IN THE KITCHEN WITH ELAINE Archive

I can’t believe graduation time is here…high school and college. This year is flying by. We don’t have a graduate this year…both in college. The graduation invitations are coming in from friends and family. Of course, it’s hard to believe that any of them are old enough to be graduating. With graduation comes celebrations and, of course, food always has to be in our celebrations. Gather your family and friends to celebrate the achievements of these young people. Hard work pays off. I wish all the graduates the best as they begin the next chapter of their journey through life. Remember to do what makes you happy and love what you do.

Try this dish at your celebration…

Hot Wing Dip

• 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 1 can Swanson All White Meat Chicken, drained
• Blue Cheese salad dressing and/or Ranch salad dressing
• Hot sauce or Hot Wing Sauce

Spray a shallow baking dish (glass pie dish or 8×8 square baking dish) with Pam. Press cream cheese in the bottom, roughly not smooth. Scatter chicken over cream cheese. Use enough salad dressing to cover chicken. (I mix blue cheese and ranch, but the original recipe called for blue cheese. Most kids like ranch better and mixing both are really good.) Next splash the hot sauce on generously, but not a solid cover, over dressing.

Bake at 350° until bubbly. Serve warm or room temperature with Frito Scoops.

Teenagers and adults like this one, and it is very easy. Hope you enjoy.

God bless you with a wonderful celebration.

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.

I was blessed with the most wonderful Mother. My Mama was beautiful inside and out. She was so talented. Mama could do everything…cook, sew, arrange flowers, homemaker and also when we children got older she worked outside the home.

As Mother’s Day draws near, I think of her with love and gratefulness. I remember as a child one thing we would do for Mama on Mother’s Day was make a “surprise” breakfast. Thank goodness Mama always had a stocked pantry and fridge. Of course, it was nothing fancy…eggs, toast, bacon, maybe some grits. I’m sure she was awake, but she always made us think she just woke up. We didn’t serve her in bed.

We would find some flowers in the yard and set the table, and then call her in. I’m sure it was never as good as she made us feel it was, but she appreciated our efforts. We would eat breakfast and then get ready for church, pleased that Mama had enjoyed her breakfast. As you make memories or remember memories past, honor your Mother by making breakfast for your family or others you love and appreciate. Here are a few recipes for you to try.

Breakfast Muffins

• 1 pound sausage, browned and drained
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup Bisquick or Pioneer Baking Mix
• 2 cups half & half
• One half teaspoon salt
• One quarter teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups grated cheese

Place well drained sausage in muffin tins which have been well sprayed with Pam. Mix eggs, baking mix, half & half, salt and pepper together. Pour evenly over the sausage. Top with grated cheese.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Makes about 18 muffins. These freeze well.

Deluxe Breakfast Casserole

• 2 pounds ground hot pork sausage
• 3 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 3 cups (12 ounces) cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 large bell pepper, chopped
• 12 large eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt

Brown sausage in a skillet and stir until it crumbles. Drain. Place hash browns in a greased 9x13x2 inch (3 quart) baking dish. Layer cooked sausage, cheese and chopped pepper evenly over hash browns. Combine eggs, milk and salt in a large bowl, beating with a wire whisk or fork until well-blended. Pour egg mixture over chopped green pepper layer. Bake in a 350° oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. This can be made ahead and refrigerated. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

This is a nice brunch dish that is pretty, good and serves easily from baking dish.

Add some fresh fruit for a great breakfast.

Hope you enjoy.

May God bless you.

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.

Rick and I both grew up with big Sunday dinners. My Mama always had something (roast, ham, chicken or turkey) in the oven. When we got home from church, the fragrance was wonderful. Dinner was almost ready. She added sides, like rice, veggies and pear salad. Sunday dinner was always delicious. It seemed effortless for Mama to get a meal together. I appreciate her even more….now that I’m a mother with grown children. I am thankful I had such a wonderful mentor. Mama taught me so much about being prepared and making do with what you have, not just in the kitchen…but in life.

Mama always welcomed people to our table. My siblings and Daddy could drag anybody in for a meal, and Mama always had plenty for us all to eat. I do remember one time she had fried chicken, and Daddy had brought a man home to eat. Mama whispered to us kids not to take but one piece of chicken. Of course, she made sure we had plenty after Daddy’s guest had left. Try these roast recipes on a Sunday and invite someone home from church for Sunday dinner.

