Butternut Squash Casserole

I love butternut squash and this time of year it is always in the grocery store. Last night I made this wonderful casserole and it was so simple. I roasted the whole squash in a 350º oven for about an hour. Slice the squash in half, throw away the seeds and remove the flesh with a spoon. Mash the flesh of the squash with 2 tbsp. of butter, 2 heaping spoonfuls of sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Put this mixture into a casserole dish and back into the oven for 20 minutes. That's it!

Snowy Comfort Meal

Sweet Missy playing in the snow by the light of a full moon.

Veal Piccata over fettucini


Last Thursday it snowed and snowed. It was absolutely beautiful! We all cuddled up by the fire and made Veal Piccata. My version of Veal Piccata anyways. I've never made veal before, and was quite skeptical, but it turned out great. Everyone loved it. Feel free to substitute chicken though if that would make you feel better.

VEAL PICCATA

4 veal cutlets, pounded very thin and cut into 1" slices
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1/2 cup red wine
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
2 large diced tomatoes
8 oz. of mushrooms sliced thin
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves of garlic, minced
palmful of capers
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pat of butter
red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
Italian seasoning
2 tbsp. flour
handful of parsley, roughly chopped

Start by covering your veal slices with the red wine and let sit in the fridge for 2 hours. In a large skillet sauté the onions and mushrooms over medium heat in the oil and butter. After the onions turn translucent, add the flour and stir it in well. Next add the tomatoes, capers, garlic, lemon juice, and seasonings and reduce heat to low. Cover this and let it simmer for a while, stirring occasionally. If it needs moisture, add a splash of the red wine. Remove the veal from the fridge and set the wine aside. Add it to the sauce as needed. On a plate put half of the parmesan cheese in a pile and begin tossing the veal peices around in the cheese to evenly coat them. In a seperate skillet, heat a little more olive oil over medium high heat. When the skillet is really hot, add the veal pieces and cook thoroughly. Add the pieces to your sauce, along with your chopped parsley and simmer all together for an additional 20 minutes or so. Serve over noodles of your choice and more parmesan cheese.

The next morning the snow was so pretty on the fields.
And as quickly as it arrived, it started to melt away.

Poppop & Memaw

Me and my Poppop 1978

My paternal grandfather and I were thick as thieves right off the bat. We shared many things. One of our favorite things was Memaw's wonderful cooking. My Memaw's Sunday dinners were more comforting than a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer! As a child the whole family gathered at their house every other Sunday for scrumptious meals of hearty roast beef with carrots and onions, green beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and squash casserole. I can still remember the smells as we would walk through the door after church. Our stomachs rumbled as we had to sit patiently and wait for my father and my aunts who were notoriously late every time. The television blasted scenes from old country western movies while Memaw would work on a cake, because we were always close to someone's birthday. And "Memaw Cake" was the best. The only difference each time was the number of candles on top!

Me, my sister Chelsea, & Memaw

Me & my cute cousin McLain 1993

Memaw aka Jacquelyn Shivers Howard

McLain, me, my sister Olivia, & Memaw 1996

Holiday Cooking with Aunt Dancey

I have been dying to learn how to make cheese straws for a while now. My aunt is an expert. Her's are always wonderful. Last weekend I spent a cold, dreary Saturday baking trays and trays of these yummy treats at her house. We made two different kinds - spicy cheddar and blue cheese. They both turned out great. Thanks Aunt Dancey!!

We started by grating 2 kids of cheese in the food processor, sharp white cheddar, and regular sharp cheddar. You can not use pre-shredded cheese. It has to be shredded by hand or in a food processor.

For the blue cheese version, we combined 1 pkg. of blue cheese crumbles with the white cheddar and weighed it to make sure that we had 1 lb. of cheese. For the spicy cheddar version, we just weighed out 1 lb. of cheese.

To mix the batter, combine 1 lb. of cheese, 3 cups of sifted flour, 2 sticks of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and as much or as little cayenne pepper are you would like. We also added a few shakes of crushed red pepper.

Combine your batter together and start putting it into a cookie press. This will help to lay out the little rows.

Here are the precooked straws on parchment paper ready to go.

Drinking pink champagne while cooking always helps make the food taste better.

