Grilling Time

With that headline, I'm sure you are expecting BBQ chicken or ribs or burgers or something equally yummy on the grill. I'm starting small with mushrooms. 

Why mushrooms you ask? They are yet something else I learned to like when I got older. I have had a lot of people poke fun at me for my weird food issues, but mushrooms remind me of a time where I had some fun of my own. The jerk that I'm thinking of this time used to just push my buttons for the sheer thrill of it. So, one night, we were playing the "What vegetables does Alyson eat?" game and yours truly belted out a convincing argument that mushrooms in fact a vegetable even though we all know they are a fungi. Boy did that irritate him! Anyone who knows me would have figured out pretty quick I was just sticking to this lame argument because I was getting a reaction. I just can't help myself - I have a sick sense of humor!

Ok, so back to my yummy mushrooms .....

Grilled Wild Mushrooms with a Teriyaki Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. fresh shitake mushrooms                    1/2 lb. fresh wild mushrooms        
10-12 scallions, cut into 1 1/2 in. lengths       bamboo skewers, soaked in cold water for 1 hr.

Dressing:
1/2 c. soy sauce                  1/3 c. rice wine          3 tbsp. water           2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. toasted sesame oil   1 1/2 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

Directions:

1. Trim the stems of the mushrooms, rinse lightly and drain thoroughly.
2. If the caps are particularly large, cut them in half.
3. Thread 2 mushrooms and 3 scallion sections alternately on each skewer, starting and ending with scallions.
4. Arrange skewers on a cookie sheet.
5. Combine the dressing ingredients in a saucepan.
6. Heat until boiling, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
7. Use 1/3 to liberally brush the mushrooms and scallions with the sauce.
8. Pour the remaining 2/3 in a serving bowl.
9. Once your grill is fired up, make sure the grate is about 3-4 inches from the heat.
10. Arrange the skewers and cook, turning frequently, about 4-5 minutes or until golden brown and slightly crisp at the edges.
11. Arrange on a serving platter and serve the dressing warm for dipping.

Now that the weather is nice, I'll be posting more grill recipes and fresh fruit desserts. There's nothing better. As always, have fun!

Strategic Cooking 101

By this point, you are probably thinking I'm crazy trying to tackle all of these recipes for one meal. But really think about it. It's not like you need to do all your prep work on Easter. You could boil your eggs the day before. The biscuits can be baked 1-2 days ahead of time. You can pre slice vegetables. You could even bake desserts ahead of time.  Just in case you are not a whiz at juggling that much, here's a recipe that you literally get your ingredients together, drop them in the crock pot and let it go.  And, truthfully, it helps make your house smell really good as guests arrive! 

Just remember not to let it all overwhelm you. Truly, recipes are one step at a time!

Ranch Potatoes

Ingredients:
6 bacon strips, chopped                                2 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, cubed        
8 oz. cream cheese, softened                      1 can cream of potato soup     
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix           1/4 c. milk  
3 tbsp. sliced green onions

Directions:

1. Cook bacon over medium heat until crisp.
2. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3. Drain drippings, reserving 1 tbsp. 
4. Place potatoes in slow cooker.
5. In a bowl, beat the cream cheese, soup, milk, dressing mix and reserved drippings.
6. Stir into potatoes.
7. Sprinkle with bacon.
8. Cook, covered, on low 7-8 hours or until tender.
9. Top with green onion.                                             

Back to Buffalo

I wasn't quite sure what to write about tonight. So, in keeping with the hot and spicy stuff, I'm treading back over a topic I've covered a few times. Buffalo stuff! I always disliked buffalo wings because they were too hot. I'm not sure what's changed in the last few years but I have learned to love the flavor. Obviously since I've got all sorts of recipes in this arena I suppose!

This time, we're going to cover a crispy chicken recipe that is punched up with hot sauce and some slaw on the side. Slaw is also another relatively new like of mine. I don't particularly like traditional slaw as it's too mayo heavy. I've found several variations of it and this particular one goes well with buffalo flavored stuff.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves                   3/4 tsp. salt                      1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese                                        1/4 c. hot pepper sauce    2 tbsp. mayo
1 c. crushed cornflakes

Directions:

1. Flatten chicken breast to 1/4 inch. 
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Sprinkle with blue cheese.
4. Roll up each from a short side and secure with toothpicks.
5. In a shallow bowl, combine pepper sauce and mayo.
6. Put cornflakes in a 2nd bowl.
7. Dip chicken in pepper sauce then coat with cornflakes.
8. Place seam side down in a greased 9x13 pan.
9. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 20-30 minutes.

