ITALIAN CHEESE GRITS

Just as I added the jalapenos and cheese to the grits, I decided to add some Italian seasonings so it could be served with Italian entrees.  I prefer the jalapeno cheese grits, but these were very good with the pork also.  I can see them being served with Osso Bucco or a cutlet in a tomato gravy.  Lots of ideas have been flooding my brain lately and hopefully I will get to share them after I experiment.

ITALIAN CHEESE GRITS

2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grits
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl Italian seasonings
4 Tbl butter
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Bring, water, cream, salt, butter and Italian seasonings to a boil.  Slowly stir in grits and bring to boil again.  Reduce heat to medium low and cover.  Cook about 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Cover and let sit a few minutes.

Once again you can serve immediately, or pour it into a buttered 13 x 9 pan and let it get cold.  Cut the squares and brown in a hot skillet with a minimum of oil.  I use olive oil.  These are perfect for appetizers.  You can top them with more freshly grated parmesan, a slice of tomato and parmesan and place under the broiler to melt the cheese, yummy!!!  Creme frache or any type of brushetta topping would be good too.
Use your imagination and experiment with some different toppings...it will all work, and then you can choose which you like the best.

JALAPENO CHEESE GRITS

My husband never liked grits until I added jalapenos and cheese to them, and now he LOVES them.  The following recipe is all it took to change his mind.

JALAPENO CHEESE GRITS

2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup quick grits
1 tsp salt
4 fresh jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
4 Tbl butter
1 cup of grated extra sharp cheddar

Bring, water, cream, salt, butter, and jalapenos to a boil.  Slowly stir in grits and bring to a boil again.  Reduce heat to medium low and cover.  Cook about 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.  Cover and let sit a few minutes.

I like to serve this hot with a garlic herb roasted pork loin.  However, it is a great side dish with any meat entree.You can serve it hot this way or instead of letting it sit a few minutes, pour into a buttered 13 x 9 pan and let it get cold.  Cut into squares and brown in hot skillet with minimum oil.  I use olive oil...quite tasty plain, or with a dollop of sourcream, more grated cheese or even fresh salsa.

BALSAMIC REDUCTION

I love a good balsamic reduction over my salad, especially if it has fruit in it.  It's one of those things that is well worth the time spent making it, and you also have the opportunity to strengthen your patience, (not one of my strong suits and yes Susie, I know you won't make this, I'll have to make it for you.)

There are many uses for this reduction and I will be sharing recipes in the near future, so make some and it will store for months in your refrigerator, if it lasts months.  It doesn't in my house because I also think it is the PERFECT topping for vanilla ice cream, yummy...

BALSAMIC REDUCTION

1 bottle of a good, (not the best, but please not the cheapest) balsamic vinegar
1 TBL sugar


Yes that's all it takes as far as ingredients.  Heat this on high at first stirring often.  This reduction the closer it gets to the right consistency has a tendency to burn, which means pour it down the drain and start over again.  Not fun and it is costly. You need to turn down your burner to medium as soon as the vinegar comes to a boil and you will continue to stir often until it is reduced by half.  Let this cool and place in covered jar in the refrigerator until needed.

STRAWBERRY WALNUT SALAD WITH BALSAMIC REDUCTION

Ok Susie, this one is especially for you, even though I surely enjoyed eating it.  Yesterday was my cousin's birthday and this was the salad that I chose to go with pan fried tilapia and jalapeno chesse grits.  The cheese grits recipe is forthcoming.  This salad I have prepared  many times and is a perfect summer salad, full of fresh flavor.  Lanie, a thank you for having me prepare this for you and also continually fueling my passion for cooking.  You and David will always hold a special place in my life for giving me so many opportunities to experiment and develop my palate and skills...thanks for making me a foodie...and I still think that you should write a travel guide to restaurants around the world.

STRAWBERRY WALNUT SALAD

1 cup arugula
1 head Boston lettuce, torn
1 pint of strawberries, sliced
1 cup feta cheese crumbled
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts or pecans

I mix my greens in a bowl and lightly dress them with the raspberry dressing, then layer them on a platter.  Place your sliced strawberries around the outside of the platter and then intermingle them amongst the greens, sprinkle with the feta cheese and nuts.  For the final step, drizzle balsamic reduction across the top of the salad.  This takes a plain summer salad to the next level.  For those who do not like balsamic reduction I do feel sorry for you, it will completely wake up your taste buds, and don't let a drop go to waste.

