Tom Jones Shrimp

This recipe is from one of my favorite cook books, Tidewater on the Half Shell a wonderful collection of recipes by the Junior League of Norfolk Virginia Beach. It's so simple...and perfect for anyone cooking for one or for many.   Not to mention, it's delicious.  I highly recommend purchasing this cook book...every dish I cook from their recipes is amazing!  I have some baking right now, can't wait!

 https://www.amazon.com/Tidewater-Halfshell-Fine-Virginia-Recipes/dp/0961476702/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1607467903&refinements=p_27%3AJunior+League+of+Norfolk-Virginia+Beach&s=books&sr=1-1&text=Junior+League+of+Norfolk-Virginia+Beach

Ingredients:

1 # shrimp (in the shell)

1 Tbsp freshly groupd pepper

1 1/2 twsp. salt

Juice of one lemon

1 Tbsp, Worcestershire sauce

Several shakes of hot pepper sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. butter

Here's what you do!

• Preheat oven to 350 degress
• Wash shrimp then spread in baking dish in single layer
• Mix all reamining ingredients except butter
• Dot top woth butter
• Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stir while cooking
• Serve in baking dish
• Great with a side of french bread
• 
  

 

3 Sweet Potato Pies

One of my Mom's specialties was her sweet potato pies.  She never made just one and only made them around Thanksgiving or Christmas.  And when Edna made sweet potato pies, she made sweet potato pies, it was normal for her to make 24 pies in one baking.  Many went in the freezer, some went to friends, but the best of the lot was reserved for family. I loved them...enjoyed them for a lunch or dinner dessert and even as breakfast with a cup of coffee.  Yum!!!

I've used Mom's recipe but somehow, mine never come out as good as hers.  So today, I ventured out on my own and the result made me very happy...let's just say I've consumed almost a half of a pie already...quality control is so important!

So here goes what I did.

Ingredients (makes 3 pies)

8 average sized sweet potatoes

1 1/2 cup sugar

3 sticks of butter, sliced

2 teaspoons cinamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup carnation evaporated milk

8 eggs

frozen pie shells (not deep dish); thawed 

• Preheat oven to 375
• Cover the sweet potatoes with water in a large pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until fork pierces all the way through the potatoes easily
• Place peeled potatoes in a large bowl,add butter, sugar, spices, vanilla, milk and beat with mixer until smooth
• Add eggs two at a time and beat until smooth
• Taste mixture and add more sugar or spice to your taste (a very important step!)
• Ladel mixture into pie shell...I do about 3 cups to one pie shell
• Bake for 50 minutes
• Cool, cover and refrigerate (reserve one for tasting!)

Enjoy!!!  Mom called this a hand pie...if it's done just right, a slice is easily eaten without a fork!!!

 

Trout, Grits and Collard Greens 

Now, I really wish I was a better food photographer!  I'll post the picture, maybe, but it does not come close to matching the deliciousness of this dish. (So I did post it)  This is, actually, a knock off of my favorite dish at South Market Restaurant in Pensacola, Florida...also my favorite restaurant there.  If you happen to be there go on Wednesday night when the most amazing bartender is working!  They use redfish for this dish, grilled or blackened, I substituted fresh trout, fried, just caught yesterday.  The combination of fish, collard greens and grits is just soooooo good!

Ingredients:

• Collard Greens, 32 oz cello pack
• 2 ham hocks
• Pepper vinegrar
• Yellow grits 
• Butter
• fish fillets (1/2 per serving)
• 2 eggs
• Louisiana Breading , New Orleans Style
• Vegetable Oil

So for the collard greens I take a short cut...I buy the cello pack...already washed and cut.  I start by cooking ham hocks in a large pot of water (I know you want to know quarts and stuff...just not me!)  I bring them to a boil and then let them simmer for a couple of hours.  You want that ham flavor be in the liquid and really flavor the collards.  Add the collard greens, return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for an hour. Salt/ Pepper to taste along with a healthy dash of pepper vinegar.

For the grits...I buy Lake Side yellow grits and cook according to package directions...nothing creative here! Add butter, I use 1 tablespoon/serving,  Salt/Pepper to taste.

For the fish... Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a skillet...beat the eggs in a bowl.  In another bowl have the Louisiana New Orleans Style breading mix. Dip the fish fillets (one at the time) in the egg, then in the breading mix...then add fish to the skillet.  Fry fillets on each side for 4 minutes.

