• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups sifted flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375º.

Mix first six ingredients.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix well.

Roll into balls and press down with a fork dipped in sugar or flour.

Bake for 10-12 minutes on ungreased cookie sheet (I usually grease my cookie sheet anyway). Ovens vary so your baking time may be less. Just keep an eye on them.

Dirty Shrimp in Butter-Beer Sauce

• 2 lbs shrimp , shelled and deveined
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt , to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper , to taste
• 1/2 cup beer

• Saute garlic and herbs in butter until garlic is slightly browned.
• Add shrimp, stirring constantly, until shrimp are pink and done.
• Pour in beer, simmer 1 minute more, and serve!

I feel that cooking sometimes means stepping outside of your comfort zone.  Oddly enough, this recipe is me doing just that.  We had a delicious canellini bean spread at Luce in Charlotte and when I saw this recipe, it reminded me of that.  I have to tell you that while it doesn’t look like the most appetizing thing on Earth, it is rather delicious!  I’m going to tip-toe outside the comfort zone more often.

Bruschetta Cannellini (The Olive Garden Recipe)

• 0.5 (15 ounce) can white cannellini beans , drained
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• salt & pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 loaf Italian bread
• extra virgin olive oil (to drizzle)
• 1 garlic clove , cut in half
• 1 small plum tomato , diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley (to garnish)

MIX drained beans, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar and sour cream in blender or food processor until smooth. Add olive oil slowly with blender or processor on. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate approximately one hour.

DRIZZLE both sides of bread with extra virgin olive oil. Grill bread on both sides.

RUB grilled bread with cut half of garlic to infuse with garlic flavor.

PLACE bowl of chilled cannellini mixture in center of large platter. Stagger grilled bread slices around bowl. Garnish with tomatoes and parsley.

Who: Polka Dot Bake Shop

Who Recommended: DishTip and Charlotte Magazine’s Battle of the Cupcakes

For: Chocolate Cupcakes

Ratings:

• Chocolate Cupcakes: 7/10
• Red Velvet Cupcakes 8/10
• Salted Caramel Cupcakes 9/10

I prefer my bakeries to be in a quaint little house with the smell of vanilla wafting out of the door when each customer leaves with their bags of delicacies.  Polka Dot Bake Shop isn’t like that.  It’s in a strip mall, but I can forgive that because the cupcakes were so yummy!

Inside is a smallish space with the baked goods case front and center, as it should be.  They had a modest offering the day we were there, but that’s just fine.  You don’t want a lot of mess just sitting around getting stale.  We went on a Friday about 1:30 and we had a line behind us out the darn door.  People love this place!

We sampled 3 varieties on our visit.  The first was a salted caramel cupcake.  The cake was moist and delicious, the buttery frosting just sweet enough to balance the little bite of salt from the caramel.  Topped with a dollop of caramel and a salty cashew makes it the perfect dessert.  This one has very little that isn’t perfect.  We gave it 9/10 stars!

Next up is the chocolate cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting.  This one was good, but my least favorite of the three.  The cake itself was a little on the dry side and the buttercream, while rich, was pretty overpowering.  A nice contrasting vanilla buttercream might have been a better choice.  And I could have done without the sugar crystal sprinkles altogether.  Don’t mess up my creamy dream. 7/10 stars

Back to the good stuff…Red Velvet cupcake was moist and delicious and we loved the bite from the cream cheese icing.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t too sweet.  Red Velvet cake can be either Ronald McDonald red or cloyingly sweet and be messed right up, but not so with this cake.  It was perfect.  nearly. I gave it 8/10 because it just wasn’t as luscious as the salted caramel.  I’m the customer, I can do that.

If you love cupcakes, and nice people, stop by Polka Dot today.

