Apple Cobbler

This is one of those deceptively simple recipes that belies that fact when you take a bite. It's so simple to assemble and bake and in about 45 minutes, you're ready to serve this to your hungry family and friends. And add a little vanilla ice cream with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar and you've got a winner!

4 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 stick butter

1 1/2 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup milk

1 t. vanilla

1 t. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Combine the apples,  3/4 cup sugar, and 3/4 water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

Put the butter in a 3-quart baking dish and place in oven to melt. Mix flour, sugar,  milk, vanilla and cinnamon together and stir well to combine. Pour mixture over melted butter. Don't stir or mix to combine. Spoon the apples on top.  Then gently pour in the syrup. Sprinkle top with additional ground cinnamon, if desired. Batter will rise to top during baking.  Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. 

 

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Taco Tuesdays: Ground Chicken Taco Boats

With the cost of ground chuck rising each week, I decided to use ground chicken as our protein for this week's round of Taco Tuesday!

Have you seen these new Ortega Fiesta Flats?  

Here's the link:  http://www.ortega.com/products/ortega-fiesta-flats_90194

Be careful because I learned the hard way that they slide around the plate VERY easily.  

1 lb. ground chicken
1 T. taco seasoning blend
1/4 cup water
taco shells or the new
your favorite taco toppings
Tacos Shells or Fiesta Flats, prepared according to package directions

Brown chicken in a medium skillet of medium high heat. Add taco seasoning and water and lower heat to low and let cook for another 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat and assemble your perfect taco!

I used shredded lettuce, taco sauce, shredded cheese, thinly sliced jalapenos, sour cream, and cilantro.

Simply Southern Sunday Supper

Sometimes, I just want my comfort food. And Sunday Supper is the perfect time to indulge that craving. Yesterday I put on a nice pot of great northern beans with a nice ham hock. They simmered away all afternoon.

Then, some corn from the freezer which was put up last summer went into another pot.

I tried a new recipe for roasting beets and then mixing with a vinegar/Dijon mustard sauce and topping with blue cheese.  Yes!!!  They were delicious.

I fried up some salmon patties and made a cast iron skillet of cornbread. 

And for dessert? An apple cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream.  Oh yes.

 

This was truly a Simply Southern Sunday Supper.

Taco Seasoning Blend

Have you ever actually read the ingredient list on the back of the package of taco seasoning mix? Unless you're a chemist or a nutritionist, you may not be able to pronounce all the ingredients. But here's a handy dandy little seasoning mix that you can whisk together with your pantry ingredients.  I bet you can pronounce everything in my list!

1 T. chili powder

2 t. onion powder

2 t. ground cumin

2 t. granulated garlic

1 t. smoked paprika

1 t. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. ground cayenne (I used 1/2 t.)

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.  

Use 1 T. per pound of browned chicken, pork, beef, or turkey for tacos.  Store in an airtight container.

Bánh mì Burger with pickled vegetables

Bánh mì is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. The word is derived from banh (bread) and mi (wheat, also spelled mì in northern Vietnam). Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. It is sometimes compared with a food item known as a "Vietnamese sandwich".

The toppings include pickled carrots and/or radishes, sliced cucumbers, jalapenos, cilantro and thinly sliced ham. I cut a few corners and used prepacked julienned carrots and added some grated garlic. These burgers were full of flavor and the contrasting textures of the toppings provided an interesting addition. You can use sliced French baguettes, hamburger buns or French hamburger buns (this is what I used).

First, you will need to quick pickle your carrots and radishes:

1 1/2 cups of1/8" thick matchstick cut carrots

4 medium radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 1/2 t. sugar

1/2 t. salt 

2 T. sugar

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup warm water

Put the carrots and radishes in a medium bowl and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Using your hands, toss the vegetables in the salt and sugar to begin to expelling the water from them about 3 minutes. They will soften and liquid will begin to pool in the bottom of the bowl. The vegetables are ready when they can bend easily without snapping in half and they have lost about a third of their volume. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water.  Gently press down on the vegetables to push out any additional water.

In the same bowl, combine 2 T. of the sugar, the vinegar and 1/4 cup of warm water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the vegetables to the pickling liquid. The liquid should be covering the vegetables. Let sit for about 20 minutes while you prepare the burgers.

