Sherry – Rosemary and the Goat

Blackberry Lime Scones with Blackberry Whip

Every scone I’ve made was the best until the next.

Every scone I’ve ever made I thought was the best until the next recipe. Every scone I have eaten out I tell myself I can do better. I don’t really care for just a plain cream scone; I like the fixins in them. Whether it is tiny currants, black walnut (one of my favorite), pistachio and blueberry, they are delicious hot out of the oven with some type of jam/cream/honey butter.

Blackberry is absolutely my favorite berry and fruit and I’m hoping when our house is underway enough that we can start our garden we can get some berries planted. I have an idea for putting some old split rail fencing someplace in the garden in a zig-zag pattern and have it loaded with blackberry and raspberry plants. I’m a big talker when it comes to gardening, I have the ideas and hub executes them. And when it gets really hot here in Texas I don’t want to be out in the heat. Now, there will be another thing to watch out for — snakes!!!

May 29, 2023 By Sherry

Entree/ Fish/Seafood/ Pasta

Shrimp and Bucatini Primavera

Not a shortage of veggies in this dish!

Love shrimp, love pasta? Love veggies? You’ll love this dish.

I’m trying to work my way through bags of pasta I bought over the last several months. When I get out of town to larger grocery stores and see so many beautiful pasta shapes, I can’t resist buying a bunch. Well I have enough to feed an army in my tiny pantry.

I can’t wait to have a whole pasta section in my new pantry. NEWS: Our slab is being poured this Thursday so once I see those walls go up, I’ll be measuring off my 10×7′ pantry to see what all I can get in there. Presently in our 800 sq. ft house we have been renting for almost three years I have what use to be a broom closet that GA did a great job making shelving in almost every square inch minus room for a broom. So to have a big pantry plus a butler’s pantry and wet bar with storage I will not know what to do with all that space. I will do my best to fill it all up.

May 16, 2023 By Sherry

Bread/ Breads/Biscuits/ Morning Foods/ Scones

Macadamia Nut Scones with Blackberry Jam

My sister, my friend, my wingman (girl) 'till the end

A few lyrics from an old Diana Ross song "when we grow up"

🎼When I grow up, I’m gonna be happy and do what I like to do,

Like making noise and making faces and making friends like you.

And when we grow up, do you think we’ll see

That I’m still like you and you’re still like me?

I might be pretty; you might grow tall.

But we don’t have to change at all.

So, my twin sister, Terry, just left from her visit to Round Top. It’s always great having her visit because we can catch up on what’s going on, play my new favorite game (Five Crowns) she taught me, shop or do nothing at all and we are still much on the same page of what’s going on in our lives. She loved visiting Round Top Brewing (Paul & Brooke) and trying their Duck Confit Taco (and his delicious gumbo) and we played many a game of FC on the porch at the brewery.

I cooked a few new things while she was here (new for her) like my Halal Cart Style Chicken (she liked) and we tried our hand at Crispy Fried Rice & Green Beans after sampling it at a local venue. I feel like we have the recipe spot on now and have to say ours was pretty darn good.

April 13, 2023 By Sherry

Entree/ Game/ Poultry

Asian Grilled Quail with Brown Rice

Love the Asian flavors of this dish.

Well, it’s about time for the Round Top Spring Antique Show to begin and I may not be doing a lot of cooking (at home at least) for the next 2 1/2 weeks. But here’s a recipe I did a few weeks ago that, if you like quail, you will surely like.

Annie Oakley I’m not and I couldn’t shoot a bird the size of goose. Don’t get me wrong, I could shoot a quail or any other bird if I wanted to have it for dinner BUT I couldn’t aim and get one out of the air.

