Wednesday, September 14, 2011

ICEBERG STACK WITH CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING and BAKED GARLIC CHEESE GRITS and ALBERTS BRISKET and BLACKBERRY ALMOND SHORTBREAD SQUARES

A group of wonderful women gathered at a friends house to paint. My painting skills being minimal,  I offered to bring dinner and wine.
A friend had given me this recipe for baked grits, I had been waiting for the right opportunity to try.
She said to make it for a crowd, because it is so good, you will want to eat the whole dish yourself!!
The brisket recipe is from a friend we travel to the lake with each year - we love it when he makes this  fork-tender, fall apart dinner!!

ICEBERG STACK WITH CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING



1 small head iceberg lettuce
3 radishes, grated
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 container alfalfa sprouts
4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

Cut lettuce into 4 (1 inch thick) slices, reserving ends for another use.
Place 1 slice on each of 4 salad plates. Sprinkle radishes evenly over lettuce. Layer cucumber, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts and bacon evenly over radishes.
Drizzle with creamy blue cheese dressing.

CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

1 8-ounce container whipped garlic and herb cheese
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup sliced green onion tops
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind (rather than measure exactly, I just used the rind from one lemon)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 4-ounce container of blue cheese

Process first 6 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Cover and chill dressing until ready to serve.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Southern Living
www.southernliving.com/

BAKED GARLIC CHEESE GRITS



6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups regular grits
16 ounces cheddar, cubed (I used velveeta)
8 ounces sharp cheddar, cubed
1/2 cup milk or cream
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease a 4-quart casserole dish.
Bring the broth, salt, pepper and garlic powder to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the grits and whisk until completely combined. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the grits are thick, about 8-10 minutes (I used quick grits, so cooked them about 5 minutes).
Add the cubed cheddar cheeses, and milk and stir. Gradually stir in the eggs and butter, stirring until all are combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with the white cheddar and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until set.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen
www.pauladeen.com/

ALBERTS BRISKET



Albert says this is great for sandwiches or on a bun with a some of the drippings. For a meal you can chop and add carrots, potatoes, celery, bell pepper, green beans, or whatever other vegetables are in the refrigerator.

4 pound brisket
6 cloves of garlic, cut in half
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350F.
Place brisket in a large Reynolds oven bag. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and flour. Cut slits in the top of the meat, and insert garlic cloves into the slits.
Pour water around meat. Roast for 4 hours.
Enjoy!

BLACKBERRY ALMOND SHORTBREAD SQUARES



10 tablespoons butter, softened
1 3/4 cups flour
2/3 cups whole almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
4 cups blackberries

Heat oven to 350F.
Arrange nuts on a baking sheet, and bake until golden, 15 minutes. Cool, then grind in a food processor.
Butter a 9-by-13 baking pan.
Whisk the flour, ground nuts, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl, set aside.
Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 3/4 cup of the confectioners sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in almond extract.
Add flour mixture in 2 batches, mix until a crumbly dough forms.
Reserve 3/4 cup of the dough mixture, press the rest into the bottom of the pan.
Scatter berries over dough. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the remaining sugar and crumble reserved dough on top.
Bake until golden, about 30 minutes.
Let cool, cut into squares and dust with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.
Store in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, August 2010

1 comment:

  1. You know that blue cheese and I do not get along...however, that lettuce stack looks scrumptious!!!

    ReplyDelete