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Tuesday Morning Tales

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-05-11T14:01:39Z

Good morning everyone! I hope to see the sun peeking out from behind the clouds soon. Yesterday was downright dreary here, and I was shocked when I awoke to a thermometer revealing 54 degrees and sounds of rain on the windowsill. It was for the best though. I needed to be trapped indoors to recuperate from an awesome Mother's day. Phil took the kids from the moment we awoke until around eight pm, allowing me 12 glorious hours in the garden. It was a clear, breezy, cool day, and I was happy to dig in the dirt without a care in the world. Unfortunately, I forgot one important thing…I am the worlds worst when it comes to sunscreen, and my ears, face, neck and an odd 2 x6 strip of my back all fried to a bright, tomato red.

Lessons learned: we are at the time of year that I have to coat myself in sunscreen and my t-shirt should be long enough that it doesn't creep up my back as I work in my vegetable beds. I'm planning on getting out there again today, and I already slathered up. I don't require a high SPF, but I need a little.

I built another vegetable planting box Mother's day. I would guess it is about 5x5. I had three 4x12 boxes last year. This year, Phil built one more as an Easter gift to me. I keep expanding. I am addicted. I have to garden above ground, as our soil is more fit to mine gravel than to grow tomatoes. I used to complain, but now enjoy being able to sit on the sides and weed, prune, and harvest without killing my back. I will take a few pictures later and show you what is cooking down in the garden. I have some more plants to throw in, now that my layers of soil, compost, and dried grass and leaves have settled in a bit after yesterday's rains. I ran off to the greenhouses Sunday afternoon for two basil plants. I came home with 36 plants. Not all basil, mind you… I learned last year that my culinary requirement is far less than the 12 plants I dropped in last year. Two should be just right. I also bought some Tabasco plants (been searching for those. They add a great little punch to my hot sauces), cherry tomato plants (total tomato plant count is up near 30 now), and a bunch of other stuff that I really didn't need, but definitely will be eaten by someone!

Ah my gardening helper, Jack, just awoke, wanting breakfast. I think some farm-fresh eggs are in order! I hit a tiny, roadside farmer's market on Saturday morning and picked up two dozen fresh eggs, four bricks of various cheeses (I think they are 1 lb. each), three pounds of new red potatoes, a few humongous oranges, and five pounds of ground sausage. All for eighteen bucks and change! I gave the sweet, old man a twenty and refused change. Upon this announcement, he started throwing in more oranges for my kids and recruiting me to his church. I now wish I had picked up some Amish butter. That stuff is wonderful! I'll go back soon. Watermelons (yum) and cantaloupes (not yum) are arriving this week.

To do: breakfast, garden, make some bread. Feels like a baking day. Maybe some Guinness bread… I think it would complement the smokiness of the pulled pork (Phil smoked two pork butts for 13 hours this weekend). If I get around to baking it, I will show and share with you.

Happy Cooking (and Gardening),

Shannnon

Hi

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-05-07T03:51:15Z

Just wanted to check in and say hello to everyone. Thank you for all the wonderful emails! Yay to all of you that claim to have rediscovered your kitchens! That is the goal. I would share a recipe, but to be honest, with giving final exams and turning in grades, I haven't had cooking on the brain much. I did cook three meals day before yesterday: soda pop pancakes, brown sugar meatloaf, and a lunch creation that I called "stuffed sandwich a' la Jack." I just pressed half a tube of croissant roll dough into a greased 8x8 pan, then mixed together some spicy mustard, honey, and a dash of Ranch (I've always liked ranch and honey mustard dressing mixed together), and I drizzled that over the dough. Then I piled on some deli meat – ham and turkey and some pepperonis – and topped all that with another drizzle of sauce, sliced provolone, and one beaten egg. I pressed the remaining dough on top, cut some steam holes, and baked it at 350 for about 15 minutes. It was really yummy! Jack loved it. It sounds like more work than it is. It was a fridge cleanout dish that was a winner! The other two meals are in the book, which will soon be available at a store in Starkville. I will update you as soon as that happens (hopefully tomorrow). More again soon. I am going to do something special for you guys soon. We are going to talk about how to organize a kitchen for maximum efficiency (faster cooking). I also need to check into this video blog thing. I have a blog account that can post videos and a camera that can take digital video…. Hmmm… something to consider… I'd love to share more, and a picture is worth a 1000 words.

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Allow me to quote a magic robot

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-28T21:57:12Z

Thank you to all my viewers for your loving support over the past three years. I never wanted to be on television, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover enjoyment in front of the camera. I hope many of you are cooking more at home. If you haven't bought one yet, go get a slow cooker. That is the generic name for Crock-pot, gentlemen. Mother's day is coming. If she is expecting jewelry, don't buy a Crock-pot. If she is expecting nothing, a Crock-pot would be nice. Thank you to the culinary arts institute at MUW for supporting me since way before my on camera days.

Don't be sad, and Lord knows, don't start a rumor as to why I am gone. No, I didn't do anything bad, and I haven't been fired. It is just time to let it go. I am looking forward to a summer of nothing. I will get back to work on my master's degree, putter around my garden, chase my boys, and continue to blog and post recipes on my own. Who knows? Maybe I'll write another cookbook and go harass Bill and the rest of the gang while urging you to buy it. J

In the words of Plex on Yo Gabba Gabba…. Goodbye, see you later, it was fun.

Happy Cooking Forever!

