CLOSED $25 Top Chef Summer Recipe Contest *ALL MEMBERS

**Moderator**

These sound so good!!!!

Posted:31.05.2008, 15:36

Veracruz Scallops with Cool Green Chile Sauce

Yields: 4-6 servings

Sauce
3 long Anaheim chile peppers
3 scallions, root ends discarded, all the rest roughly chopped
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 small garlic clove
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1/4 teas. kosher salt

Rub
1 teas. pure chile powder
1 teas. paprika
1 teas. kosher salt
1/2 teas. ground cumin
1/2 teas. dried oregano
1/4 teas. freshly ground black pepper
24 large scallops, about 1? ounces each
Vegetable oil
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

Brush the cooking grate clean. Grill the chile peppers over direct high heat, with the lid open, until they are blackened and blistered in spots all over, 3 to 5 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove the chiles from the grill. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the stem ends. Using a sharp knife, scrape off and discard nearly all the blackened skins. Roughly chop the remaining parts of the chiles and drop them into a food processor or blender. Add the scallions, cilantro, and garlic. Process to make a coarse paste, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and process for a minute or two to create a smooth sauce. If it seems too thick, add a little water and adjust the seasonings. In a small bowl mix the rub ingredients. Rinse the scallops under cold water and remove the small, tough muscle that might be left on each one. Place the scallops in a large bowl and add enough oil to lightly coat them. Add the rub, lime zest, and lime juice. Mix well to coat the scallops evenly. At this point, to grill the scallops, you will need to add more charcoal to the fire for high heat. Make sure the bed of charcoal spreads wide enough so that you can grill all 24 scallops over direct heat. When the fire is ready, brush the cooking grate clean. Lay the scallops in orderly rows and grill over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until slightly firm on the surface and opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes, turning once (check one by cutting it open). If you have a nice, even fire, keep the scallops in their original order. If not, you may need to swap their positions for even cooking. Remove them from the grill and serve warm with the sauce.

Posted:01.06.2008, 19:43

My boyfriend (the Grill King!) and I love to grill out....rain or shine! Our favorite thing to grill.....STEAKS!!!!!! We usually buy the Top of Iowa or the Rib-Eye steaks. They cost a little more, but it's worth the price. Of course, you can't have steak without the perfect rub.....ribs, either. This is the rub we use......

1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp mustard powder
1 tbsp red chili powder
1/2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp brown sugar (more or less to taste)
3 tbsp ground paprika (we add a tiny bit more to give it a lot more kick!)
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Combine all the ingredients in a small glass bowl. Mix well and apply to steaks 1 to 2 hours prior to grilling (even better if you let it sit overnight!).

Hope you like it! Happy Eating, No Luckers!!

**Moderator**

Kraziegurl,

That may come in handy for grill night
at the family reunion

Posted:02.06.2008, 12:21

Delicious and Easy Cheesy Potatoes!!!
1-20oz. Pkg. Frozen Hashbrowns (Chunk)
1/2 Cup Butter
Chopped Onion as desired
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
Shredded Cheese (I use 2 cup pkg.)

Place frosen hash browns in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter and add chopped onion. Pour over potates. Mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup and shredded cheese. Spread over potatoes. Top with crushed corn flakes!
Bake 50 minutes at 350.

Can prepare the day before and kept in refrigerator! Fast and easy and goes with just about anything from the grill!!!!

Posted:03.06.2008, 07:43

Bacon-wrapped Prunes
Okay, this sounds weird but they are really quite tasty. A bit of salt with your sweet. I tried two ways to cook them. Both worked. I'm also including a variable or two in case you want to get wild. The restaurant served two per person. Seems like just the right amount for the obvious reasons.

21 prunes (you can vary the number)
7 pieces of regular American bacon (Oscar Meyer is a favorite)
Olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Most prunes come dried and in a bag now. First thing you'll need to do is "plump them back up". This usually means covering them in water and boiling them for a few minutes until they soften up. You'll do this same thing to prepare the prunes for this dish. If you want to get wild you can add some liqueur or wine to the water to infuse the prunes with extra flavor. After you cook the prunes, put them on a paper towel to drain. When they have drained you can proceed.

One third of a piece of bacon is enough to cover one prune all the way around. So if you cut your bacon strips into three segments, crosswise, you'll have enough to wrap each prune. You want the bacon to overlap a bit. Place each wrapped prune on a baking sheet sprayed with oil. Make sure they are seam-side down.

Bake the prunes wrapped in bacon for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Then open the oven and gently turn the prunes over so the other side can brown against the cookie sheet. The second side should only take about 5 - 7 minutes. You want the prunes baked to a brown crunchiness but not blackened.

