Foley Faves: April 2013

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sunday Spinach and Strawberry Salad

With strawberries in abundance, I made this for dinner tonight.
I topped it with grilled chicken and feta cheese. The homemade poppyseed dressing is easy to make, light and delicious. Just the right sweetness!

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen, modified by me!
Salad:

1 (10 to 12 ounce) package baby spinach
1/3 cup sliced almonds (I used Trader Joe's Honey Roased Sliced Almonds)
1 pint strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced (I used an English cucumber and did not peel it.

Dressing:

1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon poppy seeds.

I use an Oxo Good Grips Salad Dressing Container.

For the dressing:

In a small glass bowl or jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, oil, and poppy seeds. Whisk together in the glass bowl or shake if using a jar.

Directions:

In a large salad bowl, add the spinach, almonds, strawberries and cucumber and toss together. Dress the salad right before serving.

Top with grilled chicken and feta cheese.

Best Ever New York Cheesecake

This is the first recipe in the first book of my recipe collection that I started in 1970. Our first apartment was in East Brunswick, New Jersey. We were neighbors and friends with the Forman's and the Addeo's. Randee Forman was from Long Island, New York, and she made this delicious New York Cheesecake. Nothing has ever compared to it!

Graham Cracker Crumbs

1 lbs. ricotta

2 - 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 stick margarine (softened)***I would only use butter

1 1/2 cup sugar

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint sour cream

Grease a 9" springform pan. (Bottom and sides) Dust all with graham cracker crumbs.

Sieve ricotta into large mixing bowl. (This means I used to press it through a strainer). Add cream cheese and margarine (butter). Beat at high speed until creamy. At high speed add sugar, then eggs. Reduce speed to low. Add cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Blend in sour cream at low speed. Pour into pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until firm on edge. Turn off oven and let cake stand in oven for 2 hours. This is important and do not peek or open door!

Remove and cool on wire rack. Chill. Remove cake sides from springform pan and serve. Serves 12.

Can be topped with fruit, if desired.

*I always served this cheesecake with frozen strawberries in syrup, but fresh strawberries would be delicious also.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Jill Foley Alexander's Strawberry Butter Lettuce Salad

Here is my original salad recipe. I made this for lunch today at work.

It is butter lettuce
with goat cheese,
pine nuts
and strawberries.

I used balsamic vinaigrette for the salad dressing.

It is phenom!

"Posted by Mom for Jill"

Grilled Shrimp Quesadillas

8 Colossal Trader Joe's Uncooked Wild Blue Shrimp
1 lime, halved
Freshly ground pepper
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 avocado, sliced
Fresh flour tortillas (Trader Joe's brand found in the bread section)

Thaw shrimp under cold water, place on paper towels to absorb moisture.

Thread on wooden skewers. Sprinkle the juice of one lime over the shrimp and
fresh ground pepper.

Make a 8 inch square of aluminum foil with sides for your grill pan. Spray with olive oil cooking spray. Grill diced yellow peppers until soft. Remove from pan and set aside.

Grill shrimp about 8 minutes total, 4 minutes on each side. Take tail off of shrimp.

Using a large round frying pan, spray one side of tortilla with olive oil spray and place in pan. Sprinkle with 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mexican blend cheese. Arrange shrimp and yellow pepper on top. Cover with second tortilla, top sprayed with olive oil.

Cook on low heat with a cover on until tortilla is light brown, flip carefully and cook the same way until cheese is melted.

Turn out onto cutting board and cut into quarters. Serve with fresh avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.

Puppy Chow

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
9 cups Crispix cereal
3 cups powdered sugar

Combine peanut butter, butter and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave for one minute then stir to blend all ingredients thoroughly. Add 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir well.

Place the 9 cups of Crispix cereal in a very large bowl.

Pour the peanut butter-chocolate mixture over the cereal and toss evenly, making sure all the cereal gets a good coating.

Place the powdered sugar in a very large zip-lock type plastic bag.

Add the peanut butter-chocolate cereal mixture to the bag, leaving enough room for the puppy chow to be shaken. Shake the bag vigorously to evenly coat each piece of the puppy chow with powdered sugar.

Once the mixture is fully coated, place in a large serving bowl.

Best stored in the refrigerator.

My grandson Owen enjoying his Puppy Chow snack!

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Shrimp Rolls

I made these for a summer picnic at the Lincoln, Nebraska Pops concert in Antelope Park.

1 lemon, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds large shrimp, shell on

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 cup minced red onion ( I left the onion out )
1 1/2 cups minced celery

8 hot dog rolls, preferably split on top.

In a large dutch oven, bring 5 quarts of water, lemon and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil. Add shrimp, reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 3 minutes, or until shrimp are just cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Let cool, peel and devein.;

In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, mustard, wine, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, dill, onion and celery.

Stir shrimp iinto mahyonnaise mixture. Use immediately or chill, covered, until ready serve. Just before serving, spoon about 2/3 cup shrimmp mixture into each roll.

**Served with a salad of sliced fresh tomatoes, sprinkled with feta cheese and vinaigrette dressing.

Dorothy Voigt's Cucumber Salad

My mother made this in the summer with fresh cucumbers.

She got the recipe from her mother-in-law Louise Kraker Voigt, my grandmother.

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 medium cucumbers, peeled and very thinly sliced

In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, dill and salt.

Mix in the cucumber slices, tossing to coat.

Any-Kind-Of-Quiche

Crust:
4 oz. cream cheese (1/2 block of Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups flour

For crust, mix all ingredients in food processor until dough just forms a soft ball. Press into a 12 inch quiche dish. Chill while preparing filling.

Filling:

5 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

3/4 cups chopped broccoli or asparagus (slightly pre-cooked)
1 cup chopped ham or shrimp.
2 cups grated swiss cheese (I like the combination of swiss/gruyere)

Layer vegetables, meat/seafood, cheese over cold crust.

Mix eggs with half and half and add seasonings. Pour over all.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 - 50 minutes or until set. Put knife into center of quiche and if it comes out clean it is done.

Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

**Be creative with the vegetables, meat/seafood and cheese. Spinach, italian sausage, cheddar/mozzarella; zucchini, onion, diced tomatoes, monterey jack cheese, crabmeat, mushrooms, and on and on.

Delicious served with a spring salad mix and simple vinaigrette.

Christmas Oatmeal Kisses

1 bag Hershey Kisses, milk chocolate (the only kind in the "olden days")
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups quick oatmeal
1 cup chopped nuts (optional) I never put nuts in these cookies.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove wrappers from kisses.

Beat butter, shortening, white sugar, brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy.
Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda anbd salt; add to butter mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in rolled oats and nuts.

Shape rounded teaspoons of dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven; immediately place a chocolate piece in center of each cookie, pressing down lightly. Carefully remove cookies from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Cool completely.

About 6 dozen cookies.