Coconut Shrimp with Dipping Sauce

***Here's another wonderful recipe from Paula Deen. I was craving coconut shrimp, and I saw her make these recently on "Paula's Home Cooking." I got started in the kitchen pretty late last night, but these were totally worth it. The orange marmalade dipping sauce was the perfect addition. The red pepper flakes added just the right amount of heat.***

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Shrimp:

Peanut oil, for frying

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2/3 cup water

2 cups shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions:
Add all dipping sauce ingredients to a pot on a low temperature. Heat for 10 minutes, making sure you stir ingredients every few minutes.

In a large, heavy pot, heat 2-inches of the peanut oil to 325 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes.

In a wide, shallow bowl, toss the coconut and bread crumbs together. Put the shrimp into the batter. Remove the shrimp, 1 at a time, and dredge in the coconut mixture, pressing to help the coconut adhere. Fry the shrimp in batches in the hot oil for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Serve the shrimp with the dipping sauce.

Source: Paula Deen - www.foodnetwork.com

Baked Pita Chips

*** These are SO incredibly simple to make, and they're very good....almost like mini pizzas, hah. You can alter this recipe to make as many servings as you need! I served them as a side to the Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken & Herbs posted below, so we only ate 3 pita chips each.***

Ingredients:
1 large piece of pita bread
1 - 2 cups mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded
Dried oregano

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut pita bread into 6 triangular-shaped pieces. Place pieces on an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and oregano.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, or until pita chips are crispy and cheese is melted.

Voila!

Angel Hair Pasta with Chicken & Herbs

***A few nights ago, I was trying to come up with something to eat, and this is what we had. It was one of those nights where I had to take stock of the pantry and use my imagination. It actually came out really yummy...we had the left-overs the next night. I served this dish with baked pita chips sprinkled with cheese and oregano (I'll post those later!). I'm excited that I'm finally getting to the point where I don't have to really follow a particular recipe. I can just get in the kitchen and be creative!***

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, E.V.O.O.
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 pound angel hair pasta
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. dried parsley

2 tbsp. dried oregano

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken in an oven-proof baking dish. Drizzle with EVOO and season with salt & pepper. Bake chicken for 40 - 45 minutes, or until cooked through and juices run clear.

Drizzle remaining EVOO in a large skillet, and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 15 - 20 minutes.

While the onions are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it generously, add the pasta and cook until al dente.

Pour 3 ladlefuls of the pasta cooking water into the cooked onions and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the onions. Add the cheese, parsley, oregano and chicken, then season with pepper and toss.

Voila!

Ultra Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

***These pork chops are wonderful! They are from the Feb. 2008 issue of Cooks Illustrated. The ultra-crunchy outer layer is very flavorful. It's also a plus that they are baked...not fried. These are definitely worthy of my favorites list...I'll be making them again!***

Ingredients:

4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat

4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1 inch pieces

1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tbsp)

3 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tbsp)

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Ground black pepper

2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup plus 6 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

3 large egg whites

3 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Lemon wedges

Directions:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tbsp. flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour, shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted in center of chops registered 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

Source: Cooks Illustrated magazine; February 2008

Grilled Pork Chops with Herbs de Provence

Brad and I went shopping the other weekend, and a new cast-iron grill pan and some Herbs de Provence were among my new goodies. I wanted to try them both out, so I ended up with these pork chops. They were so good, and I was really impressed with the grill pan. It did a wonderful job. This is such a simple recipe, but the pork chops were packed with flavor:

Ingredients:
2 Pork Chops
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Herbs de Provence
Moore's Original Marinade

Directions:
Marinate the pork chops for about 45 minutes in Moore's marinade.

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat. You'll want the pan to be completely heated when you add the pork chops. This will help sear the meat and lock in the flavor.

Coat pan with cooking spray. Drizzle both sides of the pork chops with E.V.O.O. and sprinkle with the Herbs de Provence. Next, place the pork chops in the pan. Let cook for 8 - 10 minutes.

Flip the pork chops. Let them cook an additional 8 - 10 minutes. If needed, keep flipping the pork chops until cooked through, drizzling with a dash of E.V.O.O. each time. Drizzling with the olive oil will help keep the pork chops from getting dry in the gril pan.

Serve immediately.