November 13, 2011

Company’s coming

Do you get stressed before company comes and not know where to turn?  The following are a few easy things I do to remove steps from my day before company arrives that allow me more time to be present for friends and family upon arrival.
Day 1: Tacos.  The dish I made for the first night is a variation on traditional tacos.

And Mary said: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in god my Savior, because He has looked with favor on the humble condition of His slave…. Luke 1:46-48

Preparing ahead of time.  In life and with company meals, preparation ahead of time  allows  me to magnify Him to others, saving me time in the kitchen for time with family and friends.  I am prepared to be present.

Cook up a pot of black beans and a separate pot of rice 1-2 days before. The rice and beans both have standard recipes on the side of the bags. I follow those directions  and add a little e.v.o.o. and butter to both as they simmer.  Store cooked beans and rice in the refrigerator.
The day before cook up about 3 lbs. of carne picada or other meat of your choice sliced extra thin, seasoning to taste.  I boil mine in a cup of water and drain off before adding one small can of Rotel tomatoes and green chilis, and a nice dose of garlic powder, salt and pepper.

On the day of their visit, buy fresh ingredients:fof

Bag of limes

2 bags of cilantro

4-5 tomatoes

1 head of garlic

1 onion

fresh tortillas….watch for carts rolling into the bread aisle

1 head of lettuce

1 c of apple butter

Plate cilantro into a bowl tearing off leaves gently.  Slice limes in half and place on a small cutting board leaving a few whole for guests.

Make your pico-de gallo.  Finely chop tomatoes, garlic and onion, add salt, pepper and jalapeno pepper to taste…squeeze four to five limes and toss thoroughly.  Add some chopped cilantro.  Chill several hours covered before dinner.

Toss 1 c of apple butter  into carne picada and serve on a heated platter (hearth or oven works well)

Slice lettuce very thin and place on the table, along with your chilled pico- de gallo, tortillas, beans, rice and carne picada. Your feast is ready and your guests will enjoy your company as you join them at the table instead of speaking to them from your kitchen.

I would have missed the neighborhood girls and their four cans of empty shaving cream (pictured above) if I had stayed in the kitchen all evening.

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November 11, 2011

What to do when the flu hits…

I heard, and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Rottenness entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Now I must quietly wait for my day of distress to come against the people invading us.  Habakkuk 3:16 HCSB

My morning began with stubbing my pinky toe on a chair in the living room. Leaping to the sofa yelping and seeing blood trickle across my toes. My daughter  very softly and asks “Mom are you ok?”
Every fiber in my body seemed to hurt and I simply wanted to crawl back in bed. I did not know it, but my balance was off because the flu had hit our house. The  invaders were the viruses from the Mucinex commercial. We had gone to bed very late the night before, our throats were sore and we could not sleep. It hurt to swallow. I drove my daughter to school thinking in my head she should have stayed home, and praying she would decide to care for herself and call. I looked at her as she exited the vehicle and said “I love you honey call if you need anything.”

My one day off all week I dragged a huge basket of laundry next to the sofa and proceeded to fold laundry while lying down.  Folding was a bit tricky and placing the piles so they would not fall was unsuccessful as they slipped off the back off the sofa.  The phone rang.  Our daughter was coming home.

If you are swept off your feet, its time to get on your knees.  Fred Beck

Somehow a jolt of strength whipped into me as I stripped down her bed and blankets to give her clean sheets and warm blankets to crawl into.  Where did my strength come from?

My lips quiver with fear. my legs give way beneath me and I shake in terror.  Habakkuk 3:16 TLB

My flesh had no strength… I ached, but on my knees before the Lord he poured into me.

 

 

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September 5, 2011

Dark Chocolate Brownies

Happy Labor Day Everyone!

This should be your ambition: to live a quiet life, minding your own business and doing your own work.

1 Thessalonians 4:11 TLB

(I keep this tucked in my pocket at work and it has been very helpful over the years.)

The base of this recipe comes from the “Joy of Cooking”. I received it from my Aunt Bernice as a wedding shower gift 25 years ago. I love the inscription inside….

A well prepared meal, graciously served will be helpful to Todd’s Air Force career.

