A Special Dinner Surprise!

Yesterday I decided we needed a little pick me up, something different and special for dinner and I had a taste for shrimp.  When I went food shopping on Friday I had picked up a 2 lb bag of shrimp at Doschers for $11.99.  Now, those of you who know Charleston and The Low Country know that there is a strong shrimping industry here and like in other parts of the country and the world there is an emphasis on eatting local.  I would love to do that with shrimp but frankly, I just can't afford it so it's imported farmed shrimp for me.  I suspect the local ones taste better, goodness knows they are fresher but...until we get our shrimping license (which you can do here) and figure out how to cast the net, it will be imported for me.

So back to our dinner!  If you have never made crepes, they are amazingly simple and can be very impressive!  This recipe is from http://www.gretchencooks.com/.  I of course had to make a few changes to it cause thats the way I roll.  Since we are on lower fat diet we used skim milk in place of heavy cream and just to off set that, I added about 1/4 cup freshly grated parmasean cheese in place of the dill.  There was enough sauce to put some over the crepes before baking.  The recipe makes 6 crepes but the filling was only enough for 4. This was really a winner!

Shrimp Filled Crepes

Crepes
3/4 c. flour
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Filling
1 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 lb. shrimp
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. heavy cream (whipping cream)
1 Tbsp. dill, chopped fine
3/4 c. grated cheese

Directions:

Whisk flour, water, and milk into a batter. Beat in eggs, salt, and melted butter. Let stand 30 minutes.

Spray a skillet with nonstick spray and heat it over medium-high heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet to make a thin, delicate pancake. It will cook quickly. Watch it - the moisture will cook out towards the middle. When the crepe top is dry, remove it from the pan.

Now do it again, until the batter is all cooked into crepes. Set aside.

Now for the filling.
Clean and peel the shrimp.
In a saucepan, heat butter and flour. Stir in water and cream with a whisk. Cook gently a few minutes. Add shrimps. Heat without boiling. Stir in dill.

Lay a crepe in a baking dish. Put a portion of the shrimp mixture in the crepe, roll it up. Repeat with the other crepes.

Sprinkle the crepes with grated cheese.

Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Friday March 31st, 2006

A Label Reading Experience

Normally, when we go to the beach I pack the cooler full of goodies from home.  There are usually wraps, some salad, fruit, water and a cold bottle of white wine.  This past weekend none of those items inhabited the refrigerator here.  I guess if I had planned ahead I could have stopped at the store on my way home from work Friday but, I just didn't want to deal with people anymore.  So there we were, a full day planned at the beach and no provisions!  We decided to stop at one of the grocery stores along the way to the beach.  Now I have to say, this is one of my favorite chains to shop at.  The stores are clean, they have good deals and the staff at the store close to my home know me.  They know the kids and usually ask how they doing.

I figured we could pick up a couple of sandwiches, some fruit, a bottle of cheap Pinot Grigio and some kind of spread to go with the crackers we had packed.  Now, you need to know I love snack food especially dips and spreads!  The husband was tired of the spinach dip this store sells so I decided to get their seafood cheese spread instead.  It is delicious and one of my favorites.  We enjoyed it with our wine and our sandwiches at the beach.

Fast forward to last night.  We had a meeting to go to and planned to have supper when we got home.  I had taken some Talapia out of the freezer but was not really sure what to do with it...hmmm.  Into the fridge I went in search of a condiment and there it sat, the rest of the seafood spread waiting to be put on the Talapia and baked.  Now I have been buying this spread for probably about 10 years never had I looked at the ingredient list.  HOLY COW!!!!!!  The list is 3 and 1/2 inches wide by 2 inches long.  Doesn't really sound that bad until you know that the print is this big.   That is a lot of stuff, most of it not real!

I had read a blog last week about this group of folks who do not buy any processed food that contains over 5 ingredients.  You would be amazed what fell into the do not buy column.  There were things as basic as ketchup and mayonnaise.  The funny thing about this was here I had been thinking we didn't really use anything processed anymore...why did I not think of condiments as processed.

So where are you on the processed food debate?  Do you use it to simplify your life? We have made a conscious effort to not eat foods like that anymore which is why I started making pasta and our own bread.  I even read labels at the store (if I remember to bring my reading glasses).  I don't think I will ever give up the condiments though.

ps  The fish tasted awfully good!

Ice Cream Excitement!

This is my grocery shopping week.  On the refridgerator there is a note pad that we jot down things I need to pick up on the next round.   They are either things about to run out or things that are completely gone.  Right now on the list are pancake syrup and Ivory Soap.  The syrup is gone, the soap is dangerously close.  This certainly makes the list writing easier but best of all it helps avoid a conspiracy.  You see when the girls were much younger we ran out of ketchup.  Now for a lot of people that would not be a problem but, the ketchup did not make the list and we didn't buy any that grocery shopping round.  Dinner came along and we were having something that ketchup would go with, alas there was no ketchup.  Drama insued, E was not happy and asked in a very serious voice "Is this a ketchup consipiracy?".  I don't think I will ever forget her asking that question and even today when we run out of something it pops in my mind.  I have tried to explain it to my husband (he was not even a blip on my radar at that time in my life) but I think it is one of those you have to be there moments!

