Arancini (Rice Balls)

This is a delightful Italian dish that I have recently been introduced to.  They are so good to serve as an appetizer. Here;s a tip- I used the 90 second cook in your microwave rice and it worked well because it's very sticky! To make these little wonders you will need:
2 cups cooked white rice, cooled
½ cup grated Parmesan
3 eggs, separated
8 small cubes fresh mozzarella
1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
oil, for frying
1 cup marinara sauce (bought or homemade)
1.)  Place a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add four inches of oil.
2.)  Combine the rice, Parmesan and 1 egg in a medium bowl and use your hands to thoroughly combine the mixture.
3.)  Form each arancini by taking a small portion of the mixture, squeezing it firmly and stuffing one cube of mozzarella inside each ball. Repeat this process to form 8 arancini.
4.)  Whisk together the remaining 2 eggs. Dip each arancini in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, shaking off any excess.
5.)  Once the oil reaches 375ºF, add 2 or 3 of the breaded arancini to the pot and fry them until golden brown and cooked throughout.
6.)  Use a slotted spoon to remove the fried arancini from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Immediately salt the arancini.  Serve with the marinara sauce.

Patty Shells Chicken Pot Pies - can be made vegan!

Nothing says comfort food like a chicken pot pie (besides meatloaf!)  This version is so elegant you can serve it to company!  It's so delicious that my husband says he could eat it once a week.  I used to make the kids the vegan version and they loved it!  
To make this dish you will need:
2 large boneless chicken breasts, boiled and chopped - vegans either omit or use vegan chicken strips
3 celery stalks
3 medium carrots, peeled
1 large yellow onion
1 large Idaho potato
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth - vegans use vegetable stock
1 chicken bouillon cube - vegans use vegetable bouillon
1/4 cup white wine, optional
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
black pepper

2 packages of frozen patty shells

1.)  Begin by finely dicing the vegetables. Slice the celery stalks into narrow strips, then slice in the other direction to create a fine dice. Repeat this process with the carrots, the onion, and the potato.
2.)  Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the potato, onion, carrots and celery. Saute until the vegetables start soften, about 10 minutes.
3.)  Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.
4.)  Pour in the broth, stirring constantly. Stir in the bouillon cube and wine if using. The flour will combine with the vegetables to create a delicious gravy. Next, add the peas.  Add the chopped chicken and stir to combine.
5.)  Pour in the cream and stir. Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, about 4 minutes. Season with the thyme, salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Be sure it's adequately salted!
6.)  As this is simmering over low heat, cook the patty shells according to the package directions.  Once done remove top and soft center.  Scoop in the chicken pot pie mixture.  Replace top and enjoy!

Low Country Boil

This dish is truly amazing!  Great for entertaining!  Yummy and easy, a winning combination. I ran out of onions so I used dehydrated onion flakes, and it worked fine. 
To make this dish you will need: 
Crab boil seasoning (I use Old Bay)
12 baby red potatoes
3 ears of corn, shucked and silk removed, cut in half
2 12 oz cans or bottle of domestic beer
1 medium-size white onion, quartered
2 packages smoked sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 lobster tails (optional)
1 lb medium to large raw shrimp, in the shell
1.)  In a stockpot, pour enough water to cover all the ingredients. Add a sprinkling of crab boil seasoning appropriate for the amount of water used. Bring to a boil.
2.)  Add the potatoes, corn, beer, and onion. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3.)  Add the smoked sausage and the lobster tails. Cook 20 minutes more.
4.)  Add the shrimp and cook about 3 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink. Drain the liquid into the sink and pour the boil onto a big serving platter or bowl. Sprinkle with extra crab boil seasoning.

Crockpot Swiss Steaks - My Mom's Recipe

My mom made this in a pressure cooker (that would have to be the devil of all kitchen appliances).  This is my transformed version for the crock pot. Mom always served it with spaetzle and red cabbage, I followed her example....  
To make this dish you will need:

1 can (14 ounce) petite diced tomatoes (double this if you like a lot of sauce)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

4 carrots, peeled and sliced (I used baby carrots)

1 large yellow onion, sliced in half moons

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 1/2 pounds round steaks

sea salt and fresh black pepper

flour

1.)  Mix tomatoes, Worcestershire, peppers, garlic and thyme together in crock pot and season well with salt and pepper. Add the carrots and onion.

2.)Season each side of the steaks with salt and pepper and prick with a fork all over about an inch apart. Add to crock pot. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 7-8. Yup, it's that easy.

Cheater's Rum Cake

I call this Cheater's Rum Cake because it's not from scratch.  But it is delicious.  I've had many people ask for this recipe.  It all started with a baker at my daughter's bakery.  He made the best rum cake I had ever had.  This of course isn't as good as the one he made from scratch, but it is pretty darned good!
For this cake you will need:
1 box (about 18 oz.) yellow cake mix
1 package (3.5 oz.) instant vanilla pudding mix
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup dark rum
1 cup finely chopped pecans
brown sugar
1-1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cups rum
1.)  Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a bundt cake pan with Pam (I don't use a bundt pan for this, I use my spring form pan.  I just like the presentation better.  Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.  Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar over the nuts.
2.)  Mix all cake ingredients together. Pour batter into pan over nuts. Smooth out ’til the top is even. Bake for 1 hour, or a little less if the pan is black.
3.)  While cake has ten minutes to go, make the glaze.  Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off flame and pour in rum. Stir to combine and reheat for 30 seconds.
4.)  Remove cake from oven. Immediately drizzle 1/3 of the glaze on the bottom (top) of the cake. Allow to sit for five minutes. Invert the cake onto a serving plate. Prick surface a hundred times with a fork.  Slowly drizzle remaining rum glaze all over the top of the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Cool to room temperature before serving to ensure glaze has soaked in. 

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

This is a great dinner for a cold winter night.   It fills you up and is only 394 calories per serving.  Plus, it's just delicious!  To make this you will need:

2 teaspoons butter

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

2 bunches scallions, chopped

3 cups frozen diced potatoes

3 cups frozen corn

3 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 quart low-fat milk

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Old Bay seasoning

1 tablespoon butter

Paprika, for sprinkling

1.)  Melt the 2 teaspoons of butter in a Dutch Oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the celery, scallions, potatoes and corn. Add the thyme, bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook while stirring for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the milk, then cover and bring to a boil.
2.)  Uncover, reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat. Discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
3.)  Transfer one-third of the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender and puree until smooth, then return to the pot. Return to a simmer over medium-high heat.
4.)  Stir the shrimp and Old Bay to coat the shrimp. In a separate pan melt the tablespoon of butter and cook the shrimp until opaque, about 4 minutes. Season with salt.  Add the shrimp to the soup.   If the soup is too thick, stir in up to 1 cup water. Divide among bowls and sprinkle with paprika.