The Belle Shares Another Fail

Missy Tippens, here. Dare I share with you another one of my fails?

Since this one turns out happy, I'll go ahead and do it. :) I know I've made shrimp and grits before. But this recipe is a little different. It was a new one I tried, mainly because I was dying to make saffron grits after having them at one of our new favorite restaurants, One Blue Duck. And I thought a lightly seasoned shrimp dish would be nice with the grits.

Shrimp and Saffron-Cheese Grits

Adapted from FoodNetwork.com (click here)

Grits (NOT instant)--amount based on desired number of servings (from package)

Half-and-half--amount based on servings desired (from package of grits)

1/4 cup grated parmesan

3 tablespoons butter

1-1/4 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 cloves minced garlic (I use the kind in the jar, about 2 tsp)

Juice of half a lemon (I used the squeeze bottle)

Several threads of saffron

Look at this monster shrimp!  They were North Carolina wild caught. Were huge and gorgeous! Be sure you clean those babies. Peel off the shell and de-vein. (Look it up on Youtube if you don't know how.) Here they are all clean. It's a good idea to rinse them as well to make sure all shell shrapnel is gone.

Now, prepare the grits. I prepare according to package directions, only instead of all water, I mix half water and the rest half-and-half (you can use cream or whole milk if you prefer). This makes them really creamy. While heating the liquids, add in the saffron threads.

Saffron is really expensive. These little threads are precious! When I walked away just to grab a new roll of paper towels, I had a DISASTER.

My milk mixture boiled over. And yes, you can see EVERY SINGLE THREAD of saffron on the stovetop. Where I had to wipe them up and throw them away. And what's worse than milk boiling on a ceramic stove top?? Well, not much except for maybe sugar.

What a mess. I was so mad. Of course, I had to snap a photo so Ruthy could make fun of me. (Enjoy, Ruthy!) :)

SO…

I got the mess cleaned up. And, thankfully, I had some more saffron. I added that and a bit more half-and-half. Then the grits. But this finished off the package of saffron, so I did NOT walk away this time.

Here are my lovely, fragrant grits. I then stirred in the parmesan and 1 Tbs. butter. Then removed from the heat and covered to keep them hot.

Next… the shrimp!

Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. butter in a skillet. Add the garlic and stir. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and toss into the skillet.

Cook until translucent and pink. This just takes 3-4 minutes. Then add in 2 Tbs. water and the lemon juice.

Serve over the grits.

Now, I had to show you that the stovetop recovered with LOTS of elbow grease, a scrubber sponge and some gritty cleaner (made for ceramic).

Yay! It survived to cook again. :)

Potato Bake!

I can't believe I haven't posted this recipe.

I must have.

It's such a family favorite, and I've shared it on Facebook and on my Ruthy's Place blog....

Maybe not here? Because I searched and can't find it, clearly I've been REMISS!!!!!

Because this is like the best-tasting potential heart attack recipe in the world.

We take it for potlucks, we use it for showers, for parties, for family get-togethers, and have I mentioned how much easier these family get-togethers are now with The Room That Harlequin Built????

WHAT A DIFFERENCE WITH A HUGE CREW!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!!!

But back to food!

POTATO BAKE:

1 32 oz. bag shredded frozen potatoes
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 12 oz. container French onion dip
2 cups shredded sharp cheese
1 stick butter, melted


For topping:

4 cups crushed corn flakes
1 1/2 sticks butter melted

Mix first list of ingredients together, except the potatoes.

(potatoes can be thawed or frozen, no matter. Easier to mix in if thawed somewhat.)  When creamy goodness is mixed well, stir in potatoes.

Now adding potatoes:

Spread in greased or "Pam" sprayed 13 x 9" pan:

Corn flakes crushed and buttered, oh yum!!!

Pile the corn flakes onto the casserole, bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbly, usually 35-40 minutes.

AMAZING. FAMILY WILL LOVE YOU, THEY WILL SING YOUR PRAISES, THEY WILL REMEMBER YOU IN THEIR WILLS!!!!  SO WORTH THE POTENTIAL HEART DISEASE!!!!

:)

And here's what's been goin' on:  Dave with baby Ayden, Roman's little brother....

And dressing up is always fun!!!!

We are addicted to this:

And this:

And these are some of the hand-made presents for Grandpa Dave's birthday extravaganza last weekend!!!

Great feasting day and celebrating how much Grandpa loves his little grand-peeps!!!!

IKEA Billys to Built-Ins Tutorial

Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and this is been happening...

Yes, Spring!!

Rain and rainbows. Our magnolia is in bloom. They are very rare here so I was just thrilled when we moved to this house ten years ago and saw a mature magnolia. 

When I finished Persuasion, Capt. Wentworth and Cracklin' Cornbread, I decided that I was going to take a brain break. I'd been working on some writing project for almost 12 months straight. Things had fallen by the way side (not homschooling or cooking or mothering... those are just part of life) and I was feeling I needed to take off the writing blinders for a while. Along with some home projects, I wanted to learn a few new skills.

First, I bought a new camera. It's not fancy, but it has actual settings. I've been learning to use the macro lens. (Above) I'll show you some more fun pictures at the end of this post.

So, this was one of the bookshelves in our living room. No space for anything new. We have hundreds (probably thousands) of books, and bookshelves in every room... but everything was out of order. Something had to be done. Most homeschoolers have a designated classroom area, but we only have the living room. My kids work at the dinner table, or in the book nook. Books end up EVERYWHERE.

But before anything gets better, it has to get worse, right? The kids were thrilled to know they were going on "break". We have school year round, and it works for us to be as flexible as possible. So, kids went on vacation and I started a project I saw at Centsational Girl. She's one of my favorite blogs, all about upcycling and repurposing! This project uses new bookcases, but it could work just as well if you have some matching sets.

