What is that one dish...

That WOWS everyone you serve it to?
 
Mine is Thai Shrimp.
 
Simple recipe if you can get the ingredients.
 
In pan  (I use a wok just because)
 
A little oil
 
A tablespoon of Thai Red Curry Paste  (No, it's not like Indian Curry)
 
Stir, stir, stir
 
Throw in some sugar and some fish sauce.
 
Stir, stir, stir...
 
Throw in some peeled, deveined shrimp and stir until cooked through.  Don't put in too many or they'll not be spicy enough.
 
Want more?  Repeat until you have all you want.
 
You can add some water if you want more sauce.
 
Great this way over rice or as an appetizer.
 
Or...  Stir in some unsweetened coconut milk and again... serve over rice.
 
I get the WOW's by the simple sans coconut milk preperation when served as an appetizer.
 
 

My dish is enchilada's. I have given my recipe to many, but EVERYONE says they cannot duplicate it. My nephew said it best-" Auntie Ann makes them with love"...awwww...

Hen's teeth...Nobody has ever had them before!

My Oysters Rockefeller on Christmas Eve. I do them a little differently using Parsley instead of Spinach.
HO! HO!’s CHRISTMAS EVE OYSTERS ROCKEFELLER 
This recipe is from my Mother’s “Woman’s Home Companion Cook Book”, copyright 1942, consisting of over 950 pages of recipes, cooking methods, food education and things food related that you don’t find in modern day cookbooks. It’s my Cooking Bible.
Oysters Rockefeller
Ingredients
3 Doz oysters on the half shell
1/2 C finely chopped green onion
¼ c finely chopped chives
2 C finely chopped parsley
½ C finely chopped celery
1 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 # softened salted butter plus butter for making crumb mixture.
2 TBSP Tony’s cajun seasoning
Dash of Red Pepper
S & P to taste
Buttered Italian bread crumbs
1 box rock salt
Pie pans 
Directions
Combine onion, chives, parsley, celery, lemon juice, and seasonings  
Cream the ¼ # of butter and add the above mixture. Blend well. 
Put a layer of rock salt in the pans and nest the oysters on the half shell in the rock salt.
Keeps them warm and prevents tipping over. 
Top each oyster with a spoonful of the butter blend mixture and sprinkle with buttered crumbs 
Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) for 25-30 minutes or until crumbs are browned. 
Serves 6
I really don't have just one dish. My family & friends like everything I cook or make. Some of them are:
Deep Fried Turkey, Chili, Standing Prime Rib Roasts on my rotisserie Grill, Crown Roast, Biscuits, Beef Wellington, Yorkshire Pudding, Stuffing, Bloody Marys, French Toast, Veggie Soup plus many others,

Braised Sauerkraut
 
2 lbs. fresh sauerkraut, rinsed, drained & then squeeze out most of the water
1/3 lb. bacon, diced
1 large onion, diced fine
12 oz. beer…I usually use an amber for taste & color
Caraway seeds & cracker pepper to taste
Salt…because of the bacon, hold off salting until the dish is just about done.
 
In a large skillet (that has a lid), sauté the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon & reserve. Add the onion to the skillet & sauté until golden. Stir in the kraut, beer, bacon, pepper & caraway & heat until the beer starts to boil. Reduce the heat to very low & partially cover.  Simmer for at least two hours (stirring every 10-15 minutes) until the kraut has a deep brown color. Salt (if needed) & serve with brats or kielbasa or kick up some hot dogs on a bun.

It's simple, but my coworkers clamor for me to make it when we have potluck lunches, my grandmother's sweet and sour green beans with bacon. The only thing I changed was that I use fresh green beans instead of canned, the beans stand up to stirring better and they keep a lot of their crunch.
My gram's recipe reads:
2 qt green beans
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 slices bacon
Cut up bacon and fry until very crisp, set aside. Into the bacon drippings, add the vinegar and sugar. (Note: the recipe doesn't give the obvious advice to let the bacon fat cool down or the cold vinegar hitting the hot oil will cause you some problems). Add drained green beans and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally. When ready to serve, crumble bacon and stir in.
 
