Let that sink in. Creeeeamy grits with crispy bacon and caramelized corn (cooked in the bacon fat, hello!) topped with cajun shrimp and shallots. Hello, I said. Hello.
Serves: 2 Cook Time: 25-ish minutes Adapted from Wendy Weekend Gourmet Ingredients: ***Can be made dairy-free by omitting cheese (the corn adds hella flavor anyway) and subbing half & half with dairy-free milk of choice (I prefer almond)*** • 3 slices of bacon, chopped • 1 cup frozen corn, thawed • 1 cup chicken stock (or veggie for my pescetarian frenz) • 1 cup half & half • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese • 1 tbsp coconut oil • 2 shallots, diced • 2 green onions, finely sliced on the bias (plus more for garnish, if desired) • 1 lb shrimp • 1 tbsp cajun seasoning • 1/2 tbsp thyme • 2 tbsp dry white wine (optional) • Freshly cracked black pepper and salt to taste Directions: • Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Once hot, add bacon and cook until crispy, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon and set aside. • Drain all but 1 tbsp of the bacon grease and add the corn. Cook for 5-8 minutes, or until corn is golden brown and bacon-y. Stir occasionally. Once browned, remove corn and set aside. • In a medium sauce pot, add half & half and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and slowly whisk in the cornmeal. Lower heat to low and continue whisking until cornmeal is incorporated. Add salt, pepper, thyme, corn, and cheddar cheese, and cook until cornmeal has thickened. Honestly, this could take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes. Don't ask me why. I think it has something to do with how hot your milk and stock are. I'm not a scientist, though. Note: add more milk as needed if grits get too thick. you want them to be nice and creamy. • While the grits are cooking, add coconut oil to the same skillet that you cooked the bacon in, and heat over med-high heat. Once hot, add shallots and green onions, and cook until shallots are translucent, about 30-45 seconds. Add white wine and cook down for 30 seconds, then add shrimp and cajun seasoning. Season with salt and pepper as needed. • Cook shrimp until pink, about 3-4 minutes per side, and remove skillet from heat. • Pour a hearty bowl of grits, sprinkle generously with bacon, and top with a heaping helping of shrimp (make sure to get the shallots and green onions in there). Top with fresh green onion and serve hot. ENJOY!
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Man, this pasta is BOMB. It's creamy and hearty with a hint of sweetness from the caramelized onions, and a delicious earthy note from the mushrooms. My secret is that I use dried mushrooms when I make this pasta. Don't be intimidated by dried mushrooms- they can be found in any grocery store, usually right next to the fresh mushrooms or in the canned foods aisle, and just require 1 or 2 more steps than when working with fresh mushrooms. Of course, you can totally use fresh shroomies, but I love using the dehydrated puppies because their flavor is more concentrated, and the rehydrating liquid adds amazing depth to the cream sauce. The results are tremendous! When paired with a nice, full bodied red wine, this dish is the ultimate comfort food. Also pairs well with Netflix and a Saturday night in.
I woke up last Saturday feeling slightly hungover and seriously hungry. I knew I needed something hardy and carb-y to soak up the delightful mix of wine, champagne, and whiskey that I had drank the night before, but I also needed my food to taste great and fancy cuz what I really wanted was brunch, but was too tired to leave the apartment. I remembered recently seeing a recipe on Tastemade for scone breakfast sandwiches and decided to make my own version. These scones are flaky, buttery, and subtly cheesy. Elevated by the addition of fresh and dry herbs, they make the perfect base for a breakfast sandwich, but are also delicious on their own because they are sooooo flavorful. I topped mine with avocado and a fried egg. Sterls had his with butter. You truly can't go wrong no matter how you serve 'em. And, like always, they are easy as hell to make. Yields: 4 scones
Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: • 1 cup all purpose flour • 1.5 tsp baking powder • 1/2 tsp salt • 1/4 cup butter, cubed • 1/2 tbsp sugar OR 1 tsp stevia • 1.5 tbsp fresh chopped parsley • 1 tsp dried thyme, finely chopped • 1 heaping tbsp shredded cheddar cheese • 1 heaping tbsp grated parmesan cheese • 8 tbsp almond milk (adds a great mild nutty flavor, but dairy milk would be just fine) • Parchment paper Optional toppings: avocado, fried egg, jam (salty & sweet, hellooo), mo' butta, etc. Directions: • Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper • In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar/stevia, parsley, and thyme. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until the butter is incorporated and the flour mixture is flaky. It's ok to leave small chunks of butter. • Add 7 tbsp of almond milk (you'll use the remaining tbsp later) and knead into the flour to form a dough. Onto a floured surface, pat the dough out to about a quarter inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass to cut out 2.5" discs, and place onto your lined baking sheet. • Brush with the remaining almond milk and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. *A trick to knowing if your scones are done is to tap them at the center. If they sound hollow, they're done! This is a simple, elegant looking app that's easy to whip up. I love a good cheese plate, but I thought this would be a fun and unique alternative. I've made two versions here- goat cheese, honey, and walnuts (creamy, crunchy, sweet) and herbed goat cheese, chives, and lemon zest (salty, savory, herbaceous). I'll never say "herbaceous" again, I promise. Anyway, I think the...herby... one would be GREAT with pomegranate, but allegedly they were out of season when I made these, womp womp.
