Brownie Cookies

These are probably my favourite cookies that I make.  They taste like brownies.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c butter or margarine
2 c sugar (I've done half brown and half white before- either way is fine)
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
3/4 c cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c chips (peanut butter, white chocolate, butterscotch, chocolate, etc) -butterscotch is my fav

Directions:

cream butter and sugar.  add eggs and vanilla. beat. add flour, baking soda, salt. beat. add cocoa by sifting to get out all lumps. beat. mix in chips. drop onto cookie sheet. bake at 350 for 9 minutes.  do NOT over cook- when you take them out of the oven they will look raw- don't worry.  allow the cookies to cool almost completely on the sheet before moving them. 

Salmon Cakes

(even my 7 month old daughter loves these)
http://www.cbc.ca/bestrecipes/2010/01/salmon-cakes.html

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes, peeled, diced, cooked
2 cans of salmon
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill or cilantro (original recipe calls for cilantro but last time I used dill, both are yummy)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each of hot sauce, lemon zest and black pepper
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp oil


Directions:

Cook potatoes. In large bowl, mash potatoes until smooth; stir in onions, cilantro/dill, mustard, salt, lemon rind, pepper and hot pepper sauce and oil. Blend in egg. Fold in salmon. Let cool for 5 minutes.
Using hands, shape into eight 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick patties- you want to think baseball patties; they need to be thick so they don't fall apart when cooking.
In large nonstick skillet, heat a little oil over medium-high heat; cook 4 of the patties for about 5 minutes per side or until a nice golden crust forms. Repeat with remaining patties.

Serve with lemon wedges and either Lemon Garlic Aioli or Tartar Sauce.


Lemon Garlic Aioli

Ingredients:
-1/2 c mayo
-1 clove garlic, minced/grated
-1 tbsp oil
-1 tbsp lemon juice
-1/4 tsp salt
-dash hot sauce

Directions:
In bowl, whisk together mayo, garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt and hot pepper sauce.  You can refrigerate for up to 24 hrs.



Tartar Sauce

Ingredients:
-1/2 c mayo
-1 1/2 tbsp relish
-1 1/2 tbsp minced/grated onion
-1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
-salt and pepper to taste

Directions:-whisk everything together or put in a food processor and mix together
-TRY to refrigerate for at least one hour before serving

Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich

For 2 Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• For the Po Boy:
• 2/3 cup Buttermilk
• 1/8 cup of your favorite Louisiana red hot sauce
• 4 tablespoon Creole/Cajun Spice (Cajun Spice Blend Recipe)
• about 12 jumbo shrimp/prawns
• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Lengths of po'boy bread split lengthwise (6-8 inch lengths) -your favourite sub bun
• mayo/butter for toasting bread
• 1 Medium tomato (thinly sliced)
• Shredded lettuce (for garnish)
• sauce for sandwich (I've used the 2 following sauces- jalapeno aoili [http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/Shrimp-Po-Boy-Emeril-Lagasse] and remoulade sauce [http://www.food.com/recipe/stans-place-shrimp-po-boy-127016]- both delicious!

Directions:

-Combine the buttermilk, hot sauce, and half of the cajun spices in a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the shrimp and allow to marinate for up to 30 minutes, refrigerated.
-In a separate medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, and remaining cajun spices and stir to blend.
-Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot or deep-fryer until the temperature reaches 360° F. You can also shallow fry in a pan. Working in batches, remove the shrimp from the buttermilk marinade and transfer to the masa harina mixture. Dredge to coat, shaking to remove any excess breading. Cook the shrimp, in small batches, until golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels to drain. Season with salt and pepper or a little more of the cajun spice blend if you want to really make it spicy and delicious and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
-Spread the bottom and top halves of the bread with the melted butter or mayo and then put in a hot pan to toast up. Generously spread the top halves of the toasted bread with the Jalapeno Mayonnaise or Remoulade sauce. Divide the shrimp evenly among the bottom halves followed by the lettuce and tomatoes (add any other veggies). Place the top halves of the bread over the fillings and press lightly.  Cut each sandwich in half and serve immediately.

you can see two of the shrimp on the plate- this is what they should look like. served with onion rings.

Old Fashioned Onion Rings

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/old-fashioned-onion-rings/

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk, or as needed
• 3/4 cup PANKO breadcrumbs
• salt
• oil for frying (I shallow fry so I only use as much as would cover the onion rings half way- you can deep fry, too)
  

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). If you are shallow frying, like me, heat oil in your pan at medium high heat.
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow dish. Place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
4. Fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with salt as soon as they are taken out of the oil.

these were served along side a Po' Boy Sandwich