Memorial Day Poems

From Denny: These are a selection from many wonderful poems written with heavy hearts and great sincerity about the reality of how war affects us all. The old men who send young men to war rarely stop long enough - or at all - to consider their haste to anger and action affects the entire nation for generations to come.

The following are not glory poems but rather the perspectives of those involved in war be they one soldier, a POW, a mother, a daughter, a citizen who knew none of them but felt a duty to pray for them constantly, knowing the personal cost war would bring to all. They span several wars from the Civil War to WWII, the Korean War and today's Iraq and Afghanistan War.

These poems came from the comprehensive Memorial Day site where there is much more than poems to view. Please take a look today as you remember those who came before us.

For the link to the Memorial Day Poems post at my poetry blog, The Social Poets, go here.

Recipe: Grilled Shrimp with Chocolate Mole Poblano Sauce

From Denny: We love seafood because it is quick to prepare. Here's a new twist; pair grilled shrimp with a chocolate mole sauce! Anything chocolate works for me!

From: Southern Living Magazine, a wonderful resource recipe database.

Southern Living, "This recipe offers a creative savory use of Andrew Weil's "perfect" food: dark chocolate. The chocolate adds richness to the mole, a traditional Mexican sauce. Prepare the sauce a day ahead, and refrigerate so the flavors have time to develop. Store the mole poblano, covered, in the refrigerator for up to three days, or freeze for up to two months."

Ingredients:

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups Mole Poblano (recipe follows)


Directions:

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Combine shrimp, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Thread the shrimp onto 6 (8-inch) skewers. Place skewers on grill pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with Mole Poblano.

Note: Nutritional analysis includes 1/3 cup Mole Poblano per serving.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 skewer and 1/3 cup mole poblano)

CALORIES 230 (25% from fat); FAT 6.5g (sat 1.5g,mono 2.1g,poly 1.2g); IRON 3.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 230mg; CALCIUM 79mg; CARBOHYDRATE 10.1g; SODIUM 556mg; PROTEIN 32g; FIBER 1.3g

*****

Mole Poblano

If needed, add more water during the final 18 minutes of cooking to achieve the desired consistency.
This recipe goes with Shrimp with Mole Poblano

Ingredients:

2 ancho chiles, seeded

2 mulato chiles, seeded

1 pasilla chile, seeded

2 plum tomatoes

2 (6-inch) corn tortillas

1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Cooking spray

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 soft black plantain, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/4 cup sliced almonds

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/4 cups water, divided

2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ancho, mulato, and pasilla chiles; cook 1 minute on each side. Place chiles in a medium bowl; cover with hot water. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes; drain.

While chiles soak in hot water, place tomatoes in pan, and cook 6 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add tortillas to pan, and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place drained chiles, tomatoes, tortillas, and broth in a blender; process until smooth.

Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add chopped onion, and sauté for 3 minutes. Add plantain, and sauté for 3 minutes or until browned. Add almonds and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Stir in unsweetened cocoa, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves; sauté 15 seconds. Place onion mixture and 1/4 cup water in blender with chile mixture; process until smooth.

Place chile mixture, 1 cup water, and chocolate in pan; cook over medium heat, partially covered, 18 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in lime juice and salt.

Wine note: The complex flavors of moles are a big challenge when it comes to wine. One style I like is fruity but dry rieslings. These have crisp acidity to counterbalance a mole's intense flavor, plus a touch of fruitiness that plays perfectly off the chiles. A great example: Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling Cold Creek Vineyard 2003 from Washington's Columbia Valley ($17). -Karen MacNeil

Yield: 4 cups (serving size: 1/3 cup)

CALORIES 80 (30% from fat); FAT 2.7g (sat 1.1g,mono 0.7g,poly 0.4g); IRON 0.6mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 23mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.8g; SODIUM 219mg; PROTEIN 1.9g; FIBER 1.8g

Recipe: Chicken and Potato Pancakes

From Denny: Here is a savory version of the pancake that is quick and easy to do this busy Memorial Day weekend. It's also special enough to impress family and friends who visit! And a comfort food prepackaged cream gravy you add wine to? Can it get any easier or tastier?

Chicken-and-Potato Pancakes

From: Southern Living Magazine. Be sure to check out their site for all kinds of wonderful comfort food as your resource to return to time and time again!

Prep: 15 min., Cook: 9 min. per batch. The secret to tender pancakes? Mix the batter just long enough to incorporate the ingredients, and flip them only once.

Ingredients:

2 cups instant pancake mix

2 cups milk

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 1/2 cups (6 oz.) shredded Colby-Jack cheese blend

1 cup refrigerated shredded hash browns

4 green onions, finely chopped

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Quick Cream Gravy (optional)


Directions:

1. Whisk together pancake mix and milk in a large bowl, whisking just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chicken and next 6 ingredients, stirring just until blended.

