CREAMED ASPARAGUS and EGGS OVER TOAST

Spring is on hold for yet another day here; what's with this chilly 26°with snow on the ground, and it's still coming down...

Whatever, it's that time of year ~ Springtime! ~ and asparagus is popping up all over, especially at the grocery store!

Most of the time, Bill and I like it steamed with a little salt and pepper, nothing more or roasted.  Then other times, that all takes a back seat to my creamed asparagus. 

Shrimp with Andouille and Angel Hair Pasta

For a change of pace, Andouille sausage is delicious ~ add some shrimp and seasonings and you’re sure to enjoy a tasty meal!  

Andouille sausage is French in origin, having a unique spicy flavor, being made primarily from pork, garlic, red and black peppers, wine and onions.  It is cased in a blackened skin, and then is heavily smoked over pecan logs and sugar cane.  It can be served cold, in slices, as an hors d’oeuvre; however, it is mainly used in Cajun and Creole dishes such as jambalaya and gumbo. 

Cajun cuisine is one of our favorites and always reminds us of NOLA ~ actually, I can’t get enough of either of them.  Serving it over angel hair pasta is pretty great!

Shrimp with Andouille and Angel Hair Pasta

Ingredients:

8 ounces angel hair pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ pound Andouille sausage, cut into ¼” slices

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup salsa verde

4 teaspoons flour

1½ cups chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream

1 pound shrimp, deveined and peeled

3 green onions, sliced into thin rounds for garnish

Method:

To a large skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add Andouille sausage and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Add garlic to skillet and cook for 30 seconds.

Stir flour into drippings until dissolved.

Whisk in broth and cream and cook until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain well and set aside.

Add salsa to broth mixture in skillet and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes.

Transfer sausage to skillet.

Add shrimp and cook until shrimp are opaque, about 3-5 minutes.

To serve:  Place pasta on a plate, top with shrimp mixture and sprinkle green onions over all.

DELICIOUS!!!

Go visit my friend, Linda’s blog, @My Kind of Cooking for excellent tips and recipes.  This is the last day to enter her great giveaway for “Joy Bauer’s Food Cures” book!

German Breslauer Steaks with Egg Noodles and a Fine Midwest Cookbook

Oh my gosh!  We flipped over this dish, big time!
  
It was a beautiful cool fall day yesterday and Bill was busy working up an appetite burning brush in the back yard.   Much later, he was one happy man when I served him this incredibly delicious hearty dish for dinner. I was happy with it too!  Woo hoo! 

The other day, I had a great surprise when I read an email.  Travis, at The Harvard Common Press, had contacted me and asked if I would like a review copy of Prairie Home Cooking by Judith Fertig. 

He explained as a way of celebrating a growing focus on regional American cooking, The Harvard Common Press has re-jacketed its classic America Cooks series, including this cookbook by Fertig.

Travis further stated that Patricia Wells praised it as “pure inspiration.”  That really drew me in as I’m a huge fan of Wells and have a lot of her cookbooks.  

Here’s what Patricia went on to say about the cookbook:  “For those of us who grew up with cherry trees and fresh raspberries, corn and tomatoes fresh from the garden, bushels full of peaches and apricots from the farmers’ market, and all those homemade layer cakes, pies, and yeast rolls, Prairie Home Cooking is much more than a nostalgic journey.  It is pure inspiration, encouragement to head back into the kitchen and recreate the bliss of our childhood."

Prairie Home Cooking is truly a great collection of tasty American Midwest recipes and is no small book.  There is nothing fancy about it, no glossy food shots in color. 

But, it does contain a plethora of old-fashioned recipes and new ones too, informative cooking tips and heartwarming, charming stories about the people and places of the heartland; an area that has sadly been overlooked by both the east coast and west coast food writers.

Fertig’s cookbook is chock full of comfort food dishes; the ones just like my Grandma used to fill her table with.  

I’m a breakfast lover and by coincidence that is the section I first opened the cookbook to ~ St. Louis Gooey Butter Coffeecake.  That’s definitely a gooey St. Louis standard and one of my favorites to bake and enjoy.  

Move on to Old Country Sour Cream Breakfast Crêpes, or how about Amish Friendship Pancakes slathered with melted butter and maple syrup, or maybe a couple of spoonfuls of Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Fresh Herb Bread Pudding or a savory Ohio breakfast of Smoked Turkey Hash.

Dinner would be mouthwatering with Old-Fashioned Pan-Fried Chicken with Gravy or Prairie-Style Hay-Smoked Grilled Steak; even Fish Schnitzel or Bill’s favorite, Rich and Creamy Oyster Stew.  

And at last, on to dessert:  a couple of dainty Thumbprint Cookies, a slice of Lemon Verbena Pound Cake with Lemonade Glaze, Blitz Torte, Honey Custards with Warm Spiced Berries or one that sounds just like my favorite cake from childhood that Mom baked:  Black Walnut Applesauce Cake.  YUM!  The trick for me now is finding someone wanting to share a stash of black walnuts!

