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Pear Crisp Brings Memories of Grandma and Grandpa

Published on by Rebekah2 Comments

Baking a pear crisp was a fantastic way to use up the Harry and David’s Royal Riviera Pears I received as a Christmas gift. Pears aren’t a fruit I work with or have on-hand often, but they are delicious and a nice change from the every day apple. Flavorful and comforting, this recipe for Pear Crisp was taken from Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible.

Check out the pictures below to see how I completed the recipe.

After the pears are peeled, cored and sliced, toss them with sugar and cinnamon.

Spread the filling in your casserole dish.

Combine your dry ingredients, then cut in cold butter. It’s important that your butter is cold so the mixture becomes nice and crumbly.

You can use a fork or a pastry cutter, but I find that using my hands works just as well. As Ina Garten says, clean hands are a cook’s best tools. Just work quickly, because you don’t want the heat from your hands to melt that butter.

Stir in your almonds, then crumble your topping over the filling.

The filling bubbles over and the topping gets crispy and golden brown. I like to serve it warm with vanilla ice cream, but it also tastes great at room temperature. Enjoy!


Ringing in the New Year with Shrimp, Scallops and a Walk on the Pier

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Iguanas Seafood Restaurant
St. Simons Island, Georgia 

Though I’ve been going to St. Simons Island my entire life, I discovered Iguanas Seafood Restaurant just last year. If you’ve ever spent any time in the Golden Isles on the Georgia coast, you know there are many good places to dine, and my family has always had their favorites. Being the creatures of habit that we are, we typically always visit the same places. Last summer though, we tried somewhere new and I’m so glad we did.

With its colorful island-inspired walls, sail boat and fishing net decor and fun bar scene, Iguanas Seafood Restaurant is located in the heart of the village among all the great little shops near the St. Simons Island Pier. This year, we had New Year’s Eve dinner there. It was funny seeing the place decked out in Christmas lights and faux snow.

I ordered the shrimp and scallops dish, blackened, with grits. I don’t usually get scallops but I thought I’d give them a try. The shrimp was delicious, but I didn’t find the scallops to be that flavorful. Have you ever had scallops? I get the sense they must be like tofu in a way, taking on whatever flavor in which they’re cooked. The texture was spongy and just didn’t do much for me. Grits are the perfect accompaniment to shrimp any old time. The hushpuppies were crispy on the outside and succulent in the center, perfect for dipping in their house remoulade sauce (pictured left above).

My cousin Justin is a fan of my food blog, and when he saw me get out my camera to snap a shot of my dish, he excitedly offered his up and said, “Rebekah, wanna blog about this?” He ordered the special of the evening…soft shell crab with french fries. I’m pretty sure he cleaned his plate.

The great thing about eating dinner and shopping in the village is walking out on the newly renovated St. Simons Island Pier afterwards. I probably have at least one picture from each year of my life out on it, and I’ve often said it’s one of my favorite places on earth. I love to walk out to the end of it and watch the porpoises swim and see the shrimp boats in the distance. I’d like to be on one of those shrimp boats one day.

While out walking on the beach and at the pier, I met several folks from up North. One couple from Massachusetts and another group from Connecticut. They had each rented a condo for 3 months on the island to escape the cold weather in their hometowns. I don’t blame them!

This is the whole New Years crew, with our dogs, after breakfast the next morning. That’s me in the middle, on the far left between Brad and my cousin Justin, who’s holding my precious puppy Ewok. My good friend Patrick is next to him and the couple with the two labs–Constance and Justin, are great friends from college.

I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the first day of the New Year.

Iguanas Seafood Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Blackberry Cobbler

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Blackberry Cobbler is a Southern staple.

“Blackberries cook up to such a beautiful and dramatic deep black-purple, you could serve this at a fancy dinner party or enjoy it on a picnic blanket.” -Paula Deen, Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible  Continue reading “Blackberry Cobbler” →

Not Your Average Hash Brown Casserole

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I love it when I come across an amazing recipe by accident. On the way to the grocery store last night I Googled “Hash Brown Casserole” and several results came up, but the one that caught my eye was Paula Deen’s recipe on foodnetwork.com. I immediately decided I would go home to create it and boy was it a good decision. This hash brown casserole is the best breakfast casserole I have ever put in my mouth. The picture doesn’t do it justice.

I made it with hot sausage, fresh italian bread and freshly grated parmesan and sharp cheddar cheeses. It’s not your average hash brown casserole…it’s more like french toast meets eggs and sausage and everything you need in one dish. It puffs up beautifully when it’s baking and the cheese turns to a perfect golden brown. It was so good, I’ve decided to make it again on Christmas morning. It’s one of those recipes you can assemble the night before and bake the next morning. Serve it with some fresh fruit and you’ve got a breakfast that won’t leave you hungry.

Crab Legs at Christmastime

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The Shell House
Savannah, Georgia 

There’s nothing like cracking open a crab leg and pulling one long, succulent, in-tact piece of crab meat out of the shell, preparing it for its butter bath. Pair that with a good, cold drink of sweet tea with a fat lemon wedge and a little Jimmy Buffett, and life is good.

Last night I visited The Shell House. The prices were high, but the portions compensate and the food was delicious. I ordered snow crab legs, my favorite kind of seafood next to crab cakes. Hushpuppies and green beans were its counterparts and I’m telling you what, it doesn’t get much better. Here we are a week from Christmas and we’re eating seafood like it’s the Fourth of July. Who needs sweet potato casserole when you’re 45 minutes from the Georgia Coast? I say bring on the crustaceans, anytime of year! The restaurant was quite busy, even on a Sunday night, which is always a good sign. The only downside to eating crab legs is that you’re always the last one to finish because it takes a little bit of work. When you taste that meat though, it’s worth every minute of the time you spend getting to it.