My sister, Terry, use to dove hunt with her husband and they had a special way of doing them on the grill. Can’t say I’ve ever eaten dove. She got all the athletic genes out of the twin thing — racketball, tennis, golf, and hunting. I got the “cooking” gene but of course she can cook too. She got the “tamale” gene for sure and makes the best tamales I’ve tasted. When she visits in a week or so she’s helping me make some for the freezer; so I better get cooking up some of that frozen food I have stashed in my freezer to make room.

March 14, 2023 By Sherry

Entree/ Poultry

Orange Chicken with White Fluffy Rice

No fuss orange chicken!

Ya know, before moving to Round Top if we wanted Chinese food we would have many places to choose from and I would always say why eat out when I can do better at home. Well, now that we are in Round Top and there’s not a Chinese restaurant nearby, I’m back to making my own Asian flavored dishes.

I remember the first time I had chicken chow mien and it was at my mother-in-law’s house and I was dating my husband (in high school) and he told me I was really going to like her chow mien; and I did. I don’t remember my mother ever making Chinese dishes; a little bit of everything else but no Chinese.

February 15, 2023 By Sherry

Soup

Chicken, Asparagus and Pasta Soup

Soups on!

A good soup recipe is something I’m always up for trying. Growing up I remember delicious stews and chilis but those are really the only soups I remember. My grandmothers chili was great and I always loved how small she could get her ground beef chopped up. She must have stood for an hour making it. My mothers chili started with Chili-O seasoning pack and then she added her own ingredients. Now when it comes to my chili my husband use to say it never tasted the same twice. Over the years the only chili I have been able to make and like is using Wick Fowler’s 2 Alarm Chili seasoning; and of course I like beans and a bunch of other add ons to my chili.

What’s good about making a good chicken soup is that you can add just about any vegetable to it and it will be delicious. Even though we are having a cold front here in my part of Texas right now, Spring isn’t far away and asparagus will be plentiful in the grocery. Of course we can get asparagus years around but something about Spring makes me start thinking of asparagus recipes.

January 22, 2023 By Sherry

Pork

Papa G’s Herbed Pork Chops

🎼Anything you can do I can do better,

I can do anything better than you!🎼

No you can’t, Yes, I can, Yes I can — Well that’s not true when it comes to the outdoor cooking in this family. Whether it’s grillin’, fryin’, or smoking. GA (the person I have shared most of my life with and 53 years of marriage) has been taught by the best — my dad. Even back when we were dating in high school he was learning things that would stay with him and add to his cooking skills.

I’ve always done most of the cooking in the kitchen but over the last 10 years that’s changed. When I had both knees replaced years ago, he was preparing me wonderful “eats”. And, always for the family feast we had the day after Thanksgiving he had his own item he would prepare and present to the group. (These were the best dinners ever! See blast from the past below to get an idea of what went on at a MFF).

January 20, 2023 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Fish/Seafood/ HotApp

Scallops and Shrimp with Jalapeño Cream Sauce

All Shrimp or scallops or both and with or without pasta.

This recipe can be made as a first course appetizer or you could add some pasta for a main course.

The scallop shells I used to hold this recipe came from a friend who was cleaning out things she never used and I volunteered to take them off her hands. I will have a perfect place to put them when I get my very large pantry (top on my list for things I wanted in our new home); but for now they are in a under the bed box until I’m ready to use them again.

There are all kinds of cute little dishes hiding under my two beds right now (until we get out of this 800 sq ft house) that I want to use for dinner guest; especially my cute little glass espresso cups that will hold some kind of yummy decadent dessert and my tiny stemmed glasses that would be a great vessel for my date nut shake or mini chocolate martinis.

My first thought for these shells was to use them for a first course appetizer with one very large scallop with some kind of sauce poured over it. There are several other sauces I want to try once I can get larger scallops. Since I couldn’t find the extra large scallops, I had to settle for sea scallops so then decided to add shrimp to the recipe.

January 9, 2023 By Sherry

Entree/ Legumes/ Pork

Hoppin’ John

This could be your New Year’s Eve good luck meal!