To serve:  Drain collards and place a healthy seving on a plate with a scoop of grits.  Place fsh fillets on top.

Newlyweds' Cornish Game Hen

Newlyweds' Cornish Game Hen

When Wayne and I were first married we did our grocery shopping at Safeway in Colonial Heights, Va.  Wayne quickly found Cornish game hens...something new for both of us...but then, cheaper than chicken.  So we bought them.  In looking for recipes I used a wonderful cookbook collection given to us by Wayne's mom...different colored checked covers, one for salads, main dish desserts, etc. (sadly they are gone...I'm a messy cook and pages started sticking together because of my messiness!) But in the main dish cookbook I found a recipe for Cornish hens that became a favorite for us.  So when I found myself with a defrosted Cornish hen, I thought of this special dish  and recreated it tonight.  It's really succulent and, if you like the great flavor sherry and rosemary bring to a dish, you will love it.  Back in the day, I served it with Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice and asparagus.  Tonight, a Caesar salad was enough!  

Ingredients:

Cornish Game Hen backbone removed and halved

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. fresh rosemary removed from stem

salt

pepper

1/2 cup dry sherry

• salt and peeper game hen halves on all sides
• heat frying pan to medium
• add olive oil to preheated frying pan, add and melt butter
• add rosemary and let combine with butter and olive oil for 5 minutes
• add game hen halves, skin side down, and braise until skin is crisp; turn and cook for another ten minutes; turn and cook for another ten minutes; turn and cook for another 10 minutes (total about 35 minutes)
• there should be a deposit of hen drippings and rosemary in the bottom of the pan by now
• Remove halves and deglaze with the sherry
• Serve halves with the sherry gravy

OKRA! The Seldom Celebrated Vegetable of the South!

    

 OKRA!  The Seldom 

Celebrated Vegetable of the

South!    

Just take a look at this beautiful bloom...who would imagine that the lowly okra would begin as such a lovely blossom?  I grew up with okra.  My grandmama fried sliced okra into a fried mush in an iron skillet or added whole okra pods to green beans to become a delightful slimy treat in fresh green beans doused with pepper vinegar.  In recent years it's become a side heavily laden with a crust that disguises the true flavor of this wonderful garden treat.  Recently I saw a recipe that sliced the okra pod lengthwise and fried the strands in canola oil and then tossed with salt and a drizzle of lime juice. I'm sharing this so you know my recipe is not completely original ( I added the tempura)...but, my, oh okra, my...it's really good!   First time I've ever drizzled lime over okra...I think it's the flavor secret!

Ingredient:

Okra pods...as many as you need...I used 5 just fore me

Tempura flour mixed with cold water...enough for the amount of okra you have (doesn't matter if you have left over tempura batter}

4 inches deep of canola or a good vegetable oil

sea salt

Lime

Steps:

Slice okra lengthwise in quarters

Heat oil in pot just before bubbling hot (I know, not a cooking term)

Add okra to tempura batter

Fry in hot oil until a light golden brown

Drain on layers of paper towels

Salt to your liking

Drizzle juice from lime over okra

     OKRA!  The seldom 

celebrated vegetable of the

South!    

                                               Summer...Even Winter...Tomato Pie

Isn't is sad, that those of us who live alone neglect the finer foods of life.  My husband, Wayne, and I loved great food.  After he died, I didn't resort to drive thru's and take out's but did, pretty much, confine myself to a protein...maybe a steak, a piece of chicken, a fish fillet,  and a green salad...healthy, simple.  But yesterday I was craving a tomato pie...something our friend, Elizabeth Borum, introduced Wayne and I to when she moved to Alexandria.  It's a fairly simple dish...tomatoes, onions, cheese...I made it many times for Wayne and me after our initial introduction.  So today, just for me, I made a tomato pie.  But, I'm sharing the recipe with a few changes I've made to the original, some pancetta sprinkled in the bottom of the pie shell and panko added to the cheese topping (makes a crispy, cheese crackery topping)...forgive me Elizabeth!

To begin...

