Memorial Day - Let's Not Forget

I just wrote a very long blog about Memorial Day and deleted it all. It was breaking my promise to stay away from politics on my blog. Memorial Day isn't about politics anyway.

The greatest honor we can bestow on the those who gave their lives for us today is in remembering of what they did to keep us free. Lets not forget, today or any day. If we stumble, and fail to stand up for our freedoms they died in vain. All those mothers, fathers, wives, husbands and children gave up their sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, husbands and wives for nothing at all.
That can't happen.

I will not forget. I know you won't either.

Thank you not only to the fallen but those currently serving and those who stand tall and proud as veterans.

S~~~

Easiest Most Decadent Dessert of the Year

We ran to Asheville today so no cooking here. We had brunch at Early Girl (http://www.earlygirleatery.com/) so we might not be hungry for a week.

So, I thought this might be a great time to share this incredibly simple, quick and delicious dessert. I hope you enjoy it half as much as we did.

These rolls are so decadent I feel guilty posting, but they are way too good not to share. Maybe you can save them for a day when you are only serving water for supper. Just kidding, but I promise they are worth the calories. If you want to feel better about the splurge just half the recipe, then it will only be half the calories...............

Bavarian Cream Rolls

2 (8 ounce) cans crescent rolls
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp. nutmeg

Leaving dough in roll, cut evenly into 8 rolls from each can, for a total of 16 rolls.
Arrange rolls in oblong pyrex dish (I use an 8x12).
Whisk milk, sugar, and butter, vanilla and nutmeg together well in a 4 cup measuring cup. Pour over rolls.

Bake at 350 until rolls are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Serve warm.

These have infinite possibilities. You could leave out the nutmeg and add cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Use apple pie spice and a cup of chopped apples. Cut back on the sugar a tad and add 3 Tbsp. of maple syrup. Peaches could be added for peaches and cream rolls. If I liked blueberries or strawberries (which I don't) I might add a cup. Some chocolate chips over top for chocolate cream rolls. You get the idea......................, share some of yours too.

So, Until Tomorrow..........
S~~~

Picnic Season

Picnic season is my favorite. I love to eat outside, it is amazing how everything tastes better.
This is a recipe that I found torn from a magazine in my Mother's collection. They are the perfect take along dessert for a pic-a-nic (ala Yogi) basket. Rich and moist enough that you don't miss the frosting. Just what a brownie is supposed to be.
Enjoy.

1960s Saucepan Brownies

1/3 cup butter
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans


Place butter and chocolate in a saucepan and melt together over a low heat, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and stir in, in this order: sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, salt and pecans.
Pour batter into a greased 8 inch x 8 inch x 2 inch baking pan and bake in a moderately hot oven, 375 *, 25 to 30 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Later............
S~~

Getting Lucky with Lucky Duck

In the spring and summer I love a cold (yes I said cold, not chilled) glass of Sauvignon Blanc on the deck, or anywhere else for that matter. I know you have heard me wax long about my all time favorite Nobilo. Quickly, let me say it is still my favorite. No one can top a New Zealand SB, in my very humble opinion, and the Nobilo is as near perfect as you will ever find in a $12 bottle.



That being said Lacy came home with a very cute $3.97 bottle of Lucky Duck Sauvignon Blanc (Chile) from Wal Mart, yes, Wal Mart in Marion at that. I didn't have great expectations, I figured it would be drinkable perhaps but I really didn't count on liking it, really liking it. It has that minerality that I love in a Sauvignon Blanc and of course the grapefruit.



The Cabernet Sauvignon (Argentina) is very good as well, if you are looking for a red. Smooth, not what you would call complex but still very good, at least $3.97 good.

They also have a Sharaz, a Malbec and a Chardonnay. I did taste the Chardonnay and liked it . Not oaky at all, which is why I stay away from Chardonnays. Today the only Chardonnays I prefer are from stainless steel barrels, but again for the price I will give this another shot. I am not a Malbec or Sharaz fan but let us know if you have tried them.

I can't seem to find much about the company, but they are the right wine for these slow economic times. I know there are people who will never buy Lucky Duck because of the price, but I just consider myself a "Lucky Duck" for buying it and enjoying it.

I am sure I have mentioned my penchant for buying pretty or unusual bottles only to find out they are really bad. Reislings are not my favorite wine, but they are usually my favorite bottles, go figure....... Anyway, this is one cute bottle I can justify and savor.

