Son Graduated Today……Fly little birdie

Angie — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:41:24 +0000

Today at our house it is a big day….Son is graduating from High School. Soon things will change here for ever. He will leave for college over 6 hours away. Some friends and I were sitting around discussing why is it such a big deal made over kids graduating from high school ~ Really ? Well, the reason it is such a big deal at my house is this….I do know most every child here in the U. S. does graduate from high school so it is expected, most even graduate from college. But, that is not it, it is more the end of one story and the beginning of another. It is the end of life at home with the family and the start of life off on their own. So, to me as a parent that has played a big role in my child’s life a really big deal. The chance to get to know one another and make a wonderful impact on one another. It is celebrating the life we have had together as a family. It is not really about completing high school it is the end of one very important chapter in life and going on to the next one. Son does not read the post, which I guess is good. I can say what I want without any worry he will be reading. I have raised him without any regrets, so I feel good about the way we have brought him up. I only hope and pray he makes good choices and uses his head out there in this crazy world. It is time for my little birdie to fly ~ ~ ~ ~I think I am gonna to cry. Boo hoo
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I hope you have a wonderful day!
Angie

Sweet Bread / Portuguese Sweet Bread

Angie — Fri, 10 May 2013 15:38:47 +0000

We call this bread Paul Bunyan bread. Why it is incredibly large, you would just have to see it to really understand how big it is after it is baked. This bread is so light, incredibly soft and smells so intoxicating. It is wonderful all by it’s self and even better with jam or butter. I take fresh strawberries and place in a food processor with a little powdered sugar and vanilla oh goodness, then smear this all over the bread oh my heavenly. How can BREAD be that wonderful oh but it is! Makes the best toast or french toast oh my goodness. It is great for bread pudding too. This bread always comes out light and fluffy. I warn you it is impossible to resist. I know you and your family will love it. It is really easy to make with wonderful results. Oh wait you know what it is great with…ready….. fresh peanut butter a tad of honey and apples or peanut butter, honey and bananas.

Portuguese Sweet Bread

1/4 cup water
1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoon butter + 2 for top
1 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs + 1 egg yolk
3/4 cup sugar
4 cup bread flour
3 teaspoons yeast
Place all ingredients in bread machine and run on dough cycle, once done leave in machine an additional 30 minutes to let rest. Roll out into a desired shape. I bake in a bread sandwich loaf pan. Roll out to fit into pan. Butter pan really well, place in pan and brush top with butter cover with a light soft cloth. Let rise until double in size. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. Let cool a few minutes and slice.

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Angie

Creamy Key Lime Pie

Angie — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:47:09 +0000

I was never a great big fan of key lime pie…..I don’t know WHY? But, I have come to my senses and well I do really like them now. Since, I did not care for them, I did not have many recipes for key lime so here we go. I love the one at BrickTops, they have a macadamia nut cookie crust so that was my starting point. I got to work this weekend trying to tag it just right. I think I did purdy good. They came out nice light and creamy with a light tartness and a lovely crunchy crust. I baked them in a 6 inch spring form pans for easy removal. Making them smaller than normal made them a little fancier. We all ended up liking them even ME! I will be making this recipe again and again I am sure of that. Hope you enjoy this sweet little tart lime pie!

Crust

1 package of Pepperidge Farms Chess cookies finely grounded
1 stick of butter melted
1/4 cup of sugar
1 package of Mauna Loa macadamia nuts

Place all ingredients in the food processor and pulse/grind until fine and looks a little like sand. Place in 2 – 6 inch buttered and parchment paper lined spring form pans. Bake in 350 oven for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Once they are cooled, add your batter. This recipe made 2 – 6 inch pies.

Batter

3 cups sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup fresh squeezed key lime juice
1/4 cup Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice
1 teaspoon grated lime zest, additional to decorate top
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
 Preheat oven to 350 degrees . In a bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, sour cream, both lime juices, and lime zest. Mix well and pour into cookie nut crust. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, {I baked mine 17 minutes} until tiny pinhole bubbles burst on the surface of pie. DO NOT BROWN! Remove cool. Place in refrigerator until set about 4 hours. Once set decorate with limes and whip cream.

I have learned a new trick. To zest a lime and toss it in sugar and let it dry it is wonderful crunchy a great addition to a dessert like this. Try it ! You will love it. Whip your cream and slowly add your powdered sugar and vanilla decorate with the whipped cream, limes and candied lime zest.

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Angie

The Masters Egg Salad and Pimento Cheese

Angie — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:24:39 +0000

Oh Goodness….We had the opportunity to go to the Masters Golf Tournament last week. Saturday was simply the prettiest day ever for me at the Masters. The grass was so vividly green, with all the azaleas in bloom in such wide arrays of colors. They had wisteria blooms hanging from the trees. It was a nice spring day was somewhat cool, sunny with a light breeze just lovely. You could smell the wisteria in the air, I could not have ordered a prettier day. Well…you know me it is all about the food….heee heee see there is a tradition at the Masters. It is Egg Salad and Pimento Cheese sandwiches served on good ole white bread. We get ours with iced tea of course. We cannot make up our minds so we get one of each and half them, we call it a split decision one of each why we can’t decide which one is best….so we get both and it is a perfect world. Yip heeee well….let’s just say we had many split decisions. This year they added a new item an ice cream sandwich which is a sugar cookie with peach ice cream oh goodness what fun! The best part you can get all this for $7.00 bucks what a screaming deal! love it!

