The Most Fantabulous Shrimp-n-Grits

Tags

cream sauce, grits, recipe, shrimp

(Adapted from AllRecipes.com)

1 cup water

1 pinch salt

6 tablespoons grits

2 tablespoons olive oil (or better, vegetable broth.  I use mushroom broth – yum!)

2 tablespoons diced onion

2 tablespoons diced green bell pepper

20 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 fistfuls of fresh spinach

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a saucepan and slowly mix in the grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer grits until tender and smooth, about 20 minutes.  Recite lines from My Cousin Vinny, i.e.: “No self-respectin’ Southerner uses instant grits!” (For Pete’s sake, don’t tell anybody if you DO use instant grits!) Stir often. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat broth (of your choosing) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  (Here’s the Purpose Driven Mom coming out in me:  you don’t want to sauté with olive oil because it cannot withstand high heat and will release harmful free radicals as it cooks.  Okay, rant over…)  As you’re sautéing, add a few more drops of broth as needed if you feel it’s evaporating out too fast.

Stir in onion and green bell pepper and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Lightly stir the shrimp with the vegetables and broth until pink; remove shrimp from pan and set aside.

Pour white wine into the skillet and stir, dissolving any browned bits of food in the bottom of the skillet; slowly add the cream and stir gently.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper, then add fresh spinach and stir until it’s just a little wilted.

Gently combine the sauce with the grits and ladle onto plates.  Top with shrimp and serve.  Become somebody’s favorite chef ever.

The first time I made this, I didn’t have enough grits on hand and was afraid the meal would be lame.  So I made sweet biscuits and served the shrimp and grits over them.  Oh.  My. Goodness.

(If I can ever figure out why my biscuit recipe is so wonky – and fix it – I’ll share it with you.  Until then, I don’t want you to bake them up and be like, “Um, Lori?…what’s with this freaky biscuit batter??!!”  But they taste incredible, so I promise to share someday…)

I also use the same sauce with pasta (like this delicious organic spinach and cheese ravioli that I found at Target.)  It’s a win!

THE BEST Vanilla Ice Cream

Are y’all ready for this?…

June’s issue of Southern Living magazine had a remarkable page dedicated to guilt-free but seriously delish ice cream.  I couldn’t wait to try it.  I have made the batter three times, and finished the ice cream twice.  Mechanical malfunctions (and my resulting hissy-fit) caused the first batch to go unmade.  But when I did finally borrow an ice-cream maker from Jill in order to make some birthday celebrations at work just a little bit sweeter, I was so incredibly glad that I had this recipe.  It. Is. Tha. Bomb. 

(Confession: I don’t typically go around calling things “tha bomb.”  It’s really not my style.  But the context totally fits here.  I just have to say that typing that phrase makes me think I will somehow end up on the FBI’s watchlist or something.  So, if that ever comes to fruition: Hi, Fellas.  Please enjoy some ice cream. 😉 )

Southern Living calls this “Lightened Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.”  I call it frozen heaven.

1/2 c.  granular sweetener for ice cream*
2 T cornstarch
1/8 t salt
2 c reduced-fat 2% milk
1 c half-and-half
1 egg yolk**
1 1/2 t vanilla bean paste or extract***

Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a large heavy saucepan.  Gradually whisk in milk and half-and-half.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly about 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Remove from heat.

Whisk egg yolk separately until slightly thickened.  Gradually whisk about 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the yolk.  This will keep the egg from cooking too fast and creating large lumps.  Add the yolk mixture to remaining cream mixture, whisking constantly.  Whisk in vanilla.

Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding any solids.  Cool one hour, stirring occasionally.  Place plastic wrap directly on cream mixture and chill 8-24 hours.

Pour mixture into freezer container of 1 1/2 quart electric ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.  Let stand at room temperature 5-10 minutes before serving.****

Calories per 1/2 cup: 92; Fat 5g (Sat 3g); Protein 3g; Carb 18g; Fiber 0g; Cholesterol 42mg; Iron 0mg; Sodium 76mg; Calcium 106mg

*I totaly use my table sugar in this recipe, which happens to be Florida Crystals Organic Cane Sugar.  It works beautifully.

