Shrimp and Grits

A few months ago when Nate's parents visited us here in Raleigh we visited the Historic Yates Mill County Park. The mill served Wake County for 200 years prior to being converted into a working museum. We were lucky enough to go on a tour of the mill which included a demonstration. If you get the chance I highly recommend it, I've never been in a working mill before and it was definitely interesting to see how 1) mills actually work and 2) how much work went into something as simple as corn meal! The museum was established by a private group of citizens who funded the reconstruction and keep the mill running through donations and sales of their, you guessed it, corn meal! Nate's mom bought like 6 pounds (I may be exaggerating, I don't actually remember how many she bought) and gifted us with a bag that has been sitting in our pantry just waiting for an opportunity to be used.


I decided that I would try my hand at a southern classic: Shrimp and Grits. Before I continue I must confess that I hate grits. They're lumpy, they're slimy and just are extremely unappetizing to my palate. Despite this, I decided to give them a try and I'll admit that this variation made me loathe them a little less.


Shrimp and Grits

4 C water
1 C stone-ground corn meal
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 Tsp salt
Fresh-cracked black pepper
1/4 Tsp chile powder
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon, chopped
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1/4 C Italian parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 C chopped scallion
Tabasco sauce (optional)


In a large pot, bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Gradually add in the corn meal and stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Lower the temperature and allow the grits to simmer, stirring occasionally for 20-25 minutes or until creamy and the liquid is soaked up.


Once the grits are the proper consistency, add in the black pepper, chile powder and the glorious 2 cups of cheese and stir until combined. Keep the temperature on low.


In a separate skillet, fry the bacon until brown and crispy. Remove the bacon to a paper towel covered plate and reserve the grease.


Pat your shrimp dry with a paper towel and then layer them in the glorious bacon grease to cook. Cook shrimp until pink. Add in parsley, lemon juice, garlic, bacon and scallion and sauté for 3 minutes.


Serve the shrimp mixture over a big scoop of grits, add a couple dashes of Tabasco and enjoy!


The shrimp were plump and succulent (and had a fantastic bacon-infused flavor), the crisp bacon offset the creamy grits, cheddar makes everything better, and there was a subtle smokiness from the chile powder. To put it simply: YUMMY!


Hope your weekend and upcoming week is great, readers!

Salmon with Champagne-Vanilla Cream Sauce

As you probably are aware, yesterday was Valentine's Day. A day filled with grand love-filled gestures, cliché red roses and romantic dinners. Nate and I decided this year for Valentine's Day we would do something low-key and since it did not fall on an ideal "going out" day I opted to make dinner at home.


I will forever associate champagne with romance. There are champagne toasts at weddings, champagne toasts at midnight on New Year's Eve right before/after/during your New Year's kiss, and it just makes me think of romance, decadence and luxury. That being said, there was a recipe in my Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals Get Togethers cookbook for Salmon with Champagne-Vanilla Cream Sauce that I just knew would be perfect for this special occasion.


Salmon with Champagne-Vanilla Cream Sauce


2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 6oz salmon fillets (I used 4 oz frozen fillets from Aldi)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 small shallots, finely diced
1 champagne split
1 whole vanilla bean (Or 1 Tsp vanilla extract)
1/2 C heavy cream


Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper.


Heat 1 Tsp olive oil in a high-walled skillet over medium-high heat and cook salmon 3 minutes per side. My fillets were a little on the thinner side so 3 minutes per side put them right about medium but if you prefer well-done fish I'd recommend 5 minutes per side. After the fish is cooked, remove to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.


Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté the shallots for 5 minutes. They will become tender and pick up any crispy remnants left from the fish (yummy!).


Add in the champagne split and the vanilla bean (if you got it like that) and allow to reduce by half. This took around 5 minutes I would've loved to use real bona fide vanilla beans but I cannot afford them. The cheapest whole vanilla bean at Harris Teeter was $10 for 3 beans. I cannot justify spending roughly $3 on a single ingredient for a dish when I have a whole bottle of vanilla extract sitting in my pantry. One day, when I've won the lottery or a billionaire relative I've never heard of wills me their fortune, I will make this recipe the way Rachael intends.


Now that your champagne is reduced, add in the heavy cream and simmer for 3 minutes.


The fish was tender and flaky and the sauce was oh-so delightful. It was like the best vanilla ice cream you've ever had with the dry bitterness of champagne. It was probably one of the best things I've cooked myself in quite some time.


