Red Cocktail Sauce for Shrimp ...p13

The only time I buy bottled Cocktail Sauce is when my husband grabs it in the grocery store....this recipe has never failed to be a pleaser and I'm pleased to say tonight, it was extra-special.  Reason being?  My husband made the added horseradish sauce from scratch!

If you've never tried, do!  It's so easy if you have a food processor.  One chunk of horseradish root, a bit of vinegar and salt make about a pint-sized jar.  Radically different from the store bought horseradish sauce that sometimes tastes "funny" - this tasted fresh and pungent.  We learned from the fantastic blog The Garden of Eating that once you blend it smooth, the longer you wait before adding the vinegar, which acts as a neutralizer, the hotter the horseradish.  We opted to wait the full 3 minutes before neutralizing....perfect to our taste!  And perfect when added fresh to this cocktail sauce.

The critic inherited her love of horseradish from her father,

remarking that this was a "generational blessing" as opposed to "curse," so she was the official taste tester:  "YUM YUM YUM," she exclaimed.....

Shrimp, onions, artichokes, and purple potatoes went into the pot along with some seasonings to combine for an "elegant" casual dinner, concocted so that we could comment on the red cocktail sauce.

Hardy Appetit!

Nana's Pigs in a Blanket ...p47

Perhaps to you, pigs in a blanket conjure up "Pigpen" from Peanuts...or little teeny sausages swaddled in biscuits, but that's not what I see.  I see a full kitchen table, populated with my lovely family - think the 1960s (yes, there was still a semblance of family in that decade - not everyone was drinking the Kool-Aid, and many of us didn't camp out at Woodstock, but on the family farms...in our dresses and pearls).

Think mom in her cigarette pants, hair done up in a bun, dad coming home from a hard day's work, and "cabbage rolls" waiting to be dished up on nine empty plates.  Happy times.

Simple ingredients.  Cabbage, beef (not pork as the name infers), rice and tomato sauce.

Mix beef, onions, egg, s&p together

Parboil a head of cabbage

Place beef mixture on leaf, fold sides over and roll up

I make any extra beef into meatballs

Cover with tomato sauce and extra leaves, then bake!

I've assembled pigs in a blanket countless times just by remembering what mom did, but this time I followed her recipe, and wished I was doing it in cigarette pants. 

I'm sure you know nana's opinion without even clicking on "recipe."  We all agree, these are wonderful. 

Hardy Appetit!

Seth's Blueberry Pie ...p91

Blueberries....one would think one blueberry is just the same as another, but not so, my friend.  I've come to find out there is plenty of variety in blueberries much like there is in grapes.  Who would dream of calling a pinot noir, "cabernet sauvignon"?  Evidently just in the few varieties my girls are picking: powder blue, tiff, manditu, they are discovering the subtle distinctions that differentiate each blueberry.

In an attempt to "connect" with my fortunate daughter and her lovely friend,

who as I write, pick, sort and weigh blueberries on another continent, I made this wonderful blueberry pie.  I was very tempted to skip the crust-making part and substitute a nicely boxed pie crust beckoning from the refrigerator, but my integrity got the better of me and I followed Seth's recipe instead.

Let me say, this is one of the best pie crusts I've ever tasted, let alone one of the easiest to roll out.  Our critic is the consummate pie crust maker and always just goes by feel, trusting her touch to determine just the perfect combination of crisco, flour and water (iced).  I've never quite felt capable in that arena...but, with this recipe I could really feel its proportionate perfection.  I've never used an egg in a pie crust recipe, nor would I dream of adding vinegar, but that is exactly what this crust recipe calls for!  And shocker, cool water is ok.  I don't have to worry about the little unmelted pieces of ice that drop into my batter and cause a gooey pull-away area.

Very happy was I that I went homemade for this crust.  It enveloped a perfectly sweetened blueberry filling with a hint of cinnamon.   So, I've gotta ask:  Seth, have you ever made this pie???

Certainly this would be a great addition to the Trout & Chicken menu, but I bet my Kiwi girls (who I call "NewZies" in honor of my girls' favorite cult movie) could show us all a thing or two about cooking with blueberries...I only wish they could crate a carton or two for me. 

The critic and I completely agree on this pie....one of the best ever.  Delicioso!

Hardy Appetit!

Mumsy's Super Chicken Soup ...p22

After a brief stint in the hospital, what should I serve the critic?  Chicken soup, of course.  Healing for the bones and warming to the heart, chicken soup dishes up comfort and better health for pennies on your health insurance dollar.  Though many argue over just why soup helps - be it the heat, the steam or the concentrated nutrients, few argue whether it does.  According to Dr. Mao, with soup you can lose weight, build your immunity and detoxify your body;

according to my husband, he just feels better when he eats soup. 



Mumsy's Super Chicken Soup packs in the nutrients above and beyond your traditional chicken soups by the addition of lots of vegetables and tomato juice, with just a wee bit of alcohol in the form of sherry, to clear the throat.  Which turned out to be the critic's reason for snickering just a bit at this soup, "it tastes too much like vegetable soup!"  "It's good, but not yum - I like just the traditional chicken soup." 

So once more, I have to disagree with the critic.  This is definitely one of my favorite soups - and don't be tempted to leave out the sherry - it really adds kick to the taste - in fact, if you can get a real bottle of dry sherry to use rather than the store-bought cooking sherry, all the better.  When prepping the vegetables, chop up the eggplant first and let it soak covered in salt water while you fry up the bacon and chop the remaining veggies - at least that's the way Mumsy always did it!

Sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan on top and you have a yummy - nontraditional - chicken soup.  Let us know whether you agree with the critic or me - leave a comment.

Hardy Appetit!