So back to grocery shopping preperation!  Tomorrow morning I will take the ads that come in the paper and start strategizing.  I shop at usually 3 grocery stores and a wonderful small place called The Vegetable Bin.  We are blessed to live in a place that gives you many "fooding"options.  I know not all are as fortunate as we are and many have to drive a long distance to even get a gallon of milk. 

To be honest, I pretty much buy the same things week in and week out so that part of the list is easy.  Chicken, eggs and milk are always on the list and whom ever has the best deal on them gets my hard earned dollar.  Sometimes I will not buy something if it is more than I planned on paying for it,  unless it is a necessity. Where the list gets exciting is the deals the stores have. Many stores have the buy one get one free deals.  I refuse to shop at a store that makes me buy two of something, I just can't do it if it is something I don't need two of.  We have very limited storage space and do I really need two boxes of Ritz Crackers?   The planning gets exciting with the Harris Teeter ad, they offer buy two get three free deals.  At first I thought "what's the catch?", now I know there is none.  My first get 3 free special was bacon.  I think I paid $8 for 5 pounds of a snazzy brand name bacon.  Imagine the husbands surprise when he opened the freezer and found all that bacon.  He no longer asks why we have so much of something...he knows it was on some smoking deal!

I recently hired a wonderful young lady as a part time cashier who is a Customer Service Supervisor at my local Harris Teeter.  She is one of those people you interview and you think to yourself, what is she doing here and how quickly can I hire her?  So she now works for us a few days a week and is a joy to work with.  I saw her yesterday and she told me my all time favorite deal starts tomorrow, it is the buy 2 get 3 free HT Premium Ice Cream deal.  I know I said I have limited storage space but I can somehow make room in my overcrowded freezer for 5 containers of ice cream. We get enough of an assortment of flavors that the two of us are happy! You need to be careful here when you open the freezer door though as something could fall out and break your toe.  When Michael and I were first dating that almost happened to him when a frozen duck came careening out of the freezer and onto the floor next to his foot.  For some reason he has been very cautious since then.

Thank You

I know it's late here and I posted already earlier today but, it is so exciting as someone just starting out to see folks actually reading this and the best part is they are not just here in the US.  I know the person in Guatemala is my eldest daughter whom I love dearly, I don't know who you are in Canada, German and joining  today The UK but Thank You!  How cool is it to write and have someone on the other side of this planet (or really north of you) read what you are writing about?

The Last In Focus Picture Taken By My Beloved Camera

I suspect after you see this picture you can imagine why I have so few pictures on this blog.  Shortly after I shot this Bear had a moment of excitement and knocked the camera out of my hands, it landed softly in the sand but apparently not soft enough.  There is nothing like the joy of a dog at the beach.  He stands here right now wagging his tail with those loving eyes asking me to play tug of war or pet him.  His tails goes a mile a minute.  Well that was short lived, he just had a major case of the zooms and he is now patrolling the back yard but I suspect he will be back in a few minutes.

Anyway, thanks for reading this blog.  Thanks to my 4 followers, one of which I suspect is the husband of a friend from many years and many miles ago.  I hope to keep you all entertained and eating well

Much fondness!

Colleen

ps  Bear is still making sure our yard is safe from the racoons, rabbits, red foxes and goodness knows what else lives in the marsh behind our house.

A Pleasant Chicken Surprise

My husband and I rarely have a weekend day off together so when we discovered earlier this past week  that we had yesterday free we planned to go to the beach.  Michael had introduced me to this wonderful spot on Sullivan's Island down near Fort Moultrie.  There is plenty of parking and rarely is it crowded.  You get the best of the beach, some of the ocean waves but a wonderful view of the harbor and downtown Charleston.

We had a wonderful day!  The breeze off the ocean kept us comfortable and we frolicked in the water.  Dolphins frequent the area and I hope one day to swim with them or at least get close enough to touch one.
We met some great folks, had some laughs and just relaxed.

Home we came later in the afternoon with not a clue as to what was going to be for supper.  Into the freezer I went and what came out but.....more chicken.  Now, you know we eat a lot of chicken and frankly it is starting to tire us out.  We have been cooking it pretty much the same way for the last few weeks and as much as I love taking spices and putting them on the chicken, it's getting dull.  Our initial thought was perhaps some Chicken Cacciatore but I was going to have to make pasta to go along with it and I just didn't feel like it.  So while the husband took a nap onto the Internet I went.  What an amazing tool!  You can type in a few ingredients and viola you have recipes.  So there I was...some sweet potatoes and the dreaded chicken.  This recipe comes from http://myrecipes.com/ and is definitely a winner! In place of chicken breasts, I used thigh meat that i cut off the bone,the magic spice cabinet did not contain any coriander and, neither of us really cares for chick peas so we left them out.  Don't be put off by the length of the ingredient list.  One note is that really need to plan your time for this one though, I think my total cooking time was about 2 and a half hours but much of that is just simmering.  We had it over brown rice and you really can't tell it is chicken since there are so many wonderful spices in it.

