Greek Style Shrimp with Creamed Corn

Meh? If you read my notes at the end you'll see how I would have changed this. I think part of the meh-ness was my fault, but not all of it. I may try this again some day, but with so many other great recipes, it will probably be near the bottom of my priorities. 

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups fresh yellow corn kernels (from 5 medium ears)
• 1/2 cup lower sodium chicken broth
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 lb extra large raw shrimp, peeled, and deveined
• 1 tsp Greek seasoning
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh chives, tarragon, basil, and/or oregano

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add corn and chicken broth; cover and cook over medium, undisturbed, until corn is tender and stock is reduced by half, 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat to low; add Parmesan and heavy cream, stirring constantly until cheese is melted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Cover and set aside while preparing shrimp.

Place shrimp, Greek seasoning, and garlic powder in a large bowl, and toss until shrimp are fully coated in spice mixture. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Once oil is hot, add shrimp in an even layer; cook until shrimp just turn pink and opaque, about 2 minutes, flipping shrimp once halfway through cooking time. Stir in lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste. Remove from heat. 

Scatter shrimp on top of creamed corn; sprinkle with herbs. Serve immediately. 

NOTES: So when I made this, it wasn't corn season. I tried to make it with 2 cans of corn instead and I think the moisture content was too much, even when I drained it. If I tried this again, I'd still do the 2 cans of corn, drained, and then use a bouillon-like seasoning with none of the added water from the broth. The corn is already softened from the water in the canned corn, it just needs the chicken broth flavor.

Also, I would have added more cheese and had zero fresh herbs on it. The herbs did nothing for the flavor and, from what I know of my tastebuds, I think I would have liked it better without.

Serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Recipe from People magazine 

Baked Goat Cheese Bruschetta Dip

I love me some goat cheese and a good bruschetta. That said, I think my homemade bruschetta would have been better than the pre-made stuff I used on this. I'll have to try again. 

• 8 oz goat cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
• 2 grated garlic cloves
• 1 cup homemade or jarred tomato bruschetta
• 1-2 Tbsp balsamic glaze
• 2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
• grilled crostini or pita for serving

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, Greek yogurt, and garlic. Mix well. Transfer to a greased 1 quart baking dish or ovenproof skillet, and spread into an even layer.

Bake until warmed through and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. Spoon bruschetta over the top, and finish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Garnish with fresh chopped basil leaves. Serve with crostini or pita.

NOTES: I left the goat cheese and cream cheese out for at least a half hour to soften and it was still pretty difficult to stir. Granted, it was a cooler time of year when I made this recipe, so ambient temperature was pretty cold. But still, I would have thought 30 minutes would be enough.

Also, I know my basil looks weird on the top. It was some I had frozen and so it was a bit discolored. Still tasted fine.

Serves 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Recipe from DishingOutHealth.com

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Cookies

These were sooooo yummy and simpler to make than I thought they would be. They also reheat very well (about 10 seconds in the microwave). If you love soft cookies, this one is for you. 

Also, learning moment: I was wondering what was so special about Dutch-process cocoa. Apparently it's treated with some solution that neutralizes the acidity, which gives it a smoother flavor. I learned something new today. :-)

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 1 cup (about 6 oz) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
• 12 jumbo marshmallows
• crushed candy canes or mint candies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Position racks in upper and lower third of the oven. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. 

Beat together brown sugar and butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. Add egg, vanilla, and peppermint extract; beat on medium-high speed until light and pale in color, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; beat on low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain, about 1 minute.

Use a 1 1/2 oz cookie scoop to portion dough into 12 equal mounds (about 3 Tbsp). Roll dough into balls using lightly greased hands (dough will be sticky). Divide evenly between baking sheets, spacing balls at least 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven until cookies have puffed and are set around the edges but still somewhat soft in the center, 10-12 minutes, rotating pans 180 degrees between top and bottom racks halfway. remove from oven; cool slightly on baking sheets, about 15 minutes. 

Once cookies have cooled slightly, increase oven temperature to broil with rack about 7 inches from heat source. Microwave chocolate chips in a small bowl on high in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval, until chocolate is fully melted, 1-2 minutes. Spoon and spread about 2 tsp melted chocolate over each cookie, leaving a 1/2 inch border around the outside edges. Squish marshmallows flat between your palms; place one marshmallow on top of chocolate on each cookie.

