Tag: KOA

Macadamia Nut Rum Cake

Nothing wrong with using cake mix – time is money and there are so many other things to cook.  Not a rum drinker you can still enjoy this tasty cake. This is the moistest cake you’ll ever eat. It freezes beautifully.  You can use different nuts too.  

Ingredients for Cake:

  • 1 c. chopped macadamia nuts
  • 1 (18 ½ oz) pkg. yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3 ¾ oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ c. cold water
  • ½ c. oil
  • ½ c. dark rum (80 proof)

Directions for Cake:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°.
  2. Grease and flour 10-inch tube or 12 cup Bundt pan.
  3. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.
  4. Mix all cake ingredients together.
  5. Pour batter over nuts.
  6. Bake 1 hour.
  7. Cool.
  8. Invert on serving plate.
  9. Prick top.
  10. Drizzle and smooth glaze evenly over top and sides.
  11. Allow cake to absorb glaze.
  12. Repeat until glaze is used up.

Ingredients for Glaze for Rum Cake:

  • ¼ lb. butter
  • ¼ c. water
  • 1 c. sugar
  • ½ c. rum

Directions for Glaze:

  1. Melt butter in saucepan.
  2. Stir in water and sugar.
  3. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Remove from heat.
  5. Stir in rum.

Serves:  10 – 12

Source:   cooks.com

Brie in Puff Pastry

Another low on the difficulty – high on the delivery appetizer. All you do is wrap a wheel(any size) of brie in a thawed sheet of puff pastry and bake until golden. 

Ingredients:

  • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
  • flour, for rolling
  • 1 round brie cheese (8 to 12 ounces, 5- to 7-inch diameter)
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • optional variations
  • baguette slices or crackers

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°.
  2. Place an oven rack in the middle position.
  3. Dust your counter with a small amount of flour.
  4. Unwrap your puff pastry and place it on the counter.
  5. Rub your rolling pin with a little flour. (What, no rolling pin – use a wine bottle or other round container)
  6. Roll the puff pastry until it measures roughly 11 inches by 11 inches.
  7. Place the round of brie in the middle of the pastry.
  8. Top with any optional extra toppings, if using.
  9. Fold the corners over the brie, forming a neat package.
  10. Use your hand to gently press the edges against the brie and neaten up the sides.  If you ended up wheel that’s too large for the pastry to totally wrap the wheel, just bunch the pastry inwards as well as you can; leave the middle exposed and call it “rustic.”
  11. Transfer the wrapped brie to an oven proof dish or pie plate. If the pastry has warmed and is no longer cool to the touch at this point, place the tray in the fridge for 10 minutes, or until you’re ready to bake (even the next day)and serve.  Brush with egg wash just before baking.
  12. For a shinny, golden brown crust brush the pastry all over with the beaten egg. Be sure to get the sides and around the folds. Try not to let the egg puddle under the brie.  It can be baked without the egg it just won’t be shinny.
  13. Bake until golden-brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
  14. Allow to cool 5 to 10 minutes: This gives the hot cheese time to firm up a little and not burn your guests.
  15. Arrange sliced baguette or crackers around the brie and serve while warm.

Baked Brie Variations:
Top with a few spoonfuls jam or preserves, like raspberry jam, apricot jam, or jalapeño jelly.
Top with honey and nuts: especially almonds, walnuts or pecans.
Top with a few spoonfuls of store-bought or homemade cranberry sauce.  (whole berry, not jellied)
Slice or chop any tart baking apple and cook with butter over low heat until soft and warmed through. Scoop on top of the brie.
Slowly caramelize one onion over low heat until very brown, soft, and sweet-tasting. You can stir in a few teaspoons of brown sugar or balsamic vinegar if you like. Scoop over the brie.
Caramelize one onion and add chopped or sliced mushrooms in the last half of cooking.

Serves: 10 to 12

Source:   thekitchn.com

 Mediterranean  Island Salad

This salad got its name because we needed an “Island” name or a meal at the “Welcome to the Islands” camp-out.  Lettuce with “stuff” can be called anything you want!  Check out the “Oil and Vinegar Dressing: A Template” on the blog (Margie’s Kitchen, food is good.)

Ingredients:

  • romaine
  • goat cheese
  • beets – canned shoestring (pickled, if you can find them)
  • chives
  • oil and vinegar dressing

Directions:

  1. Cut or tear romaine into bite size pieces.
  2. Place in large bowl.
  3. Drain beets.
  4. Add to lettuce.
  5. In a jar with a screw lid mix chives, salt, pepper and goat cheese with the vinegar (1 part) and the  oil (3 parts).

Serves:  Figure 3 – 4 people to a head of romaine

Source:   ??

Honolulu Dip

This dip calls for just cream cheese.  We have found that the addition of an equal amount of mayonnaise makes it more “spreadable”.  This is good with crackers or fruit – an appetizer or dessert!

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, well drained
  • 1 handful fresh mint chopped

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Serve with crackers.

Notes:
The easiest way to make this is to use disposable gloves and mix the ingredients with your hands. (unless adding mayo – then a mixer works.)

This is best made 24 hours before it is required to allow the mint flavor to go through the other ingredients.

Serves:  2 cups

Source:  BestRecipes.com, recipe by TrishJ

Beer Brined Pork

Beer-brining makes this pork tender and flavorful. Seared and then
lightly roasted, the sliced pork is fragrant and delicious.  Check out “Brining Pork” and “Brine Time Guide” on the blog (Margie’s Kitchen, Food is Good” for porportions.

