POLAR EXPRESS

LASDI©

It is a fairly well-known fact that I am a themer.  Not just a theme here and there!  Oh, no!  Pretty much everything I do has a theme, expecially when it comes to my cooking.  January in Texas is not easy to keep with the cold theme for obvious reasons, so I create my own chill!  Polar Express is a meal I serve up for my Weekly Meal Prep clients every January, but also to The Hubster!  It's one of his absolute favorites with the creamy, dreamy polar mayo sauce on top of fish, usually for us pangasius fish, and served with milky scalloped potatoes and white pepper cauliflower.  Since I'm the low-carb girl, I eat mine sans the potatoes, and I don't feel like I'm missing a thing!  It's all about the warmth the chill of the polar express fish brings!

POLAR EXPRESS FISH

4 pangasius filets (or any fish of your choice)

sea salt to taste

pepper to taste

8 tbs mayo (I prefer Duke's!)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp course black pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp polar sauce (soy sauce or even liquid aminos)

Preheat oven on broil.  Season fish on both sides with sea salt and pepper to taste (see notes) and place on a prepared baking sheet.  In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients and spoon about two tablespoons of the mixture over each filet.  Gently spread the mixture to coat the entire filet and place under the broiler for six-to-eight minutes, or until the sauce just starts to melt, bubble, and brown.  Serve over your favorite veggies!

NOTES: Remember that polar, soy, or amino sauce is a salty flavor, so salt your filets lightly.  Make sure to use a wide enough spatula to remove from pan and serve so that the delicate fish doesn't break!

BRINE & WINE - MIGHTY FINE!

LASDI ©

Every year I cook one heckuva turkey for Thanksgiving! The fascinating part is that I believe it gets better with each year! No, I mean it. Each year The Fam says it is the best turkey yet. And then they say it the following year, and they're right!

Much like I am always interested in trying harder to be a better person with each day, and developing a recipe for excellence in my life, I do the same with my food - especially the coveted Thanksgiving turkey!

I have learned the key to the juiciest bird - BRINE, BRINE, BRINE! It's easy, and totally worth it. I have included my specific brine recipe below, but want you to know that betwixt immersing that giant poultry into its flavorful baptism and the beautiful carvings by The Hubster placed on your plate, I also create one of the very best white wine gravies you wilL ever put in your mouth! Wine, wine, wine! Yes, Yes, Of course other things take place, like slathering tons of herbs and butter between the skin and the bird and blasting it with 500 degree oven heat for the first hour of cooking, but the end result from the first step and the last step are what truly make the turkey incredible.

So for the sake of your day of giving thanks, allow me to share what everyone seems to THINK is a SHEcret!

God bless you all, and a very Happy Thanksgiving to you for this holiday and every day!

SHE'S TRADITIONAL TURKEY BRINE

15 - 18 lb turkey

2 gallons gallon of water

2 cups kosher salt

2 cups dark brown sugar

10 bay leaves

2 tbs whole black peppercorns

1 pkg fresh rosemary

1 pkg fresh thyme

1 pkg fresh sage

1/2 cup star anise

1/4 cup whole cloves

2 pbs juniper berries

In a clean bucket or insulated cooler, add one gallon of water, salt and sugar and stir until dissolved, about 2 minutes. Place your washed turkey (to which you have already taken out the neck and innards), and submerge into the container. Pour enough of the remaining water to cover the turkey, add your herbs and spices. Gently poke them down a time or two to submerge in water briefly. If you are using a bucket, place in the fridge; if using a cooler, cover with a light layer of ice. Brine for one-to-three days, consistently putting another layer of ice if it melts if using a cooler.

Remove from brine prior to cooking, and pat both inside and outside dry with a paper towel. Cook however you like!

WHITE WINE GRAVY

1/2 stick butter

2 shallots, minced

3 tbs all-purpose flour

1 small bottle white wine (I use sauvignon blanc)

1 32 oz container chicken broth

1 tsp white pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

sea salt & pepper, to taste

On medium heaT, melt butter in a large stock pot. Add shallots and cook until just turning brown on the edges. Add flour and stir. Cook for about a minute-and-a-half, stirring constantly. Add a tiny bit of wine, about a half cup, whisking while pouring. Once the mixture becomes thick, add another half cup, whisking while pouring. Once thickened. Pour a little chicken stock into the pot, also whisking while pouring. Lower heat to a simmer, add spices, and whisk every so often until it thickens. Add a splash of white wine and a splash of chicken stock, interchanging until desired consistency. Pour over turkey. Or straight into your mouth after it cools. Drink remaining white wine from a vessel of your choice! Happy Thanksgiving!

