Grilled Shrimp in a Foil Packet

This is the perfect accompaniment to all the antipasto platters and hors d'oeuvres trays you're making this holiday season.  It's also a really nice dinner for yourself with a chilled glass of wine and some crusty bread.  It's quick and easy--the shrimp cook in only 8 minutes and there's no cleanup, you just crumble up the foil when you're done and throw it away.  Oohhhhhh, so easy...better make 2! :)

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Here's what you do:

You're going to make a packet out of the aluminum foil so tear off enough to fold over.

Place 1 pound of shrimp on the foil and drizzle with a little olive oil.  Now add a splash of white wine, some red pepper flakes, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a little seasoned salt, and black pepper.  Add some butter on top and fold up your packet tight, because you'll need to flip it.

Take it to your heated grill and...here's the secret:  cook it for 2 minutes, flip it and cook it for 2 more, repeating for a total of 8 minutes.

Bring it inside and cut into the top, peeling back the foil and serving it just like that, with some crusty bread to dip into the juices.   

This shrimp is so versatile.  I do like it for winter, but in the heat of July, I made it for dinner with a caesar salad, some cool marinated feta and mixed olives that I bought, and roasted garlic crostini (posted here in March 2018).  It made an appearance at the dinner table all summer.

Lemony Greens with Baked Feta and Garbanzo Beans

My daughter always tries to say she's a vegetarian.  Then I argue with her because I'm a disgusting gluttonous carnivore, but she insists.  Then I come home two days later and she's eating a pork chop and I'm like WAIT A MINUTE, I thought you were a vegetarian now, and she says ya, it didn't take.

Every time.

So this time around, when the vegetarian bug hit her, I was ready.  I got the idea making escarole soup (posted in October 2016) and when I got to step 3 I thought "what if I just stopped here and cooked it??"  But instead of escarole I used kale, and decided on some Indian/Mediterranean spices for some heat, because it's Fall.

It worked.  It was satisfying and delicious.  And with Thanksgiving coming up, it think it would make a really nice side dish with your turkey and sweet potatoes.  And cranberry sauce.  Ooooh...I hope she's a vegetarian again by next Thursday :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

12-16 ounces Kale, chopped
1  19-ounce can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1  7-ounce block of Greek Feta cheese, sliced into large chunks
kosher salt/black pepper
approx. 1 cup chicken broth (maybe a little extra)
1/2 fresh lemon
rustic loaf of bread
large skillet with deep sides that can also go in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drizzle olive oil in skillet and heat over medium heat.  With your hand and the side of a large knife, smash 3 garlic cloves and place them in the oil--do not let them burn.  Saute
a little to get some color on them and to flavor the oil, add beans.  Coat all in oil, then add some salt, pepper, the curry powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Mix all together to heat through and remove to a bowl, you don't want them to get mushy because they still have to cook in the oven.

Drizzle some more olive oil in the pan and add the Kale, a little at time, plus some of the chicken broth a little at a time.  While it steams and reduces over med-low heat, you can keep adding more until it's all incorporated.  Sometimes I need to add more broth, that's okay.  When all is mixed together, add the garbanzo beans back into the pan and place the chunks of feta cheese on top.

Place in the oven, uncovered, until the flavors come together and the cheese softens, approx. 15 minutes,

In the meantime, cut your bread into thick slices and grill it. 
(Note:  if you don't have a grill, you can toast it under the broiler after you take the Kale out of the oven)
When your bread is hot and toasty, cut a small slice off the remaining garlic clove and rub the exposed side over the slices of bread.  Your kitchen should now smell amazing!

Take the Kale out of the oven and gently mix, being careful not to break up the cheese too much.  Squeeze the juice of 1/2 fresh lemon over all, and sprinkle with salt and pepper to finish.

Take it to the table like this and let everyone serve themselves

Grilled Jalapeno Poppers Wrapped in Bacon

Grilled, not fried...both cheddar AND cream cheese...wrapped in bacon. What's not to like??