Egg Salad

6 large hard boiled eggs
4 tablespoons Hellman’s mayo
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely grated vidalia onion

I peel my eggs and place them in the food processor and pulse them a few times around do not over do it, once all finely chopped stop. In a medium bowl I mix mayo, vinegar, mustard, salt, and onion. Once this is mixed well,then add the chopped eggs and mix until just combined.

Note we do like to add this egg salad to a BLT sandwich, this makes an amazing sandwich…fur sure!

Pimento Cheese

8 oz grated cheddar cheese-I used Cracker Barrel Yellow Sharp
2 oz jar of pimentos, drained
1/4 cup of Hellman’s mayo
1 tablespoon sour cream/creme fresh
1 teaspoon finely grated vidalia onion
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
dash of worcestershire sauce
Mix pimentos, mayo, sour cream, onion, cayenne and worcestershire well in a bowl until mixed completely then add your cheese and continue to mixed until just combined and creamy. Enjoy!

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Angie

Grady’s Restaurant House Salad

Angie — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:51:12 +0000

This is a great salad has a wonderful combination of ingredients in it. We would go to Grady’s every week to get this salad and the grilled salmon oh goodness was so good. But, they got bought out by a big chain restaurant. Don’t just hate that…I do? They did not have the level of service or food quality that Grady’s had and they did not make it oh boo hoo. We still talk about how great Grady’s was and wish they could have withstood the test of time. This is a great salad for grilled fish or a nice steak. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do at our house. I do make my own croutons and this does make a huge difference. I cut up sour dough bread toss it in a little olive oil and place in a 350 oven for 15 minutes, let cool and store until ready to use.

Grady’s Salad

Mixed greens
croutons
chopped eggs
chopped crispy cooked bacon
chopped green onion
grated carrots
chopped tomatoes
toasted sliced almonds
grated cheddar cheese
Dressing ~ vinaigrette or honey mustard

Vinaigrette Dressing

1/4 cup of white balsamic vinegar ~ Trader Joes
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoon fresh mince garlic
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

I make this dressing in the food processor. I start the machine running and then add the whole peeled garlic cloves while it is running this minces it up so beautifully and is so, so easy. Then while still running throw in the peeled shallots and wal la all minced perfectly. Stop the machine and then add the vinegar, mustard, honey and chives to the processor bowl and process until nice and creamy! Then add the olive oil in a small stream until all is incorporated to the dressing. Wonderful! This will keep for a week or two in the refrigerator.

Honey Mustard Dressing

5 tablespoon local honey
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
I make this in the food processor place the honey, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper and start running and add my oil in a slow steady stream until it is emulsified. I will add a shallot if I have it available.

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Angie

Creamy Sweetened Condensed Fruit Sauce

Angie — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:06:58 +0000

This stuff is sooooo good…..oh dear me and so easy to make. This is best when strawberries are nice fresh and in season. I like to add bananas and toasted almonds. More than likely this time of the year if you stop by my house there is some in the refrigerator. It is nice and creamy and not too sweet a nice balance with the strawberries. I think I will have a bowl now, please try it and you will agree. Simple and deelish!

Creamy Sweetened Condensed Sauce

1 – 8oz package of cream cheese ~ room temperature
1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla paste
fresh strawberries
fresh bananas
toasted sliced almonds

I put the cream cheese in the mixer bowl and mix until it is nice and creamy. Then I add the condensed milk and vanilla paste and mix until it is just combined. Cut up the fresh fruit and pour the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with toasted almonds.

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Angie

Roast Beef Sandwiches

Angie — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 03:43:36 +0000

Oh goodness these are so yumo. I will make a pot roast just to have these babies! Oh goodness they are deelightful! I take left over pot roast and the home made school rolls. This is a winning combo! I take the rolls butter them on both sides and place them on a hot griddle and toast them just right, put on some Hellman’s. I place the roast beef on the griddle with a little gravy and sear a little then place on my bun with a little shredded lettuce and gosh it just don’t get any better. Pour my self a tall glass of ice tea and enjoy!

Roast Beef

3 to 4 lb beef roast
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry Lipton onion soup mix
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup chicken or beef stock
1 minced garlic clove
1 cup chopped onion
1 small button mushroom package washed and cleaned
1 small bella mushroom package washed and cleaned
4 carrots peeled and washed
1 bay leaf
fresh ground pepper
No salt the soups have enough taste first
6 small/medium new potatoes washed and cut into
2 tablespoons oil

I place 2 tablespoons of oil in a black skillet and sear the meat on all sides. Once browned all over I add the meat to a chock pot add everything but the potatoes. Put on high and let it cook for 6 hours or more. How easy is that? The last hour I add the potatoes. Remove bay leaf and discard. This makes a wonderful gravy for your roast. I will serve this with a salad, mash potatoes, home made rolls and a dessert yummy! Easy, easy!! Then even better tomorrow you can have these sandwiches ! oh goodness!!

