Sweet Georgia and Humble Pie

May 20, 2011April 13, 201327 Comments

The humble pie is for me because, well, he did it again. We had our greatest number of hits for ChefDad’s post last night. (Although I am suspicious that he was driving up the hits from his computer. 😉 ) I just hope all of this success doesn’t go to his head, but who am I kidding – it wasn’t his modesty that first attracted me some 14 years ago. In all seriousness, even I enjoyed yesterday’s post and I think dad’s earned the keys to the blog controls every now and again. But for now back to the Peach State – and back to dessert!

While we didn’t make a pie tonight – it was close. Georgia being our state for this week, we knew we had to make something with peaches. How could we not?! So today, for my dad, and for Miss A who was not fond of the shrimp and grits, we made a Georgia Peach Cobbler. We adapted this particular recipe from the one found over at Vintage Victuals, mostly because it sounded delicious and easy. Really – very easy. Continue reading →

Much Better than Ribbie and Roobarb

May 19, 2011April 13, 201328 Comments

Many thanks to ChefMom for giving me a second turn at the controls. She was a tough sell, but since she’s off schmoozing for work I’m in for the night. I may not be as practiced a writer/blogger as mom, but I am an economist, which means I know a bit about the misuse of statistics. Note the steady uptick in blog traffic following my one and only post. (Mom is lovingly rolling her eyes. 😉 )

Ribbie and Roobarb

Today’s recipe is Strawberry and Rhubarb Risotto, adapted from Cooking Light, May 2010; and I’m happy to report it was much better than the ex-White Sox Mascots Ribbie and Roobarb. Wikipedia notes: “Fans openly mocked Ribbie and Roobarb, with even children gleefully attacking them.” Readers should feel free to mock the White Sox, but I don’t think anyone will be mocking this rhubarb recipe.

Continue reading →

Now This is Some Southern Comfort

May 18, 2011April 13, 201315 Comments

Today was a good day. Above all else, I was quite relieved to get the call from the doctor that the tick removed from Mr. N’s scalp last night was not an engorged deer tick, but a dog tick and these little buggers don’t carry Lyme disease. Thank goodness. And I have to say Mr. N handled the whole ordeal with a bravery that just amazed me. He does not get this from me. I would have freaked out (or passed out) if a bug was attached to my head and don’t even get me started on shots. Eek!

And this was just the beginning, the day kept on getting better. My camera was fixed, the skies were blue, the bouncy house came out of storage and we had a darn good dinner. Tonight was state night again and Mr. N wanted to sample some good ol’ Southern food from Georgia. It didn’t take us long to pick our recipes for this adventure. The dish that stood out above all else – Shrimp and Grits.

Until today none of us have had shrimp and grits, so we were really looking forward to tonight’s meal – and it didn’t disappoint. We adapted this recipe from A Spicy Perspective who posted a version of shrimp and grits that got this whole thing rolling a few days ago. Continue reading →

And to wrap it up…

May 17, 2011April 13, 201314 Comments

Last but not least, here’s the final recipe from last week’s Egyptian meal – the Ancient Marinated Chicken. We intended to grill the chicken on dad’s new grill, but within five minutes of putting the grill together on what was a sunny afternoon, it started to pour. So the grill must wait for another day – which no doubt will be soon as dad is quite anxious to get it going. Maybe we’ll have to venture to Australia next on this cooking adventure. Shrimp on the barbie anyone?!

Now that I’m salivating over the possibilities of Down Under grilled goodies, back to Egypt. We began by cutting the chicken breast into one-inch pieces.

We then added an onion, garlic and cilantro into the food processor and created a puree. Mr. N helped me to combine the puree with the olive oil, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper. Continue reading →

Quick Cumin Couscous

May 16, 2011April 13, 201314 Comments

I just returned from a girls’ getaway weekend with my best friend. It was a fantastic, relaxing weekend – just what the doctor ordered. So since I’m stuffed from a weekend of wining and dining on some really good eats, my camera is still broken and I’m in need of some quality time with the family (Oh, how I missed Mr. N and Miss A – dad too of course!), I’m going to keep this one short and sweet.

This is the recipe for the Cumin Couscous we made and used to fill our pitas alongside the chicken (which I’ll post tomorrow). I found the recipe at Tour Egypt and adapted it slightly due to the fact currants aren’t available right now. The couscous would also stand on its own and is a wonderfully sweet complement to a spicy dish.

Continue reading →

Walk Like an Egyptian

May 13, 2011April 13, 201318 Comments

Okay, now I’m dating myself and getting another song stuck in my head. So now that we’ve had a few layovers for Royal wedding celebrations and fiestas, we’re back on track for our next international cooking destination and dad is taking us to Egypt! Tonight we had a great Egyptian dinner that began with a homemade Wheat Pocket Pita.