Shrimp and Weisenberger Grits

Do yourself a huge favor and make this soon. Perfect comfort food for fall, a great "date night at home", or just because you feel like being fancy. These shrimp and grits were one of the best meals I've ever made, and it only took right around 30-35 minutes to make.

I started off frying off bacon, both for the topping and grease to fry the shrimp in. Everything is better using bacon grease - pancakes especially. Drain the grease off into a container on the side and move pan off the heat. I used a cast iron skillet for frying but you can use whatever your heart desires.

Once I fried up the bacon, I got started on the grits. The package of grits gives standard directions - 4c water to 1 c grits. In my grits, I used 2 cups milk (2% but any will work) and 2 c chicken stock. This is a magical combination. Bring the 4 c of liquid to a simmer then add 1 cup of grits and 1 clove of garlic chopped -the garlic will soften with the grits. Bring to a boil then immediately lower the temperature to low/med. You want to keep an eye on these stirring frequently, and cooking for about 25 minutes. You will feel them tightening up as you stir.  Around 20 minutes in, I covered the grits and let them cook for the last 5 minutes covered up. Remove from heat and add 1/2 c heavy cream and 1 c parmesean cheese (I used grated). You can really use whatever cheese you want. The grits should be thin, but not runny.  To keep warm, you can cover or keep on low heat.  I stirred in a handful of spinach last that wilted down while I cooked the shrimp.

Last step is to cook your shrimp (takes 3-4 minutes).

The only things I seasoned my shrimp with are Old Bay and tabasco sauce. Generously coat your shrimp - you don't have to add salt or pepper since it is in the Old Bay seasoning already.  Pour a little of your reserved bacon grease on the cast iron skillet, and bring heat to medium. Put shrimp on and cook for about 1 1/2 minutes per side or until pink.  Make sure not to overcook your shrimp, because they will also cook a little bit longer when you put them in the hot grits.

Toast up a baguette, top with chopped bacon, and dig in!

Recipe:

Grits recipe from Grits and Greens in Mastering the Art of Southern Cooking by Nathalie Dupree

The Grits:
2 c milk
2 c chicken stock
1 garlic clove
1/2 c heavy cream
1 c grated parmesean
1 c yellow grits (I used Weisenberger)
1 c baby spinach

Bring 2c milk and 2c chicken stock to simmer, add grits and garlic. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Cover with 5 minutes to go.  After 25 minutes, stir in heavy cream and cheese. Add more heavy cream if consistency is too thick. It should be loose but not runny. Add salt to taste if desired. Stir in spinach and set aside.

The Shrimp:
1 lb 40-50 shrimp - peeled, deveined, tails off, thawed
2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp tabasco
4 slices thick cut bacon

Cook bacon and reserve grease - drain bacon on paper towel lined plate.
Bring skillet to medium heat with 2 tbsp bacon grease.
Season shrimp with old bay and tabasco
Place on skillet and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side until pink.

Pour grits into shallow bowl and add cooked shrimp in the center. Top with bacon and serve.

Serves 4.

Let me know if you make this soon and how you liked it!

A Hit and a Miss! Roast Chicken with Shallots and Roasted Artichokes

Do you ever see a recipe and think how awesome and classy it looks, and the description is even better? Me too. Roasted artichokes are that recipe for me…. so I tried making them...

NOT SO MUCH. I tried, and I failed miserably.  

Figures I try this with the 2 for $1 artichokes. That might be my problemo.  As far as I could tell, I followed the recipe from Iowa Girl Eats and hers looked amazing!!!  I failed miserably. But, my cheerleader hubs told me to try them again soon. Which I will (shout out to Iowa Girl, those looked killer, mine were beautiful, not tasty). Please try her recipe and win, and tell me what you used, I am determined to master this eventually!

Gorgessity…..Grossesity?

Alas, where there is a fail, there is a victory!  Cue in David Lebovitz's Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots. HELLLLLLOOOOOOO beautiful! This was the jackpot of all recipe finds. 

