Because Barenaked Chef said so…

Is this not the ultimate comfort dessert?

• 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.

Happy New Year!  Did you guy eat green or black-eyed peas?  Me neither.  Instead, I had this:

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.

I had to get on a wait list for this book at the library.  Unbelievable.  Three little boys, coming of age in a small town, discover that even though there is unspeakable horror that they can’t understand lurking underground in the graveyard, there is real terror in their everyday lives!  That sounded pretty good, didn’t it?  It’s code for most of their parents are terrible.

The little boy, Barry, is sitting down to dinner with his abusive father and apathetic mother when he decides, over his Pork chops, mashed potatoes and lima beans, he’s had enough of his father, and stands up to him.  It doesn’t end very well, but the dinner sounds pretty decent, right?

OK, these pork chops I present to you are pretty fancy, and in no way do they represent the kind that Barry’s mom must have put on the table, because the book makes it clear that she is slovenly.  But we are not, and so here you are:

Tropical Grilled Pork Chops

The Best Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes- the best you’ll put in your mouth!

1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes 4 Tbsp heavy cream or a half half mix of cream and milk 2 Tbsp butter 1 Tbsp milk 1/2 teaspoon salt Salt and Pepper First we need to peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into four pieces. We put them into a saucepan and cover them with cold water so all the potatoes are covered. Then we add salt (or maybe even better – before we cover them with water) and bring water to boil. When it boils we reduce the heat and we let the potatoes simmer for like 15-20 minutes. We can check if they are done by piercing one with a knife. If it goes in smoothly, they are done. Drain the potatoes and put them back into the saucepan and return them to really low heat- This will make the water evaporate and and mashed potatoes will taste better. Make sure you don’t burn them! In the mean time (or while you are waiting for potatoes to cook) you can warm the cream (and milk if you will be adding milk) and then add it to the potatoes together with butter. Mash the potatoes with wire masher, potato ricer or electric mixer until you get the desired smoothness and add some more salt and pepper if you want. Voila, this is the best simple mashed potatoes recipe.

Roasted Lima Beans from Food Network!

• 1 cup giant lima beans
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

Place the beans and water in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the beans are just soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat. Drain the beans and cool under running water. Drain thoroughly and spread on paper towels to dry.

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F. Toss beans with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, lime juice and cayenne. Spread beans out on a baking sheet and place in oven. Roast until beans begin to brown slightly. Serve warm or room temperature.

I’ve never thought so before, but this Julie and Julia book is driving me nuts.  Julie annoys me because she takes stabs at Republicans every chance she gets and she thinks infidelity is okay.  I truly can’t stand her.  I’d kill her if she were my friend.

Anyway, I’m to the part where she’s about to give up the “Project” altogether, but before she does, she makes a few more dishes.  The first is a plain broiled chicken with sauce Diable and Chou-Fleur en Verdure(puree of cauliflower and watercress with cream, she explains).   For dessert she makes Charlotte Malakoff aux Fraises.  Who cooks like this?  Three complex recipes a night?  I can’t even fathom.

Sauce Diable

Charlotte Malakoff

Charlotte Malakoff aux Fraises
From Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Serves 8 to 10 people

1 quart fresh strawberries
1/3 cup orange liqueur
2/3 cup water
24 single ladyfingers
1/2 lb. softened unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange liqueur
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 1/3 cups pulverized almonds
2 cups chilled whipping cream

Hull the strawberries. Wash them quickly if necessary, and set on a cake rack to drain thoroughly.
Line the bottom of a 2-quart cylindrical mode with a round of unbuttered waxed paper.

Pour orange liqueur and water into a soup plate. Dip in the ladyfingers, one by one, and drain on rack. Line sides of mold with ladyfingers. Reserve the remaining dipped ladyfingers.

Cream butte rand sugar together for 3 to 4 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Beat in orange liqueur and almond extract. Continue beating for several minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Beat in the almonds.

