Fast Recipe Tips And Tricks For People On The Move

Here's a delightful shrimp cocktail recipe that I hope you'll enjoy. It's extra special because you'll be making your very own cocktail sauce and it's fast and easy. It's a great recipe for an appetizer or when unexpected company stops by.

If time permits, cook your own shrimp because the flavor is so much fresher. I have provided a link at the bottom for a really easy recipe for boiling fresh, tasty shrimp. But if you're really in a hurry, just purchase them already cleaned and cooked from your favorite seafood deli.

Your Ingredients:

2-dozen fully cooked and deveined large shrimp (or prawns), tail intact
lemon wedges for garnish

Your Cocktail Sauce: (makes about 1-1/4 cups)

1-cup good quality tomato ketchup
2-tbsp prepared horseradish
1-tbsp minced shallots
1-tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2-tsp Tabasco sauce
1-tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt
freshly ground black pepper

BLEND all ingredients in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

ARRANGE 6 shrimp on each plate/bowl with a lemon wedge.

PLACE a dollop of cocktail sauce in a small attractive mini bowl that can be placed on the same plate as the shrimp or on the side. You can also hang the shrimp over the sides of margarita glasses with a dollop of sauce in the middle. Secure the lemon wedge to the rim by making a small slit in the center of the lemon.

Click Here For Perfect Boiled Shrimp

Always Enjoy!

Do you ever wish that you could create that perfect dish? A dish that everyone raved about? A dish that they absolutely demanded that you prepare for their upcoming affair?

Well, "you" are the purpose for my lens. I'll help you create a recipe worth remembering. Whether you are looking to please your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, the kids, the in-laws, your friends or whomever...you've come to the right place.

I am certainly not a professional chef, but I have a certain talent for cooking that I'd love to share with you.

Many of you are highly skilled in areas that I may have an interest in, but that I wouldn't even begin to understand unless you sat me down and explained it, step by step. That's what I'll attempt to do here, take you step by step to where you'd like to go in the kitchen. As time goes on, there will be tons of recipes, tips and techniques, and a bunch of other stuff for you to sift through and find your creative edge. And yes, you absolutely have one. You'll see. The next time someone asks "What are you bringing to the party?", you'll confidently reply "What's the theme of the party?"

Stick with me. You'll learn how to put much more than just an average meal on your table.

I've tried my hand at personal catering and other similar cooking-related stuff. It just wasn't for me. But the one thing that stuck, was my "love" of cooking. So, with the advent of the Internet, I'm able to share my love with you instead of just standing around in a commercial kitchen that's hot and steamy and ruins whatever hairstyle I may wear and on top of that, I'd have to wear those food odors home.

Nope. That wasn't my idea of a great life. Sharing with you my home-tested, personally created, in my own kitchen with my pajamas on recipes is what it's all about for me.

So since you're here, it's obvious that you'd like to try to make something. Whether you're an old pro at cooking and baking, and are just looking for something new and different...or if you've never had any success preparing a decent meal...you are definitely at the right place.

I will always write my recipes for the beginner who doesn't have any great knowledge of fancy cooking terms. I will always try to be as specific as possible in the steps to create a very tasty and attractive dish.

And if you ever need additional help and I just don't have the answer, I'll be happy to redirect you to a source that does.

Always Enjoy!

Your Ingredients: (serves 4)

Salsa:

1 medium navel orange, peeled, sectioned, and diced small
1 medium mango, peeled and diced small
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
2 T freshly squeezed lime juice
3 T minced red onion
1 T granulated sugar
1 T minced fresh cilantro

Marinade:

2 T olive oil
1/2-cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2-tsp cayenne pepper
2 T pineapple juice
4 swordfish steaks
lime, cut into wedges

IN a glass bowl, combine the salsa ingredients and blend well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

THE next day, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, cayenne pepper, and pineapple juice in a medium bowl.

