Paula Deen Weekend

The original idea was to take Nana to Savannah to eat in Paula Deen's restaurant. But Nana proposed an alternate plan - a Paula Deen Weekend at her house. So Julie drove down here on Friday night and we left early on Saturday morning. We picked Amanda up just before 10:00 and made it to Headland before noon. We stopped at the Piggly Wiggly to get the ingredients for our Paula dishes - but then Amanda remembered that Nana wanted us to be there by noon so we could go out to eat at a new cafe in town (the name escapes me - Koin...something). So we bought what we'd picked up so far and hurried to Nana's house.

Nana was ready and waiting for us. We got to the restaurant and each ordered something different so we could share. I got chicken salad and thought it was really good. Nana got quiche, Julie and Amanda got little flatbread sandwiches (I can't remember what they were called either). Then we split 2 slices of chocolate chip pecan (as Paula would say PEE-can) pie for desert. It was good but not even close to as good as Nana's.

We took Nana home and made Paula's peach cobbler. Once it was done we went grocery shopping (again). We were able to get everything except Chilli Cheese Fritos, Easy Off Oven Cleaner (the cobbler leaked a little on to Nana's oven), leeks and shrimp. Amanda ran into people she knew everywhere we went so when I saw her chatting with the meat man (when she was supposed to be locating shrimp) I wasn't surprised. Then I found out that she was asking the meat man about the shrimp! And she told him we needed shrimp but it didn't have to be fresh (meaning it could be frozen). He asked why in the world we would want shrimp that wasn't fresh. Anyway, it turns out they don't have shrimp of any kind available in Headland, so Amanda and Julie dropped me off at Nana's to continue cooking while they went in search of the missing items.

I mixed up the dough for the cheese biscuits but when I preheated the oven, smoke billowed out from the peach juice on the bottom of the oven. I turned off the oven and turned on the automatic cleaning feature - then saw that it takes 3 hours to clean. Unsure what to do, I just put the biscuit dough in the refrigerator and started chopping vegetables. By the time the girls got back (with FRESH, Cajun seasoned, steamed shrimp) the oven had burned off enough of the peach juice for me to stop the cleaning cycle and put the biscuits in. Nana told us that at Paula Deen's restaurant they walk around with biscuits on a tray offering them to the people waiting in line. So when May May, Uncle Lee, and Uncle Jim arrived, we were hurrying to get the biscuits made so one of us could walk in and serve them - but they didn't get done before our guests had to leave. That was the weekend's only disappointment.

During the Auburn game (we didn't enjoy it much) we made Shrimp and grits, Corn Salad, and Cheese Biscuits (recipes below). By the time we had it ready D-Dad had gone to the farm to check on things. As soon as he got back we sat down to eat. Everything was delicious. Then we watched the Alabama game (at least we enjoyed the first half of it). D-Dad retired during the second half, but Nana is a night-owl so we were still up until midnight.

On Sunday morning we reheated biscuits and ate them along with fresh cantaloupe and some of Uncle Sam's pound cake for breakfast. We washed sheets (against Nana's strict instructions) and visited until lunchtime. Then we reheated our dinner from the night before and ate it one last time. It was just as good the second time around (thanks to a trick Julie taught us which I'll share in the corn salad recipe). Then we sadly packed up, said our farewells and headed home (after a brief stop to see Uncle Sam).

It was a perfect weekend and I hope we get to do it again sometime soon (D-Dad suggested that we do it every weekend!)

Cheese Biscuits

2 cup self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 stick butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together using a fork; cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk all at 1 time just until blended. Do not over stir. Drop by tablespoonfuls, or use an ice cream scoop, onto a well greased baking sheet. Brush dough with melted butter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: Easy Yield: 16-20 biscuits

Shrimp and Grits

4 servings cooked grits
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced tasso ham* (we used bacon)
4 tablespoons diced leeks
4 tablespoons diced onion
4 tablespoons diced green peppers
20 medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, with tails on
1 tablespoon cooking sherry
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper
Cajun Seasoning to taste

Directions
Cook grits according to package directions; set aside and keep warm.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tasso (bacon) and saute until crisp. Add diced vegetables and saute until onions are translucent. Add shrimp and saute for 30 to 45 seconds, or until pink. Remove from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with cooking sherry. Slowly add the cream and let reduce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and Cajun seasonings, to taste. Pour grits into a casserole dish. Put shrimp and vegetables on top. Pour sauce over everything.

Corn Salad

2 (15 ounce) cans whole kernel white corn, drained
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 (10 1/2 ounce) bag coarsely crushed Fritos chili cheese corn chips (we used regular and it worked fine)

Directions
Mix first 5 ingredients and chill. Stir in crushed corn chips just before serving (if you expect to have leftovers, reserve about a cup of chips and mix them in the next day to provide new crunch)

Peach Cobbler

Julie - can you add this one - I couldn't find the one we used

So, that's pretty much it. We had a great time. Wish you all could have been there.