Ingredients:

  • pork tenderloins (those little ones, not the big pork loins)
  • beer
  • salt
  • sugar
  • seasoning

Directions:  

  1. Place the pork in a large ziploc bag or non metal pan.
  2. Add some beer – stout, porter or plain old beer.
  3. Add some salt.
  4. Add a little sugar, maple syrup, or molasses, maybe some sage and garlic.  Whatever seem good.
  5. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 2 – 4 hours, turning once.
  6. Drain pork.
  7. Blot dry.
  8. Discard the marinade.
  9. Grill for about 20 minutes, browning on all sides, until a meat thermometer hits 145°.  All the fat has been bred out of pigs these days so you have to be careful not to over cook or it will be dry.  It will continue to cook a bit off the fire.
  10. Or in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and sear the pork on all sides.
  11. Transfer seared pork to roasting pan, cook for 20 min. in a 350° oven, turning once.
  12. Remove pork from oven and allow to rest 5 min. before slicing and serving.

Serves:  Plan on 1/4 – 1/3 pound of meat per person.

Source:  Margie Kleerup

Caribbean Salsa

This is a no-tomato salsa.  A nice variation for those who have an aversion to tomatoes.  Make it as spicy as you like.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 c olive oil
  • 3 onions, diced (you can buy that you know!)
  • 5 garlic cloves -minced (you can buy that you know)!
  • 5 Tab chives – minced
  • 1/c c diced chilies (the canned ones)
  • 1 1/4 c lime juice  (find it in a bottle)
  • 1 tsp – 1 Tab chipolte – ground (on the spice shelf)

Directions:

  1. Mix
  2. Let age a couple of hours in the frige.

Serves:  a lot – 4 – 5 cups

Source:  I have the list of ingredients but cannot find where I got it.

Fruit Salsa

Sometimes a fruity salsa just seem right.  Serve it with grilled fish or chicken, or even those cute little tortilla chip cups. – try cinnamon chips (homemade or store bought).  The fruits can vary – what is ripe today?  The key is a little sweet and a little sour.  Kick it up with a little diced red onion and jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced.  Skip the onion/pepper and serve it over ice cream or angel food cake.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cantaloupe – peeled and diced
  • 3 peaches or 5 kiwi or 1 basket of strawberries or ???
  • 5-6 c watermelon – peeled and diced
  • 1/4 c lime juice
  • 1/4 c brown sugar
  • juice of 1 grapefruit
  • 1/4 c chopped basil

Directions:

Put everything in a bowl and let mellow in the frige for a couple of hours.

Serves:  who knows – what else is there?

Source:  Many internet sites – a recipe is just a suggestion, a starting point.

 

Scallops Brochette

There are scallops and there scallops.  For some great information, check the blog (Margie’s Kitchen – Food is good) for Scallops – More That You Ever Wanted To Know.  We served this with Caribbean Salsa and a Fruit Salsa as an appetizer course.

Ingredients:

  • scallops – use the larger ones (10 – 15/lb)
  • 1/4 c melted butter or olive oil
  • 1 Tab lime juice
  • 1/4 c chopped chives
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Thread scallops on to 4 skewers.
  2. Combine butter, chives and lime juice.
  3. Brush some on the scallops.
  4. Grill under a pre-heated grill or over a hot charcoal fire for approximately 5 minutes, turning often.
  5. Baste with a little more melted butter while cooking.
  6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  7. Serve immediately.

Cooking tip: If bamboo skewers are used, soak them for several hours in cold water beforehand to prevent them from burning

Serves: 4

Source:  Copy-cat from a couple of restaurants

Teddy’s Brie

This recipe is harder to describe than it is to make.  Play with it.

Ingredients:

brie – 4 oz (2.5 inches), 8 oz (5 inches) 1 lb (1/2 kilo, ? inches), 2.2 lb (1 kilo, 7 – 9 inches)

Savory

  • green onions – chopped
  • bacon – crumbled
  • hard boiled eggs – chopped
  • olives, black or green – chopped
  • caviar, black or red
  • black pepper, cracked (coarse)
  • sun dried tomatoes – diced
  • red peppers, canned – diced
  • crispy onions
  • pine nuts – chopped
  • chives
  • parsley
  • guacamole

Sweet  – drizzle the fruits or nuts with honey

  • dried apricots – diced
  • dates – diced
  • pears -diced
  • nuts – chopped – almonds are especially good
  • cranberries – candied
  • carmelized onion
  • jam – raspberry, blackberry, cherry
  •  jalapeño jelly.

Directions:

To peel the top rind off of the brie or not – a personal choice.  I don’t bother.
The number of toppings will depend on the size of your brie.

  1. Take a table knife.
  2. Place it in the brie from center to edge, making a barrier for the topping.
  3. Using additional knives, divide the top into as many triangles as is appropriate for the size of the brie.  4 oz one get one or two, 8 oz can hold .
  4. Carefully top each sections with a topping – don’t overdo it.  Keep in mind how the colors play out.  The visual can be stunning – black caviar, next to red peppers, next to green chives.

Serves:  Depends on the size of the brie and how much other stuff you have.

Source:   Teddy Wells, Artful Gourmet, Villa Park, CA

ABC Dip (Almond-Bacon-Cheddar)

This is one of those dips that is better the next day.  We cut the mayo to 1/2 cup and added 1 cup of cream cheese to make a filling we could mound on toasted  bread rounds.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 c toasted chopped almonds
  • 3 slices crispy bacon, crumbled (We use the store bought ones.)
  • 1 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 c mayonnaise (Miracle Whip makes a good dip too.)
  • 1 Tab minced onion (Dried minced onions work too.)
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

  1. Combine all the ingredients well.   It can also be mixed in a food processor for a smooth dip.
  2. Put in a serving bowl.

Serves::  6 – 8 about 2 cups

Source:  Genius Kitchen, Recipe by celestial_star03