Fabulous Flavor-Popping Salad

A Fabulous Flavor-Popping Salad from Chef  Kathi

Dinner at our house tonight was a small, but mighty power house of flavor. Fresh Spinach, Baby Greens, Sugar Snap Peas, Grape Tomatoes, Kalamata Olives, Avocado, Feta Cheese, Sweet Balsamic Dressing and a whimsical crowning touch of three Sweet Potato Chips. Delicious! Very easy to do. I simply started with 2 small bowls, one for the hubs, and one for me, and began layering and scattering the above ingredients. - Chef Kathi

How to Make Strawberry Chess Squares, A Sweet Southern Confection

Strawberry Chess Squares,  A Sweet Southern Confection
Chef Kathi

Just about anyone I've ever met who grew up in the Deep South, knew something about Chess Pie, Chess Cake, Chess Bars or Chess Squares.

Chances are, even if you were not born and bred in the South, if you've ever been to a party, especially a Christmas party hosted or contributed to, by a Southern Belle, you too have had a taste of this sensational Southern confection. 

Chess desserts come in many different guises, sometimes lemon, sometimes chocolate, sometimes plain ole' vanilla, and in the case of the one pictured here, that I baked today, sometimes even strawberry. 

They are all ooey-gooey delicious! Another commonality that chess desserts share is that with their crackly- cracked top crust and ooey-gooey center, they have the potential to be rather homely in appearance. 

It is against my religion to serve homely food. (Well, not really. I just believe in making a little extra effort to make food look attractive.) To ramp up the pretty factor in this dessert, I dusted the top surface with a small smidgen of powdered sugar and encircled the chess square in a ring of fresh chopped strawberries.

Simple, yes! 

Attractive, you bet!

Strawberry Chess Squares 


Part 1:
1 box strawberry cake mix
1 egg
1 stick unsalted butter

Part 2:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Part 1: Mix cake mix, melted butter and 1 egg to a soft dough. Press into the bottom of the pan.

Part 2: Mix cream cheese, 2 remaining eggs, vanilla extract and powdered sugar until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Pour on top of crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes until the top is lightly golden brown. The center under the crust will be just a bit loose and jiggly.

Allow to cool before serving. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and garnish with fresh strawberries.

With the Fourth of July next week, I'm thinking this could easily be turned into a Red, White and Blue Dessert with the addition of blueberries and a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yes, I really did intend to say mini scoop. Just on it's own, this is one decadently rich and sinfully delicious dessert.

Sunday Night Supper In The Crockpot

Southwestern Steak with Salsa Stuffing has been slow cooking all day and it smells amazing!

The simple recipe was adapted from one I found through Pinterest before church this morning.

I'm almost embarrassed to share how easy it is.

Take one Round Steak, spray the crock with a squirt of Pam Nonstick Cooking Spray and add beef.

Mix together one bag or box stuffing mix, 1 jar mild salsa, 1 stick of melted butter and 2 fresh chopped tomatoes. Cover top of beef with stuffing mixture and cover crockpot.

Plug in, cook at low for approximately 7 hours.

You could add lots of other things, but the idea here is Summer Simplicity! I'm not sure if this is or isn't something I'd prepare for my catering clients, but I know it is something that my Southwestern Salsa Loving' Spouse will just love! ~ Chef Kathi

Maple / Caramel Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Chai and Fresh Strawberries

Everyone needs some yummy quick fix recipes, even a chef. It was 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, my feet were  propped up and I was reveling in the sweet success of another beautifully executed catering event when all of a sudden I remembered that the dear hubs needed a covered dish for a concert reception on Friday evening.

Oops! I had totally forgotten to put something together for him.

Not only was I pooped from all the cooking I'd been doing in the catering kitchen, my window of opportunity to prepare something wonderful was very small.

I had to think fast and get creative in short order.

That's when I came up with this idea after taking stock of the situation.

