Shrimp & Grits: A Southern Fav

Growing up in New Jersey, the word "grits" was not part of my knowledge base.  Grits?  What are these grits of which you speak?  Sounds like a word you'd use to describe crushed gravel.  This could not possibly be a food item.

Enter a move to Georgia....

Ohhh...THESE are grits!  And you mix what in with them?  Cream?  AND CHEESE?  And what goes on top?  Andouille sausage?  AND SHRIMP?!?!! 

HOLY GUACAMOLE!  Shrimp and grits!

This clever combo is a quadruple threat...you'll find it on menus for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner at everywhere from hole in the wall places to swanky joints all over the Southern US of A.  Shrimp is one of my all time fav foods and andouille is the absolute king of sausage so I had no qualms there.  This Jersey girl had my doubts about the grits part.  "What will they taste like?  How's the texture?  It looks like gluey goop!"   On an on I lamented, thinking there was no way I could possibly enjoy this gruel-like substance....until this recipe came into my life....

I know I usually show the photo after the recipe but I just had to show you now!

Sorry, I got a lil impatient there.  But really...just look at it!  I want it NOW, in fact!  But all good things come to those who wait.  You, however, should make it right this instant.

It's not very difficult to make.  Grits 1st, shrimp/sausage mix 2nd.  Top with more good stuff and eat.  Despite the ease of assembly, as you can see above, this is quite the showstopper.  Would be a fun dish to make to impress your friends/relatives/enemies who can't cook, etc.

Go for it!  Here's what you gotta do:

Shrimp & Grits

1 cup of Quick Grits
5 cups chicken broth, divided use
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz sharp white cheddar cheese
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large stick of celery, chopped
1/3 cup red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 package of andouille sausage, cut into bite size pieces
2 tbsp flour
1 bay leaf
1 lb. Jumbo Raw Shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
Frank's Hot Sauce
parsley

green onion

For the grits:

Bring 3 cups of the chicken broth and all the cream to a boil. Slowly add 1 cup of grits, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese, salt, pepper and Frank's hot sauce to taste. Keep warm off to the side.

For the Shrimp & Sausage:

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet. Cook bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Saute onion, celery, red pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes until softened. Add sausage and cook 3-5 minutes. Stir in 2 tbsp of flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups of chicken broth and bay leaf stirring until it simmers then add the shrimp and cooked bacon. Cook 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve this amazing shrimpy, sausagey goodness over your creamy, cheesy (not gross) grits. Top the whole thing with parsley, green onion and Frank's hot sauce.

Get ready to FREAK OUT at how good this is.  Perhaps share with friends!  Perhaps not...stingy cook!  I wouldn't blame you too much though if you kept it all for yourself, even though this serves 4 people.  It's that good.

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Award Winning Chili

Despite the fact that it's nearly March (seriously?!), it still feels like winter outside.  I'm cold natured...I need belly warming food items in my life as often as possible.  I find that chili does the trick nicely!

There are as many chili recipes out there as there are people making chili...that's a TON to choose from!  You don't have to pick my recipe...I understand.  I can take it!  But I did win 2nd place in 2009 in my workplace chili cookoff with this recipe....just sayin'.  My chili narrowly lost to a white chicken chili made by a group of senior execs...the contest was rigged, I say!  ;) 

Anyways, enough about the past.  On to the future!  As I may have mentioned before (quite forcefully), I DO NOT like beans, so this recipe is bean-free.  If you like beans, add some.  Do what you love.  Just don't expect me to eat it, mmkay? 

Now, I DO like spices and spicy-ness, so we've got several different seasonings in play here, including a non-spicy, formerly-secret ingredient...cinnamon!  Weird huh?  Yes, much like myself!  (And if you haven't noticed this by now, you're not paying attention.)

All this typing is making me hungry...on to the good stuff!

Chili of (2nd Place) Champs

4 pounds ground beef

5 tbsp chili powder

3 tbsp grill seasoning blend

2 tbsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp cinnamon

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons hot sauce

2 large onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bottle beer

2 (14 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 (16 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 cup smoky barbecue sauce

Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat. Cook the beef until browned and drain out any accumulated fat.  Add the chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, cayenne, Worcestershire sauce, cinnamon, and hot sauce. Stir to incorporate the seasonings and break up the meat.

