Squeak

Good morning friends. It's bright and sunny but very cold here in Maryland this morning. I could see my breath this morning when I went outside to feed my cat. Yes, I have a cat...her name is Lola but I call her squeak because she doesn't... meow like most cats. She opens her mouth like she is going to meow, but this little squeak comes out.

I rescued Squeak last fall when she and her three siblings were left on my back deck by their mother who never came back to feed them. That is a whole different story that I won't get into right now. All died except for Squeak who I bottle fed and kept alive. I had her spayed and vaccinated and a chip put in her ear and bought her a pink rhinestone collar. She grew up to be a long haired, green eyed beauty and the sweetest cat I've ever known.

She was an outdoor cat then and is an outdoor cat now. I brought her in over the winter months last year and provided her warmth and shelter and lots of food and toys and all the luxuries that indoor cats usually don't appreciate. Nor did she...she was miserable all winter and cried all the time to go out. The vet said let her outside, so this past April, I let her out on the deck and within a second she was gone. I searched everywhere. I put up posters and called out her name for days. But she was nowhere to be found and I cried and blamed myself and mourned her loss.                                                                                            

  

Then, 9 weeks to the day, she came back. There she was, sitting on the back deck waiting for me. She looked tired and worn out as if she had gone through a lot trying to find her way back home. She had become very feral in nature and didn't trust anyone to come near her. But after a week or so, she jumped in my lap one morning when I was sitting out having my coffee. And she's has never left since. Every morning she greets me with a squeak to say she's hungry and we sort of hang out together out in the garden.

But now it's getting cold and I worry about Squeak. So I went out and bought one of those Igloo dog houses. I packed it full of blankets and a heated pet pad to make it all cozy and warm. I bought a swing door for it so she could go in and out when she wanted. I put it up high on my table so she would feel safer. I put in her favorite toys and some treats and munchies and waited to see what she would do.

Didn't take long for her to get in and start her cat ritual of kneading the blankets and snuggling up with her toys. She loved her new accommodations instantly and sleeps there peacefully every night and most of the day. She peaks out and squeaks each morning when I bring out her breakfast. I pick her up and she is toasty warm and happy after a good night sleep and she purrrs and let's me know how grateful she is that we came up with a solution. Squeak is happy. All is well.

Homemade Won Ton Soup

I always order won-ton soup when I go out for Chinese food. I just love the broth and those wonderful little pillows of goodness. So one day I decided to try and make it at home. I went to the store and bought some won ton wrappers and googled how to fill and fold them. Then I put together a recipe for my own broth and in no time flat I had the best soup! It ended up being so easy to make and even better that what you get in a restaurant. Now I can have Won Ton soup whenever I want. You will love this recipe.

Homemade Won Ton Soup

For the pork filled wontons:

1/2 lb ground pork
1-2 scallion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
30 wonton wrappers
1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cool water

For the Soup:

2 quarts (8 cups) low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
salt to taste

Stir together pork, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper in a bowl in 1 direction with your hand until just combined (do not overwork, or filling will be tough).

Put 1 wonton wrapper on a work surface (keep remaining wrappers covered with damp cloth). Spoon a teaspoon of filling in center of square, then brush cornstarch slurry around edges. Lift 2 opposite corners together to form a triangle and enclose filling, pressing edges firmly around mound of filling to eliminate air pockets and seal. Moisten opposite corners of long side. Curl moistened corners toward each other, overlapping one on top of the other, and carefully press corners together to seal. Make more won tons in same manner.

Fill a medium sized pot with 6 cups of the chicken broth. Bring broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add wontons and stir lightly to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When the broth begins to boil again, add another cup of broth. When water begins to boil again, add the final remaining cup of broth. When the broth boils for the final time, the won tons & should be done. Serve hot.

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Shrimp Bisque

I love seafood and especially in soups this time of year. I make my base rich and creamy and fill it with wonderful buttery crab, shrimp and lobster. Typically, a shrimp bisque has a thin base with just the taste of shrimp. I make mine thick with chunks of shrimp in every bite. Try it. I think you'll like it!

Shrimp Bisque

1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and chopped
2 cups half and half (half milk/half cream)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons of onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning (more if you want a kick)

Saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Blend in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add half and half and stir until base starts to thicken. Add cream and the tomato paste and stir until thick and creamy. Stir in salt, paprika, old bay seasoning and chopped shrimp. Check seasonings and add more if desired. Add more Old Bay seasoning taste. Garnish with whole shrimp.

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You don't know what you have until it's gone?"

You know that saying...."You don't know what you have until it's gone?" The truth is...you knew exactly what you had. You just thought you'd never lose it.

~Marty

From my book, "Life's Lessons" (What God Would Have Wanted Me to Learn By Now)....

Note: You can download any of my ebooks to your computer, your iPhone or iPad or Android smartphone, for only $24.99. Hard copies are also for sale.

http://store.blurb.com/ebooks/195682-life-s-lessons

Proceeds from the sale of my All my books go to the NO KILL Advocacy Group to support their efforts in saving the lives of dogs and cats who are killed unnecessarily while waiting in a shelter for someone to rescue them. Over 6 million dogs and cats will die this year. We can change that.

