Fisherman's Pie

Now think about how cold we are with the snow and 10 mile an hour winds blowing right through our winter coats...and then think about the guys out on the boat catching us that fresh fish we love to cook with so much...well I decided to take my heritage 'Shepard's Pie' and dedicate it to those who would love a hot dish like this for their supper!

















Now let me deconstruct this whole idea for a prettier presentation...














Ingredients are as follows-
















Wild Caught Salmon Fillets- marinated in lemon and chive oil
Pie Crust for bottoms
2 XLarge Sweet Potatoes- cubed, boiled, 2 eggs, cream, chipotles, and brown sugar
Chipotles in Adobe
Collard Greens- sauted in onion, garlic, paprika and cream added

Kitchen Conservation

I realized while working today that I have learned to conserve on stock/water when I cook, and have never talked about it in any cooking classes.

Discovering long ago that cooking fresh vegetables in homemade stock gave them more flavor...but what should I do with the extra that lay in the bottom of the pan? With things being tight and with the holidays we have to conserve somewhere.


Planning out a menu for client family meals that will transfer to my own dinner table can be daunting. Formulating task order to fit the ingredients is not as challenging once we begin to fit it in our schedules. My friend Doggybloggy said he does the same thing...think about what you are creating from start to finish before you make it...figure out if stock can be stored or reused in some way for the same meal...like making gravy...or for soup the next night with leftovers from that ingredients. Poaching chicken, fish, or meats in the liquid is another great way to stretch it out.

Families sometimes get tired of eating the same thing more than a two days...so freeze them (no longer than a month), and practice Kitchen Conservation. If this is something that you already do then Kudos to you!

Gluten Free: Stock Green Beans & Pasta

1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans
4 pieces of bacon (optional & seasonings will add that extra flavor punch)
1/4 small sliced red onion
4 cups stock (I used chicken)
2 T Garlic Powder
2 T Italian Seasonings
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
Salt & Pepper to taste
GF Buck Wheat Pasta

In small soup pot caramelize red onion and bacon together; adding 2 cups of stock and wine; add seasonings- boil until tender.

Remove green beans, leaving some of the onions and bacon; add enough cups of stock as needed to cook pasta; cook until just tender; add 1 can of fire roasted organic tomato pieces; let stand for 7 minutes

LAHIERE'S Since 1919

Returning from a two week visit with my son my hubby announced that I did not have to go grocery shopping the next day...he had missed my cooking and been eating cereal for the past week...

...and that we were eating dinner out...Pronounced Li-her's, a french restaurant in downtown Princeton we have been wanting to visit but our schedules have not allowed...

...I often prefer to cook over spending this kind of money...but who does not like this kind of service, and no dishes to clean...

Risotto with Roasted Duck, dried cranberries, criminis and toasted goat cheese...was very savory all the way around the dish...ask the spoon how abused it was!

Kuroboto Pork Belly "BLT" Sliders with Buffalo Mozzarella...my kind of creativity!

Market Maine Oysters with Balsamic Mignonette...to get you in the mood for what is to come...

Seared Diver Scallops, Potato Pancake, Wild Mushrooms, Grilled Asparagus with the most tangy truffle butter sauce...my spoon kept sliding in every direction to get the last of this sauce...YUM!

Grilled striped Bass, Tomatoes, Shiitakes, Sauce of Clams, Bacon with white wine and creme fraiche...I felt this was like a deconstructed chowder, and had...lots and lots of peas with small tiny potato cubes (micro)in a cream sauce that overwhelmed the grilled fish...did those extra veggies jump on board before they plate left the kitchen??? They were not on that menu reality I like!

Cotes-du-Rhone, 2004, White Wine from France...served from cellar, but was to warm...after thought...we should have ordered a red to pair with the complexity of the dishes...

Just off to the right on Witherspoon, reservations recommended, traditional upscale service, full bar, nice old french decor, full wine list (M-Thurs 1/2 off wine), $$$, and I would return for a special occasion...

Downtown Princeton is all decorated and as you walk dinner off you can window shop...'Oh Santa Baby' Please bring me one of these...my favorite color and if I get lost someone will know what post office to return me to!

Have you been Nice or Naughty for Christmas

I have posted a few pictures representing a journey that just jump started my Christmas spirit...being with my son is all good and sweet, but my real Honey is what I like to have when I return home...

...because when I got off the plane after being gone for two weeks, I knew I had been 'NICE'ly missed! Yes, as I got on to the escalator going down to baggage claim and their was a dark curly headed cutie waiting with the other drivers and holding the sign of my life...and he had my baggage already...

...and he announced that I did not have to go grocery shopping the next day...he had missed my cooking and been eating cereal for the past week...

