Shrimp & Grits

I have been taking a bit of a break and enjoying the holidays at home with the fam. Our white Christmas got the better of me and I am nursing a bit of a cold. In honor of my NC State Wolfpack winning their bowl game last night (and my need for comfort food) I thought I would share a Southern treat with you today–Shrimp & Grits. Outside of the South, grits are a bit understood, but I promise this recipe will make a convert out of anyone. The key is to get the right ingredients and a little bit of patience, what you will get is creamy goodness perfect for cold winter. I hope you are enjoying your holiday season!

Kelly


Shrimp and Grits

For the Grits:

1 Cup Stone-Ground Grits

4 Cups Water (plus a little if needed)

2 Tablespoons Butter

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Pinch of Cayenne Pepper

Small Grating of Nutmeg

Dash of Tabasco

1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

½ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

For the Shrimp:

1 Pound Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

6 Slices Bacon

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Cups White Mushrooms, Sliced

1 Bunch Scallions, Sliced

1 Clove Garlic, Pressed

Juice from 1 Lemon

¼ Cup Vermouth (or White Wine)

Dash of Tabasco

2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Pour the grits into a large bowl and cover with cold water. Skim off the chaff as it floats to the surface.

Stir the grits and skim again until all the chaff has been removed. Drain the grits in a sieve.

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add salt and slowly stir in the grits.

Cook at a simmer, stirring frequently, until the grits are done, about 40 minutes. Add more water about ½ cup at a time if they are not quite getting tender. They should be quite thick and creamy. Remove the grits from the heat and stir in the butter, cheese and spices. Serve immediately or keep warm over a double boiler for 30 minutes.

While the grits are cooking, prepare the shrimp. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Dice the bacon and fry in a large skillet until browned. Drain on paper towels.

Pour off the excess fat, leaving a couple tablespoons to cook the shrimp. Add olive oil if you need additional fat. Heat over medium-high heat, add the shrimp and cook until they begin to color, turning once. Remove then add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the scallions and garlic.

Then add the bacon and shrimp back. Add the lemon juice and Vermouth to deglaze the pan. Allow to simmer about 1 minute then add Tabasco, parsley, salt and pepper.

Serve shrimp over the cheese grits.

Enjoy!

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Orange Glazed Shrimp

We are in the middle of a cold snap here in Colorado and I have been craving comfort food. There are so many ways that you can do comfort food, but I was looking to change things up a bit. So, I thought maybe risotto would be a good start; I have made this Orange Risotto before and loved it. When I saw shrimp was on sale, I thought I would do a complementary orange glazed shrimp. I love how this came out spicy and sweet with tons of flavor. It really complemented the risotto perfectly, though it could easily go with lots of fresh veggies or rice. (I know many people oppose serving dairy with seafood, but I liked this combination, you could always leave the cheese out of the risotto in this case.) There are lots of options for this one, but it was FAST and super tasty!

Kelly

Orange Glazed Shrimp

1 Pound Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

1 Cup fresh squeezed orange juice

2 Cloves Garlic thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons Shallots, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon Meat Magic (you could substitute your favorite seasoning salt, but I love this one)

Cayenne

Splash Vermouth

Salt & Pepper

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

 

Heat 1 Tablespoon butter and 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook until lightly browned around the edges.

Make sure the shrimp are clean and dry, then add them to the pan.

Cook about 1 minute on each side sprinkling with meat magic on both sides, then remove from the pan.

Add vermouth to deglaze scraping the drippings off the bottom. Then add orange juice seasoned with remaining spices.

Simmer to reduce for about 5 min. Add final tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper; incorporate when the sauce coats the back of a spoon, add the shrimp and toss in the sauce.

Allow to cook another 2 minutes. Serve over orange risotto (or rice and veggies).