Calls for minced shallots - chopped as finely as I could!  

I have a new local store, Lucky's, that had their bone in chicken breast on sale for 98 cents a pound. 98 CENTS! The butcher  gladly gave me 4 breasts, and I saw they were $1.89 for all 4. So, naturally, I annoyed the hell out of him and asked for 4 more.  Beauties! Skin on is the way to go. For you skinnies, once again, eat the freakin skin and work out a bit more tomorrow. Its worth it.

Here's the link to the recipe:

David Lebovitz's Recipe below. 

PS. His website and recipes are amazing. Follow for updates! www.davidlebovitz.com

Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots
Serves 4 to 6

Adapted from French Farmhouse Cookbook (Workman) by Susan Herrmann Loomis

I use a whole chicken cut into eight pieces; two legs, two thighs, and I cut each breast piece in half, crosswise, keeping the wings attached. You could also just use eight of your favorite chicken pieces.

I used 3 large bone in breasts for 2 people and 1 large shallot. I used about 3/4 the recipe but just eyeball it to coat your chicken accordingly. 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 4 large shallots, peeled and minced
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• One whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• one generous handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).

2. In a large baking dish, one which will hold all the chicken pieces in a single layer, mix the olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce, shallots, and some salt and pepper.

3. Toss the chicken in the mixture, so they’re completely coated with the shallots. Turn the chicken pieces so they are all skin side up.

4. Roast the chicken for about twenty minutes, until it starts to brown on top. Turn the pieces of chicken over. Scrape any juices and shallots over the chicken that may be clinging to the pan, and bake for another twenty minutes, or until the pieces of chicken are cooked through and the shallots are well-caramelized.

5. Remove from oven and toss in the chopped parsley, then serve

The bottom of the pan should be covered for the most part with your sauce. Toss your chicken in.

Roast for 20 then flip for 20. It is perfection!

It was truly delicious and something we will make again in the near future. Try it! So easy, even I can screw one thing up and end up with a majorly delightful entree! 

Chilly? Chili.

It's cold.

Time to make Chili.

One of my fave wedding gifts. A clutch item in the kitchen.

I never have claimed any recipes on this website as my own and I don't plan on doing it anytime soon. I   like to follow them and happen to do it well.

#1 rule EVER and it's so important and everything ever that is pure and good in chili. Ground Beef. 80/20. Just do it. You skinnies on a diet - Run an extra 5 minutes tomorrow.  I asked J if he wanted chili and his response was "only if it's made with ground beef". Sometimes (that's a stretch) we are healthy kids around here but when it comes to this comfort food, you keep it the right way.

This chili recipe is taken from one of my mom's BFFs, Margie. Its DELISH and doesn't need noodles. It's its own star of the show.

You: "What's Margie's secret!?"
Me: Bloemers

There is chili paste and chili powder in the Bloemer's line that is a must have. Also, when picking up ingredients don't forget the soup crackers (oyster crackers). Fun touch and always necessary for some crunch.

The Lineup

You're gonna need:

2 lb ground beef
2 cans mild chili beans (I prefer Brooks, but generic are fine)
1 packet  or 2 oz Bloemer's chili powder
1 8 oz package of Bloemer's chili paste/base
2 15 oz cans Hunt's tomato sauce
According to my dad - 3 chili bean cans of water (best kind of measurements)
S&P
Shredded Cheddar for topping
Optional: Chives and Sour Cream (I don't use these but if you want to, be my guest!)


Brown your beef on med/high heat in either a cast iron pot or big pot of your choice. (Note: Chili stains everything. Get your scour pad ready and get some Madonna arms - without the veins. Or soak your pot afterwards if you want) Drain the fat. Side note: I wish so badly my dog was not allergic to everything, otherwise, because of all this snow on the ground I would make her a doggie snow cone with a touch of beef fat….but alas, bad idea and a terrible clean up later on.

