Beer Battered Onion Rings

Beer Battered Onion Rings 

 

I love crispy onion rings but they’re always soggy when you order them with carryout. Once I realized how quick and simple it is to make my own, I never ordered them again. Now I have a batch waiting when my food arrives! 

Beer Battered Onion Rings 

2 large sweet onions, sliced into 1/2 inch rings and separated

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 egg beaten

1-1 1/2 cups beer

vegetable oil for frying

  

Slice onions into 1/2 inch rings and separate.  Scoop out 1/4 cup of flour onto a shallow plate. Set aside.

 

  

In a medium bowl combine 1 cup flour, cayenne, cumin, pepper, garlic powder.  Whisk until well blended. Mix in beaten egg and about 1 1/2 cups beer depending on how thick you want the batter.

Heat oil to about 375 degrees over medium high heat. Dip onion rings in flour on shallow plate and then into batter.  Allow excess batter to drip back into bowl.

 

  

Working in small batches, fry battered onion rings in the hot oil until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. 

Remove from hot oil and drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet or plate.  Serve immediately.

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Cheesecake Santa Hats

 

Okay so I'm finally feeling a little festive for the Christmas holiday. I said Festive not ambitious. I still feel too lazy to bake an entire cheese cake, which is time consuming and expensive.  I'm known to take short cuts and this one is pretty brilliant if I might say so myself.  LOL.  This is the perfect recipe for a last-minute dessert that everyone will love.  And it took no ambition at all.  Just a little creative thinking.

 

Cheesecake Santa Hats

 1 store bought cheesecake

2-inch biscuit cutter

Ripe strawberries, cored

Whipped cream (store bought in the can)

 

Grease the inside of your biscuit cutter with just a little vegetable oil.  

 

 

Using your biscuit cutter, stamp out your cheese cakes, going all the way down to the crust.

 

 

Remove the mini cakes to a platter and add a dollop of whipped cream on top of each one. The strawberry will flatten it out so it spreads to the edges.

 
Place the right size strawberry on top and push down just a bit so that the whipped cream surrounds the bottom of the berry. Then top the strawberry with a tiny bit of whipped cream.

Place in the refrigerator and serve same day.  The whipped cream will deflate after a few hours and the berries will bleed, so best to eat them the same day.

 

ENJOY!                                                                                                                  

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Easy Shrimp Scampi

 

 

One of my favorite recipes to make for all occasions. It’s one of the easiest recipes and it takes less than half an hour to make. I make it for company or for a week night dinner. Perfect for a fast weeknight dinner yet so elegant you can really impress your guests. Just imagine tender garlic shrimp nestled in a bowl of seasoned pasta with a touch of lemon.  I freeze it and so I can defrost it and have it on the table in minutes.  I like to serve it with a fresh salad and garlic bread for dipping in that incredible garlic sauce.

Easy Shrimp Scampi

 

1 pound spaghetti

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4  cloves garlic, finely minced garlic

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1/4 cup dry white wine

½ cup low sodium chicken stock

Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

¼ cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh lemons for squeezing

 

Cook pasta as directed.  Make sure you salt the water. 

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Melt half the butter and half olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add shrimp in a single layer and cook about 1-2 minutes on each side.  Do Not Overcook shrimp.  Cook just until pink and starting to curl. Remove from heat and place on plate so they stop cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining oil and butter. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for only about 30 seconds stirring constantly until fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in your wine or just chicken stock and cook until liquid is reduced by half. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Add your cooked pasta to the skillet along with the shrimp. Toss in garlic butter sauce until well coated. 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove from heat and stir in parsley.  Squeeze a lemon over dish to b

White Chocolate Caramel Swirl Fudge

Oh my.  A fudge so decadent you want to hide it for yourself.  Rich creamy white chocolate surrounding a gooey caramel that oozes out with each bite.  Oh my goodness! 

White Chocolate Caramel Swirl Fudge

 3 cups white chocolate chips

    1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

    4 Tablespoons butter

    ½ package of Kraft caramels (about 30) 

    1 tablespoon of water

Spray an 8 x 8 baking pan with non-stick spray and then line it with parchment paper. Leave extra paper draped over sides to use as handles later to lift out your fudge.

Melt caramels and water in small saucepan until caramels melt. Set aside.

Melt white chocolate chips and butter together in a double boiler or in a glass bowl over a saucepan of water making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.  Once butter and chocolate have melted, add sweetened condensed milk and stir until smooth.

Pour melted chocolate into paper lined pan and top with melted caramel. Using a skewer or knife, swirl the caramel through the white chocolate mixture.

Refrigerate for two to three hours until firm. Lift fudge out of pan using  the parchment paper overhangs and slice and serve.

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