My Christmas Wish For All

My Christmas Wish for all:

At Christmas time every year we all watch the hub bub businessness  at the stores and malls. I personally get overwhelmed at all the buying, wrapping and running around looking for gifts to give.

Today, I want to stop and quiet my mind and soul and think of the real meaning of life which my Mom taught me as a child. How to be grateful.
I am grateful, Bea Grant, that you taught me; "it is better to give than receive". Look around and give to  those in need. To reach out and touch someone who is having a tough day. And to sing a little, to bring joy in these dark days.
All our hearts are saddened when we look at the faces of the children and staff in Sandy Hook, CT.
So this year my Christmas wish is for peace on earth. For my children and your children too.
Merry Christmas to our friends and family and to all the staff at Seaport Grille, Cruiseport Gloucester, and Gloucester Marine Terminal.

Sheree DeLorenzo

Sheree DeLorenzo's Lobster Mac and Cheese - We Serve this at Seaport Grille!!

Lobster Mac and Cheese

Everything you love in life is in this dish. It’s pasta, it’s cheese, it’s cream sauce, it’s lobster. It just makes me happy.  The mere act of stirring this together makes me happy.   I use Wisconsin Cheddar, the same cheese I used for the mac and cheese I used to make for my children when they were young.  I keep the sauce simple and let the elegance of the lobster bring this dish into another dimension.  It’s crazy good!




click here to see video of Sheree making Lobster Mac and Cheese

1 pound pasta, elbows recommended

For the cheese sauce:

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted

2 tablespoons flour , all purpose

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 pound cheddar cheese, grated

1 pound lobster meat (meat from about 3 boiled lobsters), bite sized pieces

For the breadcrumbs:

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

½ cup parsley, minced

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons oil 

2 tablespoons butter

Instructions

Heat water for pasta

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.

1. Boil pasta until al dente, firm but chewable.

2. Make roué in saucepan by melting butter with flour until it forms a paste and turns a dark, yellow color. Add cream and then milk to form a sauce. Add cheese and stir until melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

3. Combine the pasta in a large bowl with the sauce, mix well, and then add the lobster meat and mix in. 

4. Plate into casserole dish or cast iron frying pan, cover with bread crumbs and bake in the oven at 325 degrees F. for one hour until bubbly.

For the breadcrumbs:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until moistened.

This is such a great dish and really has the WOW factor! Bring your friends to Seaport Grille and try our version of Lobster Mac and Cheese!

Happy Holidays,
Sheree

Take it up a Notch with Sheree Delorenzos Coffee Eggnog Punch

Sheree's Coffee Eggnog Punch

This is wonderful for a holiday party.  It allows your guests to serve themselves, so as host you don’t have to keep remaking drinks.    I like this eggnog recipe because it takes things up a notch.  It can easily be done as a nonalcoholic beverage for kids and non-drinkers.  If you do follow the recipe and include (my namesake) Sherry as well as brandy, you can use a basic brand.  Since this a punch with a lot of different flavors, you don’t need to use a top shelf liquor to get a delicious result.

  RECIPE

Ingredients

1 half-gallon eggnog
3 cups coffee, cooled
1 quart coffee ice cream
1 cup Cream Sherry
1 cup Brandy
1 quart whipped cream
Ground nutmeg to taste 

Instructions

Add eggnog to a punch bowl.

Add coffee, ice cream, Sherry, Brandy, and whipped cream. Using the ladle, mix ingredients by stirring.

Serve in punch glasses and garnish with a spoonful of the whipped cream and a dash or two of nutmeg.

Sheree DeLorenzo's “Sciue, Sciue” Pasta

“Sciue, Sciue” Pasta

Click Here to see: VIDEO FROM GLOUCESTER TIMES OF SHEREE MAKING SCIUE SCIUE

“Sciue, Sciue” is Italian slang for “hurry, hurry” so this sauce is a snap to make.  I especially love it in the summer because that’s when these ingredients are at their best.  I grow tomatoes and basil—there’s something wonderful about growing your own food, even if it’s a tiny patch of herbs or a potted tomato plant.  My garden is a complete mess—I never water, I never weed, but the tomatoes and basil grow haphazardly in a sunny patch in spite of my negligence. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup whole grape tomatoes
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
3 tablespoons roasted garlic
5 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped red peppers
Dash of chili pepper flakes  (or as desired)
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 cup shrimp
Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions

1.  Heat sauté pan and sauté whole tomatoes until softened.
2. Add halved tomatoes until well heated.
3. Sautee shrimp until they are cooked.
4. Add garlic, chili pepper flakes, wine, butter, salt and pepper and heat.

Serve over linguine garnish with fresh chopped basil.

Sheree Delorenzos Famous Macaroni and Cheese includes Recipe and Video!! A Great Party Dish!

Sheree making Macaroni and Cheese

Macaroni and Cheese is on the Left for a Kitchen Buffet

Great Party Food! This is a recent Kitchen Buffet with the Macaroni & Cheese!

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO

Sheree Delorenzo's Famous Macaroni and Cheese
Great For a Party!!
This makes 2 big casseroles so you can split the recipe or make extra and freeze the second casserole. If you are serving this at a party, be prepared that people will LOVE this and it goes fast!! Leftovers are appreciated too!

Serves at least 12+

1 stick butter, plus more for dish
5-6 cups milk 
1 quart cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons  salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp Pepper Flakes
1 tsp. dry mustard
2+ 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2+ cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere 
1 cups freshly grated Parmesan
1+ pound elbow macaroni about 10-12 c. cooked Macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter 2 large casserole dish; set aside.  In a large saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt 1 stick of butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute until it is amber color.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.

3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cheddar, and Gruyere, and Parmesan cheeses. Stir with a whisk and let the cheeses melt.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into 2 buttered casserole dishes. Top with a thich crust of breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30-45 minutes in 350 - 375 oven. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes; serve.

Bread Crumbs for the topping

2-3 sleeves of Ritz Crackers

1/2 a bunch Chopped fresh Parsley for color 

2 c. grated parmesan
1/2 c.olive oil 
1/2 c. melted butter

1/4 c. garlic powder

Crush the Ritz Crackers in a plastic bag with a rolling pin and mix in other ingredients OR place ingredients in a food processor and mix together, putting in parsley last for several pulses. At this point you can bake off right away or save.

Some optional ideas is to poke Lobster, Shrimp, Scallops or other seafood into the Dish before placing breadcrumbs on top for a Special Mac and Cheese!

I love making this for my friends and family and I hope you do too!!

SUNSET ON GLOUCESTER HARBOR

IT'S LOOKING LIKE CHRISTMAS

CENTERPIECE BROUGHT BY A FRIEND, PATI PAWLAK

MY FRIEND HEATHER ATWOOD MAKING A SALAD TO GO WITH THE MACARONI AND CHEESE

JENNIFER AMERO'S LETTUCE WRAPS WERE
THE PERFECT THING TO GO WITH THE MAC AND CHEESE

DELICIOUS

THIS IS ME, SHEREE, WITH ALL MY FRIENDS
JENNIFER AMERO, PATI PAWLAK, ME, 
MELISSA ABBOTT,
HEATHER ATWOOD, AND LAURIE LUFKIN

IT WAS A GREAT PARTY AND I AM SO HAPPY TO SHARE MY MACARONI AND CHEESE RECIPE AND VIDEO WITH ALL OF YOU!

Happy Holidays,
Sheree