Mardi Gras shrimp and grits

For Mardi Gras tonight, I made my version of a recipe I got from Paula Deen’s website. Shrimp and grits Florentine. Spicy Cajun shrimp on top of a spinach cream sauce with cheesy grits. Yum.

Shrimp and Grits Florentine
Serves 2

1/2 lb medium uncooked, peeled and deveined shrimp (I used wild  pategonia pink)
Cajun seasoning (a blend of cayenne, smoked paprika, garlic, thyme and oregano)
Salt and pepper
2 T butter
6ox fresh baby spinach
1 1//2 c half and half
1 c grits
3 c water

Season shrimp liberally with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.

In skillet, melt butter over medium high heat, then sauté shrimp until done, turning once, about 5-7 min total. Remove to a bowl.

In same skillet, sauté spinach until wilted. Add half and half to skillet, and keep on low while making grits.

In large pot, combine grits, salt, pepper, and water and whisk well. Cook over medium heat, whisking regularly, until thick. Be careful of spitting as it thickens! It burns!

To serve, put grits in bowl. Top with spinach, cream sauce, and shrimp. I sprinkled a little Old Bay on top to be pretty!

Instant Pot Pumpkin Pasta

I’ve been making Pumpkin Pasta for a long time. And tonight I finally adapted it to be a one pot instant pot meal. 

One pot, Instant Pot Pumpkin Penne 

1lb sage breakfast sausage (or 1lb ground pork*)

1lb penne

1 12oz can evaporated milk

1 15oz can pure pumpkin

1 1/2 t sage

1/2 t garlic

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste*

Parmesan cheese to taste

In 6qt instant pot, cook sausage/pork on medium sauté until cooked thru. Remove to a plate, and drain and drippings. 

Add 4.5 cups water and 1lb penne to pot. Seal lid and pressure cook on high for 0 minutes (yes, zero. That is how long I’ve come up with thru trial and error, starting with 4 minutes, which was waaayyyy to soft). Let NPR for 10 min, then QPR. Remove lid when pin drops and steam is done. 

Quickly stir in the evaporated milk and let rest a few minutes to absorb. Add pumpkin, sage, salt, pepper, garlic and red pepper flakes. If still too runny, turn pot on low sauté for a few minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning. Stir in Parmesan and serve. 

*You will need more seasoning if you use pork instead of sausage. 

This recipe is adapted from Rachael Ray’s Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pasta-with-pumpkin-and-sausage-recipe-1939614.amp

Farro Stroganoff

I bought some farro at Trader Joe’s, and thought about what I wanted to do with it. It has a meaty texture, so I wanted something meaty. This stroganoff mash up seemed just right.

The ground pork I buy is leaner than ground beef that is twice the price, so I did not need to drain fat. If you use beef, you may need to drain fat when you remove the meat from the pot. 

Farro stroganoff

2 T oil

1/2 bag chopped onions

1 pkg sliced mushrooms 

1/2 t thyme

Salt and pepper

1/2 c dry sherry

1 lb ground pork (or lean beef)

2 T butter

1 pkg (8.8oz) Trader Joe’s 10min Farro

2 c water

8 oz sour cream

Worcestershire sauce

Heat oil in 6qt instant pot. Add onions and cook onions until soft. And mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook until liquid evaporates and veggies brown. Add thyme and sherry, cook until wine evaporates, scraping brown bits up. Remove from pot. 

Add pork to pot and cook with salt and pepper. Remove. 

Melt butter and cook farro for a few minutes to toast. Add water and stir up any brown bits. Add pork and veggies on top, don’t stir. Place lid on pot, seal, and cook on high pressure 5 min, then npr 5 min. Release remaining pressure and open pot.

Stir up pork, veggies, and farro. Stir in sour cream and Worcestershire sauce to taste (7-10 shakes). Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve. 

chicken coconut curry

I made a yummy yellow coconut curry with chicken and potatoes last night. After browsing Pinterest for recipes, I made up my own. 

*****

Yellow Coconut Curry with Chicken and Potatoes

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp curry powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 onion, diced (unused a bag of frozen diced onions)

3 Yukon gold potatoes, skin on, cut in large bite size pieces

2 cans regular coconut milk

2 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces 

2 cups instant rice

Melt oil in large skillet with a lid and add curry powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for a minute, then add onion. Cook until soft. 

Add potatoes and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, or until potatoes are almost tender. Add chicken and simmer another 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thru and potatoes are completely tender. 

Add rice, bring to a simmer, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit 5-10 minutes, or until rice is cooked thru. 

*****

The only changes we would make would be to only use 2 potatoes and to add 8oz baby carrots, cut in half on a bias, with the potatoes. Also add a cup of hot water with the rice so there is a looser sauce. 

I served this with a chenin blanc/viognier blend, Mbali, from Trader Joe’s. Bon appetit!

Copy cat recipe

Recently, Jack in the Box has had a yummy snack...wakey bakey hash browns. Hash browns topped with a bacony, garlicky, cheese sauce and a fried egg. I decided to try making it for dinner.

I found a super easy cheese sauce recipe that you can make in the microwave (or a double boiler, tho it's intended for the micro). Three simple ingredients: 8oz shredded cheese, 4t corn starch, and a cup of evaporated milk. Mix cheese and starch in a large bowl (I like a glass pie plate), pour milk over, and nuke in 2-3 minute intervals, whisking in between, until melted and thick. Done! The recipe calls for cheddar. The first time I made it for another recipe, I used swiss. This time I used Kraft smoky bacon cheddar shredded cheese. Here's the link for the recipe https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/3-ingredient-cheese-sauce#reviews

The hash brown patties have so much oil in them, I just dry fried them in a non stick skillet. Pushed them to the side when they were about done and fried a couple eggs over medium. Put the hash browns on a plate, top with eggs, then cheese sauce. Yummy!

The picture isn't very colorful, but shows the yumminess. Enjoy!

Some meaningful memes and quotes

I've seen these on Facebook recently, and they struck home. So I thought to gather them all here.

Ripple post 2

I didn't work on the blanket yesterday, as I ran some errands and had dinner out before picking up my daughter at a friends house. 

Today, while she and her BFF play Minecraft at the library, I sat and read and crocheted. Initially I had some difficulty, as I was just starting the second row, and couldn't get the ripples to match. So I reread the pattern, and discovered I hadn't put the last stitch in the first row that I should have. Once that was done, easy peasy. I am now about 2/3 thru the second row. 

The second row is the glittery moonstone. Then I will do two more rows of the silver heather. It is kind of the base color for the blanket. With the second row, the ripples are more noticeable. Cool 😊