Two lettuce salads with a small amount of dressing, two saltine crackers, two slabs of luncheon meat, two boiled eggs and a tripledecker tart with berry berry berries and whipped to pieces cream.
OR
Fried dill pickles, crisp lettuce leaves filled with fried crumps with fish sauce, cream pots with chocolate shavings topped with nutmeg and cinnamon, PBS pancakes with melted butter. Soooo goooood~
OR
Pop pop popovers…raspberry serum syrup….brown sugar bacon….feta cheese on top of bacon…with some mint and scrambled eggs with basil all chopped on top.
You might find the above menus a bit odd. They are here to give you an idea of the humor of my next subject: Paula E. Paula posts menus like these on her facebook wall. It took us a while to figure out she just made them up to amuse her friends. She is quite creative and funny, however, I do believe that all these ingredients are in her pantry. LOL.
Paula is an Elizabeth City native. I met her through her sister, Sandi, who is my neighbor. She lives in a lovely home near the river. Paula’s home is the perfect house for entertaining. It is open and has plenty of seating and a few large tables for eating.
Her kitchen is warm and inviting, decorated to the hilt with items she has picked up along life’s way. Many of her decorations are leftovers from an antique store that she and her daughter, Ashley, owned a few years ago downtown.
Paula is extremely creative and puts her touch on everything. Her husband came home from work and found out that she chalkboarded a few of their cabinets so she could change her theme from season to season or even day to day. He didn’t like it, but Paula says he’s gotten use to it now.
Growing up, Paula was more into decorating than cooking. Her mother was a terrific southern cook, however, Sandi was the one in the kitchen, not her. Paula learned to cook from the PBS chefs of the 80s, like Julia Child and Justin Wilson. She really liked that they cooked with wine. This was quite removed from her conservative Christian roots. Although a believer, Paula will firmly say that her Bible Belt doesn’t fit anymore.
Paula chose to create a meal from her pantry. She did not purchase anything special. She only prepared food that she had on hand. She was hesitant to show me her pantry, and was totally mortified that I would actually take a picture of it, but she was a good sport.
Paula’s kitchen is Julia Child-like. Her pots and pans are accessible and ingredients she uses everyday are on platters on the counter.
Today she invited me into her home and created the following REAL menu. She warned me that the measurements are a pinch of this and a pinch of that. I didn’t see any measuring tools in the kitchen.
- Salmon with “Sea Foam”
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- Fruit Confit with Greek Yogurt and Honey
Although a bit nervous at first, Paula prepared this luscious meal with three grandchildren running around the house, along with her son, a daughter, a sister and me staring at her. Needless to say, she was well organized.
The meal was delicious and I enjoyed the different flavors. All of the dishes were full of flavor and rather easy to put together. Paula is a wine lover, aka fellow wino, and served a Chardonnay with the meal. The grandchildren loved the meal too, except for her grandson, who was bummed he couldn’t just unwrap the bacon from the fish and eat it. So he jumped to dessert, which he had two of, and then decided we all needed backrubs. It was a wonderful day.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions Serves 8
She started with the sweet potatoes, since they take the longest to cook. Paula never liked sweet potatoes until she figured out you didn’t have to put all those marshmallows on them.
She had sweet potatoes and onions in her pantry. She washed and cut into cubes, 6 unpeeled sweet potatoes and two onions.
She seasoned with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for 1 to 1.5 hours in 450 oven. She likes them crispy.
After an hour she got them out and poured a little more olive on them and put them back in the oven.
Black Bean and Corn Salad Serves 8
This was a very simple dish to make and very tasty too. She opened a can of black beans and a can of corn. She rinsed them in a colander.
She combined the beans and corn into a bowl and added spring onions.
Then added some olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Combine. Serve with sour cream if desired.
Salmon with “Sea Foam” Serves 8
Paula used eight pieces of salmon that were frozen and pre-seasoned, however, she suggested seasoning with olive oil, salt and pepper if that wasn’t an option.
She wrapped each thawed filet with bacon and topped with a lemon slice.
She put the filets on an olive oil seasoned pan and baked for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
“Sea Foam”
She refrigerates this until time to serve. Serve on the side of the salmon. Wonderful!
Fruit Confit Serves 8
Paula keeps frozen fruit on hand. Today’s confit will consist of blueberries, peaches and blackberries.
Put 2 cups of blueberries and a large can of peaches in their natural juices into a saucepan. Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 of blueberry jam or whatever kind of jam you have on hand. This just adds to the sweetness. Add 1/2 cup of Splenda or sugar. Then add about 1/2 tsp of cardamom and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for at least 1/2 hour. At this point add some more frozen fruit (frozen blackberries or even some fresh apple). This is give a few chunks to the confit. Simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
Paula served this in dessert glasses and topped with Greek yogurt, drizzled honey and a spring of mint from her garden.
Paula's Cooking from the Pantry
- 6 sweet potatoes
- 2 onions
- Olive Oil
- Wash and cut into cubes, 6 unpeeled sweet potatoes and two onions.
- Season with olive oil and salt and pepper
- Roast for 1 – 1.5 hours in 450 degree oven. After an hour, remove and add olive oil and stir. Then put back in oven.
Black Bean and Corn Salad
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can corn
- Olive Oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Sour Cream (Optional)
- Rinse black beans and corn in a colander.
- Combine the beans and corn into a bowl and add spring onions.
- Add olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder and salt and pepper to taste. Combine.
- Serve with sour cream if desired.
Salmon with “Sea Foam”
- 8 frozen salmon fillets
- 8 slices of bacon
- 2 lemons
- 1 lime
- Olive oil
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 Tbsp capers
- Thaw 8 pieces of salmon that were frozen and seasoned, or season with salt, pepper and olive oil.
- Wrap each thawed filet with bacon and top with a lemon slice.
- Put the wrapped fillets on an olive oil seasoned pan and bake for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven.
- Serve with “Sea Foam” sauce
Sea Foam Sauce
- Combine mayo and sour cream, juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 a lime and capers.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve on the side of salmon.
Fruit Confit
- 2 cups frozen or fresh blueberries
- 2 cups frozen or fresh blackberries, apples, etc.
- l large can of peaches in natural juices
- 1/2 cup Jam – any kind
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 8 oz. Greek yogurt
- Honey
- Mint for garnish
- Place blueberries into a saucepan.
- Add balsamic vinegar, jam, sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
- Bring to boil
- Turn down heat and simmer for at least 30 min.
- Add the blackberries or apples (for a chunky feel)
- Simmer another 20-30 min.
- Serve with Greek yogurt drizzled with honey and garnish with mint leaf.
Regular Cooks 