It is hard for me to believe that one year has passed since our little Layla Bug was born. Jay and Julia’s first child arrived healthy and has melted our hearts all over again over this year. She has the most beautiful smile and disposition. Of course, she had to be that sweet ~ her parents are awesome that way, too!
One of the funniest things about childbearing is asking the parent of said child the age of the little one. I swore I would never tell anyone my child was 24 months. They are 2. OK I’ll give you a grace period on two years/24 months.
I mean, even the baby clothes are labeled as such. However, once that mark has passed…. just go with, “She’s 2 ½!” or “He will be 3 in July”. If you tell me your son is 36 months, I’ll probably raise an eyebrow.
I’m sorry. It’s just too complicated in the middle of a conversation to convert months into years. That’s what I’ll be doing while you keep talking about their nap habits. I mean 42 months? Seriously? Yes, I’m joking with you. OK Maybe not.
I know many of you are already wondering what this has to do with a cooking column. It’s because, when I was a child (and sometimes as an adult), I’d laugh at fancy names given to a very plain dish. It’s like trying to encourage someone to eat something that’s absolutely wonderful, but they would not eat it if it was called “Cold Potato Soup” instead of “Vichyssoise”. That’s what we do though: we try to use the most intriguing name to entice the consumer to partake. You know, like using the word “partake” instead of “eat” or “drink”.
This week, I’m going to provide a few of those recipes that have lavish names for simple-to-make dishes and beverages. Life’s too short to eat dull food ~ or to spend too much time in the kitchen when there’s so much to do outside. Eat, drink, and be merry!
Sea Island Punch
(This beverage was originally named “Martha’s Vineyard Punch for reasons unknown to me. No, I’ve never been to Martha’s Vineyard. I’ve been to the South Carolina Sea Islands, and that is where I first had this punch.
Over the years, it has had a name change with many South Carolinians.)
Ingredients
1 6oz. can each of frozen orange juice,
frozen lemonade, and frozen limeade
4 cups very cold water
Ice 28 oz. ginger ale Directions: Mix frozen ingredients with water until thawed and blended well. Pour into a punch bowl and add ice. Add ginger ale and stir. (Serving variation: You can also prepare in a pitcher and serve in glasses filled with ice.)
Quiche Lorraine
This gets its name from its beginnings ~ the Lorraine region in France.
At least, that was what I’ve been told. It could have been named for Lorraine who lived in France. There was a book named “Real Men Don’t Eat Quiche”, but I promise you they will if they are hungry. Bless my grandmother’s heart.
She always said, “If you’re hungry, you’ll eat it.” aka you aren’t getting anything special after I cooked over a hot stove for 8 people.
After all, there are all of those starving children in China. (Probably Africa and Thailand, too, but we only got the China version.)
Ingredients
1 9-inch pie shell, partially baked
4 slices bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1 med. Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped 1 ½ TBSP butter 4 large eggs ½ tsp salt 1/8 tsp nutmeg 1 dash cayenne pepper
1 TBPS flour 2 cups light cream Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle the cooked bacon over bottom of pie shell.
Sprinkle cheese over bacon. Sauté onions in butter until tender. In a large mixing bowl, add eggs, flour, salt, nutmeg, and cayenne. Beat until well blended. Add cream, onions, and butter. Pour into pie shell and baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees until mixture is set and golden brown.
Vichyssoise
Well, of course I had to include this one! When I was a kid, we used to say in a sing-song voice “A lah-tee-dah, a Vichyssoise” I’m pretty sure we didn’t really know what it was that we were lah-teedahing about. However, it has become one of my favorite soups. You make it a day ahead, which is great when you want or need to make something in advance. It’s just right for hot days in Georgia. Want to make it a real treat for those Georgia boys (and women!)?
Cook, drain, and crumble some lean bacon to add as a garnish with the chives. My apologies to the French chef that created this soup in America, but hey, put bacon on food and you will tempt most anyone’s appetite.
Ingredients
1 Vidalia onion, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 leeks, white parts only, cut in 1-inch pieces
4 TBSP butter
3 medium russet or golden Yukon potatoes, scrubbed, peeled, and chopped 1 cup water 2 14 oz. cans chicken broth (or the equivalent made with Better than Bouillon)
¼ tsp salt
1 dash whitepepper
½ cup whipping cream
Fresh chives, chopped for garnish, optional Directions: Melt butter in a Dutch oven or large pot. Add onions and leeks. Slowly sauté until tender, but not browned. Add potatoes. Pour in water and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine ingredients.
Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for about 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow soup to cool. Pour into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a storage container and refrigerate overnight.
Stir in cream just before stirring. Garnish with fresh chives, if desired.
Libby Hires is a columnist with the Bryan County News.