Shrimp and Grits with a Healthy Twist

Yummy shrimp and grits!

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for ways to make yummy dishes more healthy.  Here's a great recipe from guest blogger Julia!

Eureka! Fluffy Biscuits!

It only took 45 years of trying!

For some unknown reason, I took on the biscuit challenge this week.  All of my cooking life, my biscuits have been flat and tough.  But this week, after several tries (and realizing my baking powder had gone flat), ta-da!  Success!  Serve warm with just about anything.

Chicot County Lemonade Pie

Time was when a family suffered a death, the neighbors would bring in one, if not several, meals to the grieving family.  Sadly, most people are so busy these days that it's difficult to find contributors.  Thirty years ago, however, my grandmother was the meal organizer for her church.  Her most-requested recipe was this refreshing frozen pie.  She viewed the organization of funeral meals as her own ministry:  she might not be able to preach, and she might not be able to sing, but she could call people to help provide a simple comforting meal for a grieving family.  I think she was right.

Chicot County Lemonade Pie

This pie was her most-requested contribution to funeral meals sent to grieving families in Chicot County, Arkansas.

6 ounce can pink lemonade

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk

4.5 ounces Cool Whip

9 inch graham cracker crust

Mix all ingredients--fold in Cool Whip last--and pour into crust.  Freeze.  Will keep up to two weeks.

Creative Cookery: Empanadas

Well, the RD (resident dragon) has been playing in the kitchen again.  The inspirations for this dish were leftover smoked pork and leftover pie crust.

The same technique could work with a variety of leftover meats, vegetables, and sauces.

Great for snacking, or for a light summertime dinner!

Classic Cookery: Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice with Venison

I'm constantly amazed how similar my resident dragon's upbringing was with mine, especially since we grew up 800 miles apart.  I was reminded of the similarities this week as the RD went looking for a recipe for what he called "Spanish Rice."  Having had his mother's Spanish Rice before, I remembered that my mother had also prepared it.  So, off I went in search of mother's recipe.  Three recipe boxes later, I stumbled across it labeled as "Texas Hash."

Classic Cookery: Plantation Casserole

Locally produced cookbooks have long been the mainstay of small-town fundraising efforts.  They are wonderful souvenirs and mementos because they often provide a "snapshot" of the community at a point in time.  I was integrating my late aunt's cookbooks into my own collection when I ran across one produced in my county sometime in the 1960s or 1970s.  I'm not sure which organization produced it, but I recognize a number of contributors from my youth.

Lasagna, dear?

As I wrote last time, my resident dragon and I have been experimenting with venison.  We used venison to create a tomato gravy which we served on cooked spaghetti.  Because we made such a large quantity (the sauce can be frozen, by the way), we had enough of the basic Pomodoro Sugo di Cervo sauce to make a scrumptious lasagna!


Lasagna is such a great dish; you can add different vegetables, meats, and cheeses for variety.  Here's our latest effort!