Ingredients:  
1 frozen pie crust (make your own if you wish, just not my thing!)
1/4 cup diced pancetta
5/6 red tomatoes
1 Vadalia onion
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped basil
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1/2 cup mayonaise

Follow directions for baked piecrust on package.  Cool for ten minutes after baking.  Then preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice 5 tomatoes and put the slices on a paper towel...sprinkle with salt and let sit while the pie crust gets ready.
Slice one large sweet Vidalia onion
Chop parsley and basil

In a bowl combine cheese, panko and mayonaise

Assemble the pie:

Sprinkle the diced panchetta in the bottom of the pie shell
Make a layer of tomatoes...sprinkle parsley, basil, salt and pepper on the tomatoes
Next a layer of onion
Now another layer of tomato
Finally, spread the cheese mixture on top and bake pie for 45 minutes.
Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

Blair's Layered Crab Salad

My son, Joel took two of my grandchildren, Graham and Maren, crabbing and came back with  a cooler full of blue crabs,  treasures of the sea.  

We prepared them several ways...the most fun was just a crab pickin' ... I made some crabcakes...making sure they were mostly crab with some breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, seasoned with some Old Bay...I always think simpler is better with crab cakes.  But the highlight of the crab dishes was a layered crab salad that Blair made for  our July 4th celebration.  She used her knowledge of the "crab stack" that some restaurants have on their menu and translated and enhanced it in an amazing layered crab salad.

Her recipe:

Summer Crab Salad

Prepare honey-lime vinaigrette dressing the night before serving. 

Honey lime vinaigrette Dressing:

1/3 c Vegetable oil

1/4 c Apple cider vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar 

2T honey

1/4 c lime juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 c fresh cilantro 

1 clove garlic, minced

Blend in blender. Chill overnight. Pour over salad just before serving. 

One cup each of 

-Sliced or diced English cucumbers (small ones)

- red cherry tomatoes, diced

- yellow cherry tomatoes, diced 

- salad greens, chopped to bite sizes

- diced ripe mango 

- diced ripe avocado (squeeze small amount of lime juice over avocado to retard browning)

2 cups crab meat

Using a clear glass bowl, layer ingredients in colorful layers alternating green items with red/yellow ones. Top three layers should be mango, avocado, and crab so that crab is on top of salad. 

Drizzle with honey lime vinaignette dressing just before serving. 

Sooooo Good!!!!!

Blair's Layered Crab Salad

Just loved having Tom, Blair and their 3 children, Graham, Maren and Campbell over the July 4th holiday.  As part of the fun, Joel took Graham and Maren crabbing...they came back with a cooler full of wonderful eastern NC blue crabs.  We enjoyed them, first, in a crab pickin'.  All of us, even the kids, picked til the juice ran up our elbows as we devoured the succulent crab meat we pried from the bodies and claws of these treasures from the sea.  On the next day, Blair started picking crabs...I joined her and, at the end of our work, we had more than enough crab meat for crab cakes...our dinner for that night.  My recipe is pretty simple:

3 cups of crab meat
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Dukes Mayonnaise
2 eggs
1 tbsp. Old Bay

Mix all ingredients together, form into large patties and fry in olive oil, searing both sides then frying for an additional 5 minutes.

Crabs were still left so Blair kept pickin' .  On July 4th she prepared an amazing crab salad, a knock-off of the "crab stacks" offered in lots of restaurants.

Here's her recipe:

Summer Crab Salad

Prepare honey-lime vinaigrette dressing the night before serving. 

Honey lime vinaigrette Dressing:

1/3 c Vegetable oil

1/4 c Apple cider vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar 

2T honey

1/4 c lime juice

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/2 c fresh cilantro 

1 clove garlic, minced

Blend in blender. Chill overnight. Pour over salad just before serving. 

One cup each of 

-Sliced or diced English cucumbers (small ones)

- red cherry tomatoes, diced

- yellow cherry tomatoes, diced 

- salad greens, chopped to bite sizes

- diced ripe mango 

- diced ripe avocado (squeeze small amount of lime juice over avocado to retard browning)

2 cups crab meat

Using a clear glass bowl, layer ingredients in colorful layers alternating green items with red/yellow ones. Top three layers should be mango, avocado, and crab so that crab is on top of salad. 

Drizzle with honey lime vinaigrette dressing just before serving. 

Just delicious!!!

