Bacon and Cheddar
1 pound bacon 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Slice bacon into 1 inch pieces. In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook bacon pieces until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease. Return skillet to low heat and add flour. Stir until a roux forms. Slowly add milk and stir until thickened. Add cheddar cheese and stir until combined. Top mashed potatoes with cheddar sauce and sprinkle with crumbled bacon.
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Lobster Rolls
9 lobster tails, cooked and cut into 1 inch pieces 1 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup mayonnaise Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning 8 hotdog buns
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
In a large bowl, combine the lobster, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley and Cajun seasoning. Brush each hotdog bun on the inside with melted butter, fill with lobster and serve.
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Lemon Icebox Pie Shots
1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed 2 (8 ounce) containers frozen whipped topping, thawed 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1 box Nilla wafers 24 shot glasses
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, combine lemonade concentrate, 1 container whipped topping and sweetened condensed milk. Place wafers in a large resealable bag and crumble, using a rolling pin. To build pie shots, place 1 tablespoon of crumbled wafers on the bottom of each shot glass, then add 1 tablespoon lemon filling, followed by 1 tablespoon of whipped topping. Sprinkle with crumbled wafers.
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Dirty Martini with Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
2 ounces Grey Goose vodka 1/2 ounce dry vermouth 1/2 ounce olive juice 2 queen green olives, unstuffed 1 tablespoon blue cheese
Mix vodka, vermouth and olive juice in a cocktail mixer with 3-4 ice cubes. Pour into a martini glass. Stuff olives with blue cheese and place on a toothpick. Serve with martini.
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FEBRUARY
Mushroom Spinach Risotto Balls
2 tablespoons butter 2 cups sliced mushrooms 1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion 2 cups Arborio rice 1/2 cup white wine 7 cups chicken broth 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste 1 box of frozen spinach, thawed and drained 2 cups all-purpose flour 4 eggs
4 cups panko breadcrumbs
6 cups oil, for frying
MUSHROOM RISOTTO
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt one tablespoon of butter and add the mushrooms. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Add the other tablespoon of butter to the same saucepan over low heat and add the onion. Cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add rice, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, then pour in wine and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken broth to the rice and stir until absorbed. Continue this process until all the broth has been added and the rice is tender, approximately 25-30 minutes. Never quit stirring. That's the most important part. Remove from heat and stir in the mushrooms and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread risotto on a large cookie sheet, cover and refrigerate overnight.
TO MAKE BALLS:
Combine mushroom risotto, 1/2 cup Parmesan and spinach in a large bowl. Roll into 1 inch balls and coat with flour. Place on a cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. In a separate medium bowl, add the panko breadcrumbs. Remove the balls from the refrigerator and dredge each one in the egg then panko breadcrumbs. Place 4 balls at a time in the oil and fry 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
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Veggie Puff Pizza