Guests could also take along a Frozen Necklace and a Frozen Tiara

“Thank you snow much for coming”

My daughter loved her tiara and necklace!

In the back yard…

Under a back yard deck was "Oken's Trading Post".  The beams look like a real trading post in the woods and the little Christmas Trees, snow men and ice skates  are a cute touch.

Under a back yard deck was “Oken’s Trading Post”. The beams look like a real trading post in the woods and the little Christmas Trees, snow men and ice skates are a cute touch.

Snow in summer… A kiddie pool filled with a kneaded mixture of baking soda and shaving cream!

The kids had a blast playing in the snow in summer!

The kids had a blast playing in the snow in summer!

And here is the beautiful birthday girl!

And here is the beautiful birthday girl!

“Portuguese Style” S’Mores (Bolacha Maria S’mores)

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So, I have decided to have a little fun with today’s blog entry.  It’s summer,  which means it’s fire pit and camping season here in New England.  So I decided to think a bit outside the box and merge the Portuguese and American cultures together in a fun and simple way… The Portuguese being the Bolacha Maria cookie… The American being the time-tested camp fire favorite, the s’more.

Now unlike my earlier s’more posting (Peep S’Mores) this post will involve real fire and bona-fide marshmallow roasting technique.  You will need to get ahold of three ingredients… regular size marshmallows… none of  those crazy giant marshmallow, no colors or crazy flavors… just plain ole marshmallows.  You will also need a package of Bolacha Maria cookies and a Hershey’s bar.

Let’s get started!

I like to use two marshmallows for my s’mores, no matter if they are American style with graham crackers or Portuguese style with a Bolacha Maria Cookie.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmellos directly on the fire... you want to gently toast your marshmellos over the coals.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmallow directly on the fire… you want to gently toast your marshmallow over the coals.

Constantly rotate your marshmallow over those coals and you will get a well toasted marshmallow perfect for building your s’more!

Place your Bolocha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Place your Bolacha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Unwrap a chocolate bar, cut in half.

Place the chocolate bar half on top of the cookie.

Add your toasted marshmallow on top of your chocolate bar.

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Recipe for “Portuguese Style’ S’Mores:

(serves 1)

2 Bolacha Maria Cookies

2 marshmallow, Toasted

1/2 regular size chocolate bar

Directions:

Toast marshmallow slowly over hot coals.  Then start stacking as follows: One Maria cookie, one piece of chocolate and then the marshmallows and top it off with the Maria cookie.  Enjoy!

***The Portuguese American Mom is in no way suggesting that this is a traditional Portuguese recipe… this is entirely the an adaptaion of a classic American treat by The Portuguese American Mom

Strawberry Lime Corn Salad

done5Do you ever get sick of the same ole dinner night after night? I know, it’s probably not exactly “the same”, but getting stuck in a dinner time rut is so easy to do.  Tonight I made a BBQ Salsa Lime chicken and to go along with it, I decided to get creative!  Hence the Strawberry Lime Corn Salad was born…

This time of year is so wonderful for fresh fruits and veggies.  My kids both love strawberries and they both gobble up corn like you wouldn’t believe.  So, I decided to combine the two with a little panache.  I actually made this salad right outside by the grill while enjoying my family.  The kid’s played on the swings, my husband enjoyed a cold drink and I was chopping and dicing away (for about 5 minutes because it’s really that quick!)

If you are making your corn on the grill like I did, you will want to start off by timing it out so that your corn will have time to cool well before dinner, just so that you can handle it.  Another great way to make this ahead though is just to microwave your corn.  (To microwave corn: Don’t remove the husk at all, just place as is in the microwave for 3 minutes on high, then allow to cool for 5 minutes before shucking.) Microwaving is a great method for this particular salad because when you microwave corn, what you are doing is sucking all the sweet juice from the cob and pushing it all into the corn kernels; so, you end up with a very dry cob, but super juicy kernels.

Let’s get started:

Place corn on the grill about 1/2 hour before dinner… The corn itself will take about 15 minutes to cook, and then you can allow 5-10 minutes cooling time.

Grab some fresh strawberries, 6-8 or so.

Grab some fresh strawberries, 6-8 or so.

Dice up your strawberries. I would say a medium dice for a strawberry.

Slice up one scallion… discard the tip of the root and the tip of the top.

Add in your scallions.

Zest one lime.

Add your zest into the salad.

Add your zest into the salad.

Aren't those grill marks pretty?  Allow this to cool a bit so that you can handle it with your hands. You'll need two ears of corn for this recipe.

Aren’t those grill marks pretty? Allow this to cool a bit so that you can handle it with your hands. You’ll need two ears of corn for this recipe.

Remove the kernels from the cob be carefully cutting down along the edge.

Add in your corn.

Now take that lime you just zested, cut it in half and add the juice from both halves right into the salad.

Now take that lime you just zested, cut it in half and add the juice from both halves right into the salad. Mix everything together.

 

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Recipe for Strawberry Lime Corn Salad:

(Serves 4-6)2 ears of corn, grilled, kernels removed from cob

6-8 fresh strawberries, diced

1 lime, zested and squeezed

1 scallion, chopped

1 splash white wine vinegar (about a Tbs.)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Serve, enjoy!

