Deep South Scotch Eggs

Thanks so much for stopping by for Gollum's Foodie Friday!

I hope you'll come back and look forward to reading your recipes this week!

Some of you will remember that my parents took us to Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Hotel for Christmastime this year. While there, my husband, brother in law and I ventured over to Findley's Irish Pub - and TJ discovered Scotch eggs! The three of us were hungry for a late dinner and ordered "snicky snacks" from the menu: Matt got potato soup, TJ got a bucket of assorted "bangers" (sausages), and I ordered Scotch eggs. Mine was the best, HANDS DOWN, and after eating the one teensy-weensy little bit I shared with him, TJ couldn't keep away from my little fried treats!

I realize that none of that has anything to do with Foodie Friday's recipe, but I thought I'd give you some context. Please forgive me, I do have a tendency to "go on" sometimes!

At any rate, I saw that Rainey from The Project Table posted a recipe for Scotch eggs at last week's Foodie Friday and KNEW I had to try it. After reading through her excellent instructions, the eggs didn't look too hard to make so I thought I'd give it a go, adding a Southern twist. You see, TJ's cut his carb count to almost nil so the breadcrumbs on the outside of these little jewels would have to go - OR WOULD THEY!?

(oh no she didn't!)

(oh YES I DID!)

I substituted crushed "hot" pork cracklings for the breadcrumbs and they turned out wonderfully!

TJ was impressed, I was proud of myself, and even the Bodacious Bean ate a few bites. I made a sauce to go with them: 1.5 T. mayonnaise, 1T. lite sour cream, 1 tsp. yellow mustard (cause that's what we had!), 1 tsp. dried dill and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper.

The fast version of Rainey's Recipe is below. Honestly though, click over to her blog and check it out for yourself. Her step-by-step pictures are so much easier to understand!

1. Boil 6 eggs until they are hard-cooked (about 8-10 min. after the water has come to a boil), and peel them. *Did you know that putting your eggs in when the water is still cold will prevent that unattractive green ring around the outside of the yolk? My husband didn't, and thought that was a neat trick!
2. Wrap each peeled hard-boiled egg with enough bulk pork sausage to completely cover it. I used a small palmful, and found that 1 lb. sausage will cover approximately 6 eggs.
3. Coat the sausage-covered eggs in crushed pork cracklings or breadcrumbs, and place on a greased baking sheet.
4. Bake at 425 for 25 min. or until done. (Time will depend on how thick your sausage layer is) Voila!

Crazy Sherry's Mac and Cheese

Thanks for stopping by for Gollum's Foodie Friday! I'm honored that you clicked over, and hope you'll check out the rest of the blog for interesting family-friendly recipes we love! Some were successes, some are waiting to be improved upon, but I try to always leave my own personal story or comments so you have some context when reading through the recipes.

This week, I'd like to share Crazy Sherry's Mac and Cheese. See, I have this friend (Sherry) who is a NUT! She is fun-loving, spontaneous, and wheels her SUV all over our fair city with all the verve and passion of a NASCAR driver. She has two kids, a fiery redheaded and a new little dude whose flowing curly hair is approaching Fabio proportions! Sherry is an avid consignment seller/shopper and always knows what's going on with upcoming sales, bargains, and childrens events. It's amazing that she even has time to cook, but graciously shared her mac and cheese recipe which, I have to admit, is outstanding. It's easy (yay!) and much creamier than my great-aunt's more "homestyle" traditional mac and cheese. I like to stir in a handful of frozen peas (for color) and usually don't add the cracker topping because I have a "thing" about toppings on mac and cheese. On occasion, I have contemplated adding a small pouch of tuna but am afraid I'll mess it up; and seriously, this stuff is so good you'll be afraid to mess around with it too! Now, without further adieu, here's Crazy Sherry's Mac and Cheese:

8 oz. macaroni noodles

1 c. mayonnaise (any kind)

3 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 finely chopped onion (can sub. dried minced onion)

1 can cream of mushroom (we use cream of chicken) soup

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

1 T. melted butter

Boil noodles until almost al dente and drain. While noodles are going, lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray or grease with butter/margarine. Mix noodles, mayo, cheese, onion and soup and turn into the baking dish. Mix crushed crackers with butter and sprinkle evenly over noodles. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Thanks Sherry!

