Mother's Day 2018

Epicurious ideas

any of these sound good to any of you? or maybe a springboard for ideas?

Not sure what we are doing yet. Daughter works, not sure what hours yet. Maybe a brunch, maybe a dinner? dunno

We don't usually do anything 'special' for Mothers' Day.....but those recipes give me about 50 good ideas! Well, maybe not that many, but a few, to be sure. The seafood ones. The salad ones. The pasta ones.

Actually, I'm thinking a shrimp & grits w/mushroom gravy (something I've been served before) would be fun to make. Last time I made shrimp & grits I wasn't really happy with my bacon gravy so I thought something like a mushroom cream sauce with just a hint of bacon might be more to my liking. The course ground grits I found are absolutely lovely as a base for the meal.

And since it's cornmeal grits Dane doesn't mind because it's not such a hit to his 'carb alarm'.

Thanks for the link ~ if nothing more comes of it for me, at least it's 'drool-worthy' and I'll refer to it over and over!

bethk wrote:

Thanks for the link ~ if nothing more comes of it for me, at least it's 'drool-worthy' and I'll refer to it over and over!

I'm glad you saw some ideas you liked!

As a diabetic, I usually try to avoid grits, cornbread, etc as corn is pretty high in carbs.  It doesn't affect your hubby, though, that's great ...

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:Mothers day here will be celebrated early.
Son turns 49 today, so we will have Moms day, and sons day celebrated on Saturday, with Dads home made pizza.
That's what they wanted!

sounds good to me, Jimmy!

bethk wrote:Actually, I'm thinking a shrimp & grits w/mushroom gravy (something I've been served before) would be fun to make.  Last time I made shrimp & grits I wasn't really happy with my bacon gravy so I thought something like a mushroom cream sauce with just a hint of bacon might be more to my liking.  The course ground grits I found are absolutely lovely as a base for the meal.

Though I didn't remember seeing mushrooms in shrimp and grits I've been served down here, Beth, I thought I'd check to see if I had a recipe in my files that I liked. Lo and behold, mushrooms are in this recipe, too!  

Shrimp and Grits
Serves 4.

Grits:
2 cups water
Scant 2 cups of homemade or low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup regular grits
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Rest of Recipe:
3 bacon slices
1 lb. medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Lemon wedges

1. Bring the water, broth, half-and-half and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened. Add Parmesan, butter, hot sauce and white pepper. Keep warm.
2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 Tablespoon drippings in the skillet. Crumble the bacon.
3. Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour. Sauté the mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes or until tender. Add green onions and sauté 2 minutes. Add shrimp and garlic, and sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown. Stir in chicken broth, lemon juice, and hot sauce, and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet.
4. Serve shrimp mixture over hot cheese grits. Top with crumbled bacon; serve with lemon wedges.

Aw, gee, and here I thought I had 'invented' the idea......

Actually, when we went to a restaurant called 'Grits' in Forsythe, GA and they served an appetizer size shrimp & grits in a martini glass. Best course grind grits I've ever been served! Anyway, they had a rich mushroom gravy over the grits and the shrimp were both chopped and a couple whole hanging on the side of the glass. Nice presentation but a big old flat bowl would have been just fine with me, with more grits and more mushroom cream gravy! LOL

So, that's what I was going to try to replicate for us.

Thanks for the recipe, it does look tasty.....got all my favorites included and no "ICKY" cheeses (just a bit of parmesan, which is fine with me.

I will say, however, that I prefer the grits made with water and milk and without the addition of the chicken stock. It just seemed tastier and more creamy, IMO. It amazed me how much liquid the grits required the first time I made them.....guess I was expecting more of a 2:1 ratio like rice. So now I start with 1/2 c. grits, and that's plenty for the two of us.

We never plan anything special for Mother's Day either. I'm thinking of making a pot roast (boneless chuck is on sale for $3.99/lb., which is about as cheap as I've seen it lately). I should make something using meat I have in the freezer since it is once again stuffed with food, but...

When Brian was at the store recently to pick up a few things, he called to tell me he found beef short ribs for 2.49/lb. and did I want any -- then he said there was only one small package (3 short ribs) out there. I told him it was probably marked down since it was nearing the "sell by" date but to check with the butcher to make sure he didn't have more in the back. Sadly, they were trying to clear out what they had and had no more. I was already tasting the braised beef short ribs I was going to make when he called back to tell me it was a no go. Now I can't seem to get beef off my mind.

By the way, Beth, when Brian spotted that one pack of short ribs, I knew he must be snooping around the meat case looking for more beef spare ribs as he's still talking about those I made with the Korean BBQ Sauce you turned us onto and was hoping to have them again. When I asked him, he grinned and said that's EXACTLY what he was doing.

