Posted 8:28 am Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tastemaker: Gena Himes, High School Art Teacher, Tyler
Always in fridge: Cheese, variety of peppers, sweet tea.
Best meal ever: I have enjoyed many dinners in great restaurants, but nothing is better than a dinner with my family eating homemade hamburgers grilled in my back yard.
Juggling work and cooking: Plan meals on Saturdays. Keep it simple, with pasta dishes, stir-frying and grilling. I also use shortcuts that save on preparation time like rotisserie chicken and peeled and deveined shrimp.
Dream dinner guests: Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Lewis Grizzard, Greg Mortenson, Vincent Van Gogh and George Strait.
Christmas tradition: We celebrate Christmas on the 25th in Tyler and on the 26th in Houston. It works out great because we have two days of Christmas instead of one. Every Christmas when I was growing up, my mom always made Swedish Meatballs as an appetizer. I have continued the tradition and make them every Christmas.
Best meal ever: I have enjoyed many dinners in great restaurants, but nothing is better than a dinner with my family eating homemade hamburgers grilled in my back yard.
Juggling work and cooking: Plan meals on Saturdays. Keep it simple, with pasta dishes, stir-frying and grilling. I also use shortcuts that save on preparation time like rotisserie chicken and peeled and deveined shrimp.
Dream dinner guests: Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Lewis Grizzard, Greg Mortenson, Vincent Van Gogh and George Strait.
Christmas tradition: We celebrate Christmas on the 25th in Tyler and on the 26th in Houston. It works out great because we have two days of Christmas instead of one. Every Christmas when I was growing up, my mom always made Swedish Meatballs as an appetizer. I have continued the tradition and make them every Christmas.
Swedish Meatballs
1 ¼ pound ground round
1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced onion
¼ cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
SAUCE
1 jar Heinz chili sauce
1 10-ounce jar grape jelly
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
Mix all ingredients except vegetable oil. Roll into small-sized balls.
Heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Add meatballs but don't overcrowd skillet. Leave enough room to roll the balls over as they brown, about 10 minutes. Meatballs should be thoroughly cooked. Spoon out meatballs and drain on paper towels. You may freeze meatballs after cooking to use at a later date.
Sauce: In a medium-sized pot on medium heat, mix the chili sauce, grape jelly and yellow mustard. Once heated and mixed, add meatballs (if frozen, make sure they are thawed) and heat until sauce is bubbly.
1/2 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced onion
¼ cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup vegetable oil
SAUCE
1 jar Heinz chili sauce
1 10-ounce jar grape jelly
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
Mix all ingredients except vegetable oil. Roll into small-sized balls.
Heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Add meatballs but don't overcrowd skillet. Leave enough room to roll the balls over as they brown, about 10 minutes. Meatballs should be thoroughly cooked. Spoon out meatballs and drain on paper towels. You may freeze meatballs after cooking to use at a later date.
Sauce: In a medium-sized pot on medium heat, mix the chili sauce, grape jelly and yellow mustard. Once heated and mixed, add meatballs (if frozen, make sure they are thawed) and heat until sauce is bubbly.
Shrimp Diane
1 ½ pounds peeled and deveined shrimp
1 ½ sticks butter
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil (use fresh if available, about 3 teaspoons)
¼ teaspoon thyme (use fresh if available, about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon oregano (use fresh if available about ½ teaspoon)
12 ounces thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese
In a very large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes being careful not to burn the butter or garlic. Avoid stirring, shake pan back and forth over heat. Add salt, cayenne and black pepper and shake pan some more. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes. Shake pan to continue to mix ingredients. Turn heat to medium-high and add shrimp, basil, thyme and oregano, stirring lightly to turn shrimp over, cooking for about 5 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water while shrimp is cooking. Drain pasta and mix the shrimp mixture together. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
1 ½ sticks butter
1 package fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil (use fresh if available, about 3 teaspoons)
¼ teaspoon thyme (use fresh if available, about 1 teaspoon)
1/8 teaspoon oregano (use fresh if available about ½ teaspoon)
12 ounces thin spaghetti noodles or angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese
In a very large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add green onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes being careful not to burn the butter or garlic. Avoid stirring, shake pan back and forth over heat. Add salt, cayenne and black pepper and shake pan some more. Add mushrooms and cook 5 minutes. Shake pan to continue to mix ingredients. Turn heat to medium-high and add shrimp, basil, thyme and oregano, stirring lightly to turn shrimp over, cooking for about 5 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water while shrimp is cooking. Drain pasta and mix the shrimp mixture together. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
