Pork, Potato and Cabbage Soup

Winter is hanging on here in east Texas and there's nothing more comforting than a pipping hot bowl of soup. This soup is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 pound pork stew meat or any pork cut into bite size pieces
4 slices thick bacon, diced medium
 1 onion, chopped, any size you like ( I use Spanish)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
6 cups chicken stock
1 28 ounce can stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 medium head cabbage, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon (or less) coarsely ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions:

In a Dutch oven or stock pot, over medium high heat, add bacon, onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add pork and cook  until no longer pink.  Drain fat. Stir in stock, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and seasonings. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cabbage is tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve hot with toasty bread.

California Girl's French Bread Pizza

I love buying the day old french bread from Wal Mart. I pay as little as 60 cents a loaf for this beautiful bread, which is still perfectly delicious. I have to give a shout out to the absolutely lovely girls working in the bakery who do such a wonderful job putting out all the wonderful goodies like it's nothing. My favorite thing to do with it is French Bread Pizza. Out of this world yummy and so simple to make. There's no right or wrong here. Use what you have on hand or like best...Italian sausage, ground beef, pepperoni, peppers, onions, olives...you name it, you can't go wrong. Add a  little cheese and pasta sauce and dinner is done! And next time you're in a bakery, think of all the hard work that goes into all the baked goods we take for granted. I hope you enjoy this idea! xx

Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread (1 pound loaf)
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced 
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, ground beef or a mixture of (or, ground chicken, pork or turkey, also)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
12 to 15 ounces pasta sauce (you favorite, chunky or plain)
 1 8 ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese or your choice

Add your favorites: pepperoni,  mushrooms, black olives, tomato slices, jalapenos, etc.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 
Slice French bread into length wise. Set aside. In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When oil is hot, add onions, garlic and peppers. Stir and cook until vegetables are tender, but still have a slight crunch. Remove from pan. Set aside. To the same skillet, add ground meat and cook until no longer pink.Return the vegetables to the pan and stir Add Italian seasoning. Add pasta sauce and stir to combine. Let cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

To Assemble:
Spoon meat and vegetable mixture on each slice of French bread equally. Add on other toppings as desired. Sprinkle cheese on each slice and bake in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted. To serve, slice each piece of bread into 4 pieces. Serve with red pepper flakes and a crispy salad.

Fish Cakes

Serves 4
Ingredients:
Fish Cakes:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
About 3 cups white fish fillets, flaked
1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes – leftovers or about 2 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
2 green onions, white and green parts, finely sliced
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon dijon mustard



1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
 1 egg beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black cracked pepper
 1 1/2 cups milk
 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Tartar Sauce:
 1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dry tarter
1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
1 tablespoon red onion, finely minced
8 capers, finely minced
Juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoons fresh dill (use dry equivalent if needed)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Tarter Sauce:
Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired
Fish Cakes:

Steam or poach fish on stove top until done and flaky about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool and flake fish. Set aside. 
Add the mashed potatoes, green onions, lemon zest, parsley, Dijon mustard, egg, flour, Old Bay seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix until well combined. Don't over mix..Add milk a little at a time until mixture just holds together. Add the fish and stir gently to incorporate it into the potato mixture.Add more milk if needed.Patties should be firm. Form patties to desired size and coat with panko crumbs on both sides. Place the patties in the fridge for 10 minutes to set up.Heat butter and oil in skillet and fry patties to a golden brown. Serve with your favorite side or salad and serve with tater sauce.

Idea of the Week...California Girl Club

 So I'm thinking I need quick, yummy lunches to take to work in the coming weeks. Maybe I'll add soup or a small salad and a half sammy. Either way, I have all these ideas running through my head and here's one...   Grilled whole wheat bread Bacon Tomato Sliced chicken breast Arugala Avocado Mayo Any Questions?  

 

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

 

Adkins friendly, healthy and delicious. A must try quick lunch or dinner for your family. I love these.

Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken (Ground pork or turkey is a good alternative)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, small diced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce 

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger , finely minced
1 (8-ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and small diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced 

Salt 

Freshly ground black pepper
1 head butter lettuce

Instructions:
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground meat to a skillet and cook until browned, drain excess fat. Stir in garlic, onion, and ginger until tender. About 2 minutes. Add hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar and soy. Stir to combine.Stir in chestnuts and green onions and cook about 2 minute.Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and set aside. Wash and dry lettuce. Cut off lettuce core and pull off leaves. Dry leaves well and fill with equal amounts of filling. Fold over and serve with white or fried rice as a side.

Savory Bread Pudding

This yummy bread pudding is perfect for brunch, lunch or dinner and perfect served with a side salad. Just add love!

Butter or cooking spray
14 slices day old bread Bread, cut into cubes
1 large leek, cleaned well and sliced into coins. I used the white parts only for this and saved the green for another day. 
1 8 ounce package sliced white mushrooms
1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of celery soup 
6 eggs
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese 

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter or spray a 3 quart or slightly larger baking dish. In a frying pan add 2 tablespoon butter and cook leeks until tender. Add mushrooms and cook another 6 minutes. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the soups, eggs, milk, thyme and black pepper. Add in the bread, cooked leeks and mushrooms and 1 cup of cheese. Lightly toss with a spatula or spoon to coat. Let casserole set up and soak in the custard for 20 to 30 minutes. 

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle top with the remaining cheese and bake for an additional  5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Serve hot with your favorite side salad.

Corn Jalapeno and Zucchini Casserole

This casserole is a perfect side to any Sunday or Holiday dinner. It has a little bite from the jalapenos, but you can leave these out if you want or just use less. I think it is a meal all by its self. Try it. This stuff is awesome! 1 Package 8.5 ounces corn bread or corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy) 2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded zucchini 2 eggs, beaten 1/8 cup jalapeno rings (canned or jarred), minced  8 ounces shredded cheese (your choice) I used Monterrey Jack  1 can 15.25 ounce (or about) sweet yellow corn or frozen 1/4 cup sour cream 2 teaspoons Greek seasoning salt and pepper to taste Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into a sprayed or greased casserole dish. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until set in the middle and golden brown.   

 

Mongolian Beef with Vegetables and Rice

We love Chinese food. I mean who doesn't? The fact is I would eat Chinese every time we go out to eat if I could or at least call for a take out. I would say it's my biggest weakness. And in the last few years I honed my cooking skills toward Asian dishes and now I can do just about any dish at home. NOT good! Saying I'm not going out to eat Chinese has really lost any meaning when I know I can whip it up in a matter minutes. So now it's just a matter of will power.  A couple of years ago I remembered how much I loved Mongolian grills. And I decided to learn the art. I may not be a master, but I think this rivals some of the best Mongolian Beef I've had and it's so simple. If you're like me, you're going to want this in the rotation again and again. So grab your wok and give it a go!


Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds tender steak, thinly sliced. I like flank steak for this.
1/2 cup cornstarch 
3 to 4 tablespoons peanut or canola oil for frying
1/2 cup carrots, cut into coins
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup water chestnuts
6 green onions, cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces

Sauce:
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Stir sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. In a skillet or wok, add cooking oil and heat until smoking. Mix steak pieces in cornstarch and place in the pan or wok. Stir fry just until it is still very pink in the middle.
Add carrots, ginger and garlic and stirfry for 2 minutes. Add onion, broccoli and water chestnuts and stir fry for 2 minutes. Toss in green onions and cook 1 minute. Add bowl of sauce. Cook until sauce has thickened and is coating the meat and vegetables. Remove and serve with white rice or your favorite noodles.

Philly Cheese Steak Burritos

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound flank steak, trimmed
1 thinly sliced onion  

1 thinly sliced green bell pepper 

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

4 flour tortillas

1 to 1/2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

Preparation:

Heat skillet with olive oil, on medium high heat. Slice beef into thin slices. Add beef slices to pan and cook until beef starts to brown.  Add onions, peppers, mushroom and garlic. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add cumin, salt, pepper and stir. Remove from heat, cover so mixture stays hot and set aside.