YOU SAY POTATO

LASDI©

It's been COLD in Texas!  Said practically no one ever.  Nonetheless, cold it has been.  And of course, there is nothing better than hot soup to warm your bones on cold nights.

It was Sunday and the week had been so busy that I had not planned out our Sunday Supper.  GASP!  I only gasp so dramatically because Sunday is carbs-allowed day and I had not planned accordingly!  

So of course, I rummaged through my pantry and fridge to see what I could drum up. 

This was fast, easy, delicious, and a carb-loaded reward.  And it was even better the next day for The Hubster's lunch!  

LOADED BAKED POTATO SOUP

4 large potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1-inch cubes

4 tbs extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbs black pepper

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 package bacon, chopped

1 tsp white wine

1-32 oz box chicken broth

1 1/2 cups sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 tsp white pepper

1 tbs butter

In a heavy pot (I use my cast iron Dutch oven!) on medium-high, heat evoo for about one minute and then add potatoes.  In a small frying pan (believe it or not, I use my tiny cast iron skillet!) heat onion, garlic, and bacon on medium-high heat for five minutes or until bacon is cooked through, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and add white wine.  Stir and scrape any "bits" from the bottom with a wooden spoon or spoonula and set aside. 

Meanwhile, stir potatoes and add sea salt and pepper.  Let them sit in the pot, untouched, for about five minutes or until crisp and brown on bottom.  Stir and add chicken broth, then bring to a boil.  Once boiling, add bacon mixture to the pot, lower the heat, cover and let simmer for thirty minutes.  Bring heat back up to medium and stir in sour cream, cheese, and white pepper.  Let cook another three minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat, add butter and let melt, then stir and serve.

NOTES: For garnish, you can sprinkle a little more shredded cheddar or some chopped chives on top.  This smelled so good that no garnish made it to the bowl before it was devoured!  For some crunch I added a few raw veggies and some rice crackers.  For a healthier take on this meal, I use organic ingredients and uncured bacon  But it is what it is.  And it is DELICIOUS!!

DROP IT LIKE ITS HOT

LASDI©

It is SO HARD during the holidays to eat healthy, isn't it??  What is it about the season that makes us (me included!) think that it's a free-for-all?  Well this year I have been super-intentional about making sure The Hubster and I don't constantly indulge, but rather try to make healthy foods that taste rich and delicious; like we're not missing out.

So for Meatless Monday (which does NOT sound rich and delicious, does it?) I decided to make something souper-rich (see what I did just there?) with an Asian flare.  And this low-almost-no carb meatless dish did NOT disappoint!  Hot soup on a cold day!  PS  This is so easy it shouldn't taste like the indulgence we experienced!

CARAMELIZED ONION AND EGG DROP SOUP

1 onion, halved, both halves sliced thinly

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tsp sea salt

pepper

32 oz box chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 green onion, chopped coarsely

3 eggs

1 tbs water

2 tbs sesame oil

Sprinkle evoo into a soup pot and heat on medium-high for about one minute.  Add onions, stir, and let them cook, untouched, for about three minutes.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste, stir, and let them cook, untouched, for another three minutes.  Stir, and let cook, untouched for another five minutes. or until caramelized and brown.  Pour chicken broth and soy sauce over onion and bring to a boil, add green onions then turn heat down to low.  Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes and turn heat back up to medium.  Whisk eggs and water in a separate bowl until well-blended and a little frothy.  Slowly pour into the soup mixture, whisking the soup as the eggs go in.  Cook an additional minute or two.  Turn off heat, add sesame oil and gently stir.  Serve with garlic sesame not-bread sticks. 

NOTES: I garnished with chopped parsley, but cilantro would also work here, or no garnish at all would still be yum!

GARLIC SESAME NOT-BREAD STICKS.

(a variation of Fat Head Dough)

3/4 cups almond flour

2 tbs cream cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 tbs garlic powder

pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup sesame oil

sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, add almond flour, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.  Microwave for one minute.  Stir and microwave another 20 seconds.  Add egg and stir until egg is blended into dough.  place between two pieces of parchment paper (see notes) and shape into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.  Remove top piece of parchment paper and bake for about fifteen minutes or until just golden brown.  Spread sesame oil over top of baked dough, sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds and bake another five minutes.  Take pizza cutter and slice into bread sticks.  DIP INTO CARAMELIZED ONION AND EGG DROP SOUP!!

