Charleston Shrimp and Grits

When my in-laws were on their mission in South Carolina, Bart and I decided to take our 7-month-old, Hunter, out to meet them. (My dad was kind enough to give us some frequent flyer tickets to make the trip). We had a wonderful time with them, and they took us to a restaurant in Charleston, where I ate one of the best meals I've ever had. Of course, I can't get the exact recipe I had that day, but this one from the internet gets good reviews.

• 1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled, halved lengthwise, and deveined if you wish
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt or more to taste
• 1 1/2 c. stone-ground grits, not instant or quick-cooking
• 6 thick slices bacon, chopped
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 c. thinly sliced scallions
• 2 Tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. (about 1/4 pound) grated medium to sharp Cheddar cheese
• Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce

Combine shrimp, lemon juice and a couple of generous splashes of hot pepper sauce. Let sit while you begin the grits and gravy.

Bring 6 c. of water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil in a large sauce pan.
Whisk in grits a few handfuls at a time. (They will bubble up initially.) Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook over low heat for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently toward the end.
While the grits simmer, get the gravy under way.

Fry bacon in medium skillet over medium heat until brown but still limp. Stir in onion, green pepper, and garlic and cook until the onion and pepper are limp, about 5 minutes. Add scallions, sprinkle the flour over the mixture, and sautee 5 minutes. Stir in stock and remaining salt and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat while you finish the grits.

When the grits are thick and creamy, stir in as much butter as you wish, followed by cheese. Add a splash of hot pepper sauce and additional salt if you like. Cover the grits while you finish the gravy.

Return the gravy to medium heat and stir in the shrimp. Cook until the shrimp are opaque throughout, no more than 5 minutes. Serve immediately, mounding the grits in large shallow bowls or on plates and covering them with shrimp and gravy.

SERVES 4.

Layered Banana Pudding (SC version)

My in-laws, Jim and Belle Benson, served a mission in South Carolina. They brought back some really great recipes. This is so delicious! We just visited Belle a couple of weeks ago, and she made this for us one night. I asked her for the recipe, and she sent it to me in the mail. I never get mail anymore, and it felt so special! Love her so much. She wrote a note at the bottom of the recipe: "Hi. Yesterday it was 85 degrees, today it is raining and blowing at 60 degrees. Still hoping for a great summer. It was great to have you here for a few days. Looking forward to July. Love, Mom."



Line bottom of a 9x13 with vanilla wafers.

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbsp. milk
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. cool whip
4 bananas, sliced
2 packages instant vanilla pudding (3 oz. size)

Mix cream cheese, milk, powdered sugar, add 1/2 of cool whip.
Mix pudding (per package instructions) and fold into cream cheese mixture.
Pour half over the wafers. Top with sliced bananas. Pour rest of mixture over the bananas.
Top with cool whip and chill.

(For an 8x8 pan, half the recipe)

Pumpkin Cake

This is another Fall recipe. My sister Karen's mother-in-law, Bonnie Holyoak, makes this cake, and it gets rave reviews.

1 pkg. Yellow Cake Mix (minus 1 c. set aside for later)

1 egg

1/3 c. Soft Butter

Blend together with a fork and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Beat  together the following ingredients and pour over cake mixture in the pan:

 1 lg. can of pumpkin

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Ginger

2 tsp. Cinnamon

½ tsp. Cloves

2 ½ c. canned milk

1 c. Sugar

Mix together the following and crumble on top of the cake:

 2 Tbsp. sugar

¼ c. soft butter

1 c. cake mix (that was reserved earlier)

Bake at 350°F for 60-70 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Gypsy Stew

My sister Karen Holyoak is really talented in the kitchen, and has a knack for finding recipes that use healthy foods in unexpected ways. For instance, this stew contains sweet potatoes and prunes. It is savory, though, and reminds me of Fall. It is one of the tastiest stews I have ever eaten!

4 Tbsp. olive oil

2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1lb. stew meat

2 c. diced peeled sweet potatoes 

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. salt

1 pinch ground cinnamon

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

3 c. chicken or beef stock

1 Tbsp. tamari 

1 c. chopped fresh tomato

1/2 c. chopped prunes

1/2 c. sliced carrots

1/2 c. sliced mushrooms

In the oil, sautee: onion, celery, garlic, stew meat, and sweet potatoes about 5-10 minutes, until meat is cooked through. Add seasonings and stir to blend. Then add stock and tamari, and cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes more.

