Hatch Chile Corn Chowder

 4 T butter

1 c. chopped sweet onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 T rice flour (wheat flour is okay too)

1 tsp each salt and pepper

1 tsp Trader Joe's Elote Seasoning or chili powder

14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)

1 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 c water

1 cup chopped zucchini

2 cups red potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 roasted hatch chiles, enough to make 1/3 to 1/2 cup

3 cobs sweet corn, roasted and cut off the cob, approximately 2 cups

2 cups 2% milk

14.5 oz can creamed corn

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving

1 cup Monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese

broken corn chips (use leftover from bag)

 

In a large stock pot, melt butter, onion, and garlic. Saute until soft. Add rice flour until incorporated into the butter. Add the salt, pepper, and Elote seasoning or chili powder. Mix on medium heat for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

 

Add chicken broth, liquid smoke, and water and bring to a boil.  Add zucchini and potatoes and simmer until zucchini and potatoes are soft, but not falling apart (about 15-20 minutes), stirring occasionally to keep mixture from burning. Add the milk and bring to a simmer.

In the meantime, oil the hatch chiles and corn and roast them on a grill to char them. Make sure corn is turned so as not to burn the corn. The chiles will probably be done in 5 minutes, the corn will take 10-15 minutes. Remove both from grill and allow to cool to the touch.

Once cool enough to handle, take the outside "skin" off the chiles and chop into small pieces and remove corn from the cobs using a knife and a deep bowl to catch the kernels. 

Add the corn, chiles, canned cream corn, and cilantro to th chowder. The potatoes should be soft, but still firm. If too thin, allow the chowder to simmer longer. If chowder is too thick, add a little milk or water to thin. Adjust seasoning. 

Serve chowder with cheese, fresh cilantro and broken tortilla chips. This makes 5-6 generous helping and is delicious as leftovers. You can also make this ahead and reheat it. It's a great summer weekend meal. Serve with some fresh tomatoes or a cucumber, tomato salad. This does have some heat, but if you like it very spicy, you can also add some hot sauce to it.

 

Shrimp and Scallop Bisque

4 Tablespoons butter

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped carrots

1 c chopped celery

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper 

2 oz dry sherry

14.5 oz can low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning 

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 pint (2 cups) half and half

12 oz peeled and deveined shrimp, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 pound bay scallops, cut larger scallops into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large stock pot. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute until vegetable are tender (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.

2. Add flour and salt and pepper. The add the sherry and scrape up any brown bits from the pan,

3. Slowly add the chicken broth to flour and veggies, stirring to make a thick sauce.

4. Add sugar, Old Bay, and nutmeg and stir. Then add the half and half and stir until just heated.

5. Mix in the raw shrimp and scallops and cook until seafood is cooked through, stirring so mixture doesn't stick to the pan or boil too hard (use low heat).

6. Taste to adjust seasonings and serve with additional Old Bay sprinkled on top. Add chopped parsley, if desired.

This makes 4 generous bowls of soup. (Approximately 500 calories per serving)
Serve with a crispy salad on the side and some toasty bread, if desired.

Scrumptious Crab Cakes

 

1 pound jumbo lump crab meat (important you get this kind)

1/2 c mayonaise

1 T dijon mustard

1 tsp worcestershire sauce

1 - 2 tsp hot sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tsp lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice

freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt

Fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/8 cup)

1/4 cup panko bread crumbs (or more, if needed)

Oil for frying

Combine mayo, mustard, worcestershire sauce, hot suace, egg, lemon zest and juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Carefully fold in the crab meat, but don't break up the crab. Then fold in bread crumbs to make a firm, but not stiff crab mixture. 

Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, form 8-9 crab cakes and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Chill for at least 20 minutes or until they are firm and cold.

Heat oil in a large pan and add the crab cakes - cooking over medium heat. Do not disturb them so they get brown and crispy, but not burnt. It should take 3-4 minutes. Then turn crabcakes carefully and brown on the other side (you may need to add more oil) until they are hot through and crispy, but not burnt. This should take another 3-4 minutes.

Place on a serving platter and eat with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. Can be eaten alone or as a crab cake sandwich. 

 

 

I made these for Christmas 2023 and we enjoyed them very much. Leftovers, reheated are good, but eat within a day or two or freeze them.

Cucumber salad with sour cream dressing

 5 small salad cucumbers

1 small white onion

1 Tbsp table salt

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tsp white wine vinegar 

2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped

Pepper to taste

Using a mandolin, slice cucumbers about 1/8-1/4 inch thick into a glass bowl. Slice onion into smaller pieces. Sprinkle onion and cucumber with salt and transfer to a mesh colander. Allow to drain over bowl for at least 1 hour and up to two hours. 

