Caprese Salad

Fresh Mozzarella
Tomato's whatever color you like

Slice and top with Olive oil, salt and pepper; then top with a basil leaf. Sometimes I add a little balsamic vinegar.

Super fast super good!!

Potato night- Best potatoes ever!

I think after I post this one I am caught up. Thanks Cami for the reminder.

Best Potatoes ever!(That really is what the recipe is called)

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 green chile peppers, chopped
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger root, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
• 1 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

* I used fresh lemon juice instead of the amchoor. I read somewhere that you could do that.

Directions

1. Place the potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook 10 minutes, until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly.
2. Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly toast the cumin seeds in the ghee. Mix in the green chile peppers and ginger. Season with chili powder and coriander. Stir in the potatoes, and cook about 5 minutes. Season with amchoor and salt, and continue cooking about 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro to serve.

Coconut night- Chicken Satay

Chicken Satay

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch strips
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Salt to taste
• 10 (6 inch) wooden skewers, or as needed, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Directions

1. Stir together 1/2 cup coconut milk, garlic, 1 teaspoon curry powder, brown sugar, salt, and pepper until the sugar has dissolved. Toss marinade with the chicken, cover, and marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. Bring 1 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon curry powder, peanut butter, chicken stock, and 1/4 cup brown sugar to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and soy sauce; season to taste with salt.
3. Preheat a grill for medium-high heat.
4. Thread marinated chicken onto skewers, then grill 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Serve with warm peanut sauce.

*I didn't put these on skewers, and I didn't grill them either. I broiled them in the oven.

Basil Butter bread things, I can't remember what I called them on basil night.

Basil Butter

Ingredients

• 4 cloves garlic
• 15 leaves fresh basil
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup butter

Directions

1. Place garlic, basil, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the garlic is in small bits. Add the butter, and process just to mix together. Spoon into container, and refrigerate until firm.

* The bread was Pattie Wrights round peasant bread dough, here is that recipe.

1 Pkg. yeast
2 C. warm water
1 T. Sugar
2 t. salt
4 C. flour
cornmeal
butter melted

Place yeast, water, sugar and salt in a warm bowl and stir until dissolved. Add flour and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise one hour or until doubled in size. Spray a cooking sheet with a non-stick spray and sprinkle with corn meal. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl and place in 2 rounds on cookie sheet. Let rise and additional hour. Brush tops with melted butter and bake at 425 for 10 min. Reduce oven temp. to 375 and cook an additional 15 min. Remove from oven and brush again with butter.
*I did change this slightly, I made the dough in my mixer and I added a bit more flour so I could shape it into loaves, like french bread. Every thing else I did the same.
* The individual pieces of bread I spread the butter on and but a bit of sliced basil and some parmesan cheese, and toasted in the oven.

Turkey Burgers

1 pound ground turkey
1 egg (I think?)
2 tbls basil pesto
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup onion (I used red onion)
1/2 cup crumbled feta (I used Athenos basil and tomato feta)
1.5 tsp seasoned salt
1/2 cup of crumbled bread

Mix ingredients together until blended. Shape into patties. (I refridgerated the patties for 2 hours and it seemed like they stuck to the grill less than the ones I grilled immediately). Sprinkle seasoned salt on each side and grill until done.

Blackberry Basil Tart

Ingredients
Serves 6
2 cups sour cream
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
Cornmeal Shortbread Dough
2 cups blackberries (about 1 pint)
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1.Stir together sour cream and 3/4 cup sugar. Scrape in vanilla bean seeds; stir to combine. Discard pod. Refrigerate filling, covered, until firm, about 3 hours or up to 2 days, before using.
2.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Press dough into a 13 3/4-by-4 1/4-by-1-inch oblong tart pan with a removable bottom. Trim edges of dough flush with pan. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Bake until golden and crisp, about 18 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
3.Stir together blackberries, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon water, basil, and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring gently, until berries have softened and released their juices and mixture is warmed through, about 2 minutes.
4.Spoon sour cream filling into tart shell. Top with the berry mixture. Garnish with basil sprigs.