Amish Baked Oatmeal

This is a recipe that my sister Mandy Wright uses. It is a family favorite at her house, and it is delicious on a cold morning. Very filling.

3 c. quick oats
1 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1/2 c. melted butter
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350
Mix all ingredients together
pour into a 9x13 baking dish
bake for 25-30 minutes

Serve with a little bit of milk, some brown sugar, some fruit, or just eat it plain!

Antonio Stew

This recipe is from my Granny, and was obtained by my Dad and my Uncle Al. Here's the long story on the stew, from my Dad:

"Antonio Stew?  Really long story.  See, there was this alfalfa field... like 40 acres or so, owned by Mrs. Mazetti.  She was a cantankerous old woman with a history of chasing off kids with her shotgun... or at least that was the rumor we all heard as kids.  One poor sap even got shot in the butt with rock salt... at least that is how the story went.  Mrs. Mazetti's field was right across the street from Sequoia School, with a dirt road between them.  That dirt road was Locust Street... and if you headed south on it for half a mile, you'd get to where I lived... in sandy soil in a bunch of tumble weeds, with a fish-and muskrat-filled, tree-lined drainage ditch on one edge of our property.

"Well, one day, a sheepherder with a shepherds trailer and a couple of border collies and a flock of sheep showed up in the fields of Mrs. Mazetti... they were there to graze for a month or two on the already harvested alfalfa stalks in the fall.  The year was 1964, and the sheepherder was an old Basque man named Antonio.  Alan and I would go visit him, usually on weekends while we were running around, and we'd tell him the latest news and he'd tell us about raising sheep and such.  He hadn't heard that President Kennedy had been assassinated.  He had no radio or TV... just his traveling bunkhouse.  But he invited us in for lunch... and it was a lamb stew that was absolutely mouth-watering.  It was spicy, the lamb was braised; there were potatoes and other vegetables... but the lamb was so delicious.  We rarely ate his meager meal, but he was insistent that we try it... and it was wonderful.

"Alan did his best to remember how Antonio created this dish, and my mom tried to recreate it... it was close, but there is no better lamb stew than that created in the small confines of a sheepherders meager surroundings.

"By the way, one day, Antonio and the sheep were gone... on to 'greener pastures'.  A couple of years later, Alan, Rod and I were riding our bicycles following the railroad tracks all over the countryside surrounding Manteca... near the "Bargain Barn"... a flea market weekend business held in a former WWII Magnesium plant... and we could see a sheepherder in a field in the distance.  I think we recognized the well-trained dogs first... then there he was... Antonio.  It was a sweet reunion... he was so glad to see how we had grown... and we were glad to see the old Basque sheepherder was still alive and doing what he loved.  And yes, quickly came the aroma of a fresh batch of Antonio Stew as only Antonio knew how to create it."

lamb meat - 3 or 4 lbs.
cooking oil (enough to brown the meat)
salt, to taste
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small dry red pepper, finely minced
3 or 4 Del Monte hot chili peppers, chopped
2 1/2 tsp. Louisiana hot sauce
potatoes, in chunks
peas, frozen or canned

Brown lamb meat in cooking oil. Drain. Add salt, and transfer to cooking pot. Add all ingredients except for potatoes and peas. Simmer until tender. Add potatoes and simmer. Add peas, and simmer a little longer.

Brian Burgers

These hamburger patties are named after my Dad. This is his explanation for them:

"Brian Burgers... it was my favorite recipe of how to doctor up hamburger so it tasted more like steak... lots of Worcestershireshireshire Sauce, onions, even fresh bread crumbs... salt, pepper... all mixed together and fried in a skillet...  a favorite after work/school snack if I was cooking for myself. Just concocted it one day, making modifications to what my Mom regularly cooked.  At least, that is how I remember it."

2 lbs. hamburger
oil to fry patties in
salt, to taste
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash of barbecue spice
3 slices of bread
water

Break bread into small pieces. Soak the pieces in water, then squeeze the water out. Mix remaining ingredients (except for oil). Form the burger mixture into patties and fry them in the oil over medium heat, with a lid over them. Drain them well before serving.

