Thanksgiving is Over..here comes Christmas!

Thanksgiving is long gone..well, two days.  But at least I don't want to do Holiday Rage when I hear Christmas music or see decorations.

So now, I am looking at more Holiday Recipes! 

This year I tried a new dressing that I had seen on Facebook, originally it was from a Southern Living Magazine. 

Shrimp and Grits Dressing.

Easy to make is a real plus.  Everyone, but me, loved it.  I liked it.  I didn't tinker with the original recipe, just did it "as is."  Very, very unusual for me.  But it was a big hit.  I found it a tad bland.  So the next time I do it, I plan on adding some crumbled bacon and perhaps some jalapenos or just plain green chiles. 

Anyone, since I had found it bland, I decided to take the idea and play with it.

I swapped the shrimp for some diced Andoille sausage, added crumbled bacon, jalapenos, and used a cup of shredded Italian cheese blend.  Also, I used some Cajun seasoning and increased the amount a bit.

The result is my Sausage and Grits Casserole.  I found it much more to my taste. Raphael was voting in favor of the shrimp.

I do think this one is better as a breakfast or brunch casserole, but however you serve it,  Its' good~!

My other big hit was my Roasted Blueberry and Mango Salad.  I have never had one person not love this salad.

And I did some Black Friday shopping via Amazon and got a nice set of Cusinart knives for myself! Wahoooooo

Forever Ambers

1 pound candy orange slices, cut fine
2 cans flaked coconut (3 1/2 oz cans)
1 tsp orange flavoring
2 cans sweetened condensed milk
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 box powdered sugar, sifted.

_________

Combine all ingredients, except powdered sugar, in large bowl and mix well.  Spread mixture on a lightly greased 15 x 20 x 1/2 inch jelly roll pan and bake at 275 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and while still warm, spoon mixture into bowl of powdered sugar.  Roll into balls the size of small walnuts and place on cookie rack to cool.

Alternative verison...

use dates instead of orange candy,
swap walnuts for the pecans
and use 2 tsp vanilla, omitting the orange flavoring.

Sausage and grits dressing

 Sausage and Grits





1 lb. andoille sausage cut into bite sized pieces
6 strips bacon, crumbled.
3 cups chicken broth
1 stsp creole seasoning (or more to taste)
1 cup uncooked grits
1/2 cup butter
3 large eggs, beaten
1 red pepper, diced
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup grated cheese ( I use Italian mixture)
Jalapenos to taste.

Preheat oven to 325.

Bring broth and seasoning to a boil.  Add grits.  Bring back to boil then reduce heat to medium low and add the butter.  Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.  Stir frequently to keep mixture from sticking.

In large mixing bowl, combine the beaten eggs, sausage, bacon, jalapenos, pepper,  breadcrumbs, and onion.  Gradually stir in about 1/4 of the grits to temper the eggs.  Then stir in the rest of the grits mixture.  Spread into a lightly greased 11 x 7 inch baking dish.

Cheese --- if you are really using this is a dressing, you might not want to add the cheese.  But if you want it more as a breakfast or other side dish, you can do one of hte following

Stir in the cheese before you pour it into the baking pan or spread cheese on top.

I like to stir it in.

Shrimp and Grits Dressing

originally from Southern Living.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1 pound peeled, medium raw shrimp
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp creole seasoning
1 cup uncooked grits
1/2 cup (one stick) butter
3 large eggs, beaten
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring broth and seasoning to a boil in large saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in grits, return to boil, reduce heat to low, stir in butter.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally 10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Stir together eggs and next four ingredients in large bowl.  Gradually stir in about 1/4 of the hot grits mixture into egg mixture.  Then add rest of the the grits, stirring constantly.  Add shrimp and parmesan cheese.  Pour into lightly greased 11 x 7 baking dish.

Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or 1 hour until mixture is set.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving