Sweet Love and Ginger

appetizer

Irish Roasted Shallots – An Amazing Appetizer

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To be honest this recipe and the herb dumpling recipe are
the main reason that I bought this book, and I am so happy that I did.

These roasted shallots may very well be the best thing ever!

It’s almost like eating onion rings, but better in my
opinion because there’s cheese! And who doesn’t love cheese? Besides they are
roasted, not fried, and not completely breaded so they are a little bit better
for you, and if you use whole wheat bread crumbs and low fat cheese its all the
better.

Can I take an aside to tell you about the dairy in Ireland.
It’s freakin’ fabulous! I swear I had some of the best cheese, and ice cream
imaginable there. Oh how I want to go back now!

Now back to this great little appetizer. I knew this would
be a good one for Chuck, but I was still a little surprised when he asked if I
could make them again tomorrow. They are really great, too bad shallots aren’t
cheap, or I totally would have, maybe I can get a whole bunch at the end of the
season.
 

 Irish Roasted Shallots
8 shallots or small onions

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

½ tbs thyme

¼ tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

2/3 cups breadcrumbs

1 cup shredded Irish cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish


Preheat the oven to 425. Peel the shallots, and slice in
half lengthwise. In a small bowl whisk together vinegar, oil thyme, and pepper,
add shallots and toss. Transfer to a roasting pan in one single layer, add
salt, and bread crumbs. Roast in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until
shallots begin to blacken. Scatter with shredded cheddar cheese, and roast for
an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Remove
from heat, garnish with parsley and serve warm. (Serves 4-6)

Oh and check out this complete meal. The rest of the recipes are comeing soon!

 

Fall Date Night, On a Budget

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Fall Date Night, On a Budget
Source
Chuck and I we like to eat, we like to go out, and definitely enjoy the finer things in life. The problem with this is that it costs money; money that we don’t always have. I don’t think lack of funds should mean that we need to give up date night. I think that date nights are extremely important to any couple. That’s why I decided to turn my dining room into a romantic dinner for two. Some dollar store candles, and a little Michael Buble can make a world of difference.
Next all I needed to do was some planning, and cooking. Don’t frown at the idea of having to work for your date night. Pour a glass of wine, start some music, and cook in your date outfit, because nothings sexier than a cocktail dress, heals, and an apron.
The Menu:
Sweet Potato Soup
Salad with Bacon Crumbles and Maple Vinaigrette
Seared Scalloped with Apple Cider Beurre Blanc (See Below)
Spinach and Smoked Bacon Carbonara
Baked Apples with Vanilla Ice-cream, and Caramel Sauce
Prep:
Make the soup, salad, beurre blanc and carbonara. Everything but the salad can be kept on a warmer as you serve the other courses (Note: keep some extra pasta liquid around if the carbonara cries out). Core the apples and cover them with cinnamon and sugar.
Serve:
The soup and salad can be served first. After these courses have your love clear the plates, and refill the wine, while you sear the scallops, and put the apples in the oven. Serve the scallops and as you are bringing out the carbonara take out the apples (they only need to cook for roughly 20-30 minutes) to cool a little. Again once these courses are done have your love clear the table while you spoon some ice-cream into the apples and top with caramel sauce. After desert there’s only one more plate to clear.
There you have it the instructions to a five course meal for two. Now for the total cost tally.
Cost: Roughly $14 total, add a $14 bottle of wine and it’s about $28. A similar meal in a restaurant would cost between $70 and $100. Even if you spend 5 dollars on decorations for the evening (that you can reuse) you will save roughly $40 to $70. That’s amazing! Now keep in mind that I did this calculation using local prices and if you had to buy everything, however my cost, because I already had many things was actually closer less than $10, $22 if you count the wine. Hot CHA! 

Scallops in Apple Cider Beurre Blanc

 

Fall Date Night, On a Budget
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 cup apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • ½ tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 6 Scallops
  • Butter Salt & Pepper
  • 1 apple sliced for garnish
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan boil apple juice and cider until reduced by half.
  2. Reduce heat and add cream and butter.
  3. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Sear in a hot buttered skillet for roughly 3 minutes a side, or until firm and opaque.
  4. Arrange scallops and apple on a plate and pour beurre blanc over the top.
  5. Serve immediately.