PLACE the swordfish steaks in a large Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade. Seal and shake the bag gently to coat the steaks. Allow steaks to marinate for 40 minutes.

MEANWHILE, fire up your grill to medium-high heat. Make sure that the grill rack is at least 4 to 6 inches above the coals. Brush the grill rack with oil to prevent sticking.

GRILL the marinated swordfish steaks about 6 to 7 minutes on each side or until flaky.

SERVE on attractive plates and top with salsa. Garnish with lime wedges and a sprinkling of fresh cilantro leaves.

Always Enjoy!

Your Ingredients:

1/2-cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2-cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-tsp cinnamon
1-tsp nutmeg
1/2-cup chopped walnuts
1/2-cup dates, finely chopped
4 large Granny Smith apples, washed
1/2-cup apple juice

PREHEAT oven to 350ºF.

COMBINE the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, and dates in a small bowl and mix well.

CORE the apples with an extra large opening (you can chop up the extra apple and add it to the bowl).

PEEL the top third of the apple (the bottom two-thirds will help hold the baked apple together).

FILL the cavities with the well-mixed walnut-date mixture. If you have extra mixture, just allow it to overflow from the tops.

ARRANGE the apples in a foil-lined baking dish and pour the apple juice around the bottom of the dish.

BAKE apples until they are tender, about 35-40 minutes.

TOP with whipped cream.

GARNISH with a very light sprinkling of cinnamon.

Always Enjoy!

While watching a TV show several years ago, I saw this beautiful topiary being assembled and said, "Hey, I can do that!" And I have many, many times. This beautiful photo is from the archive of Savoire Faire and you should head over to their website for more ideas.

This strawberry topiary makes an absolutely stunning table centerpiece and your guests will accuse you of purchasing it from a hoity toity professional catering service for the elite. This beautiful topiary is super, super easy to create and definitely won't break the bank. You'll be the envy of your friends!

You will need:

1. Two ball-shaped pieces of floral oasis (see which two sizes will work well on your table), one less than half the size of the other, wash in soapy water and air dry the day before you intend to assemble topiary


2. Dowel


3. Large-sized toothpicks


4. Fresh great-looking strawberries, washed and patted dry


5. Round and ornately fluted platter as your base


6. Fresh lemon leaves or curly Kale, washed and patted dry

Slice the larger ball in half and place one of the halves on your platter. Save the other half for your next party. Place strips of wax paper all around the edges of the underside of the ball but on top of the platter (you are keeping your platter clean and will pull these out when finished).

Insert your dowel through the center of the ball and attach the smaller ball to the top of the dowel.

As pictured, place the strawberries onto the toothpicks (through the stem side) and insert the toothpicks into the balls. Strawberry bottoms will face out. Cover both balls entirely.

Using lemon leaves or curly Kale, wrap it around the dowel and secure each end of the vine with toothpicks inserted into the upper and lower balls. Remove the waxed paper pieces.

Exquisite!

Always Enjoy!

This recipe originally came from a Williams-Sonoma cookbook that has since been lost. But lucky you, my girlfriend had written it down since she makes them every year for gift-giving. These excellent cookies are crispy and rich with natural pistachios, dried cherries, and chocolate chips. They're pretty jazzy looking too.

Your Ingredients:
(makes 4 dozen cookies)

1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4-tsp baking soda
3/4-tsp salt
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2-cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4-cup granulated sugar
3-tbsp light corn syrup
2-tbsp whole milk
2-tsp pure vanilla extract
1-cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4-cup unsalted toasted shelled
natural pistachios, chopped (use natural, NOT red)
3/4-cup dried tart cherries, chopped

PREHEAT oven to 375-degrees and position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

SPRAY 2 cookie sheets with butter flavored cooking spray.

IN a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt.

IN the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat until light and fluffy.

ADD the corn syrup and beat until well blended, then beat in the milk and vanilla.

REDUCE the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

REMOVE bowl and stir in the chocolate chips, pistachios and dried cherries.

