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I currently live in Charlotte, NC and after spending 7 years as a personal chef and caterer, I am now happy to share my love of cooking with friends and family. My heart is in the kitchen, but my soul is in the stars!

The Comforts of Home



To miss something is to also miss what is supposed to be the same.

Deep thinking for a Thursday afternoon, no?

It's the appreciation of the little things that make your life your life and said life wouldn't be the same without these things. I appreciate so much about my new {again} life here in Charlotte...the constant but faint rumble of the airplanes as they pass overhead, the view of the Uptown skyline, people trying to get to some fabulous restaurant or hip club in the congested 485 traffic. Things too numerous to mention. Things that make it home. Things I missed desperately for the six years that I was away.

That's not to say that I don't miss things about my life in Arkansas. But you'd think that after being there for that many years I'd be able to list numerous things that I miss. Sadly, no. I can count the things on one hand and they can be lumped into two categories: food and pets.

I miss my sweet Savory girl and Brown Dog. I hope that they're getting treats and lots of loving every day from someone who cares. I miss the pizza from Rocky's Corner. My favorite was "The Champ" and it was the perfect pizza in my opinion. Thin crust, not too much sauce or cheese but loaded with pepperoncinis, green olives, pepperoni, ham, onions. Goodness, I'm salivating just thinking about it! I have yet to replicate that pizza in my kitchen or find a close substitute here in my new surroundings.

And finally, I miss the shrimp salad from Diane's Gourmet in Little Rock. It was nothing complicated, but the perfect blend of shrimp and mayo and very tasty indeed. I used to pick up a pint while I was in LR and munch on it while running errands for my catering business. And what a compliment! One caterer buying food from a competing caterer for the sheer pleasure and not because I was trying to steal secret recipes. Of course we sold shrimp salad but it was very different from this.

I stumbled across this recipe in Sheila Lukins' cookbook Celebrate! and have deemed it very close to the shrimp salad as I remember it from Diane's. My beloved Harris Teeter had 3 lb. bags of shrimp on sale this past week {buy 1 bag, get 2 free!!} so I have an overload in my freezer even after making this for my lunch this week. The recipe calls for leaving the shrimp whole, which I do if I plan to serve it over mesculan greens because it makes an awesome presentation, but this time I roughly chopped them so I could enjoy it on these cute little sunflower shaped crackers.

Try it and enjoy the comforts of home, where ever you are!


* Exported from MasterCook *

Sherried Shrimp Salad

Recipe By :Sheila Lukins
Serving Size : 24
Categories : Salads/Salad Dressings Seafood

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
For the shrimp:
3 cups dry white wine
1 bunch celery -- with leaves, coarsley chopped
8 sprigs fresh parsley
8 whole peppercorns
6 pounds large shrimp -- peeled and deveined
For the salad:
2 cups diced celery
4 1/2 cups mayonnaise
6 tablespoons dry sherry
salt and pepper -- to taste
1/2 cup fresh dill -- (if using dried, use about 1/4 cup)

Fill a large pot half full with water. Add the wine, celery, parsley, and peppercorns and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the shrimp, in batches, and simmer until just done, 1 to 2 minutes per batch.

Using a skimmer, remove each batch from the pot to a colander. Drain, then run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again and pat dry. Set aside in a large bowl, adding each batch as it is cooked and cooled. When all the shrimp are cooked, discard the cooking stock.

Add the diced celery to the shrimp.

Combine the mayo, dill and the sherry in a bowl and fold this into the shrimp mixture. Season with salt and pepper.



Source:
"Celebrate!"

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1 comments:

Terri said...

This salad and cold glass of Reisling. Mmmmmm. What a wonderful dinner on the patio in the spring! I'm looking forward to trying this.