Angel Hair Alfredo with Zucchini

I'm still working on getting my Alfredo sauce perfect...I've tried other people's recipes, cookbook recipes, online recipes and so far nothing comes close to Frank's Alfredo sauce.  This meal was good but it was way too much butter, even for me.  Eventually I'll figure out the right combination of milk/cream, butter and cheese.  Honestly, I don't work on it that often because it has to be one of the worst things for you, right up there with bacon, butter, heavy cream and anything fried.  Even with the abundance of butter, the lack of cream in this recipe made it slightly lighter than usual [or anything you'd fine in a jar at your local grocery store, please don't buy this].  I have to admit, I don't think I timed the mixing of ingredients and melting, etc. Oops.

For a little veggie effect, I sauteed thinly sliced zucchini until brown on either side. Eh. These didn't blow my socks off, next time I'll try something else. For a decadent sounding meal, this was sub-par.  When my arteries recover from this attempt I'll try again, look for it!

Friends don't let friends eat boring salads...

We often have what we call "Kitchen Sink Salads." It's usually on a day we don't want to use the stove or oven...I don't know why we think it makes less work, chopping veggies and gathering toppings is just as much work sometimes!  A recent Sunday past we enjoyed this salad outside on our patio set, first time of the season to dine outside.  It was so refreshing!

Another nice thing about making salads for your main meal, you can cater the salad to exactly what you want/like.  
I started with Organic Butter Lettuce and cleaned out our veggie drawer for the rest of the toppings.  I really like my salad ingredients all chopped up or diced so this tends to take longer but the salad becomes a lot more manageable.  
Some of our favorite salad toppers are: sliced avocado, grated carrots, zucchini, diced celery, sharp cheddar cheese, sliced roma tomatoes, peanuts, dried cherries, cottage cheese and a light lemon dressing.  
Get playful with your salads and don't be afraid to add cottage cheese, tuna salad or even last night's left-over pasta.  It'll add a little something extra and for me, it's all about the texture to keep the boring, run-of-the-mill salad interesting!

Lobster Dumplings

This was an interesting dinner! Usually, I make these dumplings with ground pork or chicken but considering our Veggie Monster ways thru Lent, we went with a crustacean.  We purchased two lobster tails [fully cooked] from Seaport Fish at Fiddlehead Marketplace.  We nearly fainted because it was $34.99/lb...good thing we only needed a small amount of meat for the dumplings.  I get my dumpling wrappers from Lo's Seafood & Oriental Market in the freezer section of the store.  I really love the vegetable [green] wrappers but they only have those at another Korean market somewhere in MA, if you can get your hands on these, go for it, they are delish!  A good friend of mine taught me how to make these and her specific ingredients but the vegetables, spices and other ingredients are listed in the package of dumplings wrappers.  Basically I use a mixture of shredded zucchini, red bell pepper, carrot, diced green and white onion.

 You'll need one egg, sesame oil, soy sauce and cayenne pepper or chili pepper for some heat.  Take the dumpling wrappers and place a small amount in the middle and use your finger and some water to bind the edges together. Fold all the edges together securely so the filling doesn't seep out when you drop them into the water.  There are a couple of ways to fold the dough, find something that works for you, play around with a few designs but I start by folding the dough in half and folding the corners in, towards the filling [see dumplings below on the left]. 

Bring a pot, half filled with water to a boil, drop the dumplings in and when they start to rise to the top, pour a cup of cool water into the pot and wait for the dumplings to start to boil and rise again, repeat as needed. If your meat is raw, you'll want to repeat this 3-4 times. It's important to stay attentive to the dumplings, if you cook them too long the dough with start to get soggy and pull apart.  You know the filling is cooked when the dumpling dough "puckers" and the filling feels firm. 

Spoon dumplings out with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.  Toss with soy sauce, sesame seeds and hot sauce [if desired].  We love to try new ethnic foods!  You can also fry these dumplings in a saucepan but go for the healthier version my cooking friends, I won't even tell you how to do it!

Happy Easter, Part I

Hello all! Oh my, last post was on April 12th.  Some traveling and Holy Week proved to be quite busy, more than I expected.  We were still cooking and enjoying several delicious recipes - including several new ones - and enjoying company with family and friends.  Since the 12th, I know someone who got engaged, I know someone else who is having twins and found out they are having a boy AND a girl,  and someone who decided to go back to school to pursue his/her dream.  It's been a busy world outside of the kitchen but we managed to have an scrumptious Easter dinner yesterday and Saturday, that's where we're going to start for now, brace yourselves:


SATURDAY:
We enjoyed some time with family and feasted like kings and queens, dyed eggs and relaxed! Get this, it was snowing outside, sticking to the ground and all.  Last year, we enjoyed our egg dying outside, a walk in the sun and grilled the lamb outdoors...