Burger ingredients:

1 lb. ground pork

1 1/2 T. chili garlic sauce

1/2 T. fish sauce

1/2 T. fresh lime juice

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 t. sugar

Combine the pork, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and sugar. Shape into four 4-inch wide, 1/2 inch thick patties and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. 

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill or a grill pan at medium-high heat. Brush and oil the grates.

Place the burgers on the grill. Grill the first side about 4 minutes until grill marks form about 4 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until an instant read thermometer reads 155-160 degrees F.

Remove from the grill and let rest on a plate. Place the buns on the grill and toast until grill marks form, about 1 minute.

Now for toppings:

Mayonnaise

Pickled carrots and radishes

thinly sliced cucumbers

thinly sliced jalapenos

cilantro

thinly sliced ham

And here we are ready to eat!

Adapted from Fine Cooking

Tapas Thursday: Artichoke and Asparagus Fritters with Olive Relish

Another delicious Tapas meal that is vegetarian and incorporates so many fresh and healthy ingredients. The olive relish is the perfect addition to the little fritters. There's no salt added to the fritter batter due to the briny olives. I added a little lemon zest to the batter as well as to the olive relish.

Let's make the olive relish first:

1/2 cup pitted green olives, finely chopped

1/2 pitted black olives, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 T. finely chopped fresh chives

1 T. olive oil

1 T. lemon juice

1/4 t. lemon zest

Combine the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

Now let's make our fritters:

1/2 lb. asparagus, trimmed, finely chopped

4 oz. artichoke hearts, in brine, drained, finely chopped

2 eggs

2 T. finely chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup self-rising flour

vegetable oil for shallow frying

Combine asparagus, artichoke, eggs, mint, cheese and flour in a medium bowl. 

Heat oil in a large, shallow skillet.  Shallow fry heated tablespoons of fritter batter in batches until browned all over and cooked through.

Drain on paper towels. Serve hot with olive relish.

Tapas Thursdays: Pan Seared Scallops with Anchovy Butter

If you're going to spend the $$$ for quality ingredients, make sure you learn to cook them properly. Many people are afraid to sear scallops because of the intimidation factor. Practice makes perfect. If you're learning how to sear scallops, instead of filling up the skillet with a dozen scallops, place one or two in the skillet at a time. Making sure the scallops are dry before placing them in the hot pan will help to sear them as well. Once you put them in the pan, leave them alone without moving them for 60 - 90 seconds. The trick is to sear them to a beautiful golden brown without allowing the interior to become rubbery.

To say these were delicious is an understatement. Even if you think (or know!) you don't like anchovies, the anchovies in this recipe simply melt away into the butter sauce and infuse it with a most wonderful flavor! Give this one a try.

2 t. olive oil

12 large sea scallops (3/4 pound), rinsed and patted dry

2 T. butter

3 drained anchovy fillets (I cut mine into thirds)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 t. lemon juice

1 T. finely chopped fresh chives

Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook scallops, both sides until lightly browned.

Remove from skillet; cover to keep warm.

Reduce heat to medium, add butter, anchovies, until garlic to skillet.  Cook, stirring, until garlic is lightly browned.

Return scallops to pan with juice; cook until scallops are heated through. 

Serve scallops drizzled with anchovy butter and sprinkled with chives.

Tuscan Chicken Cutlet with Parmesan Grits

What's that you say? Parmesan Grits? Not polenta, but grits??? You betcha. This was a restaurant quality meal that was ready start to finish in about 30 minutes. Order a take out pizza that's going to arrive cold? Chinese delivery that's full of MSG? Or a delicious chicken dinner with creamy grits and roasted zucchini?  Do you have to ask?

Let's make our chicken:

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, wrapped in plastic wrap and pounded thin

Salt and freshly ground pepper.

2 cups Italian bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 T. Tones Tuscan Garlic Seasoning blend

Peanut oil

After pounding the chicken breasts until thin, lightly salt and pepper.

In a shallow plate or pie dish, add Italian bread crumbs.

In another shallow plate or dish, add lightly beaten eggs and seasoning blend and lightly mix with fork.

Depending on the size of the chicken breasts (which are now cutlets), you may need to cut them in half. Take one piece of chicken at a time and place in egg mixture and then place in bread crumbs. Lightly press the chicken into the bread crumbs and make sure they are completely coated.

Place on a wire rack as you complete breading the other pieces of chicken.

