Chicken Breast Neptune and Green Bean Salad

 

Ingredients For Chicken Breasts Neptune  Recipe idea from Dejah

• 4 lg chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• 1/2 c whipping cream
• 1/2 c dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 c chopped green pepper
• 2 green onions, minced
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 6 oz king crab or snow crab, frozen and thawed
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• chopped parsley

How To Make Chicken Breasts Neptune

• 1Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap.
  2Pound with flat side of mallet until they are 1/4\" thick and 6-8\" across.
  3Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  4Place some crabmeat on one end of each breast.
  5Sprinkle with lemon juice.
  6Roll up to encase filling.
  7Fold edges over, if desired. 
• 8Roll in cornstarch, coating heavily.
  9Heat butter in saucepan.
  10Over medium heat, saute chicken for 15 minutes or until cooked through, turning to brown evenly.
  11Remove from pan and keep warm.
  12Add green onions and green peppers to pan.
  13Saute 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  14Stir in flour.
  15Add wine.
  16Heat to boiling, stirring up brownings.
  17Add cream.
  18Boil, stirring, until sauce is thickened and smooth.
  19Add chicken.
  20Simmer 5 minutes longer.
  21Serve, garnished with chopped parsley.

Green Bean Salad with Toasted Almonds & Feta

Recipe from Shelby

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2 to 3” long pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 small-to-medium clove garlic
• Several twists of freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
• 3 to 4 large basil leaves, torn or chopped, for garnish
• Lemon zest from about 1/2 lemon, for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Start with a large skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently (careful, they burn quickly). After 3 minutes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue stirring until they are fragrant and turning golden on the edges, about 1 to 3 more minutes. Transfer the almonds to a bowl to cool.
2. Make sure the heat is set to medium-low and place the skillet back on the heat. Immediately add the green beans, water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are nearly tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid, raise heat to medium-high, and cook until the liquid evaporates, 2 to 5 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
4. Once the green beans are done cooking, whisk the olive oil mixture once more, then pour it into the skillet. Pour the almonds back into the skillet, and add about half of the feta, reserving the other half for garnish. Toss to combine, then taste and add more lemon juice or black pepper if necessary.
5. Transfer the green beans to a serving bowl or platter. Sprinkle the remaining feta and the torn basil leaves on top. Lightly grate some lemon zest on top, and serve promptly.

Stuffed potatoes. recipe cut down for two potatoes

6 large russet potatoes,baked (2)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened), divided  (2T)

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature (2T)

5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled  2 slices

2 cups shredded cheddar, or Colby cheese  ( enough to cover each half)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt  (the rest of the ingredients to taste)

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 medium thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

I scrapped the potatoes out of halved potatoes, leaving a boarder for support of the skins, mixed in the salt, crumbled bacon, salt, black pepper and paprika.  Topped with shredded cheese and put under the broiler until cheese browned and melted.  Garnish with green onions, chopped. 

 

Buffalo wings

Ingredients (Alton Brown recipe)

12 whole chicken wings (about 3 pounds)

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup hot sauce

Kosher salt

Directions

1. Place a 6-quart saucepan, with a steamer basket and 1 inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.
2. Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Use kitchen shears or a knife to separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings in the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay out the wings on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator to dry, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the paper towels on the pan and replace with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven, about 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook 20 to 30 more minutes, or until the meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.
4. While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl with the garlic. Pour this along with the hot sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine. Remove the wings from the oven, transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

 

Empanadas and chimichurri sauce

 I made chimichurri and empanadas tonight.  Even though there is a Mexican grocery close by, I have never been able to find the commercial wrappers and make them myself. I am not very patient at trying to make them look good and they don't.  They aren't pretty but i made 14 and by the time I got around to taking the picture, this was all that was left. 

CUBAN EMPANADAS  Fried or baked

FOR THE DOUGH:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup solid shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces
• 3/4-1 cup warm water

FOR THE PICADILLO FILLING:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red or green bell pepper, diced
• 2 fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground beef (can substitute with ground turkey or ground chicken)
• 1/2-3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2-3 cups of oil for frying
• Serve with: chimichurri sauce

FOR THE PICADILLO FILLING:

• Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and once oil is hot, add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add the ground meat to the skillet, stir well and continue cooking until beef is browned and fully cooked, about another 10 minutes.
  
  **After browning meat, can drain any excess fat from the pan.
• Add the sliced olives, tomato sauce, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, cumin, and dried oregano. Stir well so all ingredients are combined, cover pan and lower heat. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until mixture thickens.
  
  Check seasonings and add salt, if needed. Set aside and let mixture cool before filling each empanada.

