Shrimp and Sausage with Parmesan Grits

This is a Southern Living recipe that I altered slightly. I used red wine instead of white and parmesan cheese instead of asiago. We really enjoyed it and I plan to make it again soon.

Shrimp and Sausage with Parmesan Grits

1 -1/2 lb raw shrimp, peeled
1 tbsp butter
1 lb diced sausage
1 bell pepper, chopped
3/4 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
Parmesan Grits

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add sausage and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add shrimp and cook, stirring constantly, 3-5 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Remove shrimp, sausage, and bell pepper from skillet.
Add cream, broth, and wine to skillet; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in cheese and pepper; cook, stirring constantly until cheese is melted. Stir in shrimp and sausage mixture. Serve over Parmesan Grits.
Yield: About 5 servings

Parmesan Grits

2 (14 oz) can chicken broth
3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat; gradually whisk in grits. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 12 to 15 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and pepper, stirring until melted.

Brown onion, sausage, and bell pepper in a large skillet. Then add shrimp and cook until pink.

Combine cream, broth, and wine and cook until thickened. Then add remaining ingredients:

Cook grits in chicken broth for about 15 minutes. Then add cream cheese and parmesan cheese:

The grits turned out to be creamy and delicious:

Serve the shrimp and sausage in bowls over the grits. Enjoy!

Angel Food Waldorf Cake

After Gil and I started dating and were talking about getting married, I decided that I wanted to sharpen my cooking skills while I had my mom right there to give me guidance. I ordered a set of Betty Crocker recipes which came every month in the form of index cards. This cake was one of the many recipes that I tried, and it has been a favorite of Gil's for all these years. He requested it for his birthday this year. It is a delicious cake which looks like it would be complicated to make, but is actually quite easy. It just takes a little time. Don't let the numerous how-to photos be a discouragement to you. : ) The recipe actually calls for a box angel food cake mix, but I had to work yesterday and opted for a ready made one from the bakery at Publix. I really think the one made from a box is better if you have time to do it.


Angel Food Waldorf Cake

1 angel food cake mix (or ready made one from the bakery)
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1-1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Prepare cake according to package directions. Bake and cool. Remove from pan. Using a chilled bowl and chilled beaters, beat the whipped cream while slowly adding the sugar and cocoa. Pour in vanilla. Follow the how-to photos for the rest of the recipe.

It will look nice and chocolatey:


Stir in about 1/2 cup of the almonds, reserving some for the garnish:

Place several small pieces of parchment under the cake for easy removal after is is frosted:

With either an electric knife or a knife with a serrated blade, gently cut the top off of the cake as shown:

Using a serrated knife, cut a trough through the middle of the cake, being careful not to cut all the way to the bottom:

With a spoon (a grapefruit spoon is very helpful), gently scoop out the inside of the cake:

This should leave a nice opening for the filling:

Using your fingers to keep in open, fill the trough with the chocolate whipped cream:

It should look like this:


Replace the top, frost the cake with the remaining whipped cream, and sprinkle with the remaining almonds:


Gently remove the parchment. You may have to hold the cake steady as you pull it out. Hopefully your cake plate will then be clean and free of icing:

Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Cut each piece with a serrated knife.


Happy Birthday Gilford....Gilchrist....Gilmore.....Gilbert....Gil. You are the best.

Frosted Brownies

I baked a pan of brownies for my friend Janet last week, and I wanted them to be extra yummy, so I frosted them with my favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting. I also wanted them to be neatly cut and easy to remove, and I needed to take them to her in a disposable pan. I decided to post my frosting recipe and the steps I took to put these easy brownies together.

Frosted Brownies

Your favorite brownie mix + 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels
4 oz cream cheese, softened
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate morsels, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 box confectioners sugar (you may not need the whole box)
1 to 1-1/2 cups almonds, lightly toasted


Prepare brownie mix according to package directions. Add morsels. Line pan with foil. Grease foil and pour in brownie batter. Bake according to package directions. Cool and set aside.

Beat cream cheese and chocolate. Slowly add confectioners sugar until it is thickened and has a good spreading consistency. Add vanilla. Remove brownies from pan. Spread with frosting. Sprinkle with almonds. After frosting has somewhat hardened, cut with a sharp knife. Place the brownies back into the pan. Take to your sweet friend!


I bought one of the Reynolds disposable pans that is oven safe. It also has a top for it, which is nice. I lined the pan with foil, greased the foil, and poured the brownie batter on top of the foil.
Then I baked them. When they were cool, I removed them from the pan:

Then I frosted them and sprinkled them with the toasted almonds:

Then I cut them with a sharp knofe and placed them back into the pan that they were baked in. They were a perfect fit!

Rosette Pasta

I like to experiment with different kinds of pasta and I wanted to recommend one that I found at the Western in Mountain Brook. It holds sauce really well and has a great bite to it. I made my quick pasta and sauce dish, which is:

1 -1/2 lb ground chuck, drained
1 large jar Ragu Traditional sauce
pasta, cooked al dente
fresh parmesan cheese for topping

This is quick and easy, and this rosette pasta was especially good in it.

