Pimento Cheese

Classic pimento cheese sandwich, sliced homegrown tomatoes sprinkled w/ salt & pepper on the side.

When I think of pimento cheese, I recall making sandwiches with Pringles original potato chips stuffed alongside the cheese spread in between.  I made this sandwich, almost daily, as soon as I'd come off the school bus which I rode to my Grandma's house.  My grandparents always seemed to have pimento spread in supply.  Sometimes we would line celery sticks with the concoction, other times it was spread on a Ritz.  Having been in track for many years, I was a hungry girl and could afford the extra calories of the mayonnaise-y, cheesy mix...today, not so much. ; )

I never gave pimento cheese a thought until I was grown and would see it in magazines like Southern Living.  Those write-ups and images put the spread on a pedestal and I thought how funny it looked under the spotlight.  Pimento cheese is humble, after all, but it's also good eating.  I guess it deserves a little spotlight.

If you've never tried pimento cheese spread OR if you've only ever tried the processed stuff from the grocery, try your hand at this recipe.  It's simple, cheesy goodness. 

1 cup mayonnaise (I only use Duke's mayo)

1 tsp. onion powder or 1 tbsp. freshly grated onion

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cajun seasoning

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce or a tsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice 

a splash of pepper sauce such as Tabasco

1 lb. mild cheddar, shredded

1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimentos

Grate cheese and set aside.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise and seasonings, mixing until full incorporated.  Add shredded cheddar and pimentos, stirring until cheese and pimentos are completely coated in the mayo mixture.  Keep refrigerated.  Yields about 2 and 1/2 cups of spread.  Serve on white bread, toasted or not, for a sandwich.

This recipe can be easily tailored to your liking.  It's just the bones really.  You can finely grate your cheese or shred it coarsely, put it through the food processor or mash it with a fork; use sharp or extra sharp cheddar or a combination of the two.  Heck, you could even incorporate new cheeses, Colby Jack maybe?  People have added diced jalapenos or pickle relish to their spread.  Your imagination is the limit.  It's really just a toss up and your preferences may depend widely on how you grew up eating it.

I tried my sandwich with toasted bread, a piece of bacon, and my tomato jelly.  It was pure bliss.

Sharing at  and at A Slice of Southern's Southern Sundays.  Be sure to click on their links to find other great recipes.

Tirokafeteri

Tirokafeteri is a warm, Feta cheese dip.  I first had this in a Greek restaurant, but my husband grew up with this and it's simple to prepare so if you want to give it a go, here's what you will need...

Tirokafeteri
500 grams (or two 8-oz. blocks) Feta cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp. hot sauce
juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, and hot sauce in a bowl.  Crumble feta and stir into mixture to coat.  Bake cheese mixture in a small size casserole at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes or until warm.  Serve with warm, torn pieces of pita bread.

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Sharing @ Designs by Gollum.

Game Day Menu

It's Super Bowl Sunday, and though I could give a flip, husby is happy.  We will spend a quiet time at the house enjoying a few game day snacks.  If you're looking for a few last minute ideas, read on.

Veggies with Ranch Dip

photo credit

Muffalettas

Boneless Buffalo Strips

Asparagus wrapped in Ham

photo credit

Twice Baked Potato Skins

photo courtesy

and what's game day without a little pork skins to go along with the pig skin being tossed around on the tube?

Corn Fritters

• 1 cup yellow or white cornmeal
• 1/2 cup corn masa flour (you can use reg. AP flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1 can cream style corn (16 oz) (I used Old Glory brand Skillet Corn)
• 1/4 cup milk
• Crisco for frying

Preparation:  

Mix dry ingredients. Add creamed corn, milk, and egg; mix well.

If more liquid is needed to make desired consistency, add a little milk. Drop heaping spoonfuls into hot oil.

Fry until golden brown.  Be sure your oil is hot enough so that your fritter fries up quickly and doesn't absorb a ton of grease.  Drain on a paper towel and enjoy.