The Menu: Crudite platter, Artichoke dip, Stuffed Eggs, Barefoot Contessa [bc] Roasted Vegetable Torte and bc Crab Cakes with a remoulade sauce. For dessert we had mini-cakes with cream cheese frosting. 

Tomorrow I'll be sure to post on our Easter Sunday meals, breakfast thru dinner! 
Dinner tonight? Leftovers.

Something to make you laugh and go "awwww!"

Okay, so when I'm not taking photos and cooking I have this real problem with watching YouTube videos of funny animals and adorable puppies.  The thing is I never go searching for them, if you send me one I sample all the other ones waiting in the wings with similar titles, themes, dachshunds.  I saw the first video on Ellen and the second video I found because one of the blogs I read featured IsoinSloMo in the Snow and therefore I found Iso taking a bath. Enjoy! 

Pad Thai with Shrimp, YUM!

Yummmy! I was so impressed with myself, it tasted amazing!  We love to order Pad Thai from Khaophums and split it, but we'll never have to order take out again!  I do prefer the chicken version, so we'll be sure to make it that was post lent. Either way, the shrimpies were good too! The flavor just exploded and we prefer thick rice stick noodles as opposed to the more spaghetti version of rice noodles [pictured in the online version].  

All of the ingredients were either in my pantry or easily found in the International food aisle in our local Hannaford. 
In regards to the actual recipe, I did #2 first and #1 second...it was easier to mix all the ingredients for the sauce and then deal with watching the noodles.  We followed the package directions for the "Pasta" use of the noodles because it so closely resembled the instructions for Miss Betty - that and we were using a slightly different noodle for the recipe.  Good tip, use a Saute Pan for this recipe, you need the room for all the ingredients and it'll cook everything evenly without overcrowding the pan.  Another change: we're not fans of shallots in this house so we used half of a regular yellow onion.
FYI: It can take up to [3] limes to make enough lime juice for this recipe.  Wiggling a fork in the pulp, over a strainer, will help get the maximum amount of juice from the tiny, green fruit. 
I also only used one package of bean sprouts [these can be tricky to find in a grocery store, try near the organic produce and/or vegan/vegetarian section] because the package itself it more than enough and honestly 3 cups are a bit over the top.  For the cilantro, I only garnished the final serving because of the strong flavor present in the rest of the dish, you don't need much. Oh and, only 1 tbsp of oil in the sauce and in the pan, you don't need 2 tbsp's in the pan to cook the onion, garlic and egg. Fat overkill!

If you're curious about the "rules" or "guidelines" for eating fish/crustaceans during Lent, visit here.  We are staying away from all meat and meat products [and I don't see feasting on any amphibians in my near or far future plans].  We are eating fish and crustaceans occasionally, hence our Tuna Melt's the other night :) It's always good to have some canned tuna on hand for "recipes gone bad evenings." 


This meal was delicious, we've marked it on our book and made it a family favorite! Enjoy! 


FYI #2: For leftovers the next day, warm up your saute pan and place the Pad Thai in the pain and sprinkle with water.  Quickly toss in the pan to heat and bring the noodles back to life.  Don't leave the meal in the pan for too long, just long enough to get it warm enough to enjoy. I wouldn't recommend using the microwave, if you must, remember to use some water and remove the shrimp.  Usually, you can toss the shrimp with the warm pasta to heat it up enough to enjoy. Shrimp + Microwave don't mix well. 

Gehry

Frank Gehry has always been one of my favorite architects/artists.  I love, love, love his collection at Tiffany's and he's proven himself time and time again over the past, what? 30, 40 years? Came across this and thought I should share.  A blog on something other than cooking? Come on now, it may be my first love, but it's not my only:

Really love the formal lines of this project.  So many of his creations are bulbous in form (sleek mind you, but round) and this has such a Chrysler Building [another favi Manhattan building] quality but sticks straight up into the sky of NYC and boldly carves an irregular box shape, his signature sculptural quality, into the landscape.  Props to the jagged edges of the building's facade Gehry, way to keep it going, keep it fresh.  

It reminds me of another building of his I saw in person in Prague, Fred & Ginger, and the attention to detail on the outside of the building. Lovely. 


In regards to this new project, a bay window up that high? I can't imagine the immense view but I can already feel my knees shake! 

Easy, Fast, Out the door!