A Birthday Surprise

Savage's Bakery is one of my favorite places. They have delicious cakes, cookies, pastries, etc. They also serve a great lunch. Established in 1939, it is located in the Homewood area of Birmingham.

A birthday cake from Savage's is a very special treat, especially a chocolate cake with chocolate icing. SOMEHOW, my husband knew that.

Mmmm.... It is as delicious as it looks and is worth every calorie. Birthdays come only once a year, anyway. Thank you Gil.

Almond Joy Dessert Bars

I found this Almond Joy Dessert Bar mix at the grocery store the other day, and being a big fan of the Almond Joy, decided to try it. It is supposedly a "limited edition," so I suggest that if you want to try it, you should do so ASAP. As you can see from the photo, it is a no bake recipe and it comes with its own convenient pan. Pretty amazingly complete. I am posting step by step photos, but follow the package directions for ingredient amounts.

Inside the box are three packages of ingredients: the crust, the filling, and the topping.

You have to place the topping packet in hot water for a few minutes:

You add water and butter to the crust and mix together:

Then press it into the pan (included!):

Then you add butter and water to the filling and place on top of the crust:

Last is the topping:

Place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

They turned out to be surprisingly good. Very moist and chocolatey. With a hint of crunchy almonds. I recommend this mix to all Almond Joy fans. Hurry and get one before they are gone!

Frozen Fruit Cups

At the small group that was held at my friend Paige's house a couple of weeks ago, we had a yummy lunch. Everyone brought a dish, and one of the ladies, LaDonna, brought frozen fruit cups. She left before I was able to get the actual recipe, but I did get a list of some of the ingredients. I started craving it, and being the impatient person that I am, I found a Taste of Home recipe online which sounded a lot like it. I tried it and it turned out to be delicious.

This is a frozen fruit salad with a crunchy/slushy texture which is divided into individual portions. You can keep them stored in your freezer and pull one out whenever you want. It is high in vitamins A and C, high in fiber, and is loaded with antioxidants. I added one fresh peach to this recipe and the flavor really stood out, so I plan to add a lot of fresh fruit the next time I make it. Just do what you like and whatever you have time for. It is a great summer treat for adults and kids alike. I can't describe in this post how delicious it is. You will have to just try it!

(Whenever I hear about a fruit cup, I think about the Mel Brooks movie, High Anxiety. I included the clip at the end of this post).

Frozen Fruit Cups

12 oz undiluted orange juice concentrate
6 oz undiluted lemonade concentrate
1 - 15 oz can fruit cocktail in light syrup
2 - 15 oz cans unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained
2 - 10 oz bags unsweetened frozen strawberries
6 bananas, sliced and quartered
fresh peaches, grapes, pears, or your favorite

Combine ingredients and pour into individual containers. Freeze for about 4 hours. Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving.


Chop the strawberries:

And the bananas:

Stir all the ingredients together:

Spoon into containers. These are Rubbermaid containers that I found at Walmart. LaDonna used plastic cups, which were great because they were disposable. You could also use something fancier if you wanted to.

I like these because they have lids.

Place in the freezer for several hours.

Thaw to desired slushiness, which for me is about 20 minutes. Enjoy poolside, or wherever!


This clip is 9 minutes and 29 seconds long. The fruit cup reference comes from Nurse Diesel (played by Cloris Leachman), who is my favorite character in the movie. She actually appears in the first 40 seconds of it, and then again at 5 minutes, 19 seconds. She is a role model for nurses and women everywhere. I especially like her black sequined nurse's cap. I hope you enjoy it. I recommend this movie if you like off the wall humor, or if you are a Hitchcock fan.

Bread and Butter for the Hostess

We were invited over to have dinner with some friends and I wanted to take them a little something. I baked some whole wheat bread in my small loaf pans. I covered them with saran wrap, and then wrapped them up in a dish towel that I thought would match their kitchen.

I made honey butter to go with it. (1 stick of softened butter and about 1/2 cup honey).
I used a votive holder for the container:

I covered the top of the butter with saran wrap and tied them both with matching ribbon.

It is really nice to give while the bread is still warm.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This is a Southern Living recipe that a friend shared with me. It is a moist and delicious cake with a yummy pecan topping. It would be wonderful to bake for breakfast if you had overnight company. Actually, it would be wonderful to bake anytime, even if it's just for you.

I used a petal shaped pan that I bought at Williams Sonoma about 10 years ago. I checked their website and didn't see it, but I found one at Chef Tools. The only difference I could see is that...

...mine has a removable bottom. The original recipe actually calls for a 13 x 9" pan. You could also use a springform pan if you wanted to.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk (I used buttermilk, and I recommend it)
1 tsp vanilla
Topping

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt; add to butter mixture. Add milk. Add vanilla and beat until blended.
Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Sprinkle with topping. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (It took about 47 minutes for my petal pan). Cool in pan.
Yield:12 servings

Topping
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup melted butter
Combine ingredients.

Beat softened butter and cream cheese together:

Add remaining ingredients and beat just until blended:

Pour into greased pan:

Combine topping ingredients. It will be crumbly:

Sprinkle with topping and bake at 350 for 40-47 minutes, depending on your pan. Use a wooden pick to check for doneness.

Ohhh. Fabulous.