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Chocolate Pumpkin Roulade

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Turkey Roulade

I promised you some recipes this week from our fabulous Thanksgiving celebration last week. This is one of my favorites. We just use our regular sausage stuffing recipe as there always seems to be enough. We also glaze the roulade with our homemade apple habañero jam (which is super easy; I will post that soon.) Last year, Mary actually boned the turkey breast on Thanksgiving morning…quite the undertaking. This year we ordered an extra turkey and had the very nice butchers at Whole Foods do it for us. The boned the breast and kept the pieces for us, which meant more meat and more soup, YUM! You can, of course just buy a breast, but it must be whole and not split. This recipe is surprisingly easy and I think it actually makes a better product than the whole turkey. It stays very moist and is very pretty when you cut it. Not to mention, it makes for great leftovers to send home with your guests. Try it out…maybe for Christmas?

Kelly

Glazed Turkey Roulade

1 whole (2 halves) turkey breast, boned and butterflied (about 5 pounds)

2 onions halved

3 stalks celery cut into 3 inch pieces

3 carrots cut into 3 inch pieces

3 cups prepared stuffing

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

Place the stuffing in a large bowl. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a sheet pan with cooking spray and place the vegetables on the pan.

Rinse the turkey breast then lay the butterflied turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board.

Use a heavy pan to pound the turkey breast to a more even thickness.

Dry the turkey very well (this is very important.) Spread the stuffing in a 1/2-inch-thick layer over the meat, leaving a half-inch border on all sides.

Don’t mound the stuffing or the turkey will be difficult to roll. Starting at 1 end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides.

Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine (or close with tooth picks as we did here, though twine is better) every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.

Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on the rack on the sheet pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Roast for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees F in the center. About 20 min before the turkey is done, brush with the glaze. Repeat twice about 5 minutes apart.

Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve warm.

If you make leftover stuffing, you can place it in a buttered gratin dish and bake for the last 45 minutes of roasting alongside the turkey.

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Thankful

We are still coming down and recovering from Thanksgiving and mostly taking it easy this weekend with football and classic movies while trying to get outside a bit as well. I thought I would share with you some of the highlights of our day…with some of the recipes to come this week.

As you know from our countdown list, we were working all week…here is the culmination. Our scribbled on master list, our buffet all laid out with sticky notes, the zillion appetizers we ended up with, and my personal fav: Veuve Clicquot, courtesy of some fabulous guests.

All of our appetizers got relocated to make room for the actual buffet, but I have to say they were amazing! Including something new for us, fresh duck and dove; delish!

Lovely table courtesy of Ali and an array of borrowed and creative decorations!

We had an amazing group of people who were all willing to pitch in. Plus, the highlight of an hour-long session of what we are thankful for; gotta love a happy and thankful group! A great party like this makes all the work – and dishes – worth it!

I hope you all had as wonderful a day as we did. I really couldn’t have asked for more!

Kelly

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Holiday Fitness

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Thanksgiving Countdown: 4 Days

Today we want to share with you our plan for the week. As I mentioned before, we like to spread out our tasks across the week to make things a bit easier. Yesterday, we did most of our shopping, so we are all set to get started. Since some things save better than others, you need to think about what can be done the earliest. Also, now is a good time to reconfirm your guests. Just remember, if anyone wants to come last minute (or cancels), you are already making everything so don’t freak out! Here is what we are planning:
Saturday:

  • Finish menu planning
  • Shop
    • Grocery
    • Beverages, both non-alcoholic, festive cocktails, wine and beer – Ask your guests to bring what they like to drink. If you keep what you like or the basics, then you are covered. Remember kids and non-drinkers.

Sunday:

  • Count place settings
  • Polish silver, check glasses for dust.
  • Make cranberry sauce
  • Make pumpkin roulade (to be frozen)
  • If you are making rolls or pie crust, make them today and freeze
  • Start defrosting turkey in the refrigerator (ours is 21 lbs, check the instructions for your bird)
  • Get nails done (a nice treat after prepping all day)

Monday:

  • Get a good workout in to start the week off right!
  • Decide on seating arrangements
  • Pull out decorations

Tuesday:

  • Complete shopping
  • Make onion jam
  • Brine turkey (if you do this; we don’t)
  • Blanch green beans
  • Make stuffing (leaving out eggs to add before stuffing the turkey)