 Sharing @ Designs by Gollum, 

Shrimp Quesadillas

Quesadilla dinner night for my family!  Making quesadillas is a super easy, quick, and tasty way to serve up dinner on a busy day.  For these quesadillas you will need:

Ingredients

1 ear of corn, off the cob

1/2 of a red bell pepper

1/2 a sweet onion

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

Juice of half a lemon

Old Bay Blackening Seasoning to taste

8 count package of large burrito size flour tortillas

1 lb. Oaxaca cheese (pronounced wha-ha-ka)

fresh cilantro to taste

To begin, I sauteed the onion, bell pepper, and corn in a cast iron skillet with a little lug of olive oil until vegetables were soft.  No need to season the vegetables since the cheese is slightly salty and the shrimp will be seasoned.  When done, I placed the veg in a bowl and added a little more oil back to the pan.  Next, you will place your shrimp in the skillet and season with blackening seasoning and the juice of half a lemon.  If you don't have blackening seasoning, season your shrimp with a Cajun seasoning, or your favorite spice blend.  Be sure not to over cook the shrimp.  When done, use the end of your spatula to cut the shrimp into bite sized chunks. 

Next, I placed a tortilla in another skillet and covered the tortilla with a layer of the shredded cheese.  I had a non-stick skillet, but you may need to spray a little cooking spray if foods tends to stick in your pan.  I layered  the shrimp and veg over the cheese and topped this with a little fresh cilantro.  Now, place another tortilla on top, pressing it into the melting cheese.  Cook your quesadilla over medium heat, flipping as the side begins to turn lightly golden.  Cook on both sides.  Place on a serving platter and cut into slices when done.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream (or Crema Mexicana if you've got it), guacamole, pico de gayo, or just eat plain.  My family loves these.

A great thing about quesadillas is that you can personalize for any picky eaters.  Big sister, for instance, requested plain cheese.  Though, I think she didn't know what she was missing ; 0

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Boudin Quiche

Lately, I've been on a boudin buying kick.  We don't have many varieties available from our surrounding stores.  My Granddaddy used to make his own, and it was good; though, as a kid, I didn't think so.  There are a lot of mysterious things that go in to boudin, from a child's point of view.

What can I say, my taste has grown.  I usually buy Zummo's boudin, a brand out of Beaumont, TX.

image courtesy

Though, most recently I tried Cajun Hollar.

image courtesy

I'd rate it second to Zummo's, definitely not as spicy, but the back of the box had some neat recipe ideas to inspire me.  We grilled our boudin, not bad.  We also stuffed it in bell peppers, and baked them.  Definitely getting better, but lastly we used two of the links to make a quiche...My favorite of the ways we experimented with it.

The quiche was simple so here 'tis-

Cajun Boudin Quiche
1 prepared pie crust, unbaked
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1-1/2 cups half and half cream
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 a medium onion, chopped
2 links of boudin, steamed
1 cup of shredded cheddar jack cheese
a handful or so of fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
Salt & Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Roll your pie crust enough to lay out in a deep dish pie plate.  Line your plate and crimp edges of pie dough.

In a mixing bowl, combine eggs and all other ingredients.  Mix to incorporate and pour into pie shell.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or so depending on your oven.

Also, I'd like to take a moment to thank and welcome my new followers.  It is a pleasure to have you.

Merci,

The Kitchen Witch

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Corny

Ah, corn.  I love corn and today I'm feeling quite corny so let me tell you about what I made today.  

I present, Mexican Corn Dip.

not the best picture, sorry ; )

Mexican Corn Dip

1 can of Fiesta Corn

1 can of Shoepeg Corn

1 (8 oz.) block of Colby Jack, finely shredded (a bag of shredded cheese will do, too)

1 Jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

Black Pepper & Cajun Seasoning to taste

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for a few hours before serving so that the flavors develop...or just scoop it up as soon as you make it, like me, because you can't wait. ; )  Serve with corn tortilla chips.

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Oh, Portabella, How I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways

Did I just work classic poetry into my blog?  Yes.  Yes, I did.  Hmm.  Pairing up foods with poems sounds like a future blog post in the making. Wink. Wink.

The other day a friend emailed me asking what she should do with her Portabella mushroom.  I quickly responded with lots of ways.  One of my personal favorites is to bake it, but grilled and sauteed are equally nice ways.  Here's a recipe for baked Portabellas.  I had this for lunch today, but scarfed it down before I could snap a pic so I borrowed one : )

Photo Credit

Baked Portabellas

1 to 2 Portabella mushrooms, wiped clean and stems cut short

Extra Virgin Olive Oil or unsalted butter, about a tablespoon

Kosher Salt, to taste

Balsamic Vinegar, to taste

Thin slices of a hard cheese such as Parmesan or Manchego

Place cleaned Portabellas, face up (as shown in the above image), in a casserole dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drizzle with olive oil or dot with butter.  I like to get the oil on the top and bottom of the mushroom so rub the caps with my hands.  

Sprinkle with salt, maybe somewhere between a pinch and half a teaspoon, and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar.

