Hearts to You

Atlanta Mom asked what I used to make my heart pancakes yesterday. I have these heart molds, which handily enough can be used for eggs as well as pancake batter. You can order them from Amazon.

Before you use them, spray them well with cooking spray. I am a total sucker for kitchen tools of all kinds, but these are particularly fun. I'm currently on the hunt for a shamrock for St. Patrick's Day - if any of you come across one, let me know! (I have learned the hard way - cookie cutters are no substitute for proper pancake molds, because there's no little cork-covered handle that allows you to pick them up in order to flip the pancake.)

I Think I Love You

Hello readers! (If any of you are left...it's been so long since I blogged that I actually forgot my password to sign on here. 2 cups of coffee later it came to me...perhaps I should write these things down.)

I thought it would be fun, since I do love food so much, to restart the blog on a day of love. I will admit a slight obsession with making sure my boys have a hot, healthy breakfast on school mornings. We do a lot of oatmeal, french toast, bagel sandwiches, but their current favorite breakfast is pancake sandwiches. I make a huge batch of silver dollar sized pancakes and freeze them. In the morning, they take just 45 seconds in the microwave, get a big smear of peanut butter, and voila, a hot breakfast in less than a minute.

This morning, in honor of Valentine's Day, I made heart-shaped pancakes with peanut butter. HUGE hit.

Here's the recipe I use to make a big batch of pancakes for freezing:

1) Whisk together:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

6 Tablespoons sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2) In a separate bowl, whisk together:

3 cups milk (I use 2%)

6 Tablespoons melted butter

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk together until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, or your pancakes will be dense little discs. Heat griddle, melt butter, and cook your pancakes. Enjoy!

Another Leave of Absence!

Hello readers, I am taking another temporary leave of absence from the blog. Life is so crazy that blogging has become another thing on my to-do list, instead of a creative outlet, so I've got to call it quits for the time being. I'll be back at some point.

Oh What A Beautiful Morning

I have had the most fabulous accidental morning. I forgot to set my alarm last night. Usually this is not a big deal, because I either wake up on my own when it would normally go off, or DH's alarm wakes me up. I like to get up a solid 45 minutes before the kids do, so I have time to get myself dressed, start their breakfasts, and have a moment to savor a cup of coffee before chaos reigns. No such luck this morning - I didn't wake up until I heard the pitter patter of little boy feet on the stairs. Yikes!! Let me tell you, there is nothing like an extra 45 minutes of sleep and the shot of adrenaline you get when you realize you've overslept to knock you into high gear.

And here's the best part: Carpool Mom was driving this morning. Usually I drive on Thursdays, but this has been a juggling week for her, so she was taking the kids in. This meant that not only did I have 45 extra minutes of sleep this morning, I also had a full extra hour to do what ever I wanted before sitting down to work. Let me tell you, once I got those kids out the door, I have been a crazy woman. I changed the duvet cover on the guest bed. I straightened some bookshelves that have been bothering me. I started laundry. I made beds. I packed up summer clothes and put them away. I put away dishes, wiped down counters, and responded to some overdue emails. Now a quick blog post. All without a second cup of coffee. Whew! I'm going to wear myself out.
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Our family is a big group of lasagna fanatics. I make 3 different versions, depending on what we're in the mood for. I've blogged spinach lasagna before, which is my go to version when I'm on a This Family Has Got To Eat More Veggies kick. I also have my mother-in-law's lasagna recipe, which is a classic, hearty, meaty version (I promise to post it down the road). And we love (of course) Ina Garten's turkey sausage lasagna. That's the one I made last week, and we dove into it so fast I didn't get to take a picture of it before it was cut. Which I do realize makes it appear as if I've posted a picture of our dirty dishes, instead of our fabulous dinner. Sorry. Here's the recipe. It does wonderfully if you make it the day before, and I've also made it ahead and frozen it (before baking). Love it love it.

Turkey Lasagna
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree (I like Muir Glen or Cento)
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (Fresh mozzarella can be tricky to slice. I've learned that a long serrated bread knife does the best job, just saw it back and forth very gently rather than trying to cut straight down. You'll get gorgeous thin slices this way.)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork (I find it helpful to break it up with my fingers first a bit, before adding it to the pan), for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (Tip: The recipe will use 9 lasagna noodles. When you're prepping the noodles, put 2-3 extra in the hot water in just in case one tears or you have a corner of the pan that needs a little more noodle.)

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

Kiss My Grits!

I don't know what to do with myself. After school activities are in full swing now, and Mondays is karate day. The beauty of karate day is that our oldest takes karate at school. Which means no rushing to the car pool line and then rushing somewhere else (it also means his poor little brother is stuck in aftercare for a while longer, but an extra hour of playground time never hurt a kid). Which also means I have an entire extra hour on Mondays to do something incredibly productive, like write a blog post.

When I was in Atlanta last week (and DH and the kids were eating bagels for dinner), Atlanta Mom and I made this shrimp and grits recipe. Let me just say, I am a total and complete shrimp and grits snob. It's amazing how many people get it flat out wrong, and try to turn it into something fancy. But leave it to Paula Deen, she of Savannah fame, to get it just right. This is the perfect shrimp and grits recipe, quite possibly the best I've ever had. Sorry no picture - we inhaled it so fast no one thought to document it.