Wednesday:

  • Make cranberry relish
  • Peel potatoes and keep refrigerated in a water bath
  • Set the table
  • Clear serving area
  • Set up bar and chill beverages
  • Clean the house

Thursday:

  • Turkey Trot!
  • Roast Turkey
  • Turkey Roulade
  • Mashed Potatoes with Celery Root
  • Finish Citrus Green Beans
  • Defrost pumpkin roulade
  • Make gravy
    • William Sonoma makes Turkey Gravy Base that we always keep on hand for Thanksgiving just in case you need to supplement your gravy. It is awesome, especially if you end up a little scant on your drippings. My recommendation is to get it early because they tend to sell out; I drove 35 miles last year to get ours…oops!

Our Thanksgiving tends to be pretty traditional and straightforward. We try to include everything that is a favorite of each guest: if there is something they can’t live without, we make try to make it happen or ask them to bring it. We try to experiment on the other things and tend to make a few last minute additions (often in the way of appetizers and dessert). Plus, as I mentioned, we delegate a lot of the tasks which makes the day much easier! It has always been a team effort for us, which really is fun. Is there anything unusual you include for Thanksgiving? Fried turkey? Noodles? Soup? We always love hearing people’s traditions!

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Thanksgiving Countdown: 5 Days

Our Thanksgiving tradition has evolved over the years, but the last 10 or so years, we have joined forces with a family friend to share the workload and the fun! As we mentioned earlier in the week, we always invite people who are without a “home” for dinner. It really has made things fun and interesting over the years. Plus, when you split things up, it gives us the opportunity to experiment with some new dishes. The weekend before Thanksgiving is a great time to get organized and start on your shopping. Planning out your menu, make-ahead dishes and timeline will also help keep the stress at a minimum for the week. Check out our menu (in progress) below.

Thanksgiving Menu 2011

Appetizer:

  • Shrimp Cocktail
  • Relish Tray
  • Bacon Wrapped Duck with Jalapeño and Cranberry BBQ Sauce
  • Dove Nuggets
  • Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Pita Chips
  • Holiday Brie with Crackers and Apples
  • Stuffed Grapes

Dinner:

  • Roasted Turkey
  • Turkey Roulade
  • Stuffing
  • Mashed Potatoes with Celery Root
  • Citrus Green Beans
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Cranberry Relish
  • Rolls
  • Cider Gravy
  • Onion Jam
  • Asparagus
  • Squash Casserole

Dessert:

  • Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla Whipped Cream
  • Pecan Pie
  • Chocolate Roulade with Pumpkin Mousse Filling
  • Ginger Snaps

**The items in green were added after Thanksgiving and this represents our final menu with lots of appetizer additions.

What we do from here is to decide who will be making what dishes. Next, pull out any recipes you will need and make a list of all the ingredients you will need for each dish. Then, double check what you have on hand for both equipment and pantry items. Finally, go shopping! Thanksgiving preparation can feel overwhelming but if you do one or from two things a night, it really helps!

A couple tips if you are up for it:

  • Our friend makes copies of each recipe so they are within reach while cooking. Keeps your cookbooks from getting icky. ~Mary
  • I am neurotic and start by listing things by dish and then reorder them by section of the store in a spreadsheet. It really helps make shopping more efficient. ~Kelly

Next steps: Make a plan for the week.

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Thanksgiving Countdown: 7 Days

We got a little too caught up in life this week to pull together a full Thanksgiving prep list for you. So let’s start with where you should be today. You should have:

  • Invited your guests
  • Check on special food needs for guests
  • Planned your menu (not so hard with Thanksgiving)
  • Check your place settings and seating to make sure you have enough chairs and forks.
  • Given your guests assignments of what they can bring
  • Prepare your shopping list for this weekend

Next we always like to ask our guests if they know of anyone who needs a home for dinner. After all, it makes little difference if you do Thanksgiving Dinner for 4 or 34!!! Just get a bigger Turkey.
Next steps: shopping lists, shopping and make sure no one you know is alone on Thanksgiving!!!

Mary
& Kelly

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