On Down Savannah Way, Where I Fell in Love

We got to go to Savannah not too long ago.  None of us had ever been, so I didn't know what to expect.  I did know this though:

1. Savannah is a city.
2. I don't really like cities.

I mean- cities are okay and all- but I don't like to be there for more than a day.  I grew up in the middle of nowhere.  I live in the middle of nowhere.  I like the middle of nowhere.  It's quiet and if you hear a gunshot, it's probably the neighbor practicing on his target for hunting season.

Nonetheless, I do love an adventure, so off we went.

And it was just like the songs always say.......you know when you've found The One.

I don't think I can possibly tell you just how amazing Savannah is.  Or how hard I fell for Tybee Island.  Savannah is, as my priest says, just a sleepy little city.  It is clean, well-kept, and slow.  It is how the south is meant to be. 
If you go, I recommend River Street Sweets (on River Street!) where they have melt-in-your-mouth freshly made, still slightly warm Pecan Praline.
Go to Henry's Restaurant for a fantastic and affordable meal, especially breakfast.  It's just a laid back little diner, with the giant grill in full view behind the counter, where you can sit if you so choose.  Or sit back in one of the booths.  And they are so so so friendly.......even the other customers.  Kiddo accidentally dumped an ENTIRE glass of ice water on himself, the table, the seat, the floor.  I jumped up, quickly saturating all the napkins I had when a gentleman at the next table handed me ALL their napkins.  In the meantime, a cook appeared out of nowhere, deftly mopped up the spill, grinned at me, and disappeared again.  GO TO HENRY'S!!!!  It's at 28 Drayton St.
And walk around downtown.  It's huge, quiet, and filled with these squares of live oaks and grass and flowers and benches.

Take a look at Savannah, and then I will get on to Tybee Island....

Open Air Market on River Street- lots of cool stuff.  We bought a duck necklace.

Live Oak filled square. 

Somewhere in downtown, peeking through a hole in the wall.

Live Oaks and Spanish Moss in the morning light.

The bridge over the Savannah River.

So much of Savannah's history has been preserved.  It's marvelous.

Rain Spouts!

The Peacemaker, a ship owned, sailed by, and lived in by the Twelve Tribes.  We got to tour it the next day.

Food on River Street.

River Street is still paved in its original cobblestone and a trolley still runs up and down that track.

Another shot of the Live Oaks.

After a couple of days in Savannah, we had enough time to go spend a couple of hours on Tybee Island.  If I love Savannah, then I would marry Tybee Island and stay married to it for 150 years because it was breathtaking.  It wasn't commercialized.  It is just a sleepy little beach island where you can ride your bike everywhere you need to and the beach is never more than 5 minutes away (usually on foot.)  We went to the Historic Tybee Island Lighthouse and climbed the 172 steps to the top where you could see practically the entire island.  Again, so much of the history of the island is saved and done so tastefully.  Here's Tybee Island........

Tybee Island Lighthouse (still in use today)

View from the top. 

The light itself.

Checking out the view from one of the many landings.  He was so excited that he could see the ocean.

And then we went down to the beach to find seashells.

I really can't express enough how much I loved Savannah and Tybee.  I have every intention to go back and do it soon.  But for now, I will drink coffee from my Tybee Island Lighthouse coffee mug and daydream about the somedays.

Lent and Shepherds' Pie

This week was the start of Lent, beginning on Wednesday with Ash Wednesday.  Everybody in my house went to Mass and received ashes and fielded questions the rest of the day about the "dirt" on our foreheads.  It's one of the days of the year when my Catholicism is displayed and I am very proud of that.

I was walking into the grocery store and trying to look nonchalant about taking a picture of myself.  

:)

Lent is also the time when we give something up, whether it is a material or spiritual in nature.  The goal is to come closer to Christ by giving up those things which distract or tempt us.

