Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos

Terrible weather here today. It's in the low 30s, and the rain is coming down just hard enough to be a nuisance. Naturally, I'm back to dreaming of places I'd rather be, which is basically anywhere other than here. But today, today I'm especially thinking of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos.

Time for another photo dump from the Christmas cruise, first mentioned here!

Not such a bad view to wake up to...

This was the first time we'd been off the ship in two days... rested and ready to explore!

First, we took a taxi downtown, passing a ton of narrow "streets" (more than one-car alleys) the people drove down at an insane pace.

Never ones to miss some the town, we stopped by some of the hotspots, including The National Museum of the Turks and Caicos (not a joke),

Her Majest(y's) Prison,

The island's public library, completed in 1889,

And perhaps a church with the most beautiful view in the world, St. Mary's Anglican Pro-Cathedral Church, built in 1900.

A view from the front doors,

 and from the entrance gate. How gorgeous is that?!

Well, I could only stand just looking at the water for so long, so I hopped the little stone barrier and went down to test the water.

It was freezing! Compared the Gulf of Mexico, which is essentially the temperature of bathwater year-round, I couldn't stand the water of wintertime Caribbean. Does that make me a weenie?

After all that fun in the water (like, 2 minutes worth), I was in desperate need of refreshment! We went over to a local market, met this festive sailor...

(Quite the chatty fellow!)

 And picked up a Turk's Head Island Draught Amber, which is a fine, if slightly sweet, beer,

After a short break, we headed over to our final stop of the day: the place where Columbus first landed in 1492 (though there is some dispute as to whether any of the Spaniards began to populate the island then, or later in 1512).

Exhausted from our adventures in the historic downtown area, known as Cockburn Town, we headed back towards the ship. There are some very touristy shops (think Diamonds International and perfume galore) that I avoided like the plague, as well as a pretty swimming area and tons of beach chairs under palm trees.

I'm happy to report that Daddy found the conditions permissible.

All good things do come to an end, though, so sun-tired and sandy we hauled ourselves back aboard and got ready for the night.  Before it got too late, though, I went upstairs and shot a couple more photos of the island

and of the ship.

Beautiful day, beautiful weather, beautiful place.

Who wants to go back with me?


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Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread

Alright, I'll do it. I'll stand up right here, right now and say it:

Hi, I'm Ash, and I'm a sweet cornbread addict.

Now I know full well that traditional cornbread is unsweetened and a bit savory. I know by admitting that I love me some sweetness, I've committed an offense almost equal to saying fried chicken is better made in the oven and humidity doesn't do my hair good. That's right, y'all: I've all but admitted that I'm un-southern.

Blame it on the San Fran roots, but I'm totally okay with that, because I get to eat sugary, buttermilky bread for dinner... #win

I know I mentioned serving this with Shrimp and Grits, but there are so many other options: for breakfast, reheated and covered in jam, crumbled in Thanksgiving dressing, or, if you are feeling especially feisty, sandwiched around a piece of fried chicken, which is efficient on so many levels.

Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8x8 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Once melted, remove from heat and whisk in sugar. In the same skillet, add eggs and whisk into butter mixture until well blended. Add buttermilk and baking soda, mixing to ensure even incorporation. Finally, stir cornmeal, flour, and salt into the butter mixture in the skillet, mixing until few lumps remain. Pour this batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, checking frequently after 27 minutes. The cornbread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Serves 9 if you cut evenly in three rows and columns, or 2 if you and a friend have a particularly fierce love of cornbread. Hey, no judgment either way.

* If you don't have buttermilk on hand you can always make it using regular milk and vinegar. For this recipe, use 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Allow to stand for at least 5 minutes, then use as you would buttermilk.

This recipe is originally from All Recipes, where it is called Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread. Whoever initially created this recipe ain't no grandmamma of mine, so I decided to rename it.

Cajun Sausage Shrimp and Creamy Cheese Grits

I think the best part of being home is all the extra time I have. I've been getting around to sewing that I needed to do, reading a book, studying for a few midterms, and, perhaps most importantly, watching a marathon of Top Chef Seattle.

One of my favorite episodes is restaurant wars, and I like this season's competing themes: contemporary Filipino vs. re-imagined French. I'm sure I am not the only one who is catching up on the show, so no spoilers for now!

Naturally I'm not happy just watching TV, so I've also been reading various blogs and magazines while listening to Gail tear the contestants apart. Between Cooking Light, Southern Living, and food blogs galore, I was ready to cook something... something real, real tasty.

Enter Cajun Sausage Shrimp and Creamy Cheese Grits. 

If you've never had shrimp and grits, I truly believe you are missing out on one of the most beautifully good things in life. Equal parts briny, creamy, and spicy, this dish is a must try. 

First, get your ingredients chopped, peeled, shredded, and ready:

Green and red bell pepper, celery, onion, green onions, and jalapeño,

Andouille sausage,

Shrimp,

And white cheddar cheese.

