Shrimp and Grits

So my local Southern Belle failed me at work ( in the nicest way possible, bless her heart) and had no recipe for Shrimp and Grits and forced me to look at several recipes and pick the best features of all of them. So I did, with great success. Definitely not a Lenten dish but it’s Hannah’s birthday family dinner and here we are. Not all that hard to make but a lot of steps.

Here they are:

Shrimp and Grits, my own Southern tradition

1 1/2 raw peeled deveined large shrimp, shells reserved
Cajun seasoning about 2 tbs. I made my own*
1/4 cup flour, reserved
Season the raw shrimp, toss to coat and set aside. Use the flour later just before frying to coat.


In a saucepan,  add
Reserved shells
Whole medium onion, unpeeled halved
2 Celery stalks
1 teaspoon of  Thyme
Salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer for 45 minutes verify seasoning.
Strain and reserve broth. About 3 cups.

For the Shrimps
2 tbs oil
2 tbs butter
1 medium onion chopped fine
2 Celery stalks chopped fine
1/2 red pepper, diced. I used a 1/2 jar roasted red peppers diced.
2-3 cloves of garlic chopped fine.
1/2 c white wine
3/4 c cream
Wondra flour for thickening
1-2 tablespoons of Franks Hot Sauce to taste
Salt and pepper as needed
3 green onions sliced thin, white and green

In a large fry pan, heat 2 tbs oil till shimmering. Toss the seasoned shrimps in a few tbs of flour till coated. Add the seasoned shrimp in batches to the hot oil till pink through then set aside.

In the same pan add the butter, celery, onion, red pepper  and garlic. Sauté till softened then add the white wine and allow it to reduce by half, scraping up the browned bits. Add about 2-3 cups of the seafood stock and the cream. Allow to come to a light boil. Thicken with Wondra if needed. Verify seasoning.  Add the shrimps back till heated through and spoon over grits.  Top with green onion. Pass the hot sauce.

Grits
1 1/2 cups quick cook grits
6 cups water/ milk or more if needed
2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces of white shredded sharp cheddar  cheese
1/2 cup cream
3 tbls butter

 Boil the salted water, add grits slowly and whisk the entire time. When the consistency of thick porridge, add the cheese and combine till the cheese melts then stir in the cream and butter.

* Cajun seasoning
5T paprika
4T garlic powder
2T onion powder
2T black pepper
2T cayenne
2T oregano
2T thyme
1T salt.

A Lenten Dinner Party...of sorts

Last night our great friends Randy and Rhonda came to say goodbye. They are moving closer to their kids in Arizona. They got a great deal on a house and are in the process of packing up. They wanted to go out but being lent and limited in what we can eat plus my diabetes and pasta are enemies I offered to cook. Not many folks will turn down a meal at our house and they graciously accepted. Originally Randy wanted to head out to Spaghetti Works for their red clam sauce but I use a high fiber low calories pasta so I made the sauce here instead. As a matter of fact, I made 3 sauces as Rhonda does not eat anything from the sea and Brenda preferred white clam sauce rather than red.

A nice fresh French loaf and cop cat Olive Garden salad rounded out the menu with a Lenten chocolate cake for dessert.

For the sauce I used the 4 ingredient method

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano peeled tomatoes
1 small onion peeled and halved
1 t salt or more as needed
4 tbls butter or margarine.

Heat all the ingredients in a sauce pan the simmer for 45 minutes. Break up the tomatoes as it’s cooking. Discard the onion. One basic red sauce that is surprisingly fresh tasting and delicious.

For the White Clam Sauce

1 can of Bumblebee Baby Clams, drained juice reserved
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 shallot chopped
2 tbls olive oil
1/2 c white wine
3 tbls butter or margarine

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil and then add the garlic and shallot. Sauté gently to avoid burning the garlic then add the clams. Heat through, add the wine the the clam juice. (At this point I divided the red sauce in half and added 1/3 of the clams to the red sauce.)
Bring the white sauce to a low boil and add the butter, one pat at a time and whisking to incorporate before adding the next. Sauce should thicken and become glossy. Add a handful of parsley.

Lenten Meals are us...

