Cookbook Recipe Testing

I have been enjoying myself quite a lot lately with testing recipes for cookbooks.  The one most recently on the shelves is one that I am particularly proud of.  It is the Food Network Magazine's Great Easy Meals.  This cookbook is a must for your library if you like to cook for yourself, family, and/or friends.  All of the recipes are easy to make and (more importantly) delicious!  Also, it is very reasonably priced and it contains 250 recipes!

Food Network Magazine Great Easy Meals : 250 Fun & Fast Recipes

You can get it from Amazon and Barnes and Noble just to name a couple of places. You won't be disappointed.







Other cookbooks I have worked on:

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives : An All-American Road Trip ... with Recipes!








Coming soon:
The Next Food Network Star Cookbook - Food Network Star : The Book: Winning Recipes, Insider Stories, and Much More!  coming out August 16.

Anne Burrell's Cookbook:
Cook Like a Rock Star : 125 Simple Recipes, Lessons, and Culinary Secrets
Coming out October 4.

Every Day is Pie Day

HI - I have started a new blog called Every Day is Pie Day. Most of my posts will be there now, and I will post here when I have something non-pie related. See you there. everydayispieday.blogspot.com

Sausage Gravy

Recently, New York had a big snow storm. You probably heard about it or experienced it. In my neighborhood, 20+ inches of snow were dumped on our yards, houses and sidewalks in quick fashion. We were out of town and worried about what we were going to come back to. (With that amount of snow, it is usually important to try to keep up!) Luckily for us, we have the best neighbors ever.

Our next door neighbors were looking in on Ginger, our dog, and Sassy, our cat while we were away. We knew that they would feed both of them and walk the dog occasionally, but there were some unexpected items thrown in.

1. Stephen, next door neighbor, plowed our sidewalks and driveways. He not only did this for us, but for many other people on the block.

2. He brought his new book over to sit and read with Ginger and Sassy to keep them company for a while at night. We were surprised and definitely thankful! What a blessing to have these wonderful people right next door.

When we got home, we offered to pay Daniel, son of next door neighbor, for dog-sitting. He wouldn't take the money. What do you do in this situation? Offer to shovel for them the next time? Put money in an envelope and pretend it wasn't us that put it in the mailbox? Take them out to dinner? We were stumped, so we asked what we could do to thank them. Stephen's answer was truly simple: I hear you make good biscuits and sausage gravy. I would like some of that.

With that, I got right to work. The following Saturday, we delivered a dozen homemade biscuits and about 3 cups of sausage gravy. Still doesn't seem like we are even...

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Serves 4

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

6 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk (if you use sweet milk, use 3/4 cup + 1 teaspoon white vinegar)

1/2 pound bulk sausage, such as Jimmy Dean

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400˚ F. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, add the butter and combine until it is the consistency of coarse crumbs. Gently fold in the buttermilk. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4-5 times. Less is better here. Roll or pat out to a 1/2-inch thickness and cut using desired cutter. A 2 1/2- inch cutter will yield about 12 biscuits. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a heavy skillet until fully cooked. Remove from pan. Leave the sausage drippings in the pan and add 2 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with the flour. Stir and cook over medium heat until the flour smells fragrant. Whisk in the milk slowly to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil to allow to thicken. Add sausage to the gravy and heat through.

Serve immediately.

Grits

My husband recently reconnected with a college friend through Facebook. She and her family were planning a visit to New York just before the new year. We showed them around the city a bit and made some recommendations for food and fun. As a thank you gift, she brought some yellow corn grits from Lexington, South Carolina.
I have been a grit lover for years, but these are really something special. The corn flavor is subtly sweet and the texture is light small pearls. If you haven't cooked grits that are not instant - I highly recommend it. They aren't any more trouble than making a pot of rice and the results are truly delicious.

Last night, I was craving the grits and since they came from South Carolina, I decided to make some Low Country Shrimp and Grits with a little NY twist.

Shrimp and Grits, Marinara Style
Serves 4

3 cups water
1 cup coarse ground grits, not instant
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 large red pepper, sliced
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, thawed if frozen
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Whisk in the grits and salt, bring the water to a boil again. Reduce heat and cover. Cook for about 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Grits should be al dente when they are done.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and red pepper and saute until crisp tender, about 10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the crushed tomatoes and water. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are pink, about 5 more minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Serve in bowls. Spoon the grits into the bottom of the bowl and ladle the shrimp mixture over the top. Serve warm.