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

10 jalapeno peppers, tops cut off and halved lengthwise, seeded--place on cookie sheet
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 green onions, chopped
3 ounces grated cheddar cheese
20 bacon slices
1 teaspoon garlic powder
toothpicks

Note:  BE CAREFUL when you seed the peppers.  Use a spoon and do not touch your eyes...or anything else that is sensitive...because you will start to burn and tingle...and not in a good way :)

In a bowl, stir together and combine the cheeses, green onions, and garlic powder. 

You should have 20 jalapeno halves.  Stuff the cheese mixture in each one, leveling it off even with the pepper so it doesn't bubble over on the grill (if you have cheese left over, that's okay, it makes a really good cheese spread on Ritz crackers)

Wrap completely with bacon slice and secure with 2 toothpicks, one on each end of the pepper.

Oil grill just a little so the bacon doesn't stick, and grill (cut side down) until bacon is crisp.  Turn over and grill other side until bacon is crisp and the cheese has melted a little. Keep an eye on them--the grease from the bacon will make them flame up and burn. 
Remove from grill.

crispy bacon and melty cheese..mmmm...

Serve

Pot Roast with Tomato Gravy and Garlic Confit

"I am so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers"

--L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Time to get out your crock pots and cinnamon brooms and light your Yankee Candles...Fall is here!

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

3 1/2 pound chuck roast

1  32-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes

1 head garlic, separated into individual cloves, unpeeled

1/4 cup dry red wine (preferably the same one you will drink with dinner)

salt/pepper

garlic powder

dutch oven with a tight fitting lid

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place roast in a pan.  Sprinkle salt/pepper/garlic powder on top.

Drain tomatoes and add them to the pan by hand, squeezing each one, to break it up. Place around and on top of roast.

Pour wine around the roast.

Add garlic cloves to pot, unpeeled.  Don't worry--as they cook, they will mellow and soften and you will be able to squeeze them out of their papery wrappers and into your mashed potatoes. Mmmmmmm, so good!

Put the lid on tightly, and cook in the oven for 4 hours.

When it's done, the meat will fall apart with just the slightest touch, and the tomatoes will have concentrated into a rich chunky sauce. Discard the few pieces of fat that separated from the meat, and you will be left with your sauce.  Because the garlic cooks low and slow in the meat's rendered fat, it poaches, and gives you garlic confit--silky, spreadable goodness. 

Break the roast into large chunks and spoon the tomatoes and some of the juice over the top, with the garlic cloves on the side.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top to finish.  I always have mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, and warm crusty bread with this--squeezing some of the garlic cloves into the mashed potatoes and onto the bread while I eat.

And don't forget the wine you opened for the sauce...it's been ready and waiting for you this whole time :)

up close with the pot roast and garlic

Flourless Chocolate Cake

A dessert so simple you can't believe it's gonna work, but so dense and rich that you can't eat it all by yourself.

3 ingredients, 2 forks, 1 delicious cake...I'm telling you this time I've amazed even myself :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 eggs

powdered sugar

8" greased cake pan

hand mixer

serve with ice cream or homemade whipped cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Separate 4 eggs into 2 bowls, yolks and whites.  Place the whites in a bigger bowl, the one you will whip them in.  Whip egg whites with hand mixer until you have medium peaks.  Set aside.

Put chocolate chips into large microwave-safe bowl and melt at 20 second intervals, stirring in between, until thoroughly melted (approx. 80 seconds). 

Add egg yolks one at a time and incorporate with a rubber spatula until smooth.

Fold egg whites, slowly and gently, into the chocolate mixture.

Pour into greased 8" baking pan.  Bake 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool slightly.  Loosen with knife around the edge and turn out, upside down, onto a plate.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I like to serve this with ice cream, or (during the holidays) with a  homemade bourbon whipped cream, and sometimes some toasted chopped hazelnuts on top. 

with vanilla swiss almond ice cream

I chill the rest of the cake in the refrigerator and the next day when it's cold, it becomes so dense that it's like a fudge cake.  So good. 

Savory Tomato Soup

It was 1974
Kindergarten was in the afternoon, and my parents worked.  So in the mornings I would go to Mrs. Edward's house--she watched like 10 of the other kids in my class.  That's right, Mrs. Edward's house...or as I liked to call it...hell. 

