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the RARE belle

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Tag Archives: epicurious

shrimp-n-grits belleiciousness…

05 Saturday Aug 2017

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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delish, epicurious, from a chef's kitchen, Maebells, recipes, shrimp and grits

Shrimp and grits go way back here in South Carolina (read a brief history here), but versions of this delightful dish are popping up all over the country!  Now, we must admit…with the addition of heavy sauces and gravies in many cases, we don’t often allow ourselves the luxury of sitting down to a bowl of this belleicousness.  

In comes one belle-brother (thanks, sweet Adam) and his very own shrimp-n-grits concoction.  On a recent family trip, Adam took to the kitchen to show off his perfected recipe…and my, oh, my!!  It was absolute perfection!

His creation…(we will share the recipe when he gives us permission 😉

And some of our favorite recipes…

From Delish,,,


From A Chef’s Kitchen…(a casserole)…


From Maebells…


And from Epicurious…(the over-easy egg would is a game-changer!)…


Gotta go…we’re hungry!

a&a

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our new favorite marinade…belleicious

02 Friday Jun 2017

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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amazon, epicurious, fresh herbs, gourmet garden, himalayan pink sea salt, marinade

We have this one on frequent rotation! It’s super-easy and we’ve even been known to throw a bit in with our salads to jazz them up.  We use fresh herbs (but in a pinch y’all can easily use those pre-chopped herbs that come in the little containers in the produce section of the grocery with great success)

All you need is the following …

The Belles’ Favorite Summer Marinade

From Epicurious
Ingredients:

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. hot red pepper flakes

1/4t.   Coarse ground black pepper

1/2 t. Coarse salt (we are big fans of Pink Himalayan sea salt) 

4 strips lemon zest  

3 cloves garlic , crushed and minced 

1/4 cup fresh parsley 

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, cilantro, dill, oregano, or a mix of all four (we like basil, cilantro and oregano)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Prep:
Combine lemon juice, hot pepper flakes, pepper, and salt in a non-reactive (glass, ceramic or stainless steel) bowl and whisk until salt crystals are dissolved

Add lemon zest, garlic, parsley and basil. Stir or whisk in the olive oil.  Stir before using . 

Now the original recipe states that the joy of this recipe lies in its freshness. Very true, but we have had it around for several days and still thoroughly enjoyed its flavor. 

Voila!
If you need the Pink Himalayan sea salt…which you do…you can get it on Amazon or your local grocery should carry it


And here’s is a pic of the short cut herb you can use…

Let the marinatin’ and grillin’ season begin!

a&a

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a flavor-filled fast feast…

31 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious, what's ringin' our belle

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coconut chicken curry, easy, epicurious, fast, healthy

We saw this Coconut chicken curry from Epicurious and made it on the fly.  It was delish! 

Served it with cauliflower rice and peas on the side to round out the meal . 
Here’s what you’ll need.  (All the cashews had been gobbled up so we substituted pine nuts with great success)


And we had slightly less meat (more like a pound and a half) and were generous with the spices.
Here’s what you need to do 

Via Epicurious





Feast complete…bon appetit!
a&a

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oh-so-good Osso Buco…belleicious!

14 Friday Oct 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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epicurious, veal osso buco


With cooler weather just around the bend …we belles start thinking about slow cooked, melt-in-your-mouth comfort dishes…especially those that upgrade the standard casserole effort without too much extra time in the kitchen.
The only issue we had while making this recently was the fact that the cooler weather hasn’t quite made it this far south!!  We cranked up the stove…and then the oven for 2 1/2 hours…in a small kitchen while the air conditioning was on the blink. What were we thinking?!?! Proceed with visual of hissy fit…. 

Although our tempers were tested, we were way judgier about the result of this Veal Osso Buco from Epicurious

So we thank our lucky stars and y’all will too when you taste this mouthwatering,  beautifully seasoned fall-worthy dish. 