**Two ice-cream batches later I finally realized this said 1 egg yolk.  I had used the whole egg both times.  Sure, “oops!” but it turned out fine.

***Vanilla Bean Paste.  I had no clue what this was, but I found it in the gourmet section of Amazon.com.  I think this adds better flavor than extract would, but I could be wrong.  It does add that nice vanilla bean speckled look.

****I dunno.  I don’t think I would let it sit out for 10 minutes.  Just sayin’.

 

Chicken, Mushroom, and Wild Rice Soup

This is THE BEST home-cooked chicken and rice soup.  I was amazed at how awesome it is! It makes a lot (14 cups) so plan to share.  😉  You will use a lot of pans in making this, but it is sooooo worth it. 

2 (6-oz) packages long grain and wild rice mix
10 cups chicken broth, divided
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I use organic baby bella)
1 cup chopped fresh onion
1 cup chopped celery
¼ cup butter
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup half-and-half
2 T dry white wine
2 cups cooked shredded chicken breasts (I used one of the grocery store rotisserie chickens to save time in a pinch)

Bring rice, 4 cups chicken broth, and 1 seasoning packet from rice mix to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cover, reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. 

Meanwhile, melt 3 T butter in large skillet over meium heat; add mushrooms, onion and celery and cook, stirring often, 10-12 minutes or until tender.

Melt ¼ cup butter in dutch oven over medium heat; whisk in flour, stirring constantly, 1 minute or until thickened and bubbly.  Gradually whisk in remaining 6 cups broth and cook, stirring often, 8-10 minutes or until slightly thinckened.  Whisk in wine and half and half.  Stir in mushroom mixture, chicken and rice.  Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  (Do not boil.)

Fancy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Their Endless Variations

I first got the notion of fancy grilled cheese sandwiches from Joy the Baker when she introduced her readers to sandwiches made of goat cheese, spinach, ham and mustard.  I substituted blue cheese because it’s what I had on hand, slathered on some organic dijon and I was instantly hooked!  Have one of those with some HonestTea Peach Oo-La-Long, and you’ve got a mighty fine lunch!

Then last month Southern Living ran an article on upgrading the standard grilled cheese sandwich. I tweaked it a little because, come on…it’s a sandwich.  You can do that.   I actually had to just nut up and make this sandwich, put it on a plate and shove it in front of Dom before he would concede to eat it.  But halfway through dinner he looked up at me, grinned that sly little grin while chewing, and gave the thumbs up sign.  Yesssssssss!!

Grilled Strawberry and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Crumbled goat cheese
Red pepper jelly
Spinach leaves
Fresh basil leaves
sliced fresh strawberries

Butter one side of two pieces of bread. Spread red pepper jelly on alternate side of one slice of bread; layer that slice with goat cheese, then sliced strawberries, followed by basil and spinach leaves over the strawberries. Then sprinkle on some more cheese for good measure if ya want. (I did!)  Carefully close the sandwich and either pan fry or place in a Panini maker.

Kasie's Lasagna

This is my sister-in-law’s famous lasagna recipe, and the only one that I cook anymore.  It’s that good…

Meat Mixture:
1 lb. ground beef
1 clove freshly pressed garlic
1 T parsley
1 T basil
1 t salt
1 can diced tomatoes
2 6-oz cans tomato paste

Cheese Mixture:
1 24-oz. container cottage cheese
2 beaten eggs
1 t salt
½ t pepper
2 T parsley
½ c parmesan cheese

Additional Ingredients:
1 lb. sliced mozzarella cheese
Lasagna noodles (I use oven-ready noodles so I don’t have to cook them separately.)

Brown the meat; drain.  Add next 6 ingredients and summer uncovered 20 minutes until thick, stirring often. 

Cook and rinse lasagna noodles if not using the oven-ready kind. 