I paired this delicious salmon with a fresh salad.


Fresh Salad


1 bag fresh spinach
1 Pink Lady apple, cored and diced
1 Clementine, peeled and sectioned
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C feta cheese
1/4 C Raspberry vinaigrette dressing


Toss all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy.


The fresh and bright ingredients of the salad were the perfect compliment to the creamy-fattiness of the salmon. Like I said, it was probably one of the best meals I've made in quite awhile.


I hope your Valentine's/Single's Awareness/Galentine's Day was fabulous and if it wasn't, well today all the unsold chocolate is 50% off so who's the real winner today? Enjoy your Wednesday, readers!

Sloppy Joes and Tater Puffs

I am behind on my posts so I'm going to post two this morning to catch up. So first off, we're halfway through the week! Oh praise be! I hope your week is treating you well thus far and if it isn't, well there's only 2 more days to get through not counting today so keep moving forward!


The weather in Raleigh went from a gorgeous 83 degrees on Sunday (yes you read that correctly, 83 degrees in early February, welcome to the South), to highs in the high 40s. To combat this alarming and abrupt change, I wanted to make a dish that was comforting a warm. I settled on a childhood classic: Sloppy Joes.


I remember eating Sloppy Joes as a kid but these were no canned mess, they were 100% homemade with all the fresh flavors to prove it so you better believe I was going to make these puppies from scratch. I consulted my go-to kitchen guru: Food Network.


This recipe was adapted from Rachael Ray's recipe which you can find here.


Sloppy Joes

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/4 lb ground beef
1/4 C brown sugar
1 Tbsp steak seasoning
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 C tomato sauce (I mistakenly only grabbed 8 oz of sauce at Aldi so I improvised with leftover marinara from Papa Murphy's cheesy bread and filled the remainder in with tomato basil marinara)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
One or two dashes of hot sauce, optional
4 crusty rolls for serving.


Brown ground beef in a skillet with the olive oil over medium-high. Mix together brown sugar and steak seasoning and add to the beef.


After the beef is fully browned, reduce the heat to medium and sauté the onions and peppers, adding in the vinegar and Worcestershire. Cook for 5 minutes.


Add the tomato sauce and paste and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes and there you have it! Sloppy Joes. This recipe was easy-peasy and the first bite immediately took me back to my childhood happily munching on these delicious sandwiches without care. Ah, these are truly great. Another win for Mrs. Ray!


I served these sandwiches with another childhood classic: TATER PUFFS!


You may be wondering why isn't she calling them "tots"? Well, my dear readers Nate and I discovered that "Tater Tots" is a term trademarked by the Ore-Ida company. Haven't you ever wondered why the generic brand tots have cute little euphemisms like "puffs", "gems" or "rounds"? Well, now you know why and can impress your friends and colleagues with your new tater-centric knowledge. I didn't make these puffs, I pulled them from a supermarket shelf and followed the package instructions but they became an excellent vehicle for the sloppy filling that escaped the buns.

Chilaquiles

Good morning readers and happy Saturday! I don't know how the weather is where you live but today in Raleigh is a warm and sunny 70 degrees! A perfect day to get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

I woke up this morning bright eyed and bushy tailed despite getting over a head cold and was bitten by the cooking bug. It was 8:05 and I wanted nothing more than to be in the kitchen (I'm sure there's a joke in there somewhere), so I quietly slipped out of bed while Nate lay a-snooze and wandered into my kitchen. I looked around my pantry and fridge until I found my inspiration: corn tortillas.

These poor beasts have been sitting on top of my microwave for weeks just collecting dust and hoping to be selected for a recipe, well not really. Food with dust is not appetizing but I digress, after weeks in food purgatory these tortillas were finally chosen! (In a generic announcer voice) CORN TORTILLAS COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE THE NEXT CONTESTANT ON THE RECIPE IS RIGHT! Lucky them. So I had my inspiration but what was I going to use them for? Corn tortillas aren't ideal for breakfast burritos, I didn't have enough of them or cheese to make enchiladas so I settled on chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles are a traditional Mexican dish which use corn tortillas cut into quarters and fried as a base for an array of yummy toppings. BINGO!

Chilaquiles

4 corn tortillas, quartered
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs, fried
1 avocado, diced
1 tomato, diced
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 C cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 Tsp garlic salt
1/2 Tsp onion powder
1 Tsp chile powder
Dash of Tabasco, optional

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange tortilla quarters in a single layer. Using a brush, lightly coat the tortillas with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes or until crisp. Allow to cool before portioning onto plates.