Shannon

Dinner without a Plan

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-27T04:39:36Z

We just returned home last night from a four day trip to Delaware for my brother-in-law's wedding. We broke the trip up into two portions, stopping in Knoxville Tuesday night for a quick sleepover with Phil's sister, Stephanie and her family. Wednesday, it was on to his parents, in the van, kids in tow. As we did on our trip last year, we decided to do a single day, marathon drive home. We were all a little homesick, and we were ready for our own beds. To get to that comfy goal, we had to work for it. Sixteen hours in a small space with one person is trying. Add in two small kids, and you got yourself the recipe for a martini (or seven). I must admit it really wasn't THAT bad. The kids were so well behaved that I even drove for three hours. Yes, that is just a small fraction of the trip, but I have NEVER driven on any of our cross country jaunts. It is a milestone in my life. I am quite proud of my journey from D.C. to Bristol.

The day after all the Lindell wedding festivities concluded, I found myself alone in the kitchen, and I began to dig. I hadn't cooked in quite some time, and I needed the mental release. I a huge stash of dried pasta and set off to make a pasta buffet for a crowd. I made two pans of my home-style macaroni and cheese (slightly altered to use leftover cheeses from the cheese platter), two pans of pizza pasta, and a pan of what I liked so much that I am sharing it with you. It had no name, so we are going to call it Spinach and Tomato Rotini. I was inspired by leftover spinach dip from the rehearsal party. I also used up the rolls that went with the meat platter; they became garlic bread. The only ingredient that was purchased was some milk. Eighteen happy people eating what essentially was just a bunch of leftovers made me happy. I am most proud of meals like that, ones that I create from what I find in house. Sometimes, wonderful dishes emerge that become regulars on our table, which I see today's recipe becoming.

The spinach dip I used was the little microwavable kind that you find in the freezer section. I am pretty sure that it was the TGI Friday's brand. I opted to use a jarred dip, which is more likely to be found in stores. I am using the Tostidos brand that is usually on a little shelf by the chips. If you use the frozen kind, cook it first according to directions, then cool it off before adding it to the sour cream. Feel free to skip the meat step. Just remember to taste the sauce before loading up your casserole dish. Some jarred sauces are very sweet and need some TLC to reach their full potential.

The other two dishes I made, the pizza pasta and the macaroni and cheese are both in my cookbook, which I referred to while making them. I guess I looked kind of odd reading my own book, but I do it all the time. I used it tonight when I was making twice-stuffed potatoes. It is my recipe box. J

Thursday will be my final show. I am leaning towards doing a favorite recipe from the past three years. I am leaning towards a dessert, but my ears will be open until I have to turn my recipe in Tuesday night prior to going to bed, and I welcome any input.

Happy Cooking!

Shannon

Sunrise, Sunset

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-15T01:52:32Z

In 2001, right around this time of year, I was wrapping up my senior year at MUW, soon to be a part of the second graduating class produced by the new culinary arts institute on campus. I was always quite sure about my dream culinary job. Every ounce of my being wanted to return to my beloved school and teach. I wanted others to leave the school with the passion I felt for all things culinary. This semester, I was given that chance, and I cannot express to you how much I love being in the classroom. To see a student's eyes light up when their first bread dough has risen to perfection makes me just as happy as it makes them. To be alongside them in their culinary journey and feel their excitement for techniques and flavors fulfills me. I know I am where I am supposed to be. In just a few weeks, I will begin work on my master's degree, all with the hope that one day I can turn my part-time culinary instructor status to a career.

With this in mind, it is quite timely that the powers that be have decided that my run on the Sunrise show will be coming to a close at the end of April. I am saddened but also slightly relieved. It is not that I do not enjoy my Tuesday and Thursday mornings with the gang, sharing my cooking ideas and secrets with viewers, but to be honest with you all (as I always have been) after three years, I am running out of recipe ideas, and I am slightly burned out on the three a.m. wake up calls. Tentatively, the plan is for me to return to demonstrating new recipes in the fall via YouTube, and I will keep you updated on the status of that venture as the pieces begin to fall into place. I also plan to continue updating my website, tweeting on twitter, and blogging on my own.

To calm any fears that I rode off into the sunset after Thursday's show, please take note that next week, I will not be on the show. I have to go to Delaware to attend my brother-in-law's wedding. I will return for two final shows on the 27^th and 29^th, and I am open to any final requests (bad wording. That makes it sound like someone is dying). I will make something you particularly enjoyed again or something new (last dance, viewer's call). With the end near (jeez, more death talk...maybe I should be a funeral advisor), I wanted to share a recipe that I have been holding on to forever. I always put it back when I consider doing it on a show, just because the ingredient list is long. However, you probably have everything on hand (who doesn't have bananas sitting around, freckled with age spots, begging to be used?). Everything else is common baking cabinet staples. There are no special tricks or techniques. Just enjoy the recipe, and I will see you all again on the 27^th.

Happy Cooking!

Shannon

Busy as a Bee

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-13T03:57:05Z

I am trying to think of something to say that is new, but honestly, life is my normal springtime routine. I spent over ten hours in the garden on Saturday, and have sunburned ears to prove it. I usually forget my hairline. I had that covered, but forgot my darn ears. I got a ton of tomato plants in, three different varieties, and four varieties of hot peppers. Those are my favorite crops, so I planted about three times what went in last year. I started roasting and storing my own tomatoes last year, but we loved them so much that my supply was gone by early October. I still have lots of things to plant, and I hope to get all of it in this week, but as you know, Tuesdays are nutty with the show and school taking up the first ten hours of my day. Somehow, I always find a way to get down to my little patch of heaven, letting the sun invigorate my soul.