TRANSFER dough to work surface and knead until all ingredients are well incorporated.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets.

USE the flat bottom of a glass to flatten each ball into a disk almost 1/2-inch thick.

BAKE both sheets of cookies with one sheet on the upper rack and the other on the lower rack for 4 minutes.

SWITCH the position of the cookie sheets and bake 4-6 minutes longer, or until cookies are light golden brown.

REMOVE from oven and allow cookies to cool on the sheets for about 3 minutes and then transfer the cookies to the racks and let cool completely. They will crisp as they cool.

Always Enjoy!

This tasty treat is not only easy, but it makes a great presentation too. You can serve it for dessert with a dollop of whipped topping or you can have one in the morning with your coffee or tea.

Your Ingredients For First Layer: (makes 9 squares)

2-cups all-purpose flour
1-cup brown sugar (you can reduce the amount to 3/4-cup if you think it'll be too sweet)
1-tsp ground cinnamon
1/4-tsp ground cloves
1/4-tsp ground allspice
1/2-tsp baking soda
1-cup butter, cold (2 sticks)
2-cups peeled and chopped tart apples (Braeburn, Cortland or Granny Smith)
1/2-cup chopped pecans
1 large egg, slightly beaten

Your Ingredients For Topping:

1-cup packed brown sugar
1-cup chopped pecans
1/2-stick butter (4 tablespoons)
3-tbsp honey
3-tbsp milk
whipped topping

PREHEAT oven to 350-degrees F.

SPRAY a 9-inch square pan with cooking spray.

MIX flour, 1-cup brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, allspice and baking soda in a large bowl and use a whisk to make sure all ingredients are well combined.

USING a pastry blender or fork, cut in the cup of cold butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

STIR in the chopped apples, 1/2-cup of pecans and egg until well mixed.

PRESS the apple mixture firmly into your prepared pan.

BAKE 25-30 minutes or until puffed in the center.

MEANWHILE, in a saucepan, combine all topping ingredients EXCEPT the whipped topping.

COOK over medium heat and stir frequently until mixture comes to a boil. Boil while stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

REMOVE the apple layer from the oven and spread the hot topping evenly over the prepared layer.

RETURN to the oven and bake about 5 minutes longer or until the topping is bubbling.

REMOVE from oven and cool completely, about 2 hours.

USING a serrated knife (if you don't have one a regular knife will do just fine), cut into 9 squares.

Always Enjoy!

Happy New Year Fellow Squids!

My first recipe selection of the New Year is something sweet and something easy for all of my sweet and easy livin' fans even if there are only 2 of you.

The texture of this cookie is light and crunchy and will be just perfect as an accompaniment to your morning coffee. Or your afternoon cappuccino or espresso. Or your evening decaf or java. Or your nightly demitasse or jamocha that will certainly keep you wide awake and alert until the next morning when you'll finally be ready for your morning cup of coffee accompanied by these delicious little cookies.

Wake up folks and smell the cookies and coffee.

Your Ingredients: (makes approximately 3-3-1/2 dozen cookies)

Cooking spray
2 sticks butter, room temperature
2 egg yolks
1/2-tsp pure vanilla
1-cup granulated sugar
2-cups all-purpose flour
1-tsp baking powder
1-cup chopped pecans
1-cup Heath Bar chips

PREHEAT oven to 325ºF.

LIGHTLY spray 2 cookie sheets and set aside.

IN the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend the butter and egg yolks on a low speed.

ADD the sugar.

ADD the flour and baking powder to the butter mixture. Mix just until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

REMOVE bowl from mixer.

USING a small cookie scoop or teaspoon for measurement, form the dough into small balls and place on prepared cookie sheets.

BAKE cookies until they are slightly golden brown, about 13-15 minutes. Oven temperatures vary so keep an eye on these cookies.