Judith Fertig

So, as you have probably surmised, this excellent cookbook of Ms. Fertig’s is just like the people of the Midwest ~ a melting pot; a beautiful mosaic of German, French, Polish, Dutch, Scandinavian, Italian, Czech, Russian, just to name a few heritages. 

Whether you are:   From a farming family which produces harvests of crops for the “breadbasket” section of the country, a gardener with a green thumb, someone who is fond of lake-caught delicacies, or maybe a Michigan cherry lover like me, or a Spam lover like Bill, or if you’re someone who is curious about Midwest cooking and traditions, or maybe you are just a person who likes to eat delicious robust and comforting food ~ this is the cookbook for you to peruse.  

As I’ve said, “I have a weakness for cookbooks and read them like many women read a romance novel, always looking for new creations and interesting facts.”  Prairie Home Cooking is not only packed with delicious recipes that will excite your taste buds, it’s a good read!

There are so many outstanding recipes in Prairie Home Cooking that I will be trying, and posting for you in the future, with the following being the first one I made:  German Breslauer Steaks with Egg Noodles.  I’ll let Judith Fertig describe it for you:  “Brought by northern German immigrants to Iowa and Nebraska, this dish is a cousin of Swedish meatballs; in both dishes, nutmeg flavors the meat among other similarities.  Serve with a steamed green vegetable or a simple green salad, either of which will provide a break from the heaviness of this dish.”

Believe me ~ this dish is mouthwatering delicious to say the least and the cookbook is a wonderful thing.  I’m not saying this just because Travis kindly offered the cookbook to me:  anyone who knows me, knows I am not afraid to voice my opinion and my opinion is exactly what I think.  You should be adding Prairie Home Cooking to your collection soon!  For me, it’s like my new best friend!

Enough said for now!  Here’s the recipe:

German Breslauer Steaks with Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

1 recipe Homemade Egg Noodles (page 259), or 12 ounces packaged egg noodles

1 pound ground veal

1 pound ground pork

3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

1/3 cup minced onion

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ pound mushrooms, sliced thin

¾ cup chicken stock

½ cup heavy cream

Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Method:

If you are using homemade noodles, prepare them up to the point at which they are ready to be cooked.

Mix together the veal, pork, chives, onion, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a bowl.

Shape the mixture into 4 large or 6 medium patties. 

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Pan-fry the patties for about 5 minutes on each side, or until they are cooked through.  (cut to the center of a patty with a knife to see that there is no pinkness left in the meat).

Transfer the patties to a plate.

Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings left in the pan.

Add the mushrooms, and sauté them until they begin to brown and give off their juices, about 5 minutes.

Add the stock and cream, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, transfer the steaks back to the pan and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the egg noodles in a pot of boiling water, according either to the recipe for homemade noodles or to the package directions.

Drain them in a colander, run them under cold water for a few seconds, and transfer them to individual plates.

Top with the steaks, spoon the mushroom sauce over all, garnish with parsley and serve.

ENJOY!!!

Excellent explains it all!  Thank you again, Trevor and The Harvard Common Press and Judith Fertig for a fine cookbook!

Peachy Keen Ice Cream

Dad loved his ice cream!  I love ice cream!  It’s my favorite “food.”  I could eat it any time of the day.  I am sure I inherited this trait from Dad.  

It was a wonderful thing when Mom went to the basement and pulled out the ice cream maker on a hot summer day.  She mixed fresh fruit with milk and cream to make a custard, then placed it in the tall metal can and inserted the paddle.  Dad packed lots of rock salt and ice around it and then the hard part started ~ the hand cranking.  It was a messy experience with the melted rock salt and ice slurry that I thought was great fun!  As the crank became hard to turn, after about a half-hour, the ice cream was ready to eat.  I do it the easy way now with an electric ice cream maker!

                                                                         

Old way -

hand crank

                                          My way -

                                        electric!

Peaches are great also.  Remember the other day when I made peach cake?  I bought enough peaches to make peach ice cream also.  They were excellent juicy Michigan peaches packed with flavor and perfect for ice cream.

 Cooling over ice

Here’s the recipe:

Peach Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and chopped

1¼ cups sugar, divided

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons peach brandy

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 egg yolks

Method:

In a bowl, combine peaches, ½ cup sugar, lemon juice and peach brandy. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight, stirring occasionally.

Remove peach mixture from refrigerator and drain juice into a small bowl.

Return peaches to refrigerator.

In a saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, heavy cream, milk and vanilla.

Bring just to boil.

In bowl, whisk egg yolks.

While whisking, slowly stream in about 1/3 of the boiled cream mixture.

Mix well.

Continue whisking and add remaining cream mixture.

Return to the heat and cook while stirring constantly.

Mixture will thicken as it returns to a boil.

Remove from heat and strain into a bowl set over ice.

Add the reserved peach juice.

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions to freeze. 

After the ice cream begins to stiffen, when almost done, add the peaches and continue to freeze until ready to eat.

