Best Hush Puppies

JC and I love fried catfish and hush puppies.  The best place to get these culinary delights without cooking them yourself is at The Shack in Jessieville, AR.  But the absolute best catfish and hush puppies are those we cook ourselves.  I've experimented with hush puppies recipes for years and I've finally hit on the perfect one.  Buttermilk Hush Puppies (click to go to the site) from allrecipes.com is the best.  I can't leave well enough alone so I did substitute diced jalapeños for the green onion.  Bet you could add other stuff like corn and bacon!!  Yummy, yummy, yummy!!

Black Pepper Dungeness Crab

Living in the Pacific Northwest gave us a true appreciation for the absolute freshest seafood and one of our favorites is Dungeness crab.  We would either trap the crabs ourselves or go to Pike Place market or Uwajimaya's, buy the crabs live, clean, and then cook them in a salt solution (equivalent salinity to ocean water) with added spices and herbs.  Dipped in melted, clarified butter, there is not much better feasting.  Fulltime RVing rather limits our ability to get fresh Dungeness, but we recently found some frozen in a local market and couldn't resist trying them.  

We decided to try to duplicate a recipe that we used to enjoy at Christine Keff's restaurant, Flying Fish. While not quite the same flavor, this sweeter version of Black Pepper Dungeness Crab is very good and since it did not involve all that butter dipping it is probably healthier!!  

Blueberry Muffin Heaven

CD's friend June (I miss your blog, June) brought some wonderful blueberry muffins to work recently and CD just couldn't stop talking about how good they were.  Blueberry muffins are one of JC's favorite breakfast food so he decided to make them . . . there are not enough superlatives to describe these beauties.  They are light, full of gooey blueberries and have a crunchy streusel topping.

Here's the link:  To Die For Blueberry Muffins.

Make these.  You won't regret it!!

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Recently JC got a hankering (southern speak = desire) for those cheesy, garlicky biscuits served in a certain seafood chain restaurant.  He researched the numerous recipes for these lovely bundles and this is the result.  YUM-O!!!

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

2 C. buttermilk baking mix (Bisquick or Jiffy)
2/3 C. milk
1/2 C. shredded sharp or extra sharp cheese
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. garlic powder or salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Combine mix, milk, and cheese with a wooden spoon until soft dough forms
Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet
Bake 8 - 10 minutes until golden brown
Combine butter and garlic powder and brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet
Serve warm
Makes 10 large biscuits

Osso Buco

Years and years ago, JC came home from a trip to Montreal talking about a fabulous dish he'd had called Osso Buco. Well, you know I'm going to make it, right? I've been making this dish ever since and I use a recipe (click to go there) by Emeril Lagasse that calls for two 8 oz pieces of veal shank. You could easily add two more pieces of veal and not change any of the other ingredients.

Serve with white or brown rice, crusty bread, and a rich hearty red wine. Yum!!

More Comfort Food

Here in Palm Creek, we have many pot lucks. It makes life easy because no one person has to do a lot of preparation and we all get to try different dishes. Recently, I needed a dish and decided to do an old favorite, Jiffy Corn Casserole.

I just did the basic version with out any of the optional ingredients because that is JC's favorite.
Yum, yum, yum!! Corny and velvety and rich - perfect comfort food!

Jiffy Corn Casserole

½ C. butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 (8 ½ oz.) pkg. dry corn bread mix (Jiffy)

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn

1 (14.75 oz). can creamed corn

1 C. sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine butter, eggs, corn bread mix, whole and creamed corn, and sour cream. Spoon mixture into prepared dish.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Optional ingredients:

1 C. sharp cheese

1 small can green chilis

chopped green onions

caramelized onions

cooked and crumbled bacon

cooked sausage

Hoppin' John and Greens RV Style

Southern tradition dictates we eat hoppin' john and greens on New Year's Day to ensure fortune and luck in the coming year. Often it is peas cooked with smoked ham hock, rice, and some sort of greens as separate dishes. Way too much trouble in an RV.

Here's my humble version: Peas and smoked ham hock cooked overnight in a crockpot, rice added about an hour before eatin' time, and a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach a few minutes before serving, just to wilt. Add tabasco at the table to taste and serve with cornbread, of course!! Yum, Yum, Yum . . . yawn - time for a nap . . .

Quiche Perfected

I've been making quiches for years - pretty haphazardly, I must admit. I think I've finally got it right. This is a basic recipe and you can make any type quiche that you want from seafood to vegetarian. What makes it "perfected" is the custard recipe - I think I've finally got that egg/milk combination nailed!! Don't leave out the freshly grated nutmeg. It's critical.

I made this quiche for a brunch potluck here at Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ. Not a crumb left!!