When we get closer to harvest time, I will share with you how I roast my tomatoes. They are excellent on a homemade pizza. As I was planting, I was thinking of pizza, and I had an idea to show you how easy it is to make your own dough. Now this dough is the simplest that you can make. There is no rise time needed, but you can let it rise for up to 30 minutes after pressing it into the pan. There is no notable difference between the two final products. I think once you try this, you will forget buying crusts at the store. Once you make it the written way, you can experiment, adding some herbs or cheeses into the dough. I wanted you to try the plain one first, and then you can alter it to your needs.

I hope you try it, enjoy it, and use it (it will save you money)! Have a great day!

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

The post is rated N for Nerd.

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-08T01:09:17Z

Ahhhhh. Spring! It is so hard for me to concentrate on doing required cooking when the gorgeous weather beckons me to come get dirty in the garden. I have to cram in all the outside time I can now, because we all know that the super hot time is just around the corner, and then the kids and I will be regulated to the indoors during the heat of the day. The summer schedule is breakfast, morning play, lunch, nap, snack, outside. I look forward to our summer play. Hopefully, by that time, Jack will have agreed to finally remove the costume I made for him today. I had a rare moment when housework and garden duties were all caught up, and I was looking for a task, and Jack submitted a crafty challenge. Jack asked that I make him a Link outfit. The background story is that Jack loves the Legend of Zelda games by Nintendo (near and dear to me, because I grew up with Link and Zelda). Link is a little boy with a tiny sword and the hero of the series. Link is also Jack's idol. It's nerdy, I know, but I am, too, and he has been my shadow for almost five years now. He was doomed to a life of geekiness at birth.

So, in my crafty throwdown, I pulled out the sewing machine and converted two of my shirts, an old belt and a pair of pants into the perfect Link costume. He has now had it on for nine hours and has already asked about thirty times if he is going to get to sleep in it. I am so glad he liked it. He looked in the mirror and said, "Wow, I look really good!" It gave me one of those golden mommy moments that warmed my heart because I did something even better than my child thought possible. I will stick some photos at the bottom of this post so you can see that I can do things other than cook. Which, I guess I should touch on, seeing how this is a cooking, not a sewing blog.

Okay, on to food. Glorious food! I wanted to do another main dish today that looked a little more upscale, but as always, is super easy to create. The recipe of the day is Cajun Pasta. A few notes are floating around my brain, screaming to be shared before they float away. One, you can use any noodle you like, don't go out and buy some if you have some to use already on hand. Two, if you don't like crawfish, use seafood that you do like (shrimp, clams, and scallops work well). Also, if you want to thicken the sauce, you should use a cornstarch and cold water slurry. If you thicken it, you may want to add an extra dash of seasoning, and then…ta-da. Done. You can go from stove to table in under 25 minutes. Add a tossed salad and some bread, and you have a filling, simple meal for four. Enjoy!

Below you can see my Link photo that I eyeballed for ideas, and then, of course, my son in his requested Link costume. I was so hurt that Phil wasn't impressed at my handiness, but once he found out that I didn't run to the store and buy it, he gave my nerdy awesomeness its due respect. The hat does cone down in the back, but I lacked a wind machine to demonstrate that feature. J

Pepper hunt is on

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-06T04:09:08Z

I hope everyone had a happy Easter weekend. I took the boys out of town to see my parents and other relatives down outside of Vicksburg for a few days. We left Phil at home to do some yard projects. The time has come again for gardening, and my experiment with above ground planting went so well last year that Phil took the alone time to construct another planting box for me and order some nice dirt to fill it with. The rain has delayed my dirt delivery, but hopefully I will get it tomorrow afternoon. The boys and I returned home yesterday morning, so we got to spend the afternoon outside preparing the other three boxes for plants. It felt so good to get my hands dirty again! Now I am just itching to grow things! I have a few new things I am going to try this year. I will keep y'all updated. In the meantime, if anyone has seen Tabasco pepper plants and Habanera pepper plants for sale, please let me know. I bought them last year, and used them in my homemade hot sauce, but I couldn't find them when I shopped around yesterday. I will be disappointed if I cannot include them in my garden again this year. Actually, I am on the hunt for any hot peppers besides cayenne and jalapeno.

With fresh veggies on my mind, it is hard not to jump directly into recipes that feature them, but it is still a little early. I thought we were due to do a one pot meal. Cornbread Beef Delight (I think that is what I named it) is a slightly spicy blend of onions and meat topped with a Mexican style cornbread and baked off. It is delicious! Serve with a little sour cream. Enjoy!

Update: I found an online resource for my peppers. Still, I'd rather go local. Suggestions? Email me muwcooks@gmail.com

Easter is here.

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-04-01T06:16:39Z

As Easter is this weekend (as with all holidays, it snuck up on me), I thought I would share two things with you. First, I give you my Simple Coconut Cake recipe for your holiday dessert table. It is delicious, and has one of my favorite qualities – make it ahead and it just gets better and better as it sits. Also, if you keep quiet, no one will suspect that it isn't your great-grandmother's secret recipe that she proudly displayed every fifth Sunday lunch at church. Oh, and you can make it lighter by using light Cool Whip, light sour cream, and Splenda. You know I didn't do that, but it is a possibility for you, if you so desire.

