Sausage Bread

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Peg

This is fabulous for breakfast or snack while the fam is home for the holidays! Make ahead. It freezes perfectly; bake before freezing! Zip it out of the freezer the night before, and pop slices in the microwave the next morn. Won’t they be happy campers! I’m making 2 loaves this afternoon! Getting ready. I’m thrilled anticipating a full house for an entire week. Now if TD will just assemble the Big Wheel please, after he collects the Dibon cases (Spanish Cava…delicious and an extremely fair priced champagne) from On the Square tonight! (This is also available at your local Total Wine!) Ho Ho Ho!

1 lb ground hot sausage
11 oz can refrigerated French bread dough
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese blend

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook sausage in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, stirring, until browned.
Drain grease off sausage, and transfer sausage to paper towels to blot.

Lightly grease rectangular baking sheet with cooking spray.
Unroll dough into rectangular shape onto baking sheet.
*This is easiest if you remove dough from refrigerator and immediately unroll it cold.

Sprinkle evenly with sausage and cheese, leaving a 1 inch margin on all sides.
Beginning with 1 short side roll up, jelly roll style.
Turn seam side down.
Pinch ends to secure the filling inside.
Cut three 1/4 inch slits across top of dough with a sharp knife.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned.
Remove from oven.
Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 12.

*Author’s Note: I find this delicious but extremely rich. So I always slice it thinly. If you are going to freeze it, cook it first, and then freeze. It microwaves by the slice beautifully.

Mini Chicken Pot Pies

Posted on November 26, 2013 by Peg

Toss out Pretension! This is just as down to earth as it gets. I’m prepping for winter, and there’s nothing more comforting to me on a frigid day than an old fashioned pot pie. These freeze beautifully, two per quart sized freezer Ziploc. If you freeze these little jewels, thaw and make certain the ramekins are room temp prior to placing in oven…Right, you know what happens if you don’t! **Dig this**…Works GRAND with left over turkey. Gobble Gobble Baby!

1/2 package Fillo Dough, thawed
1/2 stick butter, melted (for Fillo)

1/2 stick butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
Breast meat from 1 rotisserie chicken, cut into chunks
2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 t fresh rosemary, minced
1/8 t garlic powder
1/8 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt stick butter in pan over medium heat.
Add onion and cook 5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
Whisk in flour, and cook 2 minutes.
Add broth and whisk until smooth.
Add milk.
Bring to rapid simmer.
Cook 5 minutes, whisking often.
Stir in chicken, peas and carrots, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Divide mixture among 6 8-oz ramekins.
Place ramekins on baking sheet.

Separate Fillo sheets into 2 piles.
Brush melted butter across alternating sheets of Fillo.
Cut into small squares that will rest on top of ramekin, but not cover it.
Cook 20 minutes, until heated through and crust is lightly browned.

Look at that little garden pea peeking out!

Atlanta

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Peg

Well just pack my suitcase, again! Lucky me…the don took me along to Atlanta this past weekend with a few members from his office staff. In hind-site I believe my purpose there was to provide the comic relief following their long days at the dental conference. Doesn’t bother me. I delivered the comedy AND roamed around Atlanta! Atlanta ~ Fabulous and Southern are only two of the two thousand adjectives that one could use to describe this charming (oops, another one!) city. Tall buildings, hotels galore, traffic … and it still feels warm and friendly (two more!). Did I mention the gorgeous homes along the tree-lined residential streets that seem to have sprung naturally from the land? No noise or heavy traffic there! You can’t even believe that just around the corner is the hustle and bustle of commercial and business life. And the entire time as I ambled through and around Lenox I kept thinking of my friend Frances Schultz’s swellegant book Atlanta at Table. It’s not a stretch to imagine her inspiration to pen this one! Style and Southern Know How leap off the pages; and the recipes are all top notch, from Gingered Asparagus, to Grilled Pork Tenderloin, to Brandied Crème Anglaise. Atlanta was Frances‘ home when the book was published in 1996; trust me, both the book and Frances have retained their beauty, exquisite taste, and relevance. Hurry to this link and snag a copy. It will become your manual for entertaining with flair and confidence. Ready.Set.Go!