Roll 4 large tortillas in paper towels and heat for 30 seconds in microwave. Remove and divide filling evenly among tortillas.  Add cheese to each, fold sides and bottom in and roll into burritos. Serve warm with cheese gooey melted. Enjoy!

Note: Beef slices best when semi frozen. The thinner you cut the beef, the more tender it will be.

California Girl's Pulled Pork & Poppyseed Apple Slaw

Serves 6 to 8

Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
Rub:

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Pork:
2 ½ to 3 pounds pork shoulder
2 cups water
Barbecue sauce

6 to 8 Poppy seed buns
Swiss or Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions:
Mix all spice rub ingredients in a bowl.

Cut pork shoulder into pieces to fit crock pot and place in a glass or plastic bowl. Sprinkle with spice mix and rub into meat. Cover with cling and allow to marinate in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours or overnight.

Remove pork from bowl and place in slow cooker with 2 cups of water. Turn temperature to low and cook for 7-8 hours, or until meat falls apart when pulled with a fork.

When done, place meat on a cutting board and pull apart using two forks. Return shredded pork to pot and add BBQ sauce to taste.

Make sandwiches.  



Poppy Seed Apple Slaw
Ingredients:
1 small head green cabbage, washed and shredded
¼ of a small red cabbage, washed and shredded
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced in thin match sticks with a knife
1 bottle poppy seed dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Toss all ingredients in a large bowl with dressing, salt and pepper.






　

Seafood Crepes

Serves 4
Whenever I make this dish, I can’t help but remember that there was a time that I couldn’t boil water. And it wasn’t for the lack of my Mom and Grandmother trying to teach me. One day it all clicked and I fell in love with the art of cooking. This was the first recipe I made that everyone loved, especially my Mom.

While working at a gourmet café and bakery, many years ago, I learned to make seafood crepes, from a Dutch Chef named Jan. He was temperamental, self absorbed and an amazing chef and teacher.

I have tweaked this recipe quite a bit to suite my taste and laziness, but the base recipe was the work of Jan. Thanks Jan, it has been my all time favorite. I can still hear you yelling to this day : ). I did master sauces, despite you!

A side note: I like to make my crepes first and set them aside. They will be going into the oven, anyway, so it really doesn’t matter if they cool a bit. You can use any seafood you like in this recipe. I trade (cheat) and use a ½ pound of seafood salad in lieu of a package of crab meat. It adds even more creaminess to the dish. You can use lobster, calamari, any firm white fish, even fried potatoes. OMG! Do I need to say versatile and incredible? Try it. Make it your own. Customize the recipe to your taste. Enjoy!

Crepe Ingredients:2 eggs
1 ¼ cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tbs melted butter
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon baking powder

Crepe Directions:In a bowl, whisk all crepe ingredients together until smooth. Cover mixture and chill for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Heat an 8 to 10 inch non-stick skillet on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Spray pan well with non-stick spray. When hot, pour ¼ cup of batter into pan and swirl the batter around to coat the bottom of the pan. When edges begin to brown, loosen the crepe with a spatula all the way around. Guiding the spatula under the crepe, gently flip the crepe using your fingers and the spatula. Brown other side (maybe 15 seconds )and continue process until you have used all the batter. Make sure you spray the pan between each crepe!

Make crepes as suggested.

Note: Crepes freeze well for up to a month or so. Separate crepes with parchment and place in a Zip lock baggie. You can freeze the seafood filling as well, in a airtight container.