I don't follow it to a T, I use a little less sugar, and heat the fat, vinegar, and sugar to almost a boil before I add the beans. When the beans are cooked, I'll taste them and adjust seasoning (more vinegar or sugar, etc.) I'll also use a half pound of bacon instead of just 3 strips, but I've also never cooked it without making more than 2 quarts of beans. Maybe 3 pounds of fresh beans to a half pound of bacon.
It's simple, but boy howdy do they taste good, and it's very hard to mess them up. I'll make it without the bacon sometimes, and use olive oil for the fat component, and add some onion and garlic powder. I'll cook them a little hotter and faster, more like a saute, so they keep more of their crunch.

ann peeples


My dish is enchilada's. I have given my recipe to many, but EVERYONE says they cannot duplicate it. My nephew said it best-" Auntie Ann makes them with love"...awwww...

I'd like to give it a shot if you wouldn't mind sharing it here.

cavandre, Your recipe for braised sauerkraut is similar to something I do. I got the recipe from Greymo, originally, but I added bacon and onions. I bake it according to Greymo's directions for three hours with a bottle of beer for the liquid, checking every hour to make certain the liquid level remains and the sauerkraut doesn't dry out (if necessary I'll add some water) -- stirring each hour. And after three hours I add kielbasa and let it bake for another hour.
 
This is wonderful stuff. Have a good mustard for the kielbasa, some rye bread and butter, and a good ale, and it becomes a sublime meal.
 
Thank you again Greymo.

Shoot...there are so many! Probably the recent one most often requested (and gone almost immediately) is actually an appetizer. Crunchy Crabmeat Bites. I use a TON more dill than it calls for, and always make the filling a day ahead so the flavours have time to meld.
 
http://www.dlife.com/diabetes/diabetic-recipes/Crunchy-Crabmeat-Bites/r4880.html

Potato gnocchi with Bolognaise sauce made with my own canned tomatoes.

As far as my kids are concerned- fried chicken with all the trimmings:
Fried chicken like my grandmother's. 
Mashed potatoes/gravy
Creamed corn
WV green beans
cucumbers/ onions in vinegar
cole slaw
hot rolls
The most recently requested dish is Ina Garten's chicken pot pie, best I've ever tasted.!

Michael Hoffman


cavandre, Your recipe for braised sauerkraut is similar to something I do. I got the recipe from Greymo, originally, but I added bacon and onions. I bake it according to Greymo's directions for three hours with a bottle of beer for the liquid, checking every hour to make certain the liquid level remains and the sauerkraut doesn't dry out (if necessary I'll add some water) -- stirring each hour. And after three hours I add kielbasa and let it bake for another hour.

This is wonderful stuff. Have a good mustard for the kielbasa, some rye bread and butter, and a good ale, and it becomes a sublime meal.

Thank you again Greymo.

MIchael, a simple meal with great flavor, I could close my eyes and see the Kielbasa plumping up while cooking in the Sauerkraut, the loaf of Rye bread " Fresh out of the oven" A thing of the past, real butter, and like you said, wash it all down with a good Ale................Thanks for the memories my friend.....................pnwc

Spinach Bread - it's an appetizer, always goes over well at parties, though you could make it just for snacking, or with a soup even.  It's a rich, cheesy-spinach mixture you spread on French bread, broil, cut in 2" slices and serve, hot and bubbly, 

BelleReve


Spinach Bread - it's an appetizer, always goes over well at parties, though you could make it just for snacking, or with a soup even.  It's a rich, cheesy-spinach mixture you spread on French bread, broil, cut in 2" slices and serve, hot and bubbly, 

Give us the "Cheesy-Spinach Mixture" recipe please!

Yes, please.

