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New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 pound shrimp
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 lemons, juiced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet butter
3 slices grilled French bread

Heat a sauté pan on a grill. Add oil and shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes. Add pepper, salt, lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce and parsley. Let cook 2 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through. Add butter and let melt. Serve with French bread. Makes 2 servings

Great appetizer too!

Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce
(One of my all time favorites!)

3 cups milk
4 cups coarse bread
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In a large bowl, tear bread into small chunks. For best results use stale bread. In a saucepan, scald milk and pour over bread. Cool and add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour into a 11/2 quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Place dish in a pan of hot water (1 inch deep) and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a table knife inserted into pudding comes out clean. Yields 8 servings.

Whiskey Sauce

8 tablespoons margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup whiskey

Cook margarine and sugar together in a double boiler until mixture is hot and thick and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add egg and beat. Cool slightly and add whiskey. Serve over pudding.

I served this at a dinner party a few weeks ago and it was a big hit. It is fantastic with butter pecan ice cream! Rum can be substituted for the whiskey.

Chicken & Stuffing Casserole

3 cups diced cooked chicken
1 pkg cornbread stuffing
2 cans cream of chicken soup (or substitute one can with cream of mushroom)
2 cups chicken broth
2 eggs beaten
1/4 c chopped celery
1 small onion finely chopped
3/4 c milk
1/2 stick melted butter
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onions and celery until soft. Combine chicken, soup, and milk. Place in bottom of baking pan (13x9). Combine stuffing mix, chicken broth, eggs, onions and celery, melted butter, salt and pepper and spread over chicken. Bake at 350 for about 40 mins. This freezes wonderfully.

This is one of Dev's family's favorites. We make a big pan of it and use it for lunches. I have also added a can of corn and a can of peas.

Chocolate Chip Cheeseball

1Pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
½ Cup Butter (no substitute) softened
¼ Tsp. Vanilla Extract
¾ Cup Confectioner's Sugar
2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
¾ Cup Miniature Semisweet Chocolate Chips
¾ Cup finely Chopped Pecans Graham Crackers

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars, beat until combined, stir in Chocolate Chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into a ball, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Just before serving, roll cheeseball into pecans. Serve with graham crackers.

This week's recipe is from Rita Holmes of Ohio. She has an adorable craft shop (http://www.thehandcraft.com/) if you are ever in Ohio, be sure to stop in and visit her!