This note will make a few of you gasp, but my Aunt was correct in coaching me. She was a great cook, I can still taste and see her crepes stacked 12 high with chocolate in between each one.  She was a Nurse anesthetist in the  Navy and married in her 50′s to our beloved Uncle Fred.  If you do not own the “Joy of Cooking” click on the GFCF Lady link on this website and order one from Amazon.

Turn to page 701 and use Brownies Cockaigne as your guide.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and get started early in the morning.  We have had over 70 days over 100 degrees and today is our first day we have been able to open the windows here in Texas.  (I have made dinner very early each morning and setting in the fridge given the extreme heat later in the day.)

In a double boiler melt 1 stick of unsalted butter, 4 tbsp. of evoo, 12 tbsp. of Hershey’s Unsweetened Cocoa and whisk till smooth.  Set aside to cool.

Beat 4 eggs and 1/4 ts. salt till light and frothy.

Add 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar and blend gently with a spatula.

Add 1 cup of flour, folding in carefully and taking the time not to over mix.

Bake in a 9 * 13 for 22-25 minutes.

The taste is not sweet and is a delightfully dark.

Serve in very small square servings with petite glasses of milk on a serving tray for your guests or family.

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August 5, 2011

Huguenot Torte

Our daughter returned from spending most of June in Europe, seeing a few cathedrals along the way.  When she returned we headed straight for the beach for time with family.  Each of the cousins took turns sharing their summer adventures on designated nights, and for our daughter’s special evening I whipped up a light, sweet, summer dessert called a Huguenot Torte, inspired by her visit to France, and with consideration of another cousin’s Huguenot heritage (French Huguenots of the 1700s were a severely persecuted Protestant people under Catholic  France for thefoftheir Reformation theology, an irony not lost on this Iowa raised Catholic).

Enjoy this Midwestern twist on an old Southern favorite, and while you do, remember that the religious freedoms we now enjoy were paid for by people of faith who came before us.

Tread carefully…

Step one:

Candied Pecans

Heat skillet to very hot, place two handfuls of pecans and one cup of sugar.  Keep a wooden spoon stirring and start lightly spraying with water.  Watch closely as the pecans carmelize and lower the heat slowly.  The whole process is very quick keep watching closely and stirring.  Place candied pecans on marble to cool.

4 eggs

3 cups of Splenda  ( A couple of people at the beach house were watching sugars and this substitution was not noticed by anyone to my great surprise)

8 -10 tbsp. flour

5 tsp. baking powder    ( you may also use 1/4 tsp. of baking soda and 5/8 tsp. creme of tartar for each tsp.) for leavening agent

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cups of chopped apples/ 1 cup of chopped pears

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine everything in blender, but fold in apples and pears,  pour into a 9 * 13 pan.

Place candied pecans in a bag and hammer into broken pieces.  Toss pieces gently on top the batter.  Place in oven for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

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July 7, 2011

Camille Southard’s Brazillian Chicken

10 Chicken Breasts

Brown long grain rice (6 c of rice and 12 cups of water)

2 large onion diced

2 clove of garlic

Red Wine Vinegar ( 1/2 bottle)

1 c of white wine

6 limes juiced

1 bunch of cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

Mrs. Dash

evoo

Saute diced onions and garlic in evoo.  Plate and save onions and garlic in a bowl.  Slice chicken breasts in half and pound till tenderized.  Fry chicken on medium high in evoo till a crusty brown forms on the bottom of a pan.  While chicken is frying, heat water in a tea kettle till boiling.  Pour 1 c of sizzling water onto pan leaving chicken in pan and scrape all browned substance ( deglazing the pan). Pour onions and garlic back into pan, add a liberal dose of Mrs. Dash. Salt and pepper to taste. Add Red Wine Vinegar and 1 c of white wine and 1/2 c of boiling water.  Squeeze lime juice in last.  Simmer on medium low for 6o minutes.   Save chicken broth to serve over chicken and rice.

Rice preparation:

Saute 1 c chopped onions and 4 cloves of garlic finely chopped in evoo browning just a tiny bit and pour dry rice on top and crisp rice for 3-4 minutes.  Add 12 cups of Rachel Ray’s chicken broth ( at a roaring boil) a terrible noise will occur ~ use care not to get burned.  Simmer rice 50 minutes.