Ingredients for seafood filling:2 tablespoons butter or margarine
¼ cup shallots, diced small
¼ cup mushrooms, sliced
1 large piece (jarred) sweet red pepper, diced
½ cup scallops, rinsed and chopped into small pieces
¾ cup small cooked shrimp
2 tablespoon capers
1 teaspoon dill weed (or More…or less if you don’t care for dill)
1 teaspoon old Bay seasoning
¾ cup half-and-half
1 8 ounce brick cream cheese, cubed small for easy melting
2 teaspoons fine lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 ounces seafood or crab salad or 6 ounces imitation or real frozen crab meat
1 to 1 ½ cups Monterrey or Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
8 crepes (for 2 each)
*If you like a little spice, add chopped jalapenos or cayenne pepper to the recipe : }.

Directions:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a frying pan, add butter and melt on medium heat. Add diced shallots and mushrooms and cook until shallots are translucent and mushroom are tender. Add red pepper, scallops and shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Add capers, dill and seasoning, half-and-half, cream cheese, zest and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the cream cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Add seafood salad and stir to incorporate.

Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling down the center of each crepe. Roll the crepe and place in a baking dish. Repeat until all the crepes are made. Spoon any leftover filling on top of crepes and sprinkle generously with cheese.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese on top is melted and stringing.

Garnish with dill and Serve hot with a side salad.

　

Potato Pancakes

Growing up in a southern household in the middle of Southern California, I ate a few things my friends never even heard of.  Fried frog legs, venison burgers, tuna and eggs and good ole southern potato pancakes. Yep. Latkes, you say? NO! Mashed potato cakes. YES!…and Yum! You have to try these. It’s comfort food for me : ).

Ingredients:
Oil for frying
2 cups mashed potatoes
2 eggs
¼ cup flour
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons fresh chives cut small

Directions:
Mix all ingredients for potato cakes in a large bowl. If mixture is too thin, add more mashed potato or if you have to, add a bit more flour.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil at a time in a frying pan or less oil if using a griddle. When oil is hot enough for frying, scoop about ¼ cup batter in a measuring cup and drop into hot pan. Cook both sides golden brown and lacy.

Serve with sour cream or apple sauce.

Dilly Tuna Salad in a Tomato Bowl

This is one of my all time favorite brunch recipes.  Looks elegant and takes only minutes to prepare. Not to mention it is so tasty!

Ingredients:

3 large tomatoes, hollowed out *(reserve all the inside meat and chop to go into salad)
1 can 6 ounce light tuna in water
1 can 6 ounce can white flake tuna in water
tomato meat from hollowing out tomatoes
1 tablespoon red onion, minced
1 tablespoon dill pickle, minced
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoon yogurt
1 tablespoon capers. chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons dill weed or 2 sprigs fresh dill chopped

Directions:

Mix all together and stuff inside tomatoes, Garnish with dill or parsley and serve with crackers or on top of a salad.

Enjoy!

Simple Wraps

These guys don't need any introduction. Simple and tasty wraps! Delicious, fast and very portable.  No recipe necessary.  Just use what you like or what you have on hand.  Also, these make great finger appetizers when made in mini form.  Just quarter the tortilla wraps for the tiny version. This is one of those recipes I always have the ingredients on hand for and forget the idea. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Tortilla Wraps. like tomato,spinach, jalapeno, wheat or flour

Sliced or shredded meats, like turkey, roast beef, chicken, ham or pastrami.
(I've even used fish with fries, slaw and a squeeze of lemon or tarter : )

Romain Lettuce

Tomato

Cheeses, such as, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, Smoky Cheddar, Munster, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Fontina, swiss or American

Lay ingredients in wrap, fold over one end and roll! Viola, lunch is ready!!!
 ,

Shredded Chicken Nachos

Shredded Chicken Nachos Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup white or yellow onion, diced
3 cups store bought roasted chicken or your own, shredded
1 15 ounce can black or pinto beans, un-drained
1 10 ounce can Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies)
¼ cup water
1 package taco seasoning
2 cups fiesta blend shredded cheese
1 bag of corn tortilla chips

Directions:In a skillet, sauté diced onion until tender. Add shredded chicken, beans, Rotel, water and stir in taco seasoning. Stir and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until thoroughly hot. Remove from heat. Add tortilla chips to plates, divide chicken mixture into 4 portions and spoon over tortilla chips. Add cheese and place plates in microwave for 30 to 60 seconds each or until melted. Microwave ovens vary in temperature, so watch it! Top as desired.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa (I used black bean and corn salsa).

