Cinnamon Bread Pinwheels

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Hellodie Hellodie and Happy Hump da Hump Day! Each post that involves my grands is especially fun for me, so come on and get happy! They may seem to be bouncing off the walls sometimes, but they’re just being children; so hold on to the magic…they grow up fast! And now, here’s a little show and tell. May your cookie jar never be empty!

4 slices cinnamon raison bread
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 t cinnamon
4 long hors d’oeuvres picks

Cut the crust off each piece of bread, keeping it totally intact.
Start at one end of each piece of bread crust and roll it up, creating 4 pinwheels.
Secure each pinwheel with a pick.
Melt butter, sugar, and cinnamon in skillet, stirring to combine.
Add pinwheels to skillet and allow to toast about a minute per side.
Remove from skillet onto plate and allow pinwheels to cool and crispen.

Avocado Toast with Eggs and Tomatoes

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Home from Cabo and happily back to life as Grand and GrandDad for the weekend. Tomorrow begins with a 5:50am wakeup call for Liam’s travel league baseball games, and then soccer matches for “the littles”. We will divide and conquer for the different locations; but we will all reunite in the Rock Dam Kitchen for a healthy brunch to refuel us all for the afternoon. Transfer the familiar into the fantastic. We’re taking all familiar ingredients and combining them in a wonderfully twisted way. So drop the mask for a few minutes to enjoy a meal…the stars are going to align on our taste buds and all the way down to our tummies! Here’s wishing all of you a happy, healthy, fun loving, athletic Saturday!

2 eggs
2 slices bread
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 avocado, gently mashed
1/2 lime, zested and juiced
Dash garlic powder
Dash onion powder
Fresh spinach
Gourmet Medley cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup Alfalfa sprouts
Drizzle of honey
Drizzle of olive oil

Place eggs in boiling water for 6 minutes to soft boil.
Lightly sauté tomato halves in olive oil.
Toast bread.
Spread with Dijon.
Mix avocado with lime, garlic, and onion.
Spread avocado mixture on top of Dijon.
Top with a few spinach leaves.
Top with sprouts.
Top with eggs.
Top with tomatoes.
Drizzle with honey and olive oil.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Mexican Street Corn

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Diamante Resort, Cabo San Lucas
Left: Poolside View of the Villa ~ Right: View from The Dunes Course

When in Cabo…Try your darndest to consume all of the locally farmed goods available. We hung out in the beautiful villa kitchen almost every evening, prepping fresh deliciousness to share around the dining table. So let’s all stretch our culinary senses and live more scrumptiously. Yum…and more to come (think Baha Artichokes!)

8 ears fresh sweet corn
2 Tbs canola oil
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Zest of a lime
2 jalapeno peppers, ribs and seeds removed, and sliced
1/2 cup cotija
Sprinkle of chili powder

Brush corn with canola oil.
Grill corn and peppers over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes.
(Or boil until tender if a grill is not available. Then char it in a skillet over medium high heat.)
Stir together sour cream, cilantro, and lime zest in bowl.
Brush corn with mixture.
Sprinkle with cotija and then chili powder to taste.

Caesar Salad Turkey Burger

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Happy Almost Labor Day Weekend! Most people grill out at some point during this official “last” weekend of the summer. Of course, the don and I don’t own a grill…yes all of our friends joke about it! But we really enjoy cooking inside in a wonderful cast iron skillet. No matter how you cook, just cook; and try these burgers with a Caesar twist. After all, with everything going on in the world, let’s remember that food brings us together. Cook Better. Eat Better. Live Better. Booyah!

1 1/2 lbs ground turkey*
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
1 small clove garlic, finely grated
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 egg, whisked
1/4 cup Panko
Salt and pepper
1 romaine lettuce heart, chopped
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan
Caesar dressing to taste**
6 burger buns, toasted

Sauté onion and green pepper in 1 Tbs olive oil until almost tender, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic and sauté another minute.
Mix together turkey, Worcestershire, mustard, egg, Panko, and onion, pepper, garlic mixture.
Form into 6 patties.
Place in refrigerator for 10 minutes until firmer.
Grill or sauté in skillet about 4 minutes per side.
Toss together the romaine, shaved Parmesan and dressing.
Place burger on bun.
Top with Caesar salad.
Makes 6 burgers.

*The Don and I prefer GreenWise All Natural Ground Turkey Breast.
**As far as a store bought Caesar dressing, I prefer Marzetti Simply Dressed Caesar.


Quick and Easy Biscuits

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Start to Finish in Less that 20 Minutes. And That’s a Promise! This is life in abundance, as we neither bake nor eat biscuits in this household often. But when we do, we do it right baby! I paired this wonderful bread with homemade pimento cheese, cilantro butter, and homemade blueberry jam. That was for Sunday brunch. Sunday Supper saw us making tiny turkey sliders and topping them again with yummyness. The Don enjoyed his with pimento cheese and jam; and I enjoyed mine with cilantro butter and jam (and plenty of it)! I made it just to share with you excellent people who follow along on this joint journey. Southern know how people! Shine Bright Like a Diamond.

