Lime Rice

Lime Rice Pilaf
from foodnetwork.com

Yields: 4 C of cooked rice

2 Tablespoons salted butter
1 small onion, peeled, and finely chopped
2 C long grain white rice (I prefer Jasmine)
3 3/4 C vegetable or chicken stock
1/4  - 1/2 C fresh lime juice (depends on how strong you like the lime flavor)
2 teaspoons grated lime zest, chopped
Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Directions for cooking in a pan on the stove:

1. Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. 
2. Add rice and stir to coat. Add stock, lime juice and lime peel. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and let stand covered 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. When ready to serve, stir and sprinkle with chopped parsley or cilantro. 

Directions for cooking in a rice cooker:

1. 1. Melt butter in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, about 10 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile measure two cups of rice, rinse the rice, and place in rice cooker. Add the 1/4- 1/2 C of fresh lime juice to the rice. Use your rice cookers liquid to rice ratio to measure out the remaining liquid as vegetable or chicken stock. (The lime juice counts towards the total amount of liquid.) For example: My rice cooker calls for 2 1/2 C of liquid for 2 C of rice. So I use 1/2 C lime juice and 2 C of chicken stock. 
3. Add lime zest and sauteed onions, including the butter to the rice cooker, and cook with the white rice setting. 
4. When ready to serve, stir and sprinkle with fresh cilantro or parsley. You can also season to taste with salt and pepper. Note: I have found that when I use salted butter for the onions, I do not need to season more. 

Cory’s chicken

Corys chicken

4 breast brined

4 cups warm water and 1/4 cup salt. Brian breast for 20 to 30 minutes. Cook breast in Pyrex grease with extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with mixture as follows

Onion powder

Tablespoon garlic powder tablespoon salt half tablespoon cayenne 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika 1 tablespoon smoked paprika 1 tablespoon thyme 1 tablespoon rosemary parsley and basil to taste

OK Rule your chicken breast in the extra-virgin olive oil sprinkled in mixture. Rub it in. Flip your breast. Sprinkle the mixture. Rub it in. Leave enough mixture that you can then coat the top side of the breast like a breading with the seasoning.

Baking oven at 425° for about 25 minutes. Internal temperature of 145 to 150. More like 28 minutes for Carroll’s desired temperature. 

BBQ Chicken Quick

BBQ Chicken Sandwich (serves 4-5) (from http://shopnserve.blogspot.com/2011/07/bbq-chicken-sandwich.html)

Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken breasts
• Your favorite BBQ Sauce
• 1/4 c. Honey
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
• Cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 c. Red onion, diced
• Rolls (we like Portuguese best)

Cooking Directions:

Place chicken breasts in crock pot and fill half way with water (I usually dump a little BBQ sauce in for flavor). Cook on low for 2-4 hours, depending on your crock pot. Drain water, and shred chicken. 

I cook mine in the Instant Pot. Chicken in with 1 C of water, cook on high pressure for 12 minutes if raw, 15 minutes if frozen. You can manually release pressure or let it self release. While chicken is still hot, remove from water and shred with forks. Dump out the Insta Pot water, and return chicken to the Instat Pot. 

Pour ample amounts of BBQ sauce over. Pour honey, mustard and sprinkle garlic powder over. Keep warm for another 20 minutes, or until you serve. 

Serve on rolls with cilantro and onions to add on top if desired

Coconut Layered Cake

From Elizabeth Brown’s Easter Party
This is the recipe:

The cake is a white cake
Mix. Not yellow or vanilla. Make sure it’s “white”. I bake 2-3 cake rounds. If you do two cake rounds - after they are baked and cooked, I cut them in half - making four thin layers.

The filling is
2c sour cream
2c sugar
2c shredded coconut
Mix the sour cream and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Add in coconut and mix until blended. Now divide this in half. One half will go in between the cake layers.

For the frosting, take the other filling portion and mix it with a container or cool whip.

To assemble - spoon filling over each layer. Stack however many layers you dream of ;)

Frost with cool whip mixture! Viola!

Special Occassion Raspberry Jam

3 1/4 cups crushed berries

1/4 cup lemon juice

1, 2-ounce package pectin (MCP brand preferably)

1 cup light corn syrup 

4 1/2 cups sugar

*Wash and rinse plastic storage containers so they are ready to be filled.

*Prepare fruit: wash raspberries in cold water.  Crush clean berries with a potato masher or pulse in a food processor (do NOT puree.  There should be little bits of fruit still in the jam.)  Measure exact amount of crushed berries into a large pot.

*Add lemon juice and stir.   

*Gradually stir pectin into fruit.  Mix thoroughly.  Set aside 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to dissolve pectin thoroughly.  

*Pour corn syrup into fruit mixture.  Mix well.  This prevents sugar crystallization during freezer storage.  

*Stir in sugar gradually.  After mixing in sugar, put the pan on lowest stove heat setting and stir, making sure all the sugar is dissolved.  You don't want the jam to get too warm.  Stir constantly until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy.  

*Pour into prepared containers leaving 1/2" space at top for expansion during freezing.  Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours until set.   

*Store in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year.  

NOTES FROM MOM: Costco gets raspberries from Mexico in April that come in 12-oz. clam shells.  To make 6 batches of jam, you need:

-14, 12-oz clamshells of fresh berries

-6 boxes of pectin

-27 cups of sugar

-6 cups Karo syrup

-1 1/2 cups lemon juice

Two 12-oz clamshells makes approximately 3 cups of crushed berries. 

A single recipe yields approximately 8 cups of finished jam (or 4, 2-cup storage containers).

 

Street Corn

Served by Paselly- Cocoa's friend
Ingredients:

• 3 Cans of corn, broiled until it gets a bit charred. 
• 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp mayonaisse
• 3 Tbsp sour cream
• 3/4 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of Trader Joe's Everything but the Elote seasoning blend
• 1/2 Red onion, finely chopped
• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
• Cotija or Feta, to crumble

Directions:

1. Drain canned corn and toss in olive oil. Spread out on a baking sheet and broil in oven until a but charred. 
2. Transfer corn into a bowl and while still warm, add mayonnaise, sour cream, and parmesan. Stir to combine. This will create a dressing on the corn. 
3. Add remaining ingredients. 
4. Adjust lime juice and salt to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Honey Sriracha Ground Turkey Meatballs

From a Tone and Tighten Meal Plan that tiff bought

This is a great recipe for the whole family! For those who prefer no spice, you can serve the meatballs without the sauce drizzled. For our family of 6 I make the recipe 1.5 times.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Servings (6 meatballs/serving): 7 

Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground turkey
1 C whole wheat breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 C onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper

For the sauce:
1/4 C honey
2 Tbsp sriracha
3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Garnish (optional):
1/4 C green onions, diced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Lightly spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (or cover with foil)
• In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for meatballs until thoroughly combined. 
• Shape into balls that are about 1 1/2 inches in size. Should make between 35-40 meatballs,
• Set each metball on the prepared baking sheet. 
• Cook for 20-25 minutes or until meat is cooked through to 165 degrees. 
• While the meatballs are cooking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a small saucepan. 
• Bring to a boil over medium heat while mixing sauce continuously, then reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer for 3-5 minutes. 
• Remove meatballs from over and pour sauce over the top. If desired sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. 
• Serve with cooked quinoa, brown rice, or vegetables.