♥ White Chocolate Key Lime Pie

White Chocolate Key Lime Pie

1 cup whipping cream
1 bag white chocolate morsels
1 tablespoon sour cream1/3 cup key lime juice
Zest of one lime
one pre-packaged graham cracker crust
sliced limes and canned whipped cream for garnish

On the stove, heat whipping cream and morsels on medium heat, stirring continuously until melted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add sour cream, key lime juice and lime zest. Stir well until smooth. Pour mixture into pie crust, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight. Garnish with dollops of whipped cream and lime slices.

♥ Pecan Upside-Down Cake

Pecan Upside-Down Cake

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract...
1½ cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 cup chopped pecans
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup pecan halves
1 recipe Brown-Sugar Brandy Sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Sift twice. Add fl our mixture to butter mixture, alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with fl our mixture. Fold in chopped pecans. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar, mixing well. Add cream, stirring until smooth.

Pour brown-sugar mixture into bottom of a 9-inch cake pan. Arrange 1 cup pecan halves in brown-sugar mixture. Spoon prepared batter over pecan halves. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of cake pan to loosen cake edges. Immediately turn cake onto a serving dish. Serve with Brown-Sugar Brandy Sauce if desired.

Brown-Sugar Brandy Sauce

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup brandy
¼ cup heavy whipping cream

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add brown sugar, whisking to combine. Add brandy, whisking to combine. Add cream, whisking until smooth. Cook, whisking frequently, until sauce is heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Sauces can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave before serving.http://www.tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/content.aspx?id=21176

♥ Chicken 'N Dumplin' Soup

I love this soup! It's not my traditional chicken and dumplings that I made for dinner but close. This is a soup that is full of good things that comfort the soul on a cold winter day. I made this over the weekend and who's waiting for winter?

I am having it now as I type this up for you! 

Chicken 'N Dumplin' Soup

Soup

4 cups chicken stock or broth
4 carrots, diced small
1 stalks celery, diced small
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
2 cups chopped chicken breast (I use a rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the soup: In a large pot or Dutch oven, over medium high heat, mix the chicken broth, carrots, celery, garlic, basil, oregano, and celery salt. Add the diced chicken and the cream and lower the heat to medium and simmer for at least 30-40 minutes until soup is thick and creamy. In the meantime, make your dumplings.

Dumplings:

2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 to 1 cup milk

For the dumplings: For dumplings, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in egg, butter and enough milk to make a moist stiff batter. Set aside and when soup has finished cooking, drop dumplings teaspoonful's into soup. Cover and cook without lifting the lid for 18-20 minutes until dumplings are tender.

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♥ She's Strong

She's strong because she knows what it's like to be weak. She keeps her guard up because she knows what it's like to cry herself to sleep at night

♥ Fried Potato Pancakes

I love making these little potato pancakes as a side dish instead of french fries or baked potatoes. They are so easy to make and so crisp and delicious.

Fried Potato Pancakes

2 large russet potatoes (or a bag of refrigerated hash browns...)
½ large onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoons all-purpose flour
salt + pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of butter

If you are using whole potatoes, peel, rinse and then grate them or shred them over a large bowl. Then place them in a bowl of cold water and let them soak for a few minutes. Drain potatoes using a colander and then squeeze out as much water as you can by pressing them against the colander walls with paper towels. If you are using a bag of hash brown potatoes, you can skip the soak and just press squeeze the moisture out as much as possible.

In another bowl, grate onion on the smallest holes of the grater. Then mix in the potatoes, egg and salt and pepper and flour and mix well so that everything is blended together.

Heat oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spoon potato mixture into oil and then flatten slightly with a spoon. I make mine small for a side dish but you can make them as large as you'd like. Fry until golden brown about 3 minutes, then flip over fry the other side. Remove potatoes from skillet and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with fresh chopped chives and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

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♥ Buttermilk Fried Chicken Strips

I can remember whenever my Mom planned to fry chicken, she would always soak it first in buttermilk. It is truly amazing how that buttermilk breaks down the chicken and makes it so moist and tender. Don't worry, you don't taste the buttermilk. But you get the best fried chicken ever!  

 
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Strips

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 egg beaten
1 cup of butter milk
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper (more if you want some kick)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups of oil

Mix the egg, buttermilk and garlic powder, and cayenne and set aside. Place chicken in a large bowl or a large Ziploc bag. Pour buttermilk mixture over chicken and seal tightly. Keep in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

In a shallow dish used for dredging, mix the flour, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and baking powder. Remove chicken from refrigerator and shake off buttermilk mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and prepare to fry.

Heat oil in a large, deep and heavy skillet. I use cast iron for perfect even frying. When oil is hot and shimmering, carefully place coated chicken in hot oil and fry until golden brown and juices run clear. Drain on paper towels and serve with your favorite sauce. I serve mine with Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory and Brown Sugar Sauce.

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