2 cups all purpose flour 
1/4 cup sugar
2 t baking powder 
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
1 cup whole milk 
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbs melted butter

Preheat oven to 450°.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.
In separate bowl, whisk together milk and mayonnaise.
Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
Spoon level scoops of dough onto parchment paper, spacing them an inch apart.
Spread with melted butter.
Bake until golden, about 12 to 14 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Sausage, Egg, Cheese Strata

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Happy Sunday to one and all. All of the hustle and bustle is fun…until it’s not. The Don was fortunate and received his Covid booster Friday (remember that lymphoma situation) and was feeling a tad run down yesterday, so we stayed quietly at home and I made this comfort strata. Perfect for our Saturday early supper, and brunch or supper any day for that matter. It’s early in the day; go grab what you need and whip this up for Sunday Supper. Think, a little denser than a quiche, and a little more comforting as well. Now here’s your breakfast/brunch giggle of the day thanks to comedian Steven Wright: “I went to a restaurant that serves breakfast during any time. So I ordered French Toast from the Renaissance; and they just looked at me!”

1/2 lb ground sausage, browned and drained
1 sweet onion, diced
12 eggs, slightly beaten
4 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
1/2 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs, tossed with 1 Tbs melted butter
Sour cream for garnish
Chopped chives, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a pie pan.
In large mixing bowl, using rubber spatula, combine sausage, onions, eggs, Gruyere, blue cheese, half cheddar, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Pour mixture into baking pan.
Add remaining cheddar, and then breadcrumbs on top.
Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until just set.
Let cool 5 minutes.




Shrimp and Strawberry Ceviche

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Hold Everything! The first time that I ever made ceviche was in the Culinary Center, Ritz Carlton, Cancun, with Chef Rory Dunaway in 2007. THIS was our view out of the kitchen window. Truly a delight! Enjoy this Ohh la la version as we are in the waning days of August. While technically not a true ceviche, it’s darn good y’all. Roger that!

1 lb cleaned shrimp
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 sweet onion, chopped
Corn from 2 cobs
1 lb strawberries, hulled and diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook shrimp in boiling water 2 minutes.
Drain and put in ice bath for 5 minutes.
Drain well.
Cut shrimp in half.
In medium bowl, combine shrimp, lemon juice, lime juice, jalapeño, and onion.
Chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour (but no longer than 6 hours).
When ready to serve, toss in strawberries and cilantro.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Summer/Anytime Chicken Soup

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Ah Ha!! My grands all began school today, all in one drop off location for the first time ever! So I’m making chicken soup to begin the new school year and soothe their souls. Enjoy in good health and I’ll give you an “A”. Consider making a double batch and sharing with family, a neighbor, or a friend. This is good Southern “know how!”

1 whole uncooked chicken
Water
1/2 t fresh thyme
1/2 t fresh oregano
1/2 t fresh basil, chopped
1/2 t dried red pepper flakes
1 t mustard seeds
3 Tbs olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 large carrots, diced
1 bunch spinach

Place whole chicken into large soup pot.
Add all spices, seasonings, and cover with water until chicken is submerged by two inches.
Bring chicken to boil, and reduce to simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove chicken and set aside to cool.
Continue to simmer broth another 30 minutes.
After chicken cools slightly, shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks.
Heat oil in skillet; add onion; cook until transparent, about 3 minutes.
Add remaining vegetables and cook for two minutes.
Add vegetables and chicken back to soup broth.
Toss in spinach at last minute and allow to wilt, about 1 minute.
Serve warm.

Chilled Corn Chowder

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Of all the items on a menu, soups grab my attention first; and the way they offer perfection in a bowl is, well perfect. I enjoy hot soup every month of the year; but a lot of folks only eat cool soups in the summer time. So put this little jewel of a recipe for cool corn chowder in your trapper keeper and chill out…a silly little nod to school beginning next week! Take in this glorious corn season and make an easy weekend lunch or appetizer.

1 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
2 green onions, white and tender green parts, separated and chopped
3/4 t ground coriander
3/4 t ground cumin
3/4 t chipotle chili powder
4 cups fresh corn kernels (if not available, use frozen white shoepeg corn, thawed)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Heat oil on skillet over medium-low heat.
Cook garlic, white parts of onion, coriander, cumin, and chili powder.
Stir until garlic and onions are tender, about 3 minutes.
Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup cooked corn.
Transfer mixture to blender.
Add buttermilk, water, and salt.
Purée until smooth.
Chill at least 1 hour.
Pour into demitasse cups.
Spoon in a bit of fresh corn on top.
Serve chilled, garnished with cilantro.
Makes 6 small lunch bowls, or 12 demitasse appetizer servings.

Raspberry Brut Ice Cream Float

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Hello…it’s midweek my fine folks, and it’s better than just a good day. Here comes an assault on your senses. It’s berry season and I’m punching you up with a sweet treat. This is a fabulous dessert…or I mean…it’s fantastic for brunch as well…this Sunday we’re celebrating my bro’s b’day, and I’ve already placed the special order, Booyah!

1/2 cup raspberries, plus more for garnish
2 Tbs sugar
4 large scoops vanilla ice cream, softened a few minutes
1/4 cup raspberry liqueur
Rose brut champagne

In blender, purée raspberries and sugar.
Pour in glass.
Rinse blender.
Add ice cream to blender.
Purée until smooth.
Place ice cream in 2 short glasses.
Pour liqueur over ice cream.
Pour raspberry purée over ice cream.
Top up with champagne.
Serve with a straw.