Broil, 1 baking sheet at a time, in oven until marshmallows are golden brown and melted, about 1 minute (watch it, because mine started burning before then). Remove from oven; gently squish the marshmallows further and sprinkle with candy canes. Cool slightly before serving.

Serves 12

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Recipe from People magazine

Crispy Party Bites

Ignore the fact I forgot to drizzle with ranch
until I'd already taken the photo

I made these for our life group and everyone really liked them. They were super flavorful, easy to make. The only drawback that I can't figure out a solution for, is how to get the toothpicks to stand up straight. With the holes in the pretzels, there's nothing to anchor them firmly. I think the cheese is supposed to hold it, but mine didn't do it that well. Oh darn....I need to add more cheese....haha 

• 60 waffle pretzels
• 1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 10 pieces ready-to-serve fully cooked bacon, cut into thirds
• 5 slices deli turkey, cut into 1 inch strips
• 1/2 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbsp ranch salad dressing

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Layer pretzels on parchment-lined baking sheets; top each with 1 tsp cheddar. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until bubbly and melted. Cool completely.

Heat bacon according to package instructions. Place a piece of bacon, turkey, and avocado each on half the cheddar pretzels. Top with the remaining cheddar pretzels; secure with a toothpick. Drizzle with ranch dressing.

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Total Time: 20 minutes

Recipe from Taste of Home

HEB Cookie Butter Stuffed French Toast

I don't live near an HEB (not sure I needed to for this recipe), but have a few colleagues and family members who do. This recipe was on their website and recommended to me so I gave it a try. It was VERY rich. 

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup cookie butter
• 1 loaf of crustless bread
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup butter
• syrup, as needed, for topping

Whisk together the cream, milk, eggs, and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour into a dish wide enough to soak the bread once you have stuffed it.

In a medium bowl, combine the cookie butter and cream cheese until creamy. You may need to lightly warm the cookie butter in the microwave to make it soft. Lay out all bread slices in pairs. On one slice of each pair, place a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture in the center, spreading it almost to the edges, evenly distributing it among the remaining halves of the pairs. Take the non-cheese slice and place it over the slice with the cream cheese. Use a fork to crimp down all the edges so it is sealed.

Heat a large skillet until water dropped onto it immediately creates a ball. Dip the bread in the egg mixture until all sides are coated. Using the butter to grease the pan, cook the French toast in batches, until both sides are browned. Remove to a plate and drizzle with maple syrup.

Serves 6

Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe from www.ksat.com

Artichoke Phyllo Cups

I had never cooked with phyllo cups before, but they were super easy to use. And this recipe turned out really well. For some reason I was thinking it would be bland, but they were not! Very portable and delicious. Highly recommend.

• 3 pkg (1.9 oz each) frozen miniature phyllo tart shells
• 1 can (14 oz) water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tart shells on a baking sheet. In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; spoon into tart shells. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

You can make these and freeze them ahead of time. Just store them in layers separated by wax paper and reheat at 350 degrees until warm.

NOTES: The biggest thing on this recipe is to remember that these cups are tiny and have to fit a lot of good things in them. So when the recipe says "minced" or "finely chopped," it means it.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Recipe from Taste of Home

Hot Cocoa Martinis

So these were good but STRONG. It makes sense when you look at the original ingredients list and it's all alcohol. I had to tone it down and add some cream, which is nice because then it makes the drink go a little further too. 

Feel free to make a pitcher of this ahead of time, if you're planning for a party like I was. It worked just fine making it earlier in the day and chilling it until party time.

• 2 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles
• 2 oz Irish cream liquor
• 2 oz chocolate liqueur
• 4 oz vodka
• 2 oz heavy cream

Chill 2 martini glasses in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Spread 2 Tbsp chocolate sprinkles in a shallow dish. Dampen the rim of each glass, then dip into the sprinkles to coat (see tip below). Set aside. Add the liquids to an ice-filled shaker. Shake until chilled, about 15 seconds, strain into prepared glasses.

NOTE: Doug and I have trouble getting the pretty sugar/candy rim to stay on drinks. We have found that corn syrup actually works really well (vs water or lime juice) if you have something chunkier you're trying to get to stick. In this case, since it's more a dessert cocktail anyway, you might try some cool whip.

Serves 2

Total Time: 5 minutes

Recipe from People magazine