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Angie

Lunch Room Rolls

Angie — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:28:04 +0000

Do you remember the rolls they served in the lunch room? Oh my I do, I did love them. I do have such fond memories of those rolls. The little school I went to, served square or rectangle rolls and they were rather large. I looked forward to those rolls each and every day. Some times I could trade my friends my cake or chocolate milk for their roll. I have been given many recipes over the years that claim they are the school or lunch room rolls well naw they weren’t. This is one of those recipes I have been after for a while and tried who knows how many different recipes in pursuit of the right one…..the one. After many years and countless dead ends I have found the School Roll Recipe! I have tried recipes with powdered milk, evaporated milk, crisco, you name it I have tried them all. Some where really good rolls but not the school rolls, I remembered and longed for so here you go…you try them and let me know what you think.

Lunch Room Rolls

1 1/2 cups of water
1/8 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons softened butter
3 tablespoons lard
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups bread flour
3 teaspoons yeast

Place water, milk, and egg in bottom of the bread machine. Then cut up butter and lard into small pieces place in the liquids. Add sugar, salt and then flour and last add the yeast on top of the flour. Run the dough cycle and I let my dough stay in the machine until it has risen to the top. Take out of the machine and I roll out on a floured surface until it is about 1/8 inch thick. I take a pizza cutter and cut them into squares. I let the rise another hour and then bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

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Angie

Kale, Navy Beans and Sausage Soup

Angie — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:13:42 +0000

This is a wonderful soup and it is rather healthy too. But, believe me it is wonderful. Many times when something is healthy well let’s face it….it just isn’t any good “a`tall” well it isn’t. Well, it is the truth. I made this soup just to write my post and so funny at my house wait…. wait, let me get a photo of that for the blog ~ no I am hungry, I do not want to eat it cold either. So, before I get a photo poof it is gone. So, I made it again and DANG it happened to me again. Well, this time I threw a fit, do not eat my soup until I get a shot of my little lovely! I ran out and snapped a few and would have loved to go back out and work on the lighting again heee heee but no soup left ~ I am not kidding oh well it is what it is….good! Try it and you will agree rather healthy and rather delicious too! Has many fresh veggies in the soup, kale, and beans and oh so yummy!

Kale, Navy Bean and Sausage Soup

2 quarts of chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1 can of navy beans ~ drained and rinsed
2 chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped fine sweet onion
1/2 cup chopped fine celery
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 bay leaf
2 cups chopped fresh kale
1/2 cup dry pasta ~ I use small tubes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup of grated parmesans cheese

The most important thing here is your chicken stock must be flavorful. I do make my own and it really does make a difference and I use free range chickens. I have been getting the Kosher ones at Costco and they are better tasting than any of the others I have tried to date….hummmmm

I use a cookie scoop to make little round balls with the sausage the 1/2 inch size. I bake them in a sallow dish at 350 with 2 cups of the chicken stock and until they are browned nicely. I add all the contents to the soup the liquid and sausage balls. I add the remainder of the stock to the pot. Then I add the wine, beans, carrots, onion, celery, lemon juice, bay leaf, and kale I let this simmer on a low heat for about one hour. Right before we are ready to eat, I will add the pasta cooking about 8 minutes and turn heat off. Remove bay leaf and discard. I top each bowl of soup with a little of the parmesan cheese.

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Angie

Crawfish Pot Pie

Angie — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 12:46:37 +0000

I do love crawfish…being from Mississippi can’t really help it…Well I do! I can remember many times as a kid getting a bag of 5 lbs and eating them all by my self. I do love them…I do! But, the thought of a crawfish pie never really occurred to me. Well, I was visiting down at Watercolor last week. When in SeaSide or Watercolor area I end up many of the times at a place called Stinky’s. I was in the mood to try something different and it sounded good. I tried the Crawfish Pot Pie and oh goodness it was sooooo good. I ask can I have the recipe and guess what they gave it too me….I came home and straight away made it! Oh goodness it was so good.

Crawfish Pie

4 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red/green bell pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon minced canned chipotle peeper in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon jared chicken soup base
1/2 teaspoon jared seafood soup base
1/4 teaspoon ground fresh pepper
1 bay leaf
1 – 1 lb package frozen cooked, peeled and deveined crawfish tails thawed
1/2 {10oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 – 8oz package pepper jack cheese, grated
2 green onions sliced
1 – pie dough

1. Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a large stock pot over medium heat. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and next 2 ingredients; sauté 6 to 7 minutes or until tender. Add the minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add flour: cook, stirring constantly, 10 minutes or until browned.