Drain cucumbers on paper towels to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside in clean and drained out glass bowl until ready to eat. Drain cucumbers if liquid settles on bottom of bowl. 

Mix sour cream, vinegar, dill and pepper in a small dish. Place in refrigerator until ready to eat. 

Just before eating, combine dressing with cucumber. Mix thoroughly to cover all the cucumbers. Sour cream May foam a little. If too thick add a little more vinegar. If too thin add a little more sour cream. 

Serve with your favorite summertime entree. 

Bacon shallot gruyere quiche

1 pie crust (I use Pillsbury brand)

6 pieces of bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

4 oz gruyere cheese, shredded 

3 large eggs

1.5 cups (12oz) half and half

Dash cayenne pepper 

1.5 tsp kosher salt 

1 tsp ground black pepper 

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan. Blind bake crust for 10 minutes or until almost done. Be sure to cover crust if it gets too brown on the edges. 

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to drain and bacon grease except 1 Tbsp. Fry shallot until softened and brown in the bacon fat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. 

In a medium bowl, whip eggs until frothy. Add half and half, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Add the parsley if using. Set aside. 

Place bacon and shallots in the bottom of the pie crust. Add the cheese to evenly coat the bacon and shallots. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and gently make sure egg is completely submerging the cheese. 

Sprinkle the top of the quiche with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional). Then place the quiche on a baking pan and put it in the middle rack of the oven. If crust is brown, cover it with foil or a pie crust shield to keep it from burning. 

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Check it, then turn the oven to 350. Continue baking 20-40 minutes longer, but check often to see if the egg is set. Use a toothpick to poke it. If it comes out clean, it’s done. 

Set on counter and cool for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. 

Note: you can use this recipe for any quiche, but make sure any veggies are cooked and well drained to avoid a watery quiche. Also, blind baking the crust is essential to avoid a soggy bottom! 

Shrimp and Grits

 This is a modified version on Bobby Flay's Shrimp and Grits. I think mine is much better! :D

Ingredients

Grits: 

Make grits according to package directions, be sure to make enough for 4-6 servings. 

1 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

3 Tbsp butter

 

Shrimp:

1.5-2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp

6 slices of bacon, chopped

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 c. dry sherry wine

Cajun seasoning (enough to cover shrimp)

1 clove garlic, minced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp chopped parsley (fresh)

 

Make the grits, add the cheese and butter (keep warm)

Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Add Cajun seasoning and set aside. Fry bacon until crisp, removed from pan and set aside. To the bacon grease, add the shrimp and cook until it turns ALMOST pink. Add the scallions and garlic and fry for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the lemon juice, and sherry and reduce slightly and shrimp is done. Stir in parsley and bacon.

To serve, spoon grits into bowls or on plate and top with shrimp and a little of the sauce.  Serve immediately!

This makes 4 helpings.

Note: You can remove the shrimp and wait to add the scallions until after you add the lemon juice and sherry. You can then add more sherry (or a small amount of chicken broth) and simmer until reduced and slightly thickened. Add the shrimp and scallions back into the sauce. Then stir in parsley and serve. 

Note: Sometimes I don't add the bacon (it gets soggy) and then just top each serving with the crispy bacon to keep the bacon crunchy.

Note: It's important to make the grits first and keep them warm since the shrimp cooks very quickly. You can fry the bacon while cooking the grits. Better yet, have two people make this dish -- one to make the grits and the other to make the shrimp.

Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened 
1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, room temperature

1.5 cups flour (APF, not cake flour)

1.75 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp table salt 

3/4 c milk, room temperature 

Heat oven to 350*. Butter and flour 9 inch cake pan or line cupcake tins with paper and spray inside with cooking spray (about 18 or more).

With a hand mixer, beat butter until soft and fluffy. Add sugar and mix until sugar is almost dissolved (about 3-5 minutes). Add vanilla and mix until incorporated. Next add eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate into butter-sugar mixture. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Pour half the flour into the butter- sugar-egg mixture, beat until smooth, add half the milk, beat until smooth, add the rest of the flour and mix, then add the rest of the milk. Beat batter about 1-2 minutes, scraping bowl with a rubber spatula until batter is smooth and completely mixed and fluffy. 

Pour into prepared pan or cupcake tins. Bake for 15 minutes, then move cake for even browsing. Continue baking in 3-5 minute intervals until cake is just done (test with cake tester or toothpick). Cake should spring back when touched lightly. Do not overtake or cake will be dry. Remove from oven and cook on a cooling rack. If desired remove cake to a cake plate or just frost when cake is completely cooled. Cupcakes can be taken out of tins to finish cooling. 

Frost with buttercream frosting when cake is cooled. 

Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup softened butter

1.5 tsp vanilla 

3 cups powdered sugar 

2 + Tbsp milk

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and vanilla. Add sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing between. Add just enough milk to make frosting the desired consistency. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.