In the Kitchen With Mattie

Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Tonight we had some fried shrimp and fries for dinner, easy, quick and this week relatively inexpensive. When we did our food shopping the market had large sized shrimp on sale for a lower price than most of the meats in the cases. Beef prices have been going way up down here, as witnessed by the highway robbery price of the short ribs we have been craving, even ground beef has spiked very high in the past few weeks. I would have thought that shrimp would be now out of our budget but at the market this week they were a lot lower priced than the beef or pork selections. Hubby loves shrimp, I on the other hand only eat them fried and then it is rarely, he loves them prepared anyway he can get them but his favorite is plain boiled. I was going to have something different than him for dinner and just boil up the shrimp I bought for him but he nixed that idea, he wanted me to fry them so we would share them for dinner. He has a problem with eating anything I don’t enjoy and I think it has to do with when we were just married years ago, we lived next door to another young couple, the husband worked and the wife was a stay at home housewife, they had no children but she didn’t go out to work because they only had one car and where we lived was very remote and had no public transportation available, so her husband took the car to work each day and she was stranded at home. Her house was immaculate and she ironed every bit of his clothes and from the time he would return after work he literally never had to lift a finger to get anything for himself, she waited on him hand and foot. One summer evening all the young couples in the colony had decided to get together and light a BBQ and have a meal together, everyone brought their own food and we all shared the grill. During the course of the evening I happened to notice that she only ate salad, chips and stuff but no meat, if anyone offered her any of our abundant meat items she would take them and pass them onto her husband and he would literally devour them as if it was to be his last meal or a stray animal who had to wonder where its next meal was coming from. As the night progressed we ran low on ice and so she walked accross the parking lot with me to help get some from our cottage, on the way there I remarked that I hadn’t known that she was a vegetarian before and was shocked when she replied “I’m not a vegetarian, my husband says that when I earn a living as he does that I will then be able to eat meat, until then I am living on his generosity and money that he earns so meat and any other higher priced items are strictly reserved for him” As she related  this to me I was thinking she was joking of course, but she said it was only proper, she did not contribute to the household, he really had this girl convinced that she was only alive due to his benevolence. I about blew up right on the spot. I knew that they used to visit her family pretty regularly so I had to stick my nose in and ask how her family felt about that and was even more shocked by her reply, things ran the same at her family home where she grew up, her mother and the daughters were seen as sub class citizens and so were only given or allowed what the men didn’t want, and it wasn’t a rare occasion that they didn’t get anything to eat at all. Yet they were all expected to have children, cook , clean and wait on these men hand and foot. It was disgusting and when we got back to the group I pulled hubby to the side and told him what she had told me, he wanted to go choke the husband on the spot but I convinced him it would cause more harm than good for her. A while later the guys started cooking again and this time hubby made a point of giving her a pile of burgers, sliced steak and hot dogs for herself and then we watched as the husband took the plate out of her hands and picked thru it to take what he wanted, she said nothing but hubby wouldn’t let it go, he called the guy out on it and made him feel like the ass he was, soon everyone was in on it and telling him what a jerk he was and how he didn’t appreciate all she did for him in his life, all I kept thinking meanwhile was what was going to happen to her when they went to their cottage that night, I was so scared that he would hit her or something although she had said he never had done that. The guys and girls were all telling him that they should be equals and then they started putting a price on everything she did to keep his home, so much $$$ for a housekeeper, so much $$$ for a maid, so much $$$ for a personal shopper etc, on and on they went until they figured out that she made a bigger contribution than he did to the household, it would literally cost him much more than he made a week to replace all the things she did. I won’t say they became equals that night but after that she did get to eat better, he would still get steak every night while she had a hotdog or a small burger but it was better than it had been before at least. The next year he lost his job and couldn’t find another, she found a job and became the family bread winner. I myself in that case would have forced him to the same as he had  done me but she was big about it and shared everything equal with him, he on the other hand felt that she owed him anyway because after all he was the MAN. What hubby took away from it all was that he flat out refuses to eat anything that I don’t……for instance he loves little lamb chops but he hasn’t had them in years because I detest lamb, so he has given up eating any lamb. No amount of my trying to feed him the things he loves that I don’t will convince him to eat them. In his mind he is doing what that neighbor did to his wife so long ago, I have tried and tried to tell him it is a completely different scenario, but he has a real mental block about it. I’ve told him that he isn’t telling me I CAN’T have something because it is too good for me, I am making a choice of my own not to eat certain things that I don’t like, that doesn’t mean that he is eating better than me or depriving me in any way, just that I would prefer a steak or pork chop to his lamb chop, and I have the right to make that decision, he isn’t forcing me or begrudging me in any way…….but that block is still there. So tonight while I was going to boil up the shrimp for him and enjoy the smoked turkey I have for myself he insisted that I fry them because that is the only way I eat them and we cant have different meals based on what happened all those years ago. And with all that said, onto the shrimp.