Dressing

1/2 cup raspberry vinegar

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup canola oil

salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together and place in a mason jar in your refrigerator.  This is much better made the day before you use it.


I hope that you try this and you are not limited to what greens you use, these happen to be two of my favorites therefore I chose them, but romaine or baby field greens will work nicely also.  I prefer the walnuts since they are better for you than the pecan and I love feta cheese, but you can use Monterrey Jack, or even goat cheese crumbles would be delicious.  In the winter, I take this same salad and use apples and gorgonzola.  I hope that you enjoy these recipes and invite your comments.

EXTRAS FOR SANDWICHES

With the heat that we have had this summer and not wanting to continually heat up the kitchen, I have become a fan of the sandwich.  WOW was I surprised how much I really like sandwiches, but not just the run of the mill sandwich, I like to experiment and mix things up a little, although it is really hard to improve on the perfect BLT.  The BLT really doesn't need any extras for me, plain and simple, no fluff, just crispy bacon, shredded romaine and diced cherub tomatoes, salt and pepper and of course Hellman's mayo on the bread.  But aside from the BLT, there are so many options and I do like to put a little kick, so the following are some of my discoveries.

First I don't know if you have noticed, but the grocery now has so many varieties of mayonaisse on the shelf and who has enough refrigerator space to handle all of these, because if you are like me, I don't want the same all the time.  Therefore, start off with the basic jar of Hellman's mayo and add to it.  I always keep a few extra jars in my pantry, watch for the sales and stock up.

SOUTHWEST MAYO

3 TBL mayo
1 TBL salsa
1 TBL cilantro

Combine these three ingredients and wow an extra kick to a plain ham and cheese or even turkey, or whatever.  I use this also on wrap sandwiches using the jalapeno cheddar tortillas by Mission.

PESTO MAYO

3 TBL mayo
1 TBL pesto, I use Classico Traditional Basil Pesto

Combine these two ingredients and now you have a great Italian mayo.  I use this on my muffalatta sandwiches, or my wraps using the sundried tomato tortillas by Mission.  It's great to use as a dip with french fries also or on a veggie sub sandwich with roasted tri-color peppers, eggplant and fresh mozzarella or smoked provolone.  YUMMY!!!!

GARLIC AIOLI

3 TBL mayo
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 lemon juiced
sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Combine these ingredients with a whisk, it makes it a little fluffier.  I personally like this as a dip with grilled asparagus, with my spicy curly fries, or sweet potato fries ( my all time favorite).  It is just a universal extra..



This is a start for my extras, but look at what you can do with one jar of mayonaisse.  No need to clutter your refrigerator with all those different types.  You can make as much as you want, but I tend to throw out too much that way, so if I make what I need, it doesn't take long and my refrigerator is stuffed already, another small jar will just get lost and then I'll be throwing it out later.  All of these things take seconds to make, so give it a try and let me know what you think.....have a great week...

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

By request from a certain niece, I am posting my pasta sauce recipe.  This is a good basic pasta meat sauce and when I make sauce I try to make plenty.  It doesn't take any longer, no matter how much you make, and then you have some for the freezer.  I also start with a lean meat and I prefer ground sirloin and chuck mixed, using a little olive oil to brown.  I hate to have to drain meat, and this way you don't have to.  I also like to buy my meat at HEB (here in Texas) because they grind their own fresh daily and also will grind however you wish, single, double or triple, depending on how fine a grind you like and I like it fine so that it breaks up easier.  I also make my sauce a day before I am going to use it so that the flavors can blend better.  When serving spaghetti with meat sauce, I always combine the two the day before I am serving for the same reason for waiting on the sauce.  This way the flavor penetrates the pasta.  I hope that you enjoy this recipe.

ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

3 lbs meat of choice, browned
5-6 TBL Italian seasonings, store brand is fine
1 large sweet yellow onion diced
2 TBL salt
2 bay leaves
3 TBL garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 29 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 29 oz can tomato puree
2 cans of tomato paste

Brown the meat and onions along with Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic powder.  When browned add the three types of tomato along with the pepper flakes and bay leaves.  At this point you can continue cooking on top of the stove, stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the pan, or you can put this in an oven safe pot or dish with cover and bake at 350 for about an hour, checking to make sure that it doesn reduce too much, if it does, you can add either water, tomato sauce or tomato juice to loosen it up some.  I do this when I don't want to have to watch as often when it's on a burner.  Of course this time I stirred on top of the stove because I didn't want to keep the kitchen heated in the record heat wave week that Texas is having.  You can taste at this time and I usually add fresh black pepper to taste and more salt if needed.  Let it cool and put some of this over your cooked spaghetti ,stir it up, cover and put in refrigerator overnight.  I then divide the remainder into ziploc freezer bags and put them in the freezer.  You should label and date the ziplocs.  Sometimes I get in a hurry and forget, which means sometimes my husband gets a mystery dinner...we defrost and find out together what's for dinner....not always fun...

BEAN SALAD

As HOT as it has been this summer, we try to not heat the house in the afternoons therefore once again salads come into the picture.  Bean salad is one of our favorites.  Lots of protein, very filling, and you remain cool.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

BEAN SALAD

1 can of Pinto Beans
1 can of Black Beans
1 can of Navy Beans
1 can of Kidney Beans
1 can of Cannellini Beans
1 medium onion, finely chopped
  ( I prefer red onion, but use whatever you like)
4-5 fresh jalapenos, seeded and finely diced
1/2 -1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

The beans need to be drained and rinsed in a collander and set aside to drain while you are getting the rest of your ingredients ready.  Then place everything in a glass bowl and stir well, cover and refrigerate overnight for the flavors to be their best.  You might have to add more lime juice as you go, it just depends on your taste.   I love the fresh taste of lime so I add each time I fix me a bowl.  We eat this along with tortilla chips or on our taco salads and it's even a good side with King Ranch Casserole or Enchiladas or any Mexican/Southwest entree.

PIMENTO CHEESE

Pretty much year round my husband and I love pimento cheese.  It makes for an easy meal either as a sandwich along with a cup of soup or with chips and for snacking with crackers or stuffed celery or fresh jalapenos.  It keeps very well in the refrigerator also.  You will need to grate your cheese because the store bought package of grated cheese has been coated with corn starch so it doesn't stick together and that changes the texture of the cheese.  As you continue to read my blog, you will see that texture is very important to me and can literally kill a meal for me if it isn't to my liking.  I personally like my pimento cheese on toasted bread, whereas my husband wants it on some kind of bread that's soft. How simple to satisfy both of us.  I keep a jar on hand most of the time.  Sometimes I add canned diced jalapenos or green olives to the mixture for a change. We have been in an olive mood lately.  Once again, use your imagination and try something you like, such as cilantro, parsley, thyme, sweet onions, chives, it's endless.  I love to experiment so try it, you might like it also.  I hope you enjoy the recipe that follows, oh yes I almost forgot, it makes a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich also.

PIMENTO CHEESE

1 8oz block of Extra Sharp Cheddar

1 8oz block of Sharp Cheddar

1 8oz block of Colby

1 8oz block of Pepper Jack
1 roasted red bell pepper or 1 jar of pimentos

1 1/2 cups of mayo, I ONLY use Hellmans

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Grate your cheese in a bowl then add your mayo, sprinkle your garlic powder, and peppers or pimentos ontop and stir till everything is mixed well.  At this time you can add your other ingredients or I usually keep it plain and add the other things as I wish.  This will keep in jars for about two weeks.

CAJUN TURKEY WRAP

Wrap sandwiches have become quite popular and I can make these the night before and send them with my husband for lunch the following day. Instead of him eating some thrown together sandwich of just meat, cheese and bread or peanut butter and jelly, these offer the lettuce tomatoe olives and peppers that he normally would not be eating. Much more filling and then chips are not necessary, just a few grapes or a couple of cookies to finish his meal. You may use any flavored wrap you choose. The one in the photo is a spinach tortilla, but I use the jalapeno cheddar, and sundried tomato also. I rarely use the plain, only if someone requests. These are great for picnics or trips since they can be made the day before.

