Melt in your mouth crab stuffed Mushrooms

My sweet husband decided to make one of his recipes last night!   His crab stuffed Mushrooms are incredible, relatively easy and go quick!   They'd make a great wine pairing appetizer!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• large package of mushrooms, white or brown (your choice) washed and patted dry
• 1 can lump crab meat
• 1 medium sweet onion 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 C sour cream
• 1/2 C Parmesan, grated fine
• 1 T Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning (or more if you like a little more spice)
• 1/4 C minced parsley
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.   Clean your mushrooms and remove each stem.   Pat dry and set aside.   In a pan, saute your onion and garlic in olive oil until transparent and soft.   Wash your crab meat making sure no shells are present, pat dry and place in large mixing bowl.   Add the cooled onion and garlic mixture along with the artichokes, sour cream, Parmesan, cajun seasoning, parsley then salt and pepper to taste.   Mix well and stuff each mushroom CAP with crab mixture.

Place in oven set at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes until cooked through then under high heat, broil until tops are browned!

Serve and enjoy!

Tortilla Soup

This recipe is fast and easy but makes a very flavorful broth!

Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Roasted Chicken (I use Honey Jalapeno) de-boned and cut into 1 inch chunks
•  2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 1 T olive oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 stalks celery, washed and chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can Rotel
• 64 oz chicken broth
• 2 T chili powder
• cilantro, washed and chopped
• avocado, chopped
• 1 C Jack cheese, shredded
• corn tortilla's, sliced into strips and fried in oil, drained and salted
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime juice

Directions:

In a large pot, saute garlic and onion in olive oil until transparent.   Add chicken broth and carrots, celery and potatoes.   Begin to simmer on medium heat.   Next, de-bone and cut up your store bought roasted chicken and add that to the already simmering mixture as well as the corn, Rotel and chili powder.   Cook on medium to medium low heat for an hour or until the vegetables are soft.   Salt and pepper to taste.

Chop your cilantro and avocado, set aside.   Grate your cheese and set aside.   Fry the corn tortilla strips in oil until golden... drain on paper towels and salt.

To assemble each serving, ladle soup into bowl.   Top with grated cheese, cilantro, avocado, tortilla strips and squeeze a generous amount of lime on top!   Delicious!

Incredible Shrimp and Grits

I made a great recipe last night - Shrimp and Grits.   So yummy that my husband had 2 helpings then started eating the leftovers I put in a container after dinner!   Not much is left so this is definitely a keeper!

Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients - for Cheese Grits:

• 1/2 C quick cooking grits
• 1 1/4 C chicken stock
• 1 1/4 C half and half
• 6 oz shredded white cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

For Shrimp:

• 16 shrimp, devined
• salt and pepper
• 1 T cajun spice
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 oz Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 oz hot sauce
• 6 oz. Amber beer
• 2 T butter

Directions:

For Grits, bring half and half and stoke to a simmer.   Add grits and whisk continuously.   Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.   Season with salt and pepper, stir in cheese and keep warm until ready.

For Shrimp, season with salt and pepper and cajun spice.   Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat.   Place shrimp in pan and cook on one side for 2 minutes.  Turn each piece over and cook another 2 minutes.   Remove from pan and place on a plate.

Place pan back on medium heat and deglaze pan with lemon juice, Worcesterhshire sauce, hot sauce and beer, using a whisk to scrap all the good stuff off the bottom of the pan.   Reduce sauce by cooking for 5 minutes and remove from heat.   Ask butter and whisk into sauce.   Return shrimp to pan to coat.

To serve, add portion of grits to center of plate, top with shrimp and spoon sauce over.   Enjoy

Pecan Crusted Cod and Black Beans with Rice

This is what the Rider Family from Steiner Ranch had for dinner last night...

 

And here is the recipe...

Pecan Crusted Cod

Ingredients:

• 1 C. Pecans
• 1/2 sleeve Saltines
• 1 t. Cumin
• 1 T. Parsley
• Salt and Pepper
• 4, 6 oz Cod Fillets
• 1/4 C. Olive Oil

Directions:
      Heat over to 400 degrees.  In a Food Processor, combine the pecans, saltines, cumin, parsley, salt 
     and  pepper.   Grind the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.   In saute pan, heat the olive oil.
     When hot, add the fish and saute for 2 minutes.   Flip over and top each piece with the crust mixture.
     Finish fish in the oven, baking for 8 minutes or until the crust is golden and the fish is cooked through.

 

Black Beans with Rice
Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 1/2 C. cooked rice
• 1/3 C. cilantro, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• lemon juice

Directions:
       Heat the black beans until hot, add cooked rice and chopped cilantro.   Season with salt and pepper
       and a good squeeze of lemon juice.