These little guys only take about 8 - 10 minutes at 375º so you have to watch them closely. After they come out of the oven, sprinkle them liberally with kosher salt. Wait until they are starting to cool before slicing them into 2" pieces.

The blue cheese batter was a little softer, so we decided to make little biscuits and they worked out perfectly.

All packed up carefully and ready to be put into gift bags for my friends.

Aunt Dan had another project going on simultaneously. She was making dog shaped cookies.

Here is a closeup of a few of her cookies. I hope they turned out well!

Lemony Turkey & Artichoke Soup

I made this for dinner last night, and not only is it very tasty, it is extremely low in fat. Healthy and comforting! You can't beat that.

1 pre-cooked rotisserie turkey breast (This is in the grocery near the rotisserie chickens. If you can't find one, substitute a rotisserie chicken.)
1 large yellow onion
3 stalks of celery
3 carrots
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 can of 8-10 count whole artichoke hearts
2 lemons
1 quart of chicken broth
fresh parsley
salt & crushed red pepper

Sauté your trinity of onions, carrots, and celery in a little olive oil over medium heat. I did pretty chunky pieces, but dice them however you please. Shred the turkey and add it to the mix. Open your can of artichoke hearts and drain the brine into the pot. This liquid adds a lot of flavor. Pour the artichokes into a seperate bowl and mush them gently with your hand to break them up a bit then add them to the pot as well. Stir in all of the chicken broth, the juice of both lemons and the salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and wait for the soup to warm for about 30 minutes or so. Add the chopped parsley last just before serving.

Perfect Piña Colada - REVISED

One of my favorite beachside cocktails is the piña colada. I've already posted one blog giving my recipe for the perfect Piña, but I am here to say that I've found a few revisions to that recipe. My sister, Chelsea, and I share a love of this tasty treat. During our trip we had the best one that I've ever had at Blue Heaven, a fabulous Key West original. If you like piña coladas too, then go to Blue Heaven. You don't have to die to get there! Ha ha ha.

The bartender shared his secrets with us and Chelsea and I tried to duplicate the recipe the next day - supurb!!

The ambiance in Blue Heaven is so great.

BLUE HEAVEN PIñA COLADA

Cruzan coconut rum
Cruzan pinapple rum
fresh pinapple juice
2 tablespoons of creme de coconut
Cruzan Black Strap rum

Pour all ingredients over plenty of ice and blend for a really long time until smooth and creamy. After putting it in the glass, each drink gets a "topper" of the black strap rum. It is rich and luxurious and adds a certain something that is undeniably good.

Me with my Piña
Chelsea with her Piña
Our friend, Bill Bickley, with his... fabuloso!!

Coco's Kitchen - Deer Key, Florida

Coco's Kitchen has been a favorite of the lower keys since 1969, and I can see why. Now located in a strip mall, you wouldn't think much of it from the lack of curb appeal, but the Cuban family that runs this joint can cook like you wouldn't believe!

My sister ordered the Bowl of Grits and it was super good and simple. A bowl of flavorful grits, topped with cheese, ham, and fried eggs for $3.25. Rumor has it that the grandmother of the family is Coco and she makes everything from scratch along with her children and grandchildren.

We went for breakfast and I had the huevos rancheros, which is one of my all time favorites. And priced at $3.75, it was well worth it! A homemade tortilla soaking in yummy black beans that were also homemade (my mother found a bay leaf in hers), topped with perfectly medium eggs and fresh salsa.

MY VERSION OF HUEVOS RANCHEROS
(makes 2 servings)

2 small flour tortillas
1 can of fat free refried black beans
handful of freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 eggs
splash of olive oil
salt & pepper
1 jar of good salsa - I love the Herdez brand
sour cream
fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 450º and put the tortillas directly on the rack. Watching them closely, wait until they start to brown a little and pull them out. Coat each one with a very thin layer of the beans and on top of that, a layer of the cheese. Place them back in the oven on the rack for a few more minutes until the cheese bubbles. Meanwhile in a skillet over medium low heat, fry the eggs to your desired temperature. I think over easy or over medium are best with this dish. Salt and pepper the eggs while you cook them. Then place the tortillas on the plates and top each on with an egg. Spoon over it a couple of spoonfuls of the salsa and a dallop of sour cream on top. Finish it off with a few leaves of the cilantro. This breakfast will certainly spice up your day!