I had Angel Food Cake stashed away in the freezer, maple syrup and fresh strawberries in the refrigerator, pumpkin seed granola in the pantry and a bit of Raspberry Chai in the freezer. Perfect. I was about to create a new recipe, and one that anyone could make, regardless of their level of culinary expertise.

Since it was a fairly big potluck, I opted for a disposable plate that I wouldn't need to worry about getting back at the end of the evening.

Maple Caramel Angel Food Cake with Raspberry Chai, Strawberries and Pumpkin Seed Granola
by Chef Kathi

Directions:

Simply place Angel Food Cake on Plate. Drizzle with Maple Glaze. ( I used small amounts of pure maple syrup, milk and powdered sugar and mixed well.) Fill center hole with fluffy Raspberry Chai. Top Chai and surround cake with fresh Florida strawberries. Sprinkle top of cake with Pumpkin granola. Then drizzle with caramel sauce. Wrap and refrigerate until it's time to take it to the event.

All-in-all I don't think this took more than 10 minutes to assemble. ~ Chef Kathi

Chef Kathi Serves a Summer Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Salad

I love being inspired! I especially love being inspired in matters of food and entertaining.

So when I found myself dreaming about a salad that I had enjoyed at the lake on Father's Day, I just knew I had to recreate something similar at home.

Summer Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Salad by Chef Kathi

This salad is relatively easy, but you really must make the home-made potato salad. Yes, you need to peel those potatoes and boil them the old-fashioned way!

If you want the recipe, post me a note on here and ask!

Let me say, this is truly a one dish meal. You will NOT need anything else. Well, except a little bubbly, perhaps.

Summer Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Salad by Chef Kathi

Chef Kathi Serves A Frozen Blessing On A Sizzling June Day

This meal was a frozen blessing that had been carefully stowed away in my home freezer since December.

Originally cooked up for a small dinner party, I opted to double the recipe so that I could freeze a second casserole for another meal. I like to do that sometimes. It just makes good sense to have tasty things on hand for times when we are either too busy or just too tired to cook.

I wish I could tell you exactly how I made this, but you know, I've slept since then. Basically it is a moussaka with beef and bechemel sauce, but instead of having the traditional eggplant, it has sliced potatoes. When I prepared it I used the potato, because I was trying to use up half of a bushel of potatoes and I didn't have any eggplant. Bill loved it, but then he would rather have potatoes any day over eggplant. Give me the aubergine and just blame it all on my insatiable desire for all things Mediterranean.

So this was lunch today, a fabulous frozen blessing, with or without the eggplant. ~ Chef Kathi

Chef Kathi Cooks Teriyaki Burgers with Sauteed Onions, Swiss Cheese and Cheddar Cheese

Sometimes a good burger is the best supper of all, especially when the day has been a busy one.

Ordinarily, I would insist on fresh-ground meat, but you know it's pretty smart household management to have a few quick fixes in the freezer and a big bag of Black Angus Frozen Burgers qualifies as a perfect quick fix staple in my kitchen.

So what do I do to get these amazing burgers?

Teriyaki Burgers with Sauteed Onions, Swiss Cheese and Cheddar Cheese

~ Chef Kathi

I begin by lightly drizzling the frying pan with a little olive oil. After the pan heats ever so slightly I add fresh sliced Vidalia Onion. 

Now remember, I'm tired, it's been a long day and I've got two hungry mouths to feed. So I toss 2 frozen beef patties in the skillet with the onions, and give the burgers a good generous shaking of Teriyaki Sauce and a good sprinkling of my favorite seasonings and allow them to sizzle away for a bit before turning and repeating the shake and sprinkle process. Now add some swiss cheese and shredded cheddar. In no time you'll have a simple care-free supper that any meat-eater would love.

                                                                   

Patriotic Fruit Skewers for the Fourth of July

                                                                       Source: cutefoodforkids.com via Chef Kathi - on Pinterest

Red, White and Blue Fresh Fruit Skewers.

