I got an interesting email today, from someone that saw my blog post on the Dixie Pie that I made, trying to imitate the pie from Tippins restaurant where I worked in high school. I was so thrilled that this person took the time to email me and tell me some history about the Dixie Pie. I will be changing my recipe in the fall to include Walnut halves, instead of pecans. Here is the email:

I had some spare time on my hand today and thought I would see what Tippins was up to. (funny what we do when we have the time!!)

I saw your blog about Dixie pie and wanted to let you know what I know ... I started working at Tippins as a waitress in 1982 and left when they couldn't get out of their bankruptcy situation. By then I was running our production facility with over 150 employees and 6 supervisors under me.

Long story short ... Dixie pie was made with walnut halves. (Not that I would not eat one made with pecans). It was called Derby Pie when we first opened but because of the copyright laws, someone else already had that name ... thus Dixie Pie came about. We also used to use bourbon in the formula but our 3rd restaurant was in Independence, MO and our 4th in Tulsa, OK so religious concerns and a "family environment" forced us to take out the bourbon.
The only pie we continued to produce with a liquor content was the mincement and the chocolate cherry rum cake over the holidays.

I spent many years working for Tippins and it's nice to come across someone else who enjoys and remembers the product we used to put out. I have all of those formulas etched in my memory forever!

Have a good day

Getting that email just made me smile a big smile, and remember some great times at my first waitressing job ever, in Kansas City...a city that will always hold a special place in my heart.

Ina's Shrimp Scampi

I had some shrimp I wanted to use, so I went onto my favorite cooking board on The Nest and asked for recipes. I got a few responses that I had to try Ina Garten's recipe. Well, I found a couple different ones, but this one I happened to have most of the ingredients on hand, so I went for it. Let me tell you, looking at the pic, it doesn't look like there is much sauce or flavor on those noodles, but there is. It was really yummy and flavorful. It had a very lemony taste. I changed a couple things with the recipe so it would be saucier, I added white wine and a bit more butter. I also forgot all about the lemon slices, so that was omitted. I had this meal prepped, and when I went to go make it it took me less than 15 minutes total. So easy and quick! I will definitely have to make this one more often.

Shrimp Scampi with Spaghetti (adapted from Ina Garten)

• Vegetable oil
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 pound linguine
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
• 1/2 cup of your favorite white wine
  
• 1 pound large shrimp (about 16 shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 lemon, zest grated
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/4 lemon, thinly sliced in half-rounds
• 1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the white wine and let it cook a couple more minutes. Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.