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Fiesta Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail

4 · · 1 Comment

+ Fiesta Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail recipe inspired by Marcela Valladolid from The Food Network’s Mexican Made Easy +

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This is a fun new take on your basic shrimp cocktail and it’s super easy to make. The recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Food Network Chef’s Marcela Valladolid from  The Kitchen and Mexican Made Easy Fame.  I of course had to put a little WhipperBerry spin on it. Instead of poaching the scallops, I actually pan seared my scallops and then chilled them. It added a little more depth to the flavor of the scallop and I love it. Also, rather than starting from scratch with my cocktail sauce, I use a commercially prepared cocktail sauce as my base and then doctored it with some of Marcela’s ingredients. Here’s the recipe…

Fiesta Scallop and Shrimp Cocktail
 
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Surprise your guests with this fun and spicy to take on the classic shrimp cocktail!
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. cooked shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail off)
  • 8 large sea scallops
  • 3 cups cocktail sauce
  • 1 large lime (juiced)
  • ½ of a serrano chili (finely diced)
  • ¼ teaspoon of Tabasco Soy Sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl or large canning jar, mix your cocktail sauce, lime juice, serrano chili, and spicy Tabasco soy sauce. Mix well, cover and let chill in the refrigerator for a least 30 minutes.
  2. Prepare scallops by rinsing gently with cold water, removing the "foot" a little flap that you will find on the side of the scallop. Just pull it off and discard. Completely dry the scallops and set on paper towel to absorb any moisture.
  3. In a skillet, add olive oil and set over high heat. Once the pan it hot, add the scallops and turn down the heat to medium high.
  4. Let the scallop cook for 2 minutes or until seared (brown) on one side and then flip over to sear the other side for another 2 minutes. Remove from the pan. Let cool and then store in an air tight container with a paper towel at the bottom, in the refrigerator until chilled and ready to use.
  5. When ready to serve, cut the scallops in half and place in a medium sized bowl. Add the shrimp making sure they are rinsed, dried and tail removed, into the bowl. Cover with cocktail sauce and combine. Place in serving cups with a small stock of celery to garnish.

Spicy Italian Sandwich + a Chance to WIN $25,000

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+ This Spicy Italian Sandwich recipe is brought to you by Mezzetta and their Make That Sandwich Contest+

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I would venture to say that we are all, to a certain extent, sandwich lovers. We all have different tastes, one may gravitate to the peanut butter and jelly region while others live on the wild side with a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich using four cheeses that neither one of us can pronounce along with a fig spread. No matter what end of the spectrum you are on, you have to admit that some days a good ole’ sandwich can really hit the spot!

Now, there are days when a plain Jane ham and cheese is what will ring your bell and then there are those days that plain Jane just won’t do! That’s when you need a little kick, something a little extra special. On those days for me, I crave my Spicy Italian Pressed Picnic Sandwich with all kinds of goodies from the family of Mezzetta products.

I love spicy, I love flavor and this sandwich really hits the spot when I am in that spicy mood! What do you like to make when the sandwich mood hits you? I grab a few of my favorite Mezzetta goodies like their Savory Garlic Everything Spread, (for the record, this is my new favorite spread EVER!) Their Chicago Style Italian Sandwich Mix, Roasted Red Bell Pepper and then I top it off with some tangy olives. Kalamata and Jalapeño Stuffed Green Olives for an extra kick. What do you like to create with? Did you know the folks at Mezzetta are hosting a sandwich making contest?

Are you ready to put your sandwich making skills to the test? For $25,000 I think it’s totally time to get your sandwich on! Visit Mezzetta for all the details on the Make that Sandwich Contest.

Now, if I could enter the contest… Here’s what I think would be a tasty recipe.

My simple, yet tasty Spicy Italian Pressed Picnic Sandwich. Here’s how you make it. You will need some good Ciabatta bread, cut it in half length wise.

