Basil Shrimp with Feta and Orzo

Here's another favorite family dinner. It's perfect for summer. It goes together easily and the flavor combination is top-notch. I've made it the oven but it could also easily be done on the grill. The recipe calls for a foil oven bag (like Reynolds brand) but if you don't have one, assemble your own out of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta found with the other pastas.

1 regular-size foil oven bag
Nonfat cooking spray
1 1/2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
4 tsp olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined*
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Generously coat the inside of oven bag with nonfat cooking spray. Place bag on a large cookie or jelly roll pan.

Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water for 5 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain pasta and place in a large bowl. Stir in 3 tsps oil and next 7 ingredients. Place orzo mixture in prepared oven bag. Combine shrimp and basil. Arrange shrimp mixture on orzo mixture. Fold edge of bag over seal. Bake for 25 minutes or until shrimp are done. Place bag on a platter and cut open bag with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Drizzle with remaining 1 tsp oil.

*I've substituted chicken in this recipe several times. I would recommend using cooked chicken strips and assembling all the ingredients in the oven bag. Cook at the same temperature until all ingredients are heated through (about 10 minutes).

Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2001

Warm Toasted S'more Bars

Not cooking over an open fire anytime soon? Try these instead! When I made these everyone agreed they were the tastier treat. But if you're looking for the authentic dessert, you'll have to put on your hiking boots, get your hair real greasy and let the smoke get in your eyes.

And like the name states, these are best served warm. If you're not going to eat them all in one sitting (then I'm seriously worried about you and the company you're serving them to) then just reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds.

1 (1 lb 1.5 oz) pouch sugar cookie mix (like Betty Crocker brand)

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup butter, melted

3 cups milk chocolate chips

4 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Mix cookie mix and graham cracker crumbs. Stir in egg and melted butter until soft dough forms. Press dough evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Do not overbake.

When cookie crust comes out of the oven, immediately sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let stand 3-5 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate evenly over crust.

Turn oven to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 4-5 inches from heat for 20-30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. Watch closely as marshmallows will brown quickly. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

This dish is perfect the the warmer weather we've been having. You could serve it as an appetizer or make it a main course. If you are serving a large crowd, make several batches and keep it warm in a crock pot. The original recipe calls for Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves but I just use the good old iceberg lettuce and it turns out nicely. If you do use iceberg variety, tear off the first few layers as they are generally thin and would not hold up to becoming a "wrap". Also, lettuce wraps are a little messy (as any tongue tingling dish is) so make sure to have plenty of napkins ready.

If you love PF Chang's soothing lettuce wraps, these are a close copy-cat. The only thing I don't bother with are the fried rice noodles. If you want to add those to the dish to make them more "authentic", go here for the easy how-to.

I've also made this dish with a variety of vegetables. Chopped mushrooms, chopped bell peppers and matchstick carrots would work great in this recipe.

16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves, washed and dried
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp hoisin sauce (found in the Asian food section)
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil (preferably dark sesame oil)
2 tsp chili garlic sauce (or less depending on heat preference)**
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, minced fine
1 Tbsp cooking oil
1 (8 oz) can whole water chestnuts, diced
1 bunch green onions, chopped


In a small bowl, whisk together crushed garlic, soy sauce, ground ginger, hoisin sauce, cider vinegar, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium-high heat until hot. Stir fry minced chicken until no longer pink. Pour over soy sauce mixture; stir. Add water chestnuts and green onions; cook until mixture is heated through. Serve in lettuce leaves.

*You can substitute the minced chicken breast for ground chicken if you don't want to bother with the prep work OR this recipe also works nicely with ground beef, pork or even ground turkey.

**Chili Garlic Sauce is an Asian staple and condiment. You can find it in most supermarkets in the Asian food aisle. Here is a picture of the brand I use.

Look at these little darlings!

The Huz gave me a set of 8 mini trifle dishes for Mother's Day. Of course I hinted a little. I love them as I do all things miniature. I made the following recipe today for a party. I made it in my regular sized trifle dish as I was feeding a crowd (and transporting it to the crowd). The new recipe was well received...

Easy Brownie-Berry Trifle

1 package brownie mix (9x13" pan size)

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup milk

1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant vanilla pudding mix

2 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped

4 cups assorted berries of choice (sliced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), sweetened lightly with sugar

Mix and bake brownie mix according to package directions. Cool completely and cut into cubes. Set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk milks together. Add pudding mix; whisk until smooth. Fold in whipped cream.

Layering ingredients, start with a layer of brownie cubes. Next, arrange a layer of berries. Carefully spread a layer of cream mixture over top. Repeat layers. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Magic Peanut Butter Middles

I'm captivated by anything that contains a surprise middle - whether it's a cupcake, chicken cord-on-bleu or these little pieces of joy...Magic Peanut Butter Middles. I found the recipe on the internet and after some tweaking, I think I've come up with a gem of a recipe. They are slightly more laborious than say a "drop" cookie but definitely much easier than cut-out cookies. After one bite, you'll agree that the prep was absolutely worth it!

