Sherry – Page 31 – Rosemary and the Goat

Red Chard, Shrimp and Artichoke Stir-fry

Beautiful and so easy and something red for Valentine’s Day.

These days when I’m trying to make things move a little slower I’m doing a stir-fry. Now does that make sense. A slow day but with a quick fast dish at the end of the day.

I’ve always got some shrimp in my freezer. In fact, when the x-large goes on sale here, I will buy 2-3 bags and put in my freezer for last-minute dishes like this or a quick shrimp cocktail. So, I can have a slow and relaxing day doing whatever I want and wait until the last-minute and do a quick dinner to feed the hungry.

I’ve been busy trying to catch up on all these new movies that I’ve missed out for the last few weeks, getting back into craft circle and trying to come up with a couple of projects I would like to make for the year, and still working on getting the outdoor kitchen finished up. I bought a cool copper vessel type sink to use but still have not had the granite cut or picked out a faucet to match the sink. Gotta get this done because before you know it we are going to want to be outside again.

February 14, 2016 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Beef/Veal/ Entree/ HotApp

Mini Corn Dogs with Mustard Dipping Sauce

Get them while they’re hot.

So, what’s so special about a corn dog? Nothing really but I’ve never been able to pass one up once that smell of a frying dog is in the wind and my hose catches the drift.

Use to be, back in the day, (maybe even before my day) one would go to a carnival or state fair and would be confronted with things like the Bearded Lady, the wolf man, person with two heads (ok, maybe that one was in an old movie I saw when I was a kid), the snake woman, sword swallower, little person, very big person, and probably things your mother would have never let you go in to take even a peek.

I would have been more concerned with what are they going to feed us. There are so many things that are fried at state fairs and I’m sure depending on where you live, there may even be some I haven’t heard of. Here are just a few I have seen and come across looking for the next “big” fried things on a stick. Chicken Fried Lobster with champagne gravy (sounds pretty good), Fried Butter, Fried Snicker Bars, Funnel Cakes, Fried Cheese Curds, Frog Legs (Now I would like that one.), Batter Dipped Deep Fried Twinkies (and I thought those were gone.), Fried Jalapeños, of course, and the list goes on and on for those artery clogging treats.

Personally, I don’t think you can beat a good hot dog turned into a corn dog. I’ve made these with plain yellow mustard but I have also made the dipping sauce recipe below to go with these. Cutting the dogs into thirds make such a cute little appetizer and ya don’t have to feel guilty about eating a couple. Ok, so who could stop at just a couple. And, these are the perfect size for the kids, that is if you let them have hot dogs.

February 4, 2016 By Sherry

Entree/ Poultry

Bourbon Teriyaki Chicken

No bourbon in this bourbon chicken.

So, what do you do in the winter months to pass the time, all that shopping for the holidays is past and even if you resolved to get in the gym more often, that still leaves a lot of time on your hands; that is if you are not working or taking care of the kids. I would like to go back a few (a bunch) years and still have the kids at home, cooking and taking care of them, running them all over the place. OUCH, I just pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. I love being a mother for three of the best kids I know, but its fun watching them be parents and watching the five little grandsons grow up.

There are probably eight million ways to do chicken and this is just one of them. (Hey, recognize that line — “There are eight million stories in the naked city; this has been one of them.” (The Naked City TV series from 50’s/60’s). Who doesn’t love chicken and like I said, there are a kazillion ways to prepare it.

January 30, 2016 By Sherry

Entree/ Soup

Slow-cooked Chicken Tortilla Soup

Slow down your moving too fast…..

Slow down, you move too fast
You got to make the morning last
Just kicking down the cobblestones
Looking for fun and feeling groovy
Ba da-da da-da da-da, feeling groovy…..

–Simon and Garfunkel’s “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling’ Groovy)

I woke up one morning before Christmas thinking “why does time seem to go by so fast”. After a little internet search (I knew there had to be an answer there) I came up with two article from Huffington Post.

It’s always bothered me that with a wink of an eye the day is gone, then the week, month, and before you know it, it’s Christmas again. At my age I want to put the brakes on things and enjoy and remember all the things that tend to flash by the window while we are driving/sailing/flying through life.

My goals this year are to slow things down, read a little each day (I don’t read nearly enough) and make a point to not just watch the days drift by. Read these two articles (Why Life Goes By Faster As We Get Older and Simple Mental Trick Can Slow Down Time) and I think it may help you to slow things down a bit.

My word for the year is going to be “slow” or in two words “slow down”. Cooking in a crockpot isn’t exactly what Slow Food Movement had in mind but if you have something simmering away in a crockpot/slow cooker, you will definitely be enjoying those smells and the excitement of anticipating what’s coming out of that pot at the end of the day.

January 25, 2016 By Sherry

Salads

Shaved Zucchini Salad

Shaved Zucchini Salad with Pumpkin Seeds Parmesan Cheese.

Are you looking for some new salad ideas to start the year off right?