Enjoy!

Cottage Garden's Cheesy Chicken Asparagus Soup

What's not to like? Cheese, chicken, potatoes and asparagus! This was by far one of the most requested soups at our restaurant. It's creamy, cheesy and so delish. It has a taste like no other. This soup will be an instant hit! Hope you enjoy!

Cooks Notes:
I buy many off brand items, but a good brand of asparagus is worth it in this case. Most off brands are woody, stringy and tough when it comes to asparagus. Spears work best. After all, asparagus is the star of this recipe!

Ingredients:
water
3 to 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, washed
2 tablespoons chicken flavor bullion or 1 can chicken broth
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 onion, diced or chopped
1 pound Velveeta or store brand processed cheese, cubed
3 cans asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces (IMPORTANT! Reserve liquid from asparagus cans and add with asparagus.)
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup flour
1 quart half and half , divided

Directions:
Fill a large soup pot with 3 quarts water. Add chicken, salt, pepper, garlic powder,and bouillon or chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and chop into pieces. Sit aside. It's time to add the cubed potatoes and onion. Continue to cook until potatoes are fork tender. Return chopped chicken to pot, add cubed cheese and cook, stirring as needed until cheese is melted. Add asparagus, the asparagus liquid, 2 cups of half and half and stir. Turn down heat to low so soup doesn't stick or burn while you're making the roux.
In a small saucepan, heat butter. Gradually whisk in flour to form a paste, or roux. Then, gradually whisk in the remaining half and half and continue to stir until mixture is smooth and pasty. If you should need additional liquid for the roux, add a little warm water. Add roux to the soup and stir to incorporate well. Continue to cook, soup will become thicker.
Add shredded cheese and adjust seasoning if you need to.
Soup is ready to serve.

Another Sandwich...

I know, I know, I know...yes, I'm posting another sandwich. This is just how my week is going. After the holidays and all the baking and slaving over a hot stove, I was just ready for a little break. So enjoy!

Cheesy Bacon Potato Salad

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, boiled in jackets and cubed

3 green onions, chopped

6 slices bacon, fried crispy and crumbled

3/4 cup good mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain yogurt

4 to 5 ounces mixed Colby/jack cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together, season and gently mix. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cooks Note: If you want the cubes to stay reasonably in tact after you toss the salad, cook potatoes al dente and refrigerate the cubed potatoes until firmly set before tossing mixture together. Otherwise, the potatoes with mash somewhat when mixed.

Texas Style Pastrami & Turkey on Black Rye with Jalapenos
Serves 4 or more

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter
1 loaf dark rye bread, cut lengthwise into three long slices
8 ounces real deli turkey breast (not pressed)
8 ounces deli pastrami
4 slices Provalone cheese
2 large leaves butter lettuce or a nice handful of spring mix
4 to 6 large slices fresh tomatoes
2 to 3 pickled jalapenos, sliced or 15 or so slices
Mayo and/or mustard to taste
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon butter and toast all three slices of bread. In the same skillet, add the rest of the butter and heat turkey and pastrami for 2 to 3 minutes and remove.

Building the Sandwich:
Spread bread slices with mayo or mustard and place pastrami on bottom slice of bread, then add 1/2 the cheese slices to the top of the pastrami. Top pastrami and cheese with tomato and jalapeno slices. Add the middle bread slice and top with the turkey, the remaining cheese and lettuce. Add the top and secure the layers together with a long tooth pick or cocktail fork. Divide into individual sandwiches.

