It's now a tradition--Songbird's Friday Five meme. And who am I to break tradition during the Holiday season? So....
Everyone was gathered in the large lobby of one of the downtown bank buildings for cocktails and snacks when suddenly bits of the ceiling began raining down on the assembled party-goers. Looking up, they saw a leg and a bare bottom poking through the ceiling! The bottom began wiggling and thrashing around when another bottom and leg came through. The bottoms were stuck! A janitor was dispatched to release them from this embarrassing position.
The owners of the bottoms turned out to be one of the young lawyers and one of the secretaries who, having partaken of too much Christmas cheer, repaired upstairs to a janitorial closet upstairs for a little holiday frolic. In their alcoholic-induced haze they failed to notice that everything on that floor was being remodeled and ignored the "caution" tape that was intended to keep people off the floor in that area.
This incident was widely reported in the Houston press and kept the city amused for days. The managing partner of the firm, however, was NOT amused and the parties involved soon found work elsewhere.
5. If you have to bring something to a party, what is it likely to be? Do people like it?
My "take-along" dish this year is an appetizer: Cheesy Shrimp on Grits Toast. And yes--everyone LOVES it. Since I know you are going to ask anyway, here's the recipe (courtesy of my sister-in-law and Paula Deen of the Food Channel):
Cheesy Shrimp on Grits Toast
3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 1/3 cups quick-cooking grits
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 8 oz pkg. softened cream cheese
1 Tbl half and half
1/2 cup grated Italian cheese, blend
1/2 lb cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped
Bring both to a boil in large saucepan. Stir in grits and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until grits are thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese and salt. Remove from heat.
Spoon grits into a greased 9X 13 baking pan. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or until firm. Unmold grits onto a large cutting board. Cut out 1 1/2 inch circles using a cookie cutter.
Brush a large jellyroll pan with melted butter. Place grits rounds on the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn grits and bake 15 more minutes. Set aside. NOTE: Up to this point the recipe can be prepared ahead. If preparing early, cover and refrigerate grits rounds until you are ready to top with shrimp mixture.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and half-and-half, stirring until combined. Stir in cheese, parsley and shrimp.
Top each grits round evenly with shrimp mixture
Broil 5 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.
1.Have you ever gotten a really good kiss under the mistletoe?
Nope. Maybe that's because Texans don't really use mistletoe much. I've never seen real mistletoe--just the plastic type.
2. Do you know anyone who makes real eggnog, not the stuff from the carton?
No--sorry!
3. What's your favorite Christmas party album/CD ever?
I like one of the Mormon tabernacle choir Christmas Carol collections.
4. Does your office/workplace have a party? Do the people there ever behave the way in movies behave at office parfties, which is to say, badly?
A church staff party is a pretty tame affair. However, let me tell you the TRUE story of the most notorious Christmas party affair of all time that happened during an office party at El Jefe's law firm in the 1980's.Nope. Maybe that's because Texans don't really use mistletoe much. I've never seen real mistletoe--just the plastic type.
2. Do you know anyone who makes real eggnog, not the stuff from the carton?
No--sorry!
3. What's your favorite Christmas party album/CD ever?
I like one of the Mormon tabernacle choir Christmas Carol collections.
4. Does your office/workplace have a party? Do the people there ever behave the way in movies behave at office parfties, which is to say, badly?
Everyone was gathered in the large lobby of one of the downtown bank buildings for cocktails and snacks when suddenly bits of the ceiling began raining down on the assembled party-goers. Looking up, they saw a leg and a bare bottom poking through the ceiling! The bottom began wiggling and thrashing around when another bottom and leg came through. The bottoms were stuck! A janitor was dispatched to release them from this embarrassing position.
The owners of the bottoms turned out to be one of the young lawyers and one of the secretaries who, having partaken of too much Christmas cheer, repaired upstairs to a janitorial closet upstairs for a little holiday frolic. In their alcoholic-induced haze they failed to notice that everything on that floor was being remodeled and ignored the "caution" tape that was intended to keep people off the floor in that area.
This incident was widely reported in the Houston press and kept the city amused for days. The managing partner of the firm, however, was NOT amused and the parties involved soon found work elsewhere.
5. If you have to bring something to a party, what is it likely to be? Do people like it?
My "take-along" dish this year is an appetizer: Cheesy Shrimp on Grits Toast. And yes--everyone LOVES it. Since I know you are going to ask anyway, here's the recipe (courtesy of my sister-in-law and Paula Deen of the Food Channel):
Cheesy Shrimp on Grits Toast
3 (14 oz) cans chicken broth
1 1/3 cups quick-cooking grits
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1 8 oz pkg. softened cream cheese
1 Tbl half and half
1/2 cup grated Italian cheese, blend
1/2 lb cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped
Bring both to a boil in large saucepan. Stir in grits and return to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until grits are thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in cheese and salt. Remove from heat.
Spoon grits into a greased 9X 13 baking pan. Cover and chill at least 2 hours or until firm. Unmold grits onto a large cutting board. Cut out 1 1/2 inch circles using a cookie cutter.
Brush a large jellyroll pan with melted butter. Place grits rounds on the pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn grits and bake 15 more minutes. Set aside. NOTE: Up to this point the recipe can be prepared ahead. If preparing early, cover and refrigerate grits rounds until you are ready to top with shrimp mixture.
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and half-and-half, stirring until combined. Stir in cheese, parsley and shrimp.
Top each grits round evenly with shrimp mixture
Broil 5 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.
YUM!
8 comments:
You know someone now. I never buy the eggnog in the grocery store. I make my own every year for my husband. He loves it!
The holiday party sounds like something straight out of Boston Legal. Hilarious!
Here's my eggnog recipe, scaled down to "small batch" size.
1 cup sugar
1 pint half-and-half
4 eggs, separated
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup bourbon (Maker's Mark, Jack Daniels, or Jim Beam Black)
1/2 cup dark rum (Myers, of course)
1/4 cup brandy (VSOP) or cognac
Dissolve sugar into half-and-half.
Separate eggs. Beat yolks until bright yellow. Gradually stir in liquors to beaten yolks, then add to sweetened half-and-half.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into yolk/half&half mixture.
Whip heavy cream at high speed, then fold into nog. Refrigerate overnight. Grate nutmeg & sprinkle ground cinnamon on top to serve.
I never thought about this before, but I've never seen real mistletoe, either. And you don't see the plastic variety much either. Its sort of like snow - we see it on tv, but don't have much real life experience.
(Love the party story! What are the chances?)
Goodie! Thanks for the 'nog recipe.
Um, y'all who live in Texas - I think mistletoe is found pretty much all over this state! I've lived in Houston, Bryan/College Station, and now Denton and it grows in all three places. In winter when leaves are gone, look up into the trees (mostly fast-growing "trash" trees like elms). See it? Bushy clumps of leafy stuff? It's a parasite. :)
In case you are bored & need more mistletoe information, go to http://mistletoediary.blogspot.com/ and learn about a man who REALLY LOVES mistletoe!
Thanks QG. I am going to make that recipe for my friends from Atlanta.
Now what are grits?
QG, what a fantastic story!
And the recipe looks wonderful. My shrimp fan (#2 Son) will like the sounds of this one, because he is my grits fan, too.
Love to hear about Friday as it brings joy in my mind to have two days holiday in which I can not only have some rest from my work but also to enjoy with my family and do some useful work.
Balloon Ride in San Diego
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