Celebrating an anniversary; husband's favorites

Scott and I will be celebrating our 29th wedding anniversary Sunday. We were married six months after he asked me to marry him, which was a very short time after we started dating. We had known each other and were just friends for about a year, having met at church when Scott started a singles and young adult Sunday school class. I vividly recall our wedding day was unseasonably warm for February and we ran the air conditioner in the church.

I am blessed beyond measure to have a Christian husband who has made his faith, our children and me his top priorities during this 29-year journey. It truly has been wonderful and I pray for many more years together.

Scott has so many favorite foods it would be impossible to share all of them with you, so I have selected just a few to share with you today.

Marinated Beef Flank Steak

• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
• 1 beef flank steak

Score flank steak just barely cutting the outer fibers in a diamond crisscross pattern. Place steak into a glass dish or zip-top bag. Combine all other ingredients and stir to combine.

Pour over steak. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Grill steak over medium-hot coals for 8 minutes on each side, keeping just barely pink on the inside. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes while loosely covered with foil. Slice on the bias, across the grain into thin slices.

Sausage Corn Chowder

• 1 pound breakfast pork sausage, mild or hot, according to taste
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 (17 ounce) can creamed style corn
• 1 (17 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

In a pan, cook sausage and onion until browned. Drain on paper towel. Boil together water, potatoes and salt until tender. Add sausage to potatoes and water. Add remaining ingredients and warm through. If chowder is too thick, add a little of the juice from the drained canned whole kernel corn to thin down.

I always serve with apple cinnamon muffins with this chowder, as it is a perfect go-together with the pork sausage.

Dry Rub Oven Baked Chicken Wings

These really good baked chicken wings are made with the best dry rub for chicken.

• 8-10 chicken wings
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

Dry Rub:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a wire rack in a baking sheet and grease it.

Combine ingredients for the dry rub in a small bowl and mix well.

Place chicken wings in a bowl and drizzle a little oil over them. Mix to make sure that each wing is evenly but lightly covered with oil. Rub each chicken wing with some dry rub all over.

Bake wings for 45-50 minutes. Wait until it cools enough and dig in. Serve with buttermilk ranch or bleu cheese dressing to dip.

Pork Tenderloin Teriyaki

• 2 (9-12 ounce) pork tenderloins
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon dried minced garlic, or 1 clove fresh, minced
• Bacon strips
• Toothpicks

Place pork tenderloins in an airtight plastic bag. Combine remaining ingredients, except bacon, and pour over pork. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight. Remove tenderloins from marinade and wrap in bacon strips, securing with toothpicks at each new piece. Grill over medium-hot coals or gas fire for 18 to 25 minutes, brushing with marinade as desired. Internal temperature only needs to reach about 140 degrees. Remove to platter and cover with foil for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Slice diagonally into medallions and serve.

Shrimp Twice Baked Potatoes

These are a nice special occasion side or as the meal with a few extra shrimp added.

• 4 (6 to 8-ounce) russet potatoes, scrubbed and pricked all over with a fork
• Vegetable oil, to coat potatoes
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced, white and light green parts; dark green parts chopped, for garnish
• 1 cup grated Cheddar
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Rub the potatoes with vegetable oil and put them on a baking sheet. Bake the potatoes until tender, about 1 hour.

While the potatoes are baking, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7 minutes. Transfer the slices to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of bacon grease from the skillet.

Cut the shrimp into thirds. Reheat the bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, Cajun seasoning, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the shrimp are opaque, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes.

When the potatoes are done, let them cool slightly (leave the oven on). Slice off the top third of each potato and carefully scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Scoop out the potato from the top third, and add that to the bowl, then discard the skin. Leave about 1/4-inch border of potato inside the skin. Mash the potato flesh with 1 teaspoon salt, the green onion, cheese, butter, sour cream, mayonnaise, and black pepper. Stuff the potato skins with the filling, mounding any extra on top.

Divide the shrimp on top of the potatoes and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Return the potatoes to the oven on the baking sheet and bake them until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven, sprinkle with the reserved chopped green onions and serve.