2. Add simmering chicken stock 1 1/2 cups at a time, to sautéed mixture; whisk until blended. Add Old Bay seasoning and next 5 ingredients, whisking until blended. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes.

3. Stir crawfish tails, tomatoes, and green chiles into mixture; cook 1 minute or just until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and green onions.

4. Preheat oven to 425. Turn out pie dough onto a light floured surface. Roll out pie dough to 1/8 thickness. Cut out to fit your desired dish. It will make 8 – 10oz ramekins or a large oval baking dish or 9 X 12. Lightly butter your dish. Fill with your crawfish filling and then top with the dough. Brush top with an egg white. Cut slits for the steam to escape.

5. Place ramekins on an aluminum baking dish. Bake at 425 for 25 – 30 minutes.

Recipe for Pie Dough
Click here for your recipe for the pie crust

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Angie

Green Egg Smoked Salmon Salad

Angie — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 14:45:58 +0000

We love, love smoked salmon at our house. The other day I was in Costco and they had some great looking salmon so I picked up a whole fish. My plan was to smoke it and serve it for dinner with a beurre blanc sauce and take the lefts over and make a smoke salmon salad. Lets just say I had one whole side of fish left and half of another. A LOT of fish one might say. They gobbled this up in one sitting and said go get another one of those fish today….what ! Yep go get another one today. Wow they loved it and I must say it was sooooo goooood ! The only really work is smoking the fish and the rest is really easy. So, when you come to my house until we get tired of it guess what you will be getting for a appetizer is going to be ~ yea you got it!

Smoking Salmon

I cut the fish into 2 filets washed and dried the fish really well. Brush each half of the fish very lightly with butter. Put a generous amount of salt and pepper on the fish. I fired up my Big Green Egg got the charcoal nice and hot. I closed the dampers on bottom to about 3/4 inch and the top just a hair ….heee heee I know this is coming what the heck is a hair …..well it is about 1/8 of an inch. Put on some hickory chips on and moved it all around so it was just hot no flames. The temperature was right around 250. I placed my fish skin side down on the grill. Closed the lid and watched to make sure the temp did not go above 250. I kept it at that temp for 15 minutes or so and then brought the temp up to 350 for 10 minutes {just open the bottom damper up a little} and removed the fish……just right! Oh my goodness so stinking wonderful !!! I am not kidding! We ate dinner and it was so good. After the fish cools I crumble it all up really finely.

Smoked Salmon Salad

4 cups of smoked salmon
1/4 cup hellmans mayo
1 heaping tablespoon creme fraiche ~Vermont Creamery Trader Joe’s
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
1 loaf of Pepperidge Farms thin white bread

I cut the bread and place in the oven to toast with nothing on it just plain. Wow I know…..no butter or anything. Once nice and crunchy, let cool on baking sheet. This way the bread is nice and flat and pretty. Then I mix the salmon, mayo, creme fresh, onions, lemon and salt. Mix really well and serve.
For those of you that do not have a green egg you can do the same thing on a regular grill. Just more or less follow the same steps. You will have to watch your temperature a little more carefully. This is a great dish for those durning lent. Enjoy!!

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Angie

The Culinary Institute Of America

Angie — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:42:07 +0000

My son is a senior this year…..oh goodness what will I do next year with him a way at school. Who will I cook for?

We are in the process of looking for a college for him to attend and guess what he wanted to go see The Culinary Institute Of America in New York? Can you believe that? So, we planned a visit up to see the place. I will say I was surprised it was nicer than I ever imagined it would be…oh my can I go to school here? I mean REALLY, it is so nice. I just loved the place. We flew into New York and road the train up to Hyde Park. They let him shadow, follow real students and a chef around all day. This way he gets to see what it is really like at the CIA. They have day and week classes for folks like me so you can bet, I will be coming back to take some classes.

Mr. Fix it and I got a behind the scenes tour of the school, such an amazing place. Everything was so professional and top notch. We later went to the cafe and enjoyed all their wonderful goodies. They had French Macarons oh goodness lots of them. I had a chocolate mousse heart, a mud slide cookie and the rice pudding ….which I will say was the best I have ever had. I have to get the recipe, it was amazing oh dear me it was. The packaging was just as wonderful as the rice pudding. I did over do it on the desserts well, it was Valentine’s Day.
Okay, you can see in the pictures it was cold and I mean “reel” cold. Being from the south hey it just doesn’t get that cold here. I was wearing flip flops the day before I left. Look the Hudson is frozen you see that…omg! We got to eat and most of the restaurants on campus and that was a lot of fun so if you are ever in the area you should do that. The school is right on the Hudson and such a beautiful area. That evening we went back to the college to eat and saw a couple get engaged how sweet.

While we where there they had Paul Bocuse come to open the new Bocuse restaurant and they had all the big name chefs come in for the day. How wonderful is that for me and Son to get to see all these guys! Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Jerome Bocuse and Paul Bocuse. There was a lot of guys in the audience too like Todd English and others. What a day!

