Birthday Wishes and Southern Dishes

 

Happy birthday to me!  Do you find that your idea of "old" changes the older you get?  It does for me!  And this is a big one.  I also find that, the older I get, the harder it is to answer the question, "What do you want for your birthday?"  I really have no idea!  I think what appeals to me more now than when I was younger are experiences such as a spa day or a retreat.  What's your ideal birthday gift?

Last night, I made a new recipe, and I loved it so much I have to share it with you: Creamy, cheesy shrimp and grits.   I mostly followed the recipe, but I doubled the sauce.  I'm not fond of grits on their own, but with plenty of butter and cheese, a creamy sauce, and fresh Gulf of Mexico shrimp, I couldn't resist.  I will be making this again!

An example of needle felting at the Plumdiddle booth.

Over the weekend, my daughter and I attended Pinners Conference, our third one.  There were hundreds of vendors with products such as food, clothing, jewelry, home decor, and handmade crafts.  There were also hands-on classes.  We took two different resin crafting classes as well as classes in paper quilling and needle felting.  I had never heard of needle felting (painting with felt), but I enjoyed it very much.  It was great to spend time and have fun with my daughter doing things we love.

How about some random funnies?

The Grandma is Me Now!

Agree 100%

Also Me.

Have a great week, and remember to visit Happy Tuesday and Random Tuesday Thoughts!

Late again. Story of my life!

 

Well, like a lot of people, I thought today was Monday!  LOL  But it's still Tuesday, so better late than never.

Happy New Year!  Hope your 2023 is off to a great start!  Our New Year's Eve was quiet (if you don't count hearing firecrackers in the distance).  

I decided to try a few new recipes this week, and the first one was Yorkshire beef pie.  I've mastered the Yorkshire puddings for my British family, so I thought I would give this one a try.

Yorkshire puddings are basically a vessel for gravy and are often eaten with roast beef.  They are similar to what Americans would call popovers.  They are a bread-like dish, savory, not sweet.

 

I'm so happy with how it turned out.  I found a recipe, but I tweaked it based on my previous experience making Yorkshire puddings, and I made the "poor man's" beef pie with ground beef (instead of steak), carrots, brown gravy made from scratch.  When it was almost cooked, I added mashed potatoes on top with a bit of cheddar cheese to make a fusion of Shepherd's Pie.  My husband and father-in-law were pleased, which makes me happy.

And now...

This is probably a lot of people right now trying to keep their New Year's Resolutions!

HAHAHAH!  Cracked me up!

Hahahaha!

Cracks me up!

And last, but not least...

Visit Random Tuesday Thoughts and Happy Tuesday for more fun!

Yorkshire Pudding

 According to my husband, I have mastered the art of Yorkshire pudding.  His parents are from the UK, and Yorkshire pudding was a staple in their home.  I don't think I will ever be able to create them as well as my mother-in-law, but I'm doing a pretty good job.

What is Yorkshire pudding?  If you are American, like me, you think of pudding as a sweet, creamy dessert.  This is not that at all.  It is a savory bread-like popover into which you can pour gravy and eat with your roast beef if you are making the traditional meal.  The recipe dates back to 1737.  The British like tradition.

The perfect vessel for gravy!

I've tried several recipes and methods, and this is the way I am making them from now on.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
6 ounces of whole milk
2 teaspoons (and later 1 tablespoon) of water
1 cup plus 2 tabelspoons of flour
a healthy pinch of salt (at least half a teaspoon)
bacon grease
avocado oil
12 cup muffin pan

1-Make the batter by whisking the eggs, milk, 2 teaspoons of water, flour, and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.  You can even refrigerate it overnight.

2-Half an hour prior to cooking, remove the batter.  Add a tablespoon of cool water and whisk again.

3-Heat your oven to 450 degrees.

4-Place about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoons of bacon grease in each cup of the muffin tin.  Also place 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon of avocado oil in each cup.  Place the tray in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.  You want the fat to get piping hot.

5-When the oil is sizzling (and maybe even smoking a little bit), pull it out of the oven and set it on hot pads.  Carefully pour batter into each muffin cup till they are all about 3/4 full.  