*note – this recipe is gluten-free

**note – this recipe has no added salt

 

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

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Easy entertaining is all about good preparation.  I have a book club with my mom, sisters and some very close friends.  Last month was my turn to host and I am just getting around to sharing with you all my menu…

Dinner for 8: All Grilled Menu… 1st Course – Grilled Romaine Salad topped with bacon, avocado and a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing.  2nd Course – Grilled Shrimp Scampi over linguine Fini and a Grilled Tostada.  3rd Course – Grilled Pound Cake with strawberries and grilled peaches dressed with a simple syrup and topped with homemade whipped cream.  Um… yum.

Grilling food is a great way to take a classic menu and give it a smoky twist. Grilling your fruit helps to bring out natural sugars in the caramelization process.  And grilling things like your lettuce, keep your guests on their toes!  And if you have everything prepared ahead of time, grilling keeps you out of the kitchen and outside with your guests!

Today we will start with the main course.  I didn’t focus on cooking the linguine fini, just follow the package instructions for that.  We will cover the Grilled Shrimp, the scampi sauce and the Grilled Tostada.

Start with your marinade:

Add in about 1-2 cups of dry white wine. This depends on your prep bowl, you need enough to cover the shrimp.

Add in a few slices of lemon and the juice of about 1 lemon.

Add in a few slices of lemon and the juice of about 1 lemon.

Add in some dried red ground pepper.

Add in some dried red ground pepper.

Add in a healthy pinch of kosher salt.

Stir all together and let marinade for about 20-30 minutes tops

Just before your guests arrive, skewer your shrimp and set aside. Having the shrimp on skewers helps to portion it all out.  Be sure to reserve the marinade liquid, it will be used in the next step.

For the scampi sauce:

Start off by melting one stick of butter into a large skillet… Remember, this is going to feed 8 people! (Be sure your skillet is really big, because all your pasta is coming in here a little later)

Thinly slice one whole onion.

Saute the onion until translucent over medium heat.

For the scampi, you will want about 8 cloves of garlic roughly chopped… I like one per guest.

Chop up some parsley and add in to your skillet.

Add about one cup of the reserved shrimp marinade in to the skillet.  Allow this to come to a simmer for about 5 minutes… you want to cook off both the alcohol from the marinade and the raw shrimp juices that made their way into that marinade. To this add in your drained pasta.  Allow it to cook together for a few minutes.

Place all your pasta in a large serving bowl and shave some parmesan cheese and some torn parsley over it.

Continue with the shrimp:

Grill your shrimp until you get nice grill marks on them and they turn pink. Don’t over cook them, that’s easy to do. Just 3-4 minutes on each side should do the trick. Also add lemons to your grill… I do one half a lemon for each guest… so I did 4 lemons.

For the Tostada:

For your Tostada, start with one loaf of french bread. (Italian is ok too)

Slice your loaf of bread on a bias.

Melt in a stick of butter into about a half cup of olive oil.  remember this is going to feed 8 people!

Melt in a stick of butter into about a half cup of olive oil. remember this is going to feed 8 people!

You will need three cloves of garlic.

Using your garlic press.  Press all three cloves of garlic into your warmed butter and oil.

Using your garlic press. Press all three cloves of garlic into your warmed butter and oil.

Last step in your garlic butter oil is to add about one teaspoon of kosher salt.

Last step in your garlic butter oil is to add about one teaspoon of kosher salt.

Brush one side of the bread liberally with garlic butter oil… I only do one side because I really like the flavor of the unbrushed side as much as the brushed side… If you want to do both sides, go for it.

Set aside the bread until your guests arrive.

When you place your shrimp on the grill, you can place the bread oil side down on the grill.

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From here people can either serve themselves… or you can plate each.  To plate:

On each person’s plate be sure to place pasta, a grilled lemon and a tostada. The shimp doesn’t take long to cook at all.

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Recipe for Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Garlic Tostada:

(serves 8)

Shrimp:

4 lbs. shrimp

2 lbs. linguine fini, cooked to al-dente

2 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 stick salted butter

5 lemons, divided

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

Tostada:

1 loaf french bread, sliced on bias

1 stick salted butter

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, through press

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

For the shrimp:

Marinade – Combine wine, juice of one lemon, lemon slices, salt, red pepper flakes and shrimp.  Allow to marinade for about 20-30 minutes.  skewer. Set aside.  Reserve marinade.

Scampi sauce – Melt 1 stick of butter into a large skillet.  Saute onion until translucent.  Add in garlic, saute another minute or so. Add in parsley. Add in 1 cup of marinade liquid.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add in drained pasta.  Allow to cook together for a few minutes.  Transfer to serving bowl and top with torn parsley and parmesan cheese.

Shrimp – Grill on each side for a couple minutes until pink on either side.

Tostada:

Thickly slice french bread on the bias, set aside.

In a small sauce pan melt butter with olive oil.  Add in garlic that has been run through a press. Add in salt.  Simmer for about a minute over medium heat.  Turn off and allow to cool for a few minutes.  Brush one side of each slice of bread liberally with garlic butter oil.

Place oiled side down on the grill for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve along side pasta.

Enjoy!