For The Chimichurri:  Make 2 hours ahead

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup flat leafed parsley, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 fresh lime, juiced
• 1 tablespoon fresh or pickled jalapeno, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

ASSEMBLING THE EMPANADAS:

• Remove dough ball from refrigerator and separate into 10 equal sized balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each dough ball into a thin circle. Place a few tablespoons of the picadillo onto the center and fold half of the dough over, sealing the edges by pressing down with a fork or twisting the edges over to form a seal.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pot or deep fryer to 365F/185C degrees. **See recipe notes on how to bake empanadas instead of frying**
• Gently place 1-2 empanadas at a time in the hot oil (do not crowd) and cook until brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from oil and let drain on wire rack. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
• Serve warm with lots of chimichurri on the side. 

 

New Years Day dinner.

Because it is really hard to find decent ham hocks any more, I decided to find another way to use the traditional ingredients in my Mom's Southern New Year day dinner. I substituted pork sausage and spinach in a soup  for the ham hocks and collard greens. I used corn chips for corn bread and then made some corn bread any way. I made black eyed and cheese dip for the corn chips instead of cooking them with the ham and collard greens. The rest of the stuff was just added to round out the meal a little more.  The shrimp is a recipe from a famous New Orleans restaurant.  The pineapple and mango salsa (not pictured) is a Mexican style salsa.

Sausage and White Bean Soup Cooks Country Dec 2021

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed 

1 onion, chopped fine

3 garlic cloves, sliced thin

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

4 cups chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 ½ cups canned crushed tomatoes

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

3 ounces (3 cups) baby spinach

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

—Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

—Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until flavors have melded, about 15 minutes.

—Off heat, stir in spinach. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Shrimp Remoulade Galatoire’s 

Galatoire's Restaurant in New Orleans, La. in the French Quarter shared this recipe. It is the best we have ever tasted and I know you will enjoy it too. Decorate the edge of plate with hard-boiled eggs sliced thin or quartered, and a few green and black olives. Then stand back and let your guests give you applause for serving them such a wonderful treat.Prep:15 minsAdditional:8 hrsTotal:8 hrs 15 minsServings:12

Ingredients

• 4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped 
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• ¾ cup Italian flat leaf parsley
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ cup ketchup
• ½ cup tomato puree
• ½ cup Creole mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ⅛ cups vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 pounds large cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 12 lettuce leaves

Directions

• Step 1 In the container of a food processor, combine the celery, green onions, onion and parsley. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the vinegar, ketchup, tomato puree, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Process until well blended, stopping to scrape down the sides a couple of times. With the food processor running, drizzle the oil in a steady stream, processing until blended. Stir in paprika. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
  Step 2 When ready to serve, stir the sauce, then pour over the shrimp and toss to coat. Serve on top of lettuce leaves.

Galatorie's  Shrimp Remoulade Blanc

Inspired by a rémoulade served in New Orleans’ Galatoire’s, this white, mayonnaise-y blend of Creole mustard, horseradish, cayenne, and white pepper is rooted in the classic French recipe. This recipe first appeared in our April 2014 issue with Keith Pandolfi’s story Special Sauce. ( Kim Shook & Steve Irby  Dec. 2021)   Yield: serves 2-4

Ingredients

BLACK EYED PEA DIP

 

4 cups cooked, dried black eyed peas or 4 cups canned peas (mash some)

1 tbsp pea juice

5 jalapeno peppers chopped (remove seeds)  --(I used substantially less)

1/2 medium onion chopped

4 oz. can green chilis chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 lb. Old English sharp cheese

1 stick butter

 

Mix all except cheese and butter.  Melt cheese and butter in double boiler (I use microwave).  Add all other ingredients.  Simmer until hot.   Serve hot.

Mango Pineapple Salsa

For the ultimate sweet and savory combo, this Easy Pineapple Mango Salsa Recipe is a must. It’s the perfect mix of healthy ingredients that satisfy cravings at the same time!

Prep: 20Cook: 10Total: 30 minutes

Yield 8 cups - serving 1/4 cup

Ingredients

2 mangoes

1 pineapple

1 red pepper

1 jalapeno, deseeded

1 red onion

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

2 limes, juiced (1/4C.)

1 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Chop all fruits and veggies into small, bite size pieces.
2. In a large bowl, add chopped pineapple, mango, red pepper, jalapeno, onion, and cilantro.
3. Pour the juice of two limes on top along with the salt.
4. Stir until everything is evenly dispersed and coated.
5. Serve with chips, on fish, chicken, steak, or on a salad. Store in fridge for up to 5 days.