Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Apricot Dipping Sauce

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

24 uncooked jumbo shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, deveined, tails left intact
1/3 cup cornstarch
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 large egg whites
Vegetable oil for frying
Robert Rothschild Farms Apricot Wasabi Dipping Sauce (I used apricot preserves/jam)

Using small sharp knife, butterfly each shrimp by cutting slightly more than halfway through, starting at top of the inward curve just below tail toward outward curve (do not cut shrimp in half). Press each shrimp open and press slightly to flatten. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cornstarch, salt and cayenne pepper. Place coconut in a shallow dish. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. Roll shrimp in cornstarch mixture, shake off excess. Dip shrimp into egg whites, then press into coconut; coating both sides. Pour oil into a heavy large pot to a depth of 3 inches; heat oil to 350 degrees. Working in batches, add shrimp to hot oil; cook about 1 minute, or until cooked through. Carefully transfer shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve with dipping sauce.

**This is yummy! Uncle Jeffy and I went to a cooking class at Party Source and this was one of the menu items. Deeeeellllisssshhhh!!!!!

Skillet Spaghetti

1 lb ground chuck (or leaner)
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic salt
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 1 pint 2 oz can tomato juice (2 1/4 cups)
2 Tabl instant minced onion
1 7 ounce pkg uncooked spaghetti
Grated Parmesan cheese (I use grated cheddar instead)

In 12-in skillet, brown ground beef; drain off excess fat. Stir in chili powder, oregano, sugar, salt and garlic salt. Blend in tomato paste. Stir in tomato juice, onion and 3 1/2 cups of water. Bring to boiling. Carefully add spaghetti, stir to separate strands. Cover and simmer, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. Serve with cheese. 4-6 servings

Notes: I use a saucepan with lid because I don't have a skillet big enough to fit everything. I also do not use tomato juice because nobody in this house drinks that stuff. I use an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and 8 oz of water instead of tomato juice. That is an 'emergency substitution' from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook, which is where I got this recipe.

Enjoy!!

Aunt Helen's Potato Soup

9 potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin (I used Idaho potatoes)
1 and 1/2 onions, diced
2 tsp salt
little pepper

Cover with water (about 3 cups). Cook until the potatoes are done. If there is too much liquid pour some off.

Add 1 pint of milk and 4 Tabl. butter (I just guess on the milk)

Dumplings
3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg

Stir the flour, baking powder and salt together. Make a hole in the middle of the mixture (like a volcano) and break the egg into the center. Mix by hand. Drop small sized amounts into hot soup. (make this twice for the amount of potatoes listed here). I don't know why but Aunt Helen only made one batch at a time. I'm sure you could experiment and do both at the same time.

You can also add cheddar cheese and bacon if desired.

Chicken and Asparagus over Bow Tie Pasta

1/2 pkg. bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
2 T. olive oil, divided
3/4 lb. skinless boneless, chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Soy sauce to taste
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta while preparing chicken and aspargus mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned. Remove from pan. Add the remaining olive oil. Cook and stir garlic until lightly browned. Add about 1/2 - 3/4 of the can of chicken broth to the skillet. Add the asparagus, red pepper flakes and soy sauce to taste. Cook uncovered approximately 8-10 minutes, until asparagus is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve chicken and asparagus misture over the bow tie pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Can substitute pork for the chicken and/or broccoli for the asparagus. I added fresh mushrooms to this dish.

For the soy sauce, I just sprinkled a little over the mixture as it was cooking.

Everyone loved this dish!!!

Sourdough experiments

My sourdough starter came with my Great-aunt Helen from California. She made kept her starter alive for years and shared it with my mom, who turned it over to my brother, Matt. He has shared it with various family members for years now. I think it's probably safe to bet that my brother has never bought a loaf of bread. He was making this recipe when we were in high school and is quite the sourdough bread expert in the family.

Recently I have been experimenting with my sourdough starter to make it a little more "healthy". The variation in recipe that I have come up with, I think tastes really good.

The original recipe included the following directions:

Evening 1 - Remove the starter from the refrigerator and feed

Add: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup warm water, 3 tablespoons potato flakes

Stir well and sit out uncovered and unrefrigerated overnight

Morning 1: In large bowl mix: (I use my mixer with dough hook)

• 6 cups Better for Bread flour (for whole wheat bread use 5 cups bread flour and 1 cup wheat flour)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup starter - stirred thoroughly first
• 1 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup corn oil

Dough will be somewhat stiff. Cover starter jar and return to refrigerator. Grease a large bowl and turn dough into this bowl, turning several times to cover dough with grease. Cover bowl lightly with wax paper (or a towel) and put in a warm place to rise during the day. Dough will rise slowly.

Night 2: Dough should be doubled in size.