Pasta Primavera with Arugula

Life has had ups and downs for awhile, some pretty major.  But in all of it, "I'm a lucky woman!", as my mom would say.   I have children who are there for me and, I'm sure, the most amazing grandchildren anyone could have.  When I'm home, I often eat alone.  I decided it was important to still make meals something special, whether I'm eating alone or cooking for friends or family.  I was driving back home tonight from working in Birmingham, Alabama and Greensboro, NC and had a hankering for a really fresh pasta dish.  So I stopped at the grocery store, picked up some pasta, shredded carrots, sliced and washed mushrooms, asparagus, and arugula.  All of these combined with tomato,  olive oil, lemon and a couple of glasses of wine that made, for me, a really fresh dinner...lot's better than picking up a hamburger and fries!

Pasta Pimavera with Arugula 

2 hand fulls of arugula
1/2 lemon juiced (save rind to zest)
1 cup of your favorite pasta 
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup shredded carrot
6 asparagus spears sliced, 1 inch
1 tomato, diced
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper to taste

Arugula

Toss arugula with lemon juice and zested lemon rind...set aside

• Cook pasta as directed on package, drain and set aside
• Bring olive oil to saute temp in saute pan
• Add carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, and saute for 5 minutes adding tomatoes and saute' for another 2 minutes
• Combine vegetables with pasta, seasoning with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
• Toss pasta and vegetables with seasoned arugula
• Pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine and enjoy!

I'm back! Eastern NC Gumbo

So... a lot has happened since my last post.  My wonderful husband and perfect sampler for my meals lost his fight with leukemia and left us February 1.  I worried that my love for cooking and creating meals would be lost, because my best audience was gone.  He loved that I loved to cook and was so appreciative of my efforts at providing us with special dinners.  I miss him, terribly, when I prepare something that I know he would love.  But, I am so thankful, that I still love the adventure in creating something new.  I do miss his review of the dish which was always a positive one..." Please do this again!".

So here's what happened tonight that inspired me to post again after more than a year.

I had several great leftovers...smoked ham, a baked chicken. chicken gravy,  dried sausage (a NC special), some shrimp, then some celery that was near its end, onion, and green, yellow and red peppers that would have to be thrown out when I return from my trip to Seattle this weekend.

The recipe, and it's kind of open...like I think a gumbo is supposed to be:

Ingredients:

3 tblsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, choppped
1 cup green, yellow and red pepper chopped (combined amount)
1 large link dried sausage (I know, you can;t get this, then add any smoked link sausage)
1 12 oz. package sliced okra
1/2 cup white wine
1.5 cups chicken gravy (I guess you could buy already prepared gravy if you don't bake your own chikcen and make your own gravy)
2 cups smoked ham, cubed
2 cups baked chicken, cubed
1 # shrimp
1 cup diced canned tomatoes
2 cups of liquid from cooking corned ham ( a rarity, I know, you could use chicken stock or seafood stock)
2 tblsp. creole seasonings

Heat olive oil in large (really large) skillet or in dutch oven.  Add celery, onion, garlic, and peppers and saute til soft.  Add sausage and saute for 20 minutes.  Add okra and start to sweat.  When the okra gets soft, add the white wine. Saute for another 10 minutes.

Now this is tricky...last night I had baked chicken wrapped in bacon...I used the drippings to make a gravy.  the gravy that was left was used, almost like a roux, in this recipe.  I added the gravy and stirred all together and simmered for 20 minutes.

To this I added the cubed chicken, and ham...cooked together for another 10 minutes, added the tomatoes and the shrimp...cooked for another 30 minutes over medium heat.

I cooked some yellow grits...my sister, Diane and I had the gumbo over the grits, and my son, Joel, had his over some left over rice.

Served with some sour dough bread and a nice Pinot Grigio...I'm happy!!!

Chicken Saltimbocca, Country Kale, Fried Grits

Sorry, no picture!  I fixed this for dinner tonight and was just not prepared for how good each of these dishes would be and what a great combination!  Most of the ingredients I used are probably available anywhere with the exception of the "corned side meet" I used to season the greens.  Corned hams and side meet, I think, are a specialty of Eastern North Carolina.   Acre Station Meat Farm  www.acrestationmeatfarm.com.

So here are the three dishes:

Chicken Saltimbocca

The Greens

2 quarts water
2 pounds of kale
2 strips of corned side meat  or 2 slices of thick slice bacon cut in strips
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• Add corned side meat to 2 quarts of cold water. 
•  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes
• Add greens and pepper flakes; cook for 45 minutes; salt to taste.