6-Place the muffin pan back in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes depending on how crispy you want them to be.  Try not to open the oven door as they are cooking.  You want to maintain the temperature as much as possible.

7-When they are finished cooking, remove from oven.  Let them sit about a minute, then remove them from the pan into a serving dish and enjoy!

Notes:

Some recipes call for using roast drippings instead of or in addition to oil.  This will only work if you have fatty drippings.  If there is not enough fat due to using a lean cut of meat, your puddings will taste okay, but they will not get crispy or fluffy or form cups in the middle, and they will stick to the pan.  Trust me... this happened to me.

If you don't have avocado oil, make sure you are using fat or oil that can survive at 450 degrees without burning.  It is perfectly okay to use only bacon grease or you could try using lard.  Butter is not a good substitute for oil.

They would also taste great eaten on the side with butter like a traditional roll.

I hope you can use this recipe (which is a culmination of trying several recipes to see what worked best).  Have a great weekend!

Meet up with more foodies, crafters, and creators at Crafty Creators and Friendship Friday.

Here's Cooking at You, Kid!

 

I'm not vegan, but I made a meal for my son-in-law, finally, because he is!  I'm pretty much a meat and dairy eater, so this was something new that I've wanted to do for a while.  It turned out delicious, if I do say so myself.  I made pesto pasta, veggies, and garlic French bread.

The pesto sauce was made with olive oil (of course), lots of fresh basil, pine nuts (I love them so much), spinach, garlic, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast.   I learned that nutritional yeast, which is also considered a superfood, is often substituted for parmesan in vegan cooking.  It's not extremely cheesy, but has a nutty flavor that is quite pleasing.

My sauce was loosely based on this recipe, but I usually taste test as I'm making it and never end up following the actual measurements.

I sauteed cherry tomatoes, portobella mushrooms, shredded carrots, a shallot, and spinach in vegan butter.

 The noodles I used were Pasta Zero spaghetti shaped shirataki noodles which are plant-based (made from konjac plant root).

The noodles, sauce, and veggies were all mixed together prior to serving. I will definitely make it again, even if my son-in-law isn't here to eat with us.  It was just that good!

Happiness is Homemade Link Party.

T13-Yorkshire Pudding

My husband (whose parents are from England) grew up eating Yorkshire pudding, which, by the way, is an unsweetened, baked, side dish similar to a roll or a popover.  However, it's shaped like a cup so the pudding becomes a vessel for gravy and is traditionally served with roast beef.

Dinner was delicious, by the way.

 So when my husband asked me to make it a second time, I decided to consult the Internet for recipes, tips, and tricks, and boy did I find them!  (Number 10 and Number 13 are the most interesting things I read.  Don't skip them! I will never use Crisco or canola oil again!)

1. I looked at Gordon Ramsey's recipe.  He is British, after all.

2. I looked at a recipe on Serious Eats, as well as tips and tricks.  Mine came out looking very similar although I didn't use this recipe.

3.  I looked at Jamie Oliver's recipe (He is also British). Apparently he is known for Yorkshire pudding. The one I actually followed was very similar.

4. I read an article on Finedining Lovers comparing Ramsey's and Oliver's methods.

Just out of the oven!  A little weird looking at first.

5.  Then I chose a completely different recipe that came from The Spruce Eats.

6.  Here are ten tips to make sure your Yorkshire puddings rise.

7.I went down the Internet rabbit hole searching for how YP was made traditionally and what type of oils or fats to use.  Learned more than I ever needed to know!

8. I learned that traditionally, beef tallow was used as the "oil."  It is available for purchase on the Internet like everything else or you can make it at home with the right type of fat from your butcher.

The look better in the bowl.  See how the sides rise creating a little "cup?"

9. I learned not only HOW to render lard, but why you should use it.  You'd be surprised!

10.  I learned that canola oil is made from the rapeseed plant.  There is no such thing as a canola plant.  Canola stands for Canada Oil Low Acid and was made using a highly refined bleaching and deodorizing process to make it edible.  During WWII, rapeseed oil was used as a lubricant on naval ships. When the war ended, what were they going to do with all of the rapeseed crops?  That's right!  Chemically alter it to be used in the kitchen.

