Mother's Day Lunch

Today we celebrated Mother's Day, and I wanted to do something really special for my mom and my Aunt Xan, who is basically my other mom.  I decided to cook them lunch at my house.  I spent a good bit of time researching different recipe ideas, and finally came up with a menu - chicken and cheese puff pastries for an appetizer, then shrimp bisque with cheese & garlic butter biscuits, a grilled blackened chicken salad, and blackberry cobbler and strawberry cake for dessert.  Now I get to share my recipes with you!

Let me start with my appetizer, the Chicken and Cheese Puff Pastries.  This recipe was given to me by my cousin, Adrienne.  I remember her bringing them up to my grandmother's house when we were teenagers, and they are by far one of the best appetizers I have ever had.  And guess what? They are very easy to make! 

Ingredients:

8 ounce package of cream cheese

poultry seasoning

two packs of  crescent roll dough

two small chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Seasoning two chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and then saute

2. Once cooked, dice chicken and put in a bowl with softened cream cheese and a teaspoon of poultry seasoning.  

3. Stir.  This is your stuffing.  

4. Take the crescent roll dough and roll out on parchment paper. Roll a rolling pin over a couple times.  

5. Take a knife and cut out strips, twice as long as you would like the puffs to be.  Place the stuffing on the strips, and fold over.  

6. Press down on edges of each puff with a fork if desired for more attractive puffs.  

7. Bake as directed on crescent rolls - 11-13 minutes at 375.  

These will blow you away! Unfortunately, this is the only thing I did not take a photo of  :(

The next thing I'd like to go over are the Garlic & Cheese Butter biscuits, inspired by the biscuits of Red Lobster. This recipe came from food.com and the ingredients and directions follow.

Ingredients:

2 cups buttermilk baking mix (small box equals 2 cups, Bisquick or Jiffy Mix )

• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (extra sharp?)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. 1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. 2. Combine mix, milk and cheese with a wooden spoon until soft dough forms.
3. 3. Beat vigorously 30 seconds.
4. 4. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. 5. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
6. 6. Combine butter and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.
7. 7. Serve warm.
8. 8. Makes 10 large biscuits.

These were very good.  I think I would add more cheese to these next time, at least 50% more, and probably also add 50%-100% more butter and garlic powder.  Now this is not very healthy, but if you are really looking for the biscuits to taste like the ones at Red Lobster, you should do that!

The next thing on the menu was the Shrimp Bisque.  I was most concerned about making this, so I did a test run with it a couple nights before.  

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, shelled and deveined, shells reserved
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 2 1eeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and rinsed well
• 3 stalks celery, cut into big chunks
• 2 carrots, cut into big chunks
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 strips orange zest
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups heavy cream
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Finely grated orange zest, for garnish
• Finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and melt the butter into it. Then add the shrimp shells, the leeks, celery, carrots, 3 sprigs thyme, the bay leaf, orange zest, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring every now and then, until the shells are red and the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Take the pot off the heat and carefully pour in the brandy. Ignite the brandy with a long kitchen match and let burn until the flame subsides. Return the pot to the heat, sprinkle in the flour, give it a stir, and cook for another 2 minutes. Now add water to cover and deglaze, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low and gently simmer until the soup is reduced and thickened, 30 to 45 minutes. Strain into a clean pot and season with salt and pepper.

Chop the shrimp. Return the bisque to a simmer, add the shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes just to cook the shrimp through. Give the bisque a final taste for seasoning, pour it into warmed soup bowls and serve garnished with the orange zest and chives.

This was wonderful! I got so many compliments on it, my Mom said it was her favorite thing of all that I served and my brother said it was the best soup her had ever eaten!  I would say when you are adding the flour, add an extra tablespoon to slightly thicken, and go very light on the orange zest.  The first time I made it, my husband said it was a little too much orange, but the second time, he said it was perfect. I would also note that when I tried to ignite the brandy, it did not catch, so I just continued without it doing that.  Make sure to chop your shrimp up small.  This recipe came from Tyler Florence of the Food Network.

Next comes the Blackened Chicken Salad.  This was so easy and so good! 

Ingredients:

chicken breasts

blackened seasoning

lettuce - romaine and whatever other types you like

chopped carrots

cherry tomatoes

sliced red onions

sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Season as many chicken breasts as you need for you salad (I was cooking for 10, so cooked 4). 

2. Grill chicken. 

3. While chicken is grilling, create salad - first pour out all lettuces using into serving dish.  Then add your red onions, carrots, and tomatoes.

4. When chicken is cooked, remove from grill, and dice, add on top of salad.

5. Grate cheese and sprinkle on top.  

Like I said, this is delicious and easy! And actually grilling the chicken makes a huge difference flavor wise.

Now, I know I promised you the entire menu from the lunch, but there were so many, that I am going to save my two dessert recipes for my next blog.  I promise you that these two delicious desserts are worth the wait.  They are both recipes I took from Mrs. Paula Deen and tweeked.  So stay tuned! I hope you enjoyed this blog entry! Happy Cooking!