This Week's Menu 4/30/12

Monday - Zucchini-Tomato Gratin,  Salad

Tuesday - Asian Beef Skewers, Asian Slaw with Peanut Ginger Dressing

Wednesday - Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken, Corn on the Cob

Thursday - Spinach Ricotta Shells with Slow Roasted Grape Tomatoes

Friday - Pizza Bianca with Chicken, Caramelized Onions, and Fontina

Saturday - Grilled Steak Tacos with Avocado Salsa, Black Beans, Lime Cilantro Rice

Sunday - Sauteed Chicken Paillards with Herb Salad and White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Boberry Biscuits

Bojangles is a chain on the East Coast in 10 states famous for their chicken and biscuits.  They have a particularly delicious biscuit called the Boberry biscuit.  The Boberry biscuit is an ultra-sweet biscuit with "blueberries" and icing on top.  It is totally calorie and fat loaded, but so worth it.  When I moved out west, I was sad to learn that the Boberry biscuit and I would have to part. Rather than do without entirely, I figured out how to make a better-than-original facsimile and use real blueberries. My version is a lightly sweetened biscuit studded with fresh blueberries . To add a layer of flavor, I brush it with a cinnamon-nutmeg mixture. After they cool slightly, I drizzle them with a creamy frosting.  They are to die for.

Blueberry Biscuits
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
zest of 1 lemon
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup blueberries

Cinnamon-Nutmeg Topping
1/2 stick butter, melted
3 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Cream Icing
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. whipping cream

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest, salt, and baking soda. Cut in the shortening until the mixture is like small peas.  In a small bowl, beat the egg into the buttermilk..  Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour. Gently stir in the blueberries. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pat dough gently until 1/2" thick. Cut with a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter.
Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes. Stir the Cinnamon Nutmeg Topping ingredients together and brush over the warm biscuits.  Let cool 5 minutes.  Whisk the icing ingredients together.  Drizzle over the biscuits and serve.

Notes:
Be careful when turning out the biscuit dough. Rough handling will pop the blueberries and turn your dough purple!  You can use frozen blueberries to make the shaping and cutting out of dough easier.

Southwest Corn Dip

Everyone needs a couple of go-to appetizers that you can pull together quickly.  I shared one of my super easy favorites with you, Herbed Goat Cheese Spread a while back and thought I'd share this one, as well.  It's totally easy and guaranteed to be the star of your soiree. About 10 years ago, my husband and I were in a supper club.  One of the folks brought a warm corn dip as an appetizer.  Everyone went nuts over it, but alas, my friend would not share the recipe.  A few months later she served it at another party, and I was determined to recreate it myself. I made a few attempts and came up with this as the result.

I love this dip, because I always have the main ingredients on hand: jalapenos, corn, and cream cheese. It can be doubled or tripled easily and you can adjust the jalepenos to your own taste. I tend to jazz mine up by adding a little sauteed red bell pepper and garlic. You can leave those out, and it will still taste wonderful. Pop it in the oven for 15 minutes, and you're good to go. Serve the warm corn dip with thick corn chips. There won't be any left, I promise!

2 packages cream cheese, softened
2 cans Mexicorn or sweet corn, drained
1 can jalapenos, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced
olive oil
paprika

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese.  Stir in the drained corn and diced jalapenos. In a small skillet, saute the red pepper over medium heat until softened.  Add the garlic and saute one minute more.  Add the garlic and red pepper to the cream cheese mixture.  Mix well.  Spoon into a greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with paprika if desired.  Bake at 350 degrees or until heated through. Serve with chips.

Notes:
Adjust the jalapeno to your personal taste.

This is also awesome dusted with cumin rather than the paprika on top.

I typically use the reduced fat cream cheese and Mexicorn.

Due to the thickness of the dip, I use a really thick chip that won't break when dipping.  Fritos Scoops are perfect!

I sometimes make an extra batch so there will be leftovers.

This Week's Menu 4/23/12

Monday - Spinach Ricotta Calzones, Salad

Tuesday - Swiss Chard-Caramelized Onion Tacos

Wednesday - Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Artisan Bread

Thursday - Grilled Thai Beef Salad

Friday - Honey-Gingered Pork Tenderloin, Roasted Asparagus

Saturday - Barbecued Chicken, Corn on the Cob, Coleslaw

Sunday - Miso Glazed Salmon, Bok Choy

Raspberry-Peach Shortcakes

Who doesn't like shortcake? Anyone? Shortcakes are like a slightly sweet cousin to a southern biscuit. It doesn't really matter what fruit you choose to fill them with, biscuits' sweet relative is one of my favorite warm weather desserts. These shortcakes are quick and easy to make. You can roll them out or just drop them on the pan and bake them up real quick. I like to add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon to my dough and brush the tops with a warm butter-brown sugar-nutmeg mixture when they come out of the oven. I love them filled with strawberries, but I had some wonderful peaches on hand and thought they'd be perfect in the shortcakes with raspberries. I topped the fruit with fresh whipped cream, and a drizzle of melted Peach-Amaretto Jam that I preserved last summer. 