Now this sandwich is packed full of all kinds of goodies so, I pull some of the bread out of the center of the Ciabatta slices to make more room. Then I spread the sandwich liberally with Mezzetta Garlic Savory Everything Spread. I then top one side of the sandwich with Mezzetta Chicago Style Italian Sandwich Mix and some Roasted Red Bell Pepper.

Then on the other side of the sandwich, I layer some Genoa salami, ham and some Havariti cheese. I also top it with some fresh basil from my garden.

I then close the sandwich and wrap it with wax paper…

… And then I place something heavy on top to press the sandwich. Let it press for 5 minutes or so and then put in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat.

These sandwiches are PERFECT for picnics or traveling. They keep really well and actually taste a little better after the bold flavors have had time to marry.

Soooo, what are you going to make for The Make That Sandwich Contest? What bold flavor combinations will you come up with?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Mezzetta. The opinions and text are all mine.

Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Tomato Relish

5 · · 3 Comments

+ Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Relish KNOCK-OFF Recipe from Granite City +

Balsamic-Steak-Salad-with-Pickled-Tomato-Relish-#whipperberry

There is a restaurant here in Lincoln called Granite City and it’s one of our favorite date night places here in town. They have some really great items on the menu, but my all time favorite is their Steak Salad.

Sadly, this is not a regular menu item and that drives me nuts. Some times it’s there and other times it mysteriously disappears.  There is nothing worse than craving your favorite salad just to find that it’s not always available when you want it. I decided I needed to take things into my own hands and recreate my favorite salad at home and that where my Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Tomato Relish began.

This salad is a perfect dinner salad, it has 5 components…

1 + The Steak +

This is super easy, all you need to do is grill up some steak simply with salt and pepper. I don’t even bother with the more expensive cuts of meat. Just a basic petite steak is perfect, just make sure to not over cook it.

2 + The Pickled Tomato Relish +

This was a game changer for me… If you love pickles, tomatoes, or vinegar, this recipe is for you! It’s super simple to put together a few days in advance and they keep in the fridge for a while so, a batch could last the whole summer if you like. I share my recipe for these pickled tomatoes HERE.

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3 + The Croutons +

This salad has a lot of the same elements as a Panzanella Salad which is a bread salad. The croutons are a major element, not just an after thought. I make some fresh croutons out of day old French bread buy cutting it into large, but still bite sized pieces. I drizzle the bread with Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil and place in my toaster oven or oven at 350˚ for about 10 minutes or until they are lightly browned and dried out, but still a little chewy in the middle.

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4 + The Cheese +

Every element to this salad is a must and the cheese is one of my favorites. I LOVE blue cheese. I always have some type of blue cheese in my fridge for just such an occasion. I’m not super picky so just your basic grocery store crumbled blue cheese will work, but it is  a must!

5 + The Balsamic Dressing +

I use this dressing recipe ALL THE TIME! It’s great to mix up a large batch and keep in the fridge for simple dinner salads or I also use it as a marinade for chicken, steak, shrimp… really almost anything. It’s defiantly one that is good to have around. It was also perfect for my knock-off steak salad. Here are your ingredients…

Balsamic-Steak-Salad-with-Pickled-Tomato-Relish-#whipperberry-1

+ Pompeian Extra Virgin Olive Oil + Pompeian Balsamic Vinegar + garlic + honey + dijon mustard + dried oregano + salt + pepper +

Balsamic Steak Salad with Pickled Tomato Relish
 
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This is a great dressing to have around for all kinds of salads or even a marinade for grilling.
Author:
Recipe type: Balsamic Dressing
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Peel and finely mince your clove of garlic. Place a large pinch of course salt on the garlic and using the side of your knife rub the salt into the garlic creating a garlic paste. Scoop up the paste with your knife and add to a clean jar.
  2. Add olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, oregano, salt and pepper to the jar. Put on the lid to the jar and shake for 1 minute. Let dressing set for 10 minutes so that the flavors can marry and then add to your favorite salad.
  3. Store leftovers in the jar, place in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Now that you have all of the components, all you have to do is assemble and enjoy!