The Chicken

• chicken Breasts,  pound to thickness of  1/2"
• Fresh sage leaves, 1 large for each chicken breast 
• Prosciutto slices (1 for each breast)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup chicken broth

1. Place a bay leave on each thin or flattened chicken breast; wrap the breast with the prosciutto; dust with flour.
2. Melt butter in skillet
3. Fry breasts in butter 4 minutes on each side
4. Remove breasts from pan, cover with foil
5. To the drippings in the pan add chicken broth  and simmer until reduced to a nice gravy

The Grits

A couple of nights ago a fried oysters for dinner.  I prepared cheese grits to go with the oysters and had a good amount left over. Wayne, the leftover guru, saved the grits.  Hence, this recipe!

• leftover cheese grits cold, sliced
• butter

Fry sliced grits in butter until crispy on each side (That;s it!)

Serve greens in a bowl with some of the "pot liquor"; place breast and grit cake on plate a drizzle gravy over both.  ENJOY!

Grits with Blue Cheese and Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Not So Southern Grits with Blue Cheese and Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Last week I had dinner with a consultant friend at Nola's in Clinton, New York (  http://www.nolasinclinton.com/ ).  The highlight of my meal was polenta with blue cheese...just so amazingly good.  Of course, my Southern palette immediately thought...yellow grits!!!  So Friday night I tried my own take on this dish.   Sadly, the only blue cheese available was the already crumbled and not great quality.  But, even with that, the dish was great!  I can't wait to get over to Fresh Market and get some really great blue cheese and create this again, just better.  However, the lesson here is, use what you can find to create dishes that are different, tasty and enjoyed!

3/4 cup yellow grits

2 cups of water

1 tsp. salt

2 tbs. butter

1/4 cup vermont sharp white cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 pt. cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

2 tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup blue cheese

1. Place tomatoes on cookie sheet and toss with olive oil.  Roast in preheated oven (400 degrees) for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are browned. Remove from oven.
2. Bring 2 cups of water to boiling, add salt and grits, reduced heat to low cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add butter and sharp cheddar, cook on low for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Pour grits into serving bowl, top with tomatoes and sprinkle with blue cheese.

Tomato Tart

Tomato Tart

Good tomatoes are so plentiful this year.  Most nights we have them in a tossed salad of, my favorite, a tomato caprese salad that I create by layering fresh tomato slices with sliced fresh (or as fresh as I can get it) mozzarella, a little fresh basil, salt and pepper sprinkled between the layers and drizzled with olive oil and a balsamic vinegar reduction.  (an extra recipe for you!)

For this tomato tart I used phyllo pastry dough, tomatoes, and several herbs  I have growing right now. (chives, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, and tarragon) I used some cherry tomatoes, a couple of heirloom tomatoes and a couple of plain ol' red ones from the local produce market.  All of this is layered over the dough, mozzarella cheese and feta cheese.(along with a hefty potion of garlic).  I recommend serving this with a Greek salad and, at least, one glass of pinot grigio!

Ingredients:

8 sheets of phyllo pastry dough 

1/4 cup of melted butter

3 medium tomatoes, sliced thin

1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

6 oz. mozzarella cheese

6 oz. feta cheese

3 tbs. chopped herbs

3 cloves garlic chopped

red pepper flakes (to taste or optional)

salt and pepper   (to taste)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

• Place thin slices of tomato and halved cherry tomatoes on paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt
• Using a 13 x( inch baking sheet, begin with one sheet of phyllo, covering the bottom of the pan, overlapping about 1/2 inch.  Brush this layer with melted butter. Create a second layer and brush with melted butter.  Place in preheated oven for 10 minutes or lightly browned.  Remove from oven a cool for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle cheeses over cooled phyllo
• Sprinkle garlic over cheese
• Arrange tomatoes on to top cheese.  I put all of the large slices first then arranged cherry tomatoes around them
• Sprinkle chopped herbs over tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper
• Top with parmesan and drizzle with some really good olive oil

Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Tomato Bounty Bake

I know, it;s been a while since I've posted...but tonight I created a dish with tomatoes that I have to share.  My friend, Shelley, brought me a basket full of fresh tomatoes from her garden.  I've always made a really great tomato pie, but I'm walking miles every day and really trying to watch carbs and calories and that pie, with the crust, lots of sharp cheddar and mayonnaise just doesn't fit into my "Get fit Loretta" plan. So I created this dish with roasted tomatoes, caramelized sweet onions, Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.  Please change ingredient amounts to suit your taste...I think any combination will work!

