Yummy Indian Shrimp Curry

Back in 2006, we hosted a 16-year old British teen named Simon for a month. He didn't really know what he was all about or what he wanted from life, but he could cook. He made several Indian dishes for us, and this curry is our favorite. I still make it a lot.

Bon Appetit!
Jill B


1 medium onion, diced
1 lb shrimp
1 can crushed tomato
1 cup (??) plain yogurt
Heavy cream (1 to 2 tbs)
2 jalapeno or Serrano peppers
Spices – curry, Garam masala, chile powder, coriander, salt
Rice

In a large, heavy skillet, heat olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of pan). Brown 1 medium, diced onion in the oil. Add the shrimp. Once the shrimp are pink, add the crushed tomato and curry. Bring to a simmer. Add the yogurt and continue to simmer, adding spices to taste. Once yogurt is well-blended, add heavy cream and blend well. Add peppers. Continue to add spices to taste. Let simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or so to let the flavors come together. Serve over warm basmati or white rice.

Dorie Greenspan's Cornbread Chili Casserole

This dish yummy, yummy, yummy. I made it last night for dinner, and I seriously couldn't resist it. I don't have a 7x11 casserole dish, so I used my 13x9 glass pan instead, and I doubled the cornbread mix. The one box of cornbread mix didn't cover the meat mixture. I was surprised at how light this casserole was too. It didn't taste greasy or heavy at all. I will make this recipe often. It was fairly inexpensive too.
Bon Appetit
Jill:)

Dorie Greenspan's Cornbread-Chili Casserole (with a few minor modifications)

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground chuck
1 1/2 cups bottled salsa
One can (15 oz.) corn, drained
1/4 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar, optional
Cumin and chili powder
Salt and pepper
Two boxes cornbread mix (7 to 8 oz.)
2/3 cup milk, for cornbread
2 large eggs, for cornbread

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large skillet; sauté onion until soft. Add beef; cook until no longer pink. Discard fat. Stir in the salsa, corn, water, and cheese. Season to taste with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.

2. Spoon into a 13x9 pan; smooth the top. Follow cornbread package directions. Spread a thin layer over the chili.

3. Put the casserole on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 375ºF for 40 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6. Per serving: 400 calories, 46g carbs, 29g protein, 85mg cholesterol, and 13g fat.

Pear and Cherry Crisp

Adapted from Bon Appetit. I had a bunch of beautiful pears on hand and thought “Crisp! I want to make a crisp!” This recipe originally called for pears and cranberries, but I substituted cherries instead because I could not find fresh or frozen cranberries this time of year. It was still amazing. Make sure the butter in the recipe is frozen just from the freezer. I used it from the fridge, and I don’t think the topping came out crispy enough. Enjoy!
Jill B
Serve this quick treat with heavy cream or vanilla ice cream.
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients:
Topping
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
2/3 cup firmly packed golden brown sugar
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling
7 large firm ripe pears (about 3 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, cut lengthwise into eighths
1 cup fresh or frozen cherries
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions:
For topping:
Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Add butter and cut in using fingertips or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.

For filling:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish with 2-inch-high sides. Toss all ingredients in bowl to combine well. Transfer to prepared dish.
Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Set dish on baking sheet and transfer to oven. Bake until topping is golden and juices bubble thickly, about 1 hour. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Romy Linnell’s Lemon Berry Cake

Please forgive me Romy if I am spelling your first name wrong. She brought this cake to Book Club last month, and it is light and tasty and yummy. We're so glad to have her in the neighborhood.

Lemon Berry Cake

Ingredients:

1 pkg (18 ½ oz box) yellow cake mix

1 Tbsp grated lemon peel

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 pkg (6 oz box) lemon gelatin

1 ½ cups boiling water

Confectioners' sugar

Whipped cream, optional

Directions:

Prepare cake batter according to package directions. Stir in lemon peel. Pour into a tightly greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Sprinkle with blueberries. Whisk together gelatin and water until gelatin is dissolved. Slowly pour over batter. Bake at 350 degrees F for 33-38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of cake layer comes out with moist crumbs (cake will set upon cooling). Cool slightly on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm with whipped cream if desired. Store in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Eclair Squares

I made this dessert a couple of weeks ago, and it was a huge hit. Even Russell liked it, and he's not a vanilla person. It freezes more like ice cream. I ended up putting the squares in the freezer because after two hours, they weren't firming up well in my fridge. Bon appetit! Oh this recipe comes from Kraft's Food and Family website which is pretty fun Lots of easy, family-friendly recipes.
Jill:)

Chocolate Eclair Squares

Ingredients:
2 pkg. (3.4 oz. each) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
64 NILLA Wafers
2 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

Directions:
BEAT pudding mixes and milk in large bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in COOL WHIP.
ARRANGE 16 wafers on bottom of 8-inch square dish; cover with 1/3 of the pudding mixture. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining wafers. Refrigerate 4 hours.
MICROWAVE chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until melted when stirred. Drizzle over dessert.
Kraft Kitchens Tips
Special Extra
Garnish with COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (in a can) just before serving.
Keeping It Safe
Refrigerate leftovers.