Emporium of Uselessness

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. green pepper, minced
• 1/3 c. red pepper, minced
• 1/4 c. onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan
• 1/3 c. crabmeat
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (we used smashed ‘extreme cheddar’ Goldfish crackers)
• 24 white mushrooms, stems removed

Sauté peppers, onions and garlic in 1/4 c. butter until soft. (I don’t use that much butter!)
Remove from heat and add egg, cheese, crabmeat and breadcrumbs.
Melt the remaining 1/4 c. butter (you may need more depending on the size of the mushrooms)
Dip each cap into the melted butter and stuff with the crabmeat mixture.
Bake at 400 F until lightly browned on top.
Serve immediately.

Photos on my Picasa Web Albums.

Just like at Red Lobster. Serve with a nice warm buttery biscuit.

The recipe does not call for it, but we added some crab meat because it’s yummy. 1st thing to do for this recipe is to choose a white wine that you like to drink. Make sure to have some while preparing, since you’re opening it anyway.

Read on for ingredients and preparation instructions.

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Pulled pork makes awesome sandwiches, especially when served with a barbecue sauce flavored with Jack Daniels whiskey and cola. Plan at least a day ahead to marinate pork loin. The barbecue sauce is made separately and can be used with any meat. (We have  used the same recipe on back ribs before and it is excellent.)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 3 – 5 hours (3 hours for oven, 5 hours if using low setting on slow cooker)

Total Time: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Read on for full ingredients and preparation instructions.

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from Montana’s restaurant

• 2 pkg. cream cheese
• ¼ cup green pepper
• ¼ cup red pepper
• ¼ cup jalapeno pepper
• ¼ cup green onion
• 6 tortilla shells
• 1½ cup cheddar cheese, grated

1. Mix cream cheese with peppers and onions in a food processor.
2. Spread mixture over tortilla shell evenly. Sprinkle cheddar over top and roll up tightly.
3. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before slicing into 1 inch pieces.
4. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Erin says, “I minced the peppers and onions (since we don’t have a food processor) before mixing them into the cream cheese. Also, I waited until the antojitos came out of the oven to slice them – you get some oohy gooey cheesey goodness this way “

We made red and green ones with sundried tomato and spinach wraps for extra prettiness.

• 1 pineapple, skin and core removed and cut into chunks
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon of Sambal style hot sauce or your favourite hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1. Place pineapple into a salad bowl.
2. Whisk together the lime juice, soya sauce, hot sauce and brown sugar.
3. Add to the pineapple, along with the cilantro and red onion and toss well.

Erin made these and they are freaking awesome for a snack any time, and they were a big hit.

• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups mixed nuts (blanched almonds, unsalted cashews, pecan halves)

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the tamari, egg white, brown sugar and spices. Add the nuts and stir to coat well, 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Spread the nuts on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until toasted. Let cool, stirring a few times. Remove the nuts from the parchment paper (otherwise they’ll stick to it). Let cool.

Graham cracker crumb base

It really depends on the size of your pan, but I tend to add about 1 cup of crumbs to ¼ cup of melted butter, and then add more butter/crumbs as need be. You don’t want a really moist crust, but you want it to be slightly damp. I don’t pre-cook my crust as I find it makes it too hard.

Cheesecake filling

• 3 packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• ½ cup sour cream, or crème fraiche
• ** 1 tbsp each lime zest and lime juice
• ** I habanero pepper

(the starred ingredients are specific to the habanero cheesecake. If making any other kind of cheesecake, omit the lime juice and pepper, and add 1 tbsp of lemon juice instead)

• Put habanero pepper in food processor and blitz
• Add cheese (cut in cubes) and sugar, and blitz
• Add eggs, lime zest, lime juice and vanilla and… you guessed it, blitz!
• Add crème fraiche and run through processor one last time, making sure to scrape down the sides to make sure it’s silky smooth.
• Pour into pan and bake at 325F for about an hour. It depends on your oven, but I usually use the “wiggle” test. The edges should be firm, and the middle slightly wobbly. Turn off oven, crack door open and let cheesecake cool completely before putting in the fridge for 8 hours, or overnight.

Chocolate ganache glaze

• 5 oz bittersweet (semi-sweet) chocolate, chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Melt together in double boiler. Pour over cheesecake and chill until set.

Tiny Chipotle Brownies

Use a boxed brownie mix, follow instructions on package and add 1 tsp of chipotle powder!

For the ganache, use 5 ounces of bittersweet (sometimes known as semi-sweet) chocolate to ½ cup heavy cream. Melt together in double boiler and dip mini brownies (or pour over pan of brownies) and leave in fridge to set.

New photos on my web albums featuring Mr. Nibbles and foooood.