Carrot Bread

I made this for our pre-school Easter party by modifying a zucchini bread recipe. Get it? Carrots? Bunnies? Right. My original recipe notes that you can try 1 ½ cups grated apple instead of zucchini (or carrots in my case) - and also omit the milk. I haven't tried it that way though!

1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded carrots (I just threw them in the food processor)
¼ cup oil
¼ cup milk (this is an estimate – just put in however much it takes to make it more like a thick batter consistency)
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted (optional)

1. Grease the bottom and ½ inch up sides of an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In another medium bowl combine egg, sugar, carrots, oil, and milk. Add carrot mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in nuts, if using. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan, then cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Tomato Bisque

I know. I've gone crazy about soup. We literally ate it every day last week. And for lunch too. But this one is fabulous.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped,
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup milk
3 cups beef broth
1 (14.5) can tomatoes, whole in juice or diced, seasoned or not, your choice!
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 bay leaf
Around 1/2-1 tsp. Italian seasoning, basil, or whatever you like to use
Dash nutmeg
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour and cook another minute.
2. Whisk in milk, cooking and stirring until mixture is thickened. Add tomato paste, beef broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, bay leaf, Italian seasoning/basil, nutmeg, and salt & pepper. Bring nearly to boil and simmer 20-30 minutes.
3. Remove bay leaf. Pour soup into a blender in batches and blend until it's the desired consistency. Alternately, use a stick blender to puree the soup in the pan.
4. Return soup to pan and heat through. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and basil as desired.

Serve sprinkled with fresh basil, grated Parmesan, or a swirl of cream, and definitely with a grilled cheese sandwich. (You may or may not already know of my undying love for Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar.)

Shrimp Bisque

I found this one on Discovery Health, and although I didn't even come close to following it to the letter, it was still delicious. My only advice would be NOT to leave the ingredients from the stock in the soup (specifically the bay leaf & peppercorns; carrots - optional) because you think it will improve the flavor as it finishes cooking and you can just warn your family what not to eat. We all nearly killed ourselves accidentally cracking into those sneaky peppercorns... So probably, just follow the recipe. We served it with buttermilk cornbread, which recipe follows below.

Ingredients
• 12 ounces raw shrimp (30-40 per pound) shell-on
• 1 each onion chopped, divided
• 1 each carrot peeled and sliced
• 1 stalk celery (with leaves) sliced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 each bay leaf
• 3 cups water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 ounces mushrooms wiped clean and sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• ½ each green bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups low-fat milk
• ¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream
• ¼ cup dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Dash of hot sauce

Instructions
1. Peel and de-vein shrimp, reserving the shells. Cut the shrimp into 3/4-inch pieces; cover and refrigerate.
2. Combine the shrimp shells with about half the onion, all the carrot, celery, wine, peppercorns and bay leaf in a large heavy saucepan. Add water and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing on the solids to extract all the juices; discard the solids. Measure the shrimp stock and add water, if necessary, to make 1 ½ cups.
3. Heat oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, scallions, parsley and the remaining onion. Cook, stirring, until the mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly stir in milk and the shrimp stock. Cook, stirring to loosen any flour sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the soup returns to a simmer and thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved shrimp and cook until they turn opaque in the center, about 2 minutes more. Add sour cream, sherry and lemon juice; stir over low heat until heated through—do not let it come to a boil. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and hot sauce.

Buttermilk Cornbread

Ever-so-slightly adapted from a classic allrecipes.com find, this one is FABULOUS... IF you like your cornbread sweet. Which of course I do.

Ingredients
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8 inch square pan.
2. Combine melted butter, oil, and sugar. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and immediately stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and few lumps remain. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Kalua Pig

This one is from our friends the Changs who served it at their daughter's 2nd birthday party, and it was AMAZING! I was suffering from early pregnancy nausea but this was one dish I just loved. Don't be thrown off by the leaves. They told us if you are sticking it in the slow cooker to just forget about the leaves. I just left them in the recipe for authenticity.

2 lbs. pork shoulder
1 Tablespoon Hawaiian salt (coarse sea salt)
1 Tablespoon liquid smoke
1 banana leaf
2-3 large ti leaves, ribs removed
1 cup water

Score pork on all sides with 1/4-inch deep slits about 1 inch apart. Rub pork with 1/2 tablespoon Hawaiian salt, then rub with liquid smoke. Wrap pork in the banana leaf, then wrap completely in ti leaves. Tie with string and wrap in foil. (Omit the leaves part if using slow cooker.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pork in shallow roasting pan and add 1 cup water. Roast for 4 hours. (Or, roast in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.)
Shred pork and let stand in 1/2 tablespoon Hawaiian salt dissolved in 1 cup boiling water with a few drops of liquid smoke before serving.

Penne Rustica

Here's a copycat recipe from the Macaroni Grill menu - another favorite Italian chain. It's a BIG recipe and great for freezer meals.

Ingredients:
12 oz. grilled chicken breast (marinate in olive oil and garlic salt overnight, then grill on barbecue for best flavor)
½ pack thick bacon
48 oz. (3 boxes) penne pasta
2 large red bell peppers- diced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ tsp paprika

Gratinata Sauce:
2 tsp butter
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup marsala wine OR 1/3 cup apple juice + 2 tbsp red wine vinegar +enough chicken broth to equal 1 cup
1 tsp dijon or dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped rosemary
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Directions:
Sauté garlic in butter in large pan. Add marsala wine, mustard, salt, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and heavy cream. Cook pasta according to directions. Cook bacon. Slice chicken into medium-bite size pieces. Combine sauce, cooked pasta, diced chicken, cooked bacon, bell peppers, parmesan cheese, and paprika and mix thoroughly. Spread in pans. Top with chopped rosemary and mozzarella cheese. Bake @ 475 for 10 minutes.
[If frozen, thaw in refrigerator the day of. Cover with foil and bake @ 375 for 1 hour. Remove foil during the last 15 minutes.]
Number Of Servings: Yields one 8×8 and two 9×13 casserole dishes.
Preparation Time: More than an hour

Pollo Rosa Maria

This is a knock-off of a dish that once appeared on the menu at Carrabba's Italian Grill, one of our all-time favorite Italian chains. And a sort of approximate (and typically, stolen) picture.

Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, split for stuffing
4 slices prosciutto ham
½ cup fontina cheese

Lemon Butter:
½ cup clarified butter
3 cloves garlic
½ small yellow onion, diced
¼ cup white wine
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
½ tsp. white pepper
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
½ cup fresh sweet basil, chopped
1 lemon, juiced

Chicken: Open chicken breasts and place butterfly-style on grill over white-hot coals of live oak and pecan wood. (*Krista’s note: yeah, or just send your husband out to the gas grill. Or stick them in a pan or in the oven.) Grill 3-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from grill. When cool enough to handle, hold breast halves together and stuff each with one slice of prosciutto and 1/8 cup fontina cheese. Secure with toothpicks. Set aside in a warm place.

Lemon butter topping: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, combine clarified butter, garlic, and onion and sauté until tender. Deglaze pan with white wine. Add unsalted butter, salt, and pepper. Add mushrooms and sauté 1-2 minutes or until cooked. Add basil and lemon juice; stir to combine. Place chicken on a serving platter and top with mushrooms in lemon-basil butter and serve.