Recipe of the Day (RotD) - Bacon Wrapped Shrimp

More from the Kitchen Daily site. This looks too good to be true. Hello heart attack!

INGREDIENTS

SHRIMP

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing2 tsp finely grated lemon zest¼ cup fresh lemon juice6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced6 small jarred or dried Calabrian chiles, minced20 jumbo shrimp, shelled with tails intact10 slices of bacon, cut in half crosswise

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the shrimp in a large baking dish, whisk the 1/2 cup of oil with the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic and chiles. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and add to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour; turn the shrimp halfway through marinating.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan; brush with oil. Season the shrimp lightly with salt and pepper. Grill over high heat, turning once, until the bacon is browned and the shrimp is just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve with the cocktail sauce and lemon wedges.

e-roc's twist: since I have no idea what Calabrian chiles are, I would recommend using red chili pepper flakes. If you have a sweet-tooth, I would imagine that a melted brown sugar + butter + ketchup + Worcestershire dipping sauce would be a nice compliment. Bon appetit!

Recipe of the Day (RotD) - Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

I saw this on The Kitchen (one of my new favorite shows on the Food Network - great cast, great food, fun way to spend an hour), and I modified it for simplicity and healthiness.. I did a Google search and found this recipe which is the closest version I could find to what I did.

(props to SkinnyTaste.com for the picture and the recipe... lots of delicious, healthy recipes throughout the site)...

Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Servings: 6 • Size: about 1 cup cauliflower • Old Points: 2 pts • Points+: 3 pts
Calories: 119.4 • Fat: 2 g • Protein: 4 g • Carb: 21.4 g • Fiber: 3 g • Sugar: 0.2 g
Sodium: 1172 mg

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 22 oz (6 1/2 cups) cauliflower florets
• 3/4 cup Franks Hot Sauce
• 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Lightly spray a large non-stick baking sheet with oil.
• Combine the water, flour, and garlic powder in a bowl and stir until well combined.
• Coat the cauliflower pieces with the flour mixture and place on the baking sheet; bake for 20 minutes.
• While the cauliflower is baking, combine the hot sauce and butter in a small bowl.
• Pour the hot sauce mixture over the baked cauliflower and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

e-roc's twist: I didn't use flour or butter in my version and the hot sauce sticks just fine. I will probably add unsalted butter the next go-round. If you're making this as a dinner appetizer, Skinnytaste recommends a side of celery and dressing, which sounds quite delicious. Also, if you can't find cauliflower florets in your grocery store, chopping up a head of cauliflower the old fashioned way isn't the end of the world. I'm always looking for a good reason to pull out the butcher knife... Bon appetit!

Recipe of the Day (RotD) - Steamed Mussels

I've only ever tried to make mussels once and haven't done it more frequently primarily because of the lack of really great fresh seafood in central Ohio.. It's also a lot of work to debeard these damn things...

Serve over pasta for extra nom nom nom nom... 

• 2 lb live mussels
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup white wine
• 1 chopped shallot
• 2 cloves chopped garlic

Preparation:

Scrub and debeard the mussels. The "beard" is the fibrous hairy thing hanging from one side of the tasty bivalve. Pull it off with a side-to-side motion.

In case you are wondering, a mussel is alive if it reacts. Its shell should be closed. If it is open, sit the mussel on the kitchen counter for a bit. It may close when you are not looking.

Heat the butter over medium-high heat in a large, wide-bottomed pot with a lid; I use a Dutch oven. Saute the shallot until it is soft but not browned. Add the garlic and the white wine (I'd suggest a chenin blanc or something crisp, but you can use any decent white), and bring it to a boil. Add the mussels in one layer if possible.

Cover the pot and let the mussels steam for 3-8 minutes. After three minutes, check the mussels; many should be open. You want them all open, but some will do this faster than others.

Turn off the heat and cover for a minute while you prepare bowls and plates.

Spoon out plenty of mussels and broth, which should be briny enough to not need any more salt. Throw out any mussels that did not open.

Serve with crusty bread, more white wine -- and an extra bowl for the shells.

e-roc's twist: for the lazier chef, grab a small bottle of pre-chopped garlic in olive oil, it'll save you a lot of time and money (unused garlic goes to waste quickly)... Also, always cook with wine that you would drink. Other things you can add to this recipe include: shrimp, scallops, and diced tomatoes...Bon appetit!

Recipe of the Day (RotD) - White Chicken Chili

For the 2nd day in a row, the RotD...

Today's recipe of the day (from Foodnetwork.com):

Ingredients: (Serves 8)

• 1 1/4 lbs boneless skinless chicken
• 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can white corn
• 1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth

Directions:

1. Place chicken in a 4 quart slow cooker.
2. Top with beans and corn.
3. In a medium bowl, combine taco seasoning, chiles, condensed soup, and chicken broth. Pour over top of ingredients in the crock pot.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
5. Before serving, stir gently to break up chicken, then stir in the sour cream.

e-roc's twist: Instead of using an envelope of taco seasoning, I usually make my own taco mix (less salt, more heat).  I add in a 4 1/2oz can of chopped jalapeno's for heat and use frozen corn instead of canned corn and I'm always heavy with the amount of corn I use. Perfect sides for this chili include: Fritos scoops and cornbread. Bon appetit!

Recipe of the Day (RotD)

I'm a foodie with distant unattainable cooking aspirations. I love watching the Food Network and Top Chef. The food they prepare is amazing to me.  The best I can do at the moment and be an above average home chef who knows how to make good scrambled eggs, pan seared salmon, and chicken & chorizo paella.

It hit me this morning that I should start to post/share a Recipe of the Day, if for at a minimum, my own benefit. Hopefully this will still be something I do in January 2015...

Today's recipe of the day (from KitchenDaily.com):

INGREDIENTSvegetable cooking spray4 cup cooked cut green beans1 can (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)½ cup milk1 can (2.8 ounces) French's® French Fried Onions (about 1 1/3 cups)1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese32 oz refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits (16 biscuits, or 2 packages)DIRECTIONS

• Heat the oven to 375°F.  Spray 16 (2 1/2-inch) muffin-pan cups with the cooking spray.  Stir the green beans, soup, milk, 1 cup cheese and 2/3 cup onions in a large bowl.
• Roll each biscuit into a 4-inch circle.  Press the biscuit circles into the bottoms and up the sides of the muffin-pan cups.  Divide the green bean mixture among the biscuit cups.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuit cups are golden brown.  Stir the remaining cheese and onions in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over the green bean mixture.
• Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Let the minis cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes.

e-roc's twist: I would swap out the buttermilk biscuits for cornbread mix. Cornbread mix is very tacky and the casserole mixture should hold inside the cornbread without getting too messy. Don't forget the cooking spray. I would also skip the cheddar cheese. I don't put cheese on my large green bean casseroles, so I can't imagine wanting them on the mini version.