Meal Planning with Connie

TripAdvisors’ number one Destin restaurant pick is McGuire’s. When we asked a couple of Destin locals for restaurant recommendations, they also highly recommended McGuire’s - especially their burgers! The steak house restaurant and gift shop has been featured on the Today Show, and also has a Pensacola location. The atmosphere is similar to our local Harvey's, or any of the chain restaurants with a bar area, just with a strong Irish theme. We went for an early lunch. It was quiet, and we had no wait. A novelty, at least to us, was the thousands of patron-autographed one dollar bills that hung from the ceiling and were taped to every imaginable surface in the restaurant. McGuire’s offers a wide variety of burger choices. Larry and I both ate the Bacon Cheese burger. M.C. ate the Blue Cheese Burger, and Logan got the Swiss burger. All were very good, but the favorite thing on my plate was the homemade potato wedges. They were sooo good! I left half my burger, just so I ...

Sausage Muffins I made these for Sunday School this morning. Everyone said they were good. M.C. liked them, too. This recipe is a bit different than the Sausage Muffins I usually make. I got the recipe from Temptations Tried and True, Baptist Memorial Union County's Relay for Life fundraiser cookbook. I believe they have sold all of them. I have one I will be giving away in a couple of weeks! More details to come! I did tweak the recipe a bit to use ingredients I had on hand. Sausage Muffins 1 can cheddar cheese soup 3/4 - 1 cup milk 3 tablespoons melted butter 3 cups Low-fat Bisquick 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 1 lb. sausage, browned and drained Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixing bowl, stir together soup and milk. Add butter, Bisquick, cheese and sausage. Stir. Spoon into sprayed muffin pans. These are really quick to make if you have your sausage pre-cooked and in the freezer.

On our way down to Destin, we decided to take a detour through Foley, AL and eat at Lambert's for old time's sake. When the kids were small, they loved going there and catching the rolls the waiters lop through the air from across the restaurant. We always came away stuffed on good Southern fare. On the way out, there was always a game of sidewalk checkers, and Dad had to take a photo or two (or three, or...) with all the different memorabilia that is in abundance both inside and outside this eating establishment. It had been years since we’d eaten at Lambert's, and fortunately, we found nothing had changed! We ate our fill of meat loaf, fried chicken, ham and beans, and a wide variety of sides, including mash potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, turnip greens, slaw, black-eyed peas, fried okra, country fried potatoes, etc.!! The Lambert's waiters go from table to table with metal mixing bowls filled with side dishes they have dubbed “Pass Arounds”. One can literally ea...

My favorite "Pass Around" at Lambert's is the Country Fried Potatoes. These are a delicacy I remember from childhood. My mom’s were great. So were my grandmother’s. A visit to Mammaw's house always included a big pan of her fried potatoes. My mother sliced hers, and my grandmother cubed hers. Each were a bit different from the other, but both were delicious! Every time I cook these, there are complaints from the kids. I never seem to cook enough!! Country Fried Potatoes Country Fried Potatoes Enough potatoes to feed your family (I cook 6 medium-sized potatoes for the four of us. We'd eat more!) onion, to taste (I usually use half an onion or so) Oil for frying (I use a very light olive oil) Slice potatoes and onion very thinly. Toss together. Pour about a half a cup of oil into your skillet - more or less depending on the amount of potatoes you are cooking. Use a cast iron skillet, if you have one. If not, any non-stick frying pan will work. Heat o...

We love cheese, and I enjoy experimenting with different varieties in my cooking. This site has some neat recipes and an offer for a free cheese variety chart and recipe booklet from Wisconsin Cheese Producers: http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/cheese/requestguide.aspx

We are back from a fun-filled few days at the beach! We had a great time and ate a ton of seafood! I guess we couldn’t get enough of a good thing, because we carted a cooler of it home with us! Larry cleaned all the shrimp, bless his heart, and grilled some of it for dinner tonight. We had Grilled Shrimp, Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Frozen Corn-on-the-cob and Hush Puppies. We are stuffed! Grilled Shrimp, Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Frozen Corn-on-the-cob and Hush Puppies Grilled Shrimp Before you begin the rest of you meal, peel and devein shrimp. Coat with a bit of olive oil. Place on skewers, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to grill. Be sure the rest of your meal is ready before you place the shrimp on the grill. They will cook quickly!! Remove skewered shrimp from fridge. Sprinkle with Lawry’s Season Salt. Place on hot grill, turning once. Watch closely. Shrimp cook quickly. When they turn pink, they’re done. Garlic Parme...

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. Psalm 34:10 Monday - Three Cheese Chicken Penne Bake, simple green salad and garlic bread Three Cheese Chicken Penne Bake 1 1/2 c. penne pasta, uncooked 2 c. fresh spinach (optional, but really good) 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed 1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce 2 oz (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel Cheese, cubed 1 c. shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese Cook pasta according to package directions; adding spinach to boiling water for last 1 minute. In a skillet, cook chicken with a bit of oil, butt...