My Momma Says I'm Too Fancy

When I began telling my momma about this recipe I found, she immediately responded, "that sounds fancy." Translation: Too expensive!

I will admit it does look like a complicated and expensive recipe on the surface, but when you look a little closer you'll see just how easy it is. I thought this one was geared more towards the ladies, but my father and husband swear they loved it. I think their cleaned plates speak for themselves.

If you like a good salad/cold pasta dish in the summer that takes less than 30 minutes, give this one a whirl.


Lemon-Herb Shrimp Salad

Ingredients:
Lemon-Herb Dressing
1/3 cup canola oil
3 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp chopped fresh tarragon
1 Tbsp honey mustard
1 tsp lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/3 tsp dried crushed red pepper
Pasta
8 oz. medium shell pasta
1 lb. peeled medium shrimp
1 large nectarine, thin wedges
1 cup chopped seeded cucumber
fresh raspberries
arugula or other greens


Directions:
Everything should be finished in the time it takes to cook and cool your pasta. You can even make ahead and throw in the fridge until you are ready to plate it up.

1) Boil water for the pasta while you fix the dressing. To make the dressing, I use my handy dandy Magic Bullet. It saves time, but you can also chop and whisk by hand. I honestly am wondering how I ever lived without this gadget! Take the mint off the stems and add to the Bullet. Give it about 3 pulses and measure out 3 Tbsp. Set aside. You could also eyeball this if you are confident in your skills. Repeat this process with the tarragon. Then zest your lemon.

Now dump it all back in the Bullet with honey mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, crushed red pepper, and canola oil.

Blend for about 3 pulses, and you're done!

2) Cook the pasta (package instructions) and drain. Run cold water over the pasta to stop it from cooking and drain again. Place pasta in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 cup of the lemon-herb dressing.

3) Stir in the shrimp, nectarine wedges, and cucumbers. Add more dressing if desired.

Serve with raspberries and arugala as garnish.

Healthy twist: Place the pasta salad on a bed of arugala or field greens instead of just garnishing with it.

I had some leftover dressing after this meal. Lucky me, because it is going to go great on a lunch time salad.

Need a new home made dressing? You can substitute chives or basil (or just about any herb) for the mint and tarragon.

Comfort Food - Mac & Cheese

Is it just me or are rainy days the perfect time to break out the comfort food? I've had a stove-top mac and cheese recipe stored away for a while that I wanted to try. It has just been waiting for the right moment. As usual I have changed the recipe; one because I like to put peas in just about anything I can (Come on. Give peas a chance.), and two because I live with a carnivore who requires meat at each meal.

So here it is, my fully loaded mac & cheese.


Ingredients:
3 cups (1 bag) halved cherry tomatoes
Cooking Spray
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 slices sourdough bread (or any available bread)
1 tsp butter, melted
12 oz package of large elbow macaroni
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cup cubed ham
8 oz bag of shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese (2 cups)
1/4 cup egg substitute
Kosher salt
Ground Red pepper
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk (low-fat)


Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Get out a baking dish large enough for all cherry tomatoes (13x9 is plenty big enough) and coat with cooking spray. I use a glass baking dish for easy clean up. Place all tomatoes in the dish in one layer and sprinkle with black pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.



2) While your tomatoes cook, you'll finish the rest of the meal. So everything should be ready in 30 minutes total. Take your bread and tear it into chunks. Place in a food processor or, my favorite, the Magic Bullet and pulse until you've got crumbs. Toss the crumbs with the melted butter and spread on a baking pan (any kind will do). These go in with the tomatoes for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure you stir them around every few minutes so they don't burn.

The finished product should look about like this.



3) On the stove, cook your macaroni in boiling water for about 7 minutes. My no stick trick is to add a bit of cooking spray or vegetable oil to the pot. During the last minute of cooking add in the frozen peas.

4) Drain the macaroni and peas and return them to the pot. You will need to change the stove top temp to medium-low heat. Add in the ham, cheese, and remaining ingredients. Season with salt and red pepper according to taste. I do 2-3 pinches of kosher salt and a pinch of red pepper. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring constantly until the cheese melts.

5) Fold in the tomatoes. Dish it up and add a layer of yummy bread crumbs to the top. A nice side salad and a glass of red wine couldn't hurt either. Now tell me that's not tasty looking!

Fish Fry Sauce

I had a few requests for the "cajun mayo" I made for last week's fish fry, so here it is.

You'll need a food processor for this. I made quite a bit for our large gathering, so the ingredient list makes a party sized amount.

Ingredients:
1 egg
2 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1 whole fresh lemon)
2-3 tsp garlic (fresh or the minced kind from the jar)
1/4 cup DILL pickle relish
1 Tbsp Creole Mustard (big squeeze)
2-3 tsp Horseradish (decide how hot you want it)
2 tsp parsley (about 2 handfuls unchopped)
3 Tbsp green onions, chopped
2 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
pinch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

Directions:
Put all ingredients except the Vegetable Oil in the food processor. Let it mix and chop for about 1-2 minutes until there are no big pieces. Leave it running and drizzle in the vegetable oil until it is all mixed. It should be thick like mayo. If it isn't, keep mixing. Chill until you're ready to serve it with something yummy like catfish.

Strawberry Fields Forever

I've been craving a good salad dish for a while, and what better time than one of the hottest days of the year. Because it is the Fourth of July, I guess it needs to be something red!

We'll call this creation...

Strawberry Fields Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped chicken breast meat (about 2 breasts)
2 cups of quartered strawberries
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp golden raisins
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp dried tarragon
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp basalmic vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
salad greens

Directions:

This is really just assembly. You will need to cook the chicken ahead of time. We just threw ours in the oven at 350 degrees until the internal temp reached 170 degrees. Once it has cooled to the point where you don't shout profanities touching it, cut it into chunks.

I also use this time to crisp up some baguette or french bread in the oven. Add a little goat cheese after it is done, and you've got a great compliment to any salad.



Now it's time to combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Set it aside, and combine the next 7 ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the chicken mixture. Take a spatula or your fingers and get the chicken mix well coated. This could be chilled or served right away.

Spread goat cheese on the baguette pieces to serve with your salad.

Scoop the chicken mixture on top of salad greens of your choice and enjoy! Oh, and don't forget the wine. I'm no expert, but a reisling went really well with the strawberries.

Happy eating!

Summer of Salmon

Okay, so the title is a little wrong, but there's nothing wrong with this summer treat. If you aren't a fish person, use pork. The spice rub is perfect for chops.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
4 salmon filets (about 6 oz size)
2 cups cucumber, chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp cider vinegar


Directions:

1) Preheat your oven's broiler and get out a jelly-roll pan for the fish. You can spray it down with cooking spray if you like, but we've found that letting it stick a bit takes the skin off the bottom for you. If you like extra work, by all means cut the skin off instead.

2) Get out your yummy salmon filets. Mix up a rub consisting of the first 7 ingredients and 1/4 tsp of the salt. (other half of salt goes in the relish)

3) Rub evenly over the fish.

The finished product should look like this. Now throw that baby in the oven on a jelly-roll pan. Broil for about 8 minutes. The fish should be flaky but still pink.

4) While you wait, it's time to grab a refreshment and make the relish to go on the fish. Mashed potatoes go well with this dish, so plan on making these during this time as well.

Combine the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt with the rest of the ingredient list (cucumber, bell pepper, onion, mint, capers, and cider vinegar). Toss well and set aside.

Put it all together, and you've got one tasty summer dish. Did I mention it only takes a few minutes to make.

*We had some extra relish left over with this recipe, and it saves really well. You could have it as a snack on crackers, or have a repeat of this dish with pork.

What goes good with pork? ...PORK

Thanks to my father, we have recently acquired a large Costco sized palate of pork chops. I have a few old standbys for rubs, but I was looking to do stuffed chops tonight. What I decided on was delicious and didn't require a run to the grocery store.

You can tell it's Southern cooking when everything has bacon on/in it!

We added some grilled corn as our veggie. Perfect for summer.

Stuffed Pork Chops (or as I call them, Baconator Chops)

cook time: 30 min

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 quarts water
• 4 (2-inch thick) pork chops, bone-in rib loin chops, split to bone
• 2 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped sage leaves
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 2 1/2 cups crumbled cornbread
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Whisk salt and both sugars in 2-quarts of cold water. Add pork chops and cover. Refrigerate for about an hour (or as time allows). Remove the pork chops from the brine and dry well. If you don't have time for this, just give the chops a rub down of salt, pepper, and brown sugar.

In a large heavy bottomed saute pan, begin to fry bacon. Add celery, onion and garlic to pan and allow to saute with the crispy bacon. Don't you dare drain the grease first! I'm watching you. Add rosemary, sage and parsley after bacon has cooked for 8 to 10 minutes. Saute until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl add cornbread (if you absolutely don't have cornbread, breadcrumbs can work), dried cranberries and chicken stock. Stir in the cooked vegetable mixture. Mix well.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Stuff the chop with about 1/2 cup of stuffing. Use toothpicks to help seal the chops. Grill the chops for 5 to 7 minutes per side. Internal temperature should be 145 degrees F. Allow chop to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

BBQ Shrimp Night!

You can't go wrong with this one. Simple, quick, and loaded with flavor. There's no shortage of ways to make New Orleans style barbecue shrimp, but the ingredients are basically the same no matter what.

So, without further ado, let me introduce one of my new favorite easy meals; Barbecued shrimp over long grained rice, and french bread.

Barbecue Shrimp

Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter (yes it must be butter; if you want healthy you're at the wrong blog)
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced (use the jarred stuff if you want to save time)
1/2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp. rosemary, chopped
3/4 cup beer (We like Abita Amber-I mean this is a cajun recipe!)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 (or more) Tbsp. Hot Sauce
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (make sure to fight about pronunciation for atleast 5 minutes)
1 Tbsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Creole seasoning

3 Tbsp. Parsley, chopped
2 lbs shrimp (shell on is best)

Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. There is no grilling involved in this barbecue recipe!

2. In a skillet, melt the half of the butter on medium. Add the garlic, saute, and inhale deeply (yummy). Add the fresh herbs and cook for about 2 minutes. Inhale deeply again. Steal a small piece of french bread while stirring.

3. Deglaze your herbs with beer, and let it reduce by half. Drink the remaining beer (or give it to your husband if you're pregnant like me).

4. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire, hot sauce, black pepper, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and the shrimp, tossing to coat well. Transfer the shrimp and sauce (all of it) to a baking dish where the shrimp can bake in the sauce in a single layer (or close to one). I like foil, because there's no extra dishes to do. Cut your butter into chunks and place over the shrimp. Spread them out, so they drain down over all the shrimpy goodness when they cook. Place the pan into a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

Make sure you have a bucket for shells, lots of napkins, and good french bread for sopping up all those drippings.

I also make a long grain white rice or mustard potato salad to go with this dish. It kills the heat of the hot sauce really well. The recipe feeds four.

bon appétit