Shrimp 'n Grits (Lactose Free Substitutions)

       Grits

·                        4 1/4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth (or substitute some of broth with "shrimp shell" stock)

·                       3/4 cup lactose free whole milk

·                          6 tablespoons earth balance buttery flavor vegan spread

·                          1 garlic clove, minced

·                          1 cup corn grits  (either white or yellow)

      Shrimp

·                         1/4 cup earth balance buttery flavor vegan spread

·                         1/3 cup finely chopped shallots

·                           1 large garlic clove, minced

·                          2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined (use shells to make stock for grits)

·                       1/2 cup dry white wine

·                           1 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice, drained, juice reserved

·                          4 ounces prosciutto, cut into thin strips (about 1 cup)

·                       1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

·                       1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

                           For those who want - can - grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top. 

                 Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Shrimp-Grits-with-Prosciutto-104183#ixzz1hPBnlEUj

                            For grits:
                 Take shells from shrimp and water to cover and boil. Reduce to simmer and reduce liquid (a ways) to make strong stock. 
                 Bring chicken stock and shrimp stock, milk, fake butter and garlic to boil in heavy large saucepan. Gradually whisk in grits. 
                 Return to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered until grits thicken, 
                                        whisking often, about 15 minutes.  (whisking makes for less lumps than just plain ole stirring)

                 Leave on stove top off as you cook the shrimp. They will continue to thicken.

                          For shrimp:
                 Melt 1/4 cup butter substitute in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until tender, 
                                                about 4 minutes.
                 Add shrimp and sauté 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to large bowl. 
                 Add white wine to skillet and boil until reduced to glaze, about 5 minutes. 
                 Add drained diced tomatoes and half of prosciutto and simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. 
                 Add parsley, chives and sautéed shrimp and simmer until shrimp are warmed through, about 2 minutes. 
                 Thin sauce with some of reserved tomato juices, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

                         Spoon corn grits into shallow bowls. Top each serving with shrimp-prosciutto-tomato mixture, dividing equally. 
                         Garnish with remaining prosciutto strips and serve immediately. 

 
                      Adapted from  
                     http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Creamy-Shrimp-Grits-with-Prosciutto-104183#ixzz1hPBzFvii

1-2-3 Cheese Cake

Very easy to make. Hardest part is letting it sit for 24 hours after making. Then not eating it all in one sitting (boy, you'd get sick!)

350 Degree Oven

9 to 10 inch spring form pan

I have also used this recipe and made a few small cheesecakes. I got some little spring forms. Sooo cute. People could have their own individual cake)

Cookie tray will go under the pan to catch any spills and helps be get the thing in and out and in and out (the cake goes in and out and in and out)

1. Crust

Graham crackers (honey and / or chocolate)

3/4 cup all crushed up. I use maybe two or three of the packages inside a box

Ground walnuts (if you want)

3/4 cup

Melted unsalted butter

3 Tablespoons or so. Not too much - but enough to stick the crumbs together.

Pat down the graham cracker nut crumbs at the bottom of the pan. Pour melted butter. Try to get it kinda smooth. Have it kinda form a barrier at the edge/seam of the pan all around the sides. Lick fingers.

2. Base

4 packages of 8 ozs of cream cheese blocks (I mix and match Philadelphia Brand and generic or whatever I find)

4 eggs (I think, by default, these are usually large - which is what I normally buy. Not mediums and not extra large)

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice (the standard amount - but if you don't want it too lemony use less. if you want it more lemony an extra splash. I have experimented with adding orange extract splash. Couldn't tell at all.)

2  sloppy teaspoons of vanilla (that sloppy spill just adds that much more yumminess)

Cut the cream cheese into chunks that won't jam your Cuisinart. Using the setting that lets you go on and off in "pumps" - start creaming that cream cheese.  After adding the last of the cream cheese let the machine run to get it really broken up and heading towards smooth - it will want to start balling up so you add one egg at a time to get it going toward liquid.  Then add the sugar and let it whirl to get nice and smooth. As it is mixing pour in the lemon and the vanilla and let it continue to get all mixed up.  

I stop the machine and take the whole top off from time to time to scrap down the sides.  After I add the lemon and vanilla, I check to see what got splattered on the inside top and scrap and swirl a bit more.

