Drooling Over Devonshire Cream...

It is a joyous occasion! Blessed are they who have brought us The Fresh Market my friends! Guess what I found there? You will never believe it! Hidden in the dairy section... I very nearly overlooked it... Devonshire Cream! I used to be able to get it at Piggly Wiggly in Litchfield, but then they stopped carrying it. Bam! Just like that. I was distraught for months. Gradually, Devonshire Cream faded from my thoughts like a first love, until I discovered it again at The Fresh Market. I was so overjoyed to find my old love that I turned to the lady next to me with tears in my eyes and said, "Look! They have Devonshire Cream!!!!" She just smiled politely, and pushed her cart away quietly... She must have never had it I thought. Poor lady. I grabbed a jar, and headed to the bakery where I picked up a French vanilla pound cake. In the checkout line I was fantasizing about that beautiful, creamy, loveliness slathered thickly all over a generous slice of pound cake. HURRY UP PEOPLE!  I drove home quickly and rushed in the house with only the necessary bags. I cut the cake, and opened the Devonshire Cream and spread it on- thickly. I took a bite. OMG! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways... I could literally feel the endorphins swimming through my blood. I'm telling ya'll- GO GET SOME! For those of you who may not know what Devonshire Cream is, it is a thick cream made by indirectly heating full-cream cows milk until it thickens. It is the consistency of a silky rich sour cream but it tastes like a sweet cream butter. It is a phenomenal topping for sweet breads, biscuits, scones, apple pie, croissants, crumpets, or almost ANY baked good you can possibly imagine. It derives its name from the region of England where it is widely produced (Devon County), and is also sometimes called clotted cream. In the U.S. it is classified as butter, and that is where you will find it at The Fresh Market- with the butter. It comes in a small glass jar, and the brand name is The Devon Cream Company, English Double Devon Cream. It has a little tag of the newlyweds, Will & Kate, around the rim. So I say, old chums, could you possibly be any more English than that?

Looking for an Awesome App? Got It!

Hey ya'll! Are you bored to tears with chips and salsa? Sick and tired of cheese and crackers? Rather pass the veggie tray? Well, I've got something for YOU! An exciting new appetizer that is sure to please your friends and family (assuming they like shrimp and coconut- I know some taste bud challenged people who don't...) So, the next time you have Happy Hour at your house, try this recipe:

Panko Coconut Shrimp
1 lb. medium shrimp peeled & deveined- tails on
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
3 egg whites- beaten in small bowl
1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Mix flour & salt in small bowl. Make sure shrimp are very dry (if they are not very dry the flour won't stick) and dredge in flour. Dip floured shrimp in egg whites. Mix panko and coconut flakes in a bowl. Toss shrimp in panko/coconut mixture until well coated. Place on baking sheet. When all the shrimp is on the baking sheet, either spray tops with more cooking spray (hold the can way back or you will blow off the panko/coconut mixture- LOL!) OR use a pastry brush and dab each shrimp with a little vegetable oil. Bake in the oven for about 7 minutes on each side. Total cook time is about 14 minutes.

These panko coconut shrimp are awesome, and they are very low in fat. What more could you ask for? I serve them with Thai chili sauce for dipping. Don't have any? Try orange marmalade thinned out with a little white vinegar and add some red chili flakes to taste. Happy Happy Hour!

Cocktail Time!

It's Monday... Ugh! I hope we all can make it till 5:00 Happy Hour! Over the weekend, I came up with a fab new cocktail recipe. It's a bit like a white sangria but the parts are separate, so it can be adjusted to individual tastes. It uses fresh peaches which are in season now. Be sure to pick peaches that are firm to the touch. You don't want them to fall apart in your drink. Hope you enjoy!

Peach Wine Spritzers
2 firm peaches
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup brandy
1 bottle reisling wine
1 bottle diet lemon lime soda (or seltzer water if you find the diet soda to sweet for your taste)

Peel and slice peaches. Place in a glass bowl and cover with sugar. Toss to coat. Cover with brandy. Chill for at least 30 minutes.  When ready to serve, place 3-4 peach slices in a wine glass ( I also added a spoonful of the sugared brandy from the bowl.), fill glass half full with reisling, top off with diet lemon lime soda or seltzer water, and a few ice cubes.

IF there are peaches left over soaking in the brandy, I recommend eating them. They are delicious! However, driving may be a bad idea...

Captain John's Rockin' Tuna Philly!