CAJUN TURKEY WRAPS

2 oz cream cheese softened
1 spinach tortilla
2 oz of cajun turkey sliced thin
2 slices of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of diced grape tomatoes
1/4 cup of shredded romaine lettuce
1/4 cup of mixed olives sliced
2 TBL mayonaisse

I first spread a thin layer of the cream cheese and this helps hold the turkey in place and also keeps your tortilla from drying out. Then layer your turkey, cheese (fold the cheese in half, so that it lays better), tomatoes, olives and lettuce ( I use romaine since iceberg has no nutritional value and my husband has a hiatal hernia which iceberg lettuce irritates) All of this needs to be down the center of the tortilla and leave about two inches all the way around for folding. I put my mayo in a squeeze bottle so that you can squirt it on evenly. Wilton has two packs of plastic squeeze bottles and you can find them at Michaels or Walmart.
Now for the folding, this is a little tricky at first, but the more of them you make, the easier it gets. Just as anything, practice makes perfect. I fold the ends up first and then start to roll, just like making a burrito. After you have rolled your wrap, I wrap it in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The next day I slice it at an angle with the plastic wrap still on and then just add more plastic wrap to reseal the sandwich. There are so many variations, I love to use pulled pork on the sundried tomato, with smoked provolone, roasted tri color peppers, pepperoncini's and olives, tomatoes and lettuce with a pesto mayo. Once again be creative, the sky is the limit, try hot taco wraps in the jalapeno cheddar tortillas with some diced green chiles mixed in with the cream cheese and some salsa mixed into the mayo for that extra flavor and zip....it's just endless what you can create....

QUICHE LORRAINE

This is the perfect quiche recipe. I had the pleasure of taking a cooking class from a chef who owned a restaurant called "Paris Bakery". I learned so much from this frenchman and baking quiche was one of those things I want to share with you now. Every Friday he served a seafood quiche that was heavenly and I always bought extra to take home for the weekend. I could put a piece in the microwave to reheat and it would taste the same as it did at the restaurant and mine always had sort of a leathery texture when reheated, so I asked him why mine was so different and the answer shocked me. Being the ultimate cheese lover that I am, I always thought you could never have enough cheese, but I was so wrong. He explained that most Americans felt the same as I did and we added too much cheese to our egg mixture and therefore the texture of the quiche was changed when reheated. I looked through many recipes and started cutting the cheese in half and the perfect quiche recipe follows.

QUICHE LORRAINE

1 prepared 9" pastry shell
1/2 cup Oscar Mayer peppered bacon pieces
1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/2 cups diced onion, caramelized
6 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick your pie shell with a fork all over so that it will not puff up as you pre-bake it for 5 minutes. I use a store bought pie shell, Marie Callendars, it tastes as good as I would make and the time saved makes it taste even better. Set the shell aside to cool while you assemble the remainder of the ingredients. Place a pat of butter in a small skillet along with your onions and cook until they are just showing a bit of color, not a dark caramel color, and then set them aside to cool also.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper. I use free range organic eggs, you can usually find them locally by checking on the web for local growers. It is well worth the trouble as there are so many benefits. They are usually cheaper than what you can find at the grocers and fresher and and one of these eggs has 1/2 the cholestrol as a store bought egg, plus the flavor is fantastic.

Sprinkle your bacon, cheese and onions into your pastry shell and then pour your egg mixture over.

Bake at 350 degree for about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Allow the quiche to cool about 10- 15 minutes before cutting into wedges. Enjoy it today and then again tomorrow.

You can always substitute any of your favorite cheeses, make it vegetarian, whatever you want to create. My husband loves green chile quiche and I substitute 1 can of diced green chiles for the bacon and extra sharp cheddar for the swiss, or sometimes pepper jack, just depending on our moods. As far as the cheese goes, if the above recipe isn't cheesy enough, add more cheese to the finished product and you will still maintain the custard filling and have your cheese too. I usually just add it on top of a warm slice and then if I reheat the next day I can put some on that piece too. Then it always seems fresh.