In another bowl combine all ingredients for the cheese mixture.

Line the bottom of an 8×8 pan with lasagna noodles.  Layer half the cheese mixture over the noodles, followed by a layer of mozzarella slices, and then half of the meat mixture.  Repeat layers. 

Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.

I often use two loaf pans (instead of the 8×8) and freeze one for later.  🙂

Jill's Red Beans and Sausage

Let me just say that I tried four times over the last fifteen years – UNSUCCESSFULLY – to cook a pot of red beans and rice.  It’s a Louisiana staple, ya know, and it’s supposed to be as natural as breathing.  I failed every time.  For whatever reason, the beans never softened up.  I whined about this problem to many friends over the years who each offered their recipe for me to try.  Still no luck. 

Am I just not meant to cook red beans and rice????

Then this winter when the cold set in (the thirty-degree kind, as that’s the only “cold” Louisianians really know), I bemoaned out loud the fact that I could not make a decent pot of red beans and rice to save my life.  My friend Jill overheard me, and suggested I try this “no-fail” recipe.  She said I absolutely had to buy Camellia beans, and if I followed that simple rule, she guaranteed my success.  Oh, she also said the bay leaves were ultra-important.

Well, I tried it.  And I was completely shocked (not to mention thrilled) when they turned out so dog-gone delicious that I knew I had to share the recipe.  It is deceptively simple, but for someone who could not manage to cook it correctly before, this recipe was a life-saver of ginormous proportions. 

Are ya ready for it?  Here it is:

1 1-pound bag of Camellia red beans

1 large yellow onion (preferably organic), sliced long (as in, not to make rings, but rather to make big wedges.  Slice onion in half from top to bottom, then slice each half into about four wedges.  They will separate and cook down, so have no worries!

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into disks and then halved

1 slice bone-in smoked ham (cut into 1-inch chunks)

3 bay leaves

Rinse the beans and place them with all other ingredients in a large dutch oven (I think mine is a 5-quart, and it was plenty big.)  Add water until it is about 1/4-1/2 inch above the beans.  Bring to a boil and then simmer covered 3-4 hours until the beans are soft. 

You can thicken it to your preference by removing the lid at the end and cranking up the boil for about 20 minutes or so until it is the thickness you want.  Serve over some naturally healthy brown rice. 😉

HooooooooWee!!!  Dats waddime tawkin’ bout dere!

Staples of My Kitchen

I figure it’s only fair to enlighten you to the staples of my cooking supplies in order that any recipes you try here will turn out as I intend.  I may have to update this post frequently as I think of more items…  Anyway, here are some definite things I consider necessary for kitchen survival:

Chocolate Chips:
I ONLY use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips when I bake.  I am a dark chocolate freak, and these are simply the best as far as I am concerned.  There is simply no substitute for this brand when making a ganache. 

Whole Milk:
While I am generally a 2% kind of girl, my mom tipped me off to the trick of using whole milk as a substitute for the water called for in boxed cake mixes.  Whatever amount of water is called for, use equal amounts of organic whole milk instead. 

Cake Mixes:
Speaking of cake mixes, I often use the boxed kind when baking plain vanilla and chocolate cakes.  I am loyal to one brand only: Betty Crocker Super Moist.  Again, substitute whole milk for the water and you won’t be sorry!

Strawberries:
I am ever-loyal to Driscoll’s Organic strawberries!  In the summer, they have the really big, beautiful long-stemmed strawberries, and even though these are not organic, they are the PERFECT berries for dipping in ganache and laying atop a chocolate cake!