After the chips are portioned, sprinkle with cheddar cheese and microwave to melt the cheese.

Meanwhile, prepare your guacamole. As an aside, I adore avocado. I even have a song I sing every time I use it. Really, even ask Nate. The "Avocado Song" is sung every time. EDUCATE YOURSELF by clicking this. I promise it's not a virus or something unsavory.

Ok back to the guac: dice your tomato and reserve about 3 Tbsp worth for a topping. Add your un-reserved tomato to a bowl with chopped cilantro (again, reserving a little bit for garnish), finely diced bell pepper, slightly mashed and diced avocado and season with salt, pepper, garlic salt, onion powder and chile powder. Stir to combine.

After your chips are cheesy and your guacamole is assembled it's time to fry your egg. Now the length of time you fry your egg is totally personal preference. For instance, Nate really likes runny yolks, I on the other hand do not. I will assume you all know how you enjoy your eggs and how to cook them accordingly.

Top your chips with the egg, a couple heaping tablespoons of guac, some fresh diced tomato and chopped cilantro and a dash of Tabasco if you so choose; and there you have it! A delicious take on chilequiles! Enjoy your Saturday, readers! Check in tomorrow to see how I do making my first roast!

Rigatoni with Green Monster Pesto and Kale Chips

There are quite a few feuds going on in this country today, wouldn't you agree? Donald Trump vs. The United States of America, Trump Supporters vs. Non-Trump Supporters, races are being pitted against each other, genders are being pitted against each other and what may be the most horrifying feud of them all: those who love kale and those who despise it. Now, before I'm chastised for comparing the sad state of affairs in our country with a green leafy vegetable, this is all in good fun. I don't want to get political and I don't want to fight with people over the Internet because it's petty and boring so take my comparison as a joke and laugh it off. Sheesh, now that that's out of the way, back to the kale.


Kale is a polarizing topic. I don't think anyone is lukewarm about this vegetable. Either you love it and I mean REALLY, REALLY love it or it makes you want to gag. I admit I'm in the latter category. I can't look at kale without being instantly taken back to my childhood when Pizza Hut restaurants were actual restaurants and had a buffet with a salad bar. Guess what was used as a decoration on the salad bar? That's right KALE. In 1995 people weren't even eating it! They were using it as a garnish! How crazy is that? Well, Mr. Kale, look how far you've come in a dozen years.


So why this diatribe about kale? Last night I made my first recipe from Daphne Oz' The Happy Cook  which hit the shelves on September 20 2016 (Harper Collins Publishing). And you know what this book is full of? You guessed it. Lots and lots of this green stuff. I received the Daphne Oz cookbook from my lovely sorority sister for my birthday and I will admit that neither of us have heard of Daphne Oz. Who is she? After some research, aka I did a Google search and spent 2 seconds reading her Wikipedia page, I learned she is the daughter of television personality Dr. Oz (I totally thought she was his wife); she is a co-host on ABC's The Chew; and she's written a few other critically acclaimed cookbooks. So there you have it, this woman wrote a cookbook and my sorority sister decided to buy it and I decided to use it.


So given my distain for this super food, I was pretty skeptical about something called "Green Monster Pesto and Kale Chips" but I'm glad I gave it a try because this recipe may have made me a kale fan.


Rigatoni with Green Monster Pesto and Kale Chips

2 bunches Tuscan Kale, washed, dried and ribs removed (I bought the bagged chopped kale at Aldi because I'm cheap)
1/2 C, plus 3 Tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 C fresh basil leaves (TOTALLY FORGOT TO BUY THESE)
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1/2 C Finely grated Pecorino-Romano Cheese (I had parmesan on hand so I used that instead. Sorry Daph.)
1/2 C chopped walnuts


Preheat oven to 350 and arrange oven racks to top and bottom thirds of the oven.


Wash and dry your kale and remove the ribs. Or, if you were smart like me, open your bag of kale that's already good to go. Look! I just saved you a step! In a large bowl, toss about half the kale with 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil 1 Tsp salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.


Line two baking sheets with foil and arrange the kale so it's in an even layer and not overlapping. Bake for 10-12 minutes, removing the pans every 5 minutes to shake the kale and switch racks. Allow the kale to cool on the racks.


Maybe it was the fact I was starving or it was really that good but I ate a whole tray of these kale chips by myself. Sorry not sorry. They were delicious! They were crunchy, crispy, salty and fantastic. Score one for Daphne Oz.


