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Ok,
enough with the snow, already!! It's still February and it's still
cold, and there's still snow in the forecast (unless you're fortunate
enough to live in Australia where it's now in the 90's, I'm told).
Come and escape with me to a tropical land for just a while. Close
your eyes....c'mon, close 'em......imagine, if you will, the smell of
ocean breezes, the sound of the surf, the feel of warm sand under
your feet, the hot tropical sun on your face. Imagine
seagulls flying overhead searching for crabs floating in the ocean
waters. You're lying on the beach, working on your tan.
Suddenly, you spy the tiki hut over there just a few yards away with its
thatched roof. The bartender inside, dressed in his
shorts, Hawaiian shirt and wearing his shades, beckons to you.
There, on the bar, awaits the tropical, icy-cold drink with the little umbrella,
that he's prepared especially for you. You rise from the sand,
wrap your towel around your waist, and head over to accept it. You could almost swear that you hear the Beach Boys singing in
the background...
"Ahhh.... so, this is Paradise!!"
Appetizer Shrimp
Cocktail
3
quarts boiling water
2 tablespoons juice from lemon
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds raw shrimp
1 recipe Seafood Cocktail Sauce (below) While
water is boiling, add lemon juice, salt, pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and
shrimp.
Return water to boil. Cook 3-4 minutes, depending on size of
shrimp. Remove from water at once. Rinse under cold
water. Shell and devein the shrimp. Chill. Serve with
cocktail sauce (recipe follows). Cocktail
Sauce
1 cup
ketchup
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish Combine
all ingredients and serve chilled.
Entree Broiled
Swordfish with Cold Cucumber Sauce
2-1/2
pounds fresh swordfish, cut 1" thick
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 recipe Cold Cucumber Sauce (recipe follows)
Preheat broiler or grill.
Rub swordfish steaks with lemon juice.
Place fish on butter-coated broiler rack. (If you're using a grill, lay
aluminum foil across rack, spray and spread fish out on the foil)
Spread 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine over fish and sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Rack should be 3 inches below heat. Broil 3
minutes and brush again with butter.
Turn fish over very carefully so it does not break. Brush with
butter, salt and pepper. Continue broiling for another 4-5
minutes, brushing once or twice with butter until fish is quite brown
and firm to touch. Transfer to hot platter. Serve at once
with Cold Cucumber Sauce, spooning over top of fish.
Cold
Cucumber Sauce
1
pint sour cream (or nonfat sour cream)
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Dash of cayenne paper
2 teaspoons grated onion
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
Combine sour cream, wine vinegar, cayenne pepper and grated onion in
mixing bowl. When thoroughly mixed, add dill weed and diced
cucumber. Taste for seasoning.
Chill until ready to serve.
Side
Dishes
Potato
Pillows
6
medium potatoes, peeled
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup softened butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Butter, melted
Cut
potatoes into large pieces. Heat 1 inch water to boiling in a
pot. Add potatoes. Cover and heat to boiling; reduce
heat. Cook pieces for 20-25 minutes, or until tender; drain.
Shake pan gently over low heat to dry potatoes.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease or spray a cookie sheet.
Mash the potatoes until no lumps remain. Beat in milk in small
amounts (the amount needed to make potatoes smooth and fluffy depends on
the type of potatoes you use). Add 1/2 cup butter or margarine,
salt and pepper. Beat vigorously until potatoes are light and
fluffy. Add eggs and beat until blended.
Drop potato mixture by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Brush with
melted butter. Bake 15 minutes or until light brown.
Brussels Sprouts Parmesan
1
pound Brussels sprouts
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Rinse
sprouts under cold water. In saucepan, steam for 10-15 minutes in
a little water, just until tender. Drain thoroughly. Return
to saucepan.
In small pan, sauté garlic in margarine until limp. Add lemon
juice, salt and pepper. Pour over sprouts and shake to coat.
Spoon into serving dish and top with grated parmesan cheese.
Dessert
Fruit
'n Berries on a Cloud
Pastry
Crust (recipe follows)
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups whipping cream (heavy)
2-1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 21-oz. can cherry pie filling
2 cups sliced strawberries OR 1 16 oz. pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed
1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed, sliced peaches Prepare
and bake pastry crust (recipe follows).
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer
on medium speed until smooth. Beat whipping cream in chilled
medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Fold
whipped cream and marshmallows into cream cheese mixture; spread
over crust.
Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
Mix pie filling, strawberries and peaches. Cut dessert into
serving pieces. Serve with fruit mixture over top. Cover and
refrigerate any remaining dessert. For
the pastry crust: 1-1/2
cups flour
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar Heat
oven to 400 degrees.
Beat all ingredients with mixer on low speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl
constantly. Beat on medium speed about 2 minutes or until creamy.
Spread dough in ungreased 13X9X2 inch rectangular pan.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Cool
completely.
Spread cream cheese mixture over crust. Chill.
Top with fruit mixture.
Beverage
Suggestion:
Blue
Hawaiian
1
ounce blue curaçao
1/2 ounce dark rum
1/2 ounce light rum
pineapple juice to top
3 ounces crushed ice
orange slice for garnish
pineapple chunk for garnish
maraschino cherry for garnish
Place the
ice in a blender. Add the liquid ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour into an old-fashioned glass. Garnish with the orange, pineapple,
and cherry speared on a toothpick.
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