The second thing I wanted to share with you, in the spirit of Easter, this wonderful documentary that I watched on Netflix today. I just stumbled upon it, and it was fantastic. The title of the film is Paperclips. Sounds riveting? Well, I agree. The title does it no justice whatsoever. It is the touching tale of a middle school class in tiny, two stop light, Whitwell; Tennessee. They started in 1998 simply studying the holocaust, and wound up on a seven year journey that is responsible for the pile of tissues at my side. Most of you won't watch it, so I'll share these lessons with you: Love everyone, don't be so quick to judge, forgiving doesn't mean forgetting, and persecuting another just for their beliefs and thoughts is wrong. Have a wonderful holiday, and hug your family, even if you don't want to.

Happy Easter,

Shannon

My Cooking Day

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-30T11:43:08Z

I haven't been to the grocery store in a long time. A really, really long time. This isn't a huge deal, as I tend to keep an ample supply of canned, frozen and dry goods, since I converted a storage room into my dry storage and deep freezer room shortly after we moved in. This was born of necessity, as I don't have nearly enough cabinets to keep it all in the kitchen. My pots, pans, and other assorted cooking paraphernalia occupy all available nooks and crannies. Anyway… some of the things that I must keep on hand are kid snacks. I try to keep the little 100 calorie packs, dry cereals, and crackers on hand for those "I'm hungry" moments. Well, the 100 calorie packs ran out over a month ago, but we still had cereal and cheesy crackers, so it we were fine. Well, the healthier cereals are now gone, and the crackers were merely a collection of crumbs. I was ripping the cracker box up and glanced at the ingredients label. I knew they weren't healthy, but honestly, I didn't really think of them as the dietary garbage that they were. I was caught up on cleaning, show stuff, and laundry, so I set out on a mission. I would make my children crackers. If I make them, I will know what they contain.

Surprisingly, crackers aren't difficult to make. Now, I must admit they are dough, and I am a dough girl. I love making anything where I am directed to mix it and then knead it by hand. Homemade pastas and breads are like free psychiatrist visits. If I am in a foul mood, standing at a floured counter, working good dough wipes all my negative thoughts away. The cracker dough was almost identical to pasta dough, and needed to be as thin as possible, so I used my pasta machine. I use a hand crank machine, and when my arms tire, I have a special, on-call motor (it's a 4 1/2 year old boy, but I've had him working the machine for over two years now, so he's an expert). If you have a stand mixer, chances are high that you can get a pasta attachment for it (in case you aren't interested in a crank machine). I have no prior experience with the pasta attachments, so if you have one, I'd love to know if you like it or not. If you do have trouble with any type of pasta machine, chances are it might be your dough, not the equipment, causing all the problems. If it is sticky AT ALL, it won't work. It will stick to the rollers and create a messy headache.

The dough I tried was a basic, wheat cracker dough that seemed quite boring, so I divided it up and set out on a flavored cracker mission. I made three types: Parmesan, Buffalo Ranch Chicken, and Cinnamon Sugar. They all were great, but I was slightly disappointed in the Buffalo ones, just because they tasted only like ranch with a tiny kick. I was looking for a spicy cracker. It worked out in the end, though. The kids wouldn't have eaten them, but they do now, seeing how it must take A LOT of Buffalo sauce to hotten wheat dough up. I plan to share the crackers with you soon; however, I must perfect my rolling skills, as it is unfair to use a pasta maker when most average home cooks have no such animal in their pantry.

As my mountain of crackers cooled, I finished off dinner, and I must share. I froze off most of the leftover French onion soup from last week's show. I had about 1 quart left. I thawed it yesterday, and when I went to bed last night, threw a venison roast in the Crockpot with soup. I let it cook on low all night. No extra seasonings, just homemade soup and meat. In the morning, I removed the roast, then poured the soup and drippings into a stockpot with two more cups of water. I brought this to a boil and added a large, diced carrot, 4 diced potatoes, and 1 onion, diced. I boiled the veggies for 20 minutes, and then thickened it with cornstarch. I added the meat back in, broke it up with a spatula, and voila, sensational venison stew. Phil loved it and encouraged a repeat recipe in the future.

I also made today's meatloaf, which has been a favorite of mine for years. I used it in a theme menu when I was a student at the W, and everyone raved about it. I normal don't use "fancy" ingredients, but sundried tomatoes are readily available, so we will consider them not so fancy. If you grow your own tomatoes, I will show you later in the year how to roast your own in the oven to use though out the winter. I've already used mine up, or I would be showing them off with this recipe.

I've talked enough. I haven't even mentioned that I also browned off and froze 7 1/2 lbs. of ground beef. I had a busy day and I am sleepy. I can score four hours if I hurry off to bed. See you in the morning (or, it was nice to see you this morning).

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

No Meat? No Marriage.

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-25T04:36:59Z

There are certain things I need to have a balanced and happy mental state. One, I must have coffee. I really like the Starbucks double shot energy drinks in a can, and I need a twelve step program to get off of them. However, if you drink five in a day, you will have heart palpitations. I speak from experience. The second thing I must have for the betterment of my life and the others around me is salty snacks. My husband knows I need my Doritos. The regular ones. None of that "jalapeno popper" or "late night tacos" mess. I just want the plain, orange ones that stain your fingers and fingernails with incriminating evidence of your latest snack-fest. Face it, I am a Dorito purist. When my beloved cheesy triangles are unavailable, I like smoked almonds. Have you tried them? They are a salt fiend's dream. Item three on the list of the happy me: meat. I sat here and tried to imagine Phil being a vegetarian, and I just can't do it. It would have been a deal breaker long before we got down the aisle, or in our case, the sidewalk. Here's a fun fact: out of all the meats, beef is my least favorite to dine upon. I know… weird. I am more a chicken, fish, seafood, and venison gal. I have been replacing any called for beef in recipes with venison for so long that the amount of fat in beef repulses me. Oh, I like bison, too. I got a pack of bison hot dogs and did gourmet hot dog buffet for dinner Monday night, and I must say, that was a great dinner idea. The bison dogs I purchased were antibiotic and hormone free, and they were the purest, most delicious dogs ever! Sorry, I don't remember the brand, but they say "Bison Dogs" in giant, gold letters and come in packs of five (they are big). Toast up some French sub rolls, serve with your favorite toppings (I pulled some homemade chili out of the freezer, shredded some Colby Jack, and fried and crumbled some leftover bacon). Yummy, easy, and a great way to use a little bit of this and that left over in the fridge.

