Category: recipes

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Shotgun shells

Prep:

 

 

 

 

 

Start smoking:

 

 

 

 

 

Finish smoking:

 

 

 

 

 

Serve:

 

 

 

 

 

Smoked Shotgun Shells
8/18/2024
1 lb Johnson sausage links; casing removed
1 lb or less ground dark chicken, 8% fat; Jennie?
1 cup farmstyle, lowfat shredded mozzarella
manicotti shells, cooked for 5 minutes – 11 out of the 14 wrapped with bacon
Johnson’s thin-sliced bacon, 11 slices in a pkg – maybe not a pound
  • The non-bacon ones were too tough to cut without a bacon wrapper, even though we pre-cooked the shell and assembled the night before. Don’t do again.
  • Hard to fill pre-cooked. Try another method?
  • Had enough leftover meat to make 4 sausage patties.
  • Smoked for just under 2 hours. Turned halfway through. Aimed for 250 degrees / 160 temperature of meat at the end. Cheese and grease messy. Foil on the grate would block the smoke?
  • Put a little of the garlic Parmesan butter base on after cooking, but not sure it added much. To soften then shells that weren’t covered? Also tried some bacon jelly, which added some sweetness. Didn’t try the spaghetti sauce.
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Valentine’s Day 2024

It wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a menu of yummy carrot dishes.

Carrot Salad

3 T sesame oil
3 clove garlic, minced and sautéed
3 T rice wine vinegar
juice of one lime
zest of that lime
1 T soy sauce
1/2 T sugar
2 cups carrots, peeled into long curls using a peeler

from ncfieldfamily.org

Pasta with bacon and creamy carrot sauce

1 lb bacon
1 lb carrots
16 oz pkg orecchiette pasta or other funny-looking pasta
Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 c. dill

 

 

Cook bacon
To make carrot puree: peel carrots, slice, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, then use hand/wand blender, using some of the cooking water if necessary

Mix everything together.

savoryonline.com April 2023 p.55

Carrot Pie

Carrot Pie

3/4 container whipped dessert topping
3/4 c. carrot puree
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. maple syrup
graham cracker pie shell

Make carrots into puree, let cool.
Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, sugar, and syrup. Fold in puree, pour into pie shell, and freeze.

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Valentine’s Day 2023

Spiced Carrot Dip

1 1/2 Ib carrots. cut into 1″ pieces
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp ground mustard
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
3/4 tsp cumin
1 c 2% Greek-style yogurt
1/2 c reduced-fat sour cream
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

* Cook carrots until tender, about 20 minutes. Blend with hand blender.
* Add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth.
(original recipe said to toast mustard seeds instead of using ground)
adapted from prevention.com

Carrot Bacon

5 medium carrots
4 tbsps maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) if using a regular oven. If using an air-fryer set it to 380°F (190°C).

Wash carrots and peel thinly lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or mandolin slicer.

In a shallow dish, mix together the remainder of the ingredients.

Marinate the carrot strips in the sauce for at least 5 minutes. Work in batches if needed so that the carrots are fully covered.

Place carrots on a lined baking sheet evenly spread out. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes (or in an air-fryer for 5 minutes), flipping halfway through. When they are wavy they are ready. Don’t worry if they’re not crunchy yet, they will harden more as they cool. Sprinkle with salt if you want them to dry out faster and become crispier.

from healthmylifestyle

Russian Carrot Salad (Korean-style)

1 pound carrots, peeled and julienned (preferably with a mandoline)
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 ½ teaspoons salt
⅓ cup vegetable oil
½ onion, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Place carrots in a large bowl. Sprinkle garlic over carrots.
Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt together in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir onion in hot oil until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir coriander and cayenne pepper into the onion; add to carrot mixture and toss. Pour vinegar dr
essing over carrot mixture; toss to coat.
Transfer carrot salad to a dish with a tight-fitting lid, cover, and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours, tossing salad several times while it marinates.

from allrecipes

Grits & Carrots & Shrimp

Ingredients:

grits
carrots
shrimp

Directions:

cook
eat

all together

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Valentine’s week 2022

We had the Thai Salad that we had in 2014.

Roasted Carrot and Coconut Soup

1 1/2 pounds carrots, roughly chopped (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cups chopped yellow onion
2 tablespoons red curry paste
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (15-oz.) can unsalted cannellini beans, drained
3 or 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
1 (15-oz.) can light coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 ripe avocado
bacon
1 cup cooked lentils

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss together carrots, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt on a large foil-lined baking sheet. Roast at 450°F until carrots are fork-tender, about 20 minutes, stirring once.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add onion; cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Add curry paste, grated ginger, and crushed red pepper to Dutch oven, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 minute. Add cooked carrots, cannellini beans, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes.

Blend with hand stick mixer until smooth, about 1 minute or so.

