Making Meals Monday

Welcome back! Here are the meals we are preparing this week. Well, I am leaving one day our because our Christmas day meal is just the normal - ham, potatoes, pie.....

But here are a few other things on tap at our house this week:

Garlicky Shrimp Scampi

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound large shrimp peeled, deveined, and butterflied
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teasppon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 scallions, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup plain dry bread crumbs

1 - preheat the broiler

2- heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet with an ovenproof handle over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, just until the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, broth, scallions, parsley, and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the liquid beings to thicken slightly and the shrimp are just opague in the center, about 3 minutes.

3- top the shrimp mixture with the bread crumbs. Place the skillet under the broiler and broil 5 inches from the heat until the topping is golden, about 2 minutes.

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Honey-Soy Broiled Salmon

1 scallion, minced
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 pound salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 4 portions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

1. Whisk scallion, soy sauce, vinegar, honey and ginger in a medium bowl until the honey is dissolved. Place salmon in a sealable plastic bag, add 3 tablespoons of the sauce and refrigerate; let marinate for 15 minuttes. Reserve the remaining sauce.

2. Preheat broiler. Line a small baking pan with foil and coat with cooking spray. Transfer the salmon to the pan, skinned-side down. (discard the marinade). Broil the salmon 4 to 6 inches from the heat source until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes. Drizzle with the reserved sauce and garnish with sesame seeds.

To toast seeds: cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

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Garlic roast

1 5 pound roast
5 cloves of garlice, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Place the roast in a roasting pan with the fatty side up. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Spread the mixture over the fatty layer of the roast, and let the roast sit out until it is at room temperature, no longer than 1 hour.

2. preheat the oven to 500 degrees

3. bake the roast for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, and continue roasting for an additional 60 to 75 minutes. The internal temperature of the roast shoud be at 145 degrees for medium rare.

4. Allow the roast to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving so the meat can retain its juices.

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

1, 8 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained (juice reserved)
2 green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup cornstartch
1 3/4 cup water
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
2 drops orange food color
8 skinless, bonelss chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
2 cups water
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

1. In a saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups water, sugar, vinegar, reserved pineapple juice, and orange food coloring. Heat to boiling. Turn off heat. Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; slowly stir into saucepan. Continue stirring until mixture thickens.

2. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and egg. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thruroughly. Add chicken pieces and stir until chicken is well coated.

3. Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees. Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until golden. Remove chicken and drain on paper towels.

4. When ready to serve, layer green peppers, pineapple chunks, and cooked chicken pieces on a platter. Pour hot sweet and sour sauce over top.

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Ham Balls
(this is my MIL recipe. These are REALLY good - when she makes them.)

2 pounds ham loaf
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup minced onion

Mix all ingredients together and roll into walnut sized balls. Dip each ball into sauce before placing into baking pan. Pour remaining sauce over the ham balls. May need 2 pans depending on size. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Sauce - 1 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. dry mustard, 3 tablespoon vinegar

Mix ingredients together and heat until boiling.

We are also making gingerbread cookies this week! A favorite in our house and almost always the cookie we leave for Santa!!

Have a nice week!