Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

I had a thought that I need to know if other people think. See, I was listening to the radio, and the host was talking about this girl that won their iheartradio contest. She went jet-skiing with someone, got glittered by Ke$ha, and was hanging out backstage with Pitbull. And I just want to know, if that were me, what in the world would I say to Pitbull? Or Kesha. Like, would we talk politics? Our childhoods?

 This sauce was much easier to figure out. Probably because I didn't have to talk to it. It's perfect for the weeknight because it comes together in about 10 minutes and can go on just about anything.

It's beyond simple. You need: roasted red peppers, a shallot (a bit of onion will do), (toasted) walnuts, garlic, dried oregano, parmesan, and olive oil.

 I made a last-minute decision to cook the shallot and garlic to take a bit of the edge off. A few minutes over medium-low heat until they're softened a bit really makes a difference.

 I think we can agree that freshly shredded Parmesan beats the pants off pre-shredded Parmesan any day. Seriously, just buy a block of Parm and shave a little here, grate a little there, and use the rind in soup. Good cheese is so worth it!

 Ingredients go into a food processor or mini chopper. I'm sure a blender will work just fine as well.

 Halfway + cheese

 It's up to you just how pureed you want it. I went with a pretty smooth texture. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking. You probably won't need much salt since the cheese is pretty salty on its own.

 [Splat]

 Wonderfully vibrant and stupid-easy.

 I usually have mushroom ravioli in the fridge because it's so dang easy to top with a sauce for a quick meal. Pick your favorite pasta and run with it!

 Of course extra Parmesan on top never hurt anyone.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (makes about 1/2 cup)

1/4 shallot, roughly sliced

2 small cloves garlic (or 1 larger clove), roughly sliced

Handful shelled walnuts, toasted

1 jarred roasted red pepper

1/4 c shredded Parmesan

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 tbs olive oil, plus more if needed

Salt & pepper to taste

• Begin by sautéing the shallot and garlic in a smidgen of butter or olive oil over medium heat. Cook until the shallot and garlic are softened a bit, about 3-4 minutes.
• In a food processor, combine the cooked shallot and garlic, walnuts, red pepper, Parmesan, and oregano. Pulse until mostly smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil and pulse until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
• Suggestions for use: as pasta sauce, on toasted baguette with goat cheese, in a grilled cheese.

Salted Caramel Mocha & Hot Chocolate

I hope y'all had a delicious, stretch-pants-worthy Thanksgiving. With Thanksgiving comes my most favorite time of year. The Christmas music starts playing non-stop on the radio and becomes my Pandora station for the month.  And wouldn't you know it, we're actually having some cool weather here in good ol' South Carolina. Last year it barely got cold enough for me to need long sleeves, but this year the air has a crispness that I've sorely missed.

Cocktail Sauce

There are some things I just won't buy. Like I have to make it myself because I've convinced my crazy brain that there's no way storebought even comes close. Obviously mayonnaise does not fall into this category. We all know I love my Duke's. These things do include poundcake, pimento cheese, and cocktail sauce. Boiled shrimp and cocktail sauce are a mainstay at our tailgates and family gatherings. Sometimes we swap out the shrimp for crab meat and pour it over cream cheese. It's the business.

White Bean Cakes with Avocado Sauce

Y'all, we're less than a month away from football season. I know a lot of y'all aren't ready for summer to end, but lucky for me it doesn't really end until...mid-October? That's when the weather starts acting crazy. Hot one minute, cold the next. At any rate, it's the time of year now when my blood starts to rush and I savor those last ears of summer corn.

Barbecue Shrimp

One of my absolute favorite dinners is this barbecue shrimp. It's perfect for eating outside on a screen porch with plenty of paper towels and cold adult beverages. In fact, this was the first meal my brother-in-law ate with my family. Which in retrospect was a little...mean. It's hard to be charming and graceful sucking juice out of a shrimp shell. That's kind of mandatory too. You can't just peel the shells and eat the shrimp. First, you suck the juice out of the shell, then you peel it, then you dip it back in the sauce and eat. The leftover sauce on the plate gets sopped up with buttery french bread.

SC Shrimp Creole

This is a meal my family eats regularly.  Shrimp creole is thick and spicy and tomatoey.  I'll be honest.  I'm not even going to claim this is authentic because I have no idea if it is.  I've had shrimp creole exactly once in Louisiana, and I don't remember it that well.  BUT!  It has some of the most important elements of that style of cooking and rocks my world to boot.  So there.  Nanny-nanny boo boo.