We all enjoyed our visit to Hyde Park and The Culinary Institute it is a wonderful school and cannot say enough about how nice they treated us. Everyone was so welcoming and the school is such an amazing place. Such a memorable week it was…wow! Thanks!

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Angie

New York Visit

Angie — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:50:18 +0000

Let me start by saying it was so cold this visit to New York, oh dear me it was brutally cold. Reminds me just why I live in the south…I am not a cold weather loving person. All that aside we did have some wonderful food adventures. Oh goodness where should I start? Hummmmm…. I guess the big one was we went to Per Se. After getting to see Thomas Keller the day before, dining at his place was even more exciting. We got the best seat in the house, right at the window over looking Central Park by the fire place…. oh thank you, thank you. We had the tasting menu with all the many different courses. I think we had some where around 12 courses give or take a few? It was all so impressive and each plate was a work of art in it self. The staff is really professional as you might think. It was a lovely experience to say the very least. This was Son’s request to come and dine at Per Se. Which after it was over I think he learned a really great life lesson. I could have gotten that Italian Suit or Lunch – dud. But, it was a memorable experience I hope he will remember until he is old. Above is some of the savory items and below is some of the sweet items.

As, you can see in the previous post we had visited the CIA the day before. Most of the staff at Per Se has graduated from the CIA so it was a wonderful fact finding mission for Son. He got to talk with them and see how the place was run from both sides.

Another wonderful place we dined was Gramercy Tavern, they too have a tasting menu in the evening. Mr. Fix it got one menu and Son and I got another. It was a lovely meal. I love the place very warm and inviting. This restaurant is still very popular and has been for many, many years. I only had my Iphone and it was so dark was really hard to get any decent quality of acceptable photos. The best dish I had was the duck…yep it was totally amazing! It was seared perfectly on the outside yet it was oh so tender. It was a wonderful dish. I did like the candy plate at the end of the evening too.yum-0

We did the Burger taste test again this trip. We have had so many people tell us, that or this restaurant has better burgers than our beloved Holeman and Finch. Well….naw they don’t. Believe me, I have tried them all and they are pretty good, but not as good as HF. This trip we went to Minetta Tavern to get their black label burger. Mind you we had to get reservations a month before going to New York just to get in…..we get there and the place is tiny! The place is packed with people and I mean packed. We get seated and get our black label burger a $27.00 burger. It was good but not near as tasty as HF burger….I think Shake Shack burger was better sorry but it was. Yes, we went there again this trip why the cheese fries oh goodness so wonderful ~ We got 2 orders…yep we did!

This trip we hit the macaron places too…..we went to Laduree. I have wanted to go there for EVER! Well, there is a line so go ahead and que up cause there is always a line. We waited about one hour. We got a box of 24, there is no place to sit and enjoy them or even get a beverage. No, hospitality at all, wait your turn, get your selection then please leave, NOW! You must take them with you. By time we had gotten back to the hotel they had broken most of them. hummmmm well, this is my honest thoughts I wanted them to be the best I had ever had and expected this….but, they where not. Okay I said it! They all tasted so much alike, dry crumbly, no real chew to them. DANG IT!! So, sad over this…I just expected to be blown away with them. I know everyone loves them and they are better than some but just not the best to me.

The winning macarons this trip was clearly a newby and unexpected winner ~ clearly. Listen up we got there on the very last hour of our time in the city. We enjoyed some macarons there in the shop, which by the way was lovely. Got to meet the owner and when the owner is on location let’s just say most of the time their love and passion shows…well it did! Each one I tried was loaded with flavor. Each being very unique…like chocolate and peanut butter omgoodness….red velvet where my absolute favorites!! They had a cheetos, a candied bacon with maple cream cheese okay they too are even good. They are so wonderful, chewy, fresh, with a soft inside…loved them ! THE BEST!! Okay the best part we got one box to eat on the plane…well, we all wanted to rest. We slept and did not eat our macarons after the taxi, packing, another taxi, flight home, train, another taxi and unpacking lets just say they had a trip those cookies. The next morning we took the box out not ONE was broken or harmed in any way WOW they have the best packaging! Everyone still tasted great just like in the store….wonderful job guys you got the best vote from us! Macaron Parlour Patiserie Thanks, Hannah for the tip it was a huge hit!
Places on the dinning list:

Per Se
10 Columbus Circle

Gramercy Tavern
42 East 20th Street

Gotham Bar and Grill
12 East 12th Street

Minetta Tavern
113 Macdougal Street

Shake Shack
Madison Square Park Faltiron

The Spotted Pig
314 West 11th Street

Lupa
170 Thompson Street

Chikalicious Dessert Bar
203 East 10th street

Grandaisy Bakery
250 West Broadway TriBeCa

Macaron Parlour Patiserie
111 Saint Marks Place

La Masion De Chocolat
63 Wall Street

Financier Patisserie
62 Stone Street

La Maison du Macaron
132 West 23 Street

Laduree
864 Madison Ave

Bouchone Bakery
One Rockefeller Plaza

GRK
111 Fulton Street

CIA
Hyde Park

These are two photos I want to share with you. Please keep in mind it is 17 degrees outside, it is misting raining a little it is rather windy day. This is what we see…..the top down loaded with balloons playing ACDC. Only in New York!
This photo is one Son did. He took his own photos. I will say he is better than me at taking photos he is, really he is!

