Lemon Cookies (my version )

1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar together.  Add vanilla and egg and stir till blended.  Add lemon juice and salt and stir till blended.  Add the flour about a half cup at the time and stir each time until the flour is creamed in before adding the next half cup, the repeat with last half cup.  Put the powdered sugar in a bowl.  Scoop a rounded teaspoon full out and drop it over in the powdered sugar.  Roll it around in the powdered sugar till it kinda forms a ball. Put on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam. Continue until all the dough is used.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Let the cool on the pan a couple of minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  They are good warm but I thought even better the next day.  They become very crunch when they get cool.

Key Lime Cheesecake

For Crust
2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (approximately 2 sleeves)
1/2 cup butter melted
1/4 cup sugar
Combine and press this mixture in the bottom of a spring form pan and half way up the sides.
I sprayed the pan with a little Pam first.  That's just me.  Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, no longer.

For filling
3  8oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
4 eggs
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup of key lime juice (I like it tart so this was great for me but you can add less and taste as you go if you are concerned this might be too tart.  I use the bottled key lime juice)

Cream the cream cheese until smooth with mixer.  Add sugar and cream until smooth.  Add sour cream until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down sides to make sure it all gets blended well. Add Flour.  Add vanilla.  Then, STIR in the key lime juice.
Pour into crust and place in the oven.  Place a shallow pan of boiling water on the rack underneath it to help with cracking. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 minutes if using a 10" pan or 55 if using a 9" pan. It will be set around the edges but slightly jiggly in the middle.  Cut the oven off and open the oven door 4-6 inches and let it cool.  Run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen but do not remove from pan.  When its cool enough transfer it to the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. Remove the pan sides. I sliced it and served it with whip cream and topped it with a slice of lime for presentation.  It was amazing!

Shrimp and Grits

I've been looking for a good Shrimp and Grits recipe. I tried one and we liked it.  Had dry wine 

3 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of uncooked, quick cook grits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups (8 ounces) of shredded cheddar cheese
6 slices of bacon chopped
2 pounds of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails gone
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 green onions, sliced, greens and all
2 garlic cloves minced

Bring chicken broth to a boil over medium high heat, stir in grits.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until thick.  Remove from heat and stir in salt and next 3 ingredients.  Set aside and keep warm.  You can add more chicken broth if the grits get too thick while you are keeping them warm.
Cook bacon in a large non stick pan over medium high heat until bacon is done.  Remove bacon from pan but leave the bacon grease.
Add Shrimp to pan and cook for 3 minutes.  Stir occasionally. Add lemon juice and next four ingredients.  I didn't have fresh parsley so I added about a teaspoon of dried and it worked out fine.  Of course fresh would be better, I'm sure.  Cook just until shrimp are pink, don't over cook. Add the bacon back to the shrimp.  Spoon grits onto plate and top with Shrimp mixture.

This feeds about 4 people.  I do think you could cut back on the shrimp if cost is a factor.  This was a lot shrimp but it WAS good.  OR you could stretch it to feed more people but you'll have to cook more grits.