Seafood Burgers with Heirloom Cherry Mix

Makes 8 medium size burgers
Menu Category: Entrée or passed Appetizer if you want to cut them in half

 

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tsp orange juice

¼ cup finely chopped shallots

¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped dill

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1 egg

1 pound cooked salad shrimp, peeled and deveined (any size will do for this recipe)

1 8 oz container of fresh crab claw meat

1 pint of cherry heirloom tomatoes

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 package hard rolls or desired roll or bun

 

Method:

1.  In a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they start to caramelize, about 8 minutes. Add the red bell pepper, chopped garlic and orange juice and cook until softened. Remove from the heat.

2.  Put the shrimp and crab meat in a food processor and pulse slowly until mixed and chopped (do not over mix or put on high speed). In a bowl, combine the shrimp and crab with the sautéed vegetable- mixture. Add the fresh dill and chives with salt and pepper (to taste). Fold mayonnaise one teaspoon at a time, to just bind the burgers. Add 1 egg (this is optional). Form into patties, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

3.  Wash and cut tomatoes to desired size and mix with sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Set aside to garnish the patties.

4.  Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a pan (cast iron works well) over medium-high heat and fry the patties until golden, about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.

5.  Serve on hard rolls with a dollop of mayonnaise and top with tomatoes.

Roasted Radish and Daikon Root Soup

        Makes about 8 servings

        Menu Category – Entrée, Appetizer, Side Dish, Anytime
 

Daikon root aids in digestive health and cleans the blood of toxins. Radishes have a high content of Vitamin C. I love this soup – try a cup in the morning instead of coffee!

Ingredients:

3 -4 doz radishes, washed and trimmed (you can use any type of radish)

½ # daikon root, cut into bite size pieces

1 large onion, chopped finely

¼ cup fresh chives, minced

1tbs fresh thyme, minced

1 tbs crushed red pepper flakes

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup light sour cream (you can adjust this amount to your preference)

Olive oil

Sea Salt

Radish greens for garnish

Method:

1.      Preheat oven to 350º.

2.      Spray baking dish with cooking spray or evenly coat with olive oil.

3.      Put radishes, onion and daikon root in a mixing bowl and mix in olive oil, fresh chives, thyme and red pepper flakes.

4.      Sprinkle with sea salt and roast in preheated oven until tender and lightly browned on the edges. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

5.      Once cooled, puree the radish/diakon mixture in the blender and add sour cream (you can add more vegetable broth and sour cream to create your desired consistency).

6.      Garnish with radish greens or add a dollop of sour cream sprinkled with fresh thyme.

The Best Ingredient is LOVE

 

As I am meandering my way around this new blog site and still learning about all the bells and whistles that I can incorporate, I thought I would post a short note of gratitude and how thankful I am to be able to share food experiences with all of the friends and family that I have in my life. Every year I look forward to participating in our traditional gatherings, celebrating life and remembering those who have touched our lives but are no longer with us here on earth. Whether it be through a family recipe, a funny story told around the table or simply sharing familiar photos - life is certainly celebrated...as it should be!

MeMe Doran's Christmas Caramels

 Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

2 cups (1 bottle white corn syrup)

1/4 cup butter (one stick)

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup nuts (your choice), chopped

1 tsp vanilla


Method:

1. Mix the sugar and corn syrup and boil to 245 degrees.

2. Add 1/4 cup butter and 1 can evaporated milk - pour slowly and do not let boiling stop.

3. Boil to 242 degrees (249 degrees for soft), stirring constantly.

4. When caramel mixture reaches temperature, take from heat and add 1/2 cup nuts and 1 tsp vanilla.

5. Pour quickly into buttered pan and cool.

6. Cut and wrap in waxed paper.

Baked Apple Pumpkin Seed Crunch

This is perfect as a topper for vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients:

4 large apples, diced with skin on (a nice Autumn Gold apple works well with this recipe)



1 cup dry, unsalted pumpkin seeds



½ stick of butter



½ to ¾ cup brown sugar



Method:



1. Preheat oven to 350 ̊.



2. Combine apples, pumpkin seeds and sugar together.



3. Put in large greased casserole dish.



4. Cut butter into thin slices and place on top the apple mixture.



5. Bake until brown and crunchy (you should check and stir the mixture every 10 minutes or so to make sure the sugar is distributed evenly throughout).

 

 

                                                                                                                                                 

Broccoli Souffle'

This is a cheater recipe as it is thrown together and we are using canned soup....but you have to have at least one or two sides or casseroles that call for canned soup on your menu during the holidays!


Ingredients:


4 cups cooked broccoli (you can use fresh or frozen).



¼ cup mayonnaise



½ can of cream soup (you can use cream of celery or mushroom)



2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese



½ cup fresh parmesan cheese



¼ cup onions, diced



2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste



Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.



2. Spray deep casserole dish with cooking spray.



3. Combine all ingredients while chopping any large pieces of broccoli to ensure a smooth consistency.



4. Put in casserole dish and bake for one hour or until top is crunchy and browned slightly around the edges (this is the best part).

Christmas Chili

Ingredients:

2 - 15 oz cans of butter beans

2 – 15 oz cans of red kidney beans

2 – 15 oz cans of black beans

1  package kielbasa sausage

1 lb ground beef

2 large cans of whole skinless tomatoes

½ cup onions, finely chopped

3-4 cloves of garlic (or more if you like)

 1 large bottle Hot Spicy V-8 juice

Sriracha sauce and red hot chili flakes

1 package taco seasoning (optional)

Method:

 1. Brown the ground meat. Add taco seasoning (optional). Add the onions, garlic and sliced Kielbasa to the pan and sautee until sausage is crispy on the edges.

2. Add the ground beef and sausage mixture along with the beans and tomatoes into a large crock pot (juice from all). Crushing the whole tomatoes with your hand as you add them.

3. Add spicy V-8 juice to make up the rest of the liquid filling the crock pot to the top line. Add the sriracha as desired – 2 squeezes. 

4. Cook on medium heat all day adding V-8 as needed.