Shrimp and Creamy Cheddar Grits
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (might want to make it 7 slices if you can't help yourself from snacking on it once it's sitting there on the counter, all chopped and tantalizing...)
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (Atlanta Mom got Paula's recommended Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, and it had some serious kick to it. We decided we might dial this back a bit next time.)
1/2 cup dry white wine (Whatever you're drinking that night)
1 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (wild caught, not farmed!)
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives (I think we left these off. We didn't miss them.)
Creamy cheddar grits (recipe follows)

Cook your bacon, set aside. Once it cools, chop it up and force yourself not to just eat it then and there. Drain the pain, leaving about 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the pan. Add peppers, garlic, and Creole seasoning, and cook 2 minutes. Add wine, cook 2 more minutes. Make sure heat is on medium-high, and add the shrimp until pink and firm. Do not over cook! They should take about 2-3 minutes to cook. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and chives. Serve over cheddar grits and sprinkle with the bacon. Delish!

Cheddar grits
32 ounces chicken broth (either a box of Kitchen Basics, or your own homemade, if you have it)
1 cup water
1 cup stone ground white grits (All Southern cooks have their favorites; I love Bob's Red Mill Grits) (Do not use instant or any kind that are not stone ground.)
1 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups shredded extra sharp white cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (Paula calls for white pepper, which is very popular when you use the white cheddar cheese with the grits, but I don't think it makes a bit of difference in cooking and wouldn't buy some just for this. Regular black pepper is fine.)

In a medium saucepan, combine chicken broth and water, bring to a boil. Add grits, stir until combined. Return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for an hour. Stir in half-and-half, cook for 45 minutes or until desired consistency. Remove from heat, add cheese, butter, and pepper. Stir well. Ladle into bowls, top with the shrimp, and ENJOY.

The Best Laid Plans

Dear Readers, I really, really do try to be consistent about my posting. My goal is always to post at least twice each week, and three times if I'm feeling especially verbose. But little things like work, sweet boys, DH, errands, household chores, socializing, and exercising always seem to get in the way of sitting down and writing about food.

This week is a classic example of the days getting away from me. For those of you eagerly following my menu planning, here's what the week was supposed to look like:
Sunday: Chicken stew with biscuits
Monday: Leftovers (chicken stew is even better the next day!)
Tuesday: Pan fried flounder, green beans, rice (or, in cold weather, chili on rice or baked potatoes)
Wednesday: Spinach lasagna
Thursday: Steaks, salad, potatoes (with hot dogs for the kiddos)
Friday: Pizza night

Here's what it really looked like:
Sunday: I left for Atlanta to work there for a couple days this week. DH fed the kids cereal for dinner.
Monday: Still in Atlanta. DH fed the kids bagels for dinner.
Tuesday: Walk in the door from Atlanta just in time for dinner. Thank goodness for my mother, who stopped by earlier in the day and put a casserole in the oven for us.
Wednesday: No one has gone to the grocery store for a week. The kids had waffles for dinner. DH had a peanut butter sandwich. I abandoned them all again and ate dinner with my book club.
Thursday: Today. Still no grocery store run. Thankfully we got a farmbox delivery today, so we at least have a few vegetables in the house and a nice fresh loaf of ciabatta bread. I hear a frittata calling our names...
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I am SO behind on posting recipes, and I have some good ones lined up! This one is from our friend (and one of my husband's partners) Jennifer. It is FABULOUS. She served this at a dinner party a few weeks ago with rice, roasted asparagus, and salad. So amazingly yummy.

Shrimp Dejonghe (a family favorite for at least 40 years now)

2 cups white bread crumbs
2-4 cloves garlic, minced (I use 4)
1/3 cup chopped parsley with extra set aside for garnish
1 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Dash cayenne pepper
2/3 cup cooking sherry
7-8 cups shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off (approximately 4 lbs)

Boil shrimp until just done (Editorial note: that should be no more than 3 minutes at the most) and spread on the bottom of a greased baking dish. Set aside.

Melt butter. Add garlic, parsley, paprika, cayenne pepper, and sherry. Mix well. Add breadcrumbs to the liquid mixture at the last minute. Toss gently with hands (do not stir with spoon because it will make the mixture too "pasty.") Spread this mixture on top of the boiled shrimp. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley toward the end of the baking.

I usually do all of the chopping by hand just for the joy of preparing and cooking food but it can be easily and quickly done with the aid of a food processor if you're in a hurry. Just do the breadcrumbs first to keep them dry as long as possible.

Enjoy!

Week 4, Out the Door

Um, hello? Where did this week go? Here it is Thursday night, and I swear just a second ago it was last week. Labor day weekend totally threw me off, and this week has flown by (perhaps I should pretend I have another vacation coming up in a few weeks - that made time come to a screeching halt).

That means this post is too late to do anyone any good if you were hoping for dinner ideas for this week. Sorry. But now you've got a menu planned just in time for next week!

Here's what we did this week:

Sunday (a Labor day cookout, but since all of this can be made ahead of time, this is actually a great weeknight menu plan): Ribs, potato salad (since my sister-in-law and her family were visiting I made her mother's famous potato salad, but if it were a regular week I'd just do baked potatoes), green salad, watermelon

Monday: Shrimp stir fry (this was a new recipe for me and we loved it, I'll post it before too long)

Tuesday: I don't know what we did Tuesday. It was a blur. Seriously, I can't remember any details of that day, even though it was just 2 days ago. I'd be more concerned if only I could remember to be. My menu plan says we were supposed to have chicken burritos but I do feel fairly confident we didn't.

Wednesday: Lasagna, salad (another one that's easy to make ahead of time and just pop in the oven) (I have lots of lasagna recipes. One of our very favorite foods. I'll post these soon, as well. Wow, I'm feeling behind.)

Thursday: More lasagna. It's a big recipe. More salad.

Friday: Pizza night!
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I am well behind on my posting. Stay tuned for more...