Oven Fried Potatoes

• 3 medium potatoes
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/8-inch thick round medallion slices. Place round circle slices, slightly overlapping, in a single layer in a 9x13-inch baking dish, looking like round shingles slightly overlapping. Will look like fanning out a deck of card in rows in the pan. Combine all remaining ingredients. Evenly drizzle over potatoes, brushing to cover if necessary. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Spaghetti

This recipe has been with me since I was in high school home economics class. I use fresh mushrooms in place of the canned and it is still a family favorite.

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can tomato soup
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons prepared mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne red pepper
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt or powder
• 1 can mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Brown ground beef and onion in skillet. Drain grease from meat. Add soup, brown sugar, mustard, red pepper, ketchup, salt, garlic and mushrooms. Cook over low heat until bubbly. Add sauce to cooked spaghetti. Have grated Parmesan cheese available for shaking on the top of each serving, if desired.

Seafood Pasta Salad

• 1 pound medium shell pasta, cooked
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup diced or sliced celery (about 3 ribs)
• 1 onion, diced (sweet Vidalia if in season)
• 12 ounces salad shrimp (frozen cooked and peeled)
• 8 ounces lobster (frozen cooked and peeled)
• 8 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
• 1 cup good quality mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp. Dried Parsley Flakes

Cook pasta according to directions. A general rule of thumb when cooking pasta is about 16 cups of water with a generous pinch of kosher salt. Bring water to a boil and add pasta, cook for 10 minutes. Drain well.

While the pasta cooks, add 2 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet. Heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add the celery and onions to the skillet, and cook until translucent. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add the lobster, crab, and shrimp to the skillet and saute until heated through then remove skillet from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add mayonnaise, lemon juice, Old Bay, salt, pepper, and parsley. Whisk to combine. Add the sauteed seafood and veggies to the mixing bowl and give a stir to combine. Finally, add the cooked pasta. Stir to mix it all together.

While this can be served warm, my preference is to chill it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour, then serve.

Pull Apart Italian Rolls

• 1 package frozen dinner roll dough balls, using only part of the entire package
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 package dry zesty Italian salad dressing mix

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Stir in dry Italian dressing mix, stirring well to combine. Dredge frozen dough balls into melted butter mixture and layer in a tube pan without a detachable bottom. Use just enough dough balls to use up all of the butter mixture. If the butter starts to harden, microwave again to melt. Layer at random in the bottom of the pan. Allow to thaw and rise until doubled at the top of the pan.

Preheat oven and bake until bread is done and browned. Remove from oven and allow sitting in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a serving plate.

Savory Crab Cheesecake

• 1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers, about 25 crackers
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 packages, 8 ounces each cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sour cream, divided
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons grated onion
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon seafood seasoning, like Old Bay seasoning
• 2 drops hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup crabmeat, drained, flaked and cartilage removed
• Additional seafood seasoning, optional

In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of the greased 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Add onion, lemon juice, seafood seasoning, hot pepper sauce and pepper; beat just until blended. Fold in crab. Pour over crust. Return pan to baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool 1 hour longer. Spread remaining sour cream over top. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove sides of pan. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with seafood seasoning if desired. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield: 20-24 appetizer servings.

Cherry Wow

I wrote on the recipe card that I made this for the first time for Ross' fifth birthday party and it was a big hit with the family. During the years I have made this many times and it is always popular with guests and with Scott.

• 1 (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 heaping cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 regular size carton frozen whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 baked, deep dish pie shell
• 1 can cherry pie filling ("Double the Fruit" if you can find that brand)

Mix first 5 ingredients together and whip to be light ad fluffy. Fold in whipped topping, nuts. Pour into baked and cooled pie shell. Cover with cherry pie filling. Refrigerate overnight or several hours. Garnish top with additional whipped topping piped around the edge of the pie, or a dollop in the center. This recipe doubles nicely, and fits into a pastry lined 9x13-inch baking dish. Cut small pieces, as it is very rich.

Birthday Chocolate Cake

• 1 package devil's food cake mix (regular size)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 package (3.9 ounces) instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the frosting:

• 1 pound semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons boiling water
• 1 1/2 cups butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Pour into two greased and floured 8-inch baking pans.

Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 38-43 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.

For frosting, in a microwave, melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature, 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, dissolve cocoa in boiling water; cool.

• a large bowl, beat butter and confectioners' sugar until fluffy. Add melted chocolate; beat on low speed until combined, scraping sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in cocoa mixture.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate; spread with 1-1/2 cups frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.