Chop the onion and mince the garlic.  Add them to the beef and cook for 10 minutes. Add beer to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot as you stir. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, and barbecue sauce and bring to a bubble. Let chili simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Suggested toppings: cheese, green onions, sour cream, more chili... 

This will serve 6-8 hungry folks.  Or approximately 3 of me.  What can I say?  I love to eat!

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Sidekicks

All great heros need a sidekick and all great meals need some kickin' sides, am I right?!  Today, I shall share with you all some of my favorite go-to side dishes for everyday dinners.  Most are simple; all are delectable!  Each recipe will serve 4 normal-appetite people.  Or 2 of me (if I were cloned or something.)  What can I say, I love my sides!

Asiago Cheese Rice

1 1/2 cups of rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup shredded asiago cheese
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Place the rice and broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, covered.  Remove from heat and add cheese and red pepper flakes.  Serve warm.

*This is the easiest thing to make but is a HUGE crowd pleaser.  It tastes SO GOOD with minimal effort and it'll make you look so creative for thinking of it. 


Twice Baked Potatoes

4 large russet potatoes
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes.  Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop the contents into a large bowl, reserving the skins.  Mix the potato with 1/4 stick butter, the sour cream, the milk, and the chopped onion.  Place the potato skins on a baking sheet and fill each one with a few scoops of the potato mixture.  Cut the remaining 1/4 stick butter into 8 equal chunks and push one chunk into the center of each filled skin.  Broil in oven for 5 minutes until just browned on top.  Serve hot.

*The recipe above is pretty basic.  Feel free to also add bacon, chives, cheese, or whatever floats your boat into the potato mixture...do what you love! 

Creamed Spinach

1 lb. fresh spinach
1 tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

In a large pot, bring 2 qts of water to a boil.  Add the spinach and boil for 2 minutes.  Drain in a colander and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.  In a skillet, melt the butter and add the garlic and shallot, cooking for about 3 minutes.  Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes.  Slowly add the milk, stirring the whole time, until the mixture boils. Add spinach, cream, Parmesan, lemon juice, & nutmeg and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

*Man, I love creamed spinach!  If you like a thicker mix, use more cream and less milk.  If you're a cheese-a-holic, use 1/2 cup Parmesan (or even 1/4 parm and 1/4 asiago...woah!!)


Any way you serve them, sides are a necessity in the making of a great meal.  Where would be we without sidekicks?  What's Batman without Robin?  Moose without Squirrel?  Bert without Ernie?  Thelma without Louise?  Steak without potatoes?  Know what I mean? 

Try 'em.  You'll like 'em.

-Sam

Zuppa Toscana (the copycat version)

Chain restaurants are pretty much unavoidable for the busy person these days.  I love to cook (hope that's obvious by now!), but on busy nights, I've been known to stray and hit one of the chains for dinner.  I tend to have a particular dish that I order at each place...one thing that I've decided is worthy of my tummy.  At the well known chain Olive Garden, I usually get the seafood portofino.  Tasty treat and full of shellfish!  Perhaps I'll find the recipe for that at some point.  However, I want to focus on what I always have for starters at Olive Garden: their delectable Zuppa Toscana soup!

This soup has become a favorite at our house ever since I discovered a "copycat" recipe for it.  Jess calls it Zuppo Toscano...it's adorable.  :)  The mere mention of this soup causes instant salivation and cries of "yaaaaay" from the kiddos.  And now, I shall share it with all of you, ya lucky ducks!

A side note...when I share a recipe with you, if you've never made it before, don't go all crazy with your substitutions.  I gave this exact recipe to two lovely gals at work.  One of them (let's call her Ashley) promptly went home, substituted half the ingredients, and ended up with a totally different, gloopy, thick soup that, while ok, was NOT Zuppa Toscana...at all.  The 2nd gal (we'll call her Natasha) went home, substituted half the ingredients, and ended up with something that was completely unedible.  She had to throw the whole thing away!  When she realized what she had done, she coined the phrase "keep it real, cooker!"  I laughed, but she's right.  Look people...if you don't know what you're doing:

Bon Qui Qui says it best!