Curried Shrimp

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Peg

Yesiree, we just returned from Istanbul “not Constantinople”. (More on the trip coming soon; this is just to whet that appetite!) The Spice Market was spectacular. It was extremely difficult not to just pack up an entire kiosk and run away with everything. The curries were particularly beautiful…proof is in the pics! Consumed quite a bit of that Asian influence spice while we were there, and talked the chef at Tugra Palace into sharing this one with me, best I could understand his heavily accented English that is. But hey, I don’t speak ANY Turkish!

1 lb cleaned shrimp
3 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/4 t salt
Dash paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
1 Tbs curry powder
3 t ketchup
1/4 cup sherry

In a large skillet make a sauce over low heat whisking together the butter, flour and milk for approximately 3 minutes.

Stir in salt, paprika, pepper, and curry and continue to cook, stirring constantly until mixture is thick and smooth.
Add ketchup, sherry and shrimp.
Turn heat to medium and continue to cook with lid on until shrimp is cooked, approximately 4 to 5 minutes, turning often.

To serve:
Place a mound of rice on each of 4 plates.
Spoon shrimp and sauce on top of rice.
Garnish with parsley.

Mmmm Rum Cake

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Peg

Well, “Bless Pat”, as the old time Southerners used to say! Webb Simpson won a big one a couple of weeks back. So this is in honor of Webb’s triumph at TPC Summerlin (Shriners Hospital for Children Open) in Las Vegas, and his dear grandmother Nell, who has made these rum cakes renown, by baking them weekly (by the dozens it seems) to share with friends for as long as this here gal can remember. Yep that was one run on sentence, now wasn’t it! Go Webb! Go Nell! PS. As Nell’s recipe is a family held secret, this is my attempt at imitation!

Cake:
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup Bacardi gold rum
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 (18.25oz) box Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe yellow cake mix
1 (1 oz) box Jell-O sugar-free instant vanilla pudding mix

Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease Bundt pan with cooking spray.
Pour all ingredients into bowl of mixer.
Mix gently 2 minutes to 2 1/2 minutes until smooth.
Pour batter into prepared 10” Bundt pan, or 2 small 7” Bundt pans.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes for large size pan, and 30 to 35 for smaller sizes, until cooked throughout.
(Insert a knife into center of cake to test readiness.
If it comes out clean, cake is cooked.)
Allow cake to cool completely in pan.
When cooled, remove from pan.

Glaze:
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 cup rum
1/4 cup water
Place all ingredients in small saucepan.
Bring to a boil.
Boil 3 minutes.
When cake is cool, gently prick holes into the cake (while still in pan) with a knife.
Slowly pour half of the glaze over the cake, making sure to fill in all the holes.
Once the cake has soaked up the glaze, turn cake over, removing pan, and place on serving platter.
Gently prick more holes on this side and slowly pour other half of glaze over cake.

*Author’s Note: For chocolate rum cake substitute 1 pkg chocolate cake mix and 3 1/4 oz pkg chocolate pudding mix for the yellow cake mix and vanilla pudding above.

Big Ice!

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Peg

So The Don enjoys a nice bourbon, and while he drinks it “neat” quite often, occasionally he prefers a chilled sip. And when you pour that nice Blantons over the normal size ice cubes, you have yourself a quick melt and just as quickly, a watered down mess. Kinda makes TD an unhappy camper. So I snagged this over-sized ice tray and guess what? Mission Accomplished. You use one cube, that’s it AND It takes hours for it to melt. Savoring the flavor here in ENC!

Umm Hmm. Tasty Sipping!

BOO!

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Peg

Duck for cover! No more “Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my” . . . this is more like Ghosts, and goblins, and ghouls, oh my! I mean, seriously these creatures, plus a few more are front and center in the historical Georgetown neighborhood of DC. Honestly they take preparing for Halloween to a whole new level kiddos! TD and I did a little lolly gagging waiting for a flight recently and captured these creations!

