HEINZ CHILI SAUCE CLONE

This is a clone recipe for Heinz chili sauce. It is so easy...takes every day ingredients and is even tastier than the original!! Chili sauce was never a pantry staple for me; I always found it on my shopping list for holiday and special occasion recipes, like this shrimp cocktail (which calls for Heinz chili sauce). I will never buy commercial chili sauce again because this is so much better (and cheaper)!!!

1 cup of tomato sauce

1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 teaspoons dry onion flakes
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Whisk everything together and bring to a boil in a small saucepan with a heavy bottom. Turn heat down to a low simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, depending on how fast you are simmering it (mine was done in 25 minutes). Watch it towards the end so it doesn't scorch.

Cool to room temperature, then cover and chill.

It will get nice and thick like this.

NOTE: I made this recipe, exactly as it is stated above, I don't know how it would effect the final results if you use fresh onions.

SEAFOOD BAKED RICE

1½ cups raw long grain rice (not instant)
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups favorite veggies chopped (see note)
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1½ pounds of cleaned shrimp
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese shredded

Cook the rice, 1 tablespoon butter, veggies (but not the mushrooms), salt and pepper in the chicken stock (I used a basic frozen mix of corn, peas, beans, carrots). After it is cooked, fluff rice with fork, and let it rest (covered) for 10 minutes to make sure all of the broth is completely absorbed. Cool completely (this can be done ahead of time).

In a wok, saute the minced garlic in a tablespoon of butter. Add sliced mushrooms and cook until tender. Scoot the mushroom-garlic mixture over to the side of the pan and lightly saute the shrimp until it starts to turn pink. Add 1 cup of cream, 1 cup of chicken broth and cooked rice to the pan. Cook for a few minutes or until the sauce is hot. Stir in one cup of shredded cheese. Place this mixture in a greased 9 x 13 pan and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Delicious!!

NOTE: The possibilities of this recipe are endless. It would be good with any kind of veggies, seafood, chicken or ham.

SPEEDY SZECHWAN SHRIMP

Szechwan shrimp is supposed to be pretty spicy, but we are "heavy-spice" cowards, so I adjusted the heat WAY down on this recipe and it was still very tasty. It is nice, light and healthy and made a great Sunday meal served over my garden rice.

Peel and devein a pound of large shrimp and set aside.

In a bowl, mix the following and set aside.
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used a scant 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (I used some fresh ginger)

Heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat and add 1/4 cup sliced green onions and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Saute the onions and garlic about 30 seconds then throw in the shrimp and saute them for a couple minutes or until pink. Stir in the sauce and cook until the sauce thickens up (it will just take a minute at most).

NOTE: Since I was sure that the sauce was going to be too spicey for hubby, I took the shrimp out of the sauce and put them under the broiler to crisp them up a little, but that's not necessary. The sauce was excellent tasting if you can handle the heat. I served these over garden rice.

GARDEN RICE
In a large sauce pan that has a tight fitting lid, saute half of a small sweet onion (diced) and half cup diced celery in 1 tablespoon butter or canola oil. Stir in one cup of raw long grained rice and coat the rice with the butter. Add one cup (diced) of your favorite veggies (I usually use a frozen mixed veggie) and one ear of corn sliced into one to two inch sections. Add 1 and 1/2 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Bring to boil, stir, put lid on, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Serve shrimp over garden rice.

NOTE: We love corn on the cob "coins" cooked in chicken broth right along with the rice and other veggies. It gives the corn a wonderful flavor.

Budget Minded FAUX CRAB CAKES

I don't know about you, but I can not afford fresh crab unless it is a very special occasion (certainly not for the every day crab cake). Even though crab is harvested right here in Alaska, it is not on MY table very often because of the price.

Are you familiar with crab flavored surimi? I use it in casseroles and crab cakes with very good results. Some people have an issue with the texture of surimi. However, I have found that if you break the surimi into pieces and give them two or three very quick pulses in your food processor, it will "flake" just like real crab. I don't think you will fool anyone into thinking it is fresh crab meat, but the quality and taste of surimi is SO much better than it used to be (if you haven't tried it in a while).

Tonight, I made big crab cakes and served them like a fishwich, I guess you could call them a crabwich. They had a very good crab cake consistency and flavor, not to mention they were very easy to make and affordable.

For those of you not familiar with surimi, it is made from Alaska cod fish and seasoned to taste like crab. It comes in 16 ounce pouches in the fresh meat isle. Make sure it says "flake style" and "crab flavored".

In a large bowl, mix:
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
16 ounce pouch crab flavored surimi (flake style)
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs


Put the surimi in your food processor and pulse it two or three short blasts (until it "flakes" like crab meat). Set aside.

Whisk the first seven ingredients in a bowl until very smooth then add the bread crumbs and flaked surimi. Mix well with hands. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook (or at least half an hour).

If you are making larger sandwiches, form into 4 large patties (working on waxed paper). Rinse your hands once in a while because the crab cakes are easier to form and work with if your hands are wet/damp.
In a large frying pan, or electric skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Fry patties until they are golden brown.
NOTE: These are also very good, in a smaller version, served with tartar sauce and lemon.

BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP

Your guests will never guess how simple these shrimp are to make and YOU will be amazed how quickly they disappear; they are an absolutely delicious hors d’oeuvre.

(1) 16 ounce bag of frozen 16-20 count RAW shrimp (see note)
1 pound of smoked bacon (not the thick kind)
1 cup of your favorite barbeque sauce

In our Fred Meyer store, these shrimp are sold frozen (near the meat case). The one pound package says they are 16-20 count “Wild Caught” with shell on and heads off. Let them thaw in your fridge overnight. The next day, remove the shell (leave tails on). With a small sharp knife, make a shallow cut down the back of the shrimp and rinse out any “vein” you see there. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel and sit in fridge for a few minutes while you prepare the bacon.

If you use the 16-20 count shrimp (16 to 20 shrimp per pound), it will take a whole slice of bacon per shrimp. Make sure you use regular cut bacon (not thick sliced). Partially cook it, to remove some of the fat, but don’t let it get crispy (drain on paper towels). It should look like this:

Wrap the partially cooked bacon around the raw shrimp. Starting at the wide end of the shrimp, attach the bacon to the shrimp with a toothpick. Wind the bacon around (in a single thickness) and all the way down to the tail and secure it with another toothpick like this:
Baste the shrimp on both sides with your favorite barbeque sauce (I recommend Sweet Baby Ray’s barbeque sauce). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Line a large baking sheet with foil (to help with cleanup) and put a baking rack on the foil (spray the rack with cooking spray). Place the shrimp on the rack and bake in a PREHEATED 450° oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, TURN OFF THE OVEN (do not open the door) and let the shrimp sit in the hot oven for another five minutes. Remove the toothpicks and enjoy!