Stir Fry Explosion!

ENTREE:
Tammy
Shrimp Stir Fry
Food Network Magazine
(Recipe Below)

Comments: Shrimp Stir-fry  . . . sounds so easy right?  That is exactly what I thought!  In fact, it was really easy until it came to putting the ginger in the oil.  As soon as I did that, my pan exploded! No exageration!!   Oil splattered everywhere!  It was splattering so much, I had a hard time getting close to it to turn the heat down.  What is up with that?  I followed the recipe to a tee.  No one said anything about ginger becoming explosive once it hits the oil!  That would have been really nice to know!  DON'T  have it on high heat, I warn you :) For me, the term "main dish" is synonymous with disaster.  Good thing it still tasted great.  Other than the mess left on my floor, stove, wall, and microwave ...  I loved this recipe :)  It was delicious and very healthy.  I paired it with some steamed rice to give the meal a little more substance.  My husband would have liked more of the sauce for the rice.  I could double the sauce next time.  YUM!!  However, I do look forward to the first time my main dish night goes off without a hitch :)  By the way, I was so totally NOT freaking out as my mother and sister would have you believe.

Janice:  This was a great recipe.  And it looked so easy to make that even I think I can make it on my own.  I love shrimp anyway and this could be made with chicken or beef etc.  There was an exciting moment in the preparing of the stir fry when the pan was too hot and the ginger ended up all over the counter, stove etc.  Tammy was freaking out, but in the end it turned out great.  I think the recipe was a little off for that one incident because it called for a very HOT pan before ingredients were put in.  I am very proud of Tammy and Melissa for all their efforts to make this time as fun as possible and a learning experience at the same time.

Melissa: Stir fry is one of my favorite entrees and I love shrimp so it was a perfect dish for my tastebuds! I loved the flavor, paired with white rice and it was perfect! Easy and quick (even though the shrimp marinades for 1 hour). The mushrooms were very tasty paired with the shrimp and snap peas, although any vegetables would be great. Loved loved this meal and it was so great watching sis freak when the hot oil started squirting the garlic and ginger all over her stove and microwave hahaha sorry sis but that was classic!!! So something I would have done - cuz I'm usually the one making the huge mess. Can't wait to watch that back on the video!!


SIDE DISH
Melissa
Cauliflower Gratin
Food Network Magazine


Comments: Yum Yum! If I must say so myself. I added extra cheese and so they were super cheesy and so good! This is a great way to add flavor to bland cauliflower, although not the healthiest haha (but we aren't going for that anyways). I think this side dish would be great with any entree and the kids like it too! Although, maybe this was a little too easy (shh!! don't tell mom and sis...otherwise they will challenge me next time. Ahh!!!)

Tammy: I hated this recipe,  YUCK!    Just kidding.  It really was delicious.  I mean really delicious! But it was WAY too easy!  I mean really Lis, who do you think you are?  You think you can just get away with making something sooooo easy??  Oh no girl ....  you better watch out!  I'm on to you.  Ok, but I will give you credit for cutting the cauliflower.  Truly, Lissa, had never cut a cauliflower before.  Really!  She had to ponder it for a little bit to get the courage for the first cut.  Cheers to Lissa!  Her first head of cauliflower, conquered!!!!!

Janice:  Sooooooooooo proud of Melissa.  This was a yummy dish.  I am not a real fan of cauliflower, but this was yummy with all of the ingredients added to make it great.  It was funny though because the dessert I was making had to be baked at a temperature of 375 degrees and this dish at 350 degrees.  We had two ovens working at the same time and the dessert was put into the 350 oven causing it to not cook as solid as it should have been.  It was still good.  So, in turn, the cheese on this dish was starting to burn before it was close to being done.  We placed tin foil over it to keep it from getting any browner before it was done, but that is part of learning to be a cook.

DESSERT:
Janice
Bake Sale Lemon Bars
allrecipes.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 36 small bars

Comment:  We were very short on time deciding what to cook this time, so I was charged with making lemon bars.  I have never made a dessert like this before.  It was super easy.  The filling was not as lemony as other lemon bars that I have had.  I liked them very much and would try them again, but maybe adding a tad more lemon juice.  The dough had to be spread evenly over the bottom of the pan, but it wasn't an easy task.  It was hard to tell whether all areas were even.  I don't know how you get around that trick!!!  Also, there was the problem of switching the temperatures between this and the cauliflower dish.  I don't think the filling cooked enough due to this.  Overall, goooooooooood job.

Melissa: I was expecting these to be like the lemon bars that I've eaten before, very tart. However, these were not - although they were yummy, they weren't tart and didn't have much of a lemon flavor. Maybe if we hadn't switched up the oven temperatures, the middle would have cooked longer and the crust would have tasted less like dough. I was happy that mom tried another dough that had to be spread in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan and made it work =)


Tammy:Watching Mom cook is so much fun.  I mean, she is truly out of her comfort zone much of the time.  She makes Lissa and I laugh constantly.  One thing we have learned about Mom is that exact measurements and following the directions to a tee, is not always what she does.  Sometimes she just makes her own judgement and goes with it.  That may or may not always work out :)  It sure is fun to watch though!  Another thing, Mom is picky!  But she is broadening herself by trying some of the things we make that she would not normally eat.  You go Mom!  As for the Lemon Bars ...  they were good.  Not amazing, but good.  They weren't really lemon bars like I know them.  The lemon flavor was very mild.  Due to your preference, that could be good or bad.  Overall, pretty good recipe :)

Recipes:

Shrimp Stir Fry

Ingredients:
3/4 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg white
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
whole snap peas
quartered mushroom caps
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 to 2 tablespoons minced ginger ( used only one thank goodness :)


Directions:
1)Whisk egg white, Chinese rice wine and cornstarch. Toss with shrimp, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2)Drain excess marinade from shrimp.
3)Heat 1/4 peanut oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp, slowly stir until almost opaque (30 seconds to 1 minute). Transfer to a plate, discard the oil and wipe out the pan.
To Make Sauce Mix: chicken broth, sesame oil, 1tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp corn starch.
4)Heat the pan over medium heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, pinch of salt and sugar. Stir fry about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook (peas about 3 minutes, mushrooms about 1 1/2 minutes). Stir fry until crisp-tender.
5)Add the shrimp and sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables and shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Thin with chicken broth if needed.

Cauliflower Gratin

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower florets
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded gruyere
1/3 cup breadcrumbs

Directions:
1)Place cauliflower in 2 quart baking dish
2)Whisk cream, mustard, salt. Then pour over the cauliflower.
3)Sprinkle gruyere and breadcrumbs on top.
4)Bake at 350 for until tender, about 45 minutes.

Bake Sale Lemon Bars

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup confectioners sugar for decoration

Directions:
1)Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 9x13 inch baking pan
2)Combine the flour, 2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, and butter. Pat dough into prepared pan.
3)Bake for 20 minutes, until slightly golden. While crust is baking, whisk together eggs, white sugar, flour, and lemon juice until frothy. Pour this lemon mixture over the hot crust.
4)Return to oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Dust top with confectioners' sugar. Cut into squares.