One of the biggest surprises on the trip was a sorta of fast food place called GRK and it was great. It was a greek place with the Yee-rows, fries, soup and yogurt. The meat on the spitz looked like real meat not processed yuk stuff like most places. Loved the feel of the place clean, funky and the food was good. Try it! We love coming to the city and what a great city it is…love the food so many wonderful things to try and never just never enough time. We will be back no worries with a list a mile long I am sure….till then.

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Angie

Maggy May…..my little buddie!

Angie — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:57:15 +0000

This is my side kick Maggy May……isn’t she the cutest thing you ever did see? She is such a loyal, sweet companion. We have had her for 11 years now and I can without a doubt say she is the best dog we have EVER had. I love her dearly and take her almost every place I go. I do mean this and if you know me you do know this is true. She is such a wonderful natured dog all the time. She will load up and be in the car before any one and patiently wait for how ever long it takes us. She wants to assure herself she will not be left behind…..you hear….I am going too! She can operate the windows in the back seat and will grufff at you, if you even try to shut them or lock them she is in charge of those. She loves the wind in her face. Going to the cleaners, grocery store, library she is too, and she will wait in the car with the windows down looking for my smiling face to come around the corner. Once she spots me she will jump up to greet me, with her little tail just a wagging. We call her tail a nubblet! heee heee see it is a short little bit of a tail. Some times we call her Nubblet….Maggy Doddle….Maggy May…Fuzzy Face…..we have many names for this wonderful friend.
This is a picture of my two babies taken 11 years ago when we first got Maggy. I guess that Thomas was seven years old in this photo. Wow how time flies by cannot believe she is 11 years old. This picture was taken at my mom and dad’s farm in Mississippi. Oh, goodness how the two of them love going there and riding the golf cart all around the farm. Fun memories fur sure! I can smell the honeysuckle in the air just looking at this picture? See the daffodils all around the place and wisteria blooming. Hear all the beautiful birds singing, now that they have come back since the weather is warmer. Such a wonderful time of year….Spring!

Maggy has a fancy collar for every month and loves to dress up isn’t she funny! She is so cute!

I hope you have a furry friend in your life you enjoy half as much as I do mine…love ya Maggy!

I would love for you to follow along with Angie’s Southern Kitchen by getting our post each time. Please sign up over to your right and follow along. You can get an email or RSS Feed. Have a lovely day and you come back soon now you hear.

I hope you have a wonderful day!
Angie

Creamy Roasted Pepper Risotto

Angie — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:08:56 +0000

I found something new at the store today an impulse buy…these little tiny sweet peppers and they are simply beautiful…have you seen them in the stores? Well, I tossed them in the cart and said I am going to make something with these cute little things. I love the colors just oh so pretty. I am going to be honest, I am just not a roasted red pepper fan…why I am not sure but, I do love this dish. This dish has such a wonderful flavor and really is easy to make. I did bake 2 chicken breast and added to the dish. I am sad to say we ate the WHOLE pot in one night. Ghosh! This is Mr. Fit it’s favorite risotto of all. I do have more step by step photos on risotto on the mushroom post go there and see more info if needed.

Creamy Roasted Mini Pepper Risotto

1 sweet onion chopped fine
1/4 stick butter
1 1/2 cup of arborio rice
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart of chicken stock
1 package of pero mini sweet peppers
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh chopped chives

I remove seeds, membranes and stems from the peppers. Save a few pieces of each of red, orange and yellow peppers for garnish. I add my peppers to the food processor and cup of cream and run until it is a smooth orange creamy mixture, set aside. Then melt butter on a low heat, in a large sauce pot. Once butter is melted, add the onions and sauté until golden. Add the arborio rice letting it toast a minute or so then add the garlic quickly add the wine and cook until the wine is cooked completely out, stirring continually with a wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of chicken stock to the pot, I start with a small amount and stir, let this cook down before adding any more. This is what makes it so creamy. Once the liquid is cooked away I add my pepper and cream mixture, once this has cooked in I add another cup of stock, stirring a good bit. If you use a le creuset sauce pot they do not scorch or stick like they do to other pots. Continue until you have used all your chicken stock. At this point your rice should be al dente. If it does need to cook a little more you may need to add a little more chicken stock or water. Only add a small amount at the time no more than one cup. Add your thyme and chives, stir in well. Turn heat off, place lid on and just let it sit for a little while it will absorb all the liquid. I stir in the cheese and serve with a little cheese on top and the peppers for color, crusty bread and a salad. I do hope you will try this recipe.