Bake for about 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven.  The mushroom will turn dark in color.  Top with grated or shaved cheese towards the last few minutes of baking.

Serve hot.  

I love Portabellas because they are so yummy and versatile.  You can grill them after prepping the same way that I did in my recipe, instead of baking.  You can also stuff them when baking.  I have a recipe for Crab Stuffed Mushrooms that could be excellent inside these.  Slice a grilled Portabella and serve them in a taco with all the accouterments you want or place this baked version between a whole wheat hamburger bun and top it with feta, grilled red bell pepper slices, and spinach leaves for a nice veggie burger.  I could go on; the varieties are endless.  What a great way to enjoy a meat-free meal?!

Have a great week,

The Kitchen Witch

p.s.  Sharing for

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Caprese Salad

What you will need:

Tomatoes, home growns taste best
Fresh Basil leafs
Whole Milk Mozzarella
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt and cracked Black Pepper to taste

Get creative in how you serve it.  Stack up alternating slices of cheese and tomato, dice them up, or fan them out on a plate; doesn't matter because the taste will be great.  For the picture you see, I was serving just me (this was my lunch, perfect on a hot summer day).  I sliced up one tomato, a few slices of cheese and a small handful of Basil leaves.  I sprinkled with oil & vinegar, and salt & pepper, and viola!  Caprese Salad!

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Verde Chicken Enchiladas w/Tomatillo Salsa

Here's a tasty Mexican dinner treat.  I take a few shortcuts when making this, but you don't have to if you're a die-hard foodie.

To start, I make my own Tomatillo Salsa.  Shown are pictures of a tomatillo with and without the hull.

Here's what you will need..

Tomatillo Salsa
5to 6 Tomatillos
1/2 white onion, rough chopped
1/2 bunch Cilantro, stems removed
3 to 4 garlic cloves
1 Jalapeno, vein and seeds removed
2 tsp. salt
Juice of one Lime

In a medium sized pot, boil salted water.  Add tomatillos and cook until their bright green color turns dull and they've become soft.  While those are boiling, add onion, garlic, cilantro , and jalapeno to a food processor.  Pulse until texture becomes smooth, like a salsa.  Add salt and lime juice and pulse a little more.  Be sure to taste test this, you can always add more salt if you like.

For the enchiladas you will need:
1 cup of chicken stock
1 package of white corn tortillas (I bought a 30 count just in case I needed to fill extra)

1 package shredded chicken

1 package shredded Mexican Mix Cheese, Jack & Cheddar will do, too
1 (8 oz.) container of sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a sauce pan, pour chicken stock just to cover the bottom of the pan and keep it at a low simmer.  Add one tortilla at a time to soften it enough to be able to roll once you get the stuffing inside, otherwise they seem to tear easily.  As the tortillas soak up the broth, you may have to refill the pot.

Once tortilla is softened, set flat in an oblong casserole dish and stuff with a small mound of chicken...maybe a large spoonful.  Roll the tortilla up, seem side down and repeat process til you can't fit anymore on in the casserole dish.  Top with tomatillo salsa, then slather with sour cream.  Lastly, top with shredded cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.  Serve with your favorite sides.  We always like rice and beans, but a salad & a crisp white wine would do nicely for a light summer meal.

As a side note, I've used the salsa recipe as is and served with chips.  It's a nice change to your typical tomato based salsas.  The tomatillo and lime flavors are very bright.

Hot Spinach Dip

As is usually the case, I return from the store all set to begin a recipe I'd had in mind only to find out I've forgotten some ingredient or another.  Today I bought the fixings for spinach dip and realized I'd forgotten the Knorr Vegetable Dip Mix that was called for in the recipe.  Shoot. Well, I got to thinking about Spinach Artichoke Dip.  Knowing that I didn't have any artichokes, I decided to just use the water chestnuts I'd bought for the first recipe I had in mind.  I looked through several recipes for the hot dip and decided I liked Saint Paula Deen's (patron saint of southern cooking) best.  I had to finagle the ingredients just a tad, keeping in true Kitchen Witch fashion.  

Here's what I got:

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package 2- (9oz.) pkgs. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and wrung out
• 2 (13 3/4-ounce) cans artichoke hearts 1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2  1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1 cup grated pepper jack Mozzarella cheese
• Salt & Black Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• a splash of each, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and Hot sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Heat the spinach in a microwave oven on high for 5 minutes and squeeze dry. Drain the water chestnuts and coarsely chop.
Combine all the ingredients and a handful of mozzarella cheese in a large bowl. Stir well. Scrape into the prepared casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to a chafing dish and keep warm over a low flame. Serve with bagel chips or whatever cracker you like.

