Recently Jim really wanted to have a lobster bake with our friends. The hard part was we were getting together at their house and did not want to completely disrupt their kitchen and wanted an easy way to boil the seafood…so guess what? We used our TURKEY FRYER! Say what? Yes, that turkey fryer that is sitting in your garage waiting to be used. This will bring new life to that fryer and something NOT deep fried and completely delicious! Dig out those deep fryers you are going to thank me! The best part is you can make as much seafood that will fit in that huge pot! (Adjusting the liquid of course) you will be the hit of the party with this! We have done this twice already and have plans to do it again!
My measurements serve 4-5 people
INGREDIENTS
1 pound small red potatoes
4 ears of corn, cleaned and broken in half
1 pound of kielbasa, sliced into 1 inch rounds
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, deveined with shell on
1 1/2 pounds little neck clams, cleaned and soaked in room temp. water for 20 minutes
6 lobster tails
1 onion, diced
6 beers (we used blue moon)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
3 Tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 stick of butter, melted and used when serving
Lemon wedges for serving
DIRECTIONS
Connect your deep fryer to the propane tank outside and away from the house. Add the beer, garlic salt and Old Bay seasoning to the bottom of the pot. In the basket of the fryer add the potatoes, onion and kielbasa and bring to a boil. Add corn, clams (removed from water)and lobster and cook five more minutes, add the shrimp and cook an additional five minutes or until the shrimp are pink and cooked through. Using oven mitts as the handle will be very hot, remove the basket from the pot and liquid and pour everything onto a baking sheet or large platter. Serve with melted butter and lemon wedges.
Enjoy!
I have two great Taste of Home recipes for you this week. This recipe was simple and fast to make, not to mention very good with ingredients you probably already have on hand! This recipe is very good as is, but when I make it again I may add a handful of Parmesan cheese to the sauce at the end of the cooking time. Maybe even some crispy bacon bits on the top just before serving!!
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 Tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
8 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti
2 1/2 cups frozen peas (about ten ounces)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet add the butter and oil over medium heat. Break the pasta in half and add to the pan cooking 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in the peas, broth, half and half, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stirring occasionally. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
I am excited to share one of Jim’s recipes with you. Everyone thinks I am the cook in the house, but I can tell you Jim can make some amazing plates of food! He does not cook often as he does not have the time but when he cooks it is always delicious! Sadly I did not get to taste this dish as he made it while I was enjoying some sunshine in Key West, Florida. Thankfully for me, he wrote the recipe down to share with all of us!
INGREDIENTS
1 package boneless chicken thighs
3 Tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup White Zinfindel wine
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons of flour, divided
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 Tablespoon roasted garlic purée
1/2 pound penne pasta
DIRECTIONS
Place one cup of the flour in a large bowl and coat the chicken thighs in the flour coating all of the chicken.
Heat your oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. When the oil is heated, add the chicken and cook both sides of the chicken until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate while you make the sauce.
Turn the pan to medium heat, add the 3 tablespoons of flour, salt, pepper and the roasted garlic. Mix well stirring up all of the chicken drippings in the pan. Add the wine and the chicken stock whisking until thick and bubbling. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the chicken back into the pan and cover. Continue to cook for 40 minutes.
When the chicken is almost done, cook your pasta in boiling salted water until al dante (about ten minutes). Drain.
To serve place the pasta on your plate and top with the chicken and sauce.
Enjoy!
This is one of our family favorite recipes and I can’t believe it has taken me so long to post it! Jim has asked a couple times recently for this dish. I was getting ready for a vacation away with a close friend so I used this opportunity to make this for him to eat while I was away. Needless to say he was very pleased and did not go hungry! I found the original recipe on Food Network, but have changed it to fit my family’s taste so feel free to change it your way as well! We like this with some crusty bread and a side salad! Did I mention this is a one pot dish and I use a rotisserie chicken? Easy and delicious!
INGREDIENTS
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 vidalia onion, diced
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 rotisserie chicken, with the meat pulled off
1 package taco seasoning (gluten free for Robby)
2 (4 ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (8 ounce) jar of medium spice salsa (gluten free for Robby)
1 (14 ounce) can of corn (omit for Robby)
1 (16 ounce) black beans, rinsed
30 ounces of chicken broth (or more depending on how thick you want your soup)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (dairy and gluten free for Robby. Kate Hill Brand)
OPTIONAL
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips
Crusty Bread
DIRECTIONS
Sauté onion, green pepper and garlic in the vegetable oil for just a couple minutes. Add the chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, corn, beans, tomato paste and chicken broth. Adjust the broth to your preference of thickness. Bring the ingredients to a slow simmer and simmer for 20 minutes. Slice the cream cheese into pieces and add to the soup, stir often letting the cream cheese melt and incorporate into the soup. Simmer for another ten minutes. Add shredded Monterey Jack cheese if desired and serve with tortilla chips or crusty bread.
Enjoy!
We just loved this dish! Lots of flavor with the sweetness from the sun dried tomatoes and the rich creaminess from the parmesan, not to mention the fresh basil. This would be great with some roasted asparagus and a splash of white wine as well! Having this dish cook in just one pot is an added bonus! Give this recipe a try I know you will enjoy it as much as we did!
INGREDIENTS
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into bite size pieces.
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups dry orzo pasta
2 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained and diced
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the diced chicken, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken so that it is browned and seasoned on both sides, the chicken will not be cooked through at this point. Add the garlic to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo pasta, reduce heat to medium and cover the pan. Allow to boil for five minutes. Uncover and continue to boil about another five minutes or until orzo is tender, stirring occasionally. It will still be a little saucy with the broth. Once the pasta has cooked, remove from heat and add the cheese stirring until the cheese is melted. Add the basil and sun dried tomatoes, stirring throughly. I seasoned with a little more pepper but that is up to you.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
This recipe can be found at www.cookingclassy.com