Boil your pasta for 1 minute less than instructed by the packaging.


In a large sauté pan, heat 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté garlic and the remaining kale until the kale is wilted and the garlic is fragrant.


In a food processor, process basil (which I didn't do because I forgot to buy basil) with salt, pepper and cheese until combined. Once it's pretty well combined add in your sautéed kale and garlic and walnuts pulsing while slowly pouring in the 1/2 C olive oil. Pulse until your mixture looks like pesto. Add in 1 C of pasta water to loosen the mixture up if necessary (this was a very helpful hint, thank you Daphne.)


Mix the pasta and pesto together and top with any kale chips you haven't already eaten and extra cheese.


The pesto (despite the lack of basil) was delightful! The kale gave the pesto a beautiful and vibrant green color and had almost a bitter flavoring that pared well with the salty parmesan and sharp garlic and can we talk about the kale chips? I mean come on! Who knew kale could ever be appetizing?!


I will say I was skeptical of this writer whom I'd never heard of but I enjoyed this recipe and I like her book. The recipes are simple and hearty and sound delicious. I am definitely looking forward to making more of her recipes.

Rosemary Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Balsamic Ravioli

Happy hump day readers! Sorry if this phrase just implanted a giant annoying camel from a certain advertisement in your brain. I, unfortunately, am right there with you. Do you know what I absolutely hate? Waiting for food. When I'm hungry I am REALLY hungry and the last thing I want is to cook for hours and hours before eating.


Allow me to break down my schedule for you:


6:30 - up and attem'!
7:30-7:40 - out the door and to work
8:00-5:00 - work, work, work, work, work, work
5:15 - survive the traffic jam on the way to the gym with minimal road rage
5:30-6:30 - working on my fitness


So as you can probably guess, by 6:35 I just want to eat and relax. Yes, one way I relax is to cook but when I'm ravenous and telling myself that "yes, while the chocolate chips in my pantry look and sound delicious I'll spoil my dinner," I'm quite the opposite of relaxed. I'm sure at this point you're asking yourself "where is this story going? I read her blog for the delicious recipes and occasionally humorous anecdotes not to hear her complain about how hard her life is." I'm getting to it! Are you ready? Have you stopped reading yet? Ok, here goes: THANK GOD FOR RACHAEL RAY.


Rachael was my very first culinary icon, well aside from my Italian grandfather anyway. She was brilliant, she was real, she was accessible and let's face it; who doesn't want a whole meal you can cook in 30 minutes?


I recently just received my first Rachael Ray cookbook from my nephew. I was presented with this cookbook because he saw it at a yard sale and thought I should have it. Is that the sweetest story ever or what? My nephew didn't know that my freshman year of high school I wrote an essay about the celebrity I admire most and I chose Rachael; he didn't know that I loved her coined terms like "EVOO", "sammies" and her genius "garbage bowl"; he was too young at the time to remember me recording every episode of "40-Dollars-A-Day" or "30-Minute Meals" that was scheduled to air on the Cooking Channel. It's almost like it was fate that he presented me with Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals Get Togethers. Or maybe I'm putting too much stock into a sweet gesture by a truly spectacular kid.


Either way, last night I made Rosemary Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Balsamic Ravioli and I enjoyed every second of making and eating it. This recipe came from the date night section of the cookbook so it was perfect for 2 people, there was even a little extra for Nate to take to lunch today.


Rosemary Chicken Breasts with Brown Butter-Balsamic Ravioli

The chicken:


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (I personally love vinegar so I used more like 2-3 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped from stems
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, skins removed and smashed with the back of a knife.


Season chicken with salt and pepper, pour vinegar, olive oil and rosemary leaves. Mix the chicken to coat and let sit for 10 minutes.


After the chicken is marinated, cook the chicken in a skillet over medium-high heat with the garlic cloves for 5-6 minutes per side until the juices run clear, turning occasionally. The balsamic vinegar almost becomes a crust on the chicken.


The ravioli:


1 package ravioli, any filling (Rachael recommends fresh ravioli but Aldi had frozen Four Cheese Ravioli on sale this week. I COULDN'T SAY NO TO SAVINGS! Sorry, Rach.)
3 Tbsp butter cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 handfuls Parmigianino-Reggiano (I failed you again, Rach. Plain ole' parmesan was on sale.)
1/4 C fresh flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper


Cook ravioli according to package instructions.