We didn’t change a thing, initially because we were madder than wet hens about the heat situation, but it turns out this recipe needs no tweaking. It’s perfect just the way it is…as long as it’s not a 110 degrees in your kitchen…just sayin 

The Belles’ Favorite Osso Buco


All you need to do is a little chopping …


A little dredging…



Brown zee meat…


Add a few ingredients 


Leave to cook for awhile 

And then voila…


Serve and savor!

Risotto, polenta or potatoes all work beautifully with this dish. But…we chose to serve it with sautéed spinach as we were still in swimsuit season when we taste tested.  This would be fabulous for a dinner party as well.

Bon appetit

a&a

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a super-Tuscan dinner…belle-icious inspiration

15 Friday Jul 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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antipasto, Bon Appétit, epicurious, garlic, Italy, Martha Stewart, pasta, pomodoro, salad, veal, Vinaigrette

While traveling in Italy this week, we realized that it was much more fun to gather ingredients (fresh pastas, tomatoes, bread…) and wine (LOTS of wine) throughout the day for our evening meals at our villa than to sit in restaurants at the mercy of the server, chef, and fellow patrons. (Twelve southerners can get a bit rowdy…just sayin’). We had our own “chef” among us…and plenty of “help”- (a person in charge of music, someone watching the wine, a salad tosser…you get the picture).

Our “event-planner in residenza” (from The Party Girl Events…with us by coincidence)  would set the scene…


And each evening, we would start with an antipasto platter, filled with local fare…

…then our gastronome would work his magic in the kitchen!

This particular evening, “Chef John” decided a bit of veal scallopini with pasta al pomodoro and ensalada verde would hit the spot. And did it ever!!

Check out the finished product:

the entire spread…pasta, veal, salad, bread

if only this were “scratch-n-sniff” so you could get a whiff of the garlic!  (Check out this pomodoro sauce from Bon Appetit)

the veal…lightly breaded, pan sautéed and oh-so- tender…loaded with capers, mushrooms and lemon (very similar to this recipe from Epicurious)

the salad with arugula and maché, dressed with a garlic vinaigrette (try this one from Martha Stewart if you aren’t comfortable “wingin’ it”)

a very happy belle’s plate!

But just remember…this fun can be had any old Saturday night after a visit to your local farmers market and a quick phone call to ten of your closest friends. When guests show up, give them a job, pour the wine, and see where the evening takes you!

Buona apetite!!

a&a

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what’s ringin’ our belle…round 44

08 Tuesday Mar 2016

Posted by theRAREbelle in what's ringin' our belle

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chalkboard, dijon, empathy vs sympathy, epicurious, hangover cure, omeleto, pear juice, shutterbean, spiked coffee milkshake, townandcountry, what your cravings really mean

The latest belle-ringers…


1. What your cravings really mean….

via pinterest

2. We are totally craving this…

 

via pinterest

 
3. Gonna give this a try !

 

via pinterest

 
4. Because we want to prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s…

  
5. If you do nothing else…please read this

via pinterest

6. Pardon me …do you have any Grey Poupon?  Time to bust out the Dijon .

 7. Favorite flower arranging tricks

 

via food52

 
8. We think this is the vase for those flowers….

Can ya hear the belles ringin’?

a&a

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4th of July menu…celebrating belle-style

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by theRAREbelle in belle-icious

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alexandra cooks, andoiulle burger with spicy mayo and caramelized onion, beet and tomato salad, epicurious, freutcake, new potato salad with harrisa dressing, new potatoes with green harissa, pineapple mojito, saltine ice cream sandwiches, smitten kitchen, sweet basil vinaigrette, the cafesucrefarine

Time to make a menu plan for the big holiday weekend, belles. We are here to help!

First and foremost, we think a patriotic toast is in order. Let’s start off with a refreshing libation that will get your tastebuds going…and the crowd…because it’s a big batch recipe. Less work, more fun!!
  
Via Freutcake

Cocktails, everyone!  Pineapple mojito from Freutcake. 

The Main Attraction

Now for zee main course.  Hamburgers are a classic American go-to, but we like stepping it up a notch with these Andouille and beef burgers with spicy mayo and caramelized onions from Epicurious.  We found these in a Bon Appetit magazine years ago and they have never failed us. Can y’all say taste-thrill?? 