This would be a great one to serve for a Memorial Day gathering or any kind of get together, really.  Have a safe and yummy holiday weekend!

Let the good times roll,

The Kitchen Witch

p.s. Sharing @ 

Fried Green Tomatoes

I never imagined I'd end up with as many tomatoes on the vine as we currently have; I'm thrilled!  I decided to try my hand at Fried Green Tomatoes and they certainly were yummy.

Here's what I did:

Fried Green Tomatoes
Vegetable Oil
4-5 Med. to Large size Green Tomatoes
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup ea., Yellow Corn Meal & All Purpose Flour for a separate bowl
Cajun Seasoning

After washing and slicing my tomatoes, I beat two eggs in a medium sized bowl.  In a second bowl, I added a 1/2 cup plain All Purpose Flour.  In the third bowl, I combined a 1/2 cup of each, Yellow Corn Meal & AP Flour.  I seasoned this with Ragin' Cajun Seasoning, but feel free to use any kind of seasoned salt that you like. 

Once you have your dredging line up ready to go, heat oil a 1/4" deep in a cast iron skillet.  Make sure your oil is hot before you add your first batch to fry or else you'll end up with an oil saturated tomato.  Once your skillet has a good sizzle, start adding your tomatoes.  Once they're finished frying, place on a paper towel lined plate.

We served these with Ranch dressing for dipping.

I'm sharing at Designs By Gollum's Foodie Friday event.

As American as...Apple Pie? (Salsa Recipe)

What would it be like, coming to America for the first time?  I will never know that feeling.  My husband came to the states in 2005 and he remembers his arrival as if it were yesterday.  His mother will be visiting us through May beginning this Saturday.  Eek!  I hope her travels getting here are smooth and easy... I think I'm just as nervous and excited as I imagine her to be.

I've been trying to keep up with the housework despite the onslaught of assignments for this new semester.  I've been stocking up on groceries, but my attempts have been aimless.  All I can think to ask myself is, "What would you feed a person who's never been here?"  So...

What would you feed a person who has never been to America?

Some things have come to mind.  Apple pie...Hmm, what else is considered "American" cuisine?  Not a lot comes to mind.  I'm not even sure that apple pie is as "American" as we claim it to be.  The truth is most of our diet is borrowed from other countries.  Just as America is considered a melting pot, so is our cuisine.  What could I make that a European couldn't do better?  And, not just any European, a European who just so happens to be a fabulous cook.  This woman not only knows how to whip up some fantastic meals, she knows how to grow the grains, fruits, & vegetables, and raise the animal to create it.  THIS. WOMAN. IS. AWESOME. 

I'm shaking in my boots, here, and it's not because of the weather, folks.  If you have any ideas on what I should prepare over the course of the following months, feel free to share.  I can't have this woman going home thinking that I'm feeding her only son and grandchild the typical "ugly American" fare. 

Since she is arriving in the very near future, I will be "borrowing" from our southern "neighbors", Mexico.  South Texas does put out some fab. Tex-Mex and I guess that's as authentic as it's gonna get in my home on Sunday.  I'm thinking Fajitas, Rice, Beans, Guacamole, Tortillas, Salsa...  I'll post pics to show how that went.  This is the type of food we often make when we have company.  It's familiar so it shouldn't be too difficult to pull of.  In fact, since I make this type of food often, I've thought of sharing recipes on this blog.  The trouble is, it's hard to put this kind of cooking into words.  It's a cook by taste type of thing.  How could I explain how to prepare pinto beans when I've never followed a recipe myself?  I've always just added a little of this, and "ooh, wouldn't it taste good if I added a little of that!"  Maybe one day, I'll attempt to put it all into words.  In the mean time, I'll share a recipe that I'm more sure of and that I'll be using over the weekend.

Easy Salsa
1 (14.5 oz.) can mild Ro-tel tomatoes
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tbsp + 1 tsp. canned diced jalapenos
¼ cup yellow onion, finely diced
½-¾ tsp. garlic salt
½ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. sugar
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pour into a medium size sauce pan. Bring to boil and turn heat off. Serve warm with corn tortilla chips. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

The Best of Both-Yummy Meatballs

Last night was our annual Holiday bunco.  If you're not familiar with the game, it's a dozen or so women (and sometimes men) that get together to play a dice game of sorts.  We've been playing for 10 years, I think.  December is always a tough month for us because of the expense of the holidays so usually nobody wants to claim the month to host it.  We decided on turning it into a white elephant gift exchange and potluck to lessen the burden (and expense) for the hostess and it's worked out great so far.