Cornmeal Shortbread Dough
Ingredients
Makes enough for 1 tart
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Directions
1.Whisk together flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Whisk together yolk, cream, and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside.
2.Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in yolk mixture and orange zest until combined. Mix in flour mixture until just combined. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 30 minutes or up to 1 day, before using.

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
1/2 Tablespoon Yeast
1/2 Cup Warm Water
1/2 tsp. Sugar
4 Eggs
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Cup Instant Potato Flakes(I use the pearls)
1/2 Cup Dry Milk
2 3/4 Cups Warm Water
3/4 Cup Sugar
2/3 Cup Oil
8 Cups Flour

Filling:
3/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
Cinnamon to taste

Frosting:
4-5 Cups Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla
Milk to desired consistency

Mix Yeast, Warm Water and Sugar in small bowl and set aside for 10 min.

Mix Eggs, Salt, Potato Flakes Dry milk, Warm Water, 3/4 C. Sugar and Oil in large mixer. Sometimes I don't have dry milk so I substitute the Dry milk and the Warm Water with 1 Cup Scalded Milk and 1 3/4 cups warm water.

After this is mixed add the Yeast mixture and the Flour. Knead for 10 minutes and let rise 1-2 hours till doubled in size. Roll out half of the dough till about 1/2 inch thick. Spread with filling, roll up and cut with a thread. I start cutting in the middle so I know how many I need from each side to get 16 rolls. Place rolls on a greased jelly roll pan.

Cook at 375 for 12-15 min. I wait till the tops are a little brown. Take out and frost!! They are the best right out of the oven, in my house the center ones get eaten first. You should get 32 Cinnamon Rolls.

Coconut Dream Cake

Ingredients

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (8 ounce) package flaked coconut

Directions

1. Prepare and bake white cake mix according to package directions. Remove cake from oven. While still hot, using a utility fork, poke holes all over the top of the cake.
2. Mix cream of coconut and sweetened condensed milk together. Pour over the top of the still hot cake. Let cake cool completely then frost with the whipped topping and top with the flaked coconut. Keep cake refrigerated.

Since I wanted to present this on a cake stand instead of a cake pan, I knew the whipped cream would just slide off. So (surprise, surprise) I added about 6 oz of cream cheese and 3/4 cup powdered sugar to whipped cream to make it stiffer.

Pina Colada

½ gallon vanilla ice cream, softened

1 (13.5 oz.) can coconut milk

1 (46 fluid oz.) can pineapple juice

1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple

1 (2 liter) bottle lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

In a large container, combine ice cream, coconut milk, and pineapple juice.  Use a blender or food processor to liquify the crushed pineapple and add it to the mixture.  Mix well and freeze.  Remove from freezer about 30-45 minutes before party.  Place in punch bowl and break it up as much as possible.  Add the lemon lime carbonated drink and stir.

Ginger-Lime-Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

Coconut Rice:

1¾ c. coconut milk (13.5 oz. can)

½ tsp. white sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 cup jasmine rice

¼ c. sweetened flaked coconut (optional)

Ginger-Lime-Coconut Chicken:

1½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed

2 limes, zested and juiced

2 T. grated fresh ginger root

1 T. olive oil or sesame oil 

1 T. honey

¼ c. sweetened flaked coconut

2-3 T. cilantro

Coconut Rice:  In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, sugar and salt over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the jasmine rice, reduce heat to low, and cook tightly covered for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  (Rice might need to be stirred once or twice during cooking process or it will burn on the bottom.) Remove from the heat and fluff rice with a fork and stir in flaked coconut; cover, and keep warm.  

Ginger-Lime-Coconut Chicken:  In a glass bowl, mix chicken breast cubes with lime juice, lime zest, and grated ginger. Let mixture marinate for 20-30 minutes in refrigerator.  In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade. Stir fry until the chicken is cooked and lime juice has reduced. Drizzle honey onto the chicken and continue to stir-fry for another minute.  Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut.  Sprinkle cilantro over rice and chicken.  Serve chicken with the coconut rice on the side.

Shauna