Via Epicurious  

We have tweaked this burger just a wee bit…. So here’s our version:

Best Belle Burger

For the spicy mayo:

3/4 cup mayonnaise (we are Hellman’s belles)

1 T + 1t  Cajun or Creole seasoning (we like Tony Cachera’s)

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (we are partial to Tabasco)

1/4 -1/2 t cayenne

Burgers: 

1/2 pound andouille sausage, cut into tiny 1/4 inch cubes (we have been known to grill the sausage seperately and add on top…but it is better to combine it ahead) 

1t salt

1/4 t ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck or ground beef (20% fat)

Caramelized onions

1 1/2 pounds onions,  thinly sliced 

2 T olive oil, plus more for brushing grill rack

3 garlic cloves, minced

1T brown sugar (we use golden)

6 split hamburger buns 

3 cups watercress or butter lettuce

8 ounces crumbled blue cheese (optional)

What to do:

For mayo: Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (can be made 2 days ahead)

For burgers: Toss all ingredients together and blend gently. Form into six patties.  Cover and chill. (can be made 1 day ahead) 

For onions: Prepare grill or heat stove to medium-high heat. Toss onions, oil, sugar, and garlic into a large skillet. Cook until onions are golden, stirring often – around 25 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. (can be made 1 day ahead)

Lightly toast buns on grill. Grill burgers to desired doneness.  Top each burger with mayo, onions, blue cheese, and lettuce.  Serve remaining mayo on side. 

Dig in!!
Celebration worthy sides:

Beet, tomato and goat cheese salad with basil vinaigrette:

We thought a few more fireworks need to explode in your mouth, and this tasty salad with a sweet basil vinaigrette from the cafe sucre farine should do the trick!  This vinaigrette is bright, beautiful, sweet and tangy. Very addicting and delicious on any salad. 

Here is the link to this magical elixir of a dressing. We found no way to improve on it…now that’s saying something!!

As for the salad we just layered fresh sliced tomatoes, roasted beets, a sprinkling of goat cheese, and a drizzle of the sweet basil vinaigrette. Voila!! 

  Gorgeous if we do say so ourselves!!

New Potato Salad with Green Harissa:

Another side that we love…and this is unusual for us because we think it’s very hard to make a potato salad with flavor…is the new potatoes with green Harissa from Alexandra cooks. 

This potato salad is a blue-ribbon winner, and the Harissa brings so much flavor…your tongue might just sing Yankee Doodle in glee!  The color dulls a little when mixed with the potatoes but not the taste.  And bonus for no mayo so it can sit out with no fear! 

You start out with some baby new potatoes, a couple of handfuls of fresh herbs, garlic, lemon, and some olive oil, a jalapeño, salt and pepper

  

Then you cook the potatoes…we tried Alexandra’s technique and loved it. 

 

Now it’s time to make the green Harissa…the bursts of flavor have arrived!!! 

   

Yippee!!!

Now just mix and serve 

 

Delish!! Find the full recipe here. 

The grand finale:

Belles live for the magic of fireworks. We picked a dessert you could make ahead of time, was cool, all-American, and could be eaten with your hands while watching the sky light up!! Brilliant, we humbly say, in the form of ice cream sandwiches. You will be whistling Dixie when you eat these…promise! 

  
Via the rare belle
Saltine Cracker Ice Cream Sandwiches from The Smitten Kitchen

We followed this recipe to the letter EXCEPT we doubled the caramel…why do when you can overdo???

You line a pan with greasd foil and lay your saltines in a single layer. 

 

Then you make your toffee (this is the part we doubled)  

 

Pour it over zee saltines, and bake in oven for a bit… 

 

Time to add the chocolate and nuts (optional) and spread about, 

  

 

A little cooling time is in order, then add your ice cream, assemble, and freeze for a good bit. Remove from freezer and you should have something like this: 

 

  
Cut into individual serving sizes: 

 

  
  
Belle-icious, belle-ectable, belle-worthy. 

Find the full recipe here. 

Wishing y’all an easy, celebratory and gourmet Independence Day!

a&a

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