Side note about Deer Key:

The entire island is inhabited by these adorable little deer. The speed limit is 25 mph on the whole island to prevent you from hitting one because they are everywhere! It is so neat. I love it.

Tangy Tasty Toast with Egg

This is a light, healthy breakfast with a little bit of a kick. I toasted a piece of whole grain bread, slathered it with creamy dijon mustard, and topped it with spicy arugula. Then I lightly fried and egg with a little olive oil, salt & pepper to over medium. And voila! It is divine!

Island Style Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving day lounging in the sun and reading. How perfect is that! Then we swam and kayacked before cooking later in the day.

This was the highlight of our supper... cedar smoked salmon on the grill. We served it with hollandaise sauce loaded with shrimp and crabmeat.

A plate of limes and fresh cilantro is a fabulous accompaniment to any fresh seafood.


My dressing balls. They are always a big hit. (recipe is in a previous post)

This is my version of a salad that my cousin brings to every holiday meal. My sister and I love this salad. The highlight is the stuffed artichoke hearts. They are simply stuffed with a combination of cream cheese and a little mayo whipped together. So good!!

Hard to see by the candlelight, but our Thanksgiving dinner was fantastic! Wood-smoked salmon topped with crab & shrimp hollandaise sauce, roasted brussels sprouts and asparagus, spaghetti squash, oyster dressing, and yummy stuffed artichoke salad. Now that's an island style holiday meal!

This is my sister's beautiful "Crazy Cudjoe Coconut Cake" drenched in delectable dark rum. It was a huge hit!

Cudjoe Key for Thanksgiving

I just returned from a wonderful week in the Florida Keys! The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We spent plenty of time eating seafood and lying in the sun. I am going to post pictures and reviews of the restaurants that we went to, as well as our fabulous Florida Keys Thanksgiving meal. Check back soon!

Greatmomma's Dressing Recipe

My wonderful grandmother, who we so fondly called Greatmomma, passed away in 2001. She was famous for many things, but around this time of year we remember her cooking. Mainly her dressing balls. They are so yummy, and for some reason I woke up the year of her passing thinking that the recipe came to me in a dream. Probably in all reality, I watched her make it or asked her to tell me how she made it enough times that it just stuck in the depths of my brain somewhere. I wanted to post a few pictures of my family's Thanksgiving last year and I thought I would also share the famous dressing ball recipe.

Enjoy!!

GREATMOMMA'S DRESSING BALLS

2 pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix (cooked as cornbread according to the directions on the box. You can do this a day or 2 in advance.)
1 pkg. Pepperidge Farms Herb Stuffing Mix
6 - 8 stalks of celery - diced very small
2 large yellow onions - diced very small
1 stick of unsalted butter
a bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley - roughly chopped
a bunch of fresh sage - chopped fine
2 quarts of chicken stock (get more just in case)
salt & pepper to taste

Mix your cornbread according to the directions on the box. Heat a small black skillet in the oven with a pat of butter. Pour the cornbread mix into the hot skillet and cook. After it's finished, crumble the cornbread into a large mixing bowl and repeat. After both cornbreads are in the bowl, add the stuffing mix and one of the quarts of chicken stock. In another skillet on the stove, add an entire stick of butter over medium low heat. Once it melts, add all of the onions and celery. Sauté this until the onions are translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the onions and celery to your large mixing bowl along with all of your herbs. Add the remaining quart of chicken stock slowly to get the right consistency. Mix all of this together until combined. It should be wet, but manageable and you should be able to form it into balls with your hands. Place each ball (about the size of a tennis ball) onto a nonstick cookie sheet and press slightly to sort of make an egg or small loaf shape. Bake at 350º until the outside browns a little and the inside is still moist and fabulous!!

If you want to really spice things up, you can add a package of sage pork sausage that's been browned and crumbled. Make sure to drain it over paper towels before adding it to your dressing mixture.

My Aunt Dancey and sisser Chelsea


Aunt Dancey's beautiful table setting


the Sanders dining room in all it's glory


Aunt Dancey's amazing centerpiece


Uncle Nip and Cousin Haynes


Dana, Chelsea, and Dancey cooking away!


dining room looks perfect!


time to eat


save room for dessert


awww... my cousin Chenault and yours truly!