Hey ya'll! TGIF! Hip hip hooray! So are you thinking about where you wanna eat this weekend? I know, I know you get tired of the same old places and it's just too HOT to cook. Well, here's an idea for you- Captain John's Seafood Grill in Litchfield. This place is one of my fave's. It's the 4 C's: cozy, casual, close, and best of all CHEAP. It reminds me of a pub. It's dimly lit and has booths and a bar that stretches across the length of one side of the restaurant. The menu is varied and has everything from hot dogs to seafood dinners. Even the pickiest of eaters should be able to find something here. But... I know you are waiting for my recommendations, yes????? OK, then! Hands down, the BEST thing on the menu for excellent taste and value is the Ahi Tuna Philly sandwich. Now, you are probably thinking somewhere along the lines of a tuna salad melt with peppers and onions, but no no no my hungry friends. This soft hoagie roll is piled high with fat, ginormous cubes of fresh tuna (cooked to order- I always get mine medium which is still pink in the center and leaves the fish tender and juicy. If you go any more well done than medium, the tuna dries out too much.). Sauteed green peppers and onions are mingled throughout the tuna chunks and the whole thing is topped with melted cheese- what I believe to be mozzarella, but I could be wrong... It's served open-faced because it's too big to put the top on, and if you can pick it up AND get your mouth around it then you are my hero! I always eat it with a fork. It comes with a side and I highly recommend the potato salad. They have awesome potato salad. It's made with sliced potatoes in a sour cream base with bacon. Oh yeah. Need I say more? And, guess what? This super satisfying meal is only $10 bucks! One more thing, skip the wine with this dish and go for a beer. Beer just suits this dish perfectly. I recommend Yuengling, but they have a decent beer list to choose from. There is a link to Captain John's Seafood Grill at the bottom of this page under "Places We Love to Eat". Have a happy weekend! 

Meatless Monday on Tuesday

I read an article recently in a magazine (I don't remember which one...) about Meatless Monday. It's a movement to motivate Americans to go meatless one day a week- Monday- in an effort to promote better personal health and the health of the planet. Hmmmmm..... OK, maybe I can sneak in a dinner on my bunch that is meatless. This will be a challenge since I live with 3 t-rexes. My family has been known to grill a bunch of meat and just eat THAT for dinner and be totally happy. What can I cook that will be fabulous AND as satisfying as MEAT? Then, it comes to me, portobello burgers. YES! Portobello burgers! Portobello mushroom caps are thick and beefy. They are great on burgers. I'll just leave off the beef and add some other fabulous stuff. This might work! This might be a good time to tell you that I don't cook on Monday. I just can't. I mean I've just gone back to work after the glorious weekend of being footloose and fancy free to the office for yet another long week of 8 hour days. When I come home all I want to do is put on my pj's, eat junk, watch TV, and dread the week ahead. Cooking is out of the question. So, we had Meatless Monday on Tuesday. The portobello burgers turned out great. They were very satisfying and no one missed the meat. I'm including the recipe below. Also, the Meatless Monday peeps have a great website. Check it out: http://www.meatlessmonday.com/

Portobello Mushroom Burgers
4 portobello mushroom caps (wiped clean)
4 ciabatta rolls
fresh basil
fresh mozzarella (Don't you dare buy the cheaper slices! Splurge for the FRESH mozzarella. Its ooey gooey melty goodness really really makes this sammy awesome.)
small jar roasted red pepper
small jar pesto (any kind you like. I used sun-dried tomato and garlic.)
2 Tbsp. mayo (Real mayo! Not the low fat, no fat, whatever else is out there.)
1 sliced tomato
EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those of you who don't know...)

Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Drizzle the mushroom caps with EVOO on both sides and grill for about 4 minutes on each side. Set aside. Slice the ciabatta rolls in half and place on baking sheet. Spread mayo on tops of rolls and pesto on bottom. I also put a shake of garlic powder on top of the mayo. Place the portobello caps on the roll bottoms. Top with sliced mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, and roasted red peppers. Bake with roll tops off but also on the pan for about 6 minutes or until cheese is soft and gooey. When you take them out of the oven, top each burger with a slice of fresh tomato. Finish with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Falling In Love With Crispy Flounder.....

Yes, ya'll it's true. I have fallen madly in love with the crispy flounder at Hyman's Seafood in downtown Charleston. Have you ever been to Hyman's Seafood on Meeting Street downtown? If you have, then you know how great the food is. If you haven't, then you have to go- TODAY. Cancel whatever plans you have and go today and order the crispy flounder. This flounder is fried fish perfection on a plate. It's a whole flounder- head removed- scored and fried. It covers the entire plate! Best of all, because it's scored you can easily pull off these chunks of fish that are crispy on the outside edges and moist on the inside. It is always perfectly cooked. It comes with three lemon wedges. I recommend using one per side (oh yes... there are two sides to this fishy love of my life). You don't want to make your crispy flounder all soggy. You just want to accentuate the delicate flavor of the flounder with a little lemon. It also comes with a little cup of what Hyman's calls chutney. To me, it's more like a cross between duck sauce and Thai chili sauce, but it's absolutely awesome on this fish. You also get to pick one side to accompany your crispy flounder, and I recommend grits. What can I say???? I'm a Southern gal. Oh, I almost forgot, it also comes with hushpuppies which are good, but don't eat them. They will just fill you up and you won't be able to finish the awesome awesome crispy flounder. Now, when you go don't be overwhelmed by Hyman's extensive menu. There are many tasty menu selections listed, and you will be tempted to order something more fancy than a plain ole' fried flounder considering you have cancelled your plans, drove to downtown Charleston, paid for parking, walked three blocks, AND waited for a table. But don't do it! Stick to your guns! Order the crispy flounder. You will be glad you did, and if not, well you can order something else next time...