ENJOY!!!

Peach ice cream is the real scoop!

By the way, the average American consumes more than 23 pints of ice cream a year.  Are you the average American? 

Visit my friend, Linda’s blog, My Kind of Cooking, for the prize winning recipe at the fair and for a chance to win her great cookbook!

Mom’s Roquefort and Watercress Dip

With barbecue season getting in full swing, we all need appetizers to serve our guests and this is a great recipe of Mom’s.  She made it many times and we always thought it was a wonderful thing.

If you love Roquefort cheese the way I do, this recipe is a must try.  It is delicious served with raw vegetables, particularly mushrooms and cauliflower.  Besides the Roquefort and watercress, the dip is packed with good flavors such as cream cheese and Tabasco.

Watercress is a fast-growing aquatic perennial plant and is one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by people.  It has a peppery, tangy flavor and if you’ve ever attended an afternoon tea, you’ve probably enjoyed it in those dainty tea sandwiches.  

ROQUEFORT AND WATERCRESS DIP

Ingredients:

½ pound Roquefort cheese

1 cup finely chopped watercress

Couple of dashes of Tabasco sauce

¼ pound cream cheese

1 cup heavy cream

Method:

Cream Roquefort and cream cheese together until soft and smooth.

Add cream until mixture is of a dip consistency.

Add Tabasco, mixing well.

Fold in chopped watercress.

Prepare platter of raw vegetables: cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots, celery, zucchini, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes.

Place dip in center of platter and surround with vegetables.

Serve

It’s delicious; try it for your next party!

Sautéed Shrimp over Creamy Grits

I first had this dish in Savannah, Georgia and this is as close to it as I can get. 

Even though it is a traditional Southern dish, it is extraordinary to this Midwestern girl.  How wonderful it would be to live along the Southern coastline ~ do some fishing, go home and cook up a little shrimp fresh from the water and serve it over creamy grits!

Shrimp and grits is an easy recipe.  Just have all the prep work done before you begin.  Then it will be a snap to cook up the dish.  And, you can even make the grits a little bit ahead of time as they will stay hot for a while.

This is one of the most satisfying grits dishes!  I could eat grits with just about anything ~ especially shrimp. 

Sautéed Shrimp over Creamy Grits

For the grits: 

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups water

1 ½ cups hot chicken or vegetable stock

¼ cup butter

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup stone-ground grits

Method:

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, water and hot stock, bring to a boil.

Add butter, salt and pepper.

Add grits slowly, stirring constantly, scrapping the bottom of the pan.

Reduce heat to medium-low.

Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally so that they do not scorch.

The grits should have absorbed all the liquid and be soft.

If they are too thick, add a little water or warm stock. 

For the shrimp:

Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp
6-8 bacon slices

3 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

Hot sauce, optional

4 ounces amber beer

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Method:

Place shrimp on a plate and season with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning and paprika.

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, fry bacon until nearly crisp.

When cooled, crumble into pieces.  Set aside.

Reserve 2-3 tablespoons bacon grease in the skillet.

Add onion, garlic and bell pepper, sautéing about 3-4 minutes.

Slowly add beer and Worcestershire sauce; cook down until onion is transparent and peppers are cooked about 10-12 minutes.

Add shrimp mixture and crumbled bacon.

Sauté 5-7 minutes until shrimp are opaque in center (cut to test).

Remove from heat.

Spoon hot grits onto serving plate; top with shrimp mixture.

Enjoy!

Cheddar and Chive Scones

The first time I made scones was a disaster.  It was years ago and they were inedible.  They were dry as a bone, crumbling into a hundred pieces.  Looking back at the recipe, I realized there was no liquid in it and that surely must have been the problem.  Now, I have moved on this to this great recipe and thankfully they are moist and hold their shape. 

The scone is a small British quick bread that is popular in North America also and can be sweet or savory.  The early recipes were made with oats, prepared into a large round cake and baked on a cast iron griddle in an open hearth.  To make it easily divide into portions, they were deeply scored before being baked. 

A scone is a wonderful thing:  buttery, soft yet firm with being very easy to make.  They are a lot like biscuits but do tend to get hard once they are cold, probably because the dough is on the dry side.  That’s OK though; just dunk them in a cup of coffee or tea!

This scone recipe includes lots of cheddar cheese, butter and chives.  I think maybe even a little lemon zest would give them great additional flavor.  One taste of these will tell you just how delicious they are!

Cheddar and Chive Scones

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1¼ teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 stick butter, cut into ¼” slices

2/3 cup heavy cream, plus 1 tablespoon for brushing

1 cup cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon fresh chives

Method:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and pepper.

Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until mixture becomes like coarse crumbs.

Stir in 2/3 cup cream.

Add cheese and chives and combine with hands, dough will be crumbly.

Knead dough until it comes together.

Form into a ball and flatten slightly to 1” thick.

Transfer to a baking sheet.

Slice into quarters and then cut each quarter in half.

Brush tops with remaining cream.

Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve warm

Delicious!!!