I pour the base into the spring form (or divide it up into the littler spring forms) and put it in the oven for 50 to 55 minutes.  If I keep checking it, usually 55 minutes - if I am patient, 50 minutes is usually good enough. It will still be a bit jiggley but not too jiggley. I guess error on the side of less jiggley for the first time until you can tell - because, you know, you will be making this over and over again.

3.Top

While the cake is in the oven - mix together

2 cups sour cream

1/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

After the 50 to 55 minutes, take the cake out and let it just sit there for about 15 minutes.  It will settle down a bit and probably crack. But who cares?! You will be covering the top with the sourcreaminessgoodnessyummy.

Spread the sour cream mix on the top. Start in the middle and go close to but not exactly touching the edges of the pan.  It is n't the end of the world to get it to the edge - it just looks prettier when you take the sides off the spring form if the sour creamy yumminess hasn't gotten stuck.

Put the whole cake back into the oven for 5 minutes.

Let it cool down.

Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Top with cut up fruit  - I've done strawberries cut different ways. Blueberries and strawberries. I've done thin sliced lemons. I've done nuthin'.

I've topped with fruit and then took the edges of the pan off.

I've taken the edges off and then topped with fruit.

I don't know if it really matters.

The whole cake is pretty dang heavy.

And it gets even better on day 3 if you have any left.

Vegan Oatmeal Cookies (With Suzanne's alternations)

3/4 cup margarine  (Earth Balance Butter Flavored)

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (Dark Brown Sugar)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup soy milk (Almond Milk)

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp ginger powder

1/4 tsp cloves (Barely any at all – just a hint)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg (Barely any at all – just a hint)

3 cups quick cooking or rolled oatmeal (2 cups quick and 1 cup rolled – about)

1 cup dried cranberries (Skipped)

Preparation:

Cream together the margarine and sugars until smooth. Add vanilla and soy milk and mix well.

Add flour, baking soda and spices until well mixed, then stir in oats and cranberries.

Spoon 1 1/2 inch balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet  (Sprinkle the top with just a smidge of Kosher Salt – I was accidentally too heavy handed on some!)

and bake 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees, or until done.

Jazz Lab

Marilyn's Carrot Cake

Cake Ingredients


1 ¼ cups corn oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

4 cups grated carrots (about 1-lb bag)

I cup chopped pecans (optional)

1 cup raisins (optional)



Preheat oven to 350. Use either a 10” tube cake pan or two regular sized baking pans so that you already have two layers. Whisk together corn oil and sugar. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift half the dry ingredients into the sugar-oil mixture and blend. Alternately sift in the rest of the dry ingredients while adding the eggs, one at a time. Combine well. Add the carrots, raisins, and pecans. Pour into the prepared pan (or pans) and bake for 70 minutes.



Cream cheese frosting

If you are making layers, use this in between.

Ingredients

8 oz soft unsalted butter

8 oz soft cream cheese

1 1-pound box of powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla



Cream the butter well. Add the cream cheese and beat until blended. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. If too soft to spread, chill a bit. Refrigerate if not using immediately, but bring to a spreadable temp before using.



Enjoy!
Marilyn

Yaki Onigiri - Grilled Rice Cake -

Use 1 cup of hot (or warm) cooked Japanese short grain rice per serving. Add the rice to a small bowl (like a cereal bowl) just big enough to hold it. Jiggle the bowl, moving it in a flat, circular motion, like the motion of a hula hoop, until the rice forms into a ball on its own—a neat kitchen trick Tadashi's mom taught him. This motion packs the rice so it holds together when it grills.

Wet your hands and place the ball of rice between your cupped palms. Now squeeze, flip, and turn the rice ball several times to form it into a triangular shape. This motion takes a little practice, but after a few yaki onigiri, you'll get the hang of it. Make sure not to compact the rice too tight; you want it to just stick together.

Grill yaki onigiri over medium heat. If the fire's too hot, the rice will burn. We like to place the yaki onigiri along the cooler edges of a grill while other foods cook in the hotter center. Watch the rice carefully while it grills; perfect yaki onigiri need constant attention.