Slow Cooker Give-Away

In conjunction with Faraday's Kitchen Store, Lakeway, TX, I am pleased to announce my spring Give-Away!   One lucky winner will receive a Cuisinart 6.5 qt. Slow Cooker!

Join me on Sunday, April 18th at 1:30 at Faraday's Kitchen Store for my Slow Cooker Beer and Beef Stew demo/tasting followed by the LIVE drawing!

Just send an email with the subject line ADD Slow Cooker and you are entered!

For more information, see my web site at www.FourPointsFoodie.com

Slow Cooker Beer and Beef Stew

Try this yummy recipe when time is not your own... all it takes is a little prep time the night before. Start it up before you head out the door in the morning and when you return in the evening, dinner is ready!

Slow Cooker Beer and Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2 lbs. bottom round, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes * 3 T. flour * 1 med. red onion, cut into med. wedges * 4 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices * 3 potatoes, peeled and cubes * 3 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 inch slices * 2 cloves garlic, minced * 1 T rosemary, minced & crushed * 2, 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, drained * 2 bottles brown ale beer * 2 T. granulated beef bouillon * 1 bay leaf * 1 t. caraway seeds * salt and pepper to taste * Ciabatta bread, sliced and toasted

Directions:

Making sure your beef is patted dry, dust all pieces with flour. Place beef, onion, carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic and rosemary into your slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes and beer. Add beef bouillon, bay and caraway seeds. Cover slow cooker and cook 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high, without removing the lid - no peeking!!!

Check for tenderness of meat at the end of the cooking time, salt and pepper to taste.

Slice and toast the Ciabatta bread, serve the stew in bowls and enjoy!

Apple and Cranberry Dumplings

Even though it isn't chilly outside anymore, a warm dessert is something to be enjoyed. I have created a yummy Apple and Cranberry Dumpling recipe that will compliment any meal. Enjoy!

STACEY RIDER’S APPLE and CRANBERRY DUMPLINGS

Ingredients:

Dough
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2/3 c. butter (still cold)
1/2 c. milk

Apples
4 large apples
6 T. white sugar
3 T. ground cinnamon
2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 c. dried cranberries (optional)

Syrup
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 1/2 c. water
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. ground nutmeg


Preheat oven to 375 F. Peel apples and, using a kitchen gadget or sharp knife, remove all of the cores. Slice off just a small amount at the top and bottom of each apple to flatten them out so they’ll wrap in the dough easier. Rinse off the apples in cold water and dab dry with a paper towel. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter, using your hands to squish everything together, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in milk all at once and stir to form a dough. Add a little more flour if needed to make the dough less sticky. Do not overwork the dough as you want it to remain light and tender. Split the dough ball in half and on a floured surface, roll out one half to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into two 6″ squares.

Place a whole apple in the center of a dough square. Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg listed under “Apples” above. Generously dust each apple with this mixture and fill the core with cranberries and a little more sugar mixture. Moisten the edges of the pastry square with a finger dipped in cool water and bring the corners together at the top of the apple. Press edges together to seal and pinch together any tears in the dough around the apple.
Repeat the rolling out of the second half of the dough and creating the other two dumplings. Place all four dumplings in a baking dish, one inch apart, and decorate with dough cut-outs of leaves or any other creative flare you can think to use.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the ingredients listed under “Syrup” above. Bring to a boil then remove from heat to cool slightly. Pour the syrup over the dumplings and sprinkle with additional sugar (this forms a delectable golden crust once baked). Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until apples are tender (use a fork poked into them to test) and dough is nicely browned.

Best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Can be stored in fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 200 F for 15 minutes.

The Panini Sandwich!

This is the recipe that started it all!

Roasted Chicken Panini Sandwich with Avocado and Raspberry Chipotle Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• whole roasted chicken, deboned and sliced
• avocado slices
• white cheddar cheese, sliced
• fresh greens
• raspberry chipotle sauce, store bought
• Mayonnaise
• artisan bread of your choice, sliced
• butter, softened

Directions:
      
      Prehead your Panini Press and lightly butter one side of each piece of bread. Once hot, lay bottom wslice butter side down into press and add a tablespoon of Raspberry Chipotle sauce and spread evenly. Next add the sliced chicken, avocado slices and white cheddar cheese. Top with second piece of bread and close the press. While toasting, mix mayonnaise with store bought Raspberry Chipotle sauce. Once completely toasted and cheese has melted, remove from press and place on a plate. Add fresh greens to fyour choice to the sandwich and cut in half. Place the Chipotle Mayonnaise into a small container and add to the side.