Blog Archives
ProjectSTIR
#PhotoChallenge #October #2015
#ProjectSTIR
Use your social media to share your family’s cooking traditions!
Details about the project, prizes, and so forth can be found by clicking here –> http://www.sarahshotts.com/projectstir/
In addition to posting my photos on my personal fb page, IG account and Pinterest, I’ll update this blog daily to add new photos to THIS post!
Day 1: kitchen tool
(Yes! I have a kitchen utensil or two! Here is one of many drawers that house my kitchen utensils.)
Day 2: recipe card
(Yes! I have LOTS of cards. My favorites: those that family members have filled out for me and my extensive collection of cards that I used to pick up for free in the @WalMart produce section years ago. I have like 100 of them in this square basket. It’s not hard to tell that I’m born and raised in Arkansas!)
Day 3: Mixing Bowl.
FireKing Jadeite. I don’t have a complete collection. My first one was passed to me from my great grandmother via my Gram. I’ve purchased several at antique stores to accompany it. I use them all the time. They’re the best for cheese dip. They’re fabulous to serve salad. They’re my “go to” mixing bowls.
Day 4: Memory
I remember my great grandparents (my dad’s mother’s parents.) I have vivid memories of sitting at their kitchen table drinking a malt, picking up pecans in their backyard, and so many more. They were amazing. These are photos of them as I remember them, one of her recipe books that my grandmother has trusted me to care for and pass to future generations, and a glass juicer from their kitchen. You can read quite a bit about the amazing life of my great-grandfather, Bill Seiz, at: http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?search=1&entryID=2719
Day5: Globe
💞🌍🌏🌎🇦🇺🇧🇪🇺🇸🇹🇷🌎🌏🌍💞
I have 100 or so #cookbooks. Here are a handful of favorites representing various cuisine. Chinese, Spanish, Italian, American (specifically, Southern,) English. 😊
Day 6: Ingredients
🌿🍐
I like using seasonal ingredients and prefer to include at least one ingredient a day from my garden.
Today, I made scones using Rosemary, Pear, Asiago cheese, and Eggnog! They turned out great! The Rosemary is from my 15 foot long, evergreen Rosemary Hedge! Love it!
Get my recipe for these scones, here: https://whatamberloves.com/2015/10/07/scones/
Read more about my love and uses for Rosemary on another post:
https://whatamberloves.com/2014/06/23/rosemary-water/
Witchin’ Kitchen
In this pot, we stir to the sun,
Following the way of harming none.
Household duties are more than chores,
Magick abounds when mopping floors!
Lemons for joy and apples for health,
The power within brings great wealth.
(Freshening my house this morning with my windows open and a pot on the stove: apples, lemon, cinnamon sticks, oregano blossoms from my garden, rosemary from my garden, peppermint from my garden, and clear Quartz!) 🌿💎🌿🍎🍋🙌🏻
Cauliflower Crust Greek Pizza
Omg!! Sooo YUM!!
(Plus, it’s only 245 calories for HALF A PIZZA, versus 380 calories PER SLICE of a Dominoes Meatzza.) Basically, the cauliflower gets cooked up to three times for a GREAT crust!
Gather your crust ingredients
First, use a food processor to turn the cauliflower into bits that are about half the size of a piece of rice, spread it on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 350*F for 20 minutes.
Let it cool a bit, then use a couple layers of cheese cloth (or a thin, clean dishtowel) to squeeze excess water out of the cauliflower. It’ll shrink A LOT.
Then, stir together a your cauliflower, an egg, 1/3 cup loose mozzarella cheese, and bit of dry Italian seasoning.
Press and shape into “crust.” Bake at 425*F for 20-25 minutes.
Add your Greek toppings. (I used a bit of spring lettuces, red onion, orange bell pepper, kalamata olives, and ArkansasGrown cherry tomatoes, feta, and a bit more mozzarella.)
Bake your pizza at 400*F until toppings are thoroughly warmed. (5-10 minutes)
Enjoy, Guilt Free + tons of vitamins!!
I used the recipe feature of MyFitnessPal app to calculate the nutrition info for you:
It is definitely my favorite new recipe! I’ve already made it twice this week! So YUM and waist friendly! Win, Win!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
CHORIZO RISOTTO!
Chorizo Risotto is an easy one pot preparation! 1) Start by sautéing one diced sweet onion and one diced bell pepper in 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large, deep pot over med/high heat.
2) Add a half lb. of Pork Chorizo and a half lb. of Beef Chorizo into the pot. Cook thoroughly, stirring constantly for a few minutes.
4) Add 1.5 cups of Arborio rice and stir.
5) Add one cup of Chicken Stock and stir, lower the temp to low/med. and add tight fitting lid. Stir every 5 minutes.
6) When the liquid has been fully absorbed, add another cup of stock, put the lid back on, stir every five minutes until liquid is absorbed.
7) Repeat process, adding a third cup of stock, lid, and stir every five minutes until liquid is absorbed
8) Repeat process, adding a fourth cup of stock, lid, and stir every five minutes until liquid is absorbed! By now, your rice should be thoroughly cooked to perfection! Enjoy!!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
Pizza Dip!
OhMyGoodness, PIZZA DIP, y’all!
Easily make this in just one glass pie dish:
*First soften a block of cream cheese, then mash a Tbsp of Dried Oregano, Parsley, Garlic Powder, and 1/2 Tbsp Dried Basil into the cream cheese.