Whipped Cream:
I have many favorite recipes that call for whipping cream.  Unless I know a recipe will turn out badly otherwise, I ALWAYS use heavy whipping cream whenever cream is called for.  I prefer it to any other thickener.  I am not loyal to any particular brand, usually settling on the store brand in consideration of the price.  If a recipe calls for a Cool Whip topping, I will substitute heavy whipping cream with sugar beaten in.  However, sometimes time and setting do not permit a full blown beating of the cream, so Redi Whip is an acceptable need-it-now-and-it-doesn’t-have-to-be-pretty substitute topping, given my allergies (which I still do not understand…)

Butter:
I have, in my younger days, substituted whipped tub butter for stick butter in a pinch, and I suppose my non-discriminating taste of the time would have deemed it fine.  However, since my cake baking days I use only unsalted pure stick butter. 

Herbs:
I am fast becoming an herb snob, preferring my homegrown sweet basil to any other.  One of our diocesan priests who calls himself The Herb Whisperer gladly shares his surplus of thyme, oregano, parsley and bay leaves with me.  Since he started doing that, I have a hard time reaching for the store-bought jars.  Not sure where to start?  I recommend selecting the two herbs you use the most and starting a small pot of each. 

When my basil runs amok, I harvest 1/3 of the bush, wash, and freeze it in various forms: 1) I tear it into little pieces and place about a tablespoon of basil in each ice-cube slot in a plastic tray, then cover with water and freeze.  The cubes go easily into soups, stews and sauces.  2) Wash freshly harvested leaves and pat dry, arrange on a cookie sheet and freeze overnight.  Then, gather the leaves (quickly while standing at your freezer door so they don’t turn brown and ugly) and arrange into snack-size ziploc bags for freezing.  Pluck out only what you need for each recipe as you need it. 

Eggs:
I buy only organic eggs now, and started doing so just before the first recent “bad-egg-news-story” broke about the bacteria-laden eggs.   I buy small dispenser containers of Egg Whites for omeletes and those pesky recipes that call for egg whites but no yolks, causing me to waste good yolks.  

Pasta:
As important as water and bread, we have to have a steady supply of pasta in the pantry!  While I loved Ronzoni’s Smart Taste pasta for the added fiber, I found a preservative that I don’t like in their ingredient list.  So, we are loyal now to Barilla’s whole grain pastas, as much for price and availability as for health. 

Pasta Sauce:
My all-time favorite store-bought Marinara is Newman’s Own.  It’s a little on the sweet side (reminding me of Monjuni’s sauce, for those of you in Shreveport).  I prefer to make my own sauce when I can, but since I’m trying to avoid canned tomato products (and home-grown tomatoes are not in season), Newman’s does just fine in a pinch.   

Rice:
Once we became an ingredient-conscious family, Uncle Ben’s became our brand of choice.  I like the Boil-in-the-Bag brown rice and the 90-second Basmati rice the best. 

Flour:
I discovered Gold Medal Organic All-Purpose flour at Wal-Mart and have bought it exclusively since then.  I also buy Gold Medal’s bread flour based on price.  My second favorite would have to be Hodgson Mill brand for all the organic and stone-ground options they offer.

Sugar:
Once again, only organic will do.  Florida Crystals is sold at all the grocery stores I go to, including WalMart. 

Beer and Wine:
We keep beer and wine in stock at our house, mostly because we like to drink it.  But, occasionally I find the need to cook with it.  Here are some of my tips for making sure I always have it on hand when I need it. 

Because Dom is a domestic beer drinker, we usually have Coors Light in the fridge.  However, that does not mean that we have an extra bottle in there when I’m ready to add it to a recipe.  So, when the box of beer comes home, I grab a bottle, pour it into an ice cube tray, and freeze it for later use.  Dom isn’t as likely to drink frozen beer cubes. LOL! 

As for wine, I personally do not like dry wines, but they are great for cooking.  So, when Dom has exhausted the usefulness of a good bottle of dry wine, be it white or red, I will pour what’s left (once again) into ice cube trays for cooking use.  This prevents us from wasting the leftover wine and allows me the ingredients I need for recipes.