So, until tomorrow...........
S~~~

We Are A Cole Slaw Family

We are a cole slaw family for the most part. Ragan and I love it, Ronnie likes it and Lacy loves certain kinds, such as cole slaw with bleu cheese or cilantro added. There are a few foods that I cannot eat without having cole slaw on the side. Fried fish, soup beans, meatloaf and beef roast to name a few. Daddy makes the worlds best cole slaw, hands down. He shreds his cabbage with a box grater, adds carrots, mayo (he uses Dukes, this is where we part company, I am a Kraft girl), vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt and pepper. He never measures and it is the same Cole Slaw everytime. Crisp, creamy and just right.
One night while Lacy was home I had bought cole slaw at Golden Fried and her comment was "why didn't you get John (that is what she calls her granddaddy) to make us some slaw?"

That said.......... I was cruising the internet last night and being the Bobby Flay fan that I am I was excited to see this recipe. With Memorial Day picnics coming up I thought you just might want to try it. I know I will.


Bobby Flay’s Smoked Chile Cole Slaw

1/2 cup Hellmann's® (you know I will use Kraft Light)
2 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper (or to taste)
1 medium head green cabbage, finely shredded
2 large carrots, finely shredded
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine Hellmanns® Real Mayonnaise, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, lime juice, honey and cumin in large bowl. Season, if desired, with salt and black pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes before serving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Since I needed to be out of the kitchen quickly last night (American Idol, go Crystal) we did pizzas on the grill. Yummmmmmmmmm
I bought the small pizza crust so we could have a bit more variety. The one that I thought was best was of course the most simple.

Goat Cheese and Basil Pizzas

Per 6 inch Pizza Crust

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. dry oregano
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more)
pinch of Kosher salt
pinch of pepper

Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.
Brush on pizza crust.
Top with:

2 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese (the green can stuff)
2 Tbsp. mozzarella cheese
goat cheese crumbles - I didn't measure but I would guess 4 Tbsp.
very thinly sliced sweet onions - to your taste
a few sliced mushrooms
10 basil leaves

Ours grilled for 10 minutes and they were perfect. We have a Holland grill that only cooks with indirect heat so yours may cook quicker. Oops, I almost forgot, Ronnie put a few very thin slices of tomato on his. With tomatoes coming in a few weeks from now this will be great.

Tonight is Wednesday so no supper here tonight.

So, until tomorrow..........
S~~~

One Great Burger

You are either going to love this idea or hate it, we love it.

A few weeks ago a new pub opened in Asheville, called Pack Tavern, in the old Hayes and Hobson building. If you remember Bill Stanley's BBQ it is the same building, but you would never know it. We had lunch one day just after they opened and it was good, but Lacy and Bashar went later and ordered the house specialty and it was fantastic. The Mt. Mitchell Burger.

The one at Pack Tavern had a 1/4 pound burger, 2 strips bacon, a fried green tomato, lettuce, cheese, the usual condiments and the star of the show a egg. Not just an egg, but a sunny side up egg.

We modified ours just a bit, as you know, I could never eat a tomato, probably not even fried.
It didn't matter, they were so good.
We started with the best burger recipe in the world, Morning Glory Burgers, (posted 2/10/09)and used the toasted onions rolls. Be sure to keep the egg on the very soft side because you want the yolk to meld into the sandwich. WOW.

Give it a try, you won't be sorry!!!!

Oh, and by the way, I am still waiting for your potato salad recipes.

So, until tomorrow....................
S~~~

Food Memories - Potato Salad

I won't be cooking supper tonight. The guys practice on Wednesday and I don't get home in time to cook, so it is just catch as catch can for us. So instead, I want to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart, potato salad.

My Mother made the BEST potato salad. I can't share her recipe, I wish I could, but there was no recipe. It never occurred to me that Mother made the world's best potato salad until she was no longer here to make it for me. It was beautiful in its simplicity, nothing fancy.

I never really tried to make potato salad often before 2002, so I just assumed mine would taste like Mother's....... yea right. Eight years later I am getting a bit closer, as I eliminate ingredients that just don't need to be there, like red bell peppers, bacon bits, ranch dressing and hot sauce. How can this be............., all these ingredients that I love ruin "my" potato salad. I guess I was oblivious to what actually went in this great southern tradition, or else I "went along paying no attention", as my Daddy has said to me hundreds of times.

Another debate among people I talk to seems to be weather to add eggs or not. I used to think all potato salad had eggs. Especially since it has just been in the last few years that I would ever order potato salad in a restaurant. It was always one of those dishes that just never tasted like it should outside of my parents house. I am slowly beginning to understand why.

I was a skinny kid (if you can believe that), who really didn't like to eat when I was little. So Mother and Daddy catered to my every whim where food was concerned. If I didn't like what was on the table someone would get up and fix me something I did like, whatever I thought I might eat. I have a memory of Mother straining the beans out of the cooking broth so I could just have the soupy part. Kinda pathetic, I know, but that is how I got my way with potato salad growing up. I refused to eat it cold, I would only have it warm. While I will on occasion have it cold now, I still love it warm.