*Stir in 4-6 cups of finely shredded Italian cheese blend (mozzarella, Asiago, Parmesan, etc)
*Fold in one pint of grape tomatoes that have each been cut in half and 12oz of pepperoni (each slice cut into 1/4s)
*Bake at 350*F for half hour and serve with crunchy, garlic Crostini!
Enjoy!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
Coconut Shrimp and Spicy Orange Marmalade Dip!
Happy New Year!!
First, let’s make the dip, so it can refrigerate while you prepare and cook shrimp in a few minutes! The dip is easy! I use sweet orange marmalade, spicy brown mustard, and hot horseradish! (1 cup, 4 teaspoons, 2 teaspoons)
See? Easy! Just stir well and pop that bowl in the ‘fridge. 😉
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Now, let’s put these shrimp together!
1) Get out three cereal size bowls. In first bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, 2/3 cup of beer and 1.5 teaspoons baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour in a second bowl, and coconut in a third bowl.
2) Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg/beer batter; allow excess to drip off. Roll shrimp in coconut, and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in a deep-fryer.
3) Fry shrimp in batches: cook, turning once, for 2 to 4 minutes (depending on size of your shrimp), or until golden brown. Using tongs, remove shrimp to paper towels to drain. Serve warm with your spicy orange dipping sauce!
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The temp of the oil is important. If it’s not hot enough, your batter will be greasy and they’ll take longer to cook. If your oil is too hot, your batter, especially coconut will burn before the shrimp cooks through to the middle.
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Photos: (click on photo to enlarge)
See? Here is a photo showing on the left what happens if oil is 400*F for 3 minutes, on the right is 350*F for 4 minutes.
Don’t do what I did with my first batch! Deal? Deal!
Do this:
Your Friend,
~ Amber Hamilton Henson
(Quote: Your True Nature Is Luminous!)
Love that!! 🙂
Cheesy Olive Puff hors devours
If you’re looking for simple but flavorful easy finger food to offer your guests at your next gathering, look no further! These Cheesy Mayo and Olive bites are sure to please!
They take only a few minutes to make; you can serve them warm or cooled to room temperature.
Makes 16!
Ingredients:
1 package of crescent roll dough (8)
small can of sliced black olives
3-4 Tablespoons of mayonnaise
4oz or so of mixed, shredded cheese
Green olive with pimento, for the top!
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*F
Spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray
Open your can of dough and cut into 16 pieces.
Place a piece of dough into each muffin cup.
Mix together sliced black olives and mayo.
Put a bit of the mix into each of the 16 muffin cups.
Sprinkle each with cheese.
Top each with an olive.
Bake at 375*F for 11-12 minutes.
Promptly remove from muffin pan by using a small spoon!
Enjoy!
Photos: (click on photos to enlarge)
🙂
~Amber Hamilton Henson
Kids’ Choice: Cheesy Chicken Doritos Casserole!
Sometimes, it’s time to indulge and let the kids pick what’s for dinner! Balance this dish by serving with a salad! 😉 #doritos #casserole
The recipe is really simple, the instructions are all on the photo: (click on photo to enlarge)
1) Sauté boneless skinless chicken thighs with salt & pepper in a little butter, until done. Then, cut into small pieces.
2) In a small bowl mix a can of Campbell’s nacho cheese sauce, can of mild Rotel, and two cans of Mexicorn.
3) In a large casserole dish, make layers: Doritos, chicken, mix of cans, cheese, and repeat layers!
4) Bake at 350*F for about 30-40 minutes, ’til it is bubbly!
5) Enjoy! 😉 Happy, Happy kids I have tonight!
~Amber Hamilton Henson
Salt Block Shrimp = BEST shrimp EVER!
Salt Block Shrimp = BEST shrimp EVER!
First, you need a Himalayan Salt Block, a gas cooktop or gas grill, and an infrared thermometer.
Second, slowly raise the temperature of your salt block. We were working indoors on our gas cooktop, and we spent about 35 minutes raising the temperature to 500*F.
Raw, deveined and peeled shrimp
Marinated in:
3 Tbsp of lime juice
2 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tbsp of dry Sriracha
We cooked them about 3 minutes, then flipped them, and cooked 2 more minutes!
They are AMAZING!! Seriously. AMAZING.
They are seasoned perfectly!
Try it!! You’ll wonder why you waited so long to buy a Salt Block of your own!
Photos: (click on photo to enlarge it)
I’ve had a few questions via Facebook, so to answer, especially for my Little Rock, AR, friends:
*I bought my block via Amazon, but they’re also available locally at Dandelion Tea on Clinton Ave and at Eggshells Kitchen Co in the Heights!
*I bought the infrared thermometer for around $10 at Home Depot, near welding supplies. Knowing the temp is pretty essential. If your block isn’t hot enough, your food may become too salty, I read.
*If you’re on Pinterest, find me (@amberhh) I have a whole board dedicated to just the Himalayan Salt Block!
Your Friend,
~Amber Hamilton Henson
Easy Brunch Casserole Recipe!
SAUSAGE & WILD RICE BRUNCH:
1 box Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice (cooked according to package directions)
1 lb hot pork breakfast sausage (cooked and drained)
1 can Golden Mushroom soup, not cream of mushroom soup!!
2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese
*combine and bake at 350*F for 20-30 minutes!
*enjoy!
what AMBER loves 