It is no secret my crew and I love Asian inspired meals. I seriously watch Mark Weins of Migrationology every single day.  He is this amazing blogger and food traveler that I am subscribed to and dude makes me so hungry with every single video. He does primarily focus on Asian countries but he has been featuring videos of his trip to Mexico and that is another place that has some serious amazing good food.



Anywoo, I am now contributing as recipe developer for Town and Gown magazine here in my town. When the editor said healthy and good, I knew I wanted to do Asian inspired. The use of fresh greens, herbs and veggies is so inspiring and so healthy. Pair it with a little flair with the sauces and oh muh gawd, yes.

My children loved each one of these recipes but they took most to the spring/summer rolls so much that I had to make them everyday for that entire week. I didn't complain though, heck, they were eating clean, right.



Check out these recipes coming to the Town and Gown website soon, but for now, if you are local to Starkville, Mississippi or the surrounding areas, you can pick up the magazine locally and try these out!

Here in the South, shrimp and grits has always been something on the menu at a higher end restaurant. It is not an everyday dish that families just make for dinner. It is a soothing comfort food but usually only eaten when spending a night out on the town. Don't expect to visit your down south relatives and find this waiting on the table when you arrive, but boy oh boy is it easy to make and simple and quick and oh delicious. (Did I say enough 'ands'?)

Even though this is not an everyday dish, it sure is good. Grits are common enough here in Mississippi. It is a common breakfast meal that is similar to polenta. I would say it is like cream of wheat or something but it is coarser and grittier. I like mine with just a wee bit of pepper and salt with a pat of butter. It makes for some simple good eats. Really.

The good thing about grits is that it can be changed. You can add cheese, bacon, ham, gravy and it is the bomb.com. Add some fresh biscuits to the mix and oooooo-weeeeee, slap yo' mama gosh dang.

Seriously, easy to make and impress your friends and folks with this.

You will need:
4 cups of  water
1 cup of uncooked grits
1 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of butter
2 cups of medium shrimp (peeled and no tail)
4 slices of bacon
2 slices of smoked porkchops/ham (diced)
1 tbsp of creole seasoning
1 tbsp of worcestershire sauce
1 tsp of dried italian seasoning or chopped fresh parsley

In pot, bring water to a boil, add in salt and slowly begin stirring in the grits. Lower the heat to low-medium. The grits should start to bubble (be careful, these badboys are hot if they hit you). Stir regularly so they do not stick to the pot. Cook for ten minutes then lower the heat to low and cook for about 20 more minutes stirring regularly. Stirring will prevent the grits from lumping up and sticking to bottom of the pot. If your grits look too thick, slowly add in water, stirring until you get the consistency of a coarse pudding. Turn off the heat and cover.

In medium sauce pan on medium heat, add in butter and shrimp. Sprinkle with seasoning, worcestershire sauce, and add in bacon and porkchop pieces. Cook until bacon is done. Reduce heat. The shrimp mix should have made it's own gravy. If not enough, add in another dash of worcestershire and 2 tbsp of water.

You may need to add more creole seasoning. Don't be afraid to taste it to see if there is enough to your liking. I like well seasoned foods, so add more if you need to.

Spoon the grits into a bowl and top with a large spoonful of shrimp, bacon and ham and make sure you put some of that good ol' potlicker on it. (Once again, if your grits have gotten too thick--as they will thicken the longer they sit--add a little more water and stir to bring it back to a creamy nature) Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley and garnish with a twig of rosemary. Serve with fresh biscuits and you have a winner.

Serves 4.

Today, for Labor Day, I invited over a couple friends and my uncle for a seafood boil.

3 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of parmesan cheese
2 tbsp of italian seasoning
Creole seasoning to taste

Artichoke hearts (quartered, drained and rinsed)
shrimp
fresh baby spinach

In skillet, put in 2 tbsp of butter and let melt on medium heat. Add in rinsed artichokes and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring so they do not burn. Add in shrimp and add in creole seasoning and dash of italian seasoning. Once cooked, pour in heavy whipping cream, add parmesan and seasoning. Stir constantly, add in fresh spinach and stir. The spinach will cook down in a few minutes. If it is not enough sauce, add more whipping cream. Serve over your pasta.

*I kinda go a bit heavy on seasoning, so add it slowly and taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking.

I just recently returned from a week long trip to Chicago. I was there to photograph the Chicago Fashion Week debut of children's fashion designer, Alexandria Olivia and I had booked a few headshot and editorial sessions.

I am one of those people who eat what I have a taste for. If I don't have a taste for it, then it just won't do. I feel empty. I just have to have it. Of course, sometimes I have a taste for restaurant food but being a family with 4 growing children, eating out all the time is just not so economical. That means, I have to work some dang near magic and make it happen at home. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. This was definitely a case of working!

I have been having the taste for blackened catfish for the longest. No catfish in the house and I was too tired and just did not feel like going to the grocer. Well....I had tilapia (we keep an endless supply of that stuff) so blackened tilapia it was. I knew I wanted some type of sauce to go with it. I had heavy whipping cream, a block of pepperjack cheese and a bag of shrimp. Hmmmm, this sounded like a good idea and boy oh boy it was! I think I died and went to heaven and came back just so I could finish it. It was that good.

Really, the recipe is so easy. It cooks in only a few minutes and believe me, it is worth it. If you like a little kick to your sauces, this is perfect.

You will need:

Half a Pint of Heavy Whipping Cream
3 slices of pepperjack cheese
1/2 tsp of creole seasoning
15 shrimp, peeled and deveined  (more if you are a shrimp lover like me)



*I cooked my shrimp and sauce in the same cast iron skillet I used to make my fish, so the oil you see if leftover from the Extra Virgin Olive Oil I used. You do not have to use this and the sauce will be whiter.

In a sauce pan on medium, begin cooking the shrimp, once they turn white,  begin pouring in your heavy whipping cream. Add in your creole seasoning and stir. Drop your cheese slices on top and stir until they melt. The cheese may get gooey but the cheese begins to incorporate into the cream.  Once the cheese has fully melted, continue stirring and turn off the heat. The sauce will thicken as it sits.



I served my sauce over blackened tilapia and rice. My family really enjoyed it and kept asking for more "gravy". I guess here in the South, every sauce is "gravy".