Tonight’s fare besides a nice fresh prosfora is a Cilantro Lime and Shrimp casserole with black beans and rice. 

I needed a little something in case pickings are slim. Last weeks Mediterranean Seafood salad was a big hit. This week a Mexican palate was in order. Here’s how I made it:

1 1/2 pound peeled deveined medium raw shrimp
2 tbls oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 t baking soda
2 tbls hot sauce
1 tbls chipotle powder
Garlic powder
1/2 c red onion

4 cups water
2 cups rice
2 cans drained black beans rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice and zest of 2 limes
Salt and pepper

Rinse and drain shrimp and toss with baking soda then Franks Hot Sauce, chipotle powder and garlic powder. Prepare rice with water and 1 tbls salt and bring to boil, cover and simmer 15 minutes till cooked. Combine with beans, lime juice and zest and cilantro. Set aside.

Sauté garlic and onion in the oil carefully till soft and the garlic does not burn, then add shrimp and cook till just pink through. Add to rice mixture with juices and toss. Check seasoning adding salt and pepper as needed.

Eating Omaha....Timber Wood Fire Bistro

I am currently reading reviews for this Omaha establishment and trying to wrap my head around the ratings. I don't get it. Yes the food is good, not exceptional and the service is 5 star. The rest is...meh.

Last night was my third or forth visit to Timber and I was, as was the rest of my party, surprised at the dinky portions and terrible dessert.

As part of a large party where I was a guest,  I partook of  the prix fixe menu offered. Tenderloin Medallions, Prohibition Black Chicken  and Cedar Planked Steelhead Salmon were the three main choices. In the past, I have had the mac and cheese,  'Timber Mac' and the Lamb Burger. All delicious dishes and the generous portion of the mac and cheese led me to take half home for lunch the next day. The small burger, however,  left me wanting. The ladies 'loved' the pizza at $16 each, just 10 inches or so...

Last night illustrated a point. I choose the salmon while my buddies choose the filet medallions. Our plates arrived with excellent service, so that's not an issue, with a 1/2 cup portion of creamed potatoes, 6 grilled asparagus spears and in the case of the beef, two 3 ounce medallions of filet.  My salmon was identical except for a nicely grilled piece of salmon just 1-1 1/2 inches wide. About 4 ounces if I were to guess. The menu price was $26 for both entrees. If I had to pay for this I would have been mighty unhappy to be honest. I got a text from one of my friends after I got home that said "I'm still hungry". Yes, I would have to agree, it simply was not enough food. we joked about stopping at Arby's on the way home. No joke,  really.

This is not about the quality of the meal although dessert left something to be desired, or the service, which was excellent. Its about value and leaving a dinner with enough to eat. That did not happen.
Oh yes...and about dessert. German Chocolate cake, one of my favorites but here...a dry hockey puck of a molten lava cake, topped with the typical coconut frosting as well as whipped cream and dark cherries? Which is it? Black Forrest or German Chocolate? All the guests at our table left most of the dessert behind.

I would have a tough time giving this place 5 stars for sure.

The Insurance Game

In this game we are all losers. I have spent the last few months dealing with my deductible status being gone since the surgery and New Year. Meds, products I need for my Urostomy and my diabetes sensor went up exponentially. I found out I don’t need a prescription for my appliances that I need to catch urine from my stoma. I found various on line sites that offer the supplies way cheaper than I could get locally or from medical supply companies.

I am insured by UMR and my personal deductible is $2700 per year. Everything till that total is met is a cash transaction.  The UMR insurer said to use Byram Healthcare for my sensors. Under the plan last year, I paid about $90 per month. After the first of the year I paid $180 per month. I started calling around and found a wide range of cash prices for the sensors. CVS pharmacy nestled in Target store just charged me $74 for a month supply. I had her check again. Is it possible to pay less in cash than insurance? Yes, Virginia, it is.

American healthcare is in trouble. What do people do that can not navigate the nonsense? How do you get a CT scan if you don’t have $850 up front to pay? I have a nice HSA but it’s still my money. My own facility where I work charges me to sit in their exam room. $74 after the negotiated rate down from $210 full fee. To sit in their exam room on top of the full cash price of the physicians visit that can range from $200 to $500. Crazy.