Quiche Perfected

1 9 inch pie crust (I use Pillsbury refrigerated)

6 slices bacon, fried and crumbled

1/3 C. diced onion

½ C . sliced mushroom

1 C. grated swiss cheese

2 green onions, diced

3 eggs

1 C. half and half

½ C. skim milk

freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball ¼ to ½ tsp.)

salt and pepper

Saute onion in small amount of bacon grease until translucent. Add mushrooms and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms give up their moisture.

Combine eggs, half and half, skim milk, nutmeg, scant ¼ tsp. table salt, and generous grinding of pepper.

In the prepared 9 inch pie crust, scatter ½ C. cheese, bacon, mushroom/onion mixture, remaining cheese, and the green onion. Pour the milk/egg mixture over all.

Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 - 40 minutes until set. Oven temperatures vary so check to be sure center has set before removing from oven.

TexMex (or dirty mexican as my girls call it)

We love "mexican" food. (We also love New Mexican cuisine, but that is totally different and a blog for another day!) We are often disappointed when we eat mexican and you just never know about the quality, so I decided to make it at home from now on. I'm ambitious that way sometimes!

The first attempt was ok, but I need to work on the rice for sure. The beans were canned great northerns that I rinsed and smashed into a small amount of sauteed bacon and onions and added some spices. The enchiladas were good, but needed more sauce on them. I used PW's recipe for the meat and maybe if I had followed the rest of her recipe they would have been better. I did doctor her meat recipe and made some great meat pies - will blog on those later.

More to come . . . . .

Yummy, Yummy . . . NOMS!!!!!

Any one who knows me at all knows that I love small plate/appetizer dishes!!

I have to tell you that these babies are some of the best NOMS (Hiya, Bo) you will ever taste!

These are Pioneer Woman's Bacon Wrapped Jalepeno Thingies (click on the name to go to the recipe). And they are unbelievably yummy!! A word of warning, get some food safe gloves for cleaning the peppers and make more than you think you and your guests could possibly eat - they are that good!!

Granola

I made a double batch of granola today because we are heading out in the RV soon and my little Advantium oven really can't accommodate large cookie sheets and I don't have the patience or want to spend the time it would take to bake small batches! This is a really tasty recipe and you can adapt it to suit your tastes which is exactly what I did to the original recipe!! Its great with milk, yoghurt, fruit, ice cream, chocolate - use your imagination!

Granola

Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown

Episode EA1E06

3 Cups rolled oats (old-fashioned oats)

1 Cup slivered almonds

1 Cup coarsely chopped walnuts

¾ Cup shredded unsweetened coconut

¼ Cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

¼ Cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ Cup vegetable oil

¾ teaspoon salt (I often omit this)

1 Cup raisins (I often omit this)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color. (I usually only stir twice, after 30 minutes and after an hour – I think it makes for chunkier granola.)

Remove from oven and transfer into a larger bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

The Best Carrot Cake - Evah!!!

Just look at that beauty! Oh man, it is sweet, nutty, moist, spicy and just downright pretty!!

This recipe is from my new favorite food blog: Pioneer Woman (click on the name to go there). I discerned from her writings that she lives on a horse/cattle ranch somewhere in Oklahoma and her blog is full of good recipes and she is really funny. Click here for the recipe to the carrot cake. I actually cut the recipe in half and put it in an 8x8 pan at 350 for about 30 minutes. I did that because, well, there are just two of us and a full cake just seems a bit over the top. Of course that was before we tasted it! Run to the store and get the stuff to make this cake . . . Now! What are you waiting for?

JC's Favorite Sandwich

JC's favorite sandwich is home made egg salad.

eggs, Miracle Whip, mayo, chopped bread and butter pickles, finely diced onion, mustard, celery salt, salt and pepper.

Yummy!
Yummier with bacon on top!
The finished product - not the healthiest, but we did have cantaloupe for a side dish!

Best Brownies

I felt like making brownies tonight and thought I had a mix. No such luck, so I pulled out the Bakers Unsweetened Chocolate Squares left from making Grandma L's Chocolate Supreme pie at Christmas and, sure enough, there was a brownie recipe printed on the inside of the box. Very easy recipe and VERY tasty!!

The recipe calls for lining the pan with foil and buttering the foil (I used cooking spray). I guess you wouldn't have to do that, but it did make cutting the brownies later a lot easier.
The finished product.
And the not-quite-cooled-but-already-cut brownies! (Who can wait???) : )

Rice Salad

I made this salad today for lunch and it was really tasty (we also had fried razor clams - yummy)!

Here is the link to the recipe from a website called Start Cooking.  It's a really good site and explains every step thoroughly.

Comfort Food

One of the joys of living on the west coast is the abundance of fresh seafood.  This is a favorite meal of ours:  Halibut, pan seared and oven roasted until just done, with a white wine reduction; oven roasted sweet potato fries; fresh spinach, sauteed with mushrooms and green onions; and campari tomatoes, salt and peppered and drizzled lightly with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  Healthy and delicious!