Cooking Up a Storm

What are you to do when there's snow piling up outside, arctic winds whipping against the windowpanes and you live somewhere with a winter preparedness plan designed as though its located in the tropics?

Why, cook of course!

The last week has been an ever expanding smorgasbord of calorie-laden dishes, each one of which helps me forget that I haven't been properly dressed since last Thursday. No matter, I have good food, good company and a Netflix subscription.

One of my favorite Snowmageddon dishes was shrimp and grits, which I made from several adapted recipes. It was the first time I'd made it myself and I'm happy to report it was miraculously delicious. Praise the Lord for my Southern roots. Washington is sort of a Southern city, and I'm sort of a Southern girl. Sort of.

Whatever I am, one thing is true: shrimp and grits is really the perfect dish for a snowstorm. I used almost exclusively staples from my cupboard, and the resulting creation was warm and rich and filling -- all things you crave when it's below freezing outside.

Here's my version:

Washingtonian Shrimp and Grits

(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

6 cups water

Salt

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned grits

1 cup milk

1 cup half and half

5 tablespoons butter

6 ounces white cheddar

Black pepper, freshly ground

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 large tomato, finely chopped

2 cups of spinach

3 gloves of garlic, finely chopped

20-30 shrimp (or however many you want)

Bring the water to a boil and season with a hearty amount of salt. Add the grits, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook until thickened, then add milk, half and half and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the mixture is creamy and thick. Then, add check and mix thoroughly. Season with black pepper and set side.

During the time the grits are cooking, melt the remaining butter in a frying pan. Add the onions and cook until opaque. Add the tomatoes, garlic, and spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted. Then add the shrimp and cook until bright red. Season with salt and set aside.

Plate the dish by ladling a hearty portion of grits on the plate, and then place the shrimp, onion, tomato and spinach mixture atop it. Serve immediately.

I also served up baked brie with jam for lunch, served alongside slices of sour Granny Smith apples. There isn't much of a recipe for this one -- it's pretty straightforward -- but for the sake of clarity, here it is:

Bake Brie with Elderberry Jam

Ingredients:

Brie Wheel

5 tablespoons of elderberry jam

2 Granny Smith apples

1 French baguette

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Slice the brie wheel horizontally, remove the top layer and and spread the jam across the cut surface of the bottom layer. Replace the top as though a sandwich.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes until completely melted. While brie is baking, slice baguette and place atop a baking sheet. Bake until slightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Serve both with Granny Smith apple slices.

And of course, no snowstorm is complete without cake. The following is my mother's recipe which has been duplicated with more variations than I can remember. You can substitute nearly any fruit, or use any kind of preserve, and it'll come out perfect every time.

My Mother's Famous Peach Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter

1 large can sliced peaches, drained

1egg

1 tsp. baking soda

Cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, in a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and butter and, using your hands, work together until well mixed. Add the flour, egg, and baking soda. Spray pan with PAM cooking spray and spread the dough in a shallow pan. Arrange the peaches atop the dough, and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for one hour until the top is golden brown.

It's looking like this week is going to have it's share of delicious dishes too, considering we're expecting another 10-20 inches tonight. There's no end in sight!

At this point, the snow has stopped being fun; all I really want now is for Metro to start working properly. Stay tuned for more cabin fever/frenzied baking.