...I often prefer to cook over spending this kind of money...but who does not like this kind of service, and no dishes to clean...

'Oh Santa Baby'...please bring me one of these...my favorite color and if I get lost someone would know where to return me...

Natural Sweeteners

http://michpics.wordpress.com/2006/03/10/the-cycle-of-sweetness-from-sap-to-maple-syrup/ (borrowed picture from this website...great blog and go learn about the process!)


I posted this recipe below before I left MO a few days ago (Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie) and noticed no one has even checked it out??? Could it be because we are burnt out on pumpkin? Maybe no one wants to eat healthy? Or is it because the word 'Sugar Free' sounds like it might not be tasty?

I Re-post, but I never Re-gift...

Well...I decided to share with you that so many of us out there are over weight, or are suffering from diabetes like my friends husband, and that I have been using organic and natural sweeteners like Maple Syrup for me and clients for many years now and they love it! The holidays are when we over indulge on eating, and it does not hurt to cut back in a few places...So think of it this way...substitute some natural things in your recipes at least once, and let your taste buds get used to the natural sweeteners!


While visiting a friend, I was asked to teach her how to make a few of my easy pie recipes. When I bake pumpkin or sweet potato I usually use Maple Sugar, but then found out her husband was diabetic, so I went sugar free on this one. I asked her if she had any maple syrup and she hands me what I thought was 'plain' honey, but it was made with Stivia...I think it taste fine, but I guess the jury is out on what it might do to us in ten years, LOL

Wes was happy that he could eat some, and Rhonda loved the fact they were so easy to make and tasted good!

Pumpkin Pie

1 Can Libbey's Pumpkin Puree
2 Eggs
2 T Pumpkin Spice
1/2 pint Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Honey Tree's Sugar Imitation Honey (Stevia), or 1/2 cup Maple Syrup

Blend well and place in 9" pie crust and bake 50 minutes

Optional: Top with sugar free whip topping

St Louis Recap, and...

...I can almost see clear through to the next step in my life...

My baby is a man, and learns from his mistakes... (he asked me last night to stay another two weeks!)

I home schooled him, so finally he is in college...

untrustworthy people around him have showed him his own truth...

I am closer to reaching fifty...and

one day becoming a grandmother...(really, I will and can wait)

this trip has come to an end and HELLO...I still got it!

Till either my son comes over to NJ, or I come back to MO...it is on with life and my passions...here are a few relective things I do miss about being in the mid-west and down south...

My beloved 100% real Tex-Mex restaurants...Chimichanga's off Grand...no other pics but this and the margarita glass above, because before I realized I had the camera...it was all gone and good! Hey my friend DoggyBloggy if you read this the queso was not yellow orange, it was real white queso fresco and creamy!!!

Let me introduce you to Flamin Hot Cheetos, Chick-o-sticks, and Zero bars...yes this is real bonifid red neck and poor eatin'...but I am sorry every now and then we just retreat back into a fetal position and say screw it!

A closer peek at what I have to go home and detox from my body...actually I lost weight and only had a taste...the kid ate the rest!

Neighbors that make their own booze, and we drink it from the old mason jars while sitting out on the porch and watching and protecting our neighborhood from being jacked...

A glimpse of 'What Was'...this girl who grew up dreaming of becoming famous and living in Maine...being rescued by my knight...having beautiful children...a home that over looked the ocean(I read too many Victoria Holt books) and full of mystery...

I got it all, but the 'famous' was more on the side of being remembered for telling my long arse stories when you spark my memory, like my Scotch-Irish daddy...so, be careful what you wish for!

...and thanks for putting up with me...cause I will be back!

Steak Classico & Fettucini Alfredo

In the south we grill through out the winter, and my return home meal with my friends and son will be one of he and I's favorites...there is nothing like a marinated steak thrown on the grill...even though it is snowing and really cold out here in MO...I am still willing to fire it up...with the chiminea burning next to me out on the patio...my son cooks up some fettucini alfredo...a simple salad, and we are good to go!

Growing up we used to marinate our cheaper cuts of meat with Italian salad dressing to help tenderize and add more flavor...this is my own version I developed over time to avoid added sugars and preservatives to the food.



Steak Classico

2-3 Ribeye or steak of your choice
¼ cup of olive oil, or peanut oil,
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning,
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar,
1 ½ teaspoons of red pepper flakes

Marinate the steak for 2-3 hours (no more or vinegar will over tenderize meat)

Grill 7 minutes on each side for Medium Rare (pink perfection)

Fettucini Alfredo

1 pound dried fettucine
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the fettucine in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender. Add heavy cream and bring to a boil. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Return the pasta to the pot it was cooked in, set over medium-high heat along with the reserved cooking liquid. Add the butter-cream mixture and half of the Parmesan and toss to combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan