Baked Coconut Shrimp

While wasting time on Pinterest, I came across a pin for these shrimp from The Girl Who Ate Everything. I love coconut shrimp! I don't have them too often, but every once in a while, if I'm out somewhere and they are on the menu, I just have to get them. I added them to my menu for last week, and I'm so glad I did.  I slightly altered the dipping sauce recipe to go along with the shrimp. The last time I ordered coconut shrimp out at a restaurant, they were served with an amazingly spicy mango sauce. Since I couldn't find pineapple preserves, and because I really loved the way the mango sauce paired with the shrimp, I set out to make some of my own. The closest thing I could find at the store to mango preserves was a mango-peach jam, so I gave it a try. It was a delicious pairing! I made a side of coconut rice to go along with the shrimp, to make it a little bit more substantial for a dinner rather than an appetizer. This meal was so easy to throw together that it is the perfect meal for any weeknight after work!

For the Dipping Sauce:
1 tablespoon Lime Juice
2 teaspoons Jalapeño, finely chopped
1/2 cup Pineapple Preserves (I used mango-peach jam)
*Splash of Tequilla (I added)

Add the lime juice, jalapeño, and preserves to a bowl and stir to mix well. Add a splash of tequila, if needed, to thin out the sauce. Set aside until ready to use.

For the Shrimp:
1 pound Uncooked Large Shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 26-30 size)
2 Egg Whites
2 tablespoons Cornstarch
2 cups Sweetened Flaked Coconut

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until soft peaks form. Place cornstarch and coconut on two separate plates. Holding the shrimp by the tail, dip it into the plate of cornstarch, making sure that it is coated. Then, dip the shrimp into the egg whites, then dip it into the coconut, coating well. Place the shrimp onto the cookie sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the coconut is golden brown, turning the shrimp half way through baking to be sure that both sides become golden. Serve with the dipping sauce. 

Raspberry and Brie Flatbreads

Our new street has an island in the middle and our village does not take care of it, so the residents of the street formed a block club and everybody helps with maintenance, including planting flowers. A few weeks ago, we attended the spring information meeting where we picked the flowers we wanted to plant. We were especially excited to go to the meeting to meet the neighbors, since we moved in during the winter and haven't really gotten to see anybody yet. Our neighbors are all great, and as it turns out, they do a lot of things throughout the year. Things like block parties, block sales, garden walks, progressive dinners, and my personal favorite, wine and cheese night! I'm so excited to be living on such an awesome street! So, the night of our block meeting, we wanted something quick and light for dinner. I turned to this dish that I saw on Mrs. Regueiro's Plate. I was intrigued by the combination of ingredients, as well as the simplicity of the recipe. After eating, Joel commented that these would be great as appetizers for a cocktail party; I agreed. I will definitely have to keep these in mind the next time I'm planning a party!

1 Onion, chopped finely
1 tablespoon Olive Oil 
1 1/2 teaspoons Fresh Rosemary, chopped
Salt and Black Pepper
Flatbreads or Pizza Dough (I used 4 sandwich sized flatbreads)
3 1/2 ounces Brie, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups Fresh Raspberries
2 tablespoons Basil Leaves, chopped

Add the oil to a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute the onions until they caramelize, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and pepper. Arrange the flatbreads on a baking sheet or pizza stone. Divide the onions up between each of the flatbreads and top with the brie and raspberries. Bake at 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes, until the cheese melts and the bread is slightly crisp. Sprinkle the tops with the basil and serve.

Pizza Bites

This past year, for my high school friends' annual Christmas party, I was in charge of bringing an appetizer. I wanted to try something different, but also wanted to keep it "safe" with something that I knew everybody would enjoy. Who doesn't love pizza, right? I've seen a few similar recipes floating around, but I chose to adapt this one from Annie's Eats. It was quite a hit, too!

3 tubes Biscuits (the ones with about 10 biscuits per tube--this was my adaptation)
4 ounces Mozzarella Cheese, cut into 20-24 cubes
Sliced Pepperoni
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Grated Parmesan Cheese.

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or cake pan. Take each biscuit and slightly flatten it. Top each biscuit with a cube of cheese and a slice of pepperoni. Pull the edges of the dough around the fillings and pinch closed. Place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping. (*I did end up with a few extra pizza bites that didn't fit in the pie plate, so I baked those off extra in a separate dish)

Pizza Pinwheels

Since I wanted to bring more to Thanksgiving dinner than just a dessert, my mom told me to bring an appetizer.  There were only only 8 of us at dinner, including my 2 uncles who always come each year.  I didn't really feel like spending too long in the kitchen making something, so I relied on a few things I had in my fridge/freezer already.  I didn't really use a specific recipe, but these are inspired by an appetizer that somebody brought to a party at Joel's cousin's house a few years ago.  Feel free to use anything as a filling. I think spinach artichoke dip may be the next one I try!

1 sheet Puff Pastry
1/2 cup Marinara Sauce
1/4 cup Pepperoni Slices
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese

Thaw out the puff pastry and spread sauce over the top of it.  Slice the pepperoni rounds into thin strips and sprinkle it over the top of the sauce.  Top with shredded mozzarella cheese.  Roll the puff pastry, jelly roll style, and slice into 14 slices, about 1/4 inch rounds.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray and place each slice onto the sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Allow to cool before serving.

Spinach Dip

For Easter, I wanted to have something small to nibble on before we ate our dinner.  I had this dip recipe saved from Cook and Be Merry, and thought it would be worth a try.  I put this in a bowl, along with some cut up vegetables and some crackers, and by the end of the night, I was left with an empty bowl!

1 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Mayonnaise
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Style Dressing Mix
1 (10 ounce) package Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry
1 (8 ounce) can Water Chestnuts, drained, dried, and chopped
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Separate the clumps of spinach so that it is evenly distributed.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serve with raw vegetables, crackers, or bread.

French Onion Soup Stuffed Mushrooms

Merry Christmas!!  I hope that you all had a wonderful day visiting with family and friends.  

I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman and ever since I've been looking for an excuse to make them.  When my aunt asked me to bring something to Christmas Eve at my grandparents' house, I finally decided that I would bring these along with my ribbon jello (recipe to come).  I felt kind of bad suggesting these, since my aunt doesn't like mushrooms, but she actually sounded excited about them.  Her thought process was that my uncle loves them, and since she won't make them, he will be happy.  Good enough for me!  These mushrooms were great and they went so fast!

2 tablespoons Butter
2 large Onions, halved and sliced thin
1/4 cups Beef Broth
7 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
Splash of Red or White Wine
1/2 cup Gruyere or Swiss Cheese, grated
Kosher Salt
24 White or Crimini Mushrooms, washed and stems removed
Minced Parsley

In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat.  Add the onions and saute for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very soft.  Splash in the wine, broth, and Worcestershire.  Cook another 5 minutes, or until the liquid has cooked down.  Set aside.  Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in another large skillet over medium heat.  Throw in the mushrooms and toss for about 2 minutes, just to start the cooking process.  Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt.  Place the mushroom caps face down in a baking dish.  Heap the cavity with sauteed onions, then sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Turn on the broiler and broil for a couple of minutes, until the top of the cheese becomes brown and bubbly.  Sprinkle minced parsley over the top and serve.

Black Olive Tapenade

Last year at one of our sorority meetings, we did an appetizer recipe swap.  Everybody made an appetizer and brought along enough copies of the recipe to share with all of the members.  I walked away with a full belly and a folder full of new recipes to try.

Fast forward to present day.  We spent Thanksgiving dinner with my family, so to see Joel's family too, we invited his parents, aunt, uncle, and cousins over in the evening for drinks.  I wanted some food to nibble on, but given the feast that everybody had eaten earlier in the day, I kept it light and easy.  I bought some hummus, cut up some smoked Gouda, and made tapenade to serve with crackers.  I used a recipe that was in my appetizer folder from the sorority meeting over a year ago, submitted by a member named Rita.  She wrote that the recipe was inspired by Bobby Flay and Rachel Ray.  This was pretty good (except for the random pit that was still in one of the olives that almost broke Joel's tooth)!