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

• YIELD: 7 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
• COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
• 3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl

2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add peas; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.

We have plenty of curry left over for supper this evening and I suspect this would freeze well.  Also, this would be wonderful on a chilly winter evening over some egg noodles!

Enjoy!

The Spice Of Life

I love spices and herbs, with them I can take something bland and turn it into something extraordinary!  My daughter calls me a spice ho, I have quite a collection and continue to add to it.  I buy most of my spices at World Market (I get a lucrative employee discount) where the pricing is fantastic!  I need to keep myself in check though, if you don't use a lot of something it doesn't make sense to buy the largest package possible no matter how good a deal it is.  I am the proud owner of a large bag of curry powder because of this weakness.

 We are fortunate to live where it is warm enough year round to keep some herbs in the garden.  What started as a very small rosemary plant 5 years ago is now definitely of bush stature and keeping it company out there is garlic chive (also a year round resident) and a pretty sad looking basil plant.  To me there is nothing better than strolling out to the garden and picking veggies and herbs to cook with.  Gardening is not my forte though so I must depend on my favorite vegetable store (The Vegetable Bin)  downtown Charleston for my fresh veggies or hit up my friends who are avid gardeners.

I write this this afternoon as I look at the chicken legs and thighs that came out of the freezer for dinner tonight hoping for Divine inspiration to assist in turning them into something stunning for this evening!  It's time to hit the spice cabinet and see what hides in the corners and motivates me to whip up something spectacular!

It's Pasta Night!

Pasta Drying

First I would like to thank my eldest daughter for moving out of the country.  When she left on her backpacking adventure through South America she left me some exciting kitchen gadgets.  They are her pasta maker and her emersion blender.  Dinner tonight would not have been quite as tasty with out the assistance of those two items.  Second, I would like to thank my wonderful husband who sat and separated each strand of pasta assuring that we did not wind up with glob o pasta (been there, done that).

So we needed an escape from chicken, I think we might both be starting to grow feathers we have been eating so much of it.  I had toyed with pasta a few times earlier this year and had used a tasty white flour recipe.  We are trying to watch our carbs as the husband is working on his weight so I went on the search for a whole wheat pasta recipe.  I stumbled upon a good one on allrecipes.com.  I did need to make a few adjustments due to the weather and lack of humidity.  If you have never made pasta from scratch I can tell you it is amazingly simple and doesn't take much time.  If you do not have a pasta machine like I do just use your rolling pin to flatten the dough and a pizza cutter to cut it.  I actually did that the first few times and tonight was the first time I used the cutter attachment.

Whole Wheat Pasta

serves 4

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2  tsp sea salt (I used kosher salt)

4 eggs

2 tsp olive oil

Stir the flours and salt in a medium bowl.  Make a hollow in the center and pour in the olive oil.  Break the eggs in one at a time while mixing quickly with a fork until the dough is wet enough to come together ( this didn't work, I mixed for a bit with the fork and then just jumped in with my hands, mushing the dough until it came into a ball.  I also added a tablespoon or so of warm water. If you need to add the water to get a dough consistency, do it a very small amount at a time).  Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is stiff and elastic (no longer crumbly, probably about 5 minutes or so).  Cover and let stand for about 30 minutes

Roll out the dough by hand with a rolling pin or use a pasta machine to achieve the desired thickness.  Cut into desired width.  Allow the pasta to air dry for at least 15 minutes to avoid having it clump together.

Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil, add pasta and allow to cook approx 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Drain and serve with the sauce of your choice

So with this I made my first ever Alfredo Sauce.  It was not as difficult as I thought and really had a minimal number of ingredients.  It was this recipe that caused me to say thanks for the immersion blender as the cheese turned into one giant glob in the middle of the sauce. 

Alfredo Sauce with Sauteed Mushrooms and Green Peppers

serves 4

4 Tbs Butter

1 Cup Skim Milk

1 tsp Corn Starch

1-1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 large pepper chopped

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1 Tbs olive oil

Put olive in saute pan over medium heat.  When warm add green peppers, stirring occasionally, when starting to brown slightly add mushrooms.  Reduce heat to medium low and allow to continue to cook still stirring occasionally.  Place butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat, add milk and corn starch.  Stir until butter is melted.  Slowly whisk in cheese (this is where the blender came in handy) Once the cheese is melted add garlic and sauteed veggies.  Serve over hot pasta.

If you have never experienced home made pasta, you will be amazed at the difference between it and the store bought dried pasta.  It is lighter and you don't leave the table feeling all weighed down.