A Copycat Cheesecake Factory Shrimp Scampi

Here's another copycat recipe thats sure to be delicious.

1. 1 -2 lb fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined, and butterflied
2. 1 lb angel hair pasta
3. 1 diced tomato
4. 6 -8 whole garlic cloves
5. 1 shallot, diced
6. 1 pint heavy cream
7. 1 cup dry white wine
8. olive oil
9. 5 -7 leaves fresh basil
10. 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
11. parsley
12. For the shrimp
13. milk
14. 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, finely grated
15. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
16. 1/4 teaspoon salt
17. 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
18. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Pour enough olive oil in a large sauce pan to cover the bottom, turn to medium high heat. This is the only pot you'll need for the sauce so it should be big. Soak the shrimp in milk and combine the dry ingredients (flour, 2T cheese, salt, pepper). Coat the shrimp with the dry ingredients and let them fry in the olive oil, About 2 minutes per side until golden brown. The Flour that falls off the shrimp will add great flavor and consistency to the sauce. Add more oil as necessary, between batches of shrimp. Dab the shrimp with a paper towel, cover and set aside on range top to keep warm.
2. Add the garlic to the oil, stir for a few minutes, then turn the heat to medium low. Now add the wine and bring it to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and cover, let the wine reduce, about 10-15 minutes.
3. In a separate pot, bring water to simmer. (for pasta later).
4. Add the cream, and bring it back to a boil, turn heat to low and simmer for 10 more minutes. While it is simmering dice your shallot and tomato, and chiffonade your basil. Now add the Basil, diced tomato, and remaining 2T Parmesan cheese. Stir for a moment then add the fried shrimp, and remove the pan from heat. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
5. Bring pasta pot to a boil and add angel hair and cook.
6. To plate, pour some sauce on a dish and arrange the shrimp around the bottom (10 or so), then take a ball of the pasta and plate that above the shrimp. garnish with a little parsley.

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/cheesecake-factory-shrimp-scampi-280067?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/cheesecake-factory-shrimp-scampi-280067?oc=linkback</a>

Oatmeal Rasin Cookies

photo from http://img.food.com/img/recipes/35/81/3/large/pic6wodKW.jpg

Everyone loves cookies on a cold winter day, so give these a try.

Whisk together and set aside
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cream wet ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Then stir in3 cups oats (not instant)
1 1/2 cups raisins

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.

Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.

To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.

Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.

(Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.

Fill a #40 cookie scoop and press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough (to measure 2 tablespoons of dough).

Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.

Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Read more: <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-raisin-cookies-35813?oc=linkback">http://www.food.com/recipe/oatmeal-raisin-cookies-35813?oc=linkback</a>

Best Crab Cakes

Picture: http://www.crabcakeguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/crab-cakes.jpg

A simple crab cake recipe for everyone to try.
Ingredients
Lemon Dill Sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
Crab Cakes:
3 tablespoons butter
1 green onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
Cayenne pepper
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound white or claw crabmeat, picked free of any bits of shell
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Refrigerate until chilled. The sauce will thicken as it chills.

To prepare the crab cakes, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the pepper is limp, approximately 3 minutes. Add the cream, mustard, 1 egg, parsley, cayenne pepper and 1/2 cup bread crumbs, to taste, and mix well. Gently fold in the crabmeat.

Form the mixture into 8 patties, about 1/2-inch thick. In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs with the Parmesan. Pat this topping onto both sides of the patties. Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

Using a skillet, combine the oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute the crab cakes in the hot oil-butter mixture for approximately 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. These crab cakes can also be baked for 7 to 10 minutes in a 400 degree F oven.

To serve, spoon a dollop of the lemon dill sauce along side each crab cake.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/crab-cakes-with-lemon-dill-sauce-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Great Pumpkin Pie

picture from http://img.foodnetwork.com/FOOD/2010/10/04/FNM_110110-Pies-021_s4x3_lg.jpg

Pumpkin Pie is great and you'll love this recipe.


Total Time:
3 hr 45 min         Prep 2 hr 15 min
Cook
1 hr 30 min         Yield: 6-8 servings


IngredientsFor the Dough:
11/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons beaten egg (about 1/2 large egg)
For the Filling:
1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Whipped cream, for serving


Directions
Make the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening; pulse until it disappears, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Beat 2 tablespoons ice water and the egg in a bowl, then add to the processor and pulse once or twice. (Stop before the dough gathers into a ball.) Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll the dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface (or between 2 pieces of floured parchment paper). Ease into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish glass pie plate. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp the edges with your fingers. Pierce the bottom all over with a fork and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Make the filling: Whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves in a bowl. Pour into the crust; bake until the edges are set but the center quivers, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes. (Cover the edges of the crust with foil if they brown too quickly.) Cool completely on a rack. Serve with whipped cream.



Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pumpkin-pie-recipe2/index.html?oc=linkback

Slutty Brownies

Recently there has been a huge slutty browny craze so here's a good recipe. Don't know what a slutty browny is? Let me explain, a slutty browny is when you layer brownies on top of oreos on top of Cookies you put it all in a Pyrex and put it in the oven. In case your wondering, its deliciously gross.

picture from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDrl4cbmgnTkKDnfx6vJC9P3n8Srgz9SP_W68w_m1CIr7_OyixtL6hmUkvalR-k8PM19a0isSRrPbJFa4SVIm6CVOyejSEEK13KUi9zgJrwZXMnW4JoKi8sl2HQwbJQrbKgY84fvm_XavK/s1600/Slutty-Brownies-3.jpg

Recipe

Ingredients 

Cookie Dough

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup) at room temperature

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

• ⅓ cup brown sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 egg

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Brownies

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 5 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. and butter a 9x13 glass baking pan
2. Prepare the cookies by whisking together flour, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl
3. cream the sugars and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer
4. slowly mix in the flour mixture alternating with the egg and then add vanilla
5. add in chocolate chips

1. Prepare the Brownies by whisking together the flour, salt and cocoa powder
2. melt the chocolate, butter, and espresso powder in a small saucepan on low heat
3. put the chocolate mix into the bowl of your mixer and mix in the flour slowly alternating with the eggs
4. spread into the bottom of the baking sheet and place oreos on top about 1in. to 1/2 in. apart
5. then cover with the cookie batter
6. bake for 20-30 minutes 

I'm Back

I know I haven't posted anything in a while but, don't worry I'm back with more recipes and cool stuff. I'm trying to get back into the swing of things, so I won't say I'll post every day but I'm trying to work my way up to there.

A Fresh Take On A Classic Snack

If you're like me you'll remember a few great snacks from your childhood, one including grilled cheese. It's one of those things that just never go out of style, and there are hundreds of variations; hope you enjoy this one. 

 From; http://withstyleandgraceblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/IMG_65561.jpg

Ingredients

1. 1 Loaf of Italian bread
2. 2 or more slices of tomato
3. A few slices of Mozzarella Cheese
4. Pesto

Instructions

1. Cut the bread to the desired length
2. Spread pesto on both sides of the bread
3. Cut the mozzarella and tomato into thin slices and place on bread
4. Put the sandwich into a panini maker or skillet and cook until cheese is melted and bread is soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside

Homemade Mozzarella Sticks

Love having great mozzarella cheese sticks at restaurants? Well now you can have those wonderful treats at home.

Picture from http://umbrella-eqal.s3.amazonaws.com/laurenconrad/dynamic/thumbnail/photo/355551_500x500_R.jpg

Recipe

Ingredients

1. 6 mozzarella sticks
2. 1 egg (beaten)
3. bread crumbs (amount varies)
4. Oil for frying

 Instructions

1. half the mozzarella sticks and dip them into the egg
2. roll them into the bread crumbs
3. place the finished sticks on plate and freeze for 15 minutes
4. cover the bottom of a skillet or small  sauce pan and preheat the oil until bubbling 
5. fry the sticks until the form a golden brown outside and take off just as the cheese starts to melt out
6. cool on a paper towel and serve with marinara sauce

Chocolate-Chip Cookies

So I know I haven't posted in a while, but to get back into the swing of things I decided some cookies would be in order.

picture from: http://img1.etsystatic.com/015/0/7536630/il_570xN.409969069_dfsa.jpg

Recipe

Ingredients

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1 tsp baking soda
3. 1 cup butter
4. 3/4 cup brown sugar
5. 1/4 cup white sugar
6. 2 eggs
7. 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8. 1- 1 1/2 cups milk
9. 1-2 cups chocolate chips
10. 1-2 cups walnuts / chopped nuts (optional)

Instructions

1. preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. sift the flour and baking soda together
3. cream the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer
4. mix in the flour mixture alternately with the milk
5. stir in the chocolate chips
6. spoon the dough onto a greased baking sheet and bake until golden brown- about 10 mins.

Recipe inspired by http://allrecipes.com/recipe/award-winning-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies/

No post

I am away for the weekend so I cannot post any new recipes, but don't worry I'll make up for it this week. Stay hungry