Florida Grillin'

Grilling out is a year-round activity in Florida but many people never get beyond burgers, chicken and steaks. It’s time to get a little creative and take advantage of Florida’s abundance of seafood in our outdoor cooking endeavors. This is a very quick, very healthy dish that is great as an entrée or as a salad topper. The ingredients blend in a surprising Caribbean flavor that pairs well with any side dish.

Coconut-Lime Shrimp

4 T. canned coconut milk
4 T. lime juice
4 t. reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
4 T. chopped fresh cilantro
6 drops hot sauce (optional)
2 lbs. shrimp, shelled and deveined

Combine first six ingredients in a Ziplock back and blend. Add shrimp and shake to coat. Refrigerate for 2 hours.





Preheat grill to very hot. Thread shrimp on skewers, discarding marinade, leaving a little space between to promote even cooking. Grill skewers 3-4 minutes per side turning once. These are great hot or cold. (Serves 6)



Garlic Green Beans

1 ½ lb. green beans, washed and trimmed
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 T. butter or margarine
Salt & pepper to taste

Fill a large saucepan with water about 2” deep. Place beans and garlic in water and heat to boiling, covered. Allow green beans to cook, covered, in the boiling water for 4 minutes on high. Drain beans and add salt, pepper and butter and toss to coat.


Simple. Satisfying. Savory. That’s this month’s dinner @ 6! Until next month ....

Just Fon-DO It!

As promised, I am posting some favorite fondue recipes of mine for my sister-in-law. (Hi, Kim!!) We both received electric fondue pots from our aunts for Christmas and can now fondue without Sterno!! I am so grateful I won't be burning my hand every time I make one of these dishes. That was always the worst part.

Anyway, without further ado, my recipes.

Beef Fondue

1/2 cup soy sauce
15 shakes of Liquid Smoke
10 shakes of onion juice
sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2" cubes.

Marinate steak (cubed) for 2 hours, turning after 1 hour. Simply skewer meat and cook to your liking in fondue pot halfway filled with canola or vegetable oil.

Pizza Fondue

2 T. butter or margarine
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 T. cornstarch
1 1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. garlic powder
2 (10 1/2 oz.) jars pizza sauce
2 1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella cheese

Melt margarine in skillet and brown ground beef with onion over medium high heat. Once meat is done, drain and place in fondue pot.

Mix cornstarch, oregano and garlic powder with pizza sauce and add to meat mixture. Stir well and heat. When mixture thickens add cheese a handful at a time, stirring well after each addition. Blend until smooth and melted. Keep fondue bubbling on medium heat and serve with toasted garlic bread cubes, toasted English muffins or dunk bread sticks.

NOTE: My mom always served this over toasted English muffins. She would split them in half, butter them, toast them then top them with the fondue mixture. Sometimes I put them under the broiler after that with a little extra mozzarella cheese and make them like little pizzas.

Cheddar Fondue

1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground mustard
1/4 t. pepper
1/4. t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 c. milk
2 c. (8 oz.) grated cheddar cheese

In small saucepan melt butter; stir in flour, salt, mustard, peppers & Worcestershire sauce until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; add the cheese and continue stirring until cheese is melted. Place mixture in fondue pot keeping heat to medium low. Serve with bread cubes, ham, or broccoli or cauliflower florets.

White Chocolate Fondue

1 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 pkgs. (12 oz each) premier white morsels

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and butter. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat; add white morsels. Stir until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Transfer to a fondue pot. Serve with apples, bananas, strawberries, cookies, pretzels or pound cake.

NOTE: To make dark chocolate fondue, substitute 1 pkg. semi-sweet morsels and 1 pkg. milk chocolate morsels for 2 pkgs. white morsels above and follow same directions.

The 12 Cookies of Christmas

December is a month steeped in tradition and one of ours is the 12 Cookies of Christmas. Throughout the month I bake -- excessively, and we eat -- excessively. I do some of this at a friend’s cookie exchange each year, where we gather with our cookie dough, bake, eat, have tea and talk! If you’re having or attending a cookie exchange this year, or even if you just bake at home, this column will give you a couple of new ideas. The cookies I bake aren’t always sweet, some are savory and I’m giving you one of each to satisfy all the taste buds. So this month, let’s have “Dessert @ 6”, with each of the treats having 6 or less ingredients, which will help us wedge in some baking between all that shopping and wrapping!

Cheese Crisps

½ lb. extra sharp cheddar cheese
2 sticks butter
2 c. all purpose flour
2 c. Rice Krispies
¼ t. salt
½ - 1 t. cayenne pepper (depending on tastes)

Grate cheese into large bowl. Place sticks of butter in bowl with cheese. Let stand at room temperature until both are soft. Cream together butter and cheese very well; add flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix will; stir in Rice Krispies. Roll about 1 tablespoon of mixture into a ball. Place on cookie sheet and press with the tines of a fork. Bake at 325 degrees for 15-20 minutes, watching carefully after 15 minutes to make sure they don’t overcook. These will not brown, but should be crispy, not soft.

Now for the sweet! These remind me of the date nut roll my grandmother used to make and they are so deliciously different, yet extremely quick and easy to make. They will also help use up the rest of the box of Rice Krispies you bought to make the Cheese Crisps. The great thing about the next recipe is that it’s all done on the stovetop – no baking!

Date Crisps

1 stick butter
2 c. Rice Krispies
1 (8 oz.) pkg. chopped dates
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. chopped pecans
Powdered sugar

In a medium saucepan, place butter, brown sugar and dates. Cook over medium heat until butter and sugar melt. Add Rice Krispies and chopped pecans, stirring to combine. Cool until mixture is warm enough to touch. Form mixture into 1” balls and roll in powdered sugar.

I'd love to collect a few more recipes from some of you. I invite you to email me at lwhite_bloomingdalegazette.com and share your favorite Christmas cookie.

Also, I'll be posting a few more treats this month that your family is sure to love, so check back often.

Happy baking!