You don’t have to wait for summer vegetables to make this zucchini salad. There is no reason to wait to make this salad since we can always find fresh zucchini and yellow squash in the market. Of course, if you had it growing in your back yard, then that would be even fresher/better.

Zucchini was developed in Italy in the late 19th century; and is a vegetable that is typically served cooked and has a delicate flavor and requires very little cooking in a little butter or olive oil. On the other hand, you always see zucchini on vegetable platters so it can be used in many dishes; zucchini bread is the best.

What attracted me to this recipe in the first place was the way the zucchini/squash was cut; most recipes you see for zucchini salad has it sliced in circles, shredded or cut into long thin ribbon pieces. I like the bigger slices because you can still tell what the vegetable once was.

I once worked for a catering company in Kansas City and I always remember how they always wanted vegetables, whether they were for a salad or for grilling, cut into large chunks/pieces because they thought it made for a better presentation. I agree.

This recipe came from Silver Oak Winery and they suggest it for a summer salad. I’m saying put with any grilled meat and you will have a great salad in place of your normal green salad you may serve.

January 20, 2016 By Sherry

Appetizers

Coconut Shrimp Wontons

Here’s another Shrimp Wonton with a different twist.

I love coconut, I love shrimp and I love anything crunchy/crispy like fried wontons. That’s starting to sound a little like Bubba Gump and if I remember correctly, the first time I ever ordered Coconut Shrimp was at Bubba Gump’s restaurant in San Francisco. I did another Shrimp Wonton back in July 2015 but this has a little different twist on it.

Coconut and shrimp belong together just like jelly and peanut butter (although I don’t like jelly on peanut butter). Our Republic Grille here in The Woodlands serves an appetizer of coconut shrimp with a habanero marmalade that is crazy sweet/hot and delicious. I’m always on the lookout for new appetizers to try out on friends.

On our trip last year to Seattle we visited Chateau Ste Michelle winery one day and I discovered several of their wines that I had never tried (mostly because they were above the price I normally want to pay for wines.) The lady who was doing our tasting told me about the recipes on their site and when she mentioned coconut shrimp I knew I was going to had to pay the website a visit; and you may just find a few recipes you want to give a try.

January 15, 2016 By Sherry

Soup

Four Bean Chili

Is it cold enough at your place for chili?

This was going to be my last post of the year but my Asparagus and Shiitake mushroom dish nosed it out and besides it is just now cold enough to make chili here. Christmas day was 80° in our part of Texas but now it’s down in the 40’s (what a difference a couple of week make.).

Thanks Katherine Heigl for your Chili recipe. I love Katherine Heigl. She seems like the most down to earth movie star (do people still say movie star?**) and I have watched every movie she’s been in since she left Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve seen her cooking on several shows recently and this particular day she was on the Today Show making her chili.

Now chili is something I have never been good at making. My family use to say that my chili never tasted the same from one time to the next. In fact, if I want chili now I use Wick Fowler’s Two Alarm Chili mix. My mother always used the little package of Chili-O and I thought her chili was wonderful.

When we lived in Louisville, KY and you were served chili you were asked if you wanted beans or no beans and that’s the first time I had macaroni in my chili — chili-mac and then learned to put out toppings like cooked spaghetti, chopped onions, cheese and chopped fresh tomatoes. Recently I had some chili at a local bar in The Woodlands, no beans; what do you mean NO beans! To me chili without beans just taste like meat and chili sauce. Ya gotta have beans in chili if you ask me.

January 10, 2016 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Bread/ Morning Foods/ Pastries

Granny Hester’s Sweet Potato Biscuits

Wish I knew this Granny.

I don’t often get foods from companies to try out for the blog so I was excited to get a note from Darlene, PPR Communications, Granny Hester’s Sweet Potato Biscuit asking me if I would like to try their sweet potato biscuits. The company is doing some testing in our area in Sam’s Club and she came across my blog. Their sweet potato biscuits are already being sold there and at our Trader Joes.

I love their story of how the biscuit recipe came about. Granny Hester came up with this recipe while experimenting for the perfect biscuit for her husband before he left for the Navy in WWII. The recipe was eventually handed down (like all good grandmothers do) to a granddaughter who started making these biscuits for family and friends and now works out of a 50,000 sq. ft. building (former sock mill) in Ft. Payne, Alabama.

I’ve done sweet potato biscuits before for an appetizer so I couldn’t wait to try out their biscuits with a couple of other recipes. For my first try I used the frozen biscuit, split it and then grilled it on a panini grill and topped with some pulled pork, slaw and pepper rings for a fancy slider for New Year’s Eve. It was really good that way because the biscuit got kind of crisp, almost like a chip.

My second try was using the biscuits with ham and orange marmalade; I made these many times when I catered. Cooked biscuits, split, top with ham and orange marmalade then back in the oven to warm up.

On Granny Hester’s site they have a Sweet Potato Cinnamon Roll made from their biscuits so that was definitely going to be breakfast one Saturday morning and those are in the opening picture.