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat enough peanut oil to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch. Place a few pieces of chicken at a time into the oil and let cook 4 - 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Continue until all pieces are cooked and let drain on a wire rack placed over paper towels.

Now let's make our grits. I used quick cooking grits for this batch.

2 cups water

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 t. salt

2/3 cup quick cooking grits

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (please don't use the cheese from the can)

In a heavy saucepan, heat water, heavy cream and salt until a light boil. Add grits and whisk to combine. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Let cook for 7 minutes or so until liquid is absorbed. Whisk in cheese and serve immediately.

Now isn't that lovely?

Roasted Tuscan Garlic Zucchini

Such a simple side dish can elevate a meal to an entirely different level. In the South, we tend to fry our vegetables, fried okra, fried squash, fried potatoes......but tonight, with three lovely zucchini in the fridge, they cried out for roasting in a hot oven. Roasted vegetables brings out their natural sweetness and gives such a rich sweet taste.  

3 medium zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into fourths and then sliced into 1/2 inch slices

a few shakes of salt

a few grinds of black pepper

2 T. olive oil

1 T. Tones Tuscan Garlic seasoning (or 1 T. dried Italian seasoning)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until zucchini is well coated. Spread onto a baking sheet in a single layer.

Roast zucchini for 18 - 20 minutes, until browned, stirring about half way through.  Serve immediately.

Taco Tuesdays: Rice and Beans Soft Tacos

It's Taco Tuesday! It was time to make a meatless version. So I cooked a little Mexican rice, heated a can each of black and chili beans and then chose my toppings. These were delicious and super fast to make. And don't they look gorgeous on the Fiesta plate?

1 package Knorr Mexican Rice (cooked according to package directions)

1 can  Bush's black beans, drained 

1 can Bush's chili beans

Shredded Kraft Mexican cheese

diced onions

Old El Paso taco sauce

Daisy sour cream

thinly sliced jalapenos

small flour tortillas

While the rice is cooking, gently warm the beans in separate saucepans until warmed through.

When rice is cooked, either warm the tortillas a few at a time in the microwave, or place in a warm skillet and flip back and forth until warm and pliable.

Put a small amount of black beans in the middle of the tortilla, top with a spoonful of rice and, then a little bit of the chili beans.

Top with remaining ingredients. Of course, you can add whatever toppings you like, but these are the ones I used and they worked really well with the beans and cheese.

Tapas, Antipasto, and Mezze

Tapas, antipasto, and mezze are small plate dishes perfect to serve with drinks. Tapas come from Spain, antipasto from Italy, and mezze from Greece and the Middle East. These tasty bites will be winner at any gathering, with friends for a casual get together, or for a more elegant cocktail party. 

Featuring a wide range of dishes, from grilled seafood and kebabs to delicious fritters and tender pastries, as well as plenty of tasty salads,dips, and spreads, you'll find lots of delicious little bests that are sure to be a big hit.

For the past few years, we enjoyed Tapas Thursdays. This year, we will continue the tradition. Here's a few pictures of last year's small plates.

From Tapas by Sterling Publishing

Spicy Cheesy Bacon Snack Crackers

I recently discovered that Ritz now has BACON FLAVORED crackers. Today I noticed this little snack idea on the back of the box.

Take a one bacon flavored Ritz. Add a thin layer of cream cheese, then add a little sprinkling of shredded sharp cheddar and top with a thin slice of jalapeno. These were delicious!

Creamy Asparagus and Shrimp Pasta

When this one came across my newsfeed recently, I knew this was one we would love.  My instinct was right. This recipe takes just a little time for prep work to get everything ready to go at one time.  But once you begin, things go very quickly.  I put the pasta in to boil and as I finished the sauce, the timer rang to let me know the pasta was cooked.  Now THAT is perfect timing.

1 pound asparagus

1/2 pound linguine

4 T. unsalted butter, divided

Coarse sea salt

1 pound peeled, deveined shrimp

3 T. minced garlic (2 to 3 cloves)

2 T. minced chives, divided

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese

4 chive blossoms (if available)
Freshly ground pepper 

Fill a sink with cold water and submerge asparagus to dislodge any sand. Break off pale, woody ends (approximately the bottom third of the stalk), and discard. Working from base to top, use a sharp paring knife to halve or quarter asparagus into thin strips. 

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Salt water generously and cook linguine to al dente. Reserve pasta cooking water for plating. 