Vanilla:
I usually insist on pure Mexican vanilla, so much so that I would have my airline-attendant-Aunt-Penny or mission-trip-organizing-priest buy me a bottle each time they went to Mexico.  This was of premier importance when I was baking cakes to sell, as vanilla went into everything I made.  But my last remaining LITER-SIZED GLASS BOTTLE of Mexican vanilla was recently knocked off the counter by a nosy Labrador Retriever, and I have been at a loss ever since.  I have found instructions for making my own vanilla, and I fully intend to use this recipe soon.

Chocolate Ganache

Tags

cake topping, chocolate, dipped strawberries

My. All. Time. Favorite. Thing. Ever. 
I use this to top chocolate cakes and cheesecakes, drizzle down the sides of cakes, dip strawberries, and lick the pan!  This is what heaven is like, I’m sure.  Feel free to double the recipe.  You won’t be sorry!

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use only Ghirardelli)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place whipping cream in sturdy sauce pan and heat until you see the first hint of a boil bubble.  DO NOT actually let it boil.  Remove from heat and add chocolate chips all at once.  Stir to melt the chips and get them smooth.  Sometimes, I had to briefly place the pan back on the burner for a second or two just to get a little more heat into the chocolate.  When they are smooth, stir in the vanilla.

Seven Minute Icing

Tags

BHG cookbooks, icing

I remember my grandmother talking about Seven Minute Icing when I was knee-high to a grasshopper.  Imagine my delight when one of my customers specifically requested it!  (Note:  7 minutes is a really long time when you’re standing over a stovetop holding a mixer in your hand!)  This one, too, is from the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Cookbook.

1 ½ cups sugar
2 egg whites
¼ tsp cream of tartar OR 2 tsp light-colored corn syrup (Karo)
1 tsp. vanilla

In the top of a double boiler combine the sugar, 1/3 cup cold water, egg whites and cream of tartar (or syrup).  Beat with a portable electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Place over boiling water (upper pan should not touch water).  Cook, beating constantly with mixer on high speed, about 7 minutes or until stiff peaks form.  Remove from heat; add vanilla; beat 2-3 minutes more until easy to spread.

Italian Creme Cake

Tags

BHG cookbooks, cake, coconut, frosting, icing

When I first tasted Italian Creme Cake in a restaurant, I was sorely disappointed! Everything I had heard about it being sooo deliciously wonderful was proven wrong with that first piece, and subsequent pieces at other locations. Honestly, I just didn’t see what all the fuss was about. Then a co-worker asked if I could make one for her, and I promised to find a recipe and charge her half-price if she was willing to be my guinea pig. I took the recipe from a trusted old friend, the Better Homes and Gardens baking cookbook. I made enough batter to reserve some for a smaller cake so I could taste it too. One bite, and I was hooked! Italian Creme reigned supreme after that.  And Bella Dolci had at last found its pièce de résistance.

You should see how messy this page is in my cookbook…that’s the sign of a great recipe!

1 ¾  c. all-purpose flour
1 ½  tsp Baking powder
¼  tsp Baking soda
½  c. Butter
1/3     c. Shortening
1 ¾  c sugar
4 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
¾  c buttermilk or sour milk
1 (3½ oz.) can flakes coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
4 egg whites

Grease and flour three 8’ round pans, set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda; set aside.

Beat butter and shortening on medium-high speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add egg yolks and vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined.  Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to egg yolk mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.  Fold in coconut and chopped pecans.

In small mixing bowl with VERY CLEAN BEATERS, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight).  Fold one-third of egg whites into cake batter to lighten; fold in remaining whites.  Pour batter evenly into prepared pans. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool cakes in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans onto cake racks and cool completely.

Frost with Pecan Cream Cheese icing:

12 oz cream cheese
6 T butter
1 ½ tsp vanilla
6 cups sifted powdered sugar
½ cup chopped pecans

Beat together until smooth.  Gradually add 6 cups sifted powdered sugar, beating on low until smooth; stir in pecans.

*Pecans are optional.  If you plan to decorate the cake, as in with a decorator bag and piping utensils, do not add the pecans.  Make sure your icing is piping consistency.  If it’s too thick, you will have to work too hard.  😉