Stir in bacon, lime juice. Serve with cilantro, avocado, and lentils.

adapted from Cooking Light

Microwave Potato Ham Dinner

2 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups cubed fully cooked lean ham

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the potatoes, carrots, celery and water. Cover and microwave on high for 5-1/2 minutes, stirring once. Add onion; cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring once. Pour into a 2-qt. microwave-safe baking dish coated with cooking spray; set aside.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the margarine, covered, on high for 30-40 seconds or until melted. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk.

Cook, uncovered, on high for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly, stirring after each minute. Stir in the cheese until melted. Pour over the vegetables. Stir in ham. Cover and microwave on high for 3-4 minutes or until heated through.

Taste of Home

Carrot Pecan Crunch Pie

Carrot custard filling topped by crunchy pecan streusel

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
4 cups carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 eggs
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Topping: In a medium bowl combine brown sugar, melted butter or margarine, and chopped pecans. Mix well and set aside.

Carrot Custard: Steam carrots until tender. Drain and cool. Place cooled carrots in a
bowl and mix with hand wand mixer, add
eggs, condensed milk, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour carrot mixture into pie shell. Sprinkle with pecan topping.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

allrecipes

Posted on

ICE CREAM BORN IN A MICROWAVE

Microwave Vanilla Ice Cream
ICE CREAM BORN IN A MICROWAVE
Tried 7/10/2021 – Almost perfect
Classic Vanilla Ice Cream
Makes 1 quart
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (used paste)
In a large microwave-safe bowl, beat eggs and sugar until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Add milk and beat well. Microwave mixture on medium (50 percent) until slightly thickened (8-12 minutes depending on your microwave power); stirring / whisking every 2-3 minutes. Chill in refrigerator until cool (about 30 minutes).
Stir in cream and vanilla. Chill in refrigerator at least 2 to 3 hours, preferably overnight. Freeze according to ice cream freezer manufacturer’s directions.
Notes:
Worked out great: No pot – just one Pyrex bowl. Didn’t heat up the kitchen. Took half the time.
Almost perfect texture. Could be a little less hard. Good flavor.
Made 4.25 cups. 4.50 is likely the limit in the 2 quart Cuisinart. Made 1 quart and a small 1.5 cup container.
Took about 20 minutes, though the machine didn’t shut off.
I forgot to put the microwave to 50%, so the milk may have gotten over-heated, but it didn’t seem to make a difference.
Posted on

Walnut Maple ice cream

2 Quart Cuisinart / made about 1.5 quarts.

4 cups half-and-half (1 quart)
2 cups whole milk
1.5 cups whipping cream
4 egg yolks

12.5 ounces of maple syrup, cooked down to about 1/2. (10 minutes on stove once it gets boiling.)

Cook the milks and temper the eggs; bring back up to 170 degrees.
Stir in the maple syrup.

Cool in dishpan with ice packs.
Add a dash of salt.
3 TBS of vanilla – too much?

Brown 1.5 cups of walnuts – a bit too much, but save for topping.

Put 4.5 cups of slurry, right to the top of the right dasher for about 22 minutes. A bit too much slurry and nuts.

Slurry aged for 48 hours. All the milks were store brand. Only the whole milk was organic.

Notes:

1st draft.
Consider splitting the maple syrup with sugar or glucose?
The texture was good, but using 3 types of milk makes the recipe more complicated.
Used large recipe, and then just churned 1/2 at a time. We split the full recipes into two churnings: The first churning, with pre-chopped walnuts, and a had texture than the version with hand chopped nuts — the size wasn’t as consistent.
Used $10, Grade A,  store brand . Try Grade B next time: Grade B maple syrup has a more pronounced maple taste.
Posted on

Brown Sugar Pecan Ice Cream 4/24/2021

 

 

 

 

 

Adopted from Rose’s Ice Cream Bliss; doubled for Country Cuisinart

    • Cook:
      1 cup light brown sugar (recipe wants Muscovado)
      2 cups heavy cream
      1/2 cup egg yolks (6 large for us)
      3 T glucose2:30 medium low / large burner
      2:44 down at 177 degrees
      Strain. There wasn’t much egg
    • After straining, add:
      1 cup half and half – so the brown sugar won’t curdle it.
    • Cool mixture.
      Add vanilla. 2 tsp
    • Store refrigerated overnight
  • Near the end of churning, add:
    2.5 cups chopped pecans

    • heated in the microwave, coated with butter (amount  2 cups is likely fine), and cooled (save some for the top).

Made 5 1/2 cups of slurry. Seemed 1/2 cup too much for the 2 quart machine

ATK says to churn to 21 degrees, but we could only get it to 23-24 degrees

Original only one quart: MAKES: ABOUT 1 QUART

The headnote says, “This fabulous ice cream is all the more so when made with light brown Muscovado sugar. The deliciously complex flavors of the sugar enhance, but do not overwhelm, the crunchy buttery pecans.”