11. I learned whether you should use a large pan or a muffin tin to bake YP.

12.  And I learned why the oil should be scorching hot before adding the batter to the tin.

13.  I also learned that Crisco stands for crystallized cottonseed oil, and its invention by soap and candle makers Proctor and Gamble was all a marketing ploy to sell their new chemically created/highly processed "shortening."  Interesting story!

Visit Thursday Thirteen for more fun posts! Better yet, play along with us!

Friendship Friday

 Hi friends.  Pull up a chair and visit a while.  Friendship Friday is hosted by Create with Joy.

I spent the last six days at my daughter's place out of town.  While I was there, we cooked up a few fabulous recipes.  One of them was brand-new to me.  Apparently it went viral on Tik-Tok (which I don't use).  So we made our own version of it.  It's called Feta Pasta. (click the link for the recipe.) Instead of just the tomatoes called for in the recipe, we also used mushrooms, red pepper, and onion.

Prior to cooking, after cooking, after adding pasta.

  It was delicious!  It's very rich, so don't fill up on too much of it at one sitting.

We also made a Crustless Quiche. (She doesn't use a recipe, but I'm linking one here in case you're interested.) 

It's eggs, a little tiny bit of milk, cheese (and more cheese), mushrooms, spinach, onion, red pepper, and tomato.  She likes to do Meatless Monday, and it was so good!

On the way back home while my daughter was driving, I spent a few minutes filling out one of my journals with her.  It's called Listography and was a gift from her, who is a list-maker like me.

  It asks you to make lists on a variety of different topics such as your childhood toys, pets, employers, places you've lived, favorite restaurants, and so much more.

Yesterday we watched her husband, my new son-in-law, graduate from Air Force Basic Military Training.

Image Credit

  We could only attend virtually due to Covid, but we are hoping they will be back to allowing guests by the time he graduates from his next training.

Today is my anniversary, and I'm looking forward to a delicious seafood dinner to start out our weekend.  I hope you have a Happy Memorial Day.  Remember to honor those who gave their lives for our country.  Have fun and be safe!

They Weren't Kidding!

 Hi!  Come in and stay awhile.

A few days ago, I had my second dose of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine.  After the first one, I had a reaction in which I had an itchy rash on my arm.  It stayed about two weeks.  This time, much different!  I had thought that most of the people saying they felt bad after the second dose must have been exaggerating; now I know that they weren't!

Every inch of my body ached, I had a horrible headache, it hurt to move, I was lethargic yet had difficulty sleeping, and I had fever.  I think I am fine now, so it only lasted 24 hours, but that was more than enough!  I felt awful!  My mom, father-in-law, and brother-in-law had NO reactions.  My sister didn't feel well for about a day, but she had the Pfizer vaccine.  I'm apologizing (in my head) to those people that I thought were exaggerating.

Last week I mentioned a wood craft I was trying based on something I saw at Hobby Lobby.  It didn't work.  I was disappointed.  But we cleaned out our attic, so now I have lots of yearbooks, photo albums, toys, and so on to go through.  That will keep me busy!

I used a new recipe for lemon pepper chicken.  I won't link it here because I wasn't that impressed with it.  If you have suggestions on good lemon pepper recipes, please let me know in the comments.  Thanks!

Go out this weekend and do something you love!  And don't forget to visit Create with Joy for more friendly fun!

Friendship Friday

 Friendship Friday is hosted by Create with Joy.

Last night I made a new recipe.  First, my daughter made it for her husband and sent me a picture.  It looked delicious, so I decided to try it, and it was fabulous!  Chicken, cream cheese, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and bacon... What's not to love?

This is Jalapeno Popper Chicken.  Click the link for the recipe.

I haven't felt much like crafting lately, but I did manage to make this adorable St. Patrick's Day tee-shirt for my one-year-old granddaughter.

  Now... how to get it to her?  I was going to see them in person, but plans have changed, so I guess I will need to mail it to her.  I wish the whole family lived closer.

Just for fun:  

This sometimes happens to me!

Have a great weekend!