Simply Sudie

Permission granted

I am no Martha Stewart.  There.  I said it.  No Martha-bashing here.  I actually really like the idea of Martha.  But I am realistic that I cannot do all her crafty, baking, decorating that she does as well as she does.  That was hard to admit because frankly, I am really competitive.  Especially in the crafty area.  Just ask my friend Kathy; she'll tell you.  Or ask my neighbor Michelle, aka mini-Martha, who moved in by herself (dh working), unpacked, mowed grass, casserole in the oven, pictures hung, and corralled 2 her small boys all before 4pm.  Yeah.  Let me tell you, I cannot compete with that.   Good thing I don't let things like that bother me. 

But I digress. 

This holiday season, I am giving you (and myself) permission.  Permission to eat Capn Crunch cereal for dinner this week, every night if you wish.  Permission to frost and decorate purchased cookies with your children.  Use Merry Maid.  Buy the turkey from a caterer. Send out the laundry this week.  Permission not to wrap the Santa gifts and to gift bag all the other gifts.  Permission to let your husband take you out to dinner and/or lunch.  Go do Dream Dinners.  Shop online.  Buy movie tickets from Fandango online.  Buy gift cards whenever possible.  Whatever will relieve some stress, do it!  Turn that TV off. Simplify! Simplify! Simplify!  Relax and enjoy the rest of your holiday with your family.

I give you permission to relax and enjoy.  It will be our little secret.

One Mean Burger

I will bet you did not know that I make one mean turkey burger.  MMMMM!  My daughter is on a restricted (kinda bland) diet.  When she told her specialist that she had a yummy turkey burger, he was surprised.  He asked for my recipe.  The next visit he raved over how tasty and easy it was (and healthy).  It is not so easy to make a good turkey burger.  It is hard to get that burger consistancy.

Turkey Burger

1 pound lean ground all white turkery (no skin)

3 TABLEspoons ketchup

1/3 cup of bread crumbs

Kosher salt (Pepper, if desired)

Combine ketchup, bread crumbs and salt.  Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Make into patties.  Refrigerate another hour or 2.  On your George Foreman grill spray a very small amount of Pam and grill.  Super lean and mighty tasty.  You can substitute 1 teaspoon Teriyaki sauce for some of the ketchup, and wheat germ can be added to the bread crumbs if you wish.  The real trick is in refrigerating the meat.

Traditional Christmas Breakfast

Here in the Low Country, the breakfast we enjoy Christmas morning is Shrimp and Grits.  I think I look forward to this more than opening the presents.  It is warm and homey and just plain makes you feel good. Soulful. I believe that grits can cure whatever ails you.  This Low Country cuisine comes from our Gullah tradition.  Gullah, pronounced GHULL-uh, is a culture that has links to West Africa and to the English Caribbean, especially to Sierra Leone and Barbados.  Many slaves that settled along the barrier islands on our coast developed their own culture and language that is called Gullah or Geechee.  Their one-pot homey goodness is not just the ingredients; it is the heart and soul of the people that loving cook for their friends and family.  Now the traditional Shrimp and Grits recipe that we know has tasso which is a kind of ham, but I have known people to our North that use Andolie sausage probably because it is not available.  I would post my recipe, but it is rather long and you probably be intimidated by the list of ingredients.  I have made Paula Deen's version and it is pretty good.  So that is what I am listing for you.

2 servings cooked grits
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup diced tasso ham*
2 tablespoons diced leeks
2 tablespoons diced onion
2 tablespoons diced green peppers
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, with tails on
1 to 2 tablespoons white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Green onion tops, chopped

*Cook's Note: Tasso is a Cajun ham and is often hard to find outside of Louisiana, but you can find it at some specialty gourmet shops or by mail order. If not, you can substitute salt pork, pancetta, or prosciutto, but you will have to beef up your seasonings, as tasso is very flavorful.

Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso and saute until crisp. Add diced vegetables and saute until onions are translucent. Add shrimp and saute for 30 to 45 seconds, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with a little white wine. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Divide grits among 2 serving plates. Line plate edges with shrimp (10 shrimp per serving). Pour sauce over grits. Garnish with green onion tops.

Shrimp and Grits

 

We bless our food with "Gee we de food wa we da need dis day an ebryday."  If'n you don't want to bother with that, then order some from Gullah Gourmet

http://www.amazon.com/Gullah-Gourmet-Shrimp-Grits-Mix/dp/B000GASM6I

My very good friend Lynnette White is going to be on the Food Network http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_sp/episode/0,1976,FOOD_9994_47132,00.html on the Deen boys special show featuring the Gullah traditional Christmas breakfast and Charleston's Plantation Singers.

