Steak Marinade

Good for flank steak, top sirloin etc.  Marinade is for about 2 pounds of steak.

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Virgin Pina Coladas

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened pineapple chunks (frozen)
• 1/4 cup ice
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (make sure you shake the can VERY well first because it separates)
• 1/3 cup fresh coconut
• To taste: 1 to 3 tablespoons brown sugar 
• Garnish: fresh pineapple wedges, maraschino cherries, extra coconut
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• Directions:
• 1.  Gather the ingredients.
• 2.  Place the frozen pineapple chunks and ice in the bottom of a blender.  Pour the pineapple juice and coconut milk over top. Add the brown sugar and coconut. Puree until smooth. Taste to test the sweetness, and add more sugar if needed.
• 3.  Pour into glasses and garnish with fresh pineapple wedges, coconut or a maraschino cherry.  Umbrellas are a must.  Lol.

2. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Luau Pork (in a slow cooker)

Ingredients:

1 (6 pound) pork butt/shoulder roast

1.5 Tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt (red clay)

1 Tablespoon liquid mesquite flavoring (mesquite)

Directions:

• 1.  Remove most of the fat cap.  Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.  (Can add a banana or two -- in the peel, slightly split on top of pork to let it get some of those banana leaf flavors).  Take banana peel off when you turn the pork.

• 2.  Cover, and cook on Low for 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time.

• 3.  Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred pork.  Keep on warm setting and let shredded pork reabsorb the juices and drippings.
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Chinese Chicken in Hoisin Sauce in Lettuce Wraps

Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:

1 package (about 2 cups) fresh shiitake mushrooms

1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pounds thin cut chicken breast or chicken tenders

2 tablespoons light colored oil, such as vegetable oil or peanut oil

Coarse salt and coarse black pepper

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 inch ginger root, finely chopped or grated, optional

1 large orange, zested

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small tin sliced water chestnuts, drained and chopped

3 scallions, chopped

3-4 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/2 large head iceberg lettuce

Directions:  

1. 1.  Chop garlic and ginger in the food processor.
2. 2.  Dice bell pepper, water chestnuts, and scallions 
3. 3.  Wash mushrooms. Coarsely chop.  
4. 4.  Chop chicken into small pieces.
5. 5.  .  Preheat a large skillet or wok to high.
6. 6.  Add oil to hot pan. Add chicken to the pan and sear meat by stir frying a minute or two. 
7. 7.  Add mushrooms and cook another minute or two. Add salt and pepper to season, then add garlic and ginger. Cook a minute more. 
8. 8.  Grate orange zest into pan, add bell pepper, chopped water chestnuts and scallions. Cook another minute, continuing to stir. 
9. 9.  Add hoisin sauce and toss to coat the mixture evenly. Taste and add more hoisin sauce if needed.  Transfer the hot chopped barbecued chicken to serving platter and pile the quartered wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce along side.
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Perfect No Bake Cheesecake

Sally's Baking Addiction:

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust

• 2 cups (200g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12-14 full sheet graham crackers)
• 1/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (8 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

• 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• three 8-ounce blocks (680g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1/4 cup (60g) sour cream, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

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Instructions:

Get out cream cheese and sour cream and bring to room temperature.  (Cut cream cheese into cubes and put in a large bowl) for at least an hour.

1. 
   
2. Make the crust: Stir the graham cracker crust ingredients together. Pour into a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan and pack in very tightly. The tighter it’s packed, the less likely it will fall apart when cutting the cheesecake. I recommend using the bottom of a measuring cup to pack it into the bottom and up the sides.  Freeze for 10-20 minutes as you prepare the filling (or while the cream cheese is coming to room temperature).
3. Make the filling: Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 4 minutes.  Be very careful and check around the 3 minute mark because it quickly turns from peaks to a thicker butter consistency.  You don't want that... you want stiff peaks!  Set aside.
4. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk or paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed until perfectly smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until smooth and combined. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese. If there are lumps, keep beating until smooth.
5. Using your mixer on low speed or a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cheesecake filling until combined. This takes several turns of your rubber spatula. Combine slowly as you don’t want to deflate all the air in the whipped cream.
6. Remove crust from the freezer and spread filling into crust. Use an offset spatula to smooth down the top.
7. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours and up to 2 days. For best results, 12 hours is best. I chill mine overnight. The longer refrigerated, the nicer the no-bake cheesecake will set up.
8. Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then remove the rim. Using a clean sharp knife, cut into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clean between each slice.
9. Serve cheesecake with desired toppings (see note). Cover and store leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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Notes

1. Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made 1-2 days in advance. It can be refrigerated in step 6 for up to 2 days before serving. You can also make the crust 1-2 days ahead of time. Freeze for up to 1 hour in step 1, then cover tightly and refrigerate for 1-2 days before adding the filling. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 3 months. See instructions in blog post above.
2. Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens up the flavor. This cheesecake does not taste like lemon. For lemon flavored no-bake cheesecake, remove the sour cream from the recipe and add 2 Tablespoons lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon lemon zest.
3. Room Temperature Ingredients: Bring the cream cheese and sour cream to room temperature before beginning. Room temperature ingredients guarantee a smooth cheesecake filling. Beating cold ingredients together will result in a chunky cheesecake filling. (The heavy cream, however, MUST be cold in order to whip into stiff peaks.)
4. Toppings: Before serving, decorate with  whipped cream, lemon curd, strawberry sauce, fresh berries, salted caramel, or your favorite cheesecake toppings. I used Ateco 849 piping tip for the whipped cream in the pictured cheesecake.
5. Can I Make Mini No-Bake Cheesecakes? Yes, see my mini no bake cheesecakes, which are made in a standard muffin pan.

Adapted from All Recipes.

Seared Scallops

Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/4 pounds dry sea scallops, approximately 16

2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse with cold water and thoroughly pat dry.  Scallops must be totally dry to sear correctly.
2. Add the butter and oil to a 12 to 14-inch saute pan on high heat. Salt and pepper the scallops on both sides. Once the fat begins to smoke, gently add the scallops, making sure they are not touching each other. Sear the scallops for EXACTLY 1 1/2 minutes on each side. The scallops should have a 1/4-inch golden crust on each side while still being translucent in the center. Serve immediately.
3. Serve with lemon slices, yum yum sauce and garlic butter. :)

Magic Cookie Bars

Eagle Brand Recipe:  :)


Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 2 packages in the box)
1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts


Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees

Make graham cracker crumbs in the food processor

Melt stick of butter in the microwave in the 9x13 glass dish.
Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in the glass dish. Press into bottom of pan. 

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. 

Combine chocolate chips, coconut and walnuts in a bowl and mix together.

Sprinkle evenly over crumb mixture. Press down semi-firmly into crumb mixture.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Cut into bars or diamonds. Store covered at room temperature.


Variations:
7-Layer Magic Cookie Bars: Substitute 1 cup (6-ounces) butterscotch flavored chips* for 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and proceed as directed above.
Peanut butter flavored chips or white chocolate chips may be substituted for butterscotch flavored chips.
Magic Peanut Cookie Bars: Substitute 2 cups (about 3/4 pound) chocolate-covered peanuts for semi-sweet chocolate chips and chopped nuts.
Magic Rainbow Cookie Bars: Substitute 2 cups plain candy-coated chocolate candies for semi-sweet chocolate chips.