Ingredients:
8 tomatoes, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
2 large Vadalia onions, slices in 1/4 inch slices
1 tbs. fresh basil
1 tbs. fresh thyme
4 tbs. olive oil Parmesan Romano cheese
1/2 cup shredded

Preheat oven to 400

• Spread 2 tbs. olive oil on cookie sheet
• Place sliced tomatoes in one layer on cookie sheet 
• Place tomatoes in preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes
• Reduce oven temperature to 350
• While the tomatoes are cooking saute onions in remaining olive oil until nicely caramelized
• Remove tomatoes from oven and create a layer of tomatoes
• Salt tomato layer taste and add half of basil and thyme
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over tomatoes
• Add a layer using all of the caramelized onions
• Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over onions
• Place remaining tomatoes over onion layer
• Sprinkle with basil and thyme
• Bake for 20 minutes

Oh No!  Brussel Sprouts!!!

 

 

I grew up having brussel sprouts...green, mushy, balls that were just blah (sorry Mom)!  How many people do you know who say, "I just love me some brussel sprouts"...a weird duck, for sure.  Well...this is our second night in a row having brussel sprouts.  I bought a great bag of them from Sam's Club last week, realized I'd be traveling all week this week and the sprouts needed to be gone.  So last night it was a pretty simple dish:

 

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 slices of pancetta chopped

20 fresh brussel sprouts, cut in half

salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

 

 

1.  Heat the olive oil in a good heavy skillet on medium high

2.  Add the pancetta to oil and brown

3.  Add brussel sprouts and sauté for 5 minutes

4. Cover and cook over low heat for another 5 minutes

5.  Remove cover, increase heat and stir for another 2 minutes

6.  Serve and enjoy immediately!

 

 

Tonight's brussel sprouts were just a bit different...I thought apples would go well with them and then while I was cooking them I thought... "How about some dried cranberries...and a little brown sugar...and, of course, some butter!"  So here you go...and they were yummy!

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

 

3 tbsp. olive oil

4 slices pancetta, chopped (I think bacon would be great!)

6 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and quartered

30 brussel sprouts, halved

a handful of dried cranberries

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2tbsp. butter

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet and saute' pancetta.  Add apples and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.  Add brussel sprouts and sauté for another five minutes.  Add dried cranberries and sprinkle brown sugar all over...place in oven and cook for 10 minutes uncovered.  Remove from oven, add butter and cover until ready to serve.

 

 

 



Southern Summer Vegetable Dinner

Tonight we had a summer vegetable dinner.  this summer has been very different for my family. late in June my husband, Wayne, was diagnosed with acute leukemia and started chemo treatments immediately.  Thank goodness he was pretty healthy and was able to have an aggressive chemotherapy treatment.  He's in remission but is receiving chemo monthly to kill those nasty embryonic varmints that slipped through the initial treatment.  He'll finish up with this in November.  One month after Wayne was diagnosed our son, Tom, was seriously injured while riding his bike...hit and run driver.  he's going to be fine but it's going to take a few month of therapy to get back close to normal...understand that normal for Tom is riding his bile 3000 miles in a year...getting to that normal will be longer. So, as part of my therapy, I spent most of the afternoon working with vegetables from the local farmer's market and created a wonderful vegetable dinner.  Here are recipes for two of our favorites.

Southern Overcooked Mushy Yellow Squash and Onions

Ingredients:

4 slices bacon

2 large sweet onions, sliced in rounds

2 pounds yellow squash, sliced in rounds

salt and pepper

water

• Fry bacon in a large skillet and remove from pan
• Add onions to bacon drippings and cook until translucent (hot pan)
• Add yellow squash, with a teaspon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to pan with a cup of water and cook over high heat, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes
• Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking squash for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently.
• When you can no longer determine that the squash was cut in rounds and when it appears mushy,  it's done
• Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper
• Serve Hot!

Tomato Pie

1 frozen deep dish pie shell (yes, already made!)