And now...soup's on!

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausage

1 large onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup white wine to deglaze the pan
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
2 russett potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks
2 cups fresh kale, torn or chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper

Place a large pot on the stove over medium heat. Crumble the sausage into the pan and cook until well browned. Remove the cooked sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl; set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pan and sauté until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook for a minute more, just until fragrant. Add the wine to the pot and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the potatoes, kale, and chicken broth to the pot. Return the sausage to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer on medium-low. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and cooked through. Stir in the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Soooooo good!

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Dinner Party: Red Wine Braised Short Ribs & Flan

Dinner at our house is always a party, but it's even more so when friends come over to eat!  Our pals Shelly* and Steve* (names have been changed to protect the innocent!) arrived right on time and even brought a delectable brussel sprout side dish.  Man, I LOVE brussel sprouts!  And these had bacon!!!  Perhaps "Shelly" will let me share the recipe sometime.  I'm only using fake names because I don't know if these 2 lovely people want to be publicly associated with us.  We're kinda weird, after all! 

Anyways, we lured Shelly and Steve over with the promise of a fancypants dinner.  Check this out, people:

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Garlic and Herbs accompanied by Flan (for dessert)

Umm...who wouldn't want to come over for that?!

It's one of my favorite dinners to make for people because it's ALWAYS delicious, makes the whole house smell like heaven, and looks really fancy once it's done.  You'll need about 3 hours to make it between prep time and cooking time.  Most of that is cooking time (stop freaking out, Mom!), not prep time.  If you're never home like me, you have to maximize your weekend time by making really good food.  This recipe is a keeper!

I used to pass by short ribs in the grocery store without a second thought.  But they kept staring at me...like little beefy puppies in the window.  Too much?  Ok sorry.  But anyways, they kept calling to me and finally, through the intervention of Bon Appetit magazine, it was time for me to buy them for myself.  Bon Appetit featured this recipe a couple years ago.  It was on their cover so you know it had to be amazing.  I like wine and beef and herbs and garlic.  Quite frankly, this was a match made in culinary heaven!

To start, you'll need 2 packs of meaty short ribs (about 6 ribs per pack).  I find that Publix has the best ones, but do what you love.  In a large, deep skillet on medium high, heat 2 tbsp. vegetable oil until it shimmers.  Once it's nice and hot, add your ribs.  We're going to be browning each side of the ribs (which is a bit harder than it looks!).  I suggest using tongs to turn the ribs on each of their 6 sides, a minute or 2 on each side, until they're a uniform brown color.  By no means is this step intended to actually cook the meat through so don't freak out.  There's lots more cooking to be done!

Transfer the ribs to a plate and set aside for now.  To your skillet, add 3 roughly chopped onions and saute for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle 3 tbsp flour over the cooked onions and add 1 tbsp tomato paste.  Stir to combine it all and cook for another minute.

You'll now pour an entire bottle of red wine (I prefer a nice Cabernet) into the skillet with your onion mix and add your short ribs back in as well.  This is starting to look AMAZING!  Hopefully you have a deeper skillet than I did!

                                     That's a (very full) pan of amazingness right there!

Bring this to a boil, then simmer for 25 minutes.  While that's cooking away, grab a dutch oven or roasting pan.  I used a roasting pan since I don't have a dutch oven...it's on my list of cooking items to obtain.  I DO, however, have an herb garden which is very useful for this recipe.  If you're as lucky as me, good for you.  If not, you can get these herbs fresh at your grocery store.  Pick up some seeds while you're out and you too can have an herb garden of your very own!

You'll need 8 sprigs of thyme, 4 sprigs of oregano, and 2 sprigs of rosemary along with 10 sprigs of parsley (which I did not grow this year, so I used a couple tbsp of dry). 

                                                        Herbs (the legal kind!)

These herbs will go into the roasting pan to hangout for a while til our simmering is done.  You'll also need to cut a whole head of garlic in half horizontally and place that in the roasting pan as well.  Once your skillet items are done, the entire contents will be added to the roasting pan along with 4 cups of beef broth.