Whip the cream until the beater, drawn across the top of the cream, leaves light traces. Fold the cream into the almond and butter mixture.

Turn a third of the almond cream into the lined mold. Arrange over it a layer of strawberries, heads down. Cover them with a layer of ladyfingers. Repeat with another layer of almond cream, strawberries, and ladyfingers. Fill the mold with the rest of the almond cream and a layer of ladyfingers if there are any left. Trim off ladyfingers around edge of mold, and press the trimmed off bits into the top of the cream. Cover mold with a round of buttered waxed paper , set a saucer over the paper, and place a 1 lb. weight on it. (I used cans of beans.)  Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. The butter must be chilled firm, so the dessert will not collapse when unmolded.

When ready to serve, remove the waxed paper. Run a knife around the inside of the mold, and reverse dessert on a chilled serving platter. Peel waxed paper from top, and refrigerate dessert until serving time. Decorate with strawberries an accompany with whipped cream or strawberry sauce.

I’m reading the book Just After Sunset by Stephen King, who is normally my favorite author.  This book, however, is just terrible.  It’s a collection of short stories, which I abhor anyway, but it was a gift, and I mean to get through it.

The story The Things They Left Behind features a young man who escaped perishing in the Twin Towers during 9/11 by calling in to work.  Uncannily, things from his coworkers who didn’t survive begin to show up in his apartment.  After deciding to dispose of them, he feels so relieved he picks up an order of General Tso’s Chicken at his favorite Chinese place.  The question is: Will these things stay gone?

General Tso’s Chicken

If you read the post below, you know I’m cooped up in a Rehab Center.  Real Estate has been put on hold for me until I can walk again, so I have been reading like a madwoman!!

If there’s one thing I miss (activities, not people) while my legs heal, it’s cooking.  I never thought I’d miss it this much.  So, to give myself something to do during the 22 hours in the day when I’m not exercising, I’m going to give you some excerpts from my reads with food.

Currently I’m reading Julie and Julia, now a movie, which I thought I’d love so much more than I do.  Frankly, I’m having trouble getting through.  I will prevail, however.  You must know the book is fraught with mentions of all kinds of crazy French food, but I’m 1/2 way through and I ain’t going back.

One thing that Julie and her hubby drink all of the time are Gimlets.  Apparently, her hubby makes the best and are just the thing when the plumbing goes haywire and begins to spew black vile liquid rice…shudder (page 215).

Gimlet Recipe:

Gimlet

1.25 oz Tanqueray® gin
1 oz Rose’s® lime juice
1 twist lime

Pour the gin and lime juice into a mixing glass half-filled with ice cubes. Stir well. Strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with the lime wedge.
Further, Julie mentions Chocolate Mousse helps with the same problem.  This is one of the few things we agree upon(page 215).  Here’s a quick version of this dessert I found at Recipe Key:

Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse

Navarin Printanier

Navarin Printanier

1. Trim excess fat from lamb and place fat in a large roasting pan. Renderi fat in a very hot [500] oven for 10 min, stirring occasionally.
2. Meanwhile cut lamb into 2″ cubes.
3. Remove pan from oven, reserve 6 tbsp fat and discard balance.
4. Mixi meat in the fat and spread out in a single layer in two roasting pans.
5. Sprinkle on sugar.
6. Bakei meat in a 500 oven for 20 min to draw juices; stir several times.
7. Drain juices and reserve.
8. Mix salt with flour and sprinkle over meat, mixing to blend.
9. Return meat uncovered to the oven for 20 min more.
10. Boil the reserved pan juices until reduced to 1 cup; add the stock, rosemary and bay leaves and divide evenly between the two pans, stirring to loosen the browned pan particles.
11. Cover and bake at 375°F for 1 ½ hr until very tender.
12. Transfer meat to another container and strain pan juices to remove lumps and bay leaves.
13. Skimi fat and pour juices over the meat.
14. At this point you can refrigerate the meat and continue the next day, if desired.
15. Peeli carrots, cut them into thirds and trim blunt ends to simulate baby carrots.
16. Peel turnips and if they are over 1″ thick slice them in half, trimming to make rounded shapes like a baby turnip.
17. Peel the onions.
18. Cook these separately in salted water 15 min. drain well; cover with cold water and refrigerate until the stew is assembled.
19. The same day you serve the stew: peel potatoes and cook in boiling salted water 15 min. hold in warm water up to an hour max. Until ready to mix into the stew.
20. Cut ends from the squash and split in 2 lengthwise or if large in ¾” thick slices.
21. Cook covered in boiling salted water 8 min. hold with the potatoes until ready to assemble.
22. Reheat the meat, covered, in a 300 oven 1 hr, add cooked vegetables and heat another 1-2 hrs. ½ hr before serving add the peas and mix. [i think this recipe needs more seasoning; say 2 tsp rosemary, 4 bay leaves and a generous amount of black pepper, perhaps other herbs or a bit of garlic – jw.
23.  from the sunset cook book of soups and stews.