Tonight, I made the Red Beans and Rice for the show also made some chicken and dumplings (my Yankee hubby's favorite). Meat and meat in pots, my kitchen still smells fantastic. Yeah, if Phil decides to go vegetarian, he will starve to death. Now the Red Beans and Rice are not very spicy (a little, yes), so feel free to spice them up more. I am wary of making something too hot for the gang to eat so early in the a.m. Also, this is a simplified but still traditional Cajun recipe, meaning there are no tomatoes. Traditional red beans and rice are strictly meat, beans, onions, celery, garlic, bell pepper, seasonings, and a little water cooked all day and served over white rice. I merely removed the overnight soaking of dried beans and substituted canned beans. You still get a great flavor without that extra soaking step and long simmering time.

Oh, and before anyone asks, no, I cannot share my chicken and dumplings recipe. It is one of those "a little of this, a little of that" grandma-style recipes with rolled dumplings that are probably much more complicated than they should be, but they are a labor of love. J

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Spring Break is Over … Yay!

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-23T03:00:14Z

I have an insane schedule. I have mentioned it many times, and I will spare you the details (again), but let's just all assume that my life is rather full at this point and time. So, when I was looking at the W's academic calendar, the "Spring Holidays" entry seemed like the perfect time for some well earned self indulgence and relaxation. Well… it was a terrible idea. My whole body was thrown off by the concept of regular meals and normal bedtimes. I guess since that's what you do when you are sick (eat and sleep), my body decided to do just that. I have had a terrible cold since the first day I had off. Throw a nice time change in there, and I was pretty much done. I didn't know when to eat, sleep, clean, or even pay bills. My theory is that I have been keeping an insane lifestyle for so long that I don't know what to do when I don't have anything to do. The whole experience has made me understand better the life of Miss Naomi, a waitress at the Pope Club in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Miss Naomi was an employee at the club for over fifty years. I was lucky enough to be the general manager there for a few years when Phil and I were stationed there. Miss Naomi immigrated to the United States from Japan when she was in her early twenties. She was a single mother and took a waitressing job at the officer's club to support herself and her children. It was always a joy to see her greet a general that she had served when he was just a lieutenant. At seventy-four years old, she could move faster and get more work done in one hour than any other person in the building. When I would ask her why she didn't just retire, she confided that she believed if she stopped working, she would die. I understood slightly at the time, only because I remembered my very active grandmother retiring after decades as a bank teller, only to become a couch potato and a shadow of her former, working self. Now, I don't think I will curl up and die if I get adequate sleep, but I do think I would have a transition period like I experienced this week - one where no deadlines or pressing matters made me pretty much useless. So, fear not, I am going nowhere. I can't. I don't know what I would do with myself, which is funny, because I am the queen of grandiose ideas for "when I have the spare time."

One idea that did get followed through is today's dish, French Onion Soup. It is my favorite restaurant soup, and I thought I could show you how easy it is to make at home. One note, be patient with the onions. It may take 30 minutes to get them nice and brown. Also, go easy on the salt. I didn't give a specific measurement because the sodium levels in beef broth vary greatly brand to brand. I hope you make some before it gets warm again. You better hurry with that, too. I have gardening on the brain, which means me and the man upstairs have been talking weather a lot lately. J

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

3-peat

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-11T05:02:39Z

For the past two St. Patrick's Day shows, I have presented one of my favorite recipes, St. Pat's Corned Beef Brisket. When I told the gang that I wouldn't be here next week, therefore missing St. Pat's, some practically rebelled. "No Guinness brisket?" they cried. I said no, but then offered to do early St. Patrick's Day this week, and I started thinking about what new Irish treat I could make. I didn't even get a single idea out of my mouth before one staff member threatened to lock me out of the building if I didn't show up with my infamous corned beef. If you didn't' already know, this It is also one of Bill's favorites, and he found out last year that you can go into a gas station and buy just one Guinness beer. Good to know for the other non-drinkers.

You can do any combination of onion, carrots, and potatoes you like. You can even add a quartered head of cabbage, but I refrain unless cooking for my in-laws. For tomorrow's show, we will be exploring how to make this oven dish and make it slow cooker friendly. I have one going right now, and I cannot lie to you … it smells fantastic. We probably won't sleep much tonight with the delightful aroma wafting through the house. If we do sleep, I have a feeling we will all wake up hungry.

Don't forget to save the pack of pickling spice when you rinse your brisket. It will do you no good once washed down the drain, unless of course, you have a crush on your plumber. If you have the cookbook, the recipe is there, just as an oven recipe. So just take note on the website of the alternate directions.

Once again, I will be Spring Breaking next week. So, have a wonderful eleven days until we see each other again!