2. Pour about 1/4 cup batter for each cake onto a hot (350°), lightly greased griddle or large nonstick skillet. Cook pancakes 3 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look dry and cooked; turn and cook other side 5 to 6 minutes or until done. Serve with Quick Cream Gravy, if desired.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Aunt Jemima Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix and Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns.

Chicken-and-Rice Cakes: Substitute shredded Italian six-cheese blend for Colby-Jack cheese blend and 1 cup cooked rice for hash browns. Proceed with recipe as directed.

Quick Cream Gravy: Bring 1/4 cup dry white wine to a boil over medium heat in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 minute.

Add 1 cup water; whisk in 1 (1.2-oz.) package roasted chicken gravy mix and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Increase heat to medium, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 3 minutes or until thickened.

Whisk in 2 Tbsp. heavy cream. Makes 1 1/4 cups. Prep: 5 min., Cook: 5 min.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy Mix.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings (about 18 cakes)

Recipe: Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies

From Denny: Found this easy and kid-friendly recipe from the food archives of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. It does contain hydrogenated vegetable shortening which tells me it's an old recipe. Though I haven't tested this recipe yet I'd prefer to use clarified butter which gives it loads of flavor and kills the cholesterol problem. As far as sweets go this recipe is also listed as low calorie at 107 calories per cookie! The sodium level is respectably low too.

Chocolate-Tipped Butter Cookies

Hands on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Serves: Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels

1 tablespoon hydrogenated vegetable shortening


Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With electric mixer, cream butter and confectioners’ sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Gradually add flour, mixing well with a wooden spoon or the hands. Dough will be dry. Shape dough into sticks about 2 1/2 inches long, 1/2 inch wide and 1/2 inch deep (thick). Place on ungreased cookie sheets about an inch apart. Flatten 3/4 of each cookie lengthwise with fork to 1/4 inch thickness, leaving the patterns of the fork tines in the dough.

Bake 10-12 minutes, or until set but not brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Combine chocolate morsels and shortening in microwaveable dish; microwave on high (100 percent power) 45 to 60 seconds, or until melted. Or melt in top of double boiler or in a heavy-bottom pan.

Put melted chocolate in a small, deep glass. Dip the thick, plain end of each cooled cookie in chocolate mixture and let excess drip back into the glass. Place cookies on wax paper until chocolate is firm. Store in airtight containers between layers of wax paper for 3 days or freeze.

Notes: Total time includes cooling and firming time.

Nutrition:

Per cookie: 107 calories (percent of calories from fat, 59), 1 gram protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, trace fiber, 7 grams fat (4 grams saturated), 14 milligrams cholesterol, 1 milligram sodium.

Recipe: Polenta Pudding With Warm Caramel Sauce

From Denny: I'm a huge fan of cornmeal dishes because of the high amount of calcium you can derive. Why not get your calcium AND great taste? This is an unusual recipe I ran across at The Atlanta-Journal Consitution recipe archives for a dessert pudding made with cornmeal by a chef. Sounds awesome and I have to try it this weekend! It can be served warm or cool - definitely serve it with the caramel sauce! Make sure you share this caloric mini-monster with a friend... :)

Polenta Pudding with Warm Caramel Sauce

From: Chef Meredith Ford Goldman in Rhode Island

Hands on time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

FOR PUDDING:

2 cups whole milk

2 cups half-and-half

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone ground

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup grated coconut

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 teaspoon salt


FOR CARAMEL SAUCE:

Makes: 6 servings
Hands on time: 10 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes


1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons light corn syrup


Instructions:

For pudding:

In a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, bring the milk, half-and-half and sugar to a boil without stirring. Reduce heat to low, and whisk the cornmeal into the liquid, stirring constantly to prevent lumping.

Stir in the butter, coconut, cherries, raisins, pecans and salt until well combined. The mixture will be thick.
To serve the pudding hot, scoop immediately into dessert bowls and drizzle with caramel sauce, if desired.

To create a cold pudding, spoon the mixture into silicone muffin baking molds. Press the mixture firmly into the molds to release air and ensure that when inverted, the pudding does not have holes or gaps on the surface. Chill for 1 hour. Release from molds and place on a dessert plate for serving.

For sauce:

Cut butter into pieces and place in a small saucepan. Add sugar, cream and corn syrup. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and begins to boil. Increase the heat to high and boil, stirring very little, until the mixture begins to turn light brown (between 200 degrees Farenheit and 220 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove and use immediately, or let cool to room temperature. Mixture can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

Nutrition:

Per serving (without sauce): 631 calories (percent of calories from fat, 43), 9 grams protein, 83 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams fiber, 31 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 62 milligrams cholesterol, 170 milligrams sodium.

Sauce, per serving: 352 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 1 gram protein, 39 grams carbohydrates, no fiber, 23 grams fat (14 grams saturated), 69 milligrams cholesterol, 172 milligrams sodium