Serves 15

 

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July 7, 2011

Thai Green Curry and Shrimp by Bri

A frequently asked question when we are at the beach house is how do feed such a large crew of people?  We all pitch in and everyone brings their game when it is there night to cook.  No one rides the pine at the beach.  Husbands and wives all have a dish they are known for and creating new dishes is a very important part of the beach cuisine nightly fare.  Where else can you test drive an experimental dish, but with family.

We try to pack as many veggies as we can into every meal. Brian’s latest creation with a twist of Thai.

2 heads of Bok choy, chopped into fairly large pieces

2 leeks, cleaned and chopped into fairly large pieces (1-2 inches)

1 bunch of cilantro (use about 2 cups)

1 bunch of spinach

1 bunch of basil (use about 2 tbsp)

1 red chili, finely chopped

6 limes quartered to squeeze a little zing onto the finished product

1 yellow onion

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped (or minced garlic in a jar 3 tbsp)

1-2 lbs of shrimp

1 small jar of green curry paste by taste of Thai

2 cans of coconut milk

Step One ~ 6 cups of uncooked white rice/ 12 cups of water bring to boil, place lid on top and simmer 20 minutes.  (Perfect match to pour Bok choy and shrimp)

Cover pan bottom with evoo and bring up to a sizzle when you toss a water drop onto the pan.  Begin with onion, Leeks and garlic sautéing till golden in 4 tbsp of Olive oil. Place all remaining vegetables into walk with the Coconut milk and green curry paste into the wok or electric skillet and watch closely.   After veg’s have softened and are cooked in the curry mix, add the shrimp, cilantro and basil for a few minutes until shrimp turns pink.  Be careful to not overcook the shrimp.   Server over rice….drench the rice with the curry sauce.  Yum yum.

Serves 15

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June 16, 2011

Red Velvet Cake

I’ve been making this cake for twenty-five years now.  The cake seems to take on a life of its own and will improve every time you attempt to make this grand and elegant southern favorite.  It has long been my husband’s and father-in-law Lee’s  favorite  birthday cake.  This cake takes time, focus and a clear head, so I set two days aside to prepare the cake in stages, making room on my calendar to do so.    Do not try to answer the phone, text, answer the doorbell or multitask in any way shape or form while in process.   

                        

                                                       fof                            

The original recipe was from Marilyn Southard,  my mother-in-law, a wonderful Southern lady from Alexandria, Virginia who last year went home to be with the Lord.  Red Velvet is her birthday cake legacy.  She always made delicious desserts, and whether we traveled to the  mountains, or the beach she talked about her great love of God as we talked, laughed and cried together while cooking for our family.    As great a cook and mother/mother-in-law as she was, I remember her most for her faith in the Lord, strength of character, and her exemplary work ethic without sacrificing anything of her femininity, power and sense of style. For me she defined what it means to live well for the Lord.

Here’s my recipe:

1/2 c shortening                                                                           2 oz. red food color

1 1/2 c sugar                                                                                   2 T. cocoa

2 eggs                                                                                                  1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. salt                                                                                           1 tsp. soda

1 c buttermilk                                                                                  1 T. vinegar

2 1/2 c. sifted cake flour

Frosting

10 T. flour                                                                                          2 c. sugar

2 c. sweet milk                                                                                 2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. butter

Cream shortening, sugar.  Add and beat eggs, add salt, buttermilk and cake flour.  Make a paste of food coloring, cocoa and vanilla and beat into batter.  Mix in at last-minute, but (do not beat): soda and vinegar.  Bake in 2 layers at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Frosting : Cook flour and milk over medium heat until thick.  Chill.  Cream butter and sugar. Add chilled paste along with vanilla.  Beat until fluffy.  Ice cooled cake.

I made this frosting for ten years the wrong way, mistaking “sweet milk” to be sweetened condensed milk.  I couldn’t understand why I had to pat it on in handfuls untill Marilyn, walked me through the recipe very slowly and caught my error.  Turns out “Sweet milk” is a southern expression for whole milk where she grew up.  The two of us would chat throughout the two days leading up to my husbands birthday and although she is in heaven I like to think she can hear my thoughts as I continue to chat  with her.  That’s my hope anyway.  She’s probably busy singing Handel’s Messiah with the angels, but pretty sure Jesus let her know I was making her cake.

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