I don't know why this is sideways.  I'm annoyed.

This whole magical conglomeration gets covered in tin foil and goes into your 350 degree oven for 2 hours.  The suspense might kill you so....while we wait...

Let's make dessert!!

I'm about to share with you the best recipe for flan in existence.  My Dad's mom Mima gave this recipe to my Mom who gave it to me.  THIS is how flan is supposed to taste and evey time I make it, I am reminded of my grandmother and her amazing food.  As she is no longer with us, this recipe is part of her legacy to my family.

In a medium sized saucepan with a metal handle, heat 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 1/2 cup water on high heat.  This is our caramel sauce and will need to boil until it reaches a beautiful golden brown color.  Watch it carefully as it burns easily and will NOT make your house smell like heaven.  Possibly more like the "other place..."  Once it reaches golden brown, remove it from the heat and turn the pan to coat the sides of it twice.  Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

In a blender, add the following: 6 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 10oz can evaporated milk, and 1 generous tsp of vanilla.  Blend for 2 minutes.   Pour this mix directly into your carmel coated saucepan.  Boil some water.  Place the saucepan of flan in a square pan or dish with high sides.  Pour boiling water in the dish so that the water comes halfway up the sides of the saucepan.  This is called a water bath and it will help your flan cook evenly on all sides.

                            My saucepan had a plastic handle, fortunately a removable one.

Pop the whole thing in your 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.  You'll know your flan is done when it jiggles only slightly when you tap the pan.  If it's still quite wobbly in the center, give it another few minutes in the oven.  Remove the pan from the water bath and place it on a cooling rack.  Let it cool for at least 30 minutes.  Once cooled, run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the sides of the flan.  You're now going to flip the saucepan over into a round pie dish or plate so that the flan comes out of it with the amazing caramel coating & "juice" on top.  Cover and place in the fridge to serve cold after dinner.  I like to sum up these 3 steps as "cool it, flip it, fridge it."  I need these little mnemonic devices to maintain my sanity.

                                                                    THE flan

By now, your short ribs should be nearly done bathing in their winey herby garlicy juice.  I'm sure you're getting antsy to try this dish you've slaved over.  Not really, since the majority of the time it's just been sitting there in your oven cooking, but shhhh your guests don't know that!  They'll be impressed by your hours of work!

Take that sucker out of the oven and pull off the foil.  Prepare to be amazed! 

                                                                 *BOOM*

Dinner is served!  I like to make twice baked potatoes to serve with this dish. I'll post that recipe soon (super easy!).  Here's a photo of my plate (jealous?):

                  Short ribs, twice baked potato, and brussel sprout salad.  Dinner of champs!

I know you're gonna want to inhale this food as if you've never eaten before, but be sure to save a bit of room for your flan.  It should be nice and cold by now.  Slice like a pie and spoon some of that yummy caramel "juice" over the top.  Creamy deliciousness!


Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Garlic & Herbs

5 pounds bone-in beef short ribs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 medium onions, chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 750-ml bottle dry red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon)

10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

8 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs oregano

2 sprigs rosemary

2 fresh or dried bay leaves

1 head of garlic, halved crosswise

4 cups beef stock

Preheat oven to 350°. Season short ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown short ribs on all sides, a minute or so per side.  Transfer short ribs to a plate. Add onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until well combined 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, then add short ribs with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil; lower heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Add all herbs to pot along with garlic. Stir in stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until short ribs are tender, 2 hours. Transfer short ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface of sauce and discard; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

I'm not Cuban (but this marinade is!)

My Dad is Puerto Rican.  My Mom is Irish.  Guess that makes me Hispirish!  I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where nearly every meal was homemade.  I know what you're thinking:

Keep reading.  Expand your food horizons.  I'm trying to help you out, here!

Though my mother does most of the cooking, my father is also a whiz in the kitchen.  Between the two of them, I was destined to cook!  Many of my absolute favorite recipes are influenced by my dual heritages.  They're separate, but equal, meaning you won't be seeing any flan-flavored soda bread recipes lurking around here.  It's just too much.  Flan is amazing.  Soda bread is amazing.  But ne'er the twain shall meet!