I might pick up some pork spare ribs at the store tomorrow when I have a nail appointment, as I see our regular grocery has them (the St. Louis cut) for $2.99/lb. That'd give them a day or two to sit in the fridge with some Mad Hunky on them prior to cooking them on Sunday. I could make some macaroni and cheese, too, and the man would be over the moon! I ordered a couple more jars of that Korean BBQ sauce from Amazon so those should be arriving by Saturday at the latest -- just in time in case with need more (half the bottle got used last time by the time the leftovers were gone). I still hear him talking about those beef ribs to his friend Pete so I got an extra jar for him to give Pete, too, if he'll part with it, that is. I tease Brian sometimes as he's a very generous person but not always with food. When he tells me how he'd had someone drooling over say, those beef ribs and I say something like, "Would you like me to pack up a couple for you to give to Pete?," Brian's response is normally, "No, ** I ** want those ribs!" or something like that. He laughs when I tease him about being "food selfish," but the man loves his food and is not often willing to share.

Michelle, the best short ribs I've had with that sauce are the thin sliced ones at Sam's Club or Costco.  They are cut with the bone at the top of the meat and are sliced about 1/3" thick.  I know I'm having difficulty describing them, but if you ever see them shingled in a package you'll know what they are immediately from my poor description......

I marinate them in just a bit of the Korean BBQ sauce and then grill them for a very short time (over charcoal is my preference but gas grill did just fine).  I don't care for them medium rare, as I would normally cook beef, but cooked until done through but still tender ~ you don't want them dried out.

It's a messy meal to eat (gotta pick 'em up to eat off the bits of bone) but with some stir fry vegetables and rice......YUM!


OK, on edit.....I found a pic (I didn't read the recipe but just wanted the pic.....)  You can see how the butcher cut these short ribs with the bone at the top and the meat attached.  Hopefully you'll be able to find something like it in your area. In the 'Cook's notes' it has a much better description of the 'flanken' style cut of the meat.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/kalbi-korean-barbequed-beef-short-ribs-recipe-1953236

I don't drink, but I do like the ideas of freezing rose petals and raspberries in the ice cubes, very festive
Spiked rose lemonade

I'm not a fan of the rose petals....don't care for the taste. But many fruits look lovely frozen in ice. If I'm making a punch for a group I'll make an ice ring (remember the old copper gelatin molds that were hung on Grandma's wall?) and it's a lovely addition. If you want to have the fruit / decoration in the middle of the ice, freeze twice. First time fill 1/2 way and add the decoration as it will float to the top. After it's frozen solid, add the second half and the fruit will stay frozen in the middle of the cube.

(a bit of 'worthless' information that is found in the deep recesses of my mind......)

Thanks for all that poop on hose "Korean cut" short ribs, Beth. I think you thought we had made short ribs with the Korean BBQ sauce but it was beef spare ribs that Brian was over the moon about. But I found that cut of short ribs interesting nonetheless.

I stopped at the grocery yesterday (same grocery but a different store from the one we normally go to) to pick up a boneless chuck roast that was on sale. Lo and behold, they had some beef spare ribs (not short ribs, Beth) that weren't too pricey. Since Brian was still talking about those ribs, I figured what the heck. They had two slabs in a package for $19 so I picked up a package in addition to the pot roast.

I also found nice looking briskets, too -- the small ones were more per pound than the whole ones but man, those whole ones were huge. But faced with a small one that cost MORE than the big ones, I picked up one about 13.5 pounds -- I think it was $2.39/lb. which wasn't too bad. We stuck it in the fridge but in the event it won't fit in the freezer, Brian called his friend Pete and he said he could house it for us in his freezer. Pete adores brisket and we usually send over a container full when we make a big one. Brian told him he'd get a nice piece of this one once we cook it. Not a bad trade for either of us!

Brian is going to peel that piece of silverskin off the back of the two slabs of beef ribs for me today. Like the last ones I cooked, I'm going to cut them into serving size pieces (two or three rib portions) so I can dust each "hunk" easily with Mad Hunky. Since it worked out so well, I'm going to use the FoodSaver to seal about 3 hunks in a bag -- it really helped the rub "get into" the meat last time. Then we're going to let them sit in the fridge for a couple of days before cooking them. Considering how good these ribs came out cooked in the oven, we're going to do that again. I still don't want Brian going up and down the few steps from the kitchen to the yard to grill or smoke anything -- he's just not up to it. The cool part is they came out so good last time that he's not lamenting not cooking them outdoors, but rather wants me to "replicate what [I] did last time" -- and I have no problem with that. When I pulled the beef spare ribs out of the shopping bag, I got exactly the response from Brian I'd hoped for: He acted like it was his birthday or something!!! The man loves his food and it's nice to see him eating a bit more and putting on some weight. It's always fun when you have to gain weight!