Depression Salad

This is another recipe from Granny. It is something her mother, Verna Daniels, used to make.

chopped iceberg lettuce
carrots, peeled and grated
chopped celery (optional - if you have it)
chopped green onion (optional)
sliced cucumbers (optional)

Dressing:
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. vinegar
milk (to thin as desired)

(The optional items were added to the recipe later, when times were better)

Rhoda's Macaroni Salad

This also comes from my Granny. It is a recipe from my paternal great-grandmother: Rhoda McConnell.

cooked macaroni
mayonnaise
sweet pickle relish
chopped hard-boiled eggs
chopped red onion
chopped canned red pimentos

*Tip: soak chopped red onions in ice water for 10 minutes, so they won't be hot.

Mix all ingredients together. Sorry there are no amounts! Guess you have to eyeball it!

Verna's Salad-Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is a recipe given to me by my Granny, Helen Mesa. It was something her mother, Verna, used to make.

Shredded cabbage (about 1/2 c. per bell pepper)
Bell Peppers, de-stemmed and de-seeded
Vinegar
Salt & Pepper
Lettuce leaves

Mix the cabbage with some vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Pack this mixture into the bell peppers. Cut the bell peppers cross-ways into 1-inch rings. Serve the rings flat on the lettuce leaves.

Rocks

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes. Don't worry, these won't break your teeth, in spite of their name.

 1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. chopped walnuts
2 c. raisins
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. clove powder

Cream sugar and butter. Add the eggs, walnuts, raisins, flour, soda, and spices. Drop by tsp. onto a cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes. Put them in at 350 degrees, and raise the temperature to 400 degrees.

Orange Cinnamon Ice Box Cookies

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 c. shortening
3 Tbsp. orange peel (I assume, grated)
2 eggs
5 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. cinnamon powder

*Cream powdered sugar and shortening. Add egg, and beat.
*Sift dry ingredients and combine the two mixtures.
*Form into cookie rolls (refrigerate 1 hour for better handling), slice and bake.

(Once again, I assume a baking time of 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees).

Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 6-oz. pkg. chocolate chips

Mix ingredients. Drop by tsp. on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 9-11 minutes at 375 degrees.

Sour Cream Cookies

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

1 c. shortening or butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
3 c. flour
1/2 c. sour cream

Mix all ingredients well. Shape into cookie rolls and wrap rolls in wax paper. Refrigerate until the rolls are firm enough to be sliced (about 1 hour). Can also be frozen, and baked without thawing.

(That is the end of Granny's instruction. I'm not sure the cooking time, but I'm assuming the neighborhood of 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees - maybe extra minutes if frozen).

Peanut Butter Cookies

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 c. flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts

*Cream butter, peanut butter, and sugars. Add the egg, and mix well.
*Sift dry ingredients separately, then add to butter mixture.
*Form into walnut-sized balls. Put on cookie sheet and press with a salad fork.
*Bake on the top oven rack 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Carrot Raisin Cookies

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

1/2 c. shortening or butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1 c. grated carrot
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
1/3 c. milk
1/3 c. undiluted orange juice concentrate
1 tsp. vanilla extract

*Beat shortening, sugar and eggs. Stir in carrots, and set aside.
*Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Add raisins and nuts.
*Combine egg and flour mixture, and add in the milk.
*Stir in orange juice concentrate and vanilla.
*Drop by tsp. 2" apart on a greased cookie sheet.
*Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees, until lightly browned around the edges.

Oatmeal Pineapple Hermits

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

2 c. oatmeal
2 c. raisins
1 c. chopped nuts (pecans)
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. shortening or butter
2 eggs
2 c. flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 can crushed pineapple (well-drained, reserve pineapple juice)

*Sift dry ingredients and set aside.
*Beat eggs, then add sugar and shortening in a large bowl and mix well.
*Mix in flour mixture and pineapple juice alternately to form a batter (may not need all of the juice)
*Add remaining ingredients and mix.
*Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
*Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Nut Squares

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. flour
1 c. walnuts

Mix all ingredients. Pat mixture into a greased 8x12 pan. Bake about half an hour at 300 degrees. It will rise and then settle. Cool and cut into squares to serve.

Lemon Thins

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon extract
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder

Mix all ingredients. Roll the cookies into balls and flatten. Sugar the tops, if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Cocoa Drops

Our Granny (my dad's mother, Helen Mesa), would send us a box of homemade cookies every year. This is one of those cookie recipes.

3 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 c. shortening or butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
6 oz. pkg. chocolate chips

*Sift dry ingredients together. Set aside.
*In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until light and fluffy.
*At low speed, beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
*Add the chocolate chips and stir.
*Drop by tsp. onto greased cookie sheet.
*Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.