Butter Is Back!!

Good news!  According to a column posted in the New York Time today, new research published a couple of weeks ago in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine found that there's no evidence to support the notion that saturated fat increases the risk of heart disease. In fact, the researchers found some evidence in the 72 different studies they looked at suggesting that the lack of saturated fats is actually damaging.  You can read the full article by clicking here .... right after you run out and buy more butter and the best fat-marbled piece of meat you can find!

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Hot Bacon & Swiss Crab Dip)

Hello again foodies! Wednesday is finally here so that means it’s once again time for another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. Today I bring you a hot dip that is so simple to make and so extremely delicious. This is more of an appetizer than it is a dip that you would take to a pot luck but I’m pretty sure this would still be awesome cold. This dip is good with or without the crab so if you’re not a fan of crab just omit it from the recipe. There’s not really much else to say about this dip. I think this creamy, cheesy, bacon topped goodness speaks for itself. Give it a try, you definitely won’t be disappointed. As always, feel free to leave comments below and don’t forget to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter so you don’t miss out on a single post.

Hot Bacon & Swiss Crab Dip

• 8 oz Cream Cheese
• 3/4 cup Mayo
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded Swiss Cheese
• 3 - 4 Chopped Green Onions
• 1 (6oz) can Crab Meat, drained
• 1/2 lb Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Crumbled Ritz Crackers for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Combine the cream cheese, mayo, Swiss cheese, green onions, and crab meat; spread into an 8 x 8 baking dish.
3. Top with crumbled bacon and spread the crumbled crackers over the top.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; serve hot with crackers or tortilla chips.

Gluten Free Friday! (GF Shrimp Etouffee)

Happy Friday everyone and welcome to another edition of Gluten Free Friday. Today I bring you a wonderful recipe for a Gluten Free Shrimp Etouffee. My wife and I have been to New Orleans a few times now and Shrimp Etouffee is probably one of the best things I’ve ever eaten while there. I’ve always wanted to make Shrimp Etouffee but they typically use a flour roux as a thickener so I went on a search and found this recipe which uses cornstarch instead. I have to say this is probably just about as good as any Shrimp Etouffee I’ve ever had in New Orleans. Feel free to cut the recipe in half as I know 4 pounds is a lot of shrimp and it isn’t exactly the cheapest protein either but if you do, be sure to reduce the cooking times as well. Alternatively you could also use 1/2 shrimp and 1/2 chicken or even a straight up Chicken Etouffee would still be delicious. This Shrimp Etouffee is even better the next day so you may want to make a lot anyway. Also feel free to use real butter instead of margarine if you prefer. Give this a try and let me know your opinions in the comments below.

GF Shrimp Etouffee

• 4 lb Fresh Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 cup Margarine, divided
• 2 cups Minced Onion
• 3 cups Sliced Celery
• 3 cups Diced Green Bell Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 3 1/2 cups Water

1. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes until well blended; cover and place in the refrigerator.
2. In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1/2 cup of margarine; add the onions and saute until they are translucent.
3. Stir in the celery and bell pepper; increase the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally for about 20 minutes.
4. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of margarine and bring to just under a boil; fold in the shrimp, reduce heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes.
5. Mix the cornstarch and water together and slowly pour it into the pot, just covering the top of the shrimp mixture; cook on medium-high heat until the celery is soft, about 20 minutes.
6. Add any additional salt, pepper and/or red pepper flakes to taste and serve.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Roast Beef Stuffed Shells)

Hello again food lovers. Welcome to another edition of Yummy Recipe Wednesday. Today I bring you a stuffed pasta dish that might seem a little odd at first glance of the ingredients but trust me this is definitely something you’re going to want to try. I cut this recipe in half from the original as 24 jumbo shells were just a bit too much. I also increased the amount of cheese because let’s be honest, cheese and pasta are just meant to be together and more cheese is always good. Feel free to leave the horseradish sauce off if you want but I really think it adds a nice touch to the flavor. You could always make this with horseradish on half of them so you can try them each way. Either way they’re sure to be a hit with your family and friends. Give them a try and as always feel free to leave comments below letting me know what you think and/or what modifications you made. Be sure to check back Friday for another Gluten Free Friday recipe and be sure to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter if you aren’t already.

Roast Beef Stuffed Shells

• 12 Jumbo Pasta Shells
• 1 lb Thinly Sliced Deli Roast Beef
• 2 (10 oz) cans Beef Gravy
• Squeezable Horseradish Sauce
• 1 (8 oz) pkg Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C); grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Boil the pasta shells in a large pot until cooked through but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes; drain well and set aside on a sheet of wax paper to cool.
3. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the roast beef and the gravy; cook for 10 minutes or until heated through.
4. Using a slotted spoon to drain off as much gravy as possible, fill each shell with roast beef.
5. Squeeze about 1 1/2 teaspoons, more or less to taste, of horseradish sauce on top of the beef in each shell.
6. Place the shells in the greased baking dish and drizzle a little of the remaining gravy over the shells.
7. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese evenly over the stuffed shells.
8. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the filling is hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage)