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep-sided skillet set over medium-high heat. Add half the asparagus, sprinkle with sea salt, and cook just until spears go slightly limp and are a vibrant green, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and cook the second batch. 

Melt another tablespoon of butter in the pan, add half the shrimp, sprinkle with sea salt, and cook just until shrimp pinks up and the skin edges golden, about 2 minutes per side. Remove cooked shrimp to a plate and cook second batch. 

Turn heat to low, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pan, and when melted, stir in garlic and chives; sauté for 1 minute. Stirring constantly, pour in half and half. Sprinkle in Pecorino, stirring until cheese has melted. Fold in cooked asparagus and shrimp. 

To serve, twist linguine into shallow bowls, top with cream sauce, using reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Top with asparagus and shrimp. (I mixed my asparagus and shrimp into the sauce to quickly reheat them.) Finish dish with chive blossom petals (if using) and a twist of pepper. Serve immediately. 

From The Kitchn.com

Mesquite Grilled Pork Tenderloin Tacos with Pico de Gallo

For tonight's Taco Tuesday, I decided to grilled a Smithfield Mesquite Pork Tenderloin. In my opinion, this is one of the best values in your grocery store.

I also made a nice bowl of pico de gallo to top the pork. It was excellent.  Let's make the pico de gallo first.

Isn't that beautiful?

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 - 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

2 cloves, garlic diced

1 cup diced grape tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Juice of one lime

1/3 cup (packed) cilantro, chopped

 Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Now let's grill the tenderloin.

1 lb. package of Smithfield Mesquite Pork Tenderloin

Well, that's it for the ingredient list!

Get the grill nice and hot and place the tenderloin directly on the grates. I kept the temperature as close to 375 - 400 degrees as possible. After 15 minutes, I turned it over to cook the other side. After 30 minutes, the internal temperature was 160 degrees. I removed it from the grill, placed on a plate, loosely covered with foil and let it rest while I heated the tortillas on the grill.

Turn the grill to low and place tortillas directly on the grates. Let the tortillas heat until they begin to puff up and then turn to brown/heat the other side. Place on a serving plate and get ready to dig in!

Thinly slice the pork tenderloin and serve on the warmed tortillas. For this meal, I served with sour cream, shredded cheese and pico de gallo.

Pico de Gallo

Isn't that beautiful? This is a delicious, super easy to prepare topping for tacos or to eat with chips!

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1 - 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced

2 cloves, garlic diced

1 cup diced grape tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Juice of one lime

1/3 cup (packed) cilantro, chopped

 

 Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Mexican Char-Grilled Green Bean Salad

Thank goodness it's finally grilling season around here. In honor of Taco Tuesday, while I grilled the pork tenderloin for the tacos, I grilled "a mess" of green beans to serve as the side dish. If you haven't invested in a small grill basket for vegetable grilling, please do so. 

I made the dressing about 30 minutes ahead of time and let the flavors mingle while I grilled the green beans. When the green beans were tender and lightly charred, I placed them in the serving bowl and poured the dressing over the hot beans and lightly tossed everything together. The heat from the beans, slightly softened the onions and peppers and allowed the juices from the tomatoes to coat the beans. These were delicious!

1 lb. fresh green beans

For the dressing:

1/3 cup yellow onion, diced

1/3 cup red onion, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Juice of one lime

1 T. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 cup rough chopped cilantro

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

Place the beans in a grilling basket over medium high flame. Lightly pour about a teaspoon of olive oil over the beans and toss to coat. Close grill and let beans cook for 20 - 30 minutes, tossing with tongs every 10 minutes or so.

When beans are tender and lightly charred, remove from heat. Place in serving bowl, pour dressing over beans and toss to coat.

Confetti Cornbread Salad

I call this one Confetti Cornbread Salad because if you take the time to dice all the veggies the same size as the shoepeg corn, it resembles little pieces of confetti in the salad. This is a very colorful, delicious cornbread salad that stretches to feed a lot of guests at cookouts or potluck meals.

2 boxes Jiffy Cornbread mix, prepared as directed on box, cooled, and crumbled into a large bowl

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion (or other mild onion)

1 can of shoepeg corn, drained

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 - 2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

4 - 5 pieces of cooked bacon, crumbled

Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl. Depending on your preference, you may want to add a little more or less mayonnaise. I like adding just enough to hold it together. You don't want it too wet.

Refrigerate until time to serve and then top with the cheese and bacon. Enjoy!