• Punch down, kneading a little.
• Divide dough into thirds, kneading each portion on a floured board 8-10 times.
• Place in lightly greased loaf plans
• Brush lightly with oil
• Cover pans with wax paper
• Place in a warm place and let rise over night

Morning 2:

• Brush loaf tops lightly with melted butter
• Place in 350 degree oven, baking for 35 minutes or until done
• Remove each loaf immediately onto a wire rack
• Brush lightly with melted butter
• Wrap and store in refrigerator - freezes well

Feed starter every 3-5 days. If not making bread, feed starter anyway - leave out over night and dump a cup the next morning.

My variation:

Night 1 - follow the directions above

New Morning 1 directions

In mixer stir to combine:

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 cup wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oats (quick cooking kind)
• 4-6 tablespoons ground flax seed (I grind mine in a coffee grinder)
• 2 tablespoons whole flax seed
• 1 tsp salt

In a medium microwave safe bowl combine:

• 1 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons light buttery spread (like Smart Balance)
• heat for 1:30 minutes and then stir

To mixer add:

• 1 cup starter - stirred well
• microwaved water/brown sugar mixture
• stir on low until dough has formed and is springy - add more flour if needed - the sides of the bowl should come "clean" of the dough

Transfer the dough to a large bowl prepped with cooking spray, cover and let rise all day in a warm place

Follow original Morning 2 and Night 2 directions after this point. You can make three loaves - or I have found that today's loaf pans are much larger than loaf pans were 20 years ago. I usually only make two loaves with this recipe - or I make hamburger buns and small baguette type loaves.

Hamburger buns work best if you divide dough into 3 oz portions and roll into balls -place on a cookie sheet prepped with cooking spray 1-1/2 inches apart - wait about five minutes - then lightly press them down - bake at 350 for about 18 minutes

I have found the links below very helpful:

Check out:

Homecooking at About.com link includes directions for how to "start" your starter - the recipe looks the same as the one we have been using for years - so my guess is - it's a good place to start....

LA Times - Food: "Whole wheat sourdough boules" includes baking directions for getting a great crusty loaf of bread by using a baking stone and higher temperature - see steps 8-12 specifically

Farmgirl Fare: Fresh Tomato & Basil Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread Recipe I haven't tried this specific recipe yet - but there are great directions for how to make a couche using parchment paper and towels to get that great baguette shape

15 Bean Minestrone Soup

This was a variation of the Borlotti Minestrone soup from Cooking Light March 2008. It is very filling.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag 15 bean blend - if it comes with a seasoning packet - discard the seasoning packet
• 1 tbls olive oil
• 1 cup onion chopped
• 1 cup fennel bulb chopped
• 3/4 cup carrot chopped
• 3/4 cup celery chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Basil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 6 cups kale chopped
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 14 oz cans fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
• 1 14.5 oz can petit-diced tomatoes - undrained
• 2 5.5 oz cans Hot and Spicy V8 juice
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Sort and wash beans
• Place in a large bowl and cover with water two inches above beans; cover and let stand 8 hours -OR- follow the directions on the bag for the quick preparation which involves boiling water and allowing to stand for at least an hour
• Place beans in a large saucepan, and cover with water to three inces above beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain.
• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat. Add onion, fennel, carrot, celery, basil, garlic and a dash of salt and pepper - saute 4 minutes or until onion is tender
• Add zucchini - saute 3 minutes
• Add kale -saute until kale wilts (about 2 minutes)
• Add 3 cups water, tomato paste, broth, tomatoes, v8 juice, red pepper flakes and bring to a boil
• Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes
• Add beans; simmer - uncovered 30 minutes (until beans are tender - if they weren't already)
• Taste and adjust seasonings to taste

Chicken Vegetable Soup

I made this up last night - it's loosely based off of Aunt Georgia/Mema's vegetable soup made with beef.

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
· 1 tbls olive oil
· 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken cut into bite sized pieces
· 1 small yellow onion chopped
· 2 cloves garlic minced
· 3 5.5 oz cans of V8 Spicy Hot juice
· 6-8 cups chicken broth (or water w/ bouillon granules as directed)
· 2-3 small turnips diced
· 2 carrots sliced
· 3 stalks celery
· 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
· 1-2 bay leaves
· 1 tsp marjoram
· 1 tsp oregano
· 1 tsp basil
· 1 tsp rosemary
· 1 tsp thyme
· 2 tbls fresh parsley chopped
· 1 bag frozen vegetable mix (carrots, corn, green beans, carrots, peas – allow to thaw)
· 1 can pinto beans drained and rinsed
· 1 can green beans drained
· Tabasco or Red Hot to taste
· Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Sautee chicken, onion and garlic with salt and pepper until chicken is fully cooked. Add V8 juice, broth, turnips, carrots, celery, tomatoes and all the spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and allow fresh vegetables to cook about 20 minutes. Add frozen vegetables, beans, green beans –allow soup to simmer until vegetables are tender (about 20 more minutes). Add Tabasco, Salt and Pepper to taste.