Archive for February, 2023
Barb Clay’s French Potato Salad
We were so young and without children when we first moved to Dallas in the 1980’s. Dallas was big hair, boots, trips to Ft. Worth and the Stockyards, then all of a sudden, Chelsea came along. Life changed dramatically with that addition in 1986! During our time in Dallas (Carrollton to be exact), we made some great friends.
There are already several recipes from those friends on the blog. This potato salad recipe was one from Barb Clay. Barb was married to Dr. D (digital), who worked with Mark. We had tried to have a supper club with them but with our new born, that plan went out of the window.
Barb and Roger (Dr. D) loved to hang by the pool and patio. We spent quite a few fun times at their home in Plano with our other friend, Paul! I chose the flowers for this recipe as they are vibrant like Barb! When Chelsea was a bit older, she had wanted a Barbie corvette. Barb was sweet enough to take Chelsea (age 2 plus) for a ride in her Barbie Corvette. Mark and I were laughing about the corvette ride a few nights ago. Such great memories!
We talked to Barb a few years back and we were sad to hear that Dr. D had passed on. We know that he is still partying somewhere!
It is so wonderful to remember the good times and share these fond memories through their food stories. This is a nice simple potato salad. For those of you who like mild, this is it, although very flavorful!
Ingredients:
5 medium potatoes, peeled and boiled until fork tender
4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 medium dill pickles chopped
1 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh onion
1 teaspoon chopped chives
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash of black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Sprinkling of paprika and black olives for garnish
How to:
Cook potatoes until fork tender, drain, and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle coarsely chop and place in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl, mix chopped eggs, Mayonnaise, pickles, parsley, onions, chives, mustard, olive oil, pepper, and salt. When mixed, add to potatoes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with paprika and garnish with black olives.
Chill for 2 hours before serving.
White Chocolate Chunk and Kirsch Soaked Cherry Cookies
These sweet babies are a real change of pace from a chocolate chip cookie. They have the richness of the Kirsch and the flavors of the cherry and white chocolate are elevated. I like the edges with a tad bit of crispiness but that is a personal preference. The first year that I made them, Mom absolutely loved their rich flavor . She always liked things that had a little bit of taste (alcohol) even though the alcohol cooks off in most of the items with the exception of Bourbon Balls. Those were dangerous for her!
We started making these several years ago and each year I like to make a batch. You can also find a variation of these on the food blog made with dried cranberries. That recipe has nuts. You could add nuts but I like the delicate flavor of the cherry and white chocolate without the extra!
Make a batch to enjoy with a good cup of coffee or an after dinner drink!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter softened but not melted
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon of Kirsch for batter
1 cup dried cranberries soaked in 2 tablespoons of Kirsch
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 to 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chunks (I prefer chunks to chips)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare Silpats or silicone baking mats.
Soak the dried cherries in two tablespoons of Kirsch. Ensure that they are all a bit moist. This will take about 10 minutes.
In a KitchenAid Mixer, add butter and both sugars until well creamed. Add the egg and then the Kirsch and mix well.
Sift the all purpose flour and the baking soda. Add to the mixer on medium speed, scraping the bowl if needed. Once completely mixed, stop the mixer and add in the white chocolate, drained cherries. Thoroughly mix.
Spoon out very rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto the Silpat lined baking sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. (My cookies were perfect at 10 minutes.) The cookies should stay on the baking sheet for another minute and then be transferred to wire racks for cooling.
This recipe does well doubled!
Lazy Day Shrimp and Bacon Etouffee
Do you ever have one of those days where you feel you can tackle everything and then by 3 pm, you are just worn to a frazzle. That is how I feel sometime, especially since Mark has had his knee surgery. I have high hopes to get tons of things done and then by afternoon, it is just a wash! I have had to learn how to streamline things and this recipe certainly has some streamlines since I did not have time to make a roux or peel fresh shrimp. It is amazing how things can be combined to really make something delicious even with shortcuts.
This is one of the recipes that you can throw together and be so satisfied that people will think you cooked all day. I cheated and used a variation of a recipe from my friend, Paige St. Marie. Paige and her husband, Perry, are true Cajun cooks. Perry had a Cajun cooker business and can cook circles around people! They are the kind of people that are always there for you!
The original recipe, as found on my food blog called for crawfish and other ingredients that I did not have. Thick bacon and prescooked salad shrimp came to the rescue and made a fabulous meal. As we like our food spicy, don’t feel that you have to add the extra Tony Chachere’s like I did in the video. Served over rice, this is certainly a meal to enjoy on a cool winter evening with some garlic bread and a cold St. Arnold’s!
Ingredients:
3/4 to 1 cup of chopped thick bacon
1/2 large onion coarsely chopped
1/2 stick butter
1 cup celery chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
1 can concentrated Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 tablespoons Celery Seed
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 peeled and cooked salad shrimp (in frozen section)
1/2 cup green onions chopped
1/4 cup parsley chopped
12 tablespoon Tony Chachere’s
Salt and pepper if needed
How to:
Note: Do not thaw the frozen salad shrimp.
In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, start to saute the bacon. Add the onion and begin to sweat the onion in the bacon. Allow to cook together over medium heat for 2 minutes the add and melt the butter. Add the celery, cooking for 1 minute and then add the bell pepper. Cook these vegetables for 5 minutes over medium heat until the vegetables have begun to soften. Add the chopped garlic and continue to stir to incorporate into the vegetables. After 1 minute, add the Rotel Tomatoes and the cream of chicken soup. Mix both into the vegetable mixture. Add the celery seed and frozen salad shrimp, mixing completely. Cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat. Add parsley, green onions, and Tony Chachere’s. (Please note Tony’s has salt and pepper, check for your tolerance!) Add Salt and Pepper if needed.
Cover and turn heat to low. Allow to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve over hot white rice! OMG!!!!!
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