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Grits for Grit Haters

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-09T02:41:10Z

I don't think I could have custom ordered a more gorgeous day than today. 74 degrees, sunny, and not a whisper of wind in the air. For once, I can go to the show in the morning and smile at Jason. Who wants snow when you have this to look forward to? Also, the week off that I so desperately need is right around the corner, in the form of Spring Break. Obviously, I won't be teaching at "the W" that week, but I also will be taking that time off from the show. Please understand that I, too, get worn out, and my heart, mind and soul need a well deserved rest. I probably already told y'all all of this sometime last week (I am more than a little excited about the idea of a week off that doesn't involve someone being sick, having surgery, an official holiday, or traveling to see relatives), but I feel it bears repeating, because every time I miss a show or two, I get emails from viewers worried that I have quit, skipped town, or have some odd disease.

As my countdown to Spring Break begins, I officially have two shows and two classes to go. Show one, today. I had a viewer comment that she wished I would make breakfast every now and then. Apparently, the sight of the Sunrise gang chow down on enchiladas, chili, and casseroles at five a.m. turn her tummy. While I like doing breakfast items, and regular viewers are well familiar with Bill's love of all things sausage, there are only so many breakfast and brunch items out there to prepare. I've thinned the list out considerably after almost three years of appearing on the show. Today's dish is sort of brunchy. We are preparing Garlic Cheese Grits. They are so far removed from heart-healthy and diet healthy that I fully expect some form of nutritional police to confiscate my dish on the way to the show (I am well familiar with blue lights at four in the morning).

I gave this recipe to my Cajun and Creole cuisine class last Saturday as an intended side dish to bacon wrapped grilled venison and served with a tomato jam topping. I was so proud of my student that volunteered to make these. They turned out fantastic, and she had never made or tasted grits in her life. I did have to pick on her a little bit, considering she is from Memphis and grits are a Southern staple, I found it hard to believe that she had bypassed grits for over eighteen years. As my class gathered around for our lunch and review, one of the most common comments I heard was, "I don't even like grits, but I like these!"

I hope you give these a try. Feel free to half the recipe or make two smaller dishes and freeze the one you don't eat. They aren't just for breakfast and brunch. Try them as a dinner side dish as we did with the venison.

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Broccoli? Don’t worry, it’s coated in cheese.

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-03T20:05:44Z

Every now and then, I get caught up on life, or I just get so fed up with being behind that I abandon everything and disappear into the kitchen to prepare a meal. It soothes my brain. I can honestly say I chose the right profession. The study of food is not just the central focus of my career; it is also pure joy and my escape. Sometimes when I escape, I just gather up what I can find and create a recipe that is so delicious that I feel the need to share. Last night, I ran away from papers needing grades, classes needing recipes, and posting midterm grades to my kitchen. I had a flank steak that needed cooking, so I placed it on a large piece of foil, seasoned it, topped it with sliced onions, poured a dark beer over it, and sealed the foil. That got slow cooked at 250 degrees for about 4 hours, and then I went in search of a vegetable. We love broccoli, but it is difficult to get it down Jack's throat without something coating it, so I made a cheesy casserole with some of this and a little of that. I had extra sauce and some chicken and rice hanging around, so I decided that my little broccoli casserole wasn't living up to its full potential. A fantastic, weeknight meal was soon born that is worthy of plate licking and a little TV time, too.

No special tricks today, just some stuff thrown together to make a little culinary magic. If you buy the big bags of frozen chicken breasts, three large or four small will be plenty for this casserole. If you don't buy the big bags of breasts, I strongly suggest that you do. They are convenient and quick, as long as the chicken is destined for shredding or chopping. They are very thin and aren't the best for dishes that call for the breasts being served whole. The bags are zip-top, so if you are cooking for yourself or two, you can just get what you want out and stick the bag back in the freezer for later. This is very handy when you are trying to halve a recipe that calls for an entire package of chicken breasts.

I would share some fun, witty stories, but I have papers to grade. Midterms are already upon us, which means spring break is soon, and I hope you all understand, I am taking the week off. No school, no shows. I am ready for a break! Maybe I will just sleep all week….

I will see you in the morning, and have a great day!

Elvis is not MY Cake’s Name.

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-03-01T23:46:15Z

My poor brother. He got a puppy. He named it Daisy. Don't worry; the dog doesn't die at the end of this story. Anyway, he was so excited. It took thirty years of life before he became a proud dog owner. Unfortunately, he called to brag about his new family member to me (his normally loving, sane big sister) on Friday, or as I will fondly remember it "the day my lack of sleep finally caught up with me and made me a demonic being." Last week was so busy, that while trying to balance family, house, kids, school and the show, I sort of forgot to sleep… a lot. Last I counted; I slept 17 hours between Sunday and Saturday, and not at all between Tuesday and Wednesday. That was my fun, up over 24 hour marathon. By Friday, I was grumpy and opinionated. Boy, did I have a great deal to say about that dog. Topher's joy was squashed and I felt terrible about it. The thing is, I knew I was being extremely ugly, I tried to stop and be friendly and happy, but every word still came out wrong. It was quite similar to watching someone drunk try to act sober. You still know they are drunk, but you play along just to see where it is going.

I had to teach a Saturday class, so I really didn't have a chance to make up for the lost rest until Sunday. Eighteen hours later, I was a new woman. I don't care what the doctors say with their sleep studies. I believe that one can catch up on rest. The AMA strongly disagrees. After my comatose state, I got a ton of stuff done. Heck, it is only 5:08 p.m. and I am typing this, so I must be doing something right! Jack and I did a "clutter smack down for charity" and bagged up five contractor bags of stuff that we don't want, need, have outgrown, or have duplicates of. Decluttering is soul cleansing for me. Sleep and neatness went a long way for me today. I even called Topher and apologized for the insomnia demon that he spoke with on Friday, and his only reply was, "I was wondering when it was all going to catch up with you." We traded puppy tales, and I got a positive report on my new little canine niece, Daisy.