Cooks note: I like my deli meat cut on no. 1 or 2 thickness. This is also the cut we used in our restaurant and everyone seemed to really like it and even commented on it. However, to each his own. If you like thicker slices, ask for it. I prefer this particular thickness because it can be fluffed and is much more aesthetically pleasing. It's just plain looks purdy this way! As my Uncle Frank would say ; ).

Shrimp & Bacon Club with Pommes Frites

This recipe is for 2 sandwiches. That said, these are huge and can easily feed 4 when cut in two. Absolute-a-ly de-licious! We love this sandwich. It is very much like one of the sandwiches we served at our tea room. I gave it a little twist, but other than that this is our shrimp and bacon. Funny, but true story...a lot of the Doctors from the local hospital ate in our establishment on a fairly regular basis. One Doctor in particular loved this sandwich. He ordered it quite often and picked it up to go when he had to. One day he came in to pick up his order and said to me, "I gotta tell you, I couldn't wait to get though with my last patient. All I could think about was getting to my shrimp and bacon sandwich". He said, he just kept looking at the clock and thinking it's almost lunch time! He was an OB GYN! Now you know what they're thinking!

*First prepare garlic mayo sauce and refrigerate to let flavors meld.

Garlic Mayo Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Several drops hot sauce, to taste

In a bowl, stir all ingredients well and refrigerate.

Belgian Fries or Pommes Frites
4 cups vegetable or peanut oil
2 to 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into uniform strips.
salt

Frites Directions:
Pommes frites are fried twice. So this is a two step process. Fill a large heavy bottom pot or deep fryer 2/3 full of oil and heat for deep frying. A thermometer should read 325 to 350 degrees. Dry potatoes well so that they don't splatter when they are lowered into the hot oil. Lower potatoes in using a large spoon and fry for appoximately 5 minutes. Don't over crowd the fries. Fry in as many batches as you need to for your size pot. Keep in mind that you are not frying them completely. Just to a lightly golden color. When fries are the desired color, remove them and drain on paper towels in a colainder. This is the first fry. Let fries rest for as long as possible and then return them to the hot oil to cook to a golden brown color. This should only take 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oil again and drain. Using a large kitchen bowl (a salad bowl works well), place fries with salt and toss well. Serve hot with sauce, if desired. We used the garlic mayo sauce as a dip for the frites.

Shrimp & Bacon Club with Avocado and Garlic Mayo Sauce

(Ingredients make 2 sandwiches, 1/2 for each)

6 medium thick slices bread (I used French bread here)
8 slices bacon, fried and drained well
2 leaves Bibb lettuce or small handful of spring mix, washed if need be
4 slices tomato, washed and sliced
4 slices Swiss cheese
10 medium frozen shrimp, defrosted in warm water, tails removed
Hot sauce

1 avocado, seeded and sliced
8 extra long frilly sandwich toothpicks (4 for each clubstyle sandwich)

Directions:
Add frozen shrimp to a bowl of warm water to defrost. Let sit while you fry the bacon. On a griddle or flat grill, fry bacon until crispy. Remove from grill, drain well and sit aside. Drain shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Lay shrimp on one side of the grill and add 2 to 3 drops of hot sauce to each. Fry on each side for 1 or 2 minutes. Set aside. Toast bread on the other side of the grill.

Assemble Sandwich:
Spread one side of each slice of bread with garlic mayo sauce.
Add 1 slice of cheese to a slice of bread and top with shrimp
Top shrimp with avocado slices
Top avocado slices with another slice of bread, mayo side down
Add mayo to the other side of the bread and add another slice of cheese
Add bacon to the cheese and top bacon with tomato slices
Top Tomato slices with lettuce and add slice of bread to top.

Here's where the tricky part starts. Stick a toothpick in each of the four sides of the bread in a cross type pattern, midway between the edge of the bread and the center. Using a bread knife, cut bread diagonally crisscrossing the sandwich in an X pattern. It's a little tricky holding it all together and cutting at the same time but you can rearrainge anything that falls out. Once sandwich is cut into four pieces, join two quarters together, end to end using toothpicks in top and bottom to secure together. Do this for each sandwich.