Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Minty Fruit with Wine

Ingredients:
  • 1 1/4 cups dry white wine
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cantaloupe, cut into cubes
  • 8 ounce fresh strawberries, sliced in halves
  • 1 cup green grapes, halved lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions:
  1. Combine the wine and sugar in a small saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. Prepare the cataloupe, strawberries, grapes, and mint then combine in a large bowl. Pour the warm wine mixture over and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Rosenmunnar Cookies

Ingredients:
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup fruit jam of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 375º.
  2. Cream together butter and sugar in mixer. Add flour and vanilla extract then mix for 2 minutes. Shape dough into 1 inch diameter balls and place on cookie sheets. Imprint your thumb in the center to make an indentation. Fill with your favorite fruit jam.
  3. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown around the edges.

Friday, December 23, 2011

French Pound Cake

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350º.
  2. Cream butter, milk, and sugar together in a mixer. Add eggs, 1 at a time. Turn mixer to low setting and add in flour, baking powder, and vanilla extract. Turn mixer to medium setting and mix for 5 minutes. Pour batter into a greased cake pan or bundt cake pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Test cake by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake, if it comes out clean then it's ready. Garnish with powdered sugar and serve.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Seafood & Pinot Grigio Spaghetti

Ingredients:
  • 1 pound spaghetti pasta
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 shallot, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup Pinot Grigio
  • 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 pounds clams, washed
  • Sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 cups arugula

Directions:
  1. Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until tender but don't let it brown. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute. Add the wine, shrimps, and clams. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, cover and cook until shrimps are pink and the clams have opened which takes about 7 minutes.
  3. Add the pasta to the seafood mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add the arugula last. Serve and enjoy immediately.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Mayonnaise

Ingredients:
  • 5 sweet potatoes, cut into about 1 by 4-inch fries shape
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
  1. Preheat over to 400º.
  2. Place the sweet potato fries on a foil baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden which is about 40 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice.
  4. Sprinkle baked sweet potato fries with sea salt and pepper. Serve with garlic mayonnaise alongside for dipping.