 Disclaimer // This is part of a series of sponsored posts for Pompeian. I received product and payment for my recipe development. As always, all thoughts, idea and opinions are my very own!

Pickled Tomatoes

28 · · 10 Comments

This post brought to you by Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar // I’m a pickle girl… Honestly, I don’t think I’ve met a pickle that I didn’t like.  I love all kinds of pickles not just pickled cucumbers. Have you every tried pickled okra, cauliflower, carrots… they are amazing!  We have a restaurant here in Lincoln called Granite City and they have a steak salad that I ADORE and they have a pickled tomato relish on the salad and it’s divine.  The whole idea intrigued me, so I thought I would try and come up with some pickled tomatoes of my own…

Pickled-Tomato-&-Steak-Salad-with-Pompeian-Red-Wine-Vinegar-#whipperberry-3

I love that I will have tomatoes along with some red onions that are pickled and ready in my fridge at any time. I was one of the kiddos that when my mom made salad or tacos I wouldn’t eat them if they didn’t have tomatoes, it just didn’t seem complete to me. This way I always have tomatoes on hand even when I haven’t made it to the market for a few days. This whole idea is super simple and only takes about 45 minutes to pull together. I used my favorite Pompeian Red Wine vinegar for these pickled tomatoes. You need to check out their whole line of vinegars, they have some amazing flavors!

First, I prepared my four 1 quart wide mouth Ball canning jars, by sterilizing them in the dishwasher.

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I gathered my simple ingredients, tomatoes, salt, sugar, garlic, Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar, red onion, dill and pepper corns…

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I prepared my pickle brine from the recipe below and while it cooled I prepped my veggies. I cut my tomatoes into large pieces, sliced my onions and peeled the garlic. I layered my veggies in the sterilized jars…

Pickled-Tomato-&-Steak-Salad-with-Pompeian-Red-Wine-Vinegar-#whipperberry-11

Now, this is a cold pickle so I wanted the brine to be cool, so that it wouldn’t cook the tomatoes. This also means that I just put the pickled tomatoes into the fridge and I don’t go through the whole preserving process. This means that I will have to keep the pickles in the fridge because they have not been officially preserved by the full canning process which kills all the possible bacteria.

The tomatoes will become rather soft, so you may want to use a small grape or cherry type tomato and not cut them for a firmer pickled tomato.

Once the brine is cool, pour it into the jar, seal the jar with the lid and place in the refrigerator. Let the tomatoes “pickle” for a few days and then serve with your favorite salad, cottage cheese, use as a burger topping… the skies the limit!  I will be sharing my copy cat Steak Salad from Granite City in a bit and share how I like to eat my pickled tomatoes.

Balsamic-Steak-Salad-with-Pickled-Tomato-Relish-#whipperberry-2

Pickled Tomatoes
 
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These pickled tomatoes are a sure fire way to impress your family and friends this summer!
Author:
Recipe type: condiment
Cuisine: American
Serves: 25
Ingredients
  • 3 cups Pompeian Red Wine Vinegar
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons salt
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • 8 garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons peppercorns
  • 25-30 medium sized tomatoes
  • 2 red onions
  • 1 bunch of dill
Instructions
  1. Prepare your brine by placing the vinegar, water, salt and sugar into a sauce pan over medium high heat. Heat the brine mixture until the salt and sugar have dissolved about 4 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally. Let brine cool.
  2. Prepare your veggies by cutting the tomatoes into large pieces and slicing the red onion in onion rings and peeling the garlic. Layer the veggies in your sterilized 1 quart wide mouth Ball canning jars. Pour cooled brine into the jars and place the lid on the jars. Place in the refrigerator.

Disclaimer // This post is sponsored by Pompeian. I received product and payment for my recipe. However, as always… All thoughts, ideas and opinions are my very own!