I gave up chocolate and ice cream.  I know it sounds kind of silly, but really, it is a great weakness for me and to fend off the temptations literally handed to me is going to be a great challenge.  For instance, my catechumen gave me a box of chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine's Day yesterday.  She was so excited to present them to me and I hated to tell her that as much as I appreciated and admired the gesture, I couldn't eat any of them because of my chosen Lenten fast.  I ended up sharing them with the rest of our (small) parish, so already I am seeing the physical fruits of my decision.  My kiddo has decided that 1) he is going to go through all his books and give some away to other children and 2) we are going to say 10 Hail Mary's every night before bed.
 
There are moments that stand out as a parent and last night was one of them.  We snuggled on his bed to say our prayers and I brought out two rosaries and taught him how to count Hail Mary's on the beads as we prayed.  I think he may find his very own rosary in his Easter Basket this year.

Family rosaries, including two from the Vatican

The other aspect of Lent is the "black fast" which basically means that we don't eat meat on Fridays.  The "limited time only!" fish sandwiches at all the fast food places make their appearance about a week or two before Ash Wednesday and then disappear shortly after Easter Sunday.  So, during Lent, I will be sharing some of my favorite meatless recipes with you on Fridays.

I have a subscription to Vegetarian Times magazine and that's where this recipe comes from.  It is easy to make and so delicious, I hope you will try it.  The spice of the filling is balanced by the sweet cornbread topping.  And if you've never tried Greek Yogurt as a replacement for sour cream, this is your chance.  You won't be sorry!  As always, if I have any modification ideas or tips, I will put them in colored italics within the recipe. 

Cornbread and Pinto Bean Shepherd's Pie

2 14.5 ounce cans Pinto Beans, drained, but reserve 1.5 cups of the bean liquid
I like black beans, so I will substitute one can of black beans for one of the pinto beans
3 Tbs Tomato Paste
1 Tbs olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice (2.5 cups), divided
2.5 Tbs chili powder
3 medium plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped (1.5 cups), divided
I use any tomatoes I have on hand, and never mind the seeding bit.  Tomato seeds never hurt anyone!
6 Tbs whole-grain cornbread and muffin mix
I use Jiffy cornbread mix!
1 1/3 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt, divided
1 Large egg
1 Tbs water
1.5 Tbs sugar

1)  Place oven rack in top position, and preheat oven to 425.  Coat 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray.  I use my biggest, deepest pie dish or a casserole dish.  Whisk the reserved bean liquid with the tomato paste.  (I've used salsa instead of this combo and it was spicy, but delicious.  About 1 cup salsa and 1/2 cup of the bean juice.)

2)  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 cups onion.  Cover, and cook 4 minutes, or until onions begin to soften, stirring occasionally.  Add chili powder, and stir 10 seconds to coat onions.  Stir in tomato paste mixture (or salsa mixture), 1 cup tomatoes, and then beans.  Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, 6 minutes, or until the flavors blend and the chili liquid thickens.  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

This is in the pie plate, and you can see the black beans I added.  But doesn't it look good!!!???

3)  Meanwhile, combine the cornbread mix, 1/3 cup yogurt, egg, sugar and 1 Tbs water in medium bowl.  This will be really soupy, so that it can be poured on top of the bean concoction.  

The first time I made this, I thought it was too soupy, so I added more mix to it and I ended up with giant cornbread muffins on top of my beans instead of just a crust!  HA!

4)  Spread chili beans in prepared pie dish.  Pour cornbread batter over beans, spreading with back of spoon.  Bake 10 minutes, or until cornbread is set and golden.

Mixed the right way, it spreads out very nicely, thank you!

5)  Meanwhile, finely chop remaining 1/2 cup onion.  Place in small bowl and mix in remaining 1/2 cup tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.  (This may not seem like much, but it really makes the dish!)

6)  Divide shepherd's pie among shallow bowls.  Serve with tomato salsa and remaining yogurt.   

NOM NOM NOM!

Shrimp Soup with Chilli Tortilla Strips

 Oh, the irony.  Just a few posts ago, I was telling you how much I didn't like soup- that I like Chowdah.  And yet, I'm about to tell you about this delicious Shrimp Soup that I made recently.  I was dubious at first.  My Mom found the recipe- she LOVES soup.  She hands it to me and says "Doesn't this look good?"  I was kind of "meh" about the whole thing.  (again- not typically a soup person.)  But she is my Mom, so of course I made it..........