I would love for you to follow along with me at Angie’s Southern Kitchen by getting our post each time. Please sign up over to your right and follow along. Have a lovely day and you come back soon now you hear.

Thank you so much!
Angie

Beef Short Ribs

Angie — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 04:28:59 +0000

Have you ever made short ribs before? Well, they are amazing and really very easy to make. They make a wonderful meal for company or just a family night dinner. Short ribs are an inexpensive cut of meat and after cooking for a while they are so incredibly tender and just fall a part. They will just melt in your mouth. I will serve them over mash potatoes or a creamy polenta. Make extra…why cause they are great for left overs the next day. I will take the left overs and put them in:
1. risotto….oh my Ghosh so wonderful or
2. grits with the left over gravy poured over the top or
3. tacos with a spicy sauce amazing
4. homemade ravioli, thin the sauce a little and use the sauce over the pasta killer. Okay, do not freak on me…..If you do not like to make homemade pasta use the wonton wrappers for your pasta dough it is so easy and wonderful.
Be creative you will love it….Promise!

Beef Short Ribs

4 large beef short ribs
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots chopped finely
1/2 cup onion chopped finely
2 cloves minced
8-10 small carrots
8 oz whole mushrooms
1 bottle red wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper

Pre heat oven to 450. Place about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a oven proof pot then place short ribs in pot. Salt and pepper the short ribs well. Place pot in the oven at 425 for 8 minutes until the short ribs brown nicely. Remove the short ribs from oven then, add shallots, onion, garlic, mushrooms and the whole bottle of red wine to the pot. Place pot back in the oven with the lid on pot and lower your temperature to 350 and bake for 3 more hours. Check every hour to make sure you have enough liquid in your pot. I will add one to two cups of chicken stock about an hour into the baking process. I add the carrots the last 20 minutes so they do not over cook. I serve the short ribs with mashed potatoes or creamy polenta.

Note ~ The butcher I use cuts his short ribs REALLY large and they have no bones in them. I would say it would take 2 normal size short ribs to = just one of his. Now, I love them with the bone in it does add more flavor but his has no bones and his are GREAT ! Keep this in mind when doing your shopping if your butcher/store is like most places I would get 8 short ribs cause it will = 4 of his.

Thank you so much!
Angie

Creamy Risotto with Mushrooms and Parmesan

Angie — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:12:05 +0000

We all love risotto and I do make it many different ways. I will add what ever we are in the mood for….like tomato and basil or lemony asparagus or maybe a mixture of sweet peppers or a variety of mushrooms which is our favorite of all. This is a great dish when it is cold out. I am so ready for sunny, warmer weather to appear. But, this dish will make you feel all warm and cozy on the inside. I like to mix many different types of mushrooms together, I use what ever I can find at the market. Today, I had pork tenderloin left over from the night before, I chopped it up and added it to the dish turned out wonderful. You can add what ever you have handy. Grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, pot roast, shrimp just be creative and try something new. I try and use what ever I have in the fridge.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto

1 sweet onion chopped fine
1/4 stick butter
1 1/2 cup of arborio rice
4 green onions chopped
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 quart of chicken stock
1lb of fresh mushrooms chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 cup chopped pork tenderloin

I clean and chop my mushrooms, place them on a cotton towel to dry completely. Chop my pork and set aside. Then melt butter on a low heat, in a large sauce pot. Once butter is melted, add the onions and sauté until golden. Add the arborio rice letting it toast a minute or so then add the garlic quickly add the wine and cook until the wine is cooked completely out, stirring continually with a wooden spoon.

Then I add my mushrooms and pork to the dish and stir while adding 1 cup of chicken stock to the pot, I start with a small amount and stir, let this cook down before adding any more. This is what makes it so creamy. Once the liquid is cooked away I add another cup of stock, stirring a good bit. If you use a le creuset sauce pot they do not scorch or stick like they do to other pots. Continue until you have used all your chicken stock. At this point your rice should be al dente. If it does need to cook a little more you may need to add a little more chicken stock or water. Only add a small amount at the time no more than one cup. Add your thyme, green onions and heavy cream, stir in well. Turn heat off, place lid on and just let it sit for a little while it will absorb all the liquid. I stir in the cheese and serve with a little cheese on top, crusty bread and a salad. I do hope you will try this recipe.

Thank you so much!
Angie

Fresh Creamed Corn

Angie — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:28:40 +0000

We all love fresh creamed corn. I prefer white corn…but that’s just me? I get about 12 ears of corn and shuck the husk off of them, wash and remove all the little corn hairs. Then I cut the corn off the cob trying to remove all the goodness from the corn. But do not cut to close to the cob…why you ask well it will be really tough and I mean almost uneatable. I make a good cut all the way around and then come back and run the knife down the corn to get all the milk from the corn as country people would say….I have 3 different contraptions to help with the removal of the corn and I think it works best with my plain ole knife.