Blue Cheese Slaw

Ingredients:

4 c. shredded green cabbage         4 c. shredded red cabbage        4 large carrots, shredded

Dressing:

1 c. mayo       2 tbsp. Dijon mustard     1 tbsp. stone ground mustard      1 tbsp. cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt    1/4 tsp. pepper               1 1/2 c. crumbled blue cheese    

1/4 c. minced parsley

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cabbages and carrots. (You could also just buy coleslaw mix to save time).
2. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, mustards, vinegar, salt and pepper. 
3. Pour over cabbage mixture - toss to coat.
4. Stir in cheese and parsley.
5. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

As always, have fun!

“Face it girls. I'm older and I have more insurance.”

Can anyone name the movie that gem is from? I sure can and so can one of my best friends in the whole world - Kerin. She thought I was crazy for asking what the most memorable line from the movie as but didn't question me too much. I guess that's 20+ years of friendship for you!

What could this possibly have to do with my food blog you ask? Also, a great question. Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my all time favorite movies and it always makes me think of Kerin as I know she loves it as much as I do...we certainly have watched it enough. By extension, when I first found a recipe for fried green tomatoes, I knew I had to try it. I had always wondered what the novelty was about green tomatoes and how anyone would want to eat a cooked tomato (remember my cooked veggie issues!). Now, when I make them, I not only think of the movie, but also Kerin! I'm big on associations like that whether it's food, or music or a movie.  I think I remember things a lot better when I associate them with positive memories.

Now, on to the important part:

Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:
1 egg                   1/2 c. buttermilk           1/2 c. flour          1/2 c. cornmeal        1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper     3 good sized green tomatoes                 vegetable oil          

Directions:

1. Combine egg and buttermilk.
2. Combine 1/4 c. flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper in a different bowl.
3. Dredge tomatoes in 1/4 c. flour then egg then cornmeal mixture.
4. Heat oil  in skillet to 375. 
5. Cook tomatoes for 2 minutes on each side.
6. Lay on paper towel to absorb excess oil before serving.

“It's funny, most people can be around someone and they gradually begin to love them and never know exactly when it happened; but Ruth knew the very second it happened to her. When Idgie had grinned at her and tried to hand her that jar of honey, all these feelings that she had been trying to hold back came flooding through her, and it was at that second in time that she knew she loved Idgie with all her heart.”  Over 20 years later and a simple tomato recipe can bring me right back to that moment. Go Egg Team!

As always, have fun!

Go New England!

Sorry to my Hoosier friends, but I am a New England girl at heart. Don't hate me too much. After a week of munchies: pizzas, dips and bite sized appetizers, I wanted to bring this blog around to something distinctly New England in honor of the Patriots. Honestly, I struggled. I don't like clam chowder. I am too cheap to have a good lobster recipe. I even checked for something Boston Cream pie related to no avail. 

So, I decided to go with flounder as it's a fish that I don't find as common out here in Indiana and, besides, seafood is always a New England thing!

Flounder with Shrimp Stuffing

Ingredients:

Fish:  1 1/2 lb. flounder fillets     5 tbsp. butter     2 tbsp. lemon juice     1 tsp. parsley
          1/2 tsp. paprika

Stuffing:  1 lb. uncooked shrimp, chopped     1/4 c. beef broth     1 tsp. pimento        
               6 tbsp. butter, cubed            1 small onion, chopped     1/4 c. bell pepper, chopped
               1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce     1/2 tsp. minced chives     1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
               1 1/2 c. bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a skillet, melt butter.
2. Add onion, and pepper - saute until tender.
3. Add shrimp and cook until pink.
4. Add broth, pimentos, worcestershire, chives and cayenne. Heat.
5. Take off the heat, add breadcrumbs.
6. Spoon about 1/2 c. stuffing on each fillet. Roll up.
7. Place seam side down in a greased 9x13 baking dish.
8. Drizzle with butter and lemon juice.
9. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika.
10. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 20-25 minutes, until fish flakes easily.

I always struggle with what the "right vegetable" to pair with different things. I'm certainly no gourmet chef but, for some reason especially with seafood, I just love a nice fresh vegetable on the side, not a starch like potatoes or rice.  And, of course, it can't be too mushy! If you time things right, you can cook this next recipe while your fish is in the oven so everything's fresh and ready to go.

Apple Green Bean Saute

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh green beans     1 apple, chopped     1/2 c. walnuts     1/2 c. honey

1 tbsp. oil                           sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Saute green bean and apple in oil.
2. Add walnuts - cook until vegetables are crisp tender.
3. Stir in honey.
4. Top with sesame seeds.

Patriots to win today and ....

As always, have fun!!