1 1/2 cups Black Olives (I used pitted kalamata olives)
3 tablespoons Capers, drained (I omitted since we don't like the saltiness of them)
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley
1/4 cup Olive Oil

Place the olives, capers, garlic, and parsley into the bowl of a food processor.  Slowly add oil and pulse to a coarse texture.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  Store, tightly covered, in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.  Serve at room temperature with bread or crackers.  Another suggestion for use: use as a sandwich spread or mixed with hot pasta.

Baked Egg Rolls

Yay for our new camera! We just bought ourselves a Nikon D3000 DSLR and have really been enjoying taking pictures of everything and anything to learn how to use it.

Onto the food... Tonight, we decided on a stir fry of sorts. To go along with it, we picked up a package of egg roll wrappers and thought that it would be fun to make baked egg rolls. We adapted the recipe that was on the back of the package.

1 teaspoon Ginger, minced

1/2 cup Bean Sprouts

1/3 cup Shredded Carrots

3 Scallions, sliced

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

8-10 Egg Roll Wrappers

In a bowl, combine the sprouts, carrots, scallions, and soy sauce. Place some filling into the middle of a wrapper, fold in the corners, and roll up the wrapper. Place the egg roll, seam side down, on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the egg rolls are browned. Serve with sweet and sour sauce for dipping.

Deviled Eggs-2 ways

As embarrassing as this is to admit, I tried my very first deviled egg this past New Year's Eve at a friend's house! So, needless to say since I had only just tried them, I've never actually made them myself. I thought Easter would be a great chance to give them a shot. They were so easy and they tasted great! I made 2 different kinds: regular and curried. I found the curried egg recipe here. I based the traditional recipe off of the basic ingredients that I used in the curried recipe. Also, I only made 12 hard boiled eggs (24 deviled eggs) so I adjusted the recipe to suit my needs.

Curried Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Green Onions, finely chopped

1 teaspoon Curry Powder

Cut peeled eggs in half lengthwise and place the yolks in a bowl. Add the mayo, scallions, and curry powder and mix until well combined. Spoon or pipe the filling back into the egg white. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with a scallion.

Traditional Eggs

6 Hard Boiled Eggs, peeled

1/4 cup Mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Mustard Powder

1 tablespoon Chives, chopped

Cut peeled eggs in half lengthwise and place the yolks in a bowl. Add the mayo, chives, and mustard powder and mix until well combined. Spoon or pipe the filling back into the egg white. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Garnish with a chive and a dash of paprika.

Italian Appetizer Bites

Imagine this cut into 32 little squares. I didn't have time to cut it before taking the picture. I literally took it out of the oven and ran out the door!

Tonight, I have a pot-luck style dinner meeting and I signed up to bring an appetizer. I decided to make these crescent roll based appetizer bites since I made these for the same group of ladies last year at the same meeting and everybody loved them! I got the recipe from my dad. He has been making these for quite a few years whenever they have a pot-luck style luncheon at his work. They are so easy to make and they are delicious, warm or cold!

2 packages Crescent Rolls

1/2 pound Salami

1/2 pound Provolone Cheese

1/2 pound Ham

7 Eggs

1 cup Parmesan Cheese

2-12 ounce jars Roasted Red Peppers, drained

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9x2 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Unroll 1 package of crescent rolls and line the bottom of the pan with them. Layer the rolls with half of the salami, provolone, and ham. In a bowl, whisk together 6 eggs with the Parmesan cheese. Pour half of the egg mixture over the layer of meat and cheese. Layer 1 jar of the peppers over the top of the egg mixture. Repeat the layers of salami, provolone, and ham, followed by the eggs and peppers. Top with the other package of crescent rolls. Make an egg wash with the remaining egg and brush over the top of the rolls. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Allow the bites to cool for an hour, then cut into 32 squares and serve.