green chili-cheddar corn muffins, shrimp and grits, and peanut butter cookies. happy cooking!

i love these corn muffins so much and i make them all of the time. to those of you who are spiceophobes: don't be afraid of the green chili! they are actually really mild and add such nice flavor to the corn muffin. if you're looking for a spruced up corn muffin, this one is definitely for you!

ingredients:

1 1/4 c. yellow cornmeal

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 c. shredded sharp cheddar

1 c. sour cream

1 (8 .5 oz) can creamed corn

1 (4 oz ) can chopped green chiles

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

to make:

heat oven to 400

spray muffin tin with pam (i use liners, but you don't have to)

combine cornmeal, salt, and baking powder in a med. bowl

add cheese, corn, sour cream, and chiles. mix until combined (be sure to fold over the mixture because grains of the cornmeal can get stuck at the bottom-be careful that it's all mixed well)

add the eggs to the mixture and stir them in completely.

transfer to muffin tins (i filled them about 3/4ths of the way full)

bake for 15-20 minutes (or until a toothpick can go in and come out clean).

so YUMMY!

shrimp and grits is one of my all time favorite dishes. anytime i go out to a nice dinner and shrimp and grits are on the menu, i order it. andy makes a mean shrimp and grits. his secret is not cooking his grits in water, but cooking them in stock and milk instead. it makes them so creamy and delicious. you can play around with what veggies you want to serve with this dish. i love mushrooms and requested them tonight. some people like to serve with it with peppers or tomatoes. however you decide to do it, you have to give this one a try. it's fabulous!

ingredients:

one chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 lb. mushrooms, quartered

1.2 lb. shrimp (deveined and deshelled)

1/4 c. grits

3/4 c. chicken stock

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. shredded cheddar

salt and pepper, to taste

to make:

grits:

bring milk and stock to a boil

slowly add grits and whisk until incorporated

lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes

add cheese and salt and pepper.

heat a frying pan over med. heat

add chopped onion and cook for about 5 min.

add the chopped garlic and cook for 5 more min.

add the mushrooms and cook for 5 more min.

deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine and reduce until the liquid evaporates

add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes

add another splash of wine and cook until liquid evaporates, about 5 min. (shrimp should be cooked through). season with salt and pepper to taste

serve shrimp and veggie mixture atop grits! delicious!

want the world's easiest peanut butter cookie recipe? it's so easy that i (who can't remember ANYTHING) have the recipe memorized. i was first intrigued by theses cookies because they are flourless which means that my step-dad, who has celiac disease, can eat them. i was a little skeptical at first, but i gave them a try, and after polishing them all off in one day, i'd say they are keepers. i used chunky peanut butter because it's what i had in the cabinet. i wound up really liking it because there were chunks of peanuts in the cookie. you could totally use creamy peanut butter too if you'd prefer. here's the recipe:

ingredients

1 c sugar

1 c peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

sea salt

to make:

preheat oven to 350

put sugar, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla in a bowl. mix until fully incorporated

spoon balls of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and press down on the dough with tines of a fork in a criss cross pattern.

sprinkle with sea salt

bake for about ten minutes in the oven. let the cookies sit for a minute before moving them to a rack to cool (if you try to move them right away they will crack and break).

makes about 24 cookies