Sweet and Sour Sauce

Sweet and Sour Sauce

3/4 c. sugar (I used Splenda)
1/3 c. white vinegar
2/3 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 T. ketchup
2 T. cornstarch

Place ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
 Stir continuously until the mixture thickens.

Double Chile Queso Dip

Double Chile Queso Dip

1 shallot, finely diced
2 small vine ripened tomatoes, diced
¼ c. roughly chopped cilantro
2 jalapeno pepper with seeds and white inside part removed and sliced thinly
salt to taste
1 T. flour
1 c. milk
1 c. ea., grated colby jack and sharp cheddar cheese
Tortilla chips for serving.


 Combine 1 T. diced shallot, the tomatoes and half the cilantro in a small bowl and set aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add remaining shallot, peppers and ½ t. salt and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring, until completely absorbed, about a minute. Whisk in the milk and bring to a simmer, cook stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cheeses until melted, and then remove from heat. Add 1/8 c. chopped cilantro. Transfer to bowls and top with the tomato mix.

Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

 Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake

 cake

1 c. unsalted butter, softened to room temp
1 ¼ c. granulated sugar
½ c. light brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temp
1 T. vanilla extract
3 c. flour (DO NOT OVERMEASURE)
1 T. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 c. buttermilk
zest and juice of 3 lemons
1 ½ c. fresh or unthawed frozen blueberries (I bought fresh and did a quick freeze so they wouldn’t cause the cake to become blue)
1 T. flour

 Preheat oven to 350º. Spray with nonstick spray and flour three cake pans. Using paddle attachment beat the butter on high until creamy , about 1 minute. Add sugars and beat at medium speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat about 3 full minutes. Set aside. Combine flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Beat on low for 5 seconds, then add milk, zest and juice. Remove from mixer and stir lightly until everything is just combined. Toss the blueberries in 1 T. of flour and fold into batter. Batter is thick. Do not overmix.
Spoon batter evenly into the prepared pans. Bake for 26 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

 Cream Cheese Frosting
 8 oz. cream cheese, softened to room temp
½ c. unsalted butter, room temp
3 ½ c. confectioners sugar
1 – 2 T heavy cream
1 t. vanilla
pinch salt

Cream butter and cream cheese until lump free, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and 1 T. cream, vanilla and salt, with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat 3 minutes. Add 1 more T. cream if needed to thin out.


Trim the tops of the cake layers to create a flat surface. Frost one and add another, frost, add another and frost top and sides, just enough frosting for a light coating. If desired garnish with blueberries and lemon (I didn’t). Refrigerate at least 45 minutes before cutting. Keep in refrigerator.

Corn Crab Chowder

 Kickin’ Corn and Crab Chowder


1 T. oil (one turn of the pan in a slow stream)
2 T. butter
2 potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 bay leaf
s and p
1 T. old bay seasoning
3 T. flour
2 c. chicken or seafood broth or stock
2 pts. milk (I used fat free evaporated milk)
2 c. corn kernels
8 oz. cooked lump crab meat

 Heat a deep pot over medium heat. Add oil and butter. Add as you chop them, potatoes, celery, onion and red pepper. Add bay leaf and season vegetables with s and p and old bay. Saute veggies 5 minutes, then sprinkle with flour. Cook flour 2 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in broth and milk. Bring chowder to a bubble. Add corn and crab and simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning and remove bay leaf. Top with hot sauce, scallions and oyster crackers.

Brie Puffs

Brie Puffs

Makes about 36

2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

1 jar strawberry jam

8 oz. brie, trimmed of outer coating and softened

                 (just nuke it for 30 sec. or so)

2 T. sherry

Preheat oven to 350º.  On a floured surface open up the puff pastry and with your finger, try and close up the seams.  Using a 1 ½” biscuit cutter cut out rounds of pastry.  You don’t have to roll it out at all.  On parchment lined sheet pan, place the rounds for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Carefully slice the tops off the puffs.  Using a small spoon, break some of the pastry bottom so there is enough room to put filling. Spoon about a teaspoon of jam in the bottom.  Mix the cheese and sherry together until well blended and spoon on top of jam.  Replace lids.

I freeze them on trays and then, because they are a bit delicate, I don’t bag then when frozen but put in a glad ware container.  You can put parchment on the top of the bottom layer and place another layer on top.

Right before serving take out to thaw.  It doesn’t take long.

Buffalo Chicken Cups

Buffalo Chicken Cups

12 oz. shredded chicken
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
½ c. ranch dressing
½ c. buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank’s)
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese, divided
24 wonton wrappers
¼ c. crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 375º. Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray. In a bowl, combine softened cream cheese, dressing wing sauce and ¾ c. cheddar (save remaining ¼ c. for topping). You can soften the mixture slightly in the micro wave if you needed to do it to make it come together. Stir in chicken.

Cut wonton wrappers and press into the muffin cups. Spoon mix into each muffin. Top off with cheddar and a little blue cheese.

Bake 18 minutes or until edges are brown. Check cups after 10 minutes and if edges are browning, cover with foil for remaining cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Pop them out of each cup and let rest until firm.

Frogmore Stew

Frogmore Stew

(also known as Low Country Boil)

3# kielbasa, cut up

Corn on the cob, cut up

3# frozen shell on shrimp

3# new potatoes

Old Bay Seasoning (lots; you can’t use too much)

Try and have your various components about the same size.

Fill pot ¾ water and add Old Bay Seasoning. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.  Add potatoes and cook for 15 min (check for almost doneness).  Reduce to a slow boil and add corn and cook another 5 to 7 minutes.  Add kielbasa half way through the corn time.  All the above remain in the pot.  Add shrimp

at the end and cook for two minutes.

Total cooking time after the water comes to a boil is around 37 minutes

Drain and serve on newspaper.  Serve with cocktail sauce, yellow mustard, stone ground mustard, and saurkraut .  Serve with crusty slices of bread.

Use pie tins as plates and ball jars for beverages.