Hoppin’ John is a Carolina rice and pea dish made with either red peas or cowpeas. The recipe can be traced back to roots in West Africa. There are a lot of variations but basically peas and rice are the main ingredients. I’ve add some bell pepper, onion and garlic; a little ham hock and fried/crispy pork belly never hurt a recipe.

Most recipes call for Carolina gold rice but I could not find that; maybe I’ll have to check out Amazon or put it on my list of things to look for when we go to “the city”.

Awhile back I used these red peas to do a pea and grits recipe which was quite good also. I think the next time I make Hoppin’ John I will saute’ some fresh jalapeno in with the onions and bell peppers for a little added heat. I think the recipe can also benefit from some sliced celery. Really, you can add just about anything. Maybe a sliced smoked sausage in place of the pork belly would add more spice.

December 28, 2022 By Sherry

Appetizers/ Entree/ Game/ Lamb

Lamb Chops with Huacatay Sauce

I love these little chops!

What’s not to love about these cute little lamb chops; a very tender piece of meat, a beautifully Frenched bone and they look just like little “meat lollipops”. They make a perfect appetizer or several for a meal. For an appetizer these little lollipops can be eaten with your hands; no knife and fork needed. And, who doesn’t like eating meat off the bone?

When my mother use to fried bread pork chops or pork steaks, my favorite part was what was left on the bone and I couldn’t wait to eat that part of the chop/steak. We never had lamb growing up, never; and I guess that’s why it took me well into my adulthood to even try them. I have to say that I don’t buy them often unless I’m at Costco and then I will pick up a couple of packages and throw them in the freezer for something special I may be doing.

These would be great added to your holiday celebrations. My mouth is watering just thinking of making these again. I may be experimenting with some different sauces and dips for this little tidbits of juiciness.

December 17, 2022 By Sherry

Entree/ Poultry

Chicken with Blistered Tomatoes and Paprika Cream Sauce

A pasta dish to warm your belly on a cool Fall night.

I hope wherever you are living you are enjoying some cooler/colder weather. Even here in Texas we have cooled down considerably since all those 100° days of this past summer. Here in our area it may be cool/cold one week and warmer the next so you just never know what to expect. So as this recipe post it is in the 70’s but next weekend our highs are in the 50’s. Whatever the temperature, I think you will enjoy this dish.

Cooler temperatures have me wanting to make some good pasta dishes and since I have a pantry full of beautifully shaped pastas I will definitely be doing that. Usually, if I ask my husband what he wants on his pasta he says “olive oil” and cheese. BUT, I always convince him of a dish that is a little more interesting that pasta and oil. The pasta I used in this recipe just happened to be another one of my giant pastas I picked up and World Market.

December 6, 2022 By Sherry

Soup

Winter Worthy Clam Chowder

The cold weather is here! Time for soup.

I love cold weather better than hot weather and the reason is I love making soups. After living in Texas for over 30 years now I decided long ago that you can’t wait for it to turn cold to have a reason to make a good belly warming soup; you just have to go for it and if you have to, turn your AC really cold and you will think its one of those winter months that’s begging you to make soup.

There are almost thirty soup recipes posted to this blog so when you are wanting a one pot dinner, take a look at my archives. I’ve been making clam chowder for years. My sister, Terry, and I have always used the same recipe that was suppose to be from a Noah’s Ark restaurant in St. Charles, Missouri. We thought it was easy and a no-brainer of a recipe; all Cambell’s canned soups that we would add clams and a bottle of clam juice. We would use a can of clam chowder, cream of celery, cream of onion, and cream of potato soups and then add some milk and the clams and bottle of juice. Well, it was/is easy but you have all those “canned” not homemade soups. Try it sometime. If you have all these soups in your pantry and you are rushed for dinner some night you can throw this together in a matter of minutes. I also use to add half a stick of butter to the soup pot. It’s good but nothing like a nice homemade pot of soup.

November 25, 2022 By Sherry

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