Zingiberis in the Kitchen.

A creamy grits perfect for some creole spicy shrimp to be poured over it. 1 cup of grits, polenta etc 4 cups of water 1 tsp of salt 1 tsp of pepper 1 cup of freshly grated parm 1 cup of half and half (I use fat free) Salt to taste In a sauce pan, stir in the cup of grits with the water and salt over medium high heat till it comes to a boil.  Keep stirring for smooth grits.  Once it comes to a boil, turn heat down to medium low and keep it on a simmer covered for about 20 minutes.  Stirring frequently.  It should look thick as you stir it.  if still soupy, take cover off and cook for an additional 10 minutes till thick.  (depends on the grits, humidity etc) Once it's thick, then add pepper, cheese and half and half. Stir through till melted and creamy.  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and taste for salt.  (or even more pepper if you like)  I often have to grind a touch more salt to sharpen the flavor. If you l...

I found a "master" dough recipe that works for us in many different recipes such as loaf breads, rolls, pretzels, bagels etc.  It crusts beautifully with a simple milk wash or dipped in lye*.  The inside is soft but chewy.  And the flavor is delish.  Best of all, you can throw it in your bread machine or kitchen aid for ease.  Now my recipe calls for Lard which I pick up at the local butcher shop and is actually good for you.  The stuff in the little package isn't but will yield the same texture I described.  You can sub it out for oil or shortening but the results will not be the same.  And invest in an instant read thermometer.  It's so worth the $7 (target 2013 pricing) and invaluable in turning out a delicious bread.  In terms of flour, always use unbleached/unbromated flour to yield the best flavor and results in any type.  Bread flour is preferred but all purpose flour will suffice. You will need 4 cups of bread flour 2 t...

This is a hybrid of the Mexican Lasagna and casseroles.  It's tasty and warm with a gentle heat.  I fyou don't like spice, sub out the chipotle powder for chili powder of your choosing.  My kids eat this uup so it isn't truly spicy.  And if you do like spice, by all means sub out for a spicier pepper.  It's a versatile recipe as well.  I will note options below. First part of the recipe is making the red sauce for the layering.  1/4 cup of olive oil or oil of choice 1/4 cup of flour 1 can of tomato sauce 1/8 cup of chili powder 1/8 cup of chipotle powder 1 tsp of each, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin 1 cup of water or chicken stock. (if using stock, omit the salt and salt to taste after) Juice of one half of a lime to finish sauce. Warm up oil and add flour.  Make a roux by cooking it for about 3 minutes on medium.  Add rest of ingredients and stir with a whisk.  Bring to a gentle bubbling boil and reduce h...

A friend of mine (Thanks Laura) come up with the title.  Its Shepherd's pie but made with ground turkey.  It's a well seasoned dish. 1 pound of ground turkey, all white meat 1 cup of chopped carrots 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, chopped 1 tsp of Badia Complete Seasoning 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of onion powder 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp tumeric powder 1 cup of chicken stock 1 dry packet of turkey gravy* 1/2 cup of water Saute onions and carrots till tender.  About 5 minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients up till the gravy.  Stir well, breaking up the meat in tiny pieces.  Let it come to a boil and turn down to medium and keep to a simmering boil.  Let the stock evaporate and meat is cooked through.  About 15 minutes.  Add gravy and water in a small bowl, mix well. Add to meat and turn up heat stirring well.  Let it cook 5 minutes. 3 russet potatoes, peeled left whole 1/4 cup of milk 1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar 1...

I saw these on Pioneer Woman's site recently and had to try them.  I looking to cut fat as much as I can without compromising flavors came up eith these.   Next will be to try turkey bacon. Lower sodium thin bacon, sliced in half Reduced fat club crackers Favorite parmesan cheese, grated finely Preheat oven 250*F Line a cookie sheet with parchment or non stick foil.  Line up crackers sideby side.  Pour 1/2 tsp of parm on each cracker.  Take the bacon and wrap lengthwise loosely tucking under ends to cover completely the cracker. Bake in oven 1 hour and half to 2 hours.  Then let completely cool.  And consume.  Yiu can insert a cookie cooling rack inside the cookie sheet to elevate the crackers but I hardly had grease from using half sliced of bacon.

Cubed sirloin steak Worcheshire sauce 1 tbsp onion powder 1 tbsp badia complete seasonings 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp oregano 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1 cup of flour Olive oil 2 tbsp butter 2 tsp of reserved flour mixture 1 cup of milk 1 tsp beef base Open steaks and sprinkle both sides of each steak with worcheshire sauce. Set aside.  In a ramekin/small bowl place all the seasonings.  Stir.  Sprinkle spice mix on both sides a pinch.  You should have half remaining in which you can mix with the flour.  You can let steaks marinate up till a day or proceed to the next step. Dredge each steak on both sides with the flour and shake off excess.  Let the floured steaks rest for 10 minutes fo t the flour to be moist.  Reserve 2 tbsp of the flour, discard the rest. Select a fry pan that isn't 100% non stick.  Stainless works best, you want some stuck bits.  In a fry pan, cover bottom with olive...

I am not a fan of sweet/savory foods, but this one won my heart.  I combined a bunch of recipes for Sloppy Joes and gave it a twist.  I served these on Hawaiin sanswich buns.  But this could have worked on any bread rolls if it's too sweet. 1 pound of cooked and drained hamburger/ground beef. *See note below 1 small onion, diced finely 1 rib of celery, diced finely 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced finely 1 cup of ketchup 2 tbsp of worcheshire sauce 2 thsp of teriyaki sauce 2 tbsp of cider vinegar 2 tbsp of brown sugar 1 tsp of onion powder 1 tsp of chili powder 1 tsp smoked spanish paprika 1/3 cup of water Salt/Pepper to taste Throw all in a crockpot, set it on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.  Serve over bread.  This is a "neater" sloppy joe, double everything except the meat if you want it really saucy. *If your hamburger meat is the 93% fat free, you can throw it in with the with the rest of the ingredients without precooking and add an hou...