You're just going to add portions to your liking, so I don't have a recipe with exact measurements for you, but here what you'll need. Ingredients: • 2 endives (will yield about 18-ish useable leaves) • 1-2 tbsp honey • A couple tbsp of chopped walnuts • About 3 leaves of fresh basil, finely chopped • About a tsp of garlic powder • About 1/4 tsp of dried oregano • About 3 fresh chives, chopped • Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, plus half tbsp of lemon zest • Sea salt, to taste • Cracked black pepper, to taste • 3-4 oz goat cheese Optional toppings: balsamic glaze (highly recommended!), pomegranate Directions: In a small bowl, mix half of your goat cheese with the basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper Spread on half of your endive leaves, drizzle with lemon juice, and top with lemon zest. Add more salt and pepper, to taste. Take the remaining goat cheese and spread on the second half of your endive leaves. Top with salt, walnuts, and a drizzle of honey That's it! Keep cold until ready to serve. My girlfriend Julian came over for dinner last night. We drank red wine, listened to jazz, watched a movie, and had a feast. On the menu was this amazing grilled peach flatbread with whipped honey ricotta and basil. I'll let you take a minute to reflect. This honestly might be one of my favorite things I've ever made.
Every single component is wildly delicious. The naan is perfectly crisp with a chewy center. The peaches are sweet and tart with a beautiful char. The ricotta...my god, the ricotta. It's light, and creamy, with just a hint of sweetness. I had some leftover and straight up ate it by the spoonful as I assembled the flatbread. I actually have a little bit more in the fridge that I'm about to spread onto some toast. And finally, the basil helps to balance out the richness, and adds beautiful color, making this the most scrumptious little bite of heaven. Ingredients: • Flatbread of choice (I used this naan flatbread) • 1 cup ricotta • 1.5 tbsp honey • 2 small peaches, sliced very thinly (I used 1 yellow and 1 white fleshed) • 2-3 tbsp chopped fresh basil • Pinch of salt Directions: • Preheat oven to 425 degrees and fit a baking rack over a baking sheet Note: If you don't have a baking rack, just lay your flatbreads directly onto a lined baking sheet. Using a baking rack will allow the heat to circulate under the flatbread, with helps cook everything more evenly, but this will still turn out great without one) • Heat a grill pan over high heat and spray with non-stick olive oil spray. Once hot, arrange peaches in one layer and grill for 2-3 minutes per side, or until each side has deep grill marks and the slices have softened, without becoming mushy. Remove from the pan and set aside. **before flipping the peaches, spray the uncooked tops with the olive oil spray, and sprinkle with salt, then flip and cook the other side • In a blender or food processor, blend the honey and ricotta until the ricotta is light and silky. This should just take a few pulses • Spread the ricotta mixture over the flatbread, stopping about half an inch from the edge, and top with the grilled peaches. Place onto baking rack and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and crispy. Remove and top with chopped basil. Add back to the oven for about 30 seconds, to bake the basil into the peaches and ricotta. Quickly remove so that the basil doesn't burn. • Serve hot and enjoy! |
Hi! I'm Shantal.
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