Ok I will admit the last couple weeks my blogs have been more on the serious side and kind of heavy. Always happens when you talk about things like love and respect of people. Both are great topics and to be quite honest, we could use a lot more of both in our world and in our community. So this week I decided to keep in light and airy like a pastry shell. In fact, I am going to discuss pastry shells and all sorts of decadent, delicious mouth watering treats that one can bake and cook, or as I say “create in the kitchen”, because truth be known, I very much love to cook and bake. Unlike many folks however, I can actually cook and bake and do both exceedingly well! My mother was an extraordinary cook and even more exceptional baker of delectable treats such as cookies, cakes and pies and other pastries. I can remember as a young child watching her work in the kitchen baking and cooking for days for all sorts of things like fundraisers, carnivals, school functions, and of course family events like the holidays and graduations or whatever it may have been although I doubt she needed much excuse to bake or cook. She was outstanding in her element and her creations were raved about in the community. Even some of my friends would connive their way to stay over my house for supper anytime they could for they knew they would be fed exceedingly well! Even at my graduation party where people were partying like there was no tomorrow my mother made oodles of food to eat with our liquor and beer and odd sundries of partying fun!
When I was young I studied mom in the kitchen as much as I studied her dress and use of accessories in her fashion and I learned from her some of the baking and cooking secrets and I absorbed them like a sponge. I would assist mom in making of her culinary projects and my skills sharpened as I did. I learned little tricks and the use of proper tools, mixers, pots and pans and most importantly for cooking the secrets to seasoning and sauces! I honed these skills form time to time under her tutelage and then on my own. College life, while being a time of much denial for expression of Melissa, did lead to apartment life and apartment life did provide me opportunity to hone even further my cooking and baking skills! I, unlike many other college students did not live on pizza and beer……....well beer maybe but I cooked and baked and even fed the neighbors from time to time and the fact they were nice young, blonde and brunette coeds was of no consequence! They loved my cooking and baking and I could even con them into doing the dishes from time to time.
When I got married my wife admitted she was not a good cook (just average) and a very poor baker. In fact, she will freely admit to anyone who will listen that I am the far better chef than she is or ever was. When we entertain, I do about 90 % of the cooking and baking for the party or dinner we were hosting for friends. When birthdays roll around no one around here would have a cake if it was not for me. Holiday cookies would be non existent if we had to rely on her and I bake normally somewhere between six to ten different types of made from scratch cookies for the holidays. When I worked in office at the holidays most of the staff hinted for weeks how much they would love to get tin or two of my pastries and I always obliged. Mom would have been proud of me with regard to my cooking and baking skills. In fact, when she died my brother insisted I take the three large boxes of recipes from her collection – some of which contained hand me downs from my grandmother who was an impressive chef herself. The keys of course to cooking are creativity, the right tools and the use of sauces and seasonings that bring the food alive in your mouth! Maybe someday I will host the first transgendered cooking and baking show – The Transgendered Chef ….. I can see it now as I stroll about the kitchen in my pink hat and apron discussing the use of fresh herbs from the garden. Maybe I may own a nice cozy bed and breakfast someday and cook and bake for the guests each morning wonderful delightful dishes and pastries and watch the smiles roll over their faces. Who knows what the future holds but one thing is for sure, I do love to cook and bake and I do it pretty darn well if I must say. Below are a couple recipes…one of mine own creations and one from my grandmother passed down to me from my mother. Enjoy…. Bon Appetite’
(A Melissa favorite)
Sautéed Shrimp and Artichokes over angel hair pasta
Prepare angel hair pasta according to directions although I recommend using the wheat pastas.
Dice up 1 red and 1 yellow pepper until they are into small slivers.
Add one can of chopped black olives
Take and cut up into pieces two cups of shitake mushrooms
Next cut up into about eighths some fresh if you can find it or can if you can’t, artichoke hearts.