Spinach Bread
 
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 10-12 oz. pkg. frozen, chopped spinach, follow directions for cooking on pkg, and drain well (be sure all excess moisture is squeezed out)
12 oz. Velveeta, cut in small cubes
11/2 tsps. Tony Chachere's
couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce 
2-3 dashes of Tabasco
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1 lb sliced Mozzarella
1 loaf of po boy-sized French bread (20"-22" long with rounded ends)
 
Cut bread in half, then cut each half lengthwise to make four pieces.  Arrange on a cookie, or baking sheet, and spread  butter on the pieces, set aside.
 
In a large mixing bowl combine onion, spinach, Tony's, Tabasco, and Worcestershire sauce.  Mix with an electric mixer, or by hand.  Spread spinach mixture on the bread slices.  Sprinkle each piece generously with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.  If you use those rectangular slices of Mozzarella, cut each piece in half, then cut each on the diagonal to give you two triangles, arrange the cheese slices on the bread.
  
Preheat oven to 350, slide the bread in, and cook 5-8 minutes (this is not exact, check the sides and when they start crisping up, then change the oven setting to "broil" and cook 3-5 minutes longer.  Again, you just have to watch the cheese, you don't want to burn it, but you want it melted and really hot, bubbling, and with brown spots here and there, similar to the cheese topping on a pizza.  Remove from oven, slice in 2" pieces, and serve hot.
 
I hope this recipe makes sense - it can be made ahead,  wrapped in Saran wrap, and kept refrigerated until ready to cook (my brother freezes the slices, then cooks small batches for just himself and his wife).  If you try this, let me know how it comes out. 

Thank you.
 
(Velveta?)

mar52

Thank you.
(Velveeta?)

Yes, Thank You!
Sure Mar, Velveeta's good for this kinda recipe!
One of my favorite dips is a can of Rotel (Drained) and a block of Velveeta melted in a double boiler. Serve with chips.

The original recipe called for 2 pkgs. (6 oz. each) of Kraft garlic cheese roll, and since they don't make it anymore, Velveeta is the closest thing to it, unless you can think of another product to use.
 
Foodbme is right, Velveeta is good for this type of dish.
   

claracamille


The most recently requested dish is Ina Garten's chicken pot pie, best I've ever tasted.!

Looks wonderful:
 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-pot-pie-recipe/index.html

Oh, Velveeta can be good.  I just thought it might be a bit salty.
 
Have you tried the Buffalo Velveeta?  Spicy!

I see Velveeta in the list of ingredients (12 oz. Velveeta, cut in small cubes), but not where it's actually included in the recipe... unless I'm missing something (which is entirely possible).

you're right, Seamus, the Velveeta cubes should be mixed in with the spinach, onion, Tony's, etc. 

PNWCHEF

Michael Hoffman


cavandre, Your recipe for braised sauerkraut is similar to something I do. I got the recipe from Greymo, originally, but I added bacon and onions. I bake it according to Greymo's directions for three hours with a bottle of beer for the liquid, checking every hour to make certain the liquid level remains and the sauerkraut doesn't dry out (if necessary I'll add some water) -- stirring each hour. And after three hours I add kielbasa and let it bake for another hour.

This is wonderful stuff. Have a good mustard for the kielbasa, some rye bread and butter, and a good ale, and it becomes a sublime meal.

Thank you again Greymo.

MIchael, a simple meal with great flavor, I could close my eyes and see the Kielbasa plumping up while cooking in the Sauerkraut, the loaf of Rye bread " Fresh out of the oven" A thing of the past, real butter, and like you said, wash it all down with a good Ale................Thanks for the memories my friend.....................pnwc

As it happens, I'm making it for dinner this evening. I got a late start, so it won't be ready till around 9 tonight. The ale this evening will be Smithwick's.
 
And yes, I do know how to pronouce it.

My thanksgiving meals and desserts always get rave reviews
 
my single dish that is simple and gets raves - Spaghetti Carbonara