Eye of Round Roast

• Preheat oven to 450°.
• 1 Eye of Round Roast with small fat cap
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Lemon juice
• Red wine
• 1 jar Dijon Mustard with Horseradish
• Granulated garlic
• Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
• Black pepper
• Herb seasonings – may use fresh (rosemary and garlic, Mrs. Dash Vegetable or Perfect Herb)
• Olive oil
• 1 whole stalk of celery washed, leave ribs whole
• 2 large onions, sliced thick

In a baking pan make a rack with celery and onion in bottom of pan.

Wash meat and dry with paper towel. Bathe with Worcestershire Sauce, lemon juice and red wine. Splash on and rub in. Then rub with mustard, covering the whole roast. Season with dry seasonings, ending with herb seasoning; drizzle with oil.

Place roast on top of celery and onion in pan. Place in preheated 450°. Roast for 45 minutes. Reduce heat to 375° and roast until desired temperature:

Rare            140°

Medium          160°

Well done       170°

This roast is most tender if medium to medium rare. Every kitchen needs a meat thermometer to make sure you cook to your desired temperature. (Guidelines are in my cookbook, In The Kitchen With Elaine, at the beginning of the Meats section.)

Let it rest about 15 minutes before slicing. Strain juices and pour over meat.

Boneless Pork Loin Roast

Preheat oven to 475°.

Choose amount of meat for number of people you will serve.  Full loin = 32 slices about 1 inch thick.

Bathe with lemon juice, Worcestershire Sauce and olive oil. Season meat with granulated garlic, Lawry’s Seasoning Salt, pepper and dried herbs. Cover the entire loin. It’s best if you can marinate overnight. If not, let stand for 1 or 2 hours.

Bake at 475° for approximately 45 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375° and cook until internal temperature reaches 170°. (Use meat thermometer)

Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Add your favorite side dishes. Hope you enjoy.

May God Bless You with many Sunday Dinner memories.

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.

I am blessed to have best friends, not just one but several. How good can that be? Amazing. We may go for a while not seeing each other or talking. We all have our own families, with different stuff going on, but we are ALWAYS there for each other any time. We’ve been through happy times and sad times, but always supporting each other and sharing everything. Over the years we have had many showers, bridal and baby. We have the best time planning, cooking, decorating, getting it all together and even the cleanup is fun. We recently got a quick, little surprise wine and cheese birthday party together for one Mother. It was great. Sharing the duties with friends when entertaining takes away the chore of it all.

Plan a party with a friend or friends. Try these ideas for a beautiful cheese tray.

You will need a large tray. Garnish the tray – kale works well, lemon leaf or hearty lettuces (you don’t want it to wilt). Always wash and refrigerate before arranging on the tray.

Choose your favorite fruits; grapes and strawberries work very well.  Choose your favorite cheeses. You may choose what you like right out of the cheese case or make your own cheese balls or spreads. Dress up a roll of goat cheese with honey and nuts or sunflower seeds. Just press a goat cheese log into toasted nuts or sunflower seeds, including the ends; just before serving drizzle with honey. Use a block of cream cheese as a vessel to hold pepper jelly, chutney or even 57 Sauce. Soften the cream cheese and well out an indention to hold the sweet goodness you choose. It’s delicious.

Arrange your cleaned and dried greens on the tray. Group your fruits, leaving grapes in clusters; pile strawberries and place your cheeses. The colors of the grapes, strawberries and cheeses make a beautiful presentation. Add an assortment of crackers and/or breads.

Invite friends or neighbors over or add this to any gathering. I am so very thankful for my best friends. They bless me and make my life more fulfilled. Get together with your best friends, and life is a party.

With love to my BFFs.

May God Bless You.

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.

Sometimes I just run out of ideas for supper. This was the case tonight, so I looked in the freezer and found shrimp and frozen spinach. I started to think of what I could do with these. I looked through a few of my many cookbooks that I have collected over the years and found a recipe for shrimp over creamed spinach. I didn’t have all the ingredients, and it took longer to cook because it was baked, so I used what I had on hand. This is another reason I talk about in my cookbook about stocking our freezer and pantry. I love to concoct new dishes; then I write them down while I can still remember what I dumped into the pan. This dish turned out very good. We enjoyed it, and it was not heavy. It was very quick and easy clean up. I hope you enjoy and that you will let your creative juices flow to make new recipes for your family.