MAKES: ABOUT 1 QUART
BUTTERED PECANS
1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups pecan halves
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Makes: 145 grams/1¼ cups
*About 30 minutes ahead, set the butter on the counter at room temperature (65 to 75 degrees)
PREHEAT THE OVEN
*Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack at the middle level. Set the oven at 325 degrees

1. Break or chop the pecans into medium-coarse pieces. Spread the pecans in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes, without browning, to enhance the flavor. Stir once or twice to ensure even baking.

2. Empty the hot pecans into a medium bowl. Add the butter and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with the salt and toss again. Cool completely.

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar, preferable Muscavado
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons egg yolk
4 teaspoons glucose or reduced corn syrup
Pinch fine sea salt
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups butter pecans (recipe above)

*Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl.

1. In a medium saucepan, place the sugar. With a silicone spatula, stir in the cream and then the egg yolks. Stir in the glucose and salt until well blended.

2. Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly, until slightly thicker than heavy cream. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170° to 180°F/77° to 82°C.

3. Immediately pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl.

4. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43°F/6°C. (Alternatively, cool in an ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.

5. Churn the brown sugar custard in a prechilled ice cream maker. Add the pecans during churning when the ice cream has reached the consistency of soft serve and begins to ball up around the dasher. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.

STORE Covered storage container: frozen, 3 days

SCOOPS: *The brown sugar is added to the cream instead of to the milk because the milk proteins would curdle if the brown sugar were added directly to it.

Posted on

Valentine’s Day 2021

Appetizer (while we fixed the rest of the meal):

the cream cheese dip from the Big Carrot book. We make it often.

Thai Carrot Salad

1 lb carrots julienned
1/3 c. rice vinegar
zest and juice from one lime
2 T. maple syrup
1/2 t. Thai pepper flakes
1 3/4 c. chopped roasted peanuts

Blend together vinegar, lime, maple syrup, and pepper flakes.
Toss with carrots. Let stand for an hour or two.
Before serving add peanuts.

Original recipe: 1/4 cup crystalized ginger, julienned / 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

Carrot “Soup”

Well, it was supposed to be a soup, but I forgot to add the cream, so it was a very thick soup (almost a stew). Serve in a bowl.

1 stick butter
4 c. carrots, sliced
1 c. potato, chopped
1/4 cup star anise in a cheesecloth bag
1/2 lb. bacon
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 qt. chicken broth

In a heavy pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in garlic. Add bacon and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.

Carrot Macaroni and Cheese with Sausage

1 lb carrots, peeled and grated in food processor
zest and juice of one orange / zest removed with a veggie peeler in strips
3 cups ziti pasta
8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb. sausage

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots with the zest and juice and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderate heat until the carrots are very soft, about 30 minutes. Discard the zest. Transfer the carrots and any liquid to a blender / food processor and puree until very smooth.
  2. In a saucepan, brown the sausage.
  3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
  4. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the reserved water, the carrot puree, and sausage and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is coated with a thickened sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in three-fourths of the cheese and cook, stirring, until very creamy, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
  5. Transfer the pasta to a 9X13 glass dish (coat with vegetable oil) and top with the remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Adopted from Food & Wine. We didn’t do: End the end of step 4, stir in the tarragon and season with salt and white pepper.

Carrot-Cake Thumbprint Cookies

Active Time: 35 min.; Total Time: 1 hr. 45 min.; Makes: 1 dozen

1 stick unsalted butter, melted;
plus 1/2 stick, room temperature, for frosting
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup packed finely grated carrots (about 3)
3/4 cup pecans. finely chopped
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons apricot jam

  1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. In a large bowl. whisk together melted butter, brown and granulated sugars, and yolk. In another bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Stir flour mixture into butter mixture to combine. Mix in oats, carrots. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  2. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls; roll balls in pecans to coat. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven; press an indentation into center of each cookie with the end of a wooden spoon. Bake until golden brown on bottoms, 10 to 12 minutes more. Transfer cookies to a wire rack; let cool.
  3. In a bowl, beat remaining 1/2 stick butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium until smooth. Beat in cream cheese until just combined. Swirl in jam. Fill center of each cookie with cream-cheese mixture; serve.

 

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Butterscotch Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Adapted from Mable & Gar Hoffman / Ice Cream page 122

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 cups milk
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup butterscotch pieces
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter (the original used chunky)
1 tsp vanilla extra
2 tsp tapioca powder dissolved in 2 TBS of milk

Bring the milks and brown sugar to a bowl. Stir in peanut butter and chips to melt.
Cool slightly, then put in a cold water bath before ripening in fridge overnight.
Beat / blend well before putting in 2-quart ice cream maker.
20 minutes in machine. about 1.5 quarts at end.
You could see little specs of butterscotch.

Add salt?