This year I decided to try out a new recipe idea that I've been thinking about for the past month or two.  Not long back I tried my friend, Marguerite's, Sweet and Spicy Chicken recipe and her Creole Spaghetti & Meatballs.  When I made the sauce for the chicken, I told my husband it would be great on the meatballs I'd made just days before.  Of course, the meatballs were so good there were none left for me to test my theory.  I hope the bunco girls don't mind being my guinea pigs.

Here's my attempt at Marguerite's Sweet & Spicy Chicken with Beer Rice

...and here's the end result; combined Sweet & Spicy sauce with Meatballs= A big hit at the party : )

Sorry this isn't the best picture.  I'm not the best picture-taker'er.  With a flash, the reflection from the plate glares back whiting out the meatballs, without the flash equals this less than stellar picture which doesn't do justice to the festive red color of the sauce that coated the meatballs so nicely.  It was the perfect combination of salty and sweet.  I think Marguerite would be proud of my concoction; truly the best of both.

Happy Holidays,

The Kitchen Witch

a slightly out of focus tree, but I love the glow twinkling from the lights!

Southern Fried

Some days just leave you fried...

and make you yearn for that little taste of home

Memaw's Hushpuppy Recipe:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 egg
¾ cup butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking soda
1 medium onion, finely minced

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Grease your hands and roll batter into balls; gently lower hushpuppies into hot oil to fry. Hush puppies should float in the oil when they’re done and should be golden in color.

Happy Foodie Friday, y'all!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Today is "Foodie Friday", y'all!  I really enjoy sharing and thought I'd post what I made last night.  We ate them up sooo quickly, I didn't get a chance to snap a picture to share!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
1/2 of a medium onion, finely chopped
Stems of 1 dozen good-sized white mushrooms, finely chopped ( a processor works well for this but, not necessary).  Set caps aside, rub them with a damp paper towel to clean them off
1 cup of lump crab meat, picked thru to remove any shell pieces, rinsed and drained
a handful or so of Italian bread crumbs
Parsley flakes, as desired
Old Bay seasoning, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
Black or Red pepper to taste
2-3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Grated Parmesan

*This is the type of recipe that I typically gauge by hand, tasting until it's just right.  I always have left over stuffing that I form into crab cakes, an added bonus!

Saute onion, celery, and stem pieces in butter.  When vegetables are tender, add crab meat, bread crumbs, and seasonings.  Turn off heat.

Dot a casserole dish with butter and add your caps to the dish.  Stuff each cap with the desired amount and sprinkle with parm and Old Bay.  You could add the parm in along with bread crumbs and crab meat; I've done it that way, too!

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Enjoy : )

To market, to market, to buy a fat pig (Pico de Gallo Recioe)

Today marks the beginning of Labor Day weekend and I need to be "makin' groceries".  Since we won't be going to my mom's (boo) I think we will be going to the lake to hang with friends which means that I need to wrap my brain around what to make.  I'm thinking Pico de Gallo and I don't know what all else but, here's a recipe for Pico de Gallo to hold you over 'til the next post

Pico de Gallo, pronounced Pee Co Day Guy-O in Texas speak

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped (or whatever kind you got...homegrown's the best but, you probably know that my "homegrown" crop was mini-sized)

1 medium sized sweet onion, finely chopped (TX is known for their sweet onions so I'm partial)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
½ bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Juice of 3 limes
Kosher Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients into a large bowl. You may want to refrigerate to let flavors develop but, is not necessary. Serve with corn tortilla chips.

You can always add more tomatoes, onion, etc. if you are making this for a big crowd.  There really is no right or wrong in making something like Pico. 

I hope y'all enjoy your holiday weekend! 

Until we meet again...

BREAKING NEWS (and a recipe for "The Big Easy"

Not really but, THIS JUST IN:  There is a funky smell emanating from this area-

Seriously, y'all!  It is faint so I only catch a whiff ever so often (actually, only twice) but, when I do it stinks to high heaven!  Now, I had a craving for "the big easy" (and if you're unfamiliar with "the big easy" this would be a snack of Pickapeppa sauce over a block of cream cheese eaten with Ritz) but, after catching a whiff of whatever odorous beast lurks behind door # 1, I'm thinking not.  Damn you, foul smell, for ruining my fat-ass bad-ass snack!

As a side note I should add:  I did not intend on eating the entire block of cream cheese...just sayin'