You'll need to combine the some flour and butter to make a roux, then add in the green stuff.

A roux is a thickening mixture of flour and butter, typical in French and Cajun cooking.

Throw in some chicken broth and your sausage...

Don't forget the shrimp!

This is the main protein of the dish, which will be spooned on top of your grits. 

Speaking of grits: bring the milk mixture to a boil, add the grits, and cook for about an hour. The grits will gradually thicken, until big, loud bubbles pop open on the surface (extremely scientific, I know).

Towards the end of the cooking process, you'll toss in the cheese you shredded,

As well as some cream and then bring back up to heat.

Ah, warm, cheesy, caloric goodness. Yeah, baby.

To put it all together, layer your grits as a base and then spoon your sausage shrimp mixture on top.

Perfection.

Cajun Sausage Shrimp and Creamy Cheese Grits
Ingredients
For the Grits:
4 tablespoons butter
5 cups milk (2% or whole)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon hot sauce
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 ½ cups uncooked stone-ground white grits
1 (10 oz.) block sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated 

For the Sausage and Shrimp:
1 ½ lbs. unpeeled, medium-sized raw shrimp (31-40 count)
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup chopped green and red bell pepper
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 lb. andouille or smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
1 (14-oz.) can chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
⅓ cup heavy cream
¼ cup chopped green onions 

Directions
For the Grits: 

Bring 2 tablespoons butter, 5 cups of water, and the milk, salt, hot sauce, and garlic to a boil in a medium-size Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gradually whisk in grits and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for an hour or until thickened. 

Stir in cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons butter until melted. Serve immediately. 

For the Sausage and Shrimp: 

Peel shrimp and de-vein, if desired. 

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; gradually whisk in flour and cook, whisking constantly, until flour is a light caramel color (about 6 minutes).
Add onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Add sausage and cook 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, salt, and pepper, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Bring to a light boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 8-10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Stir in shrimp, cream, and green onions and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. 

To serve, spoon cheese grits into the bottom of a large shallow bowl. Using a ladle, spoon some of the sausage, shrimp and broth on top. Add green onions when serving, if desired.  

Serves 6-8

I served this with a sweet cornbread - recipe here! 

Just Hanging Out

Oh hello, friends! 

I'm home in Texas for the week on break from school and thoroughly enjoying some R&R. 

The little mister above is Ralph. He's a spunky rascal, and has a knack for finding an elevated, cozy place from which to survey his kingdom (AKA the living room). 

Other scenes from around the house:

Some red roses from my dad to Mom for Valentine's Day, 

My lovely piano,

Beautiful days in Texas with a bright blue pool and plenty of sunshine,

(Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks the weather is absolutely fabulous (meet Patrick)),

 And a hint of a recipe to come soon -

Hope you all are having a great week!

Pretty Little Things

Sometimes you just need a pretty little thing or two (or three) to perk you up. 

Here's to an early spring and being more than halfway through February!

J Crew's Grand Stone Bracelet (other J Crew jewelry here) is a perfectly gorgeous blend of onyx, robin's egg blue, and emerald stones in an aged gold setting. I'm a huge fan of vintage and art deco; for me this is a perfect cross of old and new.

And just a slice of a recent Gap Body order. I'm in love with their underthings--so soft and so pretty.

Stay warm or go south, friends!

Valentine's Day Cookies

Perfect little cookies, just in time for Valentine's Day! These aren't just any cookies, though, these are red velvet cookies with white chocolate chips. Cakey and dense, they're quickly disappearing from the Château de Otter. They're easy to make, too, which is a major plus in my book.


First mix your dry ingredients together in one bowl: cocoa powder, corn starch, baking soda, salt, and flour. Then add your room temperature butter and brown and white sugar in another bowl. Cream the butter, add in some eggs, vanilla, and food coloring...

Et voilá! A beautiful, vibrant red cookie dough. 

Full disclosure here: I thought I had seriously messed up the recipe at this point. It looked like a combination of tomato paste and Play-Doh (yum, right?). But persevere, my friends! That's just the way it should be. 

Spoon out some dough, bake for 8 or 9 minutes, and ta-dah! Beautiful, super-red cookies, perfect for your sweetheart, friends, family, or just you.

Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips
Adapted from Cooking Classy

Ingredients 

2 1/4 cups flour
3 1/2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Red food coloring
White chocolate chips 

Directions 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking soda and salt, set aside.  

Add butter and sugars to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and mix on medium speed until very pale and fluffy about 4 minutes. Add egg and egg yolk and mix until combine. Add vinegar, vanilla and food coloring and mix until well blended. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine. Mix in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips.  

Scoop dough out by the heaping tablespoon full (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) and roll into balls and place on buttered or parchment paper lined cookie sheets. Press about 6 white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie and bake in preheated oven 8 - 9 minutes. 

Allow to cool several minutes on baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Note: these cookies do not spread at all. You can either leave them in a ball or press them down slightly for a bit flatter cookies. Personal preference.