When the chicken is about halfway done, place the butter in a cold pot (large enough for all the ravioli to fit in once it's cooked). Turn the heat up to medium. Rachael says that it is important to put the butter in a cold pot because it will ensure the butter will begin to brown around the same time the chicken is done. Wow! Rachael thinks of everything!


Once the ravioli is cooked and the butter is browned, toss to marry the two. Now add in the 2 Tbsp vinegar and let cook for 1-2 minutes. The vinegar becomes syrupy and thick and sticks to the ravioli like a cheap suit. Season with salt and pepper, add in the cheese and parsley and voila! A delicious meal to be had.


This dish was awesome! The chicken had an almost crisp exterior and a juicy interior, with the wonderful earthiness of rosemary and the acidity from the vinegar. Goodness my mouth is watering just remembering it! I have to stop before there's a pool of saliva on my keyboard.


Happy Wednesday, readers! Hang in there! We're halfway home!

What a Superb Owl Party!

Good morning, readers! I'm sure many of you are either celebrating, mourning or (like me) indifferent to yesterday's Super Bowl events. I will admit that although I didn't have strong feelings or hopes for either team, it was impressive to see the Pats come back without much push back from the Falcons.


Now that that's out of the way we can discuss my favorite part of watching the Big Game: the grub. Yes readers, I am one of those viewers who only attends Super Bowl parties for the food, the commercials and (if I like the artist) the Half-Time show. Speaking of the Half-Time show, last night I think Gaga killed it. I have been inspired by her since I was a kid so it was truly amazing to see her perform with so much passion. She began with a somewhat political tone but it was done tastefully and without being preachy. Anyway, back to the grub. The party we attended had a lot of great food to choose from, mainly dips. There was a 7-layer dip, a crab dip, buffalo chicken dip (in my opinion it had too much blue cheese), a sausage queso dip, and the best dips of them all (yeah, I'm probably biased):  roasted jalapeno pimento cheese and tried and true hot artichoke and green chile dip.


Roasted Jalapeno Pimento Cheese


4 C white cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 C lite mayonnaise
4 oz diced pimentos, drained
8 jalapeno peppers, roasted
1/8 Tsp granulated garlic
1/8 Tsp granulated onion
Dash cayenne powder
Fresh cracked black pepper




First you will begin by splitting in half and seeding 8 whole jalapenos. After your jalapenos have been ridded of their seeds, ribs and split in half.


Before I continue I'd like to ask you if you've ever done anything stupid? I don't mean like misplacing your keys or putting your pants on the wrong way, I mean like absolutely brain-dead stupid? Do you have your memory in mind? Now, let me tell you about my extremely stupid experience: I have roasted peppers before and it is murder on your baking sheets. I just got shiny new baking sheets for Christmas and would like them to stay as pristine as possible for as long as possible so I had an idea, instead of roasting the peppers directly on my pretty baking sheet I'll line it with parchment paper! Sounds reasonable so far, right? Well, originally I tried roasting my peppers at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I opened my oven after 20 minutes and the peppers were barely blistered so I had another idea: I'll move the pan to the top rack and put it under the broiler for 5 minutes instead! Here's where the stupidity comes in. The broiler is basically a giant open flame...paper is flammable.


Flame + paper = a real big problem.


I began smelling something strange...why does my kitchen suddenly smell like a campfire? That's weird. OH SHIT. I realized that I unwittingly set my oven on fire. There were flames leaping out of my oven! I was able to put the fire out quickly thanks to my husband grabbing a bowl of water however, my pretty baking sheet paid the price. There is now an outline permanently burned into the sheet to forever remind me of my immense idiocy.


Anywho, so NOT following my lead, maybe line your baking sheet with foil instead of paper and broil the peppers for 5 minutes until the skins are blistered.


Place the peppers into a plastic grocery bag to sweat. This process is important because it makes the skins easier to remove, also wear a pair of latex gloves when you peel to prevent spice burns. Once the peppers have sweat and the skins are removed, roughly chop the peppers and set aside.


In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and the peppers.


Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers or a spoon.


My other dip I've made every year for the Super Bowl and it always receives rave reviews! Find the recipe here. The dip is tangy, creamy, chunky and is amazing on fresh pita bread (or in a grilled cheese. Oh damn, I know what I'm eating for dinner tonight!)


Well readers, I hope you enjoyed your own Superb Owl Party and maybe you'll keep these excellent recipes in mind for the next time you need an exorbitant amount of dips.