Pour the cut up vegetables into a large sauce pan and stir in butter and olive oil. Add in some small teaspoons of cilantro, oregano, garlic, chopped onion, black pepper, celery seed and rosemary leaves. Pour in just a dash of hot sauce. Cook until all vegetables are done but not soggy. Pour the vegetables into strainer with bowl below. Pour contents of bowl back into skillet and cook shrimp with shell and tail off until done (only takes a few minutes. Pour the vegetables back in and cook all the ingredients a few minutes more. Serve over the angel hair pasta. Spread on grated cheese and parsley
Grandmother’s Sauerkraut Balls
Grind one half pound of ham and one half pound of pork sausage and add in 1 medium yellow onion choppedand1 tsp of parsley. Sauté all of these ingredients until brown. Add in2 cups of flour and 2 cups of milk, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of dry mustard. Cook until thick. Add in 2 lbs of sauerkraut drained and chopped. Form mixture into balls and roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and roll into bread crumbs. Deep fry the sauerkraut balls at 370 degrees. These can be dipped into cocktail sauce as well
When I was young I studied mom in the kitchen as much as I studied her dress and use of accessories in her fashion and I learned from her some of the baking and cooking secrets and I absorbed them like a sponge. I would assist mom in making of her culinary projects and my skills sharpened as I did. I learned little tricks and the use of proper tools, mixers, pots and pans and most importantly for cooking the secrets to seasoning and sauces! I honed these skills form time to time under her tutelage and then on my own. College life, while being a time of much denial for expression of Melissa, did lead to apartment life and apartment life did provide me opportunity to hone even further my cooking and baking skills! I, unlike many other college students did not live on pizza and beer……....well beer maybe but I cooked and baked and even fed the neighbors from time to time and the fact they were nice young, blonde and brunette coeds was of no consequence! They loved my cooking and baking and I could even con them into doing the dishes from time to time.
When I got married my wife admitted she was not a good cook (just average) and a very poor baker. In fact, she will freely admit to anyone who will listen that I am the far better chef than she is or ever was. When we entertain, I do about 90 % of the cooking and baking for the party or dinner we were hosting for friends. When birthdays roll around no one around here would have a cake if it was not for me. Holiday cookies would be non existent if we had to rely on her and I bake normally somewhere between six to ten different types of made from scratch cookies for the holidays. When I worked in office at the holidays most of the staff hinted for weeks how much they would love to get tin or two of my pastries and I always obliged. Mom would have been proud of me with regard to my cooking and baking skills. In fact, when she died my brother insisted I take the three large boxes of recipes from her collection – some of which contained hand me downs from my grandmother who was an impressive chef herself. The keys of course to cooking are creativity, the right tools and the use of sauces and seasonings that bring the food alive in your mouth! Maybe someday I will host the first transgendered cooking and baking show – The Transgendered Chef ….. I can see it now as I stroll about the kitchen in my pink hat and apron discussing the use of fresh herbs from the garden. Maybe I may own a nice cozy bed and breakfast someday and cook and bake for the guests each morning wonderful delightful dishes and pastries and watch the smiles roll over their faces. Who knows what the future holds but one thing is for sure, I do love to cook and bake and I do it pretty darn well if I must say. Below are a couple recipes…one of mine own creations and one from my grandmother passed down to me from my mother. Enjoy…. Bon Appetite’
(A Melissa favorite)
Sautéed Shrimp and Artichokes over angel hair pasta
Prepare angel hair pasta according to directions although I recommend using the wheat pastas.
Dice up 1 red and 1 yellow pepper until they are into small slivers.
Add one can of chopped black olives
Take and cut up into pieces two cups of shitake mushrooms
Next cut up into about eighths some fresh if you can find it or can if you can’t, artichoke hearts.
Pour the cut up vegetables into a large sauce pan and stir in butter and olive oil. Add in some small teaspoons of cilantro, oregano, garlic, chopped onion, black pepper, celery seed and rosemary leaves. Pour in just a dash of hot sauce. Cook until all vegetables are done but not soggy. Pour the vegetables into strainer with bowl below. Pour contents of bowl back into skillet and cook shrimp with shell and tail off until done (only takes a few minutes. Pour the vegetables back in and cook all the ingredients a few minutes more. Serve over the angel hair pasta. Spread on grated cheese and parsley
Grandmother’s Sauerkraut Balls
Grind one half pound of ham and one half pound of pork sausage and add in 1 medium yellow onion choppedand1 tsp of parsley. Sauté all of these ingredients until brown. Add in2 cups of flour and 2 cups of milk, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of dry mustard. Cook until thick. Add in 2 lbs of sauerkraut drained and chopped. Form mixture into balls and roll in flour, dip in beaten egg and roll into bread crumbs. Deep fry the sauerkraut balls at 370 degrees. These can be dipped into cocktail sauce as well
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