Filling:

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Cookie:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp sour cream

3 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

For filling, thoroughly mix 1 1/2 cups peanut butter with confectioner's sugar. With floured hands, form 45-50 - 1 1/2-inch balls. Place on wax paper-lined tray and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make cookie dough, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy; approximately 5 minutes. Stir in eggs, 1/2 cup peanut butter, vanilla and sour cream; mix thoroughly. Combine flour, cocoa powder and baking soda; stir into butter mixture.

To assemble cookies, take approximately 1 1/2 Tbsp chocolate cookie dough and roll into a ball. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each ball and place one peanut butter filling ball. Carefully cover the filling center with chocolate dough and re-roll to make a round shape. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 minutes. Do not overbake or cookies will become hard.

Store in a tightly sealed container. Makes 45-50 large cookies.

Favorites: Bananas Foster French Toast

I've actually had Bananas Foster at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, LA. ( Thanks Mom and Dad. ) It was everything I had hoped it would be. The richness, the sweetness, the warm with the cool. Mmmm. This is a sure thing recipe. Every time I make it, people that claim they don't particularly care for French Toast absolutely adore this. It's easy and just takes a little prep the night before. I served it Christmas morning last year. I assembled it right before going to bed. A very content boy enjoyed smelling it while it baked as he opened his gifts, not to mention the rest of my family that had gathered. Don't wait for Christmas though to make this. Make it this weekend and show how much you love the people you baked it for.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp corn syrup
1 loaf French bread, cut into 12 slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (pure extract if you have it)

In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until smooth, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture onto large, greased jelly roll pan. Spread to cover surface. Place slices of bread in a single layer to cover pan. Mix together eggs, half and half, salt and vanilla. Spoon mixture over each piece of bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove from pan and serve with Syrup Butter and sliced bananas.


Syrup Butter:
1 cube butter
3 cups maple syrup

Melt together and serve.

Peanutty Noodles

This Asian inspired dish is full of flavor. You can make it as a side dish or make it a meal by adding shrimp or chicken. The Huz doesn't love peanut flavored concoctions, so I typically make this when he's not around or if I'm taking a dish somewhere...like to bookclub! This month's selection is "Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story in Tibet".

2 carrots, peeled
1 Tbsp canola oil, divided
2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter (such as Smuckers)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp chili oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups red bell pepper strips
1 lb snow peas, trimmed
8 cups hot cooked linguine (about 1 lb uncooked pasta)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Shave carrots lengthwise into thin strips using a vegetable peeler, set aside.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ginger and minced garlic; saute 30 seconds. Add chicken broth and next 5 ingredients; stir until well-blended. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and snow peas; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. Combine carrot, peanut butter mixture, bell pepper mixture and linguine in a large bowl; toss well. Garnish with cilantro if desired. Serves 8.

Cinco de Mayo: Chicken Oaxaca

This dish is one of my favorite chicken recipes from Cooking Light. I've adapted to fit my family's tastes. The dish comes from the restaurant Casa del Sol in Mexico. It is infamously fat laden. Cooking Light came up with their reduced fat version that is just as rich and decadent but will not leave you cursing your Cinco de Mayo celebration. It is delicious served with buttered linguine and garnished with sliced olives and cilantro.

Chipotle Sauce:

1/4 cup hot water

1/2 tsp chicken flavored bouillon granules

2 to 4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (depending on heat preference)

*These are found in most grocery stores in the Latin food section

3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1 Tbsp lime juice

Chicken:

1 peeled avocado, cut in 6 wedges

1 Tbsp lime juice

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp white pepper

2 Tbsp flour

3 large egg whites, lightly beaten

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp canola oil

To prepare chipotle sauce, combine first 3 ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth. Pour sauce into a bowl, stir in sour cream and 1 Tbsp lime juice.

To prepare chicken, toss avocado with 1 Tbsp lime juice. Make a "pocket" in each chicken breast half by slicing a horizontal slit with a thin, sharp knife into the thickest portion of the breast. Stuff 1 avocado wedge and 2 Tbsp cheese into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and dredge in flour. Dip chicken in egg whites and then dredge in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; saute 6-7 minutes on each side or until done.

To serve, top each chicken breast with approximately 3 Tbsp chipotle sauce.

Almond Joy Cake

One of my most favorite flavor combinations is coconut and chocolate. And why not add cake to that mix? You can't go wrong with this cake. It's easy to make and will put a smile on the faces of whom you serve it to. If you like the candy bar, you'll LOVE this!

1 Devil's food cake mix

1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar, divided

1 (14 oz) bag sweetened, flaked coconut

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk, divided

1 cup milk chocolate chips

24 large marshmallows

1/2 cup butter

2/3 cup sliced almonds

Blend cake mix and pudding mix together. Add eggs, water and oil; mix thoroughly. Spread batter into the bottom of a 9x13-inch greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 22-28 minutes or until toothpick tested in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely. Melt marshmallows with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 cup evaporated milk. Bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved. Add coconut and mix well. Pour over cooled cake. Let coconut layer cool and set up before next layer. Bring remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar, remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk and 1/2 cup butter to a boil. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in chocolate chips and blend until creamy. Spread over coconut layer. Immediately sprinkle top of chocolate layer with sliced almonds. Allow chocolate to set up before serving.