Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

Well for LaPine this year over the 4th I made this for dessert and it turned out well and could be expanded well for a crowd. It was also fairly light which is nice when it is really warm outside. This is versatile because you could use any fruit really. I also made it in 13X9 pans in a single layer and it worked great for picnic fair.

Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

• 1 loaf pound cake sliced, homemade or I used store bought frozen at LaPine
• 2 cups vanilla wafers
• 2 pints Strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 4 Tbs sugar, divided
  
• 1 pint heavy cream
• 1 large box of vanilla pudding, prepared and chilled to set

Combine your strawberries with 2 Tbs sugar and set aside. Whip the cream to soft peaks and add remaining sugar then whip to stiff peaks. In your trifle dish you will make 2 full single layers in the following order.

Pound cake, Strawberries, Pudding, Vanilla Wafers, Whipped Cream

Layer together and I garnished with more sliced strawberries and mint. Make sure you can refrigerate it for at least an hour before serving.

Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Salad

With the Strawberry season here I have been doing a lot with them! I will be posting a few different ones but this one is good for starters. An easy salad for a side with dinner or would be a great alternative for an ice cream topping.

• 1 pint Strawberries, cleaned and quartered



• 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar



• 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper



• 1 Tbs fresh mint, torn

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. It is delicious, simple and not your usual strawberry recipe!

Crayfish Fried Rice

I had a wild hair to catch some crayfish last week. I hadn't done it since I was a kid but I had caught them back then so why not now? I put the trap out and waited a couple days and I ended up catching 5 decent sized ones. Now I had to figure out what to make with them. I thought fried rice would be a good choice and it actually turned out really good. You could substitute shrimp or leave the meat out all together and it would still be tasty.

Crayfish Fried Rice

10-12 Crayfish, cooked and meat picked, roughly chopped (See Below)

2 Tbs canola oil
3 c cooked white rice, cooled
1 c chopped mushrooms
3 green onions, chopped
3 Tbs cilantro, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbs soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Bring pot of water to boil, drop crayfish into boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove and drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to shock. Once cool enough to handle, pull off tails and claws and remove meat. Then chop large pieces roughly and set aside.

Heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add canola oil. Saute mushrooms for 1 minute then add green onions and cook until wilted. Stir in rice and let cook stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Next add cilantro, soy sauce and egg and stir to incorporate. season with salt and pepper to taste. Once egg is set plate and garnish with more cilantro.

Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa

Blackened Salmon with Mango Salsa

• Portioned Salmon fillets with skin on
• 1 tsp per portion olive oil
• 1-2 tsp per portion, Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan Seasoning

Heat grill to high heat or 400-450 degrees. Take a double layer of foil and fold up the edges to make a pan of sorts to hold in any juices. Place the salmon skin side down on the foil and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the seasoning and rub into the fillet.

Place on the grill and cook for 12 minutes or until firm to the touch. While the salmon is cooking make the salsa that follows.

Mango Salsa

• 2 large mangoes, chopped
  
• 1/2 to 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 2 Tbs minced red bell pepper
• 2 tsp lime or lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar or honey
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

In a bowl combine all ingredients and let set aside for about 10 minutes to let the flavors meld. Serve over the fish or can be used as a salsa with tortilla chips.

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

Lemon Poppy Seed Scones

So I have been very absent lately! We moved and have limited Internet access among other things and just have not found time to blog lately but really want to get back into it. I thought this was a good opportunity to start it up again. I saw a recipe that inspired this in CountryLiving magazine. They really did turn out great and are not a dry scone which I love!

2 c flour
3 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs poppy seeds
1 tsp powdered lemon peel (from Penzey's)
(If you don't have this you can use 1 Tbs fresh zest)
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/2 c milk
1/4 c lemon juice

In a large bowl combine the first 6 ingredients. Working with your hands combine the butter into the flour mixture until it is like coarse crumbs. Pour in the milk and stir until just combined then add the lemon juice to make a soft dough.
Turn out on a lightly floured surface and form into a disk where the dough is about 1 1/2 inch thick. Cut into eight wedges and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes. Let cool.
Make a glaze with about 1 c powdered sugar and 1 Tbs lemon juice. Alter the ration until you get the consistency you like for drizzling. Drizzle the glaze over the scones and let dry about an hour. Serve at room temp or warm. Fabulous!

Creamed Corn

We went to Las Vegas last year and had a corn dish like this and it was fabulous. When we came home I immediately worked on making a version of it. I have come pretty close and it is great to use the fresh corn we have available now. I have also used frozen corn and it works out really well. I prefer to use a white corn but any good corn will work.

Sauteed Creamed Corn

• 4 c whole kernel corn
• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• salt to taste
• 1/2 c half and half or cream

In a large skillet melt the butter and saute the corn until hot through and starting to get tender. Season with the salt and pepper. Pour in the cream and let it simmer until the cream has reduced and just coats the corn.

It is really a simple dish and so easy to make but it tastes so savory and is not your gooey creamed corn you may have had before.

Shrimp Salad

I made this shrimp salad for dinner last night and it turned out really good. I liked the dinner portion but this would probably be better as a side. Would be great at a picnic or potluck and it tastes really good on a hot day. For the life of me I couldn't get this picture to load right.. Is a bit sideways but you get what it looks like.

Shrimp Salad

Dressing:
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c may0
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbs chives, chopped
1 Tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
1-1.5 lb easy peel shrimp
1 lemon, quartered
2 Tbs seasoned salt (I used Traeger salmon shake)
1 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 of a hothouse cucumber, chopped
1 avocado, coarsely chopped
2/3 c tomato, roughly chopped
1 small carrot shredded


In a salad bowl combine the ingredients for the dressing and blend well. Set aside.
In a large saucepan 2/3 filled with water add the lemon and seasoning to the water. Bring to a boil and then add the shrimp. Allow to cook 3 or 4 minutes if frozen, 2 if fresh until they are pink and slightly firm. drain in a colander and shock with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Allow to cool completely and then peel.
Add shrimp and all of your vegetables to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat completely. Refrigerate for an hour to chill through or longer if you have the time.
I served it for dinner on a bed of lettuce or you can eat it alone as a side.