Creamed peas and potatoes...

I am sure I have told you this before, but you get to hear again.......Years ago I belonged to a 'gang'..... The Thunder Mountain Gang....we had rules for the gang...you had to be 45 years old....We traveled together to Idaho to attend the cowboy poets gathering every year...or so we told people...what we really did was travel to Idaho to play, fish and ride horses...and to eat....We took as much time to get to Salmon Idaho as we spent there...we turned a 12 hour drive into 3 days....We always took a different route and stopped at every little town with a fishing hole or quilt store...

On one trip to the cabin in Idaho we convinced my Aunt Mary to make her wonderful creamed peas and potatoes...I don't remember what we ate with them but I do remember we used the huge pan, the one you use for cooking pasta.  She made that pan full of of our side dish...(really our main dish)...I often think of that memorable meal at that magical place...

this recipe would feed 4 as a side dish....

Creamed peas and potatoes

1 pound of new red potatoes or white...unpeeled cut into bite size pieces
1 cup of fresh peas or frozen baby peas
2 tablespoon of butter
2 tablespoon of flour
1 cup of milk or half and half
salt and pepper to taste...
cut the potatoes in bite size pieces, boil in salted water, just until done, drain...blanch the peas if using fresh...
melt butter in a sauce pan add flour and stir for about 5 minutes over medium heat cooking the flour, slowly add the milk, whisking at you go. just until it coumes to a boil.(basic white sauce) then add the peas. Pour the sauce over the drained potatoes, stir and season...that's it!

you can also add green onions or leeks....

boil potatoes, red or white....

2 tablespoons of butter melted....

whisk in flour....if using gluten free it won't be as thick as you remember regular flour...DON'T add more flour....then you will have to add up to 1 more cup of milk....experience here..

add milk and bring to boil...season with salt and pepper....

add peas to the white sauce....

when potatoes are finished, drain and add to the creamy mixture....

you are ready to serve!!!!!

SO, so good!!! don't wait until the peas in the garden have come up to make this, you can make it all year long...it is great with pork chops, ham, baked chicken and my favorite salmon....

Cheers to Happy  !!

Argentina Salad with Grapefruit Vinaigrette...

I have loved for so long, a restaurant in our area called Asado Steak House...it has an Argentina menu....South American food is so flavorful and good! this is a salad served at Asado's restaurant, or my version anyway.  It is called a wedge salad. It is not like any wedge salad I have ever eaten. Still, it is so good...the grapefruit vinaigrette, makes the salad. I made my salad with a helping of spinach leaves and butter lettuce leaves....I used fried prosciutto and sauteed corn...

Grapefruit Vinaigrette
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed pink grapefruit
1 tablespoon grey poupon mustard
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup of olive oil

Whirl first 6 ingredients in blender, while blender is still running slowly add olive oil. If you don't have agave, add honey instead...if no honey add white corn syrup....

Use prosciutto... cut in small pieces and fry on medium heat until crisp...set aside...

peel grapefruit......

cut out the sections from the white membrane....squeeze the rest in a bowl to measure 1/4 cup...

add to blender with the rest of ingredients...

turn on blender and add olive oil slowly....

pour into pitcher and save for salad....

for the salad add a cup of fresh or frozen corn in a fry pan with a tsp of fresh butter and a tsp of olive oil...

fry over medium heat until it browns...this really brings out the sweetness of the corn...

add to the salad greens....a few sections of grapefruit, some of the corn and a few sprinkles of the crisp prosciutto....I added also a sprinkling of green onions....

serve with the grapefruit vinaigrette....this is the best salad!!!!  It is sweet and salty and crisp! if I added anything it would be fresh blueberries....but not yet, I must wait till July.

Cheers to Happy !!!

Easy Cheese and Sausage Lasagna...

This is an oh so easy dish, and tastes great! I can vouch for kids liking it! It might be compared to hamburger helper but to me it tastes more like my cousins Slumgullian casserole...I wish she would blog that for us...it is so great! .....This casserole tastes great, it is meaty and cheesy and delicious! I have got to add here that I am trying to type with a kitten straddled over each arm...oy vay....

Easy Cheese and Sausage Lasagna

this is a procedure recipe.....brown a pound of Italian sausage...

after it is brown add the spaghetti sauce of your choice...I used what I had in the cupboard....

add to meat and then add Italian seasoning  and powdered garlic,,,,

grate a pound of mozzarella cheese....

boil a pound of noodles...I used lasagna small

noodles

add noodles to sauce...

add half the cheese to the mixture....

stir and then...

                                                           pour into casserole dish               

add the rest of the cheese on top...

put the lid on and bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes...

out of the oven all browned and bubbly...

so cheesy and yummy,  kind of tastes like pizza, kinda...

so good!!!!!!! I can't wait for you to try this!!!

Cheers to Happy !!

Happy Easter...

Happy Easter Everyone!!!

Baked hard boiled eggs...

I know that doesn't sound right, baked hard boiled eggs, but I am not sure what else to call them...I recently heard about doing this from an Alton Brown show...I had to color a bunch of eggs for Easter and thought I would give this a try...It is the best way ever to do this! Just set the eggs directly on the oven rack in a cold oven, turn the oven on to 325...close the door, set the timer to 25 minutes...and that is it...when then are done, they are perfect! the yolks were done, the whites are a little softer, than normal (my brother tested one)..I was amazed at how much easier it was...

Here they are lined up like little soldiers...

close the door, set the degrees and timer....

out of the oven, they have little brown specs on them...

that wash right off.....

cool and they are ready to eat or color!

Cheers to Happy !!

Shrimp Stock...

I just want to show you something that maybe you already know...I have known to do this for quite sometime but never take the time to do this....I really want you to NOT be like me and take this extra step..When you peel your shrimp...make a nice shrimp stock out of the shells....it is so easy and really only takes about 30 minutes...here is how you do this..

 start with a nice pile of shrimp shells...the more the better....

 next saute some onion and garlic in butter, add a little salt and pepper...

 add all of your shells and 1 cup of water, or also you can add a little white wine...

 cover and bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes...

 cool slightly and strain.....

 there you have it, the richest cup of the most heavenly stock, to use in pastas, soups and risotto's...you can put in the freezer to use at some other time....

I used mine as a base in a pasta cream sauce....heaven on a plate...

Cheers to Happy  !!