REMOVE from the oven and allow the cookies to rest on the cookie sheets for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a cookie cooling rack.

SERVE with one of the above-mentioned beverages.

Always Enjoy!

This is one of those recipes that you could make with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. But don't do that! You'll want to add hazelnuts or almonds and they'll need to be chopped. We can't have you sporting Band-Aids for the holidays even if they do match your duds!

Make these for family or triple the recipe and place them in those pretty holiday tins and share these goodies with your office mates.

Your Ingredients:

6-ounces white chocolate baking bars
6-ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate
1/4-pound hazelnuts or almonds, chopped

LINE a cookie sheet with foil or waxed paper.

IN a medium, microwave safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate on high for about 1 minute. Stir once about halfway through. If it needs more time, microwave in 15-second intervals until fully melted and smooth.

REPEAT the above instructions in a separate microwave safe bowl for the semi-sweet chocolate.

DIVIDE your chopped nuts in half and put into each bowl of chocolate.

ALTERNATELY spoon white mixture and brown mixture in rows, side by side, onto the cookie sheet.

SPREAD evenly to about 1/4-inch thickness.

USING a knife, lightly cut through each chocolate in swirls for a marbled effect.

REFRIGERATE until firm, about 1-hour.

BREAK into pieces.

Always Enjoy!

This Hershey's recipe for Chocolate Mousse is pretty easy but very yummy.

Your Ingredients:

1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
2-tbsp ice cold water
1/4-cup boiling water
1-cup granulated sugar
1/2-cup Hershey's Cocoa
2-cups (1 pint) whipping cream
2-tsp pure vanilla extract
whipped cream (the real stuff)
Heath Bits 'O Brickle Toffee bits or Hershey's Mini Milk Chocolate Kisses

ADD cold water to a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over it, and allow it to rest for a few minutes until the gelatin softens.

ADD the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved and the mixture is clear. Set aside to cool slightly.

IN the bowl of an electric mixer, add the sugar, cocoa, cream, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed (scraping down sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula) until the mixture is stiff, but not dry.

ADD the gelatin mixture and beat until well blended.

DIVIDE mousse into 6 or 8 fancy dessert glasses, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

GARNISH with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle with the toffee bits or mini kisses.

Always Enjoy!

Although I've posted this recipe on my blog, I thought it'd be nice to include it right here on my lens for your immediate viewing enjoyment. For a ton of other tasty and easy recipes, just scroll down this page and click on "Fast Recipe Feed" to find other tasty dishes to add to your recipe collection.

Your Ingredients:

1-cup (about half a pound) fresh or frozen lump crab meat, thawed, drained and flaked
8-ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2-tsp soy sauce
1-clove garlic, finely minced
1/3-cup scallions, finely chopped
pinch of freshly grated ginger
1 pkg wonton wrappers (about 4-inch square)
1 small bowl of water for wetting wontons
Oil for deep-frying

IN a bowl, mix together the fresh crabmeat, softened cream cheese, soy sauce, garlic, scallions and pinch of ginger.

LAY wonton wrapper in front of you on a flat surface and position it like a diamond.

ADD a heaping 1/2-teaspoon of the crab filling to the center of the wrapper.

FOLD the wonton over the filling so that it looks like a triangle.

MOISTEN the edges with a little water and as you are pressing the edges together to seal, press the excess air out of the wonton to keep the wonton from puffing up as it cooks.

FOLD each end of the triangle in toward the center of the wrap (sort of like an envelope) and leave the tips vertical while moistening the part underneath the tip and seal to the front of the wonton.

PLACE each finished Crab Rangoon under a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out while you finish the remainder.

HEAT oil in a deep fryer to approximately 350 - 375-degrees.

WHEN the oil is ready, carefully add a few wontons at a time to the hot oil and cook until golden brown, turning once.

REMOVE from oil and place on paper towels to drain.

REPEAT process until all wontons have been fried.

SERVE warm with duck sauce for dipping.