Place a heavy deep pan onto the burner and fill up 3/4 of the way to the top with your favorite oil, I use peanut but vegetable or corn is common too.

                                                    Fried Shrimp

1 pound of large (12-15) shrimp, peeled. cleaned, deveined and butterflied

1 cup corn flour

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Heat oil up to 350 either on stovetop or in a deep fryer. Soak shrimp in cool water and when oil is hot, drain shrimp and toss with the flour mixture, into which the salt and pepper have been mixed, until they are coated, drop shrimp carefully into hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned and crisp, drain on several layers of clean paper towel.

We had these with some fries made from fresh potatoes.

We did our food shopping today and ran all over for hours getting it done. Everyone I know shops at a few stores to get the specialties that each particular store is known for and we’re no different at times. Thank goodness all the places we visit are close to home and so  usually we just drive to the farthest one and stop at the others on the way back home, I don’t think I would bother if it meant I had to zig zag all over town and waste gas, but the way it is laid out it is very convienent for us. Our youngest son has been trying to convince us to move to the country by him but where we live is just soooo easy to get anywhere from and as we age I like that easy way of getting around.

So today we went to our favorite grocery market and bought what they had on special this week, on the way back we stopped at the closest to us market and bought a few items on sale there. Then we went to the warehouse club Sams and bought  a few things there too, especially the very large fresh chicken breasts they sell at the Sams here, I don’t know if all Sams stores sell these breasts but if they do I would say give them a try. I usually take one and split it between hubby and I for a dinner as these breasts are so very large, they are usually over a pound each! They are also boneless and skinless so that saves me a little time and the price on them is very often lower than what other stores charge for boneless, skinless breasts.

We got home around 6 pm from all our running and I still didn’t have a clue as to what I was going to make   but as I was putting the groceries away I opened the package of chicken breasts to wrap them individually before freezing them and decided to make stuffed chicken. Stuffing breasts of this big size is so very easy compared to  the usual smaller breasts, they also hold a lot of stuffing, and one of these when cooked can be split between hubby and I for dinner and fill us both up. We had some rice and fresh steamed tiny haricot verts to complete the meal.

                                                Stuffed Chicken Breast

1 very large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ours tonight was almost 2 pounds

3 slices of very thin cut ham

2 slices of thin cut swiss cheese (or use your favorite kind of cheese)

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups of panko bread crumbs

1 large egg, scrambled with 2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons oil

Cut a pocket into the side of the chicken breast. Lay the ham slices on a cutting board and then take the swiss cheese and roll it into a cylinder, place the cheese on the ham slices and fold in the sides of the ham them roll it around the cheese, making a nice neat sealed package of it, insert it into the pocket you cut into the chicken. Season the breats with salt and pepper. Place the panko crumbs into a flat plate or bowl, place the egg mixture into a shllow bowl. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture to coat all over and then place it into the crumbs, repeat again. Pre-heat the oven to 375.Heat a oven proff pan over medium heat and when hot add the oil and allow to heat, when the oil is hot carefully add the chicken breast to the pan, allow to cook over low-medium heat for 7 minutes, keep the heat low enough to avoid burning the coating, turn and cook the second side for 5 minutes then place the pan in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. If you have used the same very large chicken breasts I use then cut it in half to serve two, if you use regular smaller breasts then count on one per person. I usually prepare a bunch of them when I buy the big pack of these breasts and freeze them before cooking, then I have something on hand to cook without a lot of prep when I feel like it. I also stuff these large breasts with all sorts of other filling too, like sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella, or butten and herbs and just about any combination you and your family likes.

For the first time I don’t have a picture for you. After I had put dinner on our plates and went to get the camera I discovered that this particular camera does not give any kind of warning that the battery needs to be replaced, it is a kind of SURPRISE for you when you try to take a picture and get a “replace battery” signal.

In any case tonights dinner was nothing particularly fancy, it was a very quick dish to make and hubby enjoyed it, I didn’t eat any as I sometimes have a bad reaction to shell fish and wasn’t in the mood to risk it.

We had a pound of nice sized large shrimp and while I like them fried, hubby would prefer them with no coating on them. So figuring that I wasn’t going to risk an episode of hives by eating something that I wasn’t crazy about anyway I decided to make him a quickie meal from the shrimp while I had some leftovers of last nights pork dinner. This meal was a really fast one in the pressure cooker.