In a salute to my Hispanic side, last night's dinner was a Cuban/Mexican fusion of delicious-ness!  When I woke up yesterday morning, I threw together some homemade mojo marinade (the best thing to come out of Cuba).  This stuff is liquid gold and you will LOVE it.  Though we usually use it in the crock pot for a nice big pork butt, we used chicken yesterday for the first time.  Jess's idea...she's super clever, that one! 

Gather up the following items:

5 cloves of garlic, 1/2 fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/4 c olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 c sherry

Smash up the garlic.  I use a garlic press but perhaps you have some inner rage that you'd like to get out...perhaps with a hammer or rolling pin?  Do what you gotta do.  Just get that garlic smashed!  I use a super cool squeezer device to extract the juices from my citrus fruits:

Cool, huh?

Cut the fruits in half, stick a half in this gadget, and squeeze for all you're worth!  Relieves stress!   Once the juice is loose, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk them together.  It will smell fantastic!  This marinade goes well on pretty much anything.  I had 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I placed in a gallon size bag before dumping this marinade all over them.  Squish the closed bag with all the stuff inside in your hands for a bit...it's fun and will help get the chicken fully coated.  Stick in the fridge for at least 8 hours, longer if you've got time.  The longer it sits, the better it gets!  

When I got home from work about 12 hours later (sad, but true!), the entire contents of the bag went into Pyrex dish with a lid, and that in turn went into the oven at 375 for 35 minutes (all of which were spent salivating).  Once the timer went off, I shredded the chicken and put it in a deep skillet with all the juice.  I let it boil for a couple minutes, just to make sure the chicken was cooked through and that it had absorbed as much marinade as was chicken-ly possible. 

                                              Waiting was hard...Corona was needed!

Taco time!  A portion of that lovely, juicy, flavor-filled chicken went on to low-carb tortillas that we garnished with tomato, pepper jack cheese, cheddar cheese, diced onion, sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.  These looked ridiculously good!

                     Jess likes extra sour cream.  I like extra cheese.  Aww...they're cuddling!

I really can't describe how delicious they were without saying something like HOLY GUACAMOLE, which, ironically, would have made these even better.  I didn't buy avocados yesterday...what was I thinking?!  Next time, guacamole is invited to the party!

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Let them eat CAKE!

Um...yea!!  Everybody loves cake!  Even if you claim you don't, you're probably just on a fad diet and will soon fall off the bandwagon.  And if/when you do, this recipe will be there to pick you up.  You're welcome!

This cake has all kinds of good stuff...the cake itself, yummy frosting, and cookies.  AND it's 4 layers so it's quite the showstopper! 

Because of all the great things that this cake encompasses, there are technically 3 recipes that you'll be following: one for the cake layers, one for the frosting, and one for the tasty cookie cream filling.  If that sounds daunting, don't be such a wuss!  This will be FUN and everyone will LOVE it!

I saw a bumper sticker during my drive this morning that said "Cook Tasty Food for Those You Love."  I couldn't agree more.  If you love no one, besides the fact that you need to lighten up, you can make this for your darn self!  It's an equal opportunity cake!

Now, on to the good stuff:

Chocolate Cookie Cake

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups milk
8 oz sour cream
5 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 recipe Cookie Filling (see recipe below)
1 recipe Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting (see recipe below)
4 crushed Oreos

Grease and lightly flour two 8x1-1/2-inch or 9x1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Set them aside for now.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (I'm partial to KitchenAid) combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add milk, sour cream, melted chocolate, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat on low for a minute just to combine it all. Then beat on high speed 3 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.

Divide half of batter evenly between your 2 pans. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes for 9-inch layers and 25 to 30 minutes for 8-inch layers. Cool cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and let cool.

Wash the 2 cake pans and grease and flour them. Divide the 2nd half of your batter as evenly as you can between pans. Bake and cool like you did with your 1st 2 layers.

Prepare the Cookie Filling, reserving the 3/4 cup filling (without crumbs) for the cake garnish.