Avocado Ranch

Thought I'd try my hand at replicating Chili's dipping sauce for southwest eggrolls, and ended up discovering a recipe that's much better!

1 Hass avocado, peeled and seeded

1/2 c. sour cream

2T. ranch salad dressing

1 T. lemon juice

Squish up the avocado with the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

I served this over chicken quesadillas and will be serving it tonight with blackened tilapia. TJ loves this stuff!

Onion Gravy

Last night we had seasoned, pan fried cubed steaks that were braised in an onion gravy that was just too yummy not to share! It was one of those "let's see what's in the fridge" impromptu recipes that ended up turning out pretty well!

1 large onion, finely chopped (use a food processor if you can)

4 T. margarine

1 T. dried dill (to taste)

3 T. sour cream

1/3 c. red wine

1 T. sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Melt margarine in a skillet over medium, add onions, and cook until golden. Drain off some of the liquid rendered by the onions, then add the rest of the ingredients and simmer. I put the cooked cubed steaks in with the gravy to coat them and allow the meat to absorb some of the flavors of the gravy, but it could just as easily be spooned over the top.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

This recipe is so quick and so good! TJ usually dislikes soup because it was all he could eat when he had his jaw wired shut for 6 months in high school (dang that mosh pit!) but last night he went back for seconds - unheard of! You can use cream of potato soup if you want, but I like the chunky texture of the real deal. It's very rich, so you'll need to go light on the side dishes. Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days but I seriously doubt it will last that long!

1 medium onion, diced

2 T. butter or margarine

2 cans potato soup

2 cups milk

1 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 T. sugar

1 c. frozen corn

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 c. shredded cheese

In the bottom of a Dutch oven, melt margarine and add onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onion begins to turn golden. Add soup, milk, pepper, sugar and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink, stirring every so often to keep the bottom from sticking. Stir in cheese and cook until cheese is melted.

Great with a green salad, fruit, and crusty bread!

Hot N Nasty Night

So, tonight I made Hot-N-Nasties, a sandwich concoction born in Slidell during my pregnancy. For some reason, it just sounded SO GOOD for dinner tonight! (and NO I'm not pregnant) They are fantastic and simply must be served with crinkle cut fries and sweet tea (or a hurricane, depending on where you live!) So without further ado, here ya go - they're hot, they look nasty, but MAN they're good!

1 french baguette

1/2 lb. deli sliced roast beef

5 slices swiss cheese (we used Sargento)

1/2 cup cajun brown gravy (use Tony Cachere's brand and follow the directions)

mayonnaise

Preheat your oven to 400. Slice the baguette in half longways, and spread it open. Spread a substantial layer of mayonnaise on each side, top with roast beef, then cheese. Bake for 7 -9 minutes, until cheese is melted and bread is crispy. Remove from oven and spread gravy down the middle and all over the sides so that it soaks into the bread as much as possible. Fold sandwich back together and cut into 4 servings.

Shrimp in Cream Sauce

1 pkg. frozen shrimp, peeled and deveined

a few tablespoons flour (self rising or all purpose, doesn't matter)

2 T. butter

1 T. oil

1/2 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. dry vermouth or zinfandel

salt and pepper

Melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium. While butter is melting, shake shrimp in a freezer bag with the flour. Immediately place shrimp in a single layer in the melted butter (before flour becomes gummy). Cook for 2 minutes or until browned on one side, then flip and brown on the other side. Cook shrimp in 2 batches if necessary. Remove cooked shrimp to a shallow casserole dish, bowl, or whatever.

After shrimp has cooked, deglaze the pan with the vermouth and cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 4 min. or until mixture has reduced by half. Pour warm cream sauce over cooked shrimp and serve with crusty bread for sopping up extra sauce.

*Cook's Note: I'd thought about adding about 1/2 T. flour to the cream sauce to thicken it up a little but haven't given it a try yet. You may want to test it out and see how it works - leave me a post if it turns out good!