January 5, 2016 By Sherry

Side dish

Stir-fried Asparagus and Shitake Mushrooms

Don’t wait for Spring asparagus to make this!

The holidays are behind us (that was fast) and if you are looking for some healthy recipes to try beginning the new year, this should be one of them.

My son, Paul, made the best prime rib roast for Christmas dinner. He made a pesto of parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme plus some garlic and he put that all over the roast before cooking. Normally I would use just the fresh herbs and place below and on top of the roast or tenderloin but now I see how making the pesto gets the flavor more into the meat and I will continue using this method when cooking steaks, tenderloins or prime rib roast. This asparagus shiitake dish was perfect with the beef.

We all learn by making mistakes; I’ve made my share for sure and I usually don’t make the mistake twice. America’s Test Kitchen helps with solving some of our cooking problems. I love American Test Kitchen on PBS; and I have to say, even at my age I always learn something new. The show usually starts with Christopher Kimball who is the editor-in-chief for Cook’s Illustrated magazine showing a few different recipes and the problem in making them. ATK does all the testing of the recipes and finally the recipe they present to you is one they feel solves the problem people may have with cooking certain items.

December 31, 2015 By Sherry

Soup

Butternut Squash Soup with Fried Sage Leaves

Orange and delicious soup.

Twas the days after Christmas, when all through the house

No one was stirring, not even a hungry mouse;

The stockings were not hung, but lay empty and neglected;

And everyone was still hoping that mom would come through

For just one more yummy meal.

Since those visions of sugar-plums still danced in their heads.

So, what’s a mama to do, but cook some soup for the family

Who is exhausted from all those delicious Christmas treats.

So, I’m not a poet! That’s no news to me. I’ve been doing a lot of soups lately but I take every opportunity when it starts getting cold here in Texas to get my fix on warm comforting soup recipes.

This little cup of soup would be a great addition to your after the holidays menus. Serve in tiny espresso cups, mugs or just about anything. A sip of this will warm your tummy.

I’ve been telling you all year about things I make to take to the craft circle I go to each Tuesday for the ladies to try out. We have about 70-80 ladies I think that participate each Tuesday starting in January through November. This year both of the sales brought in over $300,000 that goes towards missions at the church.

My group at cc is the “projects” section and we do dollhouses and anything else we can come up that we think will sell. There are 7 in my section so one night in November with a very “chill feel in the air” I made this soup to go with dinner for our group to celebrate the year of crafting being over.

Pomergrante martinis and prosciutto palmiers started the evening then we moved on to the amuse bouche (little appetizer) of the Butternut Squash Soup that I served in tiny espresso cups. For dinner we had a Greek salad, Chicken in Phyllo Bundles with Lemon Veloute Sauce, Green Onion Rice, Roasted Broccoli and for dessert Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce. Plus, wine, wine, and wine.

December 26, 2015 By Sherry

Dessert/ Desserts/ Pastries

Christmas Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

And I thought I didn’t like bread pudding!

Are you a connoisseur of bread pudding? Do you have your favorite kind of bread, or ingredients? What kind of sauce do you like, Cognac sauce, whiskey, or bourbon or rum sauce?

Honestly, I have always said I don’t like bread pudding; guess I thought it was like just eating more bread with your meal, and who needs that. Then one year I made a Pumpkin Bread Pudding for a catering job and was told by someone who it was one of the best she had eaten. I still didn’t try that recipe until recently and I have to say I enjoyed it very much.

This Christmas Bread Pudding is a recipe from Boudro’s Restaurant in San Antonio and I’ve been told by a friend’s husband (who is a connoisseur of bread puddings) that it is one of the best he has tasted. I decided to change the raisins in Boudro’s recipe to golden raisins and to keep with the season I will add dried cranberries in place of the raisins when I make this Christmas Day.

The name was changed to “Christmas Bread Pudding” because this seems like the perfect dessert for your Christmas dinner and you have to make it before everyone starts counting those nasty calories in January.

December 21, 2015 By Sherry

Soup

Cornbread and Buttermilk Soup

Now this is a first for me!

In my opinion, Rhubarb restaurant is one of the best we dined at while visiting in Asheville last year.

The recipe for their Buttermilk Soup with Cornbread (the cornbread is actually crumbled in the soup and pureed) appeared in Garden and Gun magazine a while back and I couldn’t resist trying it. Although, my first instinct was “yuck” I read the recipe and thought I should give it a try before turning the page on yet another recipe that I might have liked if only I’d given it a chance.

I’ve probably told this story before and if I have maybe you didn’t read it. My grandfather loved buttermilk and it wasn’t the low-fat kind it was the kind that was full fat and came out in big blobs when poured into his glass. Now that doesn’t sound appetizing at all and it certainly doesn’t make you want to run to the store to buy some buttermilk to make this soup. Anyway, he would pour his thick buttermilk into his goblet type glass and then he would crumble his cornbread in the glass and eat this with a spoon.

December 16, 2015 By Sherry

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