In stressful times, Prairie Village woman turns to her passions: cooking and gardening

Elizabeth Benson is passionate about cooking and entertaining. The Prairie Village resident and her husband, Tom Anonsen, met when both worked in the transportation industry. She worked in sales for 23 years, and now stays busy cooking, gardening and entertaining.

Q: Do you like to cook?

A: Absolutely. Cooking is therapeutic, practical, soothing, creative, absorbing, satisfying and fun. When times are stressful, I turn to cooking and gardening.

Q: What do you grow?

A: I grow lots of herbs, then use the fresh herbs every day, probably for every meal. The happiest day of the year is in the spring, on my birthday, when I plant the herbs. All the herbs are grown in pots, so even people with zero space can grow herbs. For lush herb plants all summer long, I start with small plants, but add a sprinkling of seeds to the pot as well.

Q: How did you learn to cook?

A: When I was growing up, my family owned a cooking and home accessories shop. That shop, Pryde’s, is still thriving 50 years later and is now owned by my sister and brother-in-law, Louise and Pat Meyers. I worked there as a teen, then for many years after, so I was constantly surrounded by my family, coworkers and customers who loved to cook. They all inspired me.

Q: Do you entertain often?

A: I enjoy entertaining and cooking for my family and friends. When my daughter, who lives in New York, comes home we have big family gatherings. I also have three wonderful stepdaughters and many nieces and nephews, so we have lots of dinners. I especially enjoy hosting my friends, many of whom love to cook, and those in my cookbook club.

Setting the table is everything. It is such a pleasure to set a beautiful table, with coordinated, colorful plates, linens and centerpieces for with those who gather around my table. It is fun to serve theme dinners based on a cuisine or a movie, decorate the table, then prepare food to reflect the theme.

We really use our backyard and I love cooking in our outdoor kitchen with our swimming pool as a background. Breakfast is my favorite meal to cook outside.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration for new recipes?

A: I enjoy trying new recipes and reading cookbooks. I especially love Ina Garten and all of her Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks. The recipe I am sharing is one I adapted from Ina Garten’s cookbook, “Barefoot Contessa At Home.”

Q: What is the recipe and when do you serve it?

A: This roasted shrimp and orzo is a great salad to serve all summer long. It makes plenty so is ideal for a buffet or potluck. The recipe is flexible so you can substitute the herbs you have on hand for those listed. Sometimes I replace the shrimp with grilled chicken. If you like you can add grilled asparagus or pea pods to the salad.

For the shrimp, I buy frozen raw shrimp, shelled and deveined, but with the tail on. I put the shrimp in the refrigerator the night before using it so it thaws. Blot the shrimp with a paper towel, then roast it.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo

Serves 8

1 pound orzo, uncooked

Kosher salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice and grated zest (3 lemons)

1/2 cup good olive oil, plus olive oil as needed for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 16 to 18 shrimp per pound)

1 cup minced green onions, white and green parts

1 cup fresh dill, chopped

1 cup fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped

1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves, minced

1 hothouse cucumber or English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

1 cup small-diced orange, red or yellow bell pepper (optional)

8 to 12 ounces good block feta cheese, rinsed and medium diced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to the package directions until cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl.

Whisk together the lemon juice, zest, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes until cooked through. Add the shrimp to the orzo, and add the green onions, dill, parsley, tarragon, cucumber, red onion and bell pepper. Toss well.

Add the feta and stir carefully. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or for the best flavor overnight to allow the flavors to blend. Adjust seasoning to taste, add the cherry tomatoes, if desired, and serve at room temperature.

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Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore are cookbook authors and food consultants that make up The Electrified Cooks. They have published more than 14 cookbooks and thousands of recipes. They are members of Les Dames d’Escoffier and blog at pluggedintocooking.com.