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Deconstructed Shrimp & Grits {one small bite at a time}
Deconstructed Shrimp & Grits ~ One small bite at a time. I’m not sure where to begin with this one. I was fumbling around the kitchen one Saturday afternoon, clearly making no headway on dinner. An ensuing melt-down in the making (doesn’t happen often but apparently there are precursors). To head it off, I was given a challenge. “Forget dinner. You have one hour to create an appetizer, something you’ve never made before. Then we’ll decide about dinner.”
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French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese Sandwich
A French Onion Soup Grilled Cheese Sandwich didn’t seem quite as crazy as my Spaghetti & Meatball Grilled Cheese Sandwich last week. Boy did I catch some flack for that one from the healthy-eating police.
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Dark & Stormy Cocktail {and Night}
The Dark & Stormy Cocktail. I was driving to work this morning listening to the radio when I detected a bit of excitement in the weatherman’s voice. The kind he gets when a storm is brewing. It’s the start of tornado season and the weather conditions are just right for late afternoon thunderstorms. He cautioned his radio audience….be prepared for a Dark & Stormy Night on your evening drive home.
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Cheez-It Crusted Buffalo Chicken Fingers
Cheez-It Crusted Buffalo Chicken Fingers The allure of Chicken Fingers….what a powerful thing.
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Sage Roasted Chicken & Sausage {with Potatoes & Onions}
Lemony Thyme is certainly a favorite herb around here, but her sister Sage is a close second. I love this recipe from Nigella Lawson for Sage and Onion Roasted Chicken & Sausage. We’ve lightly adapted it to use boneless chicken breasts, turkey sausages, and we include potatoes to round out the dish.
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Herbed Potato Pancakes {with Fried Eggs}
The key to really good Potato Pancakes is starting with really good mashed potatoes. THE BEST Mashed Potatoes. Hand mashed boiled potatoes with roasted garlic, buttermilk, fresh herbs, butter, salt and pepper turn into bites of heaven. So naturally these Herbed Potato Pancakes are quite heavenly themselves.
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Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Tips on Making Great Mashed Potatoes The type of potato is a matter of personal preference, we often make mashed out of bakers, all types work. Plan on a 1/2 lb. per person. Peel them or not, depends on whether you want a rustic or smooth finish. Cut them or not, the key is they need to be similar in size for consistent cooking time. If you peel them, cover them in cold water right away. Then drain them right before cooking and add fresh water (this gets rid of excess starch). Boil them gently until just fork tender (stick a fork in one, you should be able to lift it out…
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Maple-Brined Grilled Pork Chops
Maple-Brined Grilled Pork Chops B is for Braising in our house, but also for Brining, especially when it comes to Pork Chops. It you want moist, tender, juicy pork chops take the extra time to give them a nice soak in a brining liquid. For some quick tips on Brining Basics click here. Our standard brining-method goes something like this…
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Brining Basics
If you’re planning on throwing chicken or pork chops on the grill this weekend, consider giving them a flavor and moisture boost. Brining is an age old way of convincing your meat that it wants to hang on to it’s moisture. To Make a Basic Brine ~ Use a 1/2 cup of kosher salt for every quart of water (if you’re using table salt, reduce by half). You want only enough brine to cover the meat, so choose a plastic or glass container just large enough to hold your meat which reduces the amount of brine required. Bring the water, salt, and any additional flavor infusion (see below) to a boil, then…
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Spaghetti & Meatball Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Call me crazy, but when I have leftover Spaghetti & Meatballs I’m looking for bread and butter so I can make a sandwich. Picked this up as a kid and it has stuck with me ever since. National Grilled Cheese Month seemed like the perfect time to share this little secret of mine. Welcome the Spaghetti & Meatball Grilled Cheese Sandwich with fresh mozzarella & Parmesan cheese on a pesto chibatta roll. Ha!