4 really big tomatoes...still firm

1 large sweet onion, sliced in 1/4 inch rings

fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

1 cup mayonnaise

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

• Follow directions to prebake pie shell and cool
• Boil water in a pot large enough to hold tomatoes, put tomatoes in the boiling water for 3 minutes and remove, now you can easily peel and core the tomatoes, slice them in 1/4 inch slices, sprinlkle salt over them and drain for 15 minutes
• Layer tomatoes and onions in the pie shell and sprinkle chopped basil over each layer
• Combine cheeses and mayonnaise and use this to top the pie
• Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees
• Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes
• Slice and serve

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt Pie

Strawberry Yogurt Pie

I have made Strawberry Yogurt Pie for years but tonight made it a little differently.   I usually just combine strawberry and Cool Whip and put it in a graham cracker crust, freeze it and slice to serve.  it's always a hit, especially in the summer time...it's a really cool, refreshing dessert!  but today I decided to try slightly different ingredients.  now that Greek yogurt is available everywhere...and it's so rich, creamy and high in protein...I tried it, combined with frozen sweetened strawberries, Cool Whip and froze it in a graham cracker crust...have to say it was better...creamier and richer!  Those of you who know me know that I did not measure...so here's the basic recipe...make it your own! (and correct my mistakes!)

Ingredients:

3 cups plain Greek yogurt

1 container of frozen sweetened strawberries

1 small container of Cool Whip

2 graham cracker crusts

fresh strawberries

mint leaves

1. Combine yogurt and frozen strawberries
2. Fold in Cool Whip
3. Divide and fill pie crusts
4. Put in freezer for two hours
5. Slice and serve (garnish with fresh fruit and mint leaves)

Lemon Salmon

Dinner Tonight was salmon...some friends' posts on Facebook indicated that that is a favorite fish for lots of folks.  I purchased a really nice salmon filet, some beautiful lemons and some very healthy looking asparagus.   I don't know about you, but the one thing I dislike the most about cooking is cleaning up the mess I make.  So, for this meal, I decided there would be no cleanup!   First I lined my pan with aluminum foil to hold the fish.  then I trimmed the asparagus and arranged it around the the salmon and threw on some cherry tomatoes.  Wa La!  A whole meal in a pan,  with no clean-up guaranteed,  and it was delicious!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients

1 salmon filet

1 large lemon, thinly sliced

1 pound asparagus

2 cups cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper

olive oil

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Place salmon on pan and salt and pepper filet to taste.  Place lemon slices on top of filet.  Arrange asparagus around filet and top asparagus with cherry tomatoes.  Drizzle fish and vegetables with olive oil.   Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Mussels a La Loretta

Mussels a la Loretta  (Belly laughs are expected!)

I'm doing some work in Alexandria, Va. and have already discovered a special spot to dine.  Brabo's
Tasting Room  http://www.braborestaurant.com/brabo-tasting-room.php
  is the perfect spot for me.  It's small and casual, does not accept reservations, has a really great wine list and is just a sort walk from my hotel.

Brabo's  prepares an amazing salad of fresh greens and a fantastic house made mustard vinaigrette, but what's really special are the mussels they prepare there.  So, today, I decided to find some mussels and create my own dish for dinner tonight.  A  big difference between Brabo's mussels and Loretta's mussels is that Brabo's are fresh, flown in from Washington and mine are frozen, bagged in Chili. The other difference is $$$$... who knows how much Brabo's  pays for theirs...my frozen bags were $5.99 each (I'm sure the chef at Brabo's would shudder at the thought!). So Wayne,  our friend, Jane, and I were pleasantly surprised at the outcome of this dish...delish!!!!

Ingredients:

1 pinch of saffron
1 cup dry white wine

4 Tbsp. Olive oil
1/2 cup panchetta, finely chopped\
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup plum tomatoes, quartered
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
another cup of dry white wine
2 bags frozen mussels

Soak saffron in 1 cup of dry white wine for at least 15 minutes.
Heat olive oil in large skillet with high sides.  Add panchetta, onion. celery, garlic and saute' over medium heat until onion is translucent, add tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes.  Add saffron wine and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add crushed red pepper, parsley, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.  Add 2 bags of frozen mussels and another cup of dry white wine.  Cover and cook until mussels are hot and opened.

Serve with a simple green salad and lots of crusty toasted bread for sopping up that amazing sauce.