It was a petri dish of runny noses, impetigo, and pink eye.  Stained turquoise kitchen with chipped linoleum on the floor, and a dog that always had crust in its ear.  Plus, the house was 90 degrees inside and smelled like melted crayons.  Ugh.  But none of it was as bad as lunch.

My friend Paige and I had made friendly with a cute boy that she liked named Bobby who, every time I ever looked over at him, was pulling his brown corduroy pants out of his butt crack (AND his name was Bobby Bousoleil which I later learned, is also the name of one of the Manson followers.  Reading Helter Skelter at 19...laughing...because the whole time I was reading it I kept picturing the butt picker from Mrs. Edward' house instead)

Anyway:  we were always getting in trouble for giggling.  Mrs. Edwards said it was distracting and she couldn't concentrate.  So one day...again in trouble for too much laughing...Mrs. Edwards said we couldn't get up from the table until we ate all our lunch which, on that particular day, was sweet tomato water.  She called it tomato soup, and I think that IS what the black and white can said, but she had to feed 10 kids so she'd add 5 times the amount of liquid...thin pink water really...and I swear I remember sugar.  THIS is what she had to concentrate so hard on?? 

Right there my quest for the perfect tomato soup began:  savory, not sweet, with depth of flavor and umami richness.  So simple to make but so good.  On its own, or paired with the grilled cheese sandwich I know you're thinking about right now, its both comforting and satisfying at the same time.  Tomato soup for lunch...smiles and giggling allowed :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

Makes approx. 6 bowls of soup

You need a hand-held immersion blender

1 large onion, chopped

4 cups chicken broth (32 ounces)

large can (approx. 28 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes, juice too

3 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 tablespoons flour

extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons butter

salt/cracked pepper

2 heaping tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

3 ounces goat cheese

fresh dill

Drizzle olive oil in large dutch oven and heat with butter.  Add onions and saute on medium heat until they soften and get a little brown--add garlic and a little salt/pepper.  Continue mixing but don't let the garlic burn.  Sprinkle flour over the onions and garlic and mix until coated.  Add tomatoes, squeezing with your hands as you add them to the pot, including the juice.  Add chicken broth, tomatoes, thyme, and some more salt.  Stir, making sure the flour isn't sticking.

Turn heat to low and simmer slowly, covered, for approx. 45 minutes. 

In the meantime, mix together in small bowl:

sour cream, parmesan cheese, goat cheese until creamy

When soup is ready, remove thyme stalks (the leaves should have fallen into the soup), and discard.  Let the soup cool down just a little bit, then puree with an immersion blender.

Take one tablespoon of your creamy mixture and whisk into the soup.  Add salt to taste.  If you want to add more mixture, go ahead.  It will continue to get richer as you do it.  Save some for garnish.

To serve:  ladle into bowl, garnish with a tiny bit of the creamy mixture, some fresh dill, and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with cracked pepper.

I've discovered 2 things about this soup--

1) It tastes best when it's very warm, not hot

2)  It tastes even better the second day with this:

Avocado Toast with Charred Tomatoes

Five things that are very cool:

1. a cucumber

2. Fonzie ("Come on Yolanda, what's Fonzie like?...he's cool...correctamundo")

3. the other side of your pillow

4. Steve McQueen

5. the avocado toast I'm about to show you how to make

In the month of August, no one in the Tropical South likes to turn on their oven.  It's 110 degrees every day, and the torrential rains of summer give way to oppressively humid, sticky afternoons.  The cooler, the better.

With some quick work on the grill, this avocado toast makes a satisfying brunch or light dinner and keeps your kitchen cool.  Add an icy glass of bubbly prosecco and you're even cooler.  Maybe even as cool as Fonzie (AND Jules), but sorry--no amount of avocado toast in the entire world is ever gonna make you as cool as Steve McQueen. Ever.