Let cool slightly and eat.

An alternative method would be to fry them. You can use a sauté pan and spray it with oil. Brown the seam side first so it sticks together then gently turn so they brown all over. This method is a little greasier so I'd suggest you drain them on paper towels before you serve them.

P.S. I did find out that Devils on Horseback (a British recipe) is very much the same. In that recipe they stuff the prunes with chutney and serve on toast with watercress. I guess this is just a simpler version. Either way, they are great little tidbits!

Posted:03.06.2008, 08:08

Here's another rub........for Chicken!! This will definitely liven up boring ol' grilled chicken!!

1/3 cup paprika
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
1 tsp brown sugar
1/3 cup fresh rosemary
3 tbsp dry mustard
2 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ground dried basil
2 tbsp ground red pepper
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Apply to chicken heavily and message into the meat 1/2 hour before grilling (we usually go a hour or more).

Posted:03.06.2008, 11:58

well if u like to drink try these awesome pudding shots
i pkg of vanilla pudding
vanilla vodka
butttershot snapps
follow directions on package instead of all the milk use liqour insted freeze when set enjoy a refreshing and fun treat
if u like choc usa kahula and vanilla vodka instead

Posted:04.06.2008, 07:53

CHICKEN KABOBS WITH LEMON AND THYME

Serves 4

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 small shallot, minced

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 large boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves

2 lemons, each cut into 4 wedges

In medium nonreactive bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, thyme, garlic, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Place in large, heavy-duty sealable plastic food-storage bag.

Using a fork, pierce each chicken breast all over several times to help the marinade penetrate. Cut each chicken breast into 8 large, equally sized chunks. Put the marinade mixture in the plastic bag; add the chicken, seal the bag, and move the pieces around to coat them thoroughly. Put the bag in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.

Preheat the grill. Meanwhile, thread the chicken chunks onto 8 skewers, including a lemon wedge in the middle of each skewer.

Grill the kabobs until the chicken is nicely brown and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, turning the kabobs once. Serve on a bed of Couscous Salad (recipe follows).

Posted:11.06.2008, 06:50

Raspberry Trifle

Ingredients:

* 1 package (16 ounces) pound cake, cut into 18 slices or 2 packages (3 ounces each) ladyfingers
* 2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
* 1 jar (18 ounces) raspberry jam
* 1-1/2 pints fresh raspberries
* Whipped cream and fresh raspberries, for garnish

Directions:
Arrange one-third of sliced cake in the bottom of a trifle dish or large decorative bowl. Prepare pudding according to package directions. Place one-third more cake pieces around inside of bowl, using half of pudding to hold them in place. Gently stir together jam and raspberries; spoon half over pudding. Cover with remaining cake pieces. Layer remaining pudding and raspberry mixture. Chill. Garnish with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.

Posted:11.06.2008, 07:03

INGREDIENTS

* 3/4 cup cold milk
* 1 pkg. (4 serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding & Pie Filling
* 1 1/2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
* 1 (10.75 ounce) package frozen pound cake
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 2 cups mixed raspberries and sliced strawberries
* 1/4 cup blackberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Add milk to dry pudding mix in medium bowl. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Stir in 1 cup of the whipped topping.
2. Cut cake horizontally into three layers; brush with juice. Place bottom layer on serving plate; top with 3/4 cup of the berries, half of the pudding mixture and middle cake layer. Repeat layers of berries and pudding mixture; cover with top cake layer. Top with 1/2 cup whipped topping and the remaining berries; cover loosely with foil.

Refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Posted:11.06.2008, 23:41

All of these recipes sound so good!! Im a big steak lover and make this alot.
Mustard Glazed Top Sirloin- 4 8oz top sirloin steaks, 2 tbls soy sauce
2 tbls dry sherry, 2 tbls dijon mustard, juice of 1 lime, 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
Preheat and oil the grill. Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl. Brush steaks on
both sides with the glaze. Grill on med-high heat for 4 min. Turn steaks and brush again with glaze. Grill for 4 minutes for med rare, or longer for desired doneness. Remove from grill and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Its great with a fresh salad, french bread and a glass of Pinot Noir!

Posted:13.06.2008, 22:23

We just moved back to Arizona so mine is a cocktail that cools you down in the hot hot summer...

1 shot Vodka
Equal parts lemonade and cranberry juice
Garnish with a lime

Yummy!

**Moderator**

This contest is closing tomorrow, GOOD LUCK Chefs!!

Posted:16.06.2008, 16:02

Everyone!!'
And

for all the yummy recipes and ideas!!!