Kathryn glad to be quarantined with good cook, sister Elizabeth

“Being quaratined with Elizabeth sounded scary at first, but she makes great food” said Kathryn Hathorne in a Twitter post including a picture of BBQ shrimp (at right).
“I have been trying to keep busy during social distancing by cooking, painting, taking walks, watching movies, and I even put up my Christmas tree and decorated it for spring because why not?” said Elizabeth.
“We have been trying to support local restaurants as much as possible while social distancing, but we have also been taking this time to cook more and try new recipes!” she said.

One favorite of theirs has been New Orleans style BBQ shrimp served with French bread, and “Kathryn always requess grits with this. Buy extra bread! You will run out quickly! This is a messy dish since you have to unpeel the shrimp to eat, so be sure to have lots of napkins!”

Elizabeth also loves making charcuterie and cheese boards, and says this has been the perfect time to try out some new ideas.
“They are great because anyone can make one, and there is no right or wrong way to create one! Pick things you know you and your family like and add in some new things to try! These are the perfect afternoon snack or appetizer to have out while dinner is being prepared because everyone can snack as they please. No plates required,” she said.

According to Elizabeth, the things to consider when creating a charcuterie board: Always include at least two or three types of cheese, a meat, fresh fruit and veggies, pickled veggies, nuts, and something sweet.
“We have made so many desserts our pants are getting tight!” Their two favorites so far are Margarita Cupcakes and Red, White and Blue dessert bars.
“The dessert bar recipe is so flexible because you can use all three flavors so everyone has a choice or just pick one fruit filing. Serve warm with ice cream or cool and eat for breakfast!”

NOLA BBQ Shrimp
1 1/2 sticks butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 Worcestershire sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced (lazy hack: 1/2 tsp of squeeze garlic equals roughly 1 clove fresh garlic)
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. Tony’s
1 tsp. oregano
1 1/2 tsp.paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3-4 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 large lemon, sliced
2 lbs. large shrimp, unpeeled (I use frozen, and they work perfectly. Just thaw them under cold running water!)
Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except the shrimp in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Taste mixture and add a little salt if needed. (If you used salted butter it probably won’t need it.) Place shrimp in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour butter mixture over shrimp.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once.
Serve with French bread. Lightly toast your bread so it is slightly crusty and soaks up all the yummy sauce.

Easy Cheese Grits
Quick grits
Chicken broth
Shredded Pepper Jack
Heavy cream
Cook grits according to packaging using your desired amount. Use chicken broth instead of water. For two servings add 1/4 cup pepper jack cheese and 2 Tbsp. heavy cream. Adjust as needed.

3 Ingredient Baked Chicken
4 to 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 packet Zesty Italian dressing dry mix
Preheat oven to 425. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. (Do not skip this step. You will regret it when it is time to clean the pan!)
Combine brown sugar and Italian dressing mix in a shallow pie plate. Coat both sides of the chicken with the brown sugar mixture. Place in prepared pan. Top chicken with any remaining brown sugar mixture.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts
1 bag fresh brussels sprouts
3-4 strips of bacon
2 Tbps. low sodium soy sauce
Back pepper
Mrs. Dash seasoning
Tony’s seasoning
Lightly rinse brussels sprouts, they easily lose their leaves, so be gentle. Chop off each root end and cut each in half lengthwise. Fry bacon in large skillet. Remove bacon from skillet once crunchy. Turn heat down to medium. Place sprouts flat side down in skillet with bacon grease. Add 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil if necessary. Crumble bacon over sprouts. Flip each one when they start to brown on the bottom. Add soy sauce. Sprinkle with pepper, Mrs. Dash, and Tony’s to taste. Serve.

Charcuterie & Cheese Board
Elizabeth’s favorite suggestions:
Soft cheese: goat or brie
Hard cheese: cheddar or gouda.
Meat: Pre-sliced hard salami, but feel free to grill your own sausage & slice it or use pepperoni slices!
Fruit: fresh, green grapes/blueberries; dried, apricots/cherries
Veggies: mini bell-peppers
Pickled veggies: garlic stuffed olives
Nuts: pistachios/candied pecans
Sweets: dark chocolate and honey
Place cheese/crackers on your plate first and build around them. Next place fruit/veggies next to the cheeses creating a barrier around your board so the loose items do not slide. Put olives and honey in small ramekins and place them on board. Fill in blank spaces with remaining items. Place cheese knives on top of cheese. Dig in.

Margarita Cupcakes
Cupcakes:
1 16-ounce box white cake mix
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Zest of 3 limes
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter softened, not melted
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
zest of half a lime
1/4 tsp. salt or more to taste
Lime zest and coarse salt for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 350. Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Place all cupcake ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Divide batter between prepared muffin cups and bake 14-18 minutes. If you poke with a toothpick, and it comes out clean they are ready!
Frosting:
While they are cooling, make frosting. Beat butter until smooth, then add 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, lime zest, and salt and mix to combine. Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, then turn mixer to high and beat 3 to 4 minutes, until fluffy. Add additional powdered sugar if frosting is too thin and additional milk if frosting is too thick. Once they are completely cool, frost cupcakes and sprinkle with salt and lime zest – top with a half a lime slice.

Red, White & Blue Dessert Bars
1 box yellow cake mix
2 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 sticks butter melted
1 can cherry pie filling
1 can blueberry pie filling
1 can apple pie filling
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with Baker’s Joy or Pam
Combine cake mix and oats in a large bowl. Add melted butter, stir until crumbly. Press down half the crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. Spread half can cherry pie filling evenly over 1/3 the crust. Repeat with apple and blueberry until crust is covered. Dollop remaining crumbs over filling and pack down softly.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
Bake for 18-23 minutes or until very lightly golden brown.