Always Enjoy!

Okay folks, this recipe is for those of you that aren't babies and can deal with the really hot stuff.

Your Ingredients:

1 large English cucumber (or a regular cucumber if you don't mind the seeds even though you can take a melon baller and scoop them out)
6 fresh cherry tomatoes, washed and cut in half
1 bunch scallions (include most of the green), washed and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 rib celery, washed and sliced on the bias
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and thoroughly drained
1-cup white vinegar
1-ounce Tabasco sauce
3-ounces Louisiana Hot Sauce

PEEL and wash the cucumber.

USING a fork, run the tines of the fork lengthwise down the cucumber, and continue making long lines all-around. This is so that you'll be eating a very attractive cucumber and you won't be thinking too much about the heat.

QUARTER the cucumber and then slice it into bite-sized chunks. For each slice you have 4 little quarters that are exceptionally attractive.

IN a glass jar, combine all of the ingredients. Close the jar and shake it up to blend.

PLACE the jar in the fridge and allow it to set for 2 full days. Shake the jar at least 3 times a day to insure an even coating of spiciness.

ON the third day, eat this yummy salad of sorts.

DRINK plenty of fluids, particularly water.

Always Enjoy!

How many times has a recipe called for one cup of brown sugar and you were left with the remaining sugar to wrap up and save for your next batch of cookies? And of course, when you went shopping, there wasn't a need to pick up a fresh box (or bag) of brown sugar because you had enough left over from that other recipe.

So you get home and measure out all of your ingredients into their little separate containers and you open up that box of brown sugar only to behold an oddly shaped ball of concrete.

Okay, okay...there are those of you who would head straight for the microwave to soften it up. For some reason, that never worked for me.

Then there are some of you that use those little disks made specially to keep your brown sugar from hardening. I once tried that and had to chop away at the block of sugar before I could locate it.

And of course, some of you use an orange peel. I'm not even going to go there.

Here is my fantastic tip: Use an empty coffee can.

Yep, that's right, a coffee can. I stumbled across this trick last year when I was making cookies. I ran out of ziploc bags and decided to put my leftover walnuts in some saran wrap and freeze them and was looking around for a container with a lid for the brown sugar. I found a small coffee can that I had washed and kept around just in case I was about to make a startling discovery to share with you. In went the brown sugar.

A couple of months later, I decided to try a new cookie recipe that called for brown sugar and I was absolutely amazed and totally speechless when I opened that coffee can and discovered that the brown sugar was just as fresh and soft as the day I had purchased it!

So there you have it folks...COFFEE CAN...and if you're not a coffee drinker, I'll discover another tip just for you.

Always Enjoy!

Do you shy away from using the great garlic press that you got as a gift last year? It's the best darn thing that you've ever used to crush your garlic cloves into an aromatic slush of flavor. But after the prepping is all over, you're left with a thousand little holes that are filled with garlic gunk, so you decide to leave it in its little drawer with the rest of the great gadgets that aren't really so great.

GET IT OUT of that drawer right now! And don't even think about giving it to your neighbor or throwing it away. Your Smiling Chef has once again come to your rescue and will relieve you of your garlic press cleaning frustrations.

You know those garbage bag ties? Take one and strip half of the coating off. Be careful that you don't cut your finger! This will leave you a handy little tool. You hold the coated side and poke through each of the little holes with the wire side and push all of the garlic gunk out. It works really well if you do the poking while running the press under warm water. If you don't have a garbage tie, you can straighten a paper clip and poke away.

However, if you don't have a garbage tie or a paper clip, all is not lost. You can stand over the sink and blow the garlic gunk out by holding your lips really close to the holes. And be sure to wash the press really well since your saliva breeds jillions of bacteria. Now, although using your lips would be considered the least expensive of my remedies since it's free, I wouldn't suggest it if you're planning a romantic escapade at the end of dinner.

Always Enjoy!

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