Creamed Corn

12 ears of white corn
2 cups of heavy cream
1/2 stick of butter
1 teaspoon salt
4 slices of crispy bacon chopped
No I did not say it would be FAT free

Remove all corn from the cob see above. Then add all ingredients to a large sauce pot. I simmer on a very low heat stirring often to keep from scorching on the bottom of the pot. I let this simmer for about one hour. Serve and enjoy. We love this and it is easy and wonderful way to eat corn that is not out of a can…yes it is worth the trouble promise! AMAZING!!

I am so happy you stopped by for a visit. I do hope you will come on back soon. You can sign up for our RSS feed or e-mail and you will not miss a post. Have a lovely day….hope to see ya soon,

Angie

Creamy Chicken and Artichoke Soup

Angie — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 15:23:33 +0000

Oh my goodness gracious….do not know about where you live but, it has rained and rained here in Atlanta for days. When it is gloomy, wet and cold out all I want is a nice warm bowl of comforting soup. This is a soup we all love. As you may have guessed I have lots of soup recipes…yes, I do like soup. This soup is wonderful in the winter and summer as well. In the summer I make a chicken salad very much like the soup they pair very well together. It is great with home made croutons on top and a little grated parmesan cheese. Tonight I am serving it with a homemade Crunchy Rosemary Focaccia Bread. I am trying a new recipe for the focaccia today, the one from the new book The Tucci Cookbook. I will let you know how it fairs to the other one I make all the time. Try the soup and I am sure you will love it as much as we do….enjoy!

Chicken and Artichoke Soup

4 tablespoon butter
1 onion finely chopped
1 carrot grated
1 celery stalk chopped
1 garlic clove minced
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 – 12oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts ~ Trader Joe’s
1 quart of chicken stock
2 baked chicken breast
1 bay leaf
1 lemon ~ juice and zest
salt and pepper

Rinse then drain your artichoke hearts, set aside. Melt butter in a large stock pot, once melted add your onion, carrot and celery, saute until tender. Add garlic for a brief minute to the onion mixture quickly add your chicken stock. I put about 1 cup of artichokes in the food processor, lemon juice and the cream and puree until creamy. I add this mixture to my soup. I chopped the remaining artichoke hearts in 1 inch pieces and then add them. I chopped the chicken into 1 inch pieces add them and a bay leaf to the soup pot and simmer on a low heat for about one hour. I remove the bay leaf and check the seasonings adding salt and pepper if needed. Be careful if you use canned or prepared stock it can be loaded with salt

The focaccia bread was good but, I will say I still like the old recipe a little better. This new recipe called for milk and more fat. I am voting for the tried and true recipe. You can find the recipe over to the right in the pink buttons under focaccia bread.

I’m so happy you stopped by!
I would love for you to follow along with me. You may also sign up via RSS feed or email so you never miss a new post.

Thank you so much! Happy Cooking Y’all come on back now!

Angie

Wild Mushroom Tart

Angie — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 13:17:56 +0000

This was a great recipe. I will be putting it in my recipe file fur sure. I got this recipe from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. I did not buy the cookbook, I borrowed it from the library. See with it being so close to Christmas I get so many cookbooks from friends and family as gifts. I have learned not to buy any cookbooks this time of the year because I will end up with 2 of everything. This is one I would sure like to have, it has so many great looking recipes in it….yum O. Well, I copied this recipe to try at a later date and goodness gracious I did not copy the last page. Doesn’t that stink? I had to just wing it, oh well….I had all the ingredients but no instructions isn’t that just like me any way? Heee Heeee I have such a hard time following instructions any way. But hey lookie here it came out any ole way and it was Dee-lish!! I did use my own pie crust why cause after many years I have never found one I like better. So, when ya find one you love stick with it…right! See I have been married 28 years hows that for sticking with it! oh my goodness back to the tart. It’s good ! Try it! This would be great with asparagus too ~ yummy

Wild Mushroom Tart

Pie Crust click here for pie crust recipe

Filling

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter ~ additional to butter pans
2 medium shallots finely chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 pound Cremini mushroom thinly sliced
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms thinly sliced ~ I used shiitake, oyster + more creminis
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese at room temperature
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. I made my crust and put it in the tart shell pans with removable bottoms. The size shown is a 6 inch tart pan and it made 4 of them. I buttered them really well. After I had the pie crust in the shell, I placed all on a baking sheet. Then made the filling. I saute my shallots in the oil and butter until tender. Then added the garlic for just a second then mushrooms and thyme. I saute mushrooms until almost all moisture was gone. I let the mushrooms cool and then added them to a bowl. Then add the remaining ingredients to the bowl the salt, pepper, mascarpone cheese, milk, eggs, fontina and parmesan cheeses. Once this is mixed well add it to the prepared pie shells. Do not over fill. I baked mine for 20 minutes and they came out nice and golden brown and the crust was wonderful nice and crunchy on the bottom. We all love it! Great recipe….I just love it when I find a good one!! Thanks Smitten Kitchen!

I’m so happy you stopped by!
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Thank you so much! Happy Cooking Y’all come on back now!

Angie