NOTES: Parchment paper is key here.  I've tried this with foil and it is sorely disappointing.  PARCHMENT PAPER.  Trust me.

This combo is PERFECT and comforting for this cold holiday weather as well!  Merry Christmas!

Do It For Peanuts!

LASDI©

The Hubster and I had a most-wonderful opportunity to visit the home of some of our besties, The Bollingers (Holly Bolli, and J-Bolli – and the Bolli Kiddos) with Links International for a night of vision for their sweet missionary friends from Africa (to learn more, click HERE).  Holly decided to hire Life As She Does It to create some yummies for everyone's tummies; but the huge hit of the night was my African Chicken Peanut Stew.  Americans and Africans alike loved this dish!  I have been asked over and over for the recipe since then (thank you!) but had to work on sizing the recipe down a bit since the pot I made was full of enough for an ARMY.

I had THE BEST time and I learned SO MUCH from our (yep!  They are OUR friends now, too!) African missionary friends.  In the meantime, trust that even though we didn’t get the very best photo of the stew, it was SO DELICIOUS.  AND SO COMFORTING.  It is also rather healthy, whether you like it or not!  For vegetarians, leave out the chicken.  This is hearty with it or without and is PERFECT for the autumn or winter weather!  It’s perfect to freeze and reheat, too!  ENJOY!!

AFRICAN CHICKEN PEANUT STEW

¼ cup peanut oil
1 red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced finely
4 tbs minced ginger or 2 tbs ginger paste
1 pkg chicken thighs, chunked
1 pkg chicken breast, chunked
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs garlic powder
2 boxes chicken broth (or vegetable broth if going vegetarian)
2 small yams (or sweet potatoes), peeled and chunked
1 can rotel
1 ½ cups collard greens or kale, chopped coarsely
1 1/2 cups chunky peanut butter

Heat the peanut oil in a large soup pot (I use my cast iron Dutch oven!) over medium heat for about a minute or two; add onion, garlic, and ginger and cook until softened, about four or five minutes. Add the chicken, stir, and leave it alone without stirring for about two minutes so as to caramelize like CRAZY.  Stir and leave another two minutes.  Add seasoning, stir and let cook one more minute. Pour the chicken broth over the chicken and add the yams. Stir and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat to low, cover (leaving a slight crack for air) and cook for thirty minutes.  Add the tomatoes, collards, and peanut butter into the soup and stir.  At this point, you should make SURE to get a spoonful of peanut butter into your mouth.  You know you want to.  Partially cover the pot again and continue cooking on low, stirring occasionally, for about another fifteen-to-twenty minutes.  Have plenty of tasting spoons nearby for “quality control”, which in my kitchen, means it tastes so good I can’t stop tasting it!

TV DINNER

SHE2016©

It was a cold winter night and we had shows to binge.  I knew we would be spending that particular night in front of the Tube so I wanted to make some comfort food for warmth, and something that would go with the theme of the night.  It made me think back to the old-fashioned TV Dinners.  I remember them having a disk or puck of some sort they called "Salisbury steak", and it was usually accompanied by dry mashed potatoes or bland macaroni and cheese and a side of watery spinach or unseasoned green beans.  Well, I was just not feeling that, go figure.  So I put my own flavorful spin on it, added a healthy twist, and made a pretty simple She Gar-C TV Dinner instead!  Venison Salisbury steak with sour cream sauce, cauliflower "mac"-n-cheese, and apple cider turnip greens.......The Hubster could NOT get enough!  So we had a nice stay-at-home Date Night with reality TV, a cozy fire, and full bellies!

SHE2016©

SALISBURY STEAK

2 pnds ground meat (I used the ground venison my friend gifted me!)