Back to the chili:

Add chili powder to ground beef for a couple of minutes and let all the spices incorporate to make it extra delicious. What does adding the spice at this time do? Who knows, and who cares!? It makes it taste good, okay?

Add in the rest of the ingredients. Stir together until all combined smoothly. As for the S&P, I do a couple of twists on each grinder and have not been disappointed. Don't add too much salt please. Hold back…I'm guilty too! Just don't over salt it! Read: Don't ruin this chili. I bring to a bubble and then turn down the heat to low/simmer and cover for 2 hours.

Make it bubble like this. Then turn down the heat. 

I usually serve with mild or sharp shredded cheddar sprinkled in
and some soup crackers on the side.

One of these days I want to try to make chili with peanut butter (a la Damaris). SO wondering how that would taste.

P.S. AND one day I will get a nice camera and show you how to make delicious AND purdy food. For now, deal with my iPhone pics. Plus, if you are reading this, you know I am a beginner.

Steak, Potatoes, and Fancy Word Friday

Let's talk steak.

It's delicious, maybe nutritious (if you follow the Adkins). It's my favorite treat for a special meal.

I did not make this, but Joey ate this and it was mouthwatering.

Credit to Mojitos

First, let's compliment this steak dinner and make a gratin.

Gratin (French pronunciation: ​ is a widespread culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter. Gratin originated in French cuisine and is usually prepared in a shallow dish of some kind. A gratin is baked or cooked under an overhead grill or broiler to form a golden crust on top and is traditionally served in its baking dish.

via wikipedia.com

Peel those potatoes. Annoying but a MUST.

Get yourself some serious knife skills or if you lack those, get a mandolin, OXO brand like me! I think ours is from Target. Its pretty amazing but inexpensive!

Compliment my manicure. (OPI Red if you must know.)

This was a Level 2 cut.

When you cut your potatoes, put them in a bowl of cold water. Don't let those puppies brown. Blech.

I lined my dish with some oil spray, then parchment paper.

My gratin was made with Pepper Jack cheese.  I had it in my fridge….so what? Yum. I will say, it was spicy and had a major kick. I loved it and normally don't like super spicy.

Layer potatoes, S&P, pepper jack, until you run out of layers or potatoes. I try to make the last layer cheese so it browns in the oven.

This is the special part. HEAVY CREAM. Just heat 1 1/4 c with 1 stick of butter (!!) up on the stove on LOW (trust, no other way than low). Let it heat through then pour over your potato layer fun.  Put that covered in the oven at 300 for 1 1/4 hours. You will thank me later.

Asparagus. Yum. Roast with olive oil, s&p for 45 min at 400. If you try to do both gratin and asparagus at same time, I'd boil the asparagus first for 5 min, then put in ice water to stop them from cooking to nothing, dry, then roast  on a pan at same temp (300)  for about 40 minutes.

Look at those beauties.

If you want a true filet mignon do the bacon wrapped filet ala Joseph. S&P those beauties. 

Here's how we roll. Splurge (omg $20) on two baby cast irons. . Heat those suckers up on broil while you prep your steaks.  Mind you, already have your side dishes cooking - cover those with foil or a lid while the oven is on broil. You will be sad with burnt food...

Imagine an amazing searing sound...

 Then after you flip with some tongs after 8 minutes (glass of wine), still in oven, and use your handy meat thermometer… They should be around 125 degrees.  Pull them out of the oven and sit on the stove top….they still cook and need to rest for a few to redistribute the juices (10 min tops). And those cast irons are no joke. They are HOT. Yum. Also, nobody likes a dry steak. Meh.

Then, delicately plate your dish so you can take a picture that is a bit lackluster like this one. I swear it's delicious! Better than an Applebee's commercial! Amirite!?

How do you like to make your steaks? I prefer a filet, but Joey likes a strip. I can't wait for grilling season…