Macadamia Encrusted Halibut with Tropical Salsa

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Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 2 (8 oz.) fillets halibut, skin removed
  • 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
  • 1/8 cup flaked coconut
  • 1 egg
  • Juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper

Tropical Salsa

  • 1, 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
  • 1 peach
  • Juice from 1/2 lime
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. chives
  • Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Finely chop the macadamia nuts and coconut, and set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, salt, and pepper.

Dredge the halibut fillets in the egg mixture.  Roll the fillets in the coconut-macadamia mixture until they are completely covered.  Pour enough of the white wine into a small baking pan to cover the bottom and place the halibut into the pan.  Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a lime over the fillets, and garnish with chives, if desired.  Bake for 20 minutes.

While the halibut is baking, cut the peach into bite-sized pieces.  In a small bowl, combine the peach, pineapple, lime juice, sugar, chives, salt, and pepper to taste.

When the fish is flaky and its nut coating is lightly browned, remove from the oven.  Top with the tropical salsa, serve, and enjoy!

Additional Tips:

  • Try making the salsa with mango instead of peach for even more tropical flavor!
  • If you don’t have white wine readily available, you can use chicken broth instead.

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Koldewyn Fried Shrimp

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Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 lbs. large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 qts. vegetable oil

Dry Mix

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 cup Instant Ralston (see helpful items below)

Wet Mix

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Directions:

Butterfly the shrimp by cutting nearly through the center of each shrimp to lay it out flat.  Wash well, and soak in salt water for 30 minutes (if desired).  Drain.

Fill a large pot or deep fryer with the vegetable oil and begin heating over medium-high heat or according to fryer instructions.  Heat until the oil is 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a shallow pan, combine the 3/4 cup flour and the instant Ralston to make the dry mix.  In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining 1 cup flour, baking soda, and water to make the wet mix.

Once the oil is up to temperature, you may begin the process of frying the shrimp.  Roll each shrimp in the dry mix, then dip in the wet mix, and then place in the hot oil.  The best way to do this is in batches of 3-4 shrimp, for about 5 minutes per batch.  Deep fry until each shrimp is golden brown, and is cooked through.  Cooking times will vary based on the number of shrimp per batch, and the size of the pot in which they’re being fried.

Additional Tips:

  • Serve these shrimp with a sauce made of equal parts ketchup and mustard.  It might sound overly indulgent, but this sauce is literally the best!
  • As far as I know, you can only buy instant Ralston online.  I’ve included it in the helpful items section below for easy access.  This is the secret ingredient that makes these fried shrimp so amazing!  Don’t skip out on it!
  • Make sure you dip the shrimp in the dry mix first, and then the wet mix!  It’s counter intuitive, I know, but it works!
  • BE WARNED: Once you get a taste of this fried shrimp, you will never be able to eat fried shrimp anywhere else ever again!

History:

This is the first time I’ve written a history in association with one of my recipes, and it’s only because Koldewyn Fried Shrimp is one of my family’s most cherished secrets.  Legend has it that this recipe originated with my great-great-aunt Lillian.  Supposedly, the recipe came from a famous fish restaurant located on the coast of California in the 1950’s.  It has been passed on through subsequent generations of the Koldewyn family since that time.  Enjoy!

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Mom’s Meatloaf

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Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce
  • 1/4 cup quick oats
  • 1 egg
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1 Tbsp. oregano
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3 strips of bacon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the bacon.  Mix until well blended.  Dump the mixture into a bread pan.  Form into a loaf, tucking down the sides and smoothing the top of the mixture.

Place the bacon on top of the loaf, followed by some extra BBQ sauce.

Bake for 1 hour and serve hot.