................and you know what...............

Pepe the King Prawn knows what's up.

Exactly.  It was light, but filling and the lime juice and cilantro gave a lovely accent to it that I did not expect.  This soup was light enough that it could be a summer soup.  And the homemade chilli tortilla chips- wow.  Way better and easier than expected.  

Oil, sprinkle, slice, bake.....!  (I bet they would be good if you sprinkled them with a little lime juice too.....)

First, let me point out that the recipe calls for a Pablano pepper.  I'm no connoisseur of peppers.  I know they come in hot and not hot, green and red and yellow and orange (my favorite), and that if you get pepper juice on your fingers, DO NOT touch your face.  (That one time was ALL it took......)  Standing in front of the pepper selection at the grocery store was a touch overwhelming.  There must have been 20 different varieties, not counting the standard bell peppers.  To make things more overwhelming, they did not have a Pablano pepper.

*moment of well there goes THAT plan*

I do carry one of those smart phone things that keep you connected to the world 24/7/365 and I was able to Google search pepper substitutions, and happily found the Cook's Thesaurus.  I ended up using an Anaheim pepper, which turned out to be pretty mild.  If you want to give your soup a little kick, I would add a Serrano pepper too.  I also threw in a handful of frozen bell pepper strips that I happened to have. 

It smells so good!   The red and yellow are bell peppers.

 As for the shrimp, I used frozen shrimp.  YUP!  The stuff in the seafood case that you buy "fresh" is actually the same thing......except it has already been thawed out and is more expensive.  Get the peeled and deveined UNCOOKED shrimp.  Don't get the cute little pink already-been-cooked cocktail shrimp that you dip in sauce.  Get the uncooked ones- they cook really fast and they won't get chewy.  I know, I know- they are all grey and icky looking, but they will turn pink- I promise!  And don't worry if they have tails- you can pluck them off as you eat. 

And remember.......cilantro (which is key- don't leave it out).....cilantro is not placed with the herbs typically.  Instead, it's over in the loose leafy green stuff and sold in bunches.  

I am a sucker for wooden spoons.  I always cook/ bake/ mix/ stir with a wooden spoon.

Once the soup is all cooked and lovely, ladle it out and top with a little bit of fresh Avocado and some of your tasty baked tortilla strips.  I can pretty much guarantee you will go back for seconds and if you have a couple friends over, you may not have to worry about leftovers at all!

Nom Nom Nom

Shrimp Soup with Chilli Tortilla Strips
(It takes about 45 minutes, start to finish)

1 large poblano pepper, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
I added a handful of bell pepper too, mainly for color.
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 qt. chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 12 ounce package frozen shrimp (peeled and deveined- not cooked!)
(If you got a BIG bag of shrimp, no big deal- just freeze whatever is left over for the next shrimp dish you make!)
1 cup frozen corn
1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup snipped FRESH cilantro
2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1 small avocado, halved, seeded (this is to put on top when you serve it)

2 8-9 inch flour tortillas
1 Tbsp olive oil
chilli powder

Soup

1)  In a 4-5 quart Dutch oven cook poblano pepper, onion, and garlic in hot oil until just tender.  Add broth, salt, and crushed red pepper.  Bring to boiling.  Add frozen shrimp, corn, and drained beans; return to boiling.

2) Simmer, unocvoered, for about 2 minutes or until shrimp are pink and pretty (they called it "opaque").  Stir in cilantro and lime juice.  Serve in shallow bowls with avocado and tortilla strips.

Chilli Tortilla Strips

1)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2)  Bring one side of the tortillas with the oil and sprinkle with chilli powder.  (They say 1/2 tsp, but I say use your own judgement as to how spicy you want them.)
3)  Using a pizza wheel slicer thing, cut into strips (see my picture way above).
4)  Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until crisp.
5)  Don't burn your tongue by trying to eat one the second you pull the pan out of the oven.

Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below!