Here is the synopsis of the show:

Road Tasted Gift Guide

In the ultimate online gift guide Jamie and Bobby Deen reveal the hidden jewels of holiday eating. It's a feast for the senses, where over the course of one hour the boys divulge the best of seasonal treats from the cities they visited on Road Tasted. The brothers also seek out some of their personal southern favorites: red velvet cupcakes, hand-stretched peanut brittle and homemade peppermint marshmallows in Savannah; gingerbread houses and a traditional Gullah Christmas breakfast of shrimp and grits in Charleston; and a complete holiday Cajun turduken dinner shipped straight from Dallas, Tex. This entire feast of holiday foods can be bought right online.

AIR TIMES:

November 28, 2006 9:00 PM ET/PT

November 29, 2006 12:00 AM ET/PT

December 02, 2006 10:00 PM ET/PT

December 03, 2006 1:00 AM ET/PT

December 09, 2006 5:00 PM ET/PT

December 10, 2006 6:00 PM ET/PT

For more information on the Plantation Singers visit www.plantationsingers.com. There is a free music download, CD and show information.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to my friends and family.  I hope you enjoy your day whether you are feasting, with family, running the Turkey Day run, watching the Macy's Parade or football, or just resting.  I am gratiful for my friends; thank you.

Artwork by little A.

Best of luck to the Black Friday shoppers tomorrow.  May you find all the bargains you deserve for missing out on some sleep. 

Speaking of shopping, I have a Land's End free shipping e-mail I will gladly forward to you if you like.  Just e-mail me at SudieA@gmail.com.

Hope you have a great day.

Gratitude

Have I told you how much I love Dream Dinners?!  I do love them.  I used them this summer, and it was a lifesaver.  I love to cook so you would think that I would not like DD.  (No, let me revise that statement.  I love to eat good food; therefore, I do not mind cooking.)   This love of good food is something my husband and I share.  But good news, I still get to cook.  Only no hassels. all the prep work and planning ~done~  and I still get to modify it during assembly to suit my finicky tastes.   So I thought, what better time to use them than at the holiday time.  Am I smart or what?!  (the answer is "yes")    

Thankfully my daughter who has been suffering with tummy issues has been put on a strict diet to help us figure out what is going on with her.  And as I struggle with being a brilliant chef to create appealing dishes for her from her very limited list of "CAN eat,"  I am very thankful for arsenal of Dream Dinners in my freezer.  One less thing to worry about.  So for this I am grateful.   Thank you, DD!

Morning Fuel

Yes, I am still on the subject of breakfast.  I thought I would share some of my crazy ideas with you.  Lucky you!

Fast and healthy.  I let my children customize their individual servings of Healthy instant hot cereal.  I set some stash aside for those hurried mornings.  For about 6 bags,  combine 4 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats (notice, NOT quick-cooking).  then add 3/4 teaspoon of salt into food processor and grind to consistancy of wheat germ.  (this is about 2 batches in my small food processor from the single working girl days).  Scoop 1/2 cup portions into a ziploc bag.  Flovor each one, then seal and shake.  To prepare, simply empty baggie contents and slowly stir one cup of boiling water.  Cover and let sit for 3 minutes.  Stir again and add a little wheat germ.  Yummy. 

Flavorings.

Cinammon Raisin  1 teaspoon sugar, 1 Tablespoon raisins, dash of cinnamon

Brown Sugar Spice 1 teaspoon brown sugar, dash of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

Pecan Pie. 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon pecans

Apple Cherry.  1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon Chopped dried cherries and 1 Tablespoon dried apples.

Here is a good granola recipe.  This is delicious. Thank you to my friend Kathy for sharing this with me.

Crunchy Granola 

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups rolled oats
2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts, or slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and reserve.
Combine brown sugar and water in a 4-cup microwave proof glass measuring cup or bowl. Place in microwave on high for 5 minutes and cook until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from microwave, add vanilla extract and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, nuts, and brown sugar syrup mixture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Spread the granola onto cookie sheets and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and crunchy.
When the mixture comes out of the oven, it is still very pliable. You may choose to add in dried fruit as a finishing touch at this time. When granola has cooled completely, store in an airtight container.

The first meal of the day

With back to school on my brain, I am getting "Back to" many things.  Back to a bedtime schedule, back to early mornings, back to limiting tv, back to more books, etc.  One "back to" routine I am getting cranked up about is a good breakfast.  Although I am a morning person, I just cannot cook breakfast.  Sorry, Just cannot do it.  So the more simple, the better.

I have been thinking about my breakfast repetoire.  Quick and hot would include Cream of Wheat, instant oatmeal or grits.  Also cinammon toast, english muffin with honey, homemade granola, Cereal Kashi Heart to Heart, fruit, graham crackers with nut butter, soy yogurt, nuked egg, and applesauce.   Sometimes I will make pancakes or the #1 favorite French toast.

Yo' Mama

DH's has been in a Banana pudding kinda mood. Can you believe that I have never made my famous banana pudding for him! Well, he can't either. This isn't my from scratch recipe, but it is pretty awesome too.
Hope you like it.

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.
In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Fold the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.