OK, five IKEA bookcases, 7 ft tall.

Yeah, this was my living room for a while. Felt just like home.

(We decided to paint at the same time, so that's what the blue is up on top.) So, put the bookcases together and set them against the wall. I measured (and re-measured) before I ordered, so I knew the wall would hold five bookcases. IKEA sells different widths, too, so if you need a skinny one in the middle, it's possible. Check to see how far part the shelves need to be. The trim will cover the gaps, so don't be afraid to spread them out a little bit.

Now, we wanted our shelves to be truly "built in", as in "never gonna leave this house". We also have small people who randomly grab, pull, and climb the furniture. My older kids remember when a terrible accident took Tiggy's life,  and the days after when my husband and I went through every room, bolted down every piece of furniture. My littlest guys have no memory of this toddler from a homeschooling blog halfway across the United States, but we try to gently explain how we have to make this bookshelf safe, even if they swear they'll never pull on it.

So, 3/4 inch plywood platform. And another 3/4 inch plywood on the top. This thing is never going to budge.

We heave it upright, and slowly swivel it against the far wall.

Now the fun begins! After measuring (twice!) all the trim, hubby cuts it so that it covers the gaps between the bookcases.

 He's sort of a perfectionist. That can be a good thing. But I was wondering if it would ever be finished.

 Ah, things are piling up and it's not even finished!

 The top trim was 3 1/4 " wide and I liked that it was provide a bit of a ledge so I can store baskets up top.

 The bottom piece was 5 1/2 inches. The bookcases were open at the bottom and I didn't want to be scraping lego pieces out from under there every single day for the rest of my life.

 When the book cases were bolted and trimmed, they really did look as if they were built as part of the original wall! I wasn't sure how it would look, since things on the internet always look easier than they are, but my husband pulled it off! (For the record, I had an idea that I was going to do this all by myself. HAHAHAHAHA! Not only am I too weak to be heaving 80 lb bookcases around, I also HATE the circular saw. So, I did need help. But I cooked some awesome meals that week to make up for it.)

A closer view of a portion of the bookshelves.

I couldn't wait, even though I had AA's to finish. I started unpacking books I'd had in boxes...

My new resolution is to read all the books on the shelf that I haven't before. First up, "Mother Carey's Chickens". The title alone is intriguing. How can chickens give a 350 pg story? Is it in the point of view of Mother Carey? Is it told by the chickens? Is it an early version of Chicken Run?

Every child has a full length bookshelf... except for this little guy. He was VERY excited to have his own spot for all his books! So, that is the tale of the bookshelves. They're mostly full, but still have some free space to display treasures.

Random recipe that we made for a birthday dinner for our friend Barbara. The kids picke the menu, so it was a lot of kid food. Strawberries, oranges, Jello, pizza, ice cream, you get the picture. We also had home made lime aid! 1/2 cup lime juice, 1/2 cup grenadine, 1/2 to 1 cup sugar, chopped strawberries and fresh squeezed lime.

 Ok, leaving you with a few more shots from the new camera. I really hated how long it took to get a nice picture of the food I'd cook for Yankee Belle Cafe. (I know what you're all thinking and I swear it wasn't THE FOOD.) So, I learned how to use the macro lens and blur out the background so all those cookie shots can be extra tempting! (Oh, this is my water bottle on my night stand at about 2AM. Pretty good for almost no light, right??)

 I wanted to show my daughter what I learned but she refused to let me take her picture at 8AM.

 I also learned about shutter speed, thanks to some facebook friends. I got my kids to help me practice. Action shots!

 This is pretty much the way he is all the time.

 We laughed a lot at this picture. I have a Raggedy Ann doll that is in this pose most of the time.

 But this was the kicker. What form! What grace! And I didn't even see it like this when he was jumping around. He just saw some flying leaps, but a good camera can show you what you're "missing". And give you some great pictures to laugh over later.

I'm wishing you some sunny days (even if you've got a foot or two of snow like Ruthy or Jan) and a little pep in your step. Easter will be here before we know it, so hang tight if you're feeling the grind of the last days of winter.
Until next time!

Looks Like I Picked the Wrong Week to Quit Eating

Okay, so I didn't really quit eating, but after confessing my decision to make a lifestyle change last week, life just went absolutely bonkers. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to reach for something sickeningly sweet, fatty or starchy just to "help me get through." And, while I do not condone any of the behaviors in this video, this clip from the movie Airplane is what kept popping into my mind.

Did you know that when you add three more dogs and a seven year old granddaughter to an already chaotic life, things just get more chaotic?

But you know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

All this to say there wasn't much cooking going on last week. At least nothing new.

So what did I do?

Well, I definitely increased my veggie intake. 

I got to indulge in my low-fat version of shrimp and grits. (recipe here)

And then there was that yummy salmon. (recipe here)

But truth be told, I really would have like some of this. (recipe here)

Or this. (recipe here)

But I didn't, so we're making progress.

And it was progress indeed. As I told you last week, I weigh myself every day and write it down.

I did not go up once this week. And when all was said and done, 

I was down 4 pounds for the week.

Yaaaaayyyy!!!!!

Just the impetus I need to keep going.

Oh! And Jan, I got a notice that the book came in early so I should have it tomorrow.

Yay, yay!!! (because then maybe I can have something that will suppress my sweet tooth without adding to my bottom line. ;-)

But while I don't have a new recipe for you, I do have a gratuitous puppy pic.

Daddy has a new helper in the kitchen.

Happy Tuesday, y'all!