Also done for the night is the wonderful cake, Hawaiian Dream Cake, which I am sharing with you in the morning (or this morning, depending on when you read this). It is an adaptation of a cake recipe called "Elvis Cake"… yeah, I refuse to call it that. One, I respect the King, and hat's off to you Tupelo folks for being able to claim his birthplace (I'm from Kosciusko, we will see your Elvis and raise you an Oprah), but I absolutely refuse to call anything I make Elvis _________. Be it pie, cake, grits, or banana bread that fills in that blank, his moniker shall not be the descriptive term. Why? Two words… Fat Elvis. No one wants to remember the not so lean years of the King. We proved that when we had to choose between "young, sexy Elvis" or "old, 'fry me up somethin' with peanut butter in it' Elvis" to don a US postage stamp. Sweet, young thing won by a landslide. Think about it; there is a reason.

One hint about this cake: I originally wanted to use a pineapple cake mix. However, one pineapple upside down cake mixes only fills one, 8 inch pan, and they are expensive. If you have two sitting around, use them, and save the included pineapple and strudel mixture for another time. If not, use a butter or yellow cake mix. Everything else is self explanatory, and you should have no issues. I am now off to plan a lecture and get in bed at a decent hour! See you again Thursday.

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Catch Up

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-02-25T05:27:37Z

Once again, I lost a day this week. This time it was to that stinking, no good, rotten computer virus. I knew that I depended heavily on my laptop, but until I lost it from Sunday to Tuesday evening, I had no clue how much I relied upon my electronic brain. I was so mad, I sent an expletive heavy email to the company on the fake "antivirus software" contact us form. I NEVER send things like that. However, you must understand that every facet of my life, other than housework, needs the computer. My recipes, website, blogs, lectures, power points for lectures, grading sheets, cookbook invoices, and not to mention email, it is all stored in Daisy (yes, that is the computer's name). So when I lost all computer function, it was like a big stick was shoved into the gears of my life. I was irate. So, here are some warnings for you guys: one, have a good antivirus software. Two, don't turn off software when it insists it would like to do a long overdue scan. Three, beware of sneaky pop-ups that want you to confirm after closing the window with the X. This one had the "ok" button (which usually confirms closing) and "cancel" backwards. OK meant I didn't want to close the window. I wasn't paying attention to that. That one click did me in. Warning number four: Antivirus Vista 2010 (or XP or Windows 7) is not a product. Stay away, or else be stuck in the Dos prompt trenches of your computer. I was up 24 hours yesterday. No, wait…Tuesday? I woke up at 3:15 on Tuesday morning and went to sleep at the same time Wednesday morning. I lost a big chunk of work and had to get it done.

Due to lack of sleep, I am a little afraid to go to sleep. I can grab five hours if I pass out now. I think I will. Enjoy the Maque Choux. It is actually a recipe I am sharing my Cajun and Creole cooking class that meets this Saturday. It is spicy, but oh so yummy. Goes great with hamburger steaks!

Good night!

I’m Crabby

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-02-22T22:37:57Z

Argh! Me ship's been boarded and we are under attack! Man your Battle stations!

Why the pirate speak? I have no clue. I am angry. I was tapping merrily along, preparing for tomorrow's show and class when a window popped up on my computer screen. Looking like a normal Vista "Are you sure?" window, I clicked cancel, and I apparently failed to notice that it was one of those sneaky pop-ups that cancel means open and yes means no. Well, I am paying for it now. The darn thing is infected to the gills. Poor Daisy. That's my computer's name, Daisy. Don't ask why. I just love naming things. My past computers were named Spanky, Boo Boo, and Sam. Prior to Sam, they didn't get names that are worth typing. The dial-up days prompted more language of the seas, but not the fun loving pirate speak, the language associated with inebriated sailors. I hate dial-up. Prior to dial-up, we could talk about my Commodore 64, which proves to be a quite lyrical computer name when sung in the song, "Back to the 80's". It is such a fun tune. Makes me smile every single time I hear it.

So, I can't update my website. Part of Daisy's illness is to warn me about every webpage and its malicious content, even if I click the "accept the danger" button, it refuses. I am hoping to backdoor my blog in, since it feeds through Word, and no webpage is required to open during the process. If I get my virus eradicated before midnight, I will update my site. If not, you can cut and paste the awesome Crab Quiche recipe below. Hopefully this virus will be a nice, bad memory come morning.

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Crab Quiche

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 C. mayonnaise

2 T. all-purpose flour

1/2 C. milk

1 tsp. Old Bay

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. hot sauce

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 (6 oz) cans crab meat

1 C. shredded cheddar, divided

1 bunch green onions (sliced)

1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Open cans of crabmeat and drain out the liquid (also do a quick check for any small shell pieces that may have snuck into the can). Once drained, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, use a whisk to beat together the eggs, mayonnaise, flour, milk, Old Bay, garlic powder, hot sauce, and pepper. Once egg mixture is well blended, fold in crabmeat, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, and green onions. Spread into unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese over the top. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Warning: You must use real, whole-fat mayonnaise in this recipe. Light and fat-free versions prevent the filling from setting up. To cut the calories, you may use an equal amount of plain yogurt in place of the mayo and it will still set beautifully.