Happy Wednesday everyone and welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. I hope everyone has had a good week so far. So today I’m continuing with the St Patrick’s Day theme that I started with last week’s Gluten Free Friday. Today’s recipe is a classic Corned Beef and Cabbage cooked in a slow cooker. I remember my grandmother making corned beef and cabbage a lot or maybe I just remember it most because it’s always been one of my favorites. Tender, slow cooked corned beef served with some whole grain mustard or some horseradish is just so delicious and leftover corned beef makes a fantastic sandwich the next day. If you’ve never had corned beef before you’re really missing out and I highly recommend you give this a try. Just omit the cabbage if you don’t like cabbage. I hope everyone enjoys this recipe and as always, please feel free to leave comments below with any opinions, suggestions, or tips and tricks that you use when making corned beef.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage

 

• 4 Large Carrots, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 6 - 10 Baby Red Potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 Onion, peeled and cut into slivers
• 4 cups Water
• 1 (4 lb) Corned Beef Brisket with Spice Packet
• 6 oz Beer
• 1/2 Head Cabbage, coarsely chopped

1. Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker.
2. Pour in the water and place the brisket on top of the vegetables.
3. Pour the beer over the brisket and sprinkle on the spices from the spice packet.
4. Cook the brisket on LOW for about 8 - 9 hours; add the cabbage about an hour before the brisket is done.

Gluten Free Friday! (GF Irish Potato & Cabbage Soup)

Welcome back everyone. I hope everyone has had a good week and enjoyed my Yummy Recipe Wednesday earlier this week as well. Friday is upon us once again so it’s time for another Gluten Free Friday recipe and with St Patrick’s Day right around the corner I feel like this is the appropriate time to post a great Irish recipe, gluten free style. Typically Irish Potato & Cabbage soups are made with bacon, and please feel free to do so with this recipe if you desire, but the bratwurst is a really great addition to this soup. You could also use Italian sausage or just regular pork sausage instead. The original recipe for this soup used flour as a thickener but there are so many other ways to thicken a soup and mashed potatoes are a great gluten free way to do so. Please just be sure that if you use instant mashed potatoes they are gluten free instant mashed potatoes. You can also add garlic, red pepper flakes if you like it spicy, or any other seasonings you like but the recipe is great just the way it is. Give it a try and let me know what you think and what changes, if any, that you made to the recipe.

GF Irish Potato & Cabbage Soup

• 16 oz Bratwurst, casings removed
• 2 Potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 Medium Head Cabbage, chopped
• 3 cups Milk
• 1 cup Mashed Potatoes
• 4 oz Swiss Cheese, shredded or cubed
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the sausage for 10 minutes, or until browned and crumbled; drain well and discard the fat.
2. In a large pot over high heat, combine the browned sausage, potatoes, onion and chicken broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage and the water and simmer for another 20 minutes or until the cabbage is tender.
4. Add the milk and slowly return to a simmer, stirring constantly so the milk doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pan.
5. Add the mashed potatoes, stirring well to combine, and then add the cheese; continue to stir until the cheese has melted.
6. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste and serve hot.

March 2014 Poll

The new poll for this month is available at the top of the sidebar to the right.  I try to keep a mix of recipe types on the blog but I know that I tend to lean towards what I like personally and I think desserts have really been a weak point on the blog since I'm not a huge fan of desserts.  I like dessert, I'm just not a huge fan of exact measurements which you really need for most baking and other desserts when you make them.  I want to make sure that everyone visiting my blog finds it useful and has reason to return so I'm posting periodic polls on the blog.  I think this month's poll will help me figure out what YOU go looking for most when you go recipe hunting.  Thanks to everyone who has subscribed to updates, followed on Twitter, or has just simply visited my blog.

Yummy Recipe Wednesday! (Bacon Double Cheeseburger Dip)

Happy Wednesday everyone! Welcome to another Yummy Recipe Wednesday. Today I bring you an out of this world dip that will surely be a highly requested item once your friends and family get a taste of this. Who doesn’t like bacon cheeseburgers after all? I highly recommend adding the chopped lettuce and tomato to the top of the dish to really give it that cheeseburger flavor. You could also chop up some pickle and sprinkle over the top or just serve pickle slices on the side in case someone might not like pickles. Give it a try and as always post comments below letting me know what you think. Be sure to check back on Friday for a new Gluten Free Friday recipe and don’t forget to follow @RecipeBlogger on Twitter if you aren’t already.

Bacon Double Cheeseburger Dip

• 1/2 lb Ground Beef
• 6 Strips of Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 Small Onion, diced
• 1 Clove of Garlic, chopped
• 4 oz Cream Cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Ketchup
• Chopped Lettuce and Tomato (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook the ground beef in a pan over medium heat; drain grease and set aside.
3. Cook the bacon in a pan over medium heat until crispy, about 6-10 minutes; set bacon aside and drain all but 1 tablespoon of grease from the pan.
4. Add the onion to the pan and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Add the garlic to the onions in the pan and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Mix together the ground beef, bacon, onions, garlic, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, mozzarella, cheddar, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup; pour it into a baking dish.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until the top starts turning a light golden brown and then sides are bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.
8. Top with chopped lettuce and tomato, if desired, and serve.