Guinness Battered Onion Rings

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

2 large sweet onions preferably Vidalia

2 cups buttermilk

4-6 cups canola or vegetable oil for frying

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 Tbsp baking powder

1½ tsp paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp kosher salt plus more for finishing

1 14.9-oz. can Guinness, or another stout beer

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

½ Tbsp honey

Instructions

Peel and slice onions into ½" rings. Separate rings and place in a large bowl with buttermilk; let soak for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat oil to 360°F.

Using a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, garlic powder and salt. Set bowl aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the beer, mustard and honey. Pour liquid mixture into bowl with the dry ingredients; stir until well combined.

Line a baking tray with paper towels or brown paper bags; place tray next to the pot of oil.

Working with 1-2 onion rings at a time, remove the onion rings from the buttermilk and dip into the batter. Allow excess batter to drip off of the onion rings and then carefully place into the hot oil.

Let fry for 1-2 minutes per side, flipping occasionally.

Remove onion rings from oil and place on baking tray. Repeat process with remaining onion rings. (Tip: Don’t dip the onion rings into the batter until right before you fry them. Also, make sure not to overcrowd the pot with too many onion rings at one time.)

Sprinkle onion rings with additional salt before serving.

From: https://spicedblog.com/guinness-battered-onion-rings/

PINA COLADA RUM CAKE RECIPE

 INGREDIENTS:

1 box Duncan Hines Classic Golden Butter Cake mix (preferred mix) or Classic Yellow

1/4 C (4 oz.-1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs

8-oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained (reserve juice to make 1/4 cup)

1/4 C reserved juice of crushed pineapple

1/4 C Malibu Rum (or any light rum)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray Pam for baking into a bundt pan. Using an electric mixer, combine cake mix, butter, eggs, 1/4 C reserved juice and 1/4 C Rum, beat at low speed to combine. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Fold in drained crushed pineapple. Pour batter in prepared pan Bake 33-36 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. While cake is baking, prepare glaze.

GLAZE:

1/2 C cream of coconut (Coco Lopez)

1/2 C Malibu rum

1/4 C confectioner’s sugar

Shake cream of coconut can well before measuring. Add cream of coconut to small saucepan and heat just until bubbles form. Remove from heat and stir in rum. Set aside. When cake is done baking, set on rack. Use a thin bamboo skewer to poke holes in cake. Pour half of glaze over warm cake, letting it soak in.

When cake is cool, turn onto serving plate. Whisk together remaining glaze with confectioner’s sugar until smooth and drizzle over top of cake.

Shrimp Scampi Linguine

1 pound linguine noodles, white or wheat

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

3 Tablespoons olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound large shrimp, about 20 shrimp, peeled and deveined

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley, chopped

lemon zest, from 1/2 of a large lemon

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons

1/2 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a little bit of oil and salt to the boiling water and cook the linguine according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside.

Add the butter and olive oil to an extra-large skillet over medium-low. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, being careful not to burn it. 

Add the shrimp and sauté just until they turn pink, about 4-5 minutes, tossing often.

Remove from the heat and add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. 

Toss to combine. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

When the pasta is cooked, drain the water and add the noodles to the sauté pan. 

Top with fresh parmesan cheese and toss everything gently to combine. Serve.

Notes

Variations:

Add White Wine: Add 1/4 cup of white wine in step 3, sautéing for a few minutes to let it cook down a little.

Add Veggies: Toss in some asparagus and cherry tomatoes.

Zucchini Noodles: For a healthier twist, swap out the linguine for zucchini noodles.

Pasta Fagioli

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

1 onion, chopped fine

1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine

1 ounce pancetta/bacon 

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 can Diced Tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 Bay leaf

Pinch of Thyme

Pinch of Basil

Pinch of Rosemary

2 cups chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, undrained

½ cup ditalini

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrot, pancetta, salt, and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add tomato paste, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and beans and their liquid, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium and bring to boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente, 10 to 12 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan and basil. Serve, drizzling with extra oil and passing extra Parmesan separately.