I’m Still Busy…

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-02-18T03:18:53Z

I lost a day. It was Monday. Mondays and Wednesdays are my catch all days. Errands, laundry, housekeeping, show and lecture preparation all are priorities. If I get enough done on Mondays, Wednesdays are much easier, too. Well, this week's Monday had an extra event planned. Phil had to have a little outpatient surgery. Things were running a little slow that day and though we were told we would be done by ten that morning, we did not escape until four. That pretty much flushed all of my Monday down the toilet. So, I have been behind for days. I don't have a set schedule, but I do loosely plan my week out on Sunday. Loosing Monday erased all of that. I will be honest, being behind unnerves me. I get stressed, and when I get stressed, I get extremely hard to live with. My husband, parents, and former teachers will all attest to this fact. Stressed Shannon is so not fun.

It is no secret that since beginning instructing three days a week at the culinary school back in January, I have a jam packed weekly schedule. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually am awake for about twenty hours in a row. Up at three for the show, home at 6:30, plan lecture, pass kids off to Supernanny, leave at 8:30, teach, home at noon, and if I am really lucky, Phil might get home early so a nap will happen sometime between one and five. After five, normal Mommy nighttime duties dominate. It is exhausting at times, but I do enjoy all that I do, and at this point, it works for me.

I have been doing a lot of recipes from my cookbook lately. It really isn't a marketing ploy; I just planned ahead when writing it and included some recipes from collection of those that I felt would make good future shows. This planning has really helped me during stressful moments, when I just can't for the life of me think of something to cook on the show. Today's recipe, Orange Fan Biscuits, is one of those from the cookbook. Facts: super simple, just four ingredients, and incredibly hard to screw up. Even if your fans fall over in the muffin cups, they still look good. When I do sweet treats on the show, I do it for everyone else. I have mentioned many times that I don't really have a sweet tooth. These little biscuits are not very sweet. The end product carries just a hint of citrus, though if you would like them to be sweeter, just make a glaze by mixing up some milk and confectioner's sugar and drizzle over the biscuits while they are still warm from the oven. Only two hints for getting the best results. Work quickly with your biscuits, opening the can as soon as it is pulled from the fridge, and getting started right away. Once they get warm, they tend to flop over in the muffin cups. . As stated earlier, this isn't a big problem. They are still cute. If you feel threatened by a time limit, either get two small cans of biscuits, and keep one in the fridge as you work with the other. Other hint, you don't have to use an electric mixer to beat the butter mixture, you can do it by hand. Just make sure your butter is softened or use tub margarine. These are a great item to take to a brunch gathering or to serve for breakfast with some sausage and sliced fresh fruit.

That's it. I have a few other things to get caught up on, and then off to bed I go. See you all in the morning.

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

Sledding, Part Deux

muwcooks@gmail.com (Shannon Lindell) — 2010-02-16T03:50:33Z

"Oh, it was just unbelievable! Can you believe it? Five inches! I don't think we've had this much snow since your brother was two. You remember we stood him up in the snow and down he went, falling face first into it. That was that. He decided he hated it, and Daddy took him back in."

I remembered quite well my first big snow. We lived just outside of Vicksburg, at Flower's Exit. Actually, the exit was some fourteen miles away, accessed only by some treacherous backwoods driving, made only more hazardous by rain, deer, the Bigfoot many family members swear to have seen, oh and a mysterious black panther. All these were child's play compared to snow. I was five then, and I clearly remember that I was light enough to run on top of the deep fluff without sinking like my older, cooler cousins. It was a day of freedom. I could do something that they couldn't do!

You see, those same cousins saw me as an insufferable little brat infused with desperation for playmates. That obvious desperation prompted them to rid themselves of me by sticking me with odd tasks, then having me repeat them over and over. Apparently, they once built a tree house that I was keen on visiting. Entrance was promised if I moved a small log about ten feet to the left, so I did. Family dinners always bring up the story of Shannon and the Log. My lack of recollection makes it all the more entertaining to them. The story goes that they had me moving the log all afternoon, my stubborn little hands lugging it to the new desired location each time, never questioning my cousins. They were my heroes. I wanted to be them. To this day, I have no idea if I was allowed in their tree house. My rather loud family gets so tickled at the vision of my red, sweaty face scrunched up in determination, that the roaring laughter carries us into another hilarious tale from days gone by.

As I listened to my mother ramble on about her snow, I remembered to tell her about last week's blog, "I meant to tell you to get Daddy to print off last Thursday's blog for you to read. I don't know if you remember it happening, but you may. I think Topher was five and we got a terrible ice storm…"

She quickly interrupted, "Oh God, your daddy and I were laughing about that last night. We got so tickled when we talked about you in that plastic tub. Daddy kept saying, 'You know she could have died,' and then we were just rolling thinking of you flying through the Krogh's yard."

I was confused, "So you did read it?"

"No," she replied.

"That is so funny! That is exactly what I wrote about! My journey from hell in that stupid hospital tub!"

"We just couldn't get ourselves to stop laughing once Daddy said he could have killed you. If you hadn't been stopped by that car, you may have slid straight up the Trace to French Camp. We had no idea how fast you would be." She got another chuckle from the memory.

Later on, I thought about them repeatedly laughing at me cheating death. Man, they are sick people … and I am just like them. Because, like it or not, a bony child with a terrible perm going 50 mph in a yellow hospital tub being chased by a demonic death poodle is funny. If that last sentence made absolutely no sense, go to last week's Thursday entry.

Happy Cooking,

Shannon

PS: I wrote nothing about my macaroni and cheese because it is perfect. Follow the recipe and you will be happy. Also, if you put canned tomatoes or hot dogs in it, I will be very displeased.