Every Christmas Eve my family gets together to open gifts and enjoy each other’s company.  We all make simple dishes, like appetizers, pickups and this chili.  Then we let the children help us pass out presents and we take turns, youngest to oldest, opening gifts (one at a time).  The kids can hardly wait for their turns to come around each time!

Afterwards we clean up the paper and empty boxes, then leave a little something for Santa and his reindeer.

I rarely remember the gifts I open from one Christmas to the next, but I will never forget the wonderful blessing that it is to have my family nearby for the holidays.  I hope you are that fortunate as well.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Chili

• 1 ½ lbs ground round
• 2 medium white onions , diced
• 2 large bell peppers , diced
• 3 tablespoons chili powder , divided
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder , divided
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 3 (14 ½ ounce) cans stewed tomatoes
• 3 (14 ½ ounce) cans chili beans
• 1 (8 ounce) can beer
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• grated cheddar cheese
• chopped onion

1 Place beef, onions and bell peppers in large Dutch oven.

2 Sprinkle with 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, and basil.

3 Using a wooden spoon, blend together and brown very slowly.

4 You may drain if desired, but mine didn’t have a lot of grease, so I didn’t bother.

5 Place tomatoes in food processor and process just long enough to cup up large pieces.

6 Put tomatoes, beans and beer in with meat and bring to a low simmer.

7 Add remaining chili and garlic powder.

8 Add pepper.

9 Cook slowly for at least 2 hours.

10 Serve with cheese and onion.

While scanning the web, I came across the neatest site called Fishin.com

Apparently, people actually fish in Lake Norman.  I know, it comes as a surprise to me too, believe me.

Gus Gustafson says “The lake level is lower than normal. Three major ramps, (Ramsey, Blythe, and the State Park), are closed. However, the two most popular ramps, (Pinnacle and McCrary) at the Highway 150 Bridge, are open and will more than likely be useable during the holidays.”

He also goes on to say that the Thanksgiving holidays is an excellent time to introduce children to the pleasures of fishing.  What a great idea!  I’m going to go one step further and say eat that fish you catch for Thanksgiving dinner instead of Turkey!

Here’s a recipe Gus even provides on his page if you are adventurous enough to try this out on Turkey **ahem* * Thanksgiving Day.

Kelly’s Low Country Catfish Stew

1/8th tsp. cayenne pepper
1 ½ pounds catfish filets, cut in 1 inch pieces
3 to 5 slices chopped bacon
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 28-ounce can tomatoes.
1 cup water
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. thyme

Wash catfish filets and cut in 1 inch pieces. Set aside. Fry bacon in a large heavy pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until tender. (Do not add the Cayenne Pepper until you add the fish. If it cooks the entire time, it may be too spicy and hot.)  Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the fish and cayenne pepper and cook for another 20 minutes. Add water if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve hot with crackers or cornbread.

Check out Gus at LakeNormanStriperFishing.com