Where:  Fran’s Filling Station

Who Recommended:  Charlotte Magazine’s Take a Bite

For What:  Thanksgiving Every Day (Rated 10/10)

Other Items: 

Cold Meatloaf Sandwich: 7/10

Croque Monsieur: 5/10

Warm Potato Salad: 9/10

Fran’s Filling Station is another restaurant resting in a strip mall, but what a little gem it is!  They have a handful of tables outside, but the view is of the parking lot, so I elected to sit inside with my party.  The eclectic art hanging on the walls and the funky furniture made me glad I did.  I will note that the handicapped access is pretty poor here.  It is to the right of the front door, and people park right up on the ramp.  Also, as you can see, the tables are crammed onto the narrow sidewalk, so good luck getting a wheelchair through there without asking diners to move.

We visited for lunch and was it ever crowded!  Of course, we were there on a Friday at noon, so that can’t be that unusual or unexpected.  Our waiter was a bit overwhelmed and not as attentive as I’d have liked, but the other staff members were pleasant and perky.

Behold the reason for our visit!  The Thanksgiving Everyday is possibly the best turkey sandwich I’ve ever come across.  This overstuffed sammie is full of goodness:  house roasted turkey (not from the deli!), cranberry, stuffing, and sage mayonnaise on house-made bread.   Just look at this house-made bread; nutty and substantial.  Nothing is escaping, not one scrap of turkey.  That darn thing was so big it was held together not by toothpicks, but by dowels.  It was heaven.  I have to rate it 10/10.  No way to make it better.  Yep, it’s that good.  If you’ll have a look at the tiny cup of potato salad, you will see hunks of potatoes mixed with creamy, perfectly seasoned mayo.  It was wonderful, and I’m not even a potato salad fan.  I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

I got the worst of our sandwiches, the real Croque Monsieur.  I make my own, so maybe I’m a snob, but the bechamel sauce tasted like wallpaper paste.  It was terrible, and fraught with nutmeg.  The ham and Gruyere were perfectly fine, and I should have just asked them to leave the bechamel off, which I would surely do next time.  I got mine with chips.  Out of 10 stars, I’m going to give it a 5.  And that is being nice.

My sister got the Cold Meatloaf sandwich. It comes with marinated onions, russian dressing, lettuce & tomato.   Now, if you like cold meatloaf, this is the best cold meatloaf sandwich I’ve had.  The dressing and onions make it sloppy and delicious, and give it an unexpected tang.  This was served with homemade potato chips that were crispy and salty.

Who: El Cerro Reyes

Who Recommended: Urban Spoon

For What: #6 Best Restaurant in Mooresville (as of today)

El Cerro Reyes has been on my “to try” list for a while.  My hubs and I visited the other day after another assignment I was on (Small Fry Diner) was discovered to be closed.  I was so pleasantly surprised!  Like many delicious Mexican restaurants , this one is tucked in a strip mall, but don’t discount it because of that.  The inside is pleasant, roomy and the wait staff is right on the money.

The menu is pretty standard Mexican fare, but everything was seasoned perfectly!  After being seated, we were brought complimentary chips and salsa.  The chips were crispy and warm and the salsa was just spicy enough.  We ordered a cheese dip and it was creamy, thick and deliciously smooth.  It is white, which is my favorite, not the processed yellow.

I ordered the lunch Chicken Chimichanga which came topped with cheese dip, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream.  It is served with a side of rice.  The tortilla was nicely crispy and the chicken inside was pulled white meat chicken, juicy from being boiled in a spicy tomato sauce.  The rice has a little cheese dip drizzled on it from the chimi, and that is fantastic!

My husband got a combo which came with a taco, chile relleno and beans.  He was not as impressed with his haul as I was, but I’m writing that off on him being grumpy.  He said the beans were kind of pasty, and there was no pepper in his chile relleno.  He deemed the taco just “alright.”  Whatever.

It isn’t ranked #6 in all of Mooresville for nothing.  Get yourself over there.

Who recommended?: Charlotte Magazine

For What?: One of Charlotte’s best sandwiches

Where?: Zada Jane’s

This article focused on finding sandwiches in the city that broke out of the traditional mold.  And you know girls, we love a frou-frou sandwich.  Zada Jane’s is near my sister’s house, and after getting my new cast the other day we picked her up for a lunch at this hipster hangout.  I quickly realized that 1. Charlotte magazine isn’t always right and 2. I am way too uncool for this place.