To assemble the cake, put a cake layer on a serving plate and top with one-third of the remaining cookie filling, spreading filling evenly over layer. Add a second layer of cake and spread with another one-third portion of the cookie filling. Add another cake layer and spread with remaining cookie filling. Top with remaining cake layer.

Prepare the Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting. Spread top and sides of cake with frosting. Stir reserved Cookie Filling and enough milk (about 2 to 3 teaspoons) to make it a drizzling consistency. Spoon onto center top of cake. Carefully spread filling to force some down sides of cake. Garnish top of cake with the 4 crushed chocolate sandwich cookies.

Makes 16 servings.


Chocolate-Sour Cream Frosting
1 cup (1/2 package) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

In a saucepan, melt semisweet chocolate pieces and butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Cool about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until smooth and easy to spread.

Cookie Filling
4 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
2-4 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
10 Oreos

In large mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, butter, 2 tablespoons milk, and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer on low speed until combined; beat on medium speed until very smooth. Beat in enough additional milk until frosting is easy to spread. Set aside 3/4 cup of mixture. Crush 10 chocolate sandwich cookies; stir into remaining mixture.

 
                             Yea, yea, it's off-center on the plate.  I'm a bit off-center in general!


Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Soup. Mexican style!

Miss me?

Don't fret, I'm back!  With soup!  3 step soup!  Taco soup!  What could be better on a cold winter evening?  Perhaps in front of a nice fire with a lovely glass of merlot...ahhhhh.....but I digress...

Back to business!
Now I'll tell you up front, I DO NOT like beans, unless they are green beans or edamame.  Outside of these 2 notable exceptions, I do not like the taste nor the texture nor the look of beans nor anything whatsoever about them. 

Thus said, this recipe does not have beans.  Perhaps you love beans.  Perhaps you love them so much, you want to marry them.  Weird.  But who am I to judge?  If you want to add some to your soup, go for it.  Do what you love.  Just know that I won't eat it if you're so kind as to invite me over or something.  If you're going beanless, call me, maybe.

Anyways................on to the soup!   Like I said, there are 3 steps: brown, add, simmer.  *bam*  Soup is served!  This recipe also doubles or even triples well if you're feeding a crowd or if you just want 8 helpings all to yourself, greedy guts!  Not gonna lie...I've had about 5 helpings in a sitting.  I'm a growing girl...chick's gotta eat!

Here's the magic recipe for greatness:

Taco Soup
Serves 4

2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cups water
2 16oz cans of stewed tomatoes
2 8oz cans of tomato sauce
1 envelope of taco seasoning

Brown the beef and onion.  Drain it and add the water, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and seasoning. Then simmer 15 mins. Garnish with cheddar cheese and sour cream.

 

Ooo...ahhh.....

Now if you're more of a purist and can't stand those little store bought sodium-infused seasoning packets of questionable-ness, I've got you covered!

Homemade Taco Seasoning

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp oregano

Mix and use in place of one seasoning packet. 

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Grillin' & Chillin': Beer Can Chicken

There's nothin' like grillin' on a Saturday in Georgia!  And if you like beer, fire, and chicken in compromising positions, do I have a recipe for YOU!

Now the illustrious matron of all things "Southern Cooking" (Mrs. Paula Deen) calls this dish Beer in the Rear chicken.  *gasp* How crude!  Around my humble home, we're fond of the simple name Beer Can Chicken.  There's not much to it, really...a beer, a chicken, and some spices.  But holy wow, what lovely alchemy occurs when you put them all together!

Let's begin, shall we?

Gather up some usual suspects...a whole chicken, a 12oz can of beer (we use Coors Light, generally, but use what you love), garlic salt, and Old Bay seasoning.

Open up the beer and drink half of it.  See, I told you this was a great recipe!

Dump a few teaspoons of Old Bay into the half-full (or half-empty, you pessimist!) can of beer.

