Patriotic Berry Trifle

It's time to start planning the 4th of July celebration, you will be the star of your party when you arrive with this dessert. Don't plan on taking any left overs home!! You can change things up a bit as you or your family like.


Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 premade angel food cake, cut into 1-inch slices

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature

2 pints blueberries

2 pints strawberries, hulled and sliced

Directions

Heat 1/4 cup sugar, the lemon juice and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract.

Brush both sides of each slice of cake with the syrup. Cut the slices into 1-inch cubes.

Beat the remaining 2/3 cup sugar and the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and light. Add the cream and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and the consistency of whipped cream.

Arrange half of the cake cubes in the bottom of a 13-cup trifle dish. Sprinkle evenly with a layer of blueberries. Dollop half of the cream mixture over the blueberries and gently spread. Top with a layer of strawberries. Layer the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries, then sprinkle with more blueberries and top with the remaining cream mixture. Finish with the remaining strawberries and blueberries, arranging them in a decorative pattern. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Lemony Shrimp Scampy

Ingredients

6 garlic cloves, pressed or grated

2 lemons, zested and juiced

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound medium shrimp (21 to 25), peeled, deveined and butterflied (reserve shells)

1/4 onion

3/4 pound thin linguini

2 tablespoons butter

1 small bunch parsley, leaves chopped

 Directions

In a bowl, combine the garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, to taste, and the shrimp. Set aside.

Meanwhile make a quick shrimp stock: In a small pot, over medium heat, add the shrimp shells and onion. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain into a bowl and discard the shells and the onion.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and add a generous amount of salt. Add the linguini and cook until just tender, 2 minutes less than instructed on the package. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Heat a skillet over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink and start to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan to a plate and add the remaining marinade. Let cook a few minutes then add about 1 cup of shrimp stock and about 1/2 cup pasta water. Continue to cook until sauce reduces by half. Add the zest and juice of the remaining lemon, the butter and the parsley and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste. Add in the shrimp and pasta and toss to combine with the sauce. Turn out into a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3 russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the potato cubes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Saute stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add the water, stir, and cover the pan with a lid. Steam the potatoes until the water evaporates, about 3 or 4 more minutes. (Every 1 to 2 minutes, open the lid long enough to stir the potatoes so they don't stick.) Lower the heat to medium, and saute another 1 to 2 minutes until all traces of water are gone. Toss in the butter and stir to coat the potatoes. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven until the potatoes are crisp and browned to your liking, about 15 to 25 minutes depending on how dark you want them. Transfer the potatoes to a serving bowl and serve.

Garlic Spaghetti

Do you love garlic as much as I do??? Do you love spaghetti but are tired of using the same old tomatoe sauce every time, you might want to give this garlic spaghetti a try...

Ingredients

9 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

6 tablespoons butter

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions

In a small saucepan, cook the garlic in the olive oil for 30 minutes on low heat. Stir occasionally to keep the garlic from drying out. In a medium saucepan, add the butter and tomatoes, and stir until well blended and the butter is melted. Stir in the garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Allow the flavors to meld for 10 minutes. Toss with the spaghetti and serve garnished with basil and Parmesan.

 

Creamy Polenta

Ingredients

Vegetable cooking spray

1 cup milk

1 1/3 cups half-and-half, divided

2 tablespoons butter, divided

1/3 cup coarse polenta, or corn grits

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Special Equipment: slow cooker

Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray (for easier clean up) and preheat on high.

In a medium saucepan, add the milk, 1 cup half-and-half, 1 tablespoon butter, and polenta. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly to keep the mixture lump-free. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice per hour. Once you are ready to serve, open the slow cooker and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, remaining 1/3 cup half-and-half, and Parmesan. Salt and pepper conservatively since the polenta will be served with a robustly salted dish.

Ingredients

3 pounds bone-in country-style pork ribs

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pat the ribs dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, and then add the red pepper flakes and bay leaves.

Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach halfway up the sides of the ribs. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, and place in the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown.

Serve the ribs with Creamy Polenta, spooning the sauce on top, and garnishing with parsley.

Roasted Balsamic Onions

Ingredients

• 3 large white onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss the onion quarters with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Place in an ovenproof, large, nonstick skillet, spreading them out in an even layer. Cover the skillet with aluminum foil. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, and then remove the foil. Toss the onions well to coat with the reduced balsamic glaze and put back in the oven to roast another 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.