Last night we had BLTs -- I had some gorgeous ripe tomatoes and some beautiful leaf lettuce. Brian made the bacon. He made enough bacon for 3 sandwiches (and a couple of pieces for us to snack on while he cooked it!) so we'll have a BLT to split for lunch today. I made the sandwiches on light toasst and boy, they really hit the spot!

bethk wrote: If you want to have the fruit / decoration in the middle of the ice, freeze twice.  First time fill 1/2 way and add the decoration as it will float to the top.  After it's frozen solid, add the second half and the fruit will stay frozen in the middle of the cube.

(a bit of 'worthless' information that is found in the deep recesses of my mind......)

actually, very useful, thank you!

Okay, so ... it seems a menu is coming together for Mother's Day ... we'll have a late luncheon ... daughter is coming over 1ish, and bringing a fruit and cheese board, and a pork roulade with apricot/pistashio stuffing.
I am going to make a puff pastry version of spanakopita, with lots of fresh parsley in it. Some homemade tzatziki on the side, heavy on the cucumbers. Some oven roasted brussel sprouts with olive oil and seasonings.  Some steamed asparagus with butter, roasted pinenuts and pan-roasted corn.
And sparkling lime water beverage with raspberry ice cubes, too.  
And some of TJs frozen chocolate croissants baked up fresh and hot for a special treat.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THE MOMS!

Well, I didn't take any pix, but we had everything as described above for our Mother's Day luncheon.  I used puff pastry to make the crust for the spanakopita, which I had never done before (I usually go the traditional phyllo dough method, or sometimes I just use a regular pie crust)  Man, that was the fastest, easiest piecrust EVER.  I feel like I should use that for every pie crust from now on!  

The food was all good, but what was really wonderful was having my daughter here sharing the day with me.
That's the best, better than anything I could make to eat.  

Grandson was a very capable and handy-to-have-around sous chef, too.

I am very fortunate

I hope those of you who celebrated had a lovely day.

I love, love, LOVE store bought puff pastry! It's so handy for so many things.

The only time I've made spanakopita was for a party at my friend, Lyn's. We use to do a lot of parties together (when we both had way more energy than we do now). We made hand held little spinach pies and did use the phyllo dough. I kept telling myself I was just folding a 'flag' and they all came out perfectly shaped.

You have to remember, I'm the 'no-cheese-please' person so even though I MADE the filling, I couldn't have tasted it if my life depended on it! But before we made ALL of them, I did have the sense to bake one off and let Lyn & Barb taste test to be sure everything was good.....I was really sweatin' that one! But they loved 'em and we got on with the rest.

The best part was the tzatziki ~ I don't know why I don't make it more often.....homemade is so much better than store bought. We did also make homemade pita chips using some super thin pitas we brought from our Lebanese bakery in Ohio and froze until we needed them here in Florida. All you do is cut them in half and then split them, placing them 'rough' side up and stack ~ cut them into triangles and spread out on baking sheets in a single layer. Spray with PAM and sprinkle with a little course salt, bake at 300° until crisp but not too browned (if they get browned they sometimes taste burned). Great treat for kids because you know what's in it! I just eat the pita chips with the tzatziki and skip the feta filled spinach pie.....

bethk wrote:

You have to remember, I'm the 'no-cheese-please' person so even though I MADE the filling, I couldn't have tasted it if my life depended on it!  But before we made ALL of them, I did have the sense to bake one off and let Lyn & Barb taste test to be sure everything was good.....I was really sweatin' that one!  But they loved 'em and we got on with the rest.

The best  part was the tzatziki ~ I don't know why I don't make it more often.....homemade is so much better than store bought.

I made homemade tzatziki, too. It was good!

As far as no cheese, you might like this "no cheese at all" spinach pie ... I have made it many times, and it is SO good!
https://cookingfriends.forumotion.com/t1479-sephardic-spinach-pie-with-pinenuts-and-currants

I saw that when you posted it, and I thought it might be something I could try.

I'm not sure Dane would be a fan (and we all know I'm no fan of leftovers....) so that was my only hesitation......

What a wonderful daughter you are, Imelda! I'm sure Dirk's parents love when you're there to cook foods they don't normally get to eat. A meal of shrimp scampi is a great gift.

Imelda HL wrote:

bethk wrote:What a wonderful daughter you are, Imelda!  I'm sure Dirk's parents love when you're there to cook foods they don't normally get to eat.  A meal of shrimp scampi is a great gift.

Thank you Beth, I know they appreciate my cooking too, and I tell them all the time that I love cooking and have pleasure doing it

I agree with Beth, Imelda! They're so lucky to have you. You've got your father-in-law wrapped around your little finger. Did you ever make him some of that microwave lemon curd? I remember your saying how much he liked lemon. I know he's not supposed to eat much sugar but I'll bet your MIL wouldn't mind you indulging him (and her) a bit!