Apple Conserve

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Peg

FINALLY, it’s cooler than 80+ degrees out. AND the local grocers are show casing fresh delicious Honey Crisp apples, perfect for making all sorts of yummy things to dance on your taste buds. So I made this fly me to the moon Apple Conserve over the weekend. Since I don’t believe in packaged pectin, I added a bit more sugar. Now who “da heck” can fuss with that?! And ya don’t even peel the apples. Keeping it simple, yes I am!

6 cups honey crisp apples, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
4 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup water
5 1/2 cups sugar

Place apples, cranberries, lemon juice, and water in stock pot.
Bring to boil.
Simmer 20 minutes.
Stir in sugar.
Cook 3 to 4 minutes until sugar is liquid.
Transfer to prepared jars.
Fill, leaving 1/4″ head space.
Place lids and rims on.
Boil for 10 minutes in water bath.
Remove and wait to hear pop to insure a healthy seal.
Allow to stand undisturbed 24 hours.
Place in cool, dark pantry.
Allow to rest 1 week.

Makes 6 half pint jars.

Tipsy Palmer

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Peg

Calling all bourbon lovers, golf fanatics, sports fans everywhere. This one’s for you folks. Football tailgates, football home parties, golf tournaments, hell baseball playoffs and World Series (go Sox, in honor of Marc!). This is your drink, trust me. Again, from Curtis Stone, dang handsome chef that he is. His friend Steven took a detour in spiking the traditional Arnold Palmer and created this concoction. As always, sip with care! PtotheS! This post is in honor of my dear Cat and Drew who were married this past weekend … not because they served this drink, but because I found this napkin today from a previous party this summer! Take a gander at this amazing bride and groom and their fun-loving attendants! Rock on people!

1 cup good quality ginger ale
1 cup lemonade
1/2 cup bourbon
1 small lemon, sliced
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
3” piece fresh ginger
2 cups ice cubes

In pitcher, combine ginger ale, lemonade, bourbon, lemon, cucumber, and mint.
Peel ginger.
With vegetable peeler, shave ginger in thin ribbons.
Add ginger to ginger ale mixture.
Stir well and muddle mint and ginger.
Fill 4 high ball glasses with ice, preferably crushed.
Place a lemon slice and mint leaf on top.
Pour in this goodness!

Three Chile Beef Chili

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Peg

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Would you, could you, in the rain? (thanks Dr. Seuss!) I answered a resounding YES on this third day of wet gloom. Propelled me right in to the kitchen to try a new chili recipe, yes it did. Turns out it’s a wonderful, aromatic Mexican chili. Additionally it sent me back to my local Supermercado. Extra Fun! Showed them my recipe … they walked me all over the friendly place … gathered the proper chiles (or substitutes!) … and sent me happily on my way. Whirl it people!

2 ancho chiles
2 dried New Mexico Chiles
3 dried chipotle chiles
1 Tbs coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1 t yellow mustard seeds
1 t dried thyme
2 Tbs minced garlic
3 14.5oz cans peeled whole tomatoes, drained
2 Tbs canola oil
4 lbs ground beef
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup stout beer
1 cup brewed coffee
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 15oz cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

Place chiles in heatproof bowl.
Cover with boiling water.
Let stand 15 minutes, until softened.
Stem and seed.
Transfer to blender.
Add coriander, cumin and mustard seeds, thyme, garlic, and 1/3 of tomato.
Puree.
In soup pot, sauté onion and beef until beef is lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add chile puree, stock, beer, coffee, cilantro, and remaining tomatoes.
Bring to boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.
Add beans and cook on low 45 minutes.

If desired, serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole, and grated cheese..

Serves an army … realistically 16.
*Author’s Note: I make this much because I like to freeze several individual containers for future use and/or to take some to a friend in need.

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