Shrimp Over Creamed Spinach

• 2 tablespoons each butter and olive oil
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced with green tops
• 2 tablespoons self-rising flour
• 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach-thawed, drained and squeezed dry
• ¼ cup white wine
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup half & half
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Squeeze of lemon

In a heavy bottom skillet, heat butter and oil over medium high heat; add mushrooms, onions and chopped garlic; sauté until wilted. Add flour and stir; add spinach and stir. Add liquids (wine, broth, half & half) and cook over low heat until liquid reduces. Set aside while you sauté the shrimp.

Sauté Shrimp:

• 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 pound shrimp (cleaned, deveined and dried)

Sprinkle shrimp with Old Bay Seasoning. Heat skillet over medium heat; add butter and olive oil. Sauté seasoned shrimp until pink. Do not overcook.

Place spinach mixture in individual shallow bowls and top with shrimp. Feeds four people.

Make some quick bread or heat some French bread to go along with it.

May God bless you.

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.

When we have our family and friends gathering for Easter, everybody brings their favorite dish to go with ham. It is always a feast. This is the best ham ever and so easy.

Choose your favorite smoked ham. Mine is a Lee ham…whole or half butt end, which has more meat than the shank part.  To prepare the half ham, wash it with cold water and place in a large, covered roasting pan. Start baking at 450 degrees for approximately 1 hour. Check pan and if there is no liquid in bottom, add 1 and a half cups of hot water. Reduce heat to 375° and cook for 2 more hours. Remove cover and cook for 1 to 1 and a half hours to crisp up the skin.

This is fall-off-the-bone goodness. All the juice that is left in the roasting pan makes the best rice. We call it rice after ham. Check the juice for saltiness first. If it is too salty, use half juice and half water to make the rice. Make the rice according to directions on rice package. This is wonderful. I hope you enjoy.

I cook the whole ham all night at 350 degrees. In the morning, crisp up the skin.

This ham is so delicious and so easy. If you have leftovers, use in sandwiches, casseroles or omelets.  Hope you enjoy.

Easter blessings to you all!

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.

Spring is here early this year. Albany is beautiful on the Avenues this time of year. The Dogwoods, Spirea, Azaleas, Lady Banks in white, shades of pink, purple and yellow, are just gorgeous. It feels like Easter. I’ve been thinking about Easter Hallelujahs, menus for family gatherings and egg hunts. These have always been traditions in our family.

Decorating eggs is one of my favorite things to do. You don’t need one of those kits. All you need is a box of food coloring, white vinegar, birthday candles, Q-tips or cotton swabs, deep mugs and boiling water to make your own. On Saturday before Easter, boil your eggs…place eggs in a large pot of cold water, add some salt, bring to a boil and lower the heat to slow boil as to not break the eggs. Cook eggs about 3½ minutes; pull off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Dry the eggs off on a sheet pan lined with paper towels.

While eggs are drying, mix your colors. Line up your mugs; drop in food color, using color guide on the food color box. Use more color for deeper colored eggs. Put a capful of white vinegar in each mug; fill mug three-quarters full with boiling water; save room to drop egg in mug.

When colors are ready, begin to decorate the eggs using wax birthday candles to write or make designs on the warm egg. After decorating the egg, drop it into the desired color. Be creative… dye egg a solid color; then use undiluted food color on a Q-tip or cotton swab and personalize your egg or draw whatever design you wish. We have drawn crosses, sunrises, and monograms. There are endless possibilities.

After the masterpieces are completed, be sure your egg cartons are completely dry, place the finished eggs back in the carton and store in the refrigerator until time to hide and hunt them. After the hunt, place eggs back in refrigerator….do not leave out so they will be safe to eat. Troy, Ida, Rick and I have many cherished memories of decorating eggs together for years.

If you have cracked eggs or just have some extra boiled eggs, make deviled eggs, which is always a favorite at any gathering.

Deviled Eggs

Cut eggs in half and separate the whites from yellow yolks. Put white halves on an egg dish or platter. In a bowl, mash the egg yolks with a fork…may use food processor.

To the yolks (from one dozen eggs) add:

• 3 tablespoons of sweet pickle relish or dill, if you prefer;
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard;
• Salt and pepper to taste;

Add enough mayonnaise to make the mixture fluffy,not soupy.

Taste for seasoning. Stuff egg whites with the yellow goodness just before serving. Sprinkle with paprika; for a different taste try chili powder; it’s good.

Hope you enjoy.

Joyous Easter to you all! May God Bless You!

Elaine Barrett, along with husband, Rick, owns and operates The Flower Gazebo on Washington St., in downtown Albany and is part of a family of excellent southern cooks. She recently she has written and published a cookbook, “In the Kitchen with Elaine”.