Reprinted from The Japanese Grill: From Classic Yakitori to Steak, Seafood, and Vegetables by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat from the Splendid Table site: http://www.publicradio.org/columns/splendid-table/recipes/yaki_onigiri.html

Summer Rain Storm

It is humid and it is hot. No. It is really humid and it is really hot. The lightening is high up in the sky. It is the time of day – that twilight time – that makes it hard to tell if it is a darkening stormy sky or just night falling. But then the breeze comes – a hot breeze that smells like rain. It does. It smells like rain. Smell can tell you lots – is the ocean nearby? Is there something dead in the refrigerator that should have been thrown away two days ago? This the heavy smell of rain.

The dash board reads 93 degrees at 8:30 pm. That just isn’t right for July. Maybe August dog days but this is over the top for July.

I get out of the car and it is wall of thick air. Immediately sweat forms but it is hard to tell since the air is so humid there is no difference between my skin and the air. The breeze is changing. It is more gusts and a faint… what is that?... a coolness?

Unloading the groceries, just a few bag and still the sweat is dripping into my eyes and a drop even falls off my nose. I step into the air-conditioned house and immediately sweat even more. The cold air seems to tell my skin that it is okay to let it pour – it will absorb it into the drier cool air. But I just feel wet and sticky.

The high flashes in the sky are becoming brighter and the wind is picking up a steady whoosh with gusts that are much stronger. And big drops begin to pelt the car windshield. Big black dots drop on the back yard slate. The leaves blow and drop as the wind and rain bounce them here and there.

Quickly fixing a super: rinsed Boston lettuce leaves, chop off some dark meat of the freshly purchased rotisserie chicken, some thinly sliced Vidalia onion, a quarter of an avocado. Salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, drizzle of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice. And to the porch I go.

The rain is pouring but not down. It is blowing hard against the side of the house. Rain sprays with wind gusts into my face. I rethink the position my chair so my salad isn’t moistened by the spray and I can stay relatively dry yet see the sky.

The tops of the trees are dancing now. The sky flashes with strong bright lightning. No clear lightning bolts and I can easily count to 10 before hearing a rumble of thunder. Gusts make the weather station on top of the garage spin madly then settle down to a twirl - then a blur then a twirl. The lower branches of the trees sway and the tops dip and dive. The rolling thunder comes between 4 and 7 in my counting and the rain is coming whipping this way and that. The rushing sounds fill everywhere. You hear nothing else but the leaves rustling and shuttering and the branches reaching and dancing and the rain pelting the roof of the porch, the car, the windows. The smell is wet and heavy. The cat has fled to the basement.

Flash and boom are only a count of 1 away as the far trees show their flexibility to an extreme. The tops whipping about. The leaves look almost turned inside out if that were possible. Echo sounds of thunder make it harder to tell where it originated. That way? Or This way? Flash of light and I count. But then another flash then a rumble then rumble and the echo. Was that the rumble from the first lightening? Where is the thunder from that second flash?

I’m not driving. I’m not peering intently through a windshield that is being beaten by the windshield wipers set to the highest speed still doing no good. I’m not seeking an underpass to hide with other cars caught on the interstate. I’m not worried about the motorcyclist that I’ve seen so many times enjoying the summer.

I’m not carrying groceries in from the car dodging rain drops trying not to step in puddles or have the bag give way under the weight and wetness. I’m not walking to the metro under a mini umbrella that is easy to carry but useless in a rain storm. Or even a larger umbrella that can be walking stick on clear days and just turns inside out against gust of winds half the strength of this rain.

I’m not waiting on an airplane pulled off the side of the tarmac waiting for the signal that all is clear. Listening to the rain against the little plastic windows, squeezed in the middle seat, thumbing through the skyways mall magazine that has been thumbed by too many people that the pages seem to have thinned and gotten a bit oily.

I’m on my porch. The cat is in the basement waiting for the sounds to stop; for the intense rain smell to past. My salad is gone and the wind is dying down. The weather station is slowing to a constant spin. The tops of the trees sway, almost gently with a gusty breezy sounds. The rain has slowed. All the sounds have mellowed to where I can now hear the rain running down the gutters.

Rain splashes some but eases up. The cat has come to check to see if all is better. The lower branches of the far trees no longer move. The tops just dance. The leaves wave goodbye. A gust of wind travels from the neighbors to me to beyond. Dripping of the gutters is steady but is not longer running water down to the drive and out to the street.

It becomes silent except for the dripping.