                                                 Pressure Cooker Shrimp

1 pound of large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 green pepper diced

1 red pepper diced

1 small onion diced

3 cloves garlic

1  15 ounce can diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth or seafood stock

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 bay leaf

pinch of saffron, you can omit this if you don’t have it, if you do use it put it in a bit of warm water to soften it first then add it with the broth

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 cup raw long grain rice, DO NOT use any kind of instant or minute rice

2 tablespoons oil, light olive is what I use

Heat a pressure cooker over low-medium heat and add oil, when oil is hot add the peppers, onions and garlic and saute for about 5 minutes, add the rice and stir to coat it with the oil. Add the pepper, bay leaf, tomatoes and broth and stir the contents together, close the cover on the cooker. Let the pressure come up to high and maintain it for 6 minutes, remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then if all pressure is not down, finish with a quick release according to your cookers instructions. Open the lid and put the pan back over the heat, stir the contents and then add the raw shrimp, let simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through, add the parsley and serve in wide bowls.

My sister always says that she loves the soups I make.  I just love to eat soup period, it warms my soul I think, in any case I see a big bowl of soup as something that brings me warmth and a general all over well feeling.

It has been cold here in the south for quite a bit this year so I have been having lots of soups this year. Tonight I made a big pot of chicken soup with lots of celery, carrots, onions, garlic and fresh thyme. I also added some really thick home made noodles that just hit the spot, even hubby was happy with it and he does not like soup at all most times, while I could live on it, he says he could live without it. We had a nice bowl each and I made us each a grilled cheese and ham sandwich, the hot soup and warm sandwich really filled us up and made us warm at the same time, a nice cozy feeling for sure. Make yourself a nice pot of soup and chase away those winter chills!  Stay warm, stay safe, and give your loved ones a hug………….

                                          Chicken Soup

8  bone in chicken thighs

8 carrots, cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into 2 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 large onion diced small

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1  bay leaf

3 — 1/4 inch thick slices fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 quarts unsalted home made chicken broth

2 cups water

8 ounces thick noodles or dumplings, your choice, cooked separately and rinsed

Wash and clean chicken thighs, trim as much fat off as possible, place on a roasting sheet and put into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes until they brown. Remove from sheet pan and place them into a large stock pot along with the rest of the ingredients, except noodles, bring to a simmer and then cover and cook for one hour until the thighs are cooked through. Remove the thighs from the broth and discard the bones, chop the meat into manageable pieces and add back to the stock and adjust seasonings. Cook the noodles separately and then rinse them in cold water, place a nice helping of noodles into each serving bowl and ladel the hot soup over them. Serve with some rolls and butter or a nice sandwich and warm your soul!

Package the soup and noodles separately so the noodles don’t swell and drink up all the broth. To serve rinse the noodles in warm water in a colander and then place in bowl, pour boiling hot soup over noodles in bowl.

We went grocery shopping yesterday and even though we are both craving some short ribs there was no way I was going to pay the high prices they are at right now. When I saw the higher short rib price I changed directions and went for a regular beef roast, the pickins there were pretty slim too, it could have been the time of day we went shopping too but after looking at what was available I finally decided on the roast above. This would be the first time ever that I have cooked one of these roasts, I usually use a brisket for our pot roast and use a large chuck roast for our stew meat. I didn’t want to make a huge roast and the size of this one was just perfect for us so I bought it. Tonight I cooked it and discovered after I cut into it that this particular cut of meat, while looking nice in the package, has a large streak of gristle going right through the center of it. It didn’t taste bad but it was a lot of work to cut around that line of gristle in order to get to the meat once the slices were on our plates, I don’t think I would buy this cut again.

                                                  Chuck Tender Pot Roast

1—-2 1/2 pound chuck tender roast, trimmed of fat, seasoned with salt and pepper

1 medium onion, minced fine

2 carrots, minced fine

1 stalk celery minced fine

2 cloved garlic, minced fine

4 sundried tomatoes minced

leaves from 4 sprigs of thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 cup dry red wine, tonights was merlot

2 cups unsalted beef broth

1 tablespoon oil

      Slurry

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup cold water, mix together well until no lumps remain

Heat  a small heavy sauce pan with a lid until it is hot, add the oil and heat it, then add the meat and sear it well on all sides until it is very well browned all over, the browner you get it the better it is. Be careful it does not burn, adjust the heat under the pan and watch it carefully. When the meat is nicely browned remove it to a platter and set aside. Add the minced vegetables to the pan, along with the garlic, bay leaf and thyme, saute them until they soften and begin to color, when they are well browned add the wine and turn heat to high and let reduce by half, add the meat back to the pan and add the broth. Lower the heat and cover the pan and allow to simmer for 90 minutes, at the end of the time remove the meat to a platter and bring the sauce up to a rapid boil to reduce it a little, taste and adjust the seasonings, then add the slurry to them and bring up to a boil while whisking, allow to cook for about 5 minutes to cook off the flour taste and thicken. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.