The tables at The Shell House have holes in the center, so when you finish peeling those shrimp or cracking those crab legs open or shucking those oysters, you can conveniently discard all your trash. It’s a casual atmosphere…don’t go expecting white table cloths or fine china. In fact, you’ll eat off of paper plates and drink out of plastic cups but it’s hard to beat the amount of food you get for the price. It’s fresh and hearty. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout!

The Infamous Office Christmas Party

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A Christmas feast, indeed.

I started a new job in November, and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my new co-workers. We had our office Christmas party this week and the food was nothing short of fabulous. On the menu?

  • Ham
  • Turkey
  • Dressing and Gravy
  • Macaroni and Cheese
  • Butter Beans
  • Asparagus (and not the dinky kind)
  • Tomato Casserole
  • Mixed Green Salad
  • Cheesecake or Red Velvet Cake with berries
Macaroni and Cheese is the dish I don’t fix at home often, but really look forward to eating during the holidays. It was cooked perfectly, crunchy on top and cheesy throughout. The tomato casserole was very interesting and a dish I’d never heard of, much less tried. It had bacon and cheese in it and I’m going to attempt to recreate it (that’s a post for a later date). Have you ever seen asparagus thinner than a pencil? There’s nothing I despise more than going to the grocery store to buy a vegetable like asparagus and it’s not plump. This asparagus was full and round and had a nice bite to it.

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My white elephant gift. I’m all about anything festive!

It was a delicious meal indeed. The only thing I would’ve added is a nice blackberry reduction sauce to the cheesecake. A shout out to Eagle Dining Services for catering a wonderful holiday luncheon!

After we ate, our team had a white elephant gift exchange which was rather entertaining with 40 folks. Since I drew #17, I got to choose whether I wanted to take someone else’s gift or pick a gift from under the tree. I decided to take someone’s Cabernet Sauvignon and should have known I wouldn’t get to keep it. The next gift I opened was a set of kitchen knives and since I already have a fine set at home, I talked another co-worker into a trade at the end of the game. I came out pretty good with a Santa Claus inspired wine glass. Hey, at least it’s something I can use! Among the most popular gifts? Wine, lottery tickets and a Georgia Southern University Gnome. We had lots of laughs and a great time was had by all.

A Shrimp Supper Worth the Drive

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A great place for dinner on the weekends.

The Oyster Bar Restaurant, Raw Bar and Ale House
Savannah, Georgia 

Over the weekend, we met some friends at The Oyster Bar Restaurant, Raw Bar and Ale House on River Street in Savannah. I ordered the Shrimp Trio–fried shrimp, shrimp scampi and bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed with crab meat. Man alive! It was Some Kinda Good. I had a caesar salad and baked potato alongside it. The bacon-wrapped shrimp, stuffed with crab meat, was the description that caught my attention and what made me order the dish. I love seafood and I mean, how could you not like any crustacean wrapped in bacon? Before the food arrived, the waiter brought out what they referred to as “hushpuppies,” but they tasted more like little doughnut holes served with honey butter. I ordered a good glass of red wine, an Australian variety of Shiraz, and had a good time reminiscing about our college days with old and new friends.

The Shrimp Trio Dish…pretty much delectable.

If you’ve never visited River Street in Savannah, it’ll be worth your time. I have been several times, but never during the Christmas season. I just recently moved back to Southeast Georgia, and Savannah is only a short 45 minutes away. It was a comfortable 60 degrees, no wind blowing, no wait and no crowds. I would definitely visit The Oyster Bar again and would highly recommend it. Besides, you just can’t go wrong with friendly service, quality food and a great atmosphere.

Little balls of bliss served with honey butter

Oyster Bar on Urbanspoon

Peanut Butter Blossoms – How Bad Can That Be?

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Right after you pull them out of the oven, the chocolate kisses are inserted in the center.

You can have all the best cookbooks in the world, but sometimes, the best recipes are found simply on the back of packages. Earlier this week I bought some candy for my office and there on the back of the Hershey’s Kisses Package was my all time favorite recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms. It all starts with shortening and peanut butter, and in the words of Ina Garten, “How bad can that be?” You just can’t go wrong with the classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate rolled in sugar. Not to mention how cute they look. As soon as they come out of the oven, you put the chocolate kisses in the center. The heat from the cookie slightly melts the chocolate and when you bite into it, its pure bliss. As I baked these, I listened to my Miranda Lambert Pandora Radio station and all was well.

Pour yourself a cold glass of milk and enjoy these next to the Christmas tree. Happy Baking to all!

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Saturday Makes for a Special Breakfast

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Add crispy bacon and a little Country Crock light butter spread and breakfast is served.

Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week. I love getting up whenever I wake up and not being forced out of bed by an alarm clock. I usually make something special for breakfast on Saturdays because I actually have time, unlike during the work week, when I grab a quick breakfast bar and maybe a piece of fruit and head out the door. This morning I made fresh blueberry muffins with a streusel topping and fried up some bacon to boot. I brewed some coffee and stirred in my pumpkin spice creamer and enjoyed drinking it from a real coffee mug and not my travel mug. Hey, it’s the little things. The best part is knowing tomorrow morning, there’ll be leftovers. 🙂