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

Blueberry Waffle Dessert

Ingredients:

1 cup blueberries (should be enough for 4 servings)
Sugar
Waffles ( 1 per person)
Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Cinnamon
Whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cookie sheet or cake pan with aluminum.  Spread blueberries out and sprinkle liberally with sugar.  Cook for approximately 15 minutes, stirring once half way through.  You want the berries to still be holding together but a nice thick syrupy juice is being produced.  Let cool while you finish assembling the rest of the dessert.

Cook or toast one waffle per person.  The thin type is best and you want them a bit crispy.
Sprinkle lightly with cinammon.
Put one large scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top of waffle.
Top with the blueberries, letting syrup run down sides.
Now top that with a liberal amount of whipped cream.

Serve.

Sausage, Kale, and Sweet Potato Soup

1 lb sausage, tasso, or cubed ham  (you may substitue chicken or turkey also)
1 onion chopped
1 cup celery chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 sweet potatos cubed
4 cups packed kale  (or spinach)
6 cups chicken broth
dash of pepper sauce - tabasco - if you like spicier food and more heat.

Combine all in crockpot and simmer on low for 8 hours, or high for 4.  Check occassionally to see if you need to add more liquid. 

Roasted Blueberry and Mango Salad

Ingredients:

18 oz blueberries
4 oz crumbled blue cheese
1 mango diced
7 oz honey roasted pecans
baby spinach/field green mix (8-10 oz)
Pinch of sugar

Preheat oven to 375.   Line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper.  Spread blueberries out and sprinkle liberaly with sugar.  Bake at 375 for 15 minutes.  Take out and cool.  Keep the juice.

Layer the greens in bottom of salad bowl, add the mango, then the cooled blueberries (some of the juice will automatically go with them, that is what you want), then layer the blue cheese crumbles and top with the honey roasted pecans.

Blueberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

3/4 cup blasamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 table spoons honey
blueberry juice left over from the roasting.

Blend til smooth.  Add more honey or blueberries to taste.

Puerco Rojo Stew (Red Pork Stew)

1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (pork butt), twine or netting removed
1 tablespoon ground cumin
4 jalapeños, sliced
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
6 medium garlic cloves, smashed
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 (3-1/2-ounce) package Achiote Rojo, crumbled
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, quartered
30 oz hominy
15 oz cut green beans
1 large sweet potato, dice  (I baked mine in microwave, diced and added last with the hominy and green beans)

Rub the pork with the cumin and the Achiote Rojo. Sprinkle with the salt.  Place it in slow cooker and then add the garlic, jalapenos, and onion. Pour orange juice over it.  Place the quartered tomatillos on top.  Cook on slow for 8 hours or high for 4 until pork pulls apart.  Take pork out and shred it.  Return to crockpot with the hominy, green beans and sweet potatoe.  Cook on low for another hour.

If you dice the raw sweet potato, add it to the roast along with the garlic, jalapenos, and onion.