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

serves 2

2 slices multi-grain bread, toasted

2 Haas avocados

2 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise

olive oil

1 lemon

salt/cracked pepper/garlic powder

red pepper flakes

arugula

First, pour some prosecco for yourself.  It is essential that you begin the recipe cool and relaxed :)

Halve the avocados and scoop into bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over.  Smash slightly, but leave a little chunky for texture.  Cover with saran wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle tops with garlic powder.  Place on grill and cook until they start to soften and the skin gets a nice char.

Toast bread.  Spread smashed avocado on the toast, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on it, top with some charred tomatoes, salt and cracked pepper, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, drizzle lightly with olive oil, a little arugula to finish

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Tangy Coleslaw

When I bought my first crock pot like 20 years ago, there was a little recipe book inside that had a very basic pulled pork recipe.  But it was enough to tell me I needed a 5-6 pound pork butt, some spices to rub on it, vinegar to make a sauce, and some squishy buns to put it on.  Over the years I played around with it and ended up with a pretty tasty pulled pork recipe that's perfect for the outdoor summer holidays. This year, I made it on the 4th of July.

I'm giving you the pulled pork--now add in the beach, a cooler full of drinks, some music, a few fireworks, a backyard lawn game or two, and the funnest friends you have, and you've got yourself one awesome summer. 

There's still 7 more weeks until Labor Day...just THINK of all the fun we can have  :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

crock pot
1 5-6 pound pork butt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 small onions, peeled and quartered


Put onions in bottom of crockpot.

Mix brown sugar, both paprikas, salt and pepper, and rub all over pork roast with your hands.  Place roast in crock pot on top of onions.

This is a Western Carolina sauce so it's a vinegar base, not a tomatoey one.
In large measuring cup, mix: vinegar, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and dry mustard. Stir well and pour approx. 1/3 - 1/2 of the mixture over the roast.  Save remaining sauce for later.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Go have fun...

me at the beach---having, and drinking, the fun

When you get home, your house will smell SO GOOD.  SO SO GOOD!

When the roast is done, you should be able to stick a fork into it with no resistance. 
Remove from crock pot and place in large pan.  Onions, too!  Shred meat with 2 forks--add juices from the crock pot a little at a time to make it as wet as you like it.  This also keeps it warm.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Place on bun and top with coleslaw (recipe below).  Add more sauce if desired.

Homemade coleslaw:
Slice 1 head green cabbage into ribbons. Place in bowl with 2 or 3 diced fresh tomatoes. 
Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise with 1/4 cup vinegar.  Stir and taste.  Add more of either depending on how tangy you like it.  Pour some of the dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir.  Add more as needed, to make it as wet as you want.  You might use it all, you might not, you might make more, and it will intensify as it sits.  Grind in some black pepper, some sprinkles of cayenne pepper and salt, stir, and place in refrigerator until ready to use. 
(Make approx. 2-4 hours before eating)

I like to serve these sandwiches with cool, crisp, fresh vegetables.  See...

After the Beach: Fish Tacos

This winter, I was invited to Sonnenalp in Vail.  While discussing the trip with my friend Cheryl, who used to live there, we both agreed that our favorite part about ski trips isn't so much the activity ON the slopes as it is Apres Ski...the party/meal AFTER the skiing.

This gave way to discussion about our Florida equivalent here on the Gulf Coast:  Despues de la Playa..."after the beach."

With school out and summer upon us, there are many beach days and sunset nights to be had.  After hours of daytime sun, sand, salt, and wind and gatherings with friends on warm balmy nights to watch the sunset, I'm always starving.  We come home, take a shower, Aveno and Jean Nate' up, and start the grill. 

Before you leave for the beach, make the cabbage salad and keep it cold in the refrigerator.  Because these fabulous sauces I found are store bought, all you have to do when you come home is grill the fish, set out some fresh vegetables and dip, and uncork a cold rose'--these tacos come together in minutes.  Which is good because after dinner you can grab a soft sweatshirt, slip underneath your cool cotton covers, and get a head start on those sunburn chills because you KNOW you didn't use sunscreen.  Aaaaahhhhh summer....  :) 

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

fresh mahi filets
small flour tortillas
1 head green cabbage, sliced into slaw
1 jicama (though I only use 1/4 to 1/2 of it, depending on size), sliced into thin matchsticks
2 beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and chopped
mayonnaise
apple cider vinegar
olive oil
green onions, chopped
salt/fresh ground pepper/garlic powder
Cajun Seasoning (I use Tony Chachere)
2 fabulous sauces from the grocery store:  Herdez salsa verde (mild) and guacamole salsa (medium)

Note:  A day in the sun is daunting so you want to keep it light and easy.  I serve these with a fresh vegetable platter and some buttermilk ranch dip.  Buy your favorites.

** Make the cabbage salad a few hours ahead and let it sit (covered) in the refrigerator--it should be cold and crisp on top of your tacos, so don't do it the night before or it will get soggy**
Add cabbage, jicama, and tomatoes to large bowl.  Start dressing by mixing 1 cup mayonnaise with 1/2 cup vinegar.  Stir and taste.  Add more of either depending on how tangy you like it.  Pour some of the dressing over the cabbage mixture and stir.  Add more as needed, to make it as wet as you want.  You might use it all, you might not, and it will intensify as it sits.  Grind in some black pepper, stir, and place in refrigerator. 
(tip #1:  wait and salt it later so the tomatoes don't get watery)

When ready to make tacos:
Rub olive oil on fish and season both sides with salt/pepper/garlic powder/cajun seasoning 

Grill fish until it is firm to the touch and opaque (approx. 5-7 minutes per side).  It will come away from the grill by itself without sticking, and will be white inside throughout.
(tip #2:  while you are grilling the fish, you can wrap your tortillas in aluminum foil and place them on the top rack to heat) 

Place on plate and let the fish rest for a few minutes so it remains juicy.  Break the fish into small bite size pieces with 2 forks

Take cabbage salad out of the refrigerator--now's the time for salt!  Add salt and pepper to taste, and more vinegar if dry.  Set out your toppings and let everyone make their own tacos:  green onions, sauces, cabbage salad, and salt/pepper

yummy yummy yummy

And with it...fresh vegetables and a buttermilk ranch dip--cool and easy:

A note to my daughter, on her high school graduation

Dear Morgan:

I can hardly believe my first baby is graduating high school.  It seems like just yesterday that I brought you home from the hospital and it was just the three of us, so happy.

I had never been around kids and, admittedly, I didn't know what I was doing,  I was learning as I went along and we were trying to figure each other out--something we still try, and struggle sometimes, to do.  Our time together has gone by so fast and I wish I would have savored those sweet moments when you were younger a little more.  I didn't know then that there would be a lot of "one last times"...

I've learned that there is one last time for everything.

One day I was feeding you with a spoon and the next day you picked it up by yourself, my job was done.

 You would fall asleep on my lap in the living room at the end of the day and I didn't know that it would be the last time I would ever hold you while you were sleeping.  The next day, you walked into bed yourself and that was it.

I used to carry you in my arms and then one day I put you down, not knowing I'd never pick you up that way again.

I used to put you in the shower at night and wash your hair, then one night you did it by yourself and didn't need me.  Now I just pay for your highlights.

You used to hold my hand in a parking lot to cross the street, then one day you never reached for it again,

You used to get out of your bed in the morning and come lay in between your father and me to watch Zaboomafoo, but I didn't know the last time you did it would be the last morning I'd ever wake up to your hugs.

I used to stand in the prayer line behind you at St. Elizabeth Seton and you'd wave goodbye to me as you walked inside your classroom, now you just walk out the door in the morning and don't say anything.

I used to drive you to school, now of course, you drive yourself,,,everywhere.

There was a last time that I read to you at night, washed your face, picked you up when you ran to me smiling with your arms raised, and got you dressed in the morning.

The thing is:  I didn't know it was the last time for these things until it was too late, and even then I didn't realize.

If I had known that the last time I picked you up was the last time I'd ever do it, I would have held you in my arms a little longer and squeezed you a little tighter.

I'm looking forward to lots more memories with you.  You will always be my first baby, and from now on let's try to remember to squeeze tighter :)

With all my love and more,
XOXOXOXOXOXO

--Mom