They're brilliant. They're simple. They're pretty.

They are even patriotic!

Brunch with My Sweetie

Cooking with Chef Kathi 

When I first started posting my newspaper columns to this blog back in 2006/2007 I was very single. Well, as many of you know from reading my columns, that all changed back in 2009.

Yep, Bill and I will be celebrating our 3rd Wedding Anniversary on June 27! Since we will be up to our eye balls with VBS at our church that week, any sort of anniversary trip will just have to wait.

We've tossed around lots of ideas... Key West, Charleston, St. Simon Island, and Captiva Island, just to mention a few.

The hardest part we're discovering is scheduling. Between church, catering and assorted social invitations, the challenge of getting away, even for a couple of days, is becoming a bit of an issue.

But for me, and for Bill, the bottom-line reality is that every day is a celebration. Mornings begin with fresh brewed coffee on the front porch. Eventually, we get around to a bit of sustenance. When I remember or when the spirit strikes, I like to snap pictures. Yes, yes I know... it's the food writer in me that can not resist the urge to capture food, table settings and all things, entertaining on camera.

So for your enjoyment and mine :) I am going to post pictures I snapped last week on my camera of brunch with my sweetie.

Cooking with Chef Kathi 

The star of this meal, was a wonderful sausage breakfast casserole, that I assembled over a 2-day period of time.

Now, I want to share something very important with you. You do not have to bake your casseroles, frittattas and quiches in large, family-size serving containers!

If you are like me and have a small family at home, then you should consider divvying up the mixture into small, individual baking containers. This casserole was baked in two different pans. The first pan was a small loaf pan, the type that you might use for a loaf of bread or a meatloaf. The second pan was a sweet set of six  medium muffin hearts.

Cooking with Chef Kathi

Notice what I'm doing. Right after brunch, I carefully wrapped, zip locked, labeled and freezer-cached 8 individual portions of Sausage Breakfast Casserole. Now, on a moment's notice a scrumptious breakfast casserole is only a nuke away. Brilliant! It works for us. I hope it will for you! ~ Chef Kathi

Celebrate Summer with a Lemonade Stand!

How cute is this?

Whether you're setting up shop on the sidewalk in front of your home or planning a Lemonade Station for a summer soiree... this is one sweet idea!

Source: fiskars.com via Chef Kathi - on Pinterest

Dear Readers,
I know it seems like forever since I've written my column, and even longer since I posted any of my columns on this blog.

After five wonderful, spirit-filled years of writing the "Entertaining with Kathi" newspaper column, the "five year mark" just felt like a good stopping point.

It's been almost a year since you've seen my column in the paper.

When I jaunt to town, I often run into readers who inquire as to why they have not seen my columns and share how much they enjoyed reading my writing.

Writing is a mysterious thing you know. There is almost a sacredness, and certainly a fine art to spinning sentences. Some days, most especially these last 9 months, the ease of prose has been elusive.

A question begs to be asked.

Is this elusiveness simply a consequence of failing to show up with pen and paper in hand, ready and willing to capture the message that a divine force would joyfully channel through my pen?

Discipline! It all boils down to the discipline of showing up.

Showing up, ready and willing to write is the discipline of any successful writer.

Well, HALLELUJAH, I kept the discipline for five years, churning out my quirky food and entertaining columns every other week.

Deep, deep within I secretly yearned for so much more. I really did.

Was I foolish to think that my articles were so good that they could be turned into a bestselling book, a movie, a sit-com, and much more?

Is there unfinished business? Good question!

At this moment, I don't know where the whole "Entertaining with Kathi" show is headed.

What I do know is that I need a place for sharing my passion for entertaining, beyond my company website.

Some of this passion has found a home on Pinterest, something that I coincidentally joined around the same time I stopped writing the newspaper column.

Find Kathi on Pinterest