Shine On, Baby!

As is most likely common knowledge, us southern gals have a lot of sterling silver on hand. If there's a stainless steel option, I guarantee you there is a sterling silver equivalent, and some southern bride has that on her wedding registry. Our mamas and grandmamas had tons of the stuff, so of course we do also.

I'm not shy about using silver in every day life. If you have it, then use it. Dark and dusty silver is sad silver.

Now, I'm just some random girl on the internet, but listen to me when I tell you about a product every Silver-loving Lady needs to have on hand.

Wright's Silver Cream Polish

Now, I don't know about you or your neck of the woods, but look hard enough, and you'll find this stuff is available at the grocery, the drug store, and pretty much any supermarket in the south. It's that canonical. It may seem pricey, but the shine is worth it.

Before

I have a set of silver goblets with engraved initials on them, and for a recent dinner party, I polished those bad boys up. Splash a bit of water on the enclosed applicator sponge, work a dab over an area, and you'll be surprised how easily the tarnish comes off. Works equally well on jewelry, utensils, serving pieces, christmas ornaments. ANYTHING silver!

After

The shine stays very well, but a hint for all silver-lovers out there... oxygen is the enemy of shininess. If you've got a bunch of silver to store, get some clean/unused plastic grocery bags, wrap the silver in cloth or paper towels to wick away any moisture, and enclose tightly as you can in the grocery bags to eliminate air. Tie with a rubber band or twist tie. You don't want the plastic directly on the silver, but it will help in eliminating air from the swaddled pieces.

Getting a Bit "Choked" Up

Summer always reminds me of one of my favorite seasonal foods-- the ever enigmatic artichoke. Done the wrong way, and this interesting flower can drive you crazy, but done correctly it will knock your socks off every time!

Long Stemmed Artichokes are my favorite, as the center of the stem itself is quite edible. I'm going to show you the basics of artichoke preparation, and then some of the great flavorful options for your Chokes.

Step 1 - Cleaning the Artichoke

Using some kitchen shears, remove the lower leaves on the stem, and snip off the spiky tops of the leaves. Using your hands, create space in the bloom of the flower, allowing you space to clean it further.

Step 2 - Removing the Flower

Using a spoon (a grapefruit spoon is ideal), carve out the center part of the flower, leaving 5-6 sets of leaves on the outside. You'll notice inside the flower there are some tender, soft, fibrous parts. Treat this section like you would carving a pumpkin and removing it's guts. Scrape that spoon along the base of the flower to get out all the fibrous, small pieces of flower. 

Step 3 - To The Sauna!

Continue to "fluff out" the blossom to allow space between the concentric rings of petals. This is going to help you to cook the flower faster. While you're doing this, sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper inside the layers.

Using a steam basket and a large pot with 3 inches of water in the base (not touching the flowers), place the blooms stem-side up over the steam. Seal, and allow to steam for 20-25 minutes, checking for tenderness. After 25 minutes, the blooms should look less radiant green, and the leaves should easily come off with the tiniest tug. 

**Pro-Tip** We like to let our blooms rest for a day or two in the fridge before steaming. This allows the pollens in the flower at the base to oxidize, creating a very rich, unctuous, floral character. Yes, it will turn the inside of the flower black (same oxidation at work) but we think the flavor is delicious. 

Step 4 - Finishing up

At this point, you're good to eat these bad boys, but we can always spice it up a bit. How to eat-- The meat is at the base of each leaf. Put the leaf between your teeth and pull the leaf to scrape the meat off. NOTE-- after all the petals have been pulled off, that base is some of the most delicious veggie meat in the world. You can also peel the stem and eat that part as well. 

Balsamic-Butter Dipping Sauce

4tbs nice butter (Kerrygold Preferred) 

1tsp nice Balsamic Vinegar

1tsp minced garlic

1 slice lemon

Melt butter in sauce pan, but not too hot so the fat doesn't separate. Add garlic, simmer for 2 minutes, take off heat, add Balsamic Vinegar and juice from lemon. Whisk together, adding a bit of fresh cracked pepper to taste

Stuffed Mushroom Artichokes

3 long-stemmed Artichokes

4 cloves garlic (minced)

1 pint Baby Portobella Mushrooms

1cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs

3 tbsp Olive Oil

2tbsp fresh minced basil

Clean, prepare, and steam artichokes as shown above. Cool. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While artichokes are cooling, chop finely Portobella mushrooms including stems. If you have a food processor, this is going to be your best friend. Mix together garlic, basil minced Portobellas, parmesan, breadcrumbs and olive oil. This can also be done in a food processor.

Once artichokes are cool, slice down the middle from stem to tip, leaving an open cavity on each side. Lay artichoke halves cavity-side up on a large foil-lined baking sheet. Fill cavities with filling mixture, dusting with a bit of extra breadcrumb on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until filling is warmed through and a bit golden on top.

There are tons of great recipes for stuffed artichokes out there. Some incorporate seafood, bacon, sausage, you name it! Once you master the clean-n-steam technique, let your taste buds be your guide!