Remove the giblets from the chicken and throw them away or promptly make some gravy (if you're into that sort of thing). Rinse your chicken with water in your sink.  You now want to season that bad boy with both garlic salt and Old Bay...I recommend this be a 2 person operation, if you happen to be so fortunate as to have a 2nd person just lying around your kitchen.  If you don't, you know times are tough and you could probably give your neighbor $5 or a couple bites of this awesome chicken to help you out for a couple minutes.  Shake what ya momma gave ya (if your momma gave you the spices).  If you bought them yourself then shake what you bought yourself!  Those chickens need to be liberally coated.  That's not some left-wing reference (but that was a chicken pun!  Get it?  Left WING?  Oh wow, I need a vacation).

Now that your chicken is seasoned, place it cavity-down on the can so that the can is inserted halfway.  Resist the urge to make any inappropriate jokes and place it on your grill making sure that it's balanced properly.  The last thing you want to happen is for your chicken to fall over while cooking.  The best part about this chicken is that, as it cooks, some of those yummy chicken juices fall into the can and make a delectable sauce.

Let the chicken hang out in the grill for around an hour and a half.  Keep checking on it every so often as it might just catch on fire.  You don't want the smoke to get you (or your chicken)...you could get bronchitis and ain't nobody got time for that!  

Sweet Brown explains the link between smoke and bronchitis

When the chicken skin is golden brown and it smells like heaven when you crack open the grill lid, you'll know your chicken is done.  *Note: I have no idea what heaven smells like, but I imagine it might smell a bit like this chicken.  This idea is probably not theologically sound.  Talk to your pastor, rabbi, guru, etc. for more information. You can also test for doneness by cutting near the joint where the leg bone meets the body of the chicken.  If the juices are clear, your chances for catching salmonella from your meal are virtually non-existent.  Congrats!

Once you remove your chicken from the grill (try using tongs), you face the rather daunting task of removing the chicken from its new friend, the beer can.  Again, this is best done as a 2 person task.  Place the chicken in some sort of a dish with sides that will catch any juice. I find that if each person wraps their fingers in paper towel, one person can grab the chicken while the other pulls the can off.  Pour the contents of the beer can into a bowl (insta-gravy!) and slice your chicken.

Try it, you'll like it.

-Sam

                                                                     Hi five, man!

Pot Lucky: Marinated Salad

Today, we had a floor-wide potluck at work.  My #1 rule regarding potlucks is to always bring something that you yourself will eat.  That way, if everyone else brings junkfood, you have a whole homemade dish you can hoard for yourself!  Genius, yes?  I'm fortunate enough that my floor has folks who can cook!  But perhaps you aren't as lucky as I.  That's why you need a go-to side dish that will impress.

My gorgeous fiance Jess (hi baby!) has this brilliant, simple recipe for a marinated salad that's a foolproof potluck side dish.  It's full of veggies, spices, and savory goodness!  What's not to like?  I'm not a fan of lettuce (aka: rabbit food), so this is my kind of "salad!"

Procure (transitive verb - to get possession of or obtain by particular care and effort) the following veggie-type items from your farmers market or grocery store:

3 cucumbers, 1 onion (Vidalia!), 2 containers of grape tomatoes, 1 container sliced mushrooms, 1 jar pitted green olives, 1 can pitted black olives, 1 jar pepperoncinis

Peel the cucumbers and cut into small chunks (with your razor sharp knife, of course).  Cut your grape tomatoes in half.  Drain all but half of the juice from your green olives and pepperoncinis.

Then, mix together the following:

1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup juice from the olive jar, 1/4 cup juice from the pepperoncini jar

Dump everything in a large bowl.  Stir.  Cover.  Refrigerate.  8 hours later........peek in the bowl and take a whiff......

HOLY GUACAMOLE!  IT'S MARINATED SALAD!  BRILLIANT!

It practically makes itself. 

Try it.  You'll like it.

-Sam

Marinated Salad

3 cucumbers

1 Vidalia onion
2 containers of grape tomatoes
1 container sliced mushrooms
1 jar pitted green olives
1 can pitted black olives
1 jar pepperoncinis

Peel the cucumbers and cut into small chunks.  Cut your grape tomatoes in half.  Drain all but half of the juice from your green olives and pepperoncinis.

Then, mix together the following:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup juice from the olive jar
1/4 cup juice from the pepperoncini jar

Dump all veggies and this marinade into a large bowl.  Stir.  Cover.  Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.  Serve cold.