Blackberry Beef Marinade

Ingredients:

1 orange
¼ c. EACH: Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot, Low-Sodium soy sauce, and Stir-Fry sauce
1/8 c. EACH: lime juice, olive oil, and Sriracha HOT chili sauce (can be found at Wal-Mart)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. seasoned meat tenderizer (optional)

Directions:

Cut orange in half. Squeeze juice into small bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl. Stir to mix. Pour marinade in bag to cover beef. Allow to sit at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight.

This marinade is for beef—specifically beef that will be used on the grill or in stir-fry.

Source: my creativity

Apple Delite!

Ingredients:

3c. apples, peeled, and sliced
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O (in powder form)
1c. flour
1c. sugar
½ c. butter, room temperature

Directions:

Place sliced apples in a buttered, 9 in. square baking dish.
Sprinkle gelatin over apples.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, butter and flour. Mix until crumbly.
Sprinkle over apples and bake at 350° F for 30 minutes or until top is light brown and firm to touch.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Tips:

This is wonderful regardless of what type of apples you use; however, if you use green apples (Granny Smith, Jonah Gold, etc.) then use lime Jell-O. If you use any type of red apple, use a red Jell-O (the flavor does not matter).

Zesty Carrots

Ingredients:

½ c. Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 lb. sliced carrots
2 tbsp. basil
2 tbsp. chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts work best)

Directions:

Pour dressing over carrots in large nonstick skillet. Stir to coat.
Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Stir in basil and nuts. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Source: A Taste of Home Cookbook

*Shown with Palindrome Christmas Chicken*

Palindrome Christmas Chicken

Ingredients:

2 ¼ tsp. dried parsley, divided
2 ¼ tsp. dried basil, divided
2 ¼ tsp. dried oregano, divided
3 cloves garlic, divided
¼ tsp. salt, divided
¼ tsp. pepper, divided
2-3 tomatoes, sliced and divided
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, unthawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tsp. dried parlsey, basil and oregano over the bottom of the pan. Top herb mixture with 1 ½ sliced tomatoes. Top tomatoes with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts over herbs and tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper over chicken breasts. Slice remaining tomatoes over chicken breasts. Sprinkle chicken breasts with the remaining herbs.

Bake chicken in over for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

*Palindrome Christmas Chicken shown served with Zesty Carrots*

Shrimp and Zucchini with Lemon Velvet Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. salt
¼ c. + ¼ c. lemon juice
¼ c. vodka * I prefer Skyy
½ c. evaporated milk (you may also use regular milk, but if you do allow extra 5 min. cooking time and YOU MUST STIR CONTINUOUSLY to prevent lumps)
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
14 oz. (1 pkg.) frozen, raw shrimp (peeled, deveined with tail off)
2 c. hot cooked rice
Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional, of course)

Directions:

1. Place chopped onion and 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent.
2. Add sliced zucchini to onions. Season with ground red pepper and salt.
3. Allow zucchini mixture to cook 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add ¼ c. lemon juice and vodka to zucchini mixture. Allow to cook until lemon juice and vodka begin to evaporate (about 5 minutes).
5. Add the rest of the lemon juice, evaporated milk and parmesan cheese to the skillet. Stir until mixed well.
6. Toss in the frozen shrimp and fold all ingredients together. Allow to cook for 7 -10 minutes or until shrimp is done (shrimp will be pink in color when it is done).
7. Serve shrimp and zucchini mixture over hot rice. Garnish with cilantro (if desired).

Tips:

1. Serve shrimp and zucchini mixture immediately. Sauce will thicken drastically upon standing (if you use the evaporated milk; if you use regular milk, the thickening will not be as significant).
2. The sauce mixture (with the shrimp and zucchini) is also great on pastas; however, it works better on small pasta (penne, rigatoni, bowtie, etc.).
3. This recipe serves 3-4.
4. Avoid tasting the sauce until you add the milk and cheese. It does not taste very good when it is just lemon juice and vodka. Trust me.

Source:

My creativity