Welcome to My Kitchen

Recipes do fail. Recently I tried a recipe for orange cake with fresh orange syrup. It was circulating the Internet last December. Taking into consideration different tastes among folks, this recipe still falls in the flop category. You won’t find the recipe repeated here, and it will soon disappear from my Pinterest “To Try” board.

It is very, very heavy, dense, overly sweet, yet lacking flavor. You can eat it, but it’s not worth wasting calories on, nor time figuring how to improve the recipe.

Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampi was a great success. The recipe comes from the site http://www.cafedelites.com. Only 10 minutes or so of preparation time and 15 minutes to bake, produced yummy results. A green salad on the side is all you need for a complete meal.

Crispy Baked Shrimp Scampi

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp white wine or chicken stock

1 small shallot, minced

1/3 cup melted butter, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

2-4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves, or 1 tsp dried

Lemon wedges for serving

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine shrimp, lemon juice, white wine, shallots, 2 tablespoons of the melted butter, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper in a round oven proof pan and mix well to evenly coat shrimp.

Arrange shrimp in a single layer in the pan. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining melted butter, bread crumbs, garlic, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and half the parsley. Mix well.

Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the shrimp and bake for 12 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and shrimp are just cooked through. Don’t over cook.

Change oven setting to broil and broil for 1 minute until the top is crispy and golden. Garnish with remaining parsley. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

Yield: 6 servings.

This next recipe is for all who are dreaming of Hawaii. Macadamia-Coconut Meltaways are a buttery rich cookie, perfect with a cup of coffee or tea, to bring sunshine to a chilly winter day.

Macadamia-Coconut Meltaways

1 cup macadamia nuts

1 cup confectioners sugar, plus extra for dusting

1 cup sweetened, flaked coconut

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Pulse macadamias and 1/4 cup of the sugar in food processor until nuts are chopped fine (don’t over-process). Add coconut and pulse until finely ground.

In mixer bowl, beat butter, vanilla and salt until creamy. Add nut mixture and remaining 3/4 cup sugar; beat until creamy.

Add flour and beat until a soft dough forms. Chill dough 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With lightly floured hands, shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake 16 minutes or until tops are dry and bottoms are light brown.

Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar when ready to serve. Yield: about 4 dozen cookies.

Slow Cooker Skirt Steak (Carne Asada) is a great way to make tender, flavorful meat for sandwiches or other recipes. This Mexican theme recipe is bursting with robust seasonings, and slow cooking for 9 to 10 hours produces tender meat.

Slow-cooker Skirt Steak (Carne Asada)

1-1 1/2 pounds skirt steak

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp oregano leaves

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp ground cumin

1/2 Tbsp ground paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine seasonings in a small bowl. Place skirt steak in slow cooker crock. Thoroughly coat both sides with the seasonings. Cook on low, 9-10 hours.

Shred the meat, mixing in any juices and serve as desired. My favorite is over a baked potato with a dollop of sour cream, but is also good in a burrito wrap or hoagie bun with some au jus for dipping. Yield: 4 servings.

A few years ago, I planted some low bush cranberries, (called Saskatoon berries in Canada). If the deer don’t notice them, they produce pretty well now, so I had extra to freeze. Saskatoon berries have a larger seed than blueberries that add a nut like crunch and flavor. Saskatoons, like blueberries benefit from the addition of something tart and a bit of spice in a recipe. Saskatoon Rhubarb Pie is one of my favorite ways to prepare. If you don’t have Saskatoons, blueberries substitute well in this recipe.

Saskatoon Rhubarb Pie

4 cups fresh or frozen Saskatoon berries

2 cups fresh or frozen chopped rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup (1/3 cup if using frozen fruit) all-purpose flour or cornstarch

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Pastry for two-crust pie

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9-inch pie dish with pastry.

Combine berries and rhubarb. Combine sugar, flour and nutmeg and stir into fruit mixture. Turn into prepared pie dish and top with crust, seal and flute.

Bake pie 12 to 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake 45 to 60 minutes until filling is bubbly. Remove from oven and serve warm or cold, with a bit of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Note: you may make this recipe with all Saskatoons by using 6 cups of the berries combined with 2 Tbsp lemon juice. Blueberries may be substituted, but you will miss the crunch of the edible seeds in the Saskatoon berries.

– We are still collecting recipes from kids who cook. These don’t have to be fancy recipes, cookies, pancakes anything you enjoy making for yourself or your family. If you took a picture of your creation, send that along as well. Of course all recipes are welcome by sending them to: Welcome to My Kitchen, c/o The Odessa Record, P.O. Box 458, Odessa, WA 99159, email therecord@odessaoffice.com or drop them in the Welcome to my Kitchen mail tin in The Odessa Record office. Wait a little bit on starting your garden seedlings. Winter is not over yet.