Pecan Pie Bread Pudding

I found myself with a left over pack of hamburger buns after a cookout and remembered a pecan pie bread pudding that my friend Paulette made at supper club one night.  You can use any kind of bread but the left buns actually worked great.   Serve it warm with a dollop of Cool Whip.  If you've never tried the extra creamy Cool Whip, you must.  It taste more like freshly made whipped cream.

8 cups of bite size bread pieces.
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups of light corn syrup
1/3 cup of packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of  unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon of maple or vanilla extract (I used vanilla)
1/2 teaspoon salt (if you use salted butter, decrease the salt)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup of pecans, chopped

Tear the bread into bite size pieces and place in a baking pan that has been well sprayed with Pam.  I used the equivalent of a 8x8 or 9x9 pan.  The pack of 8 hamburger buns worked perfect.
Melt the butter and drizzle over the bread.  In a large bowl whisk the eggs then add the corn syrup, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, salt and maple OR vanilla extract (your choice).  Stir in the pecans then pour over the bread pieces.  Use a spatula to push the mixture into the bread pieces.  The recipe called for 375 for 45 minutes.  I baked mine on 350 and decided to remove it after about 30 minutes or so.  You know your oven.  Remove it when it reaches the brownness you desire.

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.

Mama's Sloppy Joes

1 stick of margarine
2 chopped onions
2 teaspoons of salt
3 teaspoons of dry mustard
2  8 ounce cans of tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2  cans of cream corn
4 pounds ground beef
2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Melt butter, add ground beef, onions, garlic salt, pepper and dry mustard.  Stir until meat is brown.
Add vinegar, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cheese and corn.  Simmer 15-30 minutes.  Serve on warm buns.

The way Mama would always serve it was delicious.  She would open the buns and lightly butter them.  She would toast the buns.  Then she would spread mayonnaise on each piece of the buns.  She would then top the Mao with a slice of tomato.  Season the tomato with a little salt and pepper. Then she would spoon the Sloppy Joe over the tomato and serve it open face.

Stuffed Baked Potato

Baking potatoes were on sale recently and I made a dish for dinner that I had done once before that was my own creation.  I had forgotten how good it was.  Thought you might like to try it too.

4 baking potatoes
1 lb. of smoked sausage
1 onion, diced
1/2 stick of butter
grated cheese
sour cream
salt and pepper

Scrub and bake potatoes.  While potatoes are baking, slice or dice smoked sausage.  Melt butter and add the sausage and the diced onion. Saute' until the onions are done.  When the potatoes are done,
slice them open and then squeeze from the ends to open the potatoes up wide.  Fill with the butter, onion and smoked sausage mixture.  Top with grated cheese and sour cream, if you like and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

5 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pound of medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
crusty bread for serving

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish and spoon the olive oil and garlic over them.  Sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and toss.  Roast on the top rack of oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the baking dish from oven and stir in the shrimp, parsley and lemon juice.  Sprinkle with feta.  Return to oven until shrimp are cooked through.  Watch for them to turn pink.  Serve with warm crusty bread.

I'm tempted to suggest short cuts but it really didn't take that long and it is SO good.