Griff's Kitchen

All Credit to Divas Can Cook on YouTube

Ingredients

Toasted Pecans

• 1½ cup pecan chips
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar packed
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon maple extract
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 cup Half & Half

Procedure

Toasted Pecans

• In a large bowl, toss pecan chips with melted butter and cinnamon.
• Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 6 minutes, flipping halfway. Pecans should be fragrant & slightly crunchy when removed from the oven. They will become crunchier as they cool.
• Let pecans cool on the pan once cooled, removed 1/2 cup of pecans, and blend in a food processor until creamy. Set aside until ready to use.

Cake Preperation

• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter.
• Mix in eggs and egg yolk.
• Mix in vanilla extract, maple extract, and sour cream.
• Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, alternating with the milk.
• Once batter is combined and fluffy, stir in the pecan butter and 1/2 cup of the butter pecan chips (reserve the other 1/2 cup for the frosting)
• Pour batter evenly into prepared pans and bake for 25-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (may need more or less time so check on it at the 25-minute mark)
• Allow the cakes to cool in the pan until the pans are cool enough to touch, and then carefully, remove them from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

So you have a curated list of ingredients and method to cook your seafood that is specific to your region? Who cares? I do what I want…. PUT ALL THE SEAFOOD IN! Sausage and taters too…and maybe some other stuff I’m not aware of yet. Know something I don’t…please tell me.

Ingredient Options

Chicken/Shrimp/Seafood Stock
Shrimp
Potatoes
Sausage
Crab Legs
Seafood Seasoning
Corn on the Cob
Lemons
Garlic
Pearl Onions

Procedure:

Boil or Steam until done
Add first the ingredients that take the longest to cook
That’s it…
Eat until you fall out of the chair

First had these at Ohana restaurant in Walt Disney World. Very crispy on the outside. Still working out a viable recipe for this…

Dumplings

Flour

Filling

Minced Pork

Cabbage

Sesame Oil

Green Onion

Ingredients

4 pounds of boneless/skinless thighs
½ Cup honey
½ Cup light brown sugar
⅓ Cup balsamic vinegar
⅓ Cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground ginger

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, whisk together honey, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger to create sauce
2. Add chicken to a 5 qt or larger crockpot.
3. Pour the honey mix onto the chicken and mix well.
4. Cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours. After 2 hours give the chicken a toss to coat in the sauce again. Cover and continue cooking.
5. Once fully cooked, remove chicken from the crockpot and set aside.
6. Reduce remaining liquid until it begins to thicken.
7. Add the chicken back into the reduced glaze.
8. Serve over rice.

Ingredients for Meat Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground beef
6 ounces Italian sausage, removed from their casings and crumbled
2 16-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Ingredients for Cheese Mixture:

16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten

Ingredients for Lasagna:

12 cooked or no-boil lasagna noodles
Cooking spray
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pot. Add then onion and garlic and cook about 5 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add the ground beef and sausage, and cook 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes, basil, and oregano, and stir to combine. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then chill.
2. Make the cheese mixture: Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, and Romano cheeses, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and egg in a large mixing bowl.
3. Build and bake the lasagna: Spray the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 4 ounces of the meat sauce on the bottom of the pan. Layer 3 lasagna noodles over the meat sauce (they may overlap slightly). Spread 1 cup of the cheese mixture over the noodles. Spread 1 cup of meat sauce onto the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers of noodles, cheese, and meat sauce two more times. Top with 3 lasagna noodles, the remaining meat sauce, and shredded mozzarella.
4. Spray a large piece of foil with cooking spray and wrap the pan tightly with it, sprayed side down. Bake at 325ºF for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the internal temperature is 165º. Turn the oven off and allow the lasagna to set up in the warm oven for 30 minutes.
5. Cut into squares 2 rows long by 4 rows wide. Plate and garnish with fresh basil.

This is a recipe I found on Reddit… Everything below was taken from the top-voted recipe on a thread about favorite au gratin recipes.

“I am quite traditional when it comes to gratin. I don’t use a recipe, but here is the classic Le Cordon Bleu, French approved method to make your gratin”. Link to Post.

• Floury potatoes
• 3-5 inch high baking dish, NOT non stick.
• Plenty of Minced garlic
• Double/Heavy Cream
• Full fat milk
• Gruyere Cheese, or any other good melting cheese. Grated.
• S/P

You will need to peel and slice down the potatoes, ideally using a mandolin to 1.5-2mm. DO NOT wash your potatoes, you will wash away the starch which will help to create the thick sauce. Tradition states that you should nicely butter your dish and line with 2 layers of potatoes, which you then season lightly, add some of your grated cheese and minced garlic. In the meantime heat the milk with a ratio of 1/1. Repeat the potato process until you have at least 1 inch of free space remaining. Season your milk/cream mix and pour over the potatoes until the liquid just starts to touch the top layer of potatoes. Push down the potatoes with your hands to even out the slices and evenly distribute the liquid. Cover with foil/lid and place into 180c oven for 40-50 minutes until the potatoes offer little resistance to a paring knife. Drop the oven to 140c, remove the foil add a layer of your remaining cheese and put back into the oven for another 30-40 mins. this is to dry out the liquid and to thicken the sauce. If the cheese hasn’t browned, you can leave it in the oven a bit longer or place the dish under the broiler. Once the potatoes are ready, set aside for 30 mins to rest. Any leftover liquid mix can be used for a quiche at a ratio of 500ml to 1 egg + 1 yolk.

• However if you are in a rush, slice your potatoes, season them, toss with minced garlic, cheese, and flat pack them into the dish. Cover as above with the cream mixture. This method will taste practically the same but will not produce the delicately placed layers.

Easter Candy

Chicks & Rabbits Mallow-Cream – Brach’s is the good brand. All the rest are trash. Spangler has funky flavors.