Pretzel Left Over Mashed Potato Bites

Mustard Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon horseradish

Potato Bites:

• Peanut oil, for frying
• 4 cups left-over mashed potatoes
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon brown mustard
• 1 cup crushed pretzels

Directions

For the sauce: Place dipping sauce ingredients into a small bowl and mix well. Serve with pretzel mashed potato bites.

For the potato bites: In a Dutch oven or deep fryer, pour the oil to a depth of 5 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Combine the potatoes with the egg. Mix in the flour and mustard. Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon, form into balls, and roll in the crushed pretzels. Deep fry until the bites float to the top and are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the mustard dipping sauce.

Cook's Note: These can also be breaded with crushed potato chips.

Viadalia Onion Pie

Ingredients

• 3 cups thinly sliced Vidalia onions
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 (9-inch) prebaked deep-dish pie shell
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until lightly browned.
Put the pie pan on a sheet pan. Line the bottom of pie crust with the onions.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and the flour together to combine. Add the milk, sour cream and salt. Mix well and pour over the onions. Garnish with the bacon and bake until firm in the center, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter and serve.

Buttery Crab Pot Pie

I love anything with crab meat in it. and butter!

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• Salt and cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup clam juice
• 1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
• 1/2 pound crabmeat, well drained and picked clean of shells
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water, to brush pastry

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with a rack in the middle position.

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the milk, clam juice, and sherry. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the crabmeat and peas. Remove from the heat and transfer to the refrigerator to cool.

Meanwhile, unfold the pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Place 4 (8-ounce) ovenproof bowls or large ramekins rim down on the pastry and cut out 4 circles a bit larger than the bowls (you may need to roll the pastry out a bit to accommodate all the bowls). Brush the circles with the egg wash. Set the egg wash aside.

When the crab filling has cooled, divide it among the 4 bowls. Brush the rims of the bowls with the egg wash, lay a pastry circle over each, and seal the edges. Cut steam vents in the pastry and brush with the egg mixture. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and bake on the middle rack until the pastry is puffed and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Red New Potatoes Hasselback with Herbed Sour Cream

Cutting these potatoes makes eac

Ingredients

• 16 ounces red new potatoes
• 3 to 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Herbed Sour Cream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a wooden spoon as a cradle, place each potato in the spoon and make several parallel slits into each potato top making sure not to slice completely through. Place 3 garlic slices between slits at the crown of each potato. Toss in a medium bowl with butter and olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake until tops are crispy and potatoes are cooked through, about 1 hour. Transfer to a platter and top with Herbed Sour Cream.

Herbed Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Season, to taste, and refrigerate until use.

h one nice and crispy. You'll love this.

Brownie Pudding

I make brownies from  BOXED mixes all the time. Use ONLY ONE EGG no matter what the box says. That is if you like your brownies gooey. To make them even better, divide in half and put symphony bars on the bottom layer and spread 2nd half on top. Yum.  This recipe comes out like brownie with really undercooked center...yum.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
• 4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
• 1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional
• Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Shrimp and Grits

I had the best Shrimp and Grits at a wedding yesterday. Had to have a good recipe.  I think this  one qualifies.  

For the sauce:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 3 ounces tasso ham or pancetta, small dice
• 1/4 medium red onion, small dice
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons dry white wine
• 3/4 cup clam juice
• 1/2 chicken bouillon cube, crushed into small granules
• 1/2 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
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For the grits:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup whole milk, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, plus more as needed
• 3/4 cup yellow grits (not instant)
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To finish:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 (3-ounce) andouille sausage, medium dice
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

INSTRUCTIONS

For the sauce:

1. Place the vegetable oil and ham or pancetta in a medium frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the ham is crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, curry, cumin, cayenne, and paprika and stir until evenly incorporated. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture darkens and a coating forms on the bottom of the pan, about 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until nearly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add the clam juice, bouillon cube, and chipotle and whisk, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream, whisk to combine, and cook until simmering, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the grits:

1. Combine the water, milk, cream, butter, salt, and white pepper in a medium saucepan with a tightfitting lid over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
2. Stir in the grits and bring to a simmer again. Cook, without stirring, until the grits float to the surface, about 1 to 2 minutes. Cover, remove from heat, and let sit until all of the moisture has been absorbed, at least 10 minutes. Whisk until smooth, taste, and add more salt and white pepper as needed. Whisk in additional milk as needed to reach the desired consistency. Set aside.

To finish:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to a small bowl; set aside.
2. Add the shrimp to the pan in a single layer and cook, flipping once, until just pink on both sides, about 1 to 2 minutes (the shrimp will not be fully cooked). Add the reserved tasso sauce, stir to combine, and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is bubbling and the shrimp are fully cooked, about 1 to 2 minutes. (If the sauce is too thick, stir in a little water until it reaches the desired consistency.)
3. To serve, divide the grits among 4 serving bowls, top with the shrimp and sauce, and garnish with the reserved sausage and chives.