1 can rotel, drained

1 egg

1 tbs winter-type seasoning, like Penzey's North Woods

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs paprika

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

safflower or canola oil

Mix all ingredients down to the oil.  Sprinkle enough oil to barely cover the bottom of a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron skillet, of course!), and heat on medium.  While oil is heating, shape the meat into steak-like patties.  No need to worry about uniform shaping!  These are beautiful and rustic when they are all different shapes!  Place two-at-a-time into heated oil, cook for five minutes on each side and place on paper towel when they come out of the pan.  Make a small one for you to taste as you cook the rest for quality control. ;-)

SHE2016©

APPLE CIDER TURNIP GREENS

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 onion, sliced

1 pnd turnip greens, ribs removed, chopped coarsely

sea salt

pepper

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Heat about 3 tbs evoo in a pot (I use my cast-iron Dutch oven) on medium for about a minute.  Add your greens, and seasonings and cook down until just-wilted, stirring from time-to-time.  Once just-wilted, add apple cider vinegar to the pot and cook another minute or two.  Serve with ANYTHING as a side dish, and take your leftovers (if there ARE any!) to lunch the next day!!

WINTER WONDERLAND

We've had a few Winter Wonderland menus in the last couple of years, and this one did not disappoint!  I absolutely love the idea of trying to come up with foods that not only deliver flavor that resounds comfort for chilly winter nights, but that reflect same in appearance as well.  After all, we eat with our eyes first, right?  Well, to be completely honest, I eat with my eyes first for about ten seconds.  THEN I eat with muh mouth!!  This particular night, we had some friends and partners of Life As She Does It, talking give-aways for the blog.  So I had no choice but to get them food-drunk so they would feel more "giving"! for You, Dear Readers, to have wonderful give-aways.  We dined on a most-gorgeous cheese tray and artichoke-spinach crostini,  a hearty salad of cranberries, candied nuts, and Gorgonzola cheese, slow-cooked clam chowder with fresh clams, Cornish game hens with decadent potatoes and zucchini-squash ratatouille, and a GORGEOUS white cake (pronounced whhhhhhhhat-cake, emphasis on the ha-part of the h).  

The recipe below is for the clam chowder, with all it's snow-white glory and ocean-goodness. It was not only creamy and wonderland-wonderful (sorry, I HAD to go there), it is LOW-CARB.  It was BEYOND...... Or, as The Daughts says: "I. Can't. EVEN."  Wanna make someone special in your life food-drunk and made to feel warm and fuzzy for chilly nights?  DO THIS.

WINTER CLAM CHOWDER

6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 large turnips, peeled and chopped into chunks

3 sprigs rosemary, chopped fine

2 bunches thyme, tied with butcher's twine

4 cans diced or chopped clams

2 jars clam juice

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 can cannellini or navy beans, blended

2 bay leaves

2 tbs butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbs white pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

Throw all ingredients into a crock-pot and let cook on low all day.  Remove thyme twigs and bay leaves.  Serve.  THAT'S IT!!

NOTES: Remember that slow cooking can mute flavors, so be certain to add more of your spices to taste at the end and stir.  I simmered fresh clams in white wine and butter in a pan on the stove, and then added them to everyone's bowls just before serving. We simply ladled the soup over them for a more authentic look and flavor.  It was authentically AWESOME!!

BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD

SHE2016©

So I made venison back-strap stew that included that precious, tender, and prized deer meat, turnips, carrots, celery, onion, and slivered red cabbage, all braised and stewed together to make one savory and wonderful bowl of warming yumminess on a cold winter's night.  (LOTS of adjectives there)  To go with it, I made a quick bread - no, let me explain it the way it deserves:  This is a fast and easy bread make with seasonal beer (in this case, winter beer), beautiful fresh-and-pickled jalapenos, and mounds of gorgeous shredded cheddar cheese.  It may very well be the best thing EVER, and this I PROMISE YOU.  The Hubster made a simple turkey sandwich with it the very next day and said it was the best sandwich he has ever had in his entire LIFE ...... because of the BREAD, Y'all.  MAKE THIS.  Then slather it in (real) butter while its still warm, and know that it must be a little taste of what Heaven is like.

QUICK BEER JALAPENO CHEDDAR BREAD

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup sugar

2 - 3 pickled jalapenos, chopped

2 - 3 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

12 ounces seasonal beer or beer of your choice

4 tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a mixing bowl. Add the chopped jalapenos, cheddar cheese, and butter. Pour beer into the mixing bowl and mix until blended. Pour mixture into a prepared loaf pan. Bake for about an hour or until golden brown. Tent with aluminum foil and cool for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve or just grab a chunk of it with your bare hands like an animal and place a honkin' piece of butter on it and eat straight out of the pan!

NOTES:  You are so welcome.