2 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. sugar
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbs. shortening, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup half and half

Shortcake topping
1 Tbs. melted butter
1 Tbs. brown sugar
Dash nutmeg

Fresh Whipped Cream
Sliced Peaches, sprinkled with sugar
Fresh Raspberries

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the butter and shortening. Stir in the half and half.  Do not over mix. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle with a little flour and gently knead a few times.  Pat dough out about 1/2-3/4 inch thick.  Cut with a round cutter. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. While the shortcakes are baking, mix the melted butter with the brown sugar and nutmeg . Brush warm shortcakes with shortcake topping. Split shortcakes and fill with peaches, berries, and whipped cream. Makes 8 shortcakes.

Notes:
You can mix your peaches with a little sugar if you like or just serve them plain. I love them to get a little syrupy and soak into the shortcake.   I also drizzled the fruit with a little Peach-Amaretto jam that I warmed.

I cut my shortcakes out with a 3-inch biscuit cutter.  To save time, you can drop the dough onto a baking sheet rather than kneading and cutting out the dough.

This Week's Menu 4/16/12

Monday - Spinach and Edamame Salad, Grilled Pork Chops

Tuesday - Marinated Lemon Chicken Breasts, Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday - Spanakopita Quiche, Orange Slices

Thursday - Brazilian Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Fruit Salad

Friday - Shrimp and Asparagus with Cheddar Grits, Spinach Salad

Saturday - Open-Face Italian Beef Sandwiches, Sweet Potato Fries

Sunday - Rice and Beans with Fried Eggs, Salad

Roasted Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chips

I always have bananas on hand.  Usually they are nice and yellow; but, inevitably, there are one or two that didn't get eaten and are turning brown.  No child of mine will touch them at that stage.  Anytime I find myself with a ripe banana on hand that everyone has rejected, I peel it and place the whole banana into a storage container in my freezer.  I keep a handful of frozen bananas in constant supply.  They are great for smoothies, banana bread, or one of our favorite breakfasts - Roasted Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chips.

Have you ever roasted bananas?  If you haven't, you have got to start.  First of all, they smell wonderful. Everyone will gather around wondering what deliciousness you have going on in the the oven. Second, roasting the bananas intensifies the banana flavor. YUUUUM! I pretty much roast bananas for any baked recipe that calls for bananas. I like to make these muffins in the morning as a breakfast surprise or as an after school treat.  If I am making them for breakfast, I roast the bananas the day before and stash them in the fridge until I am ready. A few seconds in the microwave will bring them to room temperature.

To roast bananas: Place the bananas in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of brown sugar. (I adjust the amount of brown sugar based on the number of bananas that I am roasting. One tablespoon is usually plenty for 4 bananas.) Top with 1-2 tablespoons of diced butter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
2 cups roasted bananas, mashed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.  Set aside. In a small bowl, mix the bananas, butter, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir gently, until just combined. The batter will be lumpy. Scoop batter into a greased muffin pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Let rest 3-4 minutes. Serve. Make 12 muffins.

Notes:
For tips on how to make perfect muffins, check out my January muffin post.

Roasted bananas are also awesome in banana bread and over ice cream with a little caramel. :)

Shrimp and Grits Pizza

This might sound weird to some, but I often wake up in the night with thoughts about food. The other night I woke up and wondered why there was no shrimp and grits pizza.  Shrimp and Grits is so good and pizza is, of course, fabulous.  So, why haven't the two met?  I set out to make that happen.  I toyed with the idea for two days. I decided that baked grits are basically firm polenta and if poured thinly could act as a crust.  I  toyed  with a marinara sauce, but I tossed out that idea.  I wanted it to have a light cream sauce that accented the shrimp, rather than overpowering them with a tomato-base.  It was a fun and tasty process.  I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think.

For the Grits Crust:
2 Tbs. butter
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup quick grits (not instant)
1 egg
1/3 cup cream
1 cup grated Gruyere, or sharp cheddar
3 or more shakes of hot sauce

Heat the butter, chicken stock, and salt in a medium saucepan until boiling.  Whisk in the grits. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Beat in the egg.  Stir in the cream and cheese. Add hot sauce to taste. Pour into round baking pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. (I used two tart-type baking dishes - a 10" and a 12" dish to get the grits thin-about 1/4"-1/2" deep.) Cook for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool.