Additional Tips:

  • Serve with squash (find recipe here!) and baked potatoes (find recipe here!)  All three dishes cook at the same temperature for the same amount of time.  The result?  A well-rounded meal with minimal effort!
  • Feel free to mix and match ingredients with whatever you have in the pantry.  No bacon?  Sad, but manageable.  No mushrooms?  No problem!  It’s pretty hard to mess this one up.
  • I usually mix all of the ingredients up by hand.  It’s feels really gross, but I have yet to find a better way to expertly blend them all.

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Cheater Gyros

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Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. lamb chops
  • 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp. dried marjoram
  • 1 Tbsp. dried ground rosemary
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • Tzatziki Sauce (find the recipe here!)
  • Pita bread
  • Tomato
  • Feta cheese

Directions:

Cut the lamb into 1-inch, bite-sized pieces.  Be sure to remove the bones, and any extra fat.

In a medium frying pan, heat the olive oil until it shimmers.  Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the lamb, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper.  Pan fry until the lamb is cooked through, approximately 8 minutes.

On top of your pita bread, place some Tzatziki sauce, tomato, lamb, feta, and any other toppings you would like to add.  Enjoy!

Additional Tips:

  • This is a “cheater” gyro because we’re just using little bites of lamb.  It’s not the traditional (and delicious) gyro meat, but it’s much quicker and easier to make!
  • I would suggest some delicious Kalamata olives along with this dish.  Maybe in a nice Greek salad?  Or just on the side… Or in the gyro… Or all of the above!
  • Try not to overcook the lamb; it can get pretty tough pretty quickly.

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Mom’s Mac & Cheese

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Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1/2 box of pasta (medium shells, mini penne, macaroni, etc.)

Directions:

Fill a medium pot with water and set on the stove top to boil.

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat.  Slowly whisk the flour into the melted margarine, making sure there are no loose chunks of flour lurking around the edge of the pan.  Slowly whisk in the milk, and continue whisking until there are no clumps remaining.  Increase the heat to medium and cook the sauce until thickened, approximately 8 minutes.  Continue whisking the sauce while it is thickening in order to develop a smooth consistency and avoid burning the bottom.

While the sauce is thickening, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.  Keep the pasta al dente; if it’s too soft it won’t stand up well to the sauce.

Once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, add the cheese, salt, and pepper.  Whisk until the cheese has melted.

Drain the pasta and place in a serving bowl.  Pour the finished cheese sauce over the pasta, and stir to combine.

Additional Tips:

  • You can sprinkle additional cheese over the finished product for extra-cheesy-goodness!
  • For a thicker sauce, use a little less milk; for a thinner sauce, use a little more.
  • With a little practice, you can get the timing to work out perfectly so that the sauce finishes up right when the pasta is ready.  If the sauce finishes a bit early, turn the heat down to low and stir often to prevent burning.
  • Serve with muffins as a side dish!  I know Mac & Cheese and Muffins might sound a bit strange, but it’s the best comfort food combination in the world!  Blueberry muffins are my personal favorite, although lemon poppy seed muffins are an excellent second choice.

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San Francisco Pork Chops

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Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 4 boneless pork chops
  • 4 cups wide egg noodles
  • 1/4 cup apple juice
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. water

Directions:

In small bowl, combine apple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes.  Set aside.  In large, nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.  Add pork chops; cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes each side.  Pour sauce over chops.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.

While chops are simmering, cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain well and place on a serving plate.  Using tongs, place chops over noodles and cover to keep warm.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water.  Stir into the sauce in the skillet.  Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.  Pour sauce over chops and noodles, tossing a bit to cover the noodles.  Serve and enjoy!

Additional Tips:

  • The noodles and pork chops can be served separately; just make sure you put sauce on both the pork chops and the noodles!
  • If you want more sauce (because honestly, that’s the best part!) feel free to double or even triple all of the ingredients that go in the sauce.  That’d be everything except for the olive oil, pork chops, and noodles.
  • Adjust the spice level by changing the amount of crushed red pepper flakes.  I wouldn’t eliminate them altogether though; that little bit of spice really makes the dish!

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