Really easy Unmashed potatoes - organic, unprocessed and cooked in the microwave!

This is unpretentious weeknight cooking to be sure, but also very tasty!

1) wash potatoes  (mine were organic from the CSA)
2) cut them up in bite size pieces (don't peel)
3) place in microwave safe large bowl, cover with water
4) cook until tender (took about 16 minutes in my microwave with about 8 cups of chopped potatoes)
5) pour off water (doesn't need to be too thoroughly)
6) mix in some butter, thyme, paprika, salt  (if you forgot to take butter out of the freezer until now, microwave for one more minute)
7) stir and serve in the same bowl!

So easy, so good ... and don't worry about adding some butter - its still MUCH better for you than most processed foods!

20 Minute Shrimp and Grits

This is NOT the same as the slow-cooked-all day miracle that is shrimp and grits. But it was pretty tasty.

The 20 minute time was accomplished by:

1. using already slow-cooked grits in a package from my beloved Trader Joes:

2. using frozen already cut peppers and onions from BJ's:

3. Microwaving things.

4. Using thawed already cooked shrimp (bought on sale, of course!):

5. Using marmalade from a jar. (ok, if you factor in the time MAKING marmalade, this would be 500 minute shrimp and grits. But that was back in March. It doesn't count).


Microwave the frozen onions and peppers until they are cooked. Meanwhile pull the tails off the shrimp and set aside. Open the tube of cooked grits, and pour into a bowl. The grits go into the microwave after the onions and peppers.

In a pot, pour about a cup of white wine, 1/2 pint of marmalade, cajun seasoning (a tablespoon?), a tablespoon or two of molasses, and bring to a boil, then immediately turn down. Add pepper/onion mixture and keep stirring occasionally.

Shred some cheddar cheese, and mix into the grits.

Add the shrimp at the last second - just long enough to warm the shrimp all the way through.

Scoop grits in a bowl, and spoon shrimp mixture over top:

Help! Cooking on Gas

Ok - I need help from anyone who has been cooking on gas for more than ninety minutes. I just made a simple soup (fresh sweet corn with canned crab in a seafood/paprika broth). I burned the roux WHILE watching it. How do I get the knack for this??

My oven also cooked my salami/croissant rolls in about half the time they should have. Any thoughts? (to make this easy soup accesory: open one can of croissants, roll each one with three thin slices of hard salami or pepperoni and bake as directed)

Here's approximately how you make the soup:

Melt 1/2 stick butter in sauce pan, whisk in 1/4 cup flour. Brown until just nutty smelling and a light toast color. (or darker brown if you want to do it EXACTELY as I did today) Stir in about 2 teaspoons paprika, and a teaspoon of seafood (or chicken) soup base. Add 2 cups water and stir while it comes to a boil. Add some herbs. I forget which ones. It's more about green flakes looking good than taste - the main flavor is paprika, crab and sherry.

Cut the kernels off six ears of sweet corn with your knife (or thaw a bag marked "sweet corn" from your freezer). Add the kernels to the pot.

Open two cans of crabmeat (the cheaper ones on the shelf in the grocery store - not the mortage-the-children cans in the seafood department). Add both the meat and the juice to the pot. Refrain from adding the wax paper.

Bring back to a simmer. Serve with a tablespoon or two of sweet sherry per bowl. The Southern resident also likes hot sauce for a bit more heat.