I said all that to say ( I know I have that habit of going around my elbow to get to my back side, drives Ronnie absolutely crazy) that the recipe from Kraft seems to be closest to my recollection of perfect potato salad. Not quite the same but close. I am sharing that recipe today but I have a really big favor to ask of you. Please, please, please share your potato salad recipe with us. I would love to try your favorites during this upcoming picnic season. Even if you don't want to sign in and post in comments you can email your recipe to me by clicking the little envelope at the end of this post. With your permission I will post it here for everyone to try.

Kraft Potato Salad

1/2 cup Kraft Real Mayo Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard (don't go getting fancy here, the yellow hot dog stuff is perfect)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 cups cubed potatoes, cooked, cooled
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced (I leave this out)
1/3 cup pickle relish
(Not in the recipe but I add a 1/2 tsp. of sugar)

Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly.
Oh, and under no circumstances leave off the sprinkling of paprika over top. It wouldn't be potato salad without the paprika. Kraft got that part wrong when they left it off.

So, Until Tomorrow...............
S~~~

A Quick Dinner for TV Night

Tonight brings the top three finalists competing on American Idol (yeaaaaa, Crystal)and the second from last episode of "Lost", so supper must be over in a flash and and the kitchen clean before 8:00 pm. Then finally, we can snuggle up on the couch and watch our two favorite shows.

We have watched American Idol since the 2nd second season and while some say that the ratings are going down and they have lost interest I still love the show. The talent has improved exponentially every year and while Crystal is my clear favorite I will not be disappointed regardless of who wins this time around.
We came into "Lost" late and just started watching on DVD last spring. We methodically watched over 100 hours in seasons 1-4 then waited until season 5 came out and quickly devoured it as well. I can honestly say I have never been hooked on episodic TV like this before. I think we will truly be "Lost" when the final (2.5 hour) episode airs on Sunday evening.

So, any other Idol or Lost fans out there?

I found some beautiful ribeyes on sale this weekend, so, my quick and easy supper goes like this:

Ribeyes Diane*
Stir Fry Squash
Teriyaki Noodles (Lipton, in a packet, love 'em)
Mixed Green Salad (with greens from our garden)

Ribeyes Diane

2 rib eye steaks - cut about 1/2 inch thick
1/2 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
4 Tbsp. butter (divided)
4 tsp. onions, diced fine
1 tsp. Dijon mustard ( I like country style, but any mustard will do)
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp.Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter in skillet, stir in onions and Dijon mustard.
Add steaks.
Cook for 3 - 5 minutes on each side, depending on desired doneness. Remove from skillet to serving platter and cover with foil.
To skillet, add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining 2 T butter.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Add parsley and rosemary.
Pour sauce over steaks.

You can grill your steaks and make the sauce in the skillet, but you lose the pan juices and it is just almost as good, but still really good!!

So, Until Tomorrow......................
S~~~

Welcome Back

My self imposed hiatus is over....................., Sunset Suppers is back.
Actually, back to the original format. I had gotten off track for a while as I pondered how to a be more interesting blog. The "interesting" fact that I learned from friends who read my blog was that they enjoyed the "whats for supper tonight" format.

So, I thought we would be off to a rollicking start with a gourmet meal par excellence......

Hot Dogs w/ Chili, Cole Slaw and Onions (Gotta Be Hebrew National)
My Version of the Famous Hot Crash Potatoes*
Could Not Be Easier Butterscotch Cake*


Hot Crash Potatoes

10 little red potatoes
3-4 cups (enough to cover potatoes) Vegetable or Chicken Stock
(water is ok, if you don't have stock, maybe throw in a bouillon cube or two and omit salt from water)
Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or more)
more Kosher Salt (potatoes love salt)
Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary
Paprika

Preheat oven to 425*

Don't peel the potatoes, cook in salted water until almost done.
Drain, and arrange on a foil lined baking sheet, use a potato masher to squash each potato.
Sprinkle the tops with olive oil and scatter with sea salt, pepper and herbs.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes until crisp and golden. Sprinkle with paprika.



Could Not Be Easier Butterscotch Cake

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 (15 3/4 ounce) can butterscotch pudding (or 4 small containers)
1/2 cup brown sugar
11 ounces butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together cake mix, eggs and pudding.

Pour batter into 9x13 prepared pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and butterscotch chips.
Bake 30-40 minutes.

So, Until Tomorrow........................ (really, I mean it)
S~~~