I wish I were an artistic person. I am not. I admire those who can draw, paint and have that artistic flair. Drawing a stick man is a challenge for me. I do, however, have a pretty good eye for color.
I love to wear bright colors. My kitchen, dining room and living room are red. My cookbook cover is hot pink. Bright colors just make me feel good.
I was looking into what colors mean in society, and I found out some very interesting facts.
Cool colors like blue, green and purple have a calming effect.
Warm colors like red, orange and yellow are pepper-uppers.
Dark colors have a relaxing energy and can be used to calm an overactive mind.
Red is a very strong color and is often used for warning signs. It is a great accent color to take notice.
Orange represents fire, sun, fun and warmth — think tropical. It is a fun, light, youthful color. Darker shades of orange are associated with autumn.
Yellow is the brightest color to the human eye. It also represents youth, fun and sunshine. It is often used in children’s toys and clothing.
Green is the color of health and nature. It represents growth, nature, money and safety. Many pharmaceutical and nutritional companies use green to advertise sage, natural products.
Blue is a calming color that shows creativity and intelligence. It is a color of loyalty, strength, wisdom and trust. It’s not a good color for food.
Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. It is associated with royalty, nobility and prestige. It symbolizes mystery, magic, power and luxury.
Black is often associated with evil, depression, being scared or even death. It is a very powerful color that also portrays wealth and elegance.
White is associated with pure, clean, fresh and good. Usually things portrayed in movies as good characterization are white. The good guy on a white horse, wearing a white hat and heaven are examples of how Hollywood uses color.
My granddaughter, Leila Rose, was drawing rainbows at my house. She had two different rainbows drawn on one sheet of paper. I asked her what the difference was between the two rainbows. The top one was God’s rainbow. The one on the bottom was her rainbow — she added a row of pink, her favorite color.
One day, Leila told me her favorite color is pink, Lovey’s favorite color is red and Pop’s favorite color is chocolate.
Hope you enjoy today’s vegetable accompaniments. Thanks for reading.
SALSA CHEESE GRITS
6 cups chicken broth
1½ cup uncooked quick grits
Bring broth to a boil and whisk in grits, simmering, over low heat until thickened for about 10 minutes.
Add:
1 can white shoepeg corn, drained
1 can whole kernel yellow corn, drained
1 cup salsa (or a can diced Ro-Tel tomatoes)
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
Stir together until well blended. Remove from heat and stir in:
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Season to taste with generous shakes of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and a pinch or two of sugar. If necessary thin with milk to suit your taste.
Pour into a greased casserole dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.
SQUASH MACARONI AND CHEESE
5 cups sliced yellow squash
6 tablespoons butter
½ cup diced onion
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½ cup flour
1 cup vegetable broth
2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 (8-ounce) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package directions and well drained
2 cups Ritz cracker crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with Pam and set aside. In a large stockpot, cover squash with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
Simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. In a large stockpot, melt butter over medium heat and add onion and red bell pepper and cook until limp. Add flour, whisking well to remove any lumps, and cook, whisking frequently for about three minutes. Add broth to mixture, whisking well. Add squash and stir. Add salt, pepper and paprika, stirring to combine. Add cheese to squash mixture, stirring to combine. Add cooked pasta, and stir to combine. Pour into prepared dish. Cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle with cracker crumbs. Bake, uncovered for about another five minutes until top is golden brown.
CHEESY VEGETABLE CASSEROLE
6 large yellow squash, thinly sliced
4 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cups sliced carrots
1 cup slice celery
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 (8-ounce) package shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8-ounce) package Mozzarella cheese
1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 (6-ounce) box chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 cup sour cream
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a baking dish with Pam and set aside. In a large Dutch oven, combine squash, zucchini, onion, carrot and celery. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, and drain well. Add soups, cheeses, water chestnuts, stuffing mix, sour cream and butter. Spoon into baking dish and top with crushed crackers. Bake for about 40 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
