Feeding the Flooded....

Folks still need help in my neck of the woods from the fooding.

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A Toast to You!

I’m from that generation of folks where many of us made the weekly trek down to our local independent movie house to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show. I wasn’t one of the gung ho folks dressing as the characters or walking in armed with water guns or pieces of toast, but I did know all of the lines in the movie and the accompanying audience lines yelled back at the screen.

One of my favorite parts was the section where a toast is made and suddenly audience members would scream out, “A toast…..a toast!” Some folks would reach inside bags they had brought in with them and fling real pieces of toast at the screen.

I love a good wine…..I love a good toast among friends even more, so I got to thinking that I might want to look up some well worded toasts and have on hand to use during dinner parties, etc.

Snopes.com has a great article explaining away a myth involving how toasting evolved from folks clinking glasses in order to slosh a little of their drink into someone else’s afraid that someone in the group might be poisoned. It sounds good in theory, but…..it’s not the real reason.
Like most customs the real reasons evaporated years ago and might not ever be known, but one theory holds that the modern toast began as a way to honor the female sex, and it was often done with innuendo.

I love a play on words, so maybe that’s why I like the custom so much.

Here are some well worded toasts that don’t necessarily have anything to do with innuendo, but I like them:

1. May opinion never float on the waves of ignorance.

2. May we live to learn and learn to live well.

3. May we live in pleasure and die out of debt.

4. May we look forward with pleasure and backwards without remorse.

5. Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.

Helpful anniversary toasts can be found here with links in the sidebar to other toasting occasions.

Some toasting etiquette is given here.

Carabbas Bread Spices

1 T. minced basil

1 T. chopped parsley

1 T. minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon chopped rosemary

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

½ teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon lemon juice

Combine everything but the lemon juice and olive oil

Put into small food processor and chop briefly.

Stir in olive oil and lemon juice.

To serve: combine 1 ½ teaspoons spice blend to 3-4 teaspoons olive oil in small dish. Use pieces of bread to dip up the spices.

Chicken Bryan....Carabbas Style

1 T. minced garlic

1 T. minced yellow onion

2 T. butter

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup cold butter……sliced

1 ½ cup sun dried tomatos

¼ cup chopped basil

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon white pepper

6 boned, skinned chicken breast

Extra olive oil

Salt – Pepper

8 oz. caprino or other Goat Cheese

Saute garlic and onion in 2 T. butter over medium heat till tender. Stir in wine and lemon juice into skillet.

Increase heat to medium high and simmer to reduce by half. Reduce heat to low and stir in cold butter, one slice at a time.

Stir in tomatos, basil, salt, white pepper. Remove from heat, set aside.

Brush chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Grill.

Place equal amounts of cheese on chicken…..Spoon sauce over each breast to serve.

Shrimp and Grits

At the end of July Dear Husband and I visited Savannah for the day as we were traveling home from St. Augustine. We had planned to eat at The Lady and Sons, however, we didn't get there early enough to get on the list. We opted for Uncle Bubba's Oyster House instead.....afterall, it is Paula's brother's place.

I ordered the Shrimp and Grits. It was great....to die for! Ever since I've been looking for a recipe that came close to Uncle Bubba's.

Here are a few pictures from my Creative Saturday....where I fixed the dish and the recipe follows:

The plate of veggies and shrimp I set aside while I made the cream gravy.

The cream gravy, shrimp and loaf of bread I baked.

Our table setting....

Shrimp and Grits

4 servings cooked grits
2 T. olive oil
½ cup diced tasso ham
2 T. diced leeks
2 T. diced onions
2 T. diced green peppers
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined with tails on
1-2 T. dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Green onion tops, chopped

*****note: tasso ham is Cajun ham an often hard to find outside of Louisana….substitute salt pork, pancetta, or prosciutto. I used 4 slices of thick-sliced bacon….chopped. Then cooked the veggies in the bacon drippings.

Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso and sauté until crisp. Add diced vegetables and sauté until onions are transluscent. Add shrimp and sauté for 30-45 seconds, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Divide grits among four plates. Line plate edges with shrimp. Pour sauce over grits. Garnish with green onion tops.

For a great wedding idea, use martini glasses to serve shrimp and grits, with the grits on the bottom and the shrimp on top.

Birthday Breakfast

Today is my husband’s 50th birthday, and he’s the one that got up and fixed pancakes.

Am I blessed or what?

After hearing a song called Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson he got a hankering for them. All he did was mash up a couple of bananas and put the mixture in the pancake batter…..made from Bisquick.

Mmmmmmm….the only thing I would have done different was add some pecans.

He also took some bananas…sliced them up…sauted them in butter….and topped them with brown sugar.

During our breakfast he fessed up and told me the song I’ve added below was his inspiration for banana pancakes....It's called Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson.

Greek Stuffed Peppers

My husband found this recipe on delish.com. We’ve been trying to eliminate so much meat from our diet and this dish looked like a perfect fit. I had intestinal surgery back in August, so the spinach wasn’t my friend, however, my family really loved the dish.

Here is the list of ingredients:

4 multi-colored bell peppers

½ cup whole –wheat orzo

1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 oz. baby spinach, coarsely chopped

1 T. chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspooon dried

¾ cup crumbled feta, divided

¼ cup sun-dried tomatos (not oil packed), chopped

1 T. sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

¼ teaspoon salt

Halve peppers lengthwise through stems, leaving steam attached. Remove seeds and white membranes. Place peppers cut side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Add ½-inch water, cover and microwave the peppers on high until the peppers are just softened, 7-9 minutes. Let cool slightly, drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until till just tender, 8-10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water.

Mash chickpeas into a chunky paste with a fork leaving a few of the peas whole.


Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook stirring until soft, about four minutes. Add spinach and oregano and cook until the spinach is wilted, about one minute. Stir the orzo, chickpeas, ½ cup feta cheese, tomatos, vinegar, and salt. Cook until heated through about one minute.

Divide the filling among the pepper halves and sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup feta cheese over the peppers. Place peppers in a 350-degree oven until cheese melts a bit and peppers and filling are heated through.