For the shrimp & sauce:
1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
juice of one lemon
fresh black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (plus extra for serving)
Chopped fresh parsley

While the crust is cooling, heat olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Add the shrimp. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top of the shrimp and sprinkle with pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes per side, or until pink. Remove the shrimp. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic to the skillet and saute for 1 minute.  Add the wine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the cream.  Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat. Stir in the Parmesan.

Cut the grits into wedges. Top each wedge with a spoonful of sauce. Add a portion of the shrimp. Drizzle with additional sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.


Notes:
My pan looked like this once the grits were baked. Allow to cool and set up before cutting into wedges.

The end result!

Southern Barbecue Plate Tacos

Here in the south you can get your hands on a barbecue plate pretty easily. A barbecue plate typically has pulled pork barbecue, baked beans, and coleslaw.  A pickle and some type of bread is also included.  When I make barbecue, I always have enough for more than one meal.  I decided to put my leftover meal components into a taco to give it a new spin.

You can make your pork, beans and coleslaw from the recipes below or pick up the ingredients from your local barbecue joint. I started by heating the pulled pork with a little finely chopped jalapeno and warming the baked beans. To build the taco, place baked beans in the bottom of the taco shell.  Top with the pulled pork and coleslaw. Finish with a pickle and a drizzle of barbecue sauce.  I like mine really spicy.

Pulled Pork

My Aunt Julia's Baked Beans (the best!)

1 large onion, diced
1/2 medium bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
2 (16 oz) cans pork and beans
1/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup molasses, brown sugar or honey
1 Tbs. bacon drippings
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbs. mustard
dash of hot sauce

Saute the onion and bell pepper until tender.  Add the garlic and saute 1 minute more. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a casserole dish in which you have melted the bacon drippings. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. When beans are thick, turn oven off.  Leave beans in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.

Coleslaw You can up the southwest factor by adding pickled jalapeno and/or cilantro to your coleslaw.

This Week's Menu 4/9/12

Monday - Fajitas, Yellow Rice, Black Beans

Tuesday - Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Cauliflower Vindaloo

Wednesday - Salmon with Gingery Green Beans and Bok Choy

Thursday - Chicken Noodle Soup, Artisan Bread

Friday - Portabello Mushrooms with Creamy Spinach-Artichoke filling

Saturday - Quick Pad Thai, Tangerine Ice

Sunday - Turkey Burgers, Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Pecan Pie Banana Pudding

I call this a Southern Dessert Collision.  Part banana pudding, part pecan pie.  It's the Southern version of 'Death By Chocolate'.  You start off by making a custard...and don't even think about using a box of instant vanilla pudding.  The custard tempers the sweetness of the pecan pie and is softer and lighter than you could ever get from a box.  The pecan pie adds a hint of salt and butteriness from the pecans.  I saved the pecan pie crust to use on top because everyone knows the crust is the best part.  Since I made my own custard, I simplified the remainder of the recipe by using a store-bought pecan pie.

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks
3 1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
1 Tbs butter
4--5 bananas, sliced
1 8"--9" pecan pie (if frozen, allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour)
Small container whipped topping (I use homemade whipped cream)

In a medium sauce pan, place the sugar, cornstarch, egg yolks, and milk.  Heat over high heat stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil.  Let it boil for 1--2 minutes until the mixture thickens (continue to stir constantly).  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla bean paste and butter.  Allow to cool 10--15 minutes.

While the custard is cooling, remove the crust from the edges of the pie and set aside.  Cut the pie into small chunks.  (This will be sticky but worth it.)  In a trifle dish, place 1/3 of the custard.  Top with a layer of bananas.  Then top with a layer of pecan pie chunks.  Repeat two more times.  Top final layer with whipped topping and sprinkle with reserved pie crust pieces.

Refrigerate 3--4 hours until thoroughly chilled.  Enjoy, y'all!

This Week's Menu 4/2/12

Monday - Pork Kebabs with Squash and Greens

Tuesday - Soft Tacos with the Works

Wednesday  - Tortellini and Spring Vegetable Salad, Rolls

Thursday - Chicken Tenders Parmesan with Penne and Broccoli

Friday -  Sweet Potato Wraps with Caramelized Onion and Pesto

Saturday - Pizza Margherita, Ice Cream Sundaes

Sunday - Honey Baked Ham, Asparagus-Gruyere Quiche, Fruit Salad, Cheddar Biscuits, Strawberry Shortcake