I’m told that Zada Jane’s is a popular brunch and breakfast spot, and on the weekends the outside eating area fills up in nice weather.  The inside is funky and everyone who works here is, too.  As we sat down in our casual clothing, I began to look around and realized that while I wasn’t cool, neither was everyone else in there.  We sat amongst hipsters, artists (I assume) and even a few suits.  It was cozy!

The waitress we had was a little on the surly side, but I noticed she was a bit friendlier to the artsy types in there.  Were we too vanilla or am I overly sensitive?  No matter, she was very efficient and met all of our needs.  I opted for the Druther’s Clucker as recommended by Charlotte Magazine.

The Druther’s Clucker is a grilled chicken sandwich deluxe.  It comes with grilled chicken, fresh basil, caramelized onions, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato mayonnaise on rosemary foccacia.  It is also served with a side of your choice: chips, black eyed pea salad or a green salad (for $2 more).  I opted for the green salad, hubby opted for the black eyed pea salad.

The sandwich, much heralded by Charlotte Mag, was just ok.  I mean, I ate all of it, but it was really no better than any grilled chicken sandwich I’d had anywhere else.  It wasn’t packed with flavor like all of those bold ingredients would lead you to believe.  I think if they would take better care in seasoning the chicken breast itself, and not just piling on ingredients to the sandwich, the outcome would have been better.  Both my husband and I agreed we’d get something different next time.

The green salad was delicious.  It was full of delicious fresh veggies like peeled cucumbers, tiny diced tomatoes, sprouts and sweet shredded carrots.  The greens were a mesclun mix and it was topped by homemade croutons.  Served with a homemade dressing of your choice: I chose Ranch.  I tasted my hub’s black eyed pea salad, and found the black eyed peas to be a little underdone for my taste.  Also, it was in a sweetish vinegar dressing that desperately needed some acid.  I smirked because mine was clearly better.

Now, the “Winner Winner Chicken Dinner” was my sister’s order.  She got the grilled chicken nachos and if she weren’t carrying my niece, I might have smacked her and stolen in, like in our childhood days.  These nachos were served in a bowl, so you could have eaten it like a salad, but the crispy chips lined the bottom of the bowl instead of lettuce.  The chicken had a yummy chargrilled taste and it was loaded with cooked veggies.  Homemade salsa, guacamole and sour cream topped all.  Perfection.

If I’m perfectly honest, I was a tad disappointed by Zada Jane’s.  Maybe I had too high hopes for a humble chicken sandwich?  Next time, if there is one, I’ll get the nachos.

Recommended to me by: Charlotte Magazine, Voters Choice

Original Pancake House: Best Breakfast (Voters Choice)

I have been meaning to go to the OPH for YEARS, but good lord, who gets up early enough to drive an hour to go have breakfast in Charlotte?  It just so  happened that I had an early appointment with my surgeon, and my mom and I decided we needed breakfast after that painful experience.  OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Institute happens to be right around the corner from this joint, so it was a no brainer.

When we walked in, I noticed immediately the high ceilings.  It makes me feel like I have plenty of space around me, even in a crowded restaurant.  We were seated immediately at a booth and a waitress came by quickly to take our drink order and drop off the menus.  They also sat down crayons for my little one, for which I was grateful.

The menu had so many things I wanted to try, namely that Dutch Baby everyone talks about, but I just broke right down and got the mushroom omelet with a side of pancakes.  I must tell you that they were both just pretty average.  Breakfast is not that big of a deal to fix, but the sherry/mushroom sauce that accompanied my omelet was just wrong on top of that omelet.  The omelet itself was enormous and very fluffy and actually cooked well.  So there’s that.

The pancakes were just alright.  Nothing special, and I had the buttermilk pancakes with the plain old maple syrup, nothing fancy.  Sometimes going with the basic dish is a beautiful thing, an unspoiled classic; this was not so with my pancakes.  They lacked flavor and the syrup was just..there.  I would go for that Dutch baby next time, or maybe even a blintz if I was feeling really crazy.

