Cucumber Sunomono...

 

 

 

If you have eaten at a Japanese Restaurant you probably have had this...it is sweet and salty and crisp...You need to make a couple of hours before dinner and then enjoy!

 

 Cucumber Sunomono

2 cucumbers peeled or not

1/2 cup of rice vinegar

5 tsp of white sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp of minced fresh ginger.

Directions

1. Cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and scoop out any large seeds. Slice crosswise into very thin slices.
2. In a small bowl combine vinegar, sugar, salt and ginger. Mix well. Place cucumbers inside of the bowl, stir so that cucumbers are coated with the mixture. Refrigerate the bowl of cucumbers for at least 1 hour before serving

Cheers to Happy  !!! 

The Best Cheesecake...Gluten Free!

                                                                                       Cheesecake

This is the easiest and best Cheesecake I have every made. I wrote this recipe about 20 years ago. I was coming up with one that I liked, one that was creamy and flavorful and simple. This recipe can be altered to include chocolate or pumpkin or lemon. I have not made it since going Gluten free a couple of years ago. Yesterday, I thought I would try to come up with a suitable crust that anyone would love. Necessity is the mother of invention.  And it was wonderfully magnificent!!! I love it and so did all my gluten eating family...They even thought it was graham cracker crust. YAY! YAY! YAY!

Here we go!!!

 Cheesecake

3 packages of cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of sour cream

4 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

using a mixer, mix the room temperature cream cheese and the sugar, scrape down the sides of the bowl. add the eggs one at a time stirring well after each, and scrape down the bowl after each egg... add the sour cream, mix, then the vanilla, mix...pour into prepared pan and bake at 300 degree for 1 hour.

for the crust (if you are gluten free) or make your regular graham cracker crust

1 cup gluten free bread crumbs

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup of melted butter

mix the bread crumbs, sugar and cinnamon together and then add the melted butter, stirring with a fork...pat into the bottom of a spring form pan

to make the crust...add the bread crumbs, the brown sugar, the cinnamon, mix well...then drizzle the melted butter over all and mix well...

pat into the bottom of the spring form and set aside..

mix the sugar and cream cheese...very important to wait until it is nice and fluffy...

 add the eggs one at a time, very important to scrape down the sides of the bowl often.

                    pour the prepared filling into the prepared pan and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour.

take out of the oven,,,it will fall a little and crack in the middle, that is fine!

If you would like you can add a sour cream topping..at the end of baking...

just mix one cup of sour cream with a half a cup of sugar, spread over your cheese cake 10 minutes before it is finished. then continue baking. It adds a nice creamy topping.

here it is returning to the oven, for the final 10 minutes. take it out of the oven and let cool and then put in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or over night.

I made a raspberry sauce to put over the top. You put what you like, or nothing...it is great just plain. It is a creamy deliciousness...can't wait to make it again!!!

You will love this! Promise!

Cheers to Happy!!!!!

Shrimp and Grits...

I know what you are thinking....Grits? and yes, grits...creamy, white buttery grits...They are so good, kind of a new love of mine. I can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They cook up quickly and are true comfort food. They are like polenta, but quicker...After all polenta is made from yellow cornmeal and grits are from white corn...I think they are cousins! Add the flavorful Shrimp and you have something right out of Bubba Gump's.

You need very few ingredients. A couple strips of bacon, a pound of raw shelled shrimp, a cube of butter, 3 cloves of garlic, a couple of green onions, cilantro, salt and pepper, half and half and grits...

I made 4 cups of grits following the directions on the package, I used quick cooking but long cooking is fine...

The trick of good grits is to always salt and pepper as they are cooking, after they are done, put a big tablespoon butter and a 1/4 cup cream or half and half.....whip with a wire whip in the pan...

You will have the creamiest, nicest, white grits...this is a good time to add a little shredded cheese if you want, make the cheesy grits....mmmmm

after you fry the cubed bacon until crisp, set aside to drain and in the crusty good bacon pan add a couple tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat....

add your chopped onion or shallot and press 3 cloves of garlic or mince very fine...

cook over medium heat, stirring often until onions are soft...scraping the bottom of the pan and incorporating all the bacon goodness..

this is where you can add a splash of white wine, if you like...

add your shrimp and cook, just until starting to turn orange

then turn and cook just until done...remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside....

add a 1/4 cup of the half and half  to your oniony, bacony, garlicy sauce and stir and cook until bubbly...

add the shrimp back in and the chopped green onion, cook for another minute...and finished!

Place a pool of grits in the bowl, add some shrimp, spoon some of the sauce from the pan over the top of the shrimp. Sprinkle the chopped crisp bacon over the top and garnish with the cilantro leaves..

Heaven........ I found heaven!

Cheers to Happy  !!

Brother Chuck was walking through at just the right time....He was hesitant, but he loves Shrimp and Grits!!!!  At least he does now!!!