OK, so I’m being a little snobby.  The fact is my mother and little girl loved their food.  Mom got a sausage omelet with the pancakes and loved them.  My little one got a grilled chicken sandwich and hashbrowns, and gobbled it all up!  I stabbed one of the potatoes, which turned out to be  more like homefries than the shredded hashbrowns she is used to, and sprinkled with Cajun seasoning.  They were tender and delicious!

I will return.  We had fantastic service and weirdly enough, the Coke was fab..really strong.  Burn your nose kind of strong.  I adored it.  Next time, however, you know..the Dutch Baby.  I’m beating a Dutch Horse, aren’t I?

Spooks!

Behind every good chef is a great sous chef, right?  I always have company beside my “prep bar”.  She sits patiently on my stool that I use when my feet begin to hurt.  My only problem is finding the gumption to kick her off

In honor of my feline sous chef, I offer you a recipe shared with me (and the rest of the world) by another cat loving chef named KITTENCAL.  We love this homey chicken casserole!

Kittencal’s Chicken Crescent Roll Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) cans Pillsbury Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
• 1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (or any cheese of choice) or 3/4 cup swiss cheese (or any cheese of choice)
• 1/2 cup  whipping cream

FILLING

• 4 ounces cream cheese (very soft)
• 4 tablespoons butter (very soft but not melted)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
• 1/3 cup onion, finely chopped (can use green onions)
• 2 large cooked chicken breasts, finely chopped (or use about 2 cups, can use cooked turkey)
• 1/2-3/4 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (or use 1/2 teaspoon white salt or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
• 2 -4 tablespoons mayonnaise or 2 -4 tablespoons whipping cream
• 1 -2 cup grated cheddar cheese (for topping)
• Set oven to 350°F.
• 2 Butter a casserole dish (any size to hold crescent rolls).
• 3 In a saucepan, mix half and half cream, 3/4 cup grated cheese (can use more cheese if desired) and undiluted chicken soup (can season with black pepper if desired).
• 4 Heat just until the cheese melts (do not boil).
• 5 For the filling — (make certain that the cream cheese and butter are very soft) in a bowl, mix the soft cream cheese with butter until very smooth, then add in garlic powder (if using).
• 6 Add in the chopped chicken, onion and cheddar cheese; mix well until combined.
• 7 Add in 2 tablespoons whipping cream or mayonnaise; mix to combine (add in a little more if the mixture seems too dry).
• 8 Season with seasoned salt or white and black pepper to taste.
• 9 Unroll the crescent rolls.
• 10 Place 1 heaping tablespoon chicken mixture (or a little more) on top of each crescent triangle, then roll up starting at the thicker end.
• 11 Drizzle a small amount of soup mixture on the bottom of the dish.
• 12 Then place the crescent rolls seam-side down on top of the creamed mixture in the casserole.
• 13 Drizzle the remaining sauce on top (you don’t have to use the full amount of cream sauce, just use as much as desired) and sprinkle with 1 cup (or more) grated cheese, or amount desired.
• 14 Bake for about 30 minutes.

RECOMMENDED TO ME BY KITTENCAL

I am so ready for this deck to be bathed in sunshine instead of snow!  Time for cookouts, ice cream and fruit kabobs and maybe a little suntanning, too.

Before we go all crazy with the hopes and dreams, I have a feeling we are going to need one more pot of hearty soup to get us to the Ides of March.   Or to Peter Cottontail.  This yummy potato soup is perfect for that order.

Baked Potato Soup

8-10 servings

• 4 large baking potatoes (about 2 3/4 lb.)
• 2/3 cup butter or 2/3 cup margarine
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4-2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/2-1 teaspoon pepper (to taste)
• 6 cups milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
• 10 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Bake potatoes at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until tender; cool completely.

2 Peel and cube potatoes.

3 In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth.

4 Gradually add milk.

5 Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

6 Remove from the heat; whisk in sour cream.

7 Add potatoes and green onions; mix well.

8 Ladle into serving bowls; top with bacon and cheddar cheese.