Beer-Cheese Soup sprinkled with a little paprika

Last night's meal was quick and simple.  Perfect for the sweet husband considering it's high beer & cheese content.  I made Beer-Cheese Soup [not the same recipe in my book but very close] with a side of broccoli for SH.  
I enjoyed a Mediterranean Veggie sandwich [on my favi bread Tomato-Basil] with a dear friend at Panera.  I almost forgot my Veggie-Monster ways and ordered the Sierra Turkey, which is my usual at Panera, but thank goodness for the longer line or I would've been picking off turkey and munching on asiago cheese focaccia with lettuce.  Oh, Asiago cheese focaccia, another good carb at Panera.  Which reminds me of a funny anecdote an old roommate and I had in college about Panera and their underlying need to push carbs on their customers, going so far as to scrape up all the crumbs to sprinkle over your meal because the baguette, bread bowl and chips weren't enough.  Oh alright, you had to be there, but it had us in stitches. 
Either way, my sandwich and iced green tea was delicious it might just replace the Sierra Turkey!


Tonight: Homemade Pad Thai with Shrimp

Veggie Cheese Cornbread

There's nothing quite like it. Don't be fooled folks, it's not exactly the best thing for you despite the "Veggie" reference, but it sure is good! I've been made this recently for a church get together and it was well received. So, I'm going to make it again but this time include it in the blog. It really is quite delicious and simple - although, one lady at these get togethers really makes some moist and delicious cornbread but I'd be bold enough to say this recipe makes a viable 2nd choice. 

I'm not at liberty to divulge the exact recipe, at this point - wait for the cookbook, maybe? But it's packed with onion, red pepper, spinach with the secret ingredient, believe it or not, cottage cheese. 
Mmmm, Mmm good!

Veggie-Bean Burgers...but not really

I won't even bother finding the recipe for you, trust me it's not necessary.  I have found that no matter what, veggie/bean burgers always tend to end up mushy and/or oily. Even though this recipe was filled with yummy ingredients:
mushrooms, red pepper, garbanzo beans, broccoli, fillings a plenty. 

Veggie-Bean Burgers, before they were inedible.

They formed into patties okay but once they hit the pan: trouble. Too much oil, not enough...meat? I couldn't flip them without them falling apart, ick. We quickly decided that it was Tuna Melt Night.
Veggie-Bean Burgers fail! Tuna Melt, winner (couldn't resist).
Thank goodness, because there was no way I could put "ick" between slices of a perfectly good sesame bun. 

Tuna Salad with tomatoes & butter lettuce, Cape Cod Chips and pasta salad

Basil

Okay, so we use a lot of basil and I mentioned before that I use Olivia's Garden Basil and the best way to store the basil = upright, roots in water and in cool spot. Until it's the right time of year to grow our own, this is where we get our basil from. Here it is:

I usually use a vase but I repurposed that to hold my favorite kitchen utensils on the stovetop. This is a pitcher that has plenty of space in the bottom but a wide top - which is good to keep from squishing the basil. 

The rocks are from one of our favorite beaches up here and hold up the base of the basil and keep the bottom 2" from getting all moldy. 
Also pictured: HerbPro scissors, which also come with a container at some locations, that are great for cutting up herbs. Be careful, they are SUPER sharp. I use them all the time! 
We're out of basil recipes for the week so I intend to make some pesto sauce, yum!  

White Chili

Mmmmm! Yet again another perfect day to have a hearty soup with italian toast. Rainy, cold, dark, ick. This recipe was in my Betty Crocker Bridal Cookbook [BCBC] and I couldn't find the exact recipe on the BC website but I did find this.

It called for 2 cups of chicken and I just left it out - trust me, it doesn't need it. It also called for chicken broth but I used Nature's Place Veggie Broth. I added shredded carrots halfway through cooking the onions to give the soup a little more substance without the chicken. 
I never like the smell of stewing beans...I wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. Guess what? Delicious! A little sharp cheddar and sour cream doesn't hurt...if you have avocado, throw it on!
This soup is filling and for all my friends that can't handle an overabundance of tomato [acidic foods] it's a good choice. Enjoy!


Tonight: Veggie-Bean Burgers, we'll see...

Taking full advantage of the word "feast"

Okay. We took full advantage of our Sunday feast day yesterday...bacon, cheeseburgers with homemade pasta salad [made from the leftovers lurking in the fridge, it's better than it sounds]. See...

We got .75lb ground chuck & 4 pieces of slab bacon from the meat house and already had all the fixin's in the fridge! 
The sweet husband made the burgers while I worked on caramelizing the onions and cooking the bacon, slow & low for both. 
Next up, pasta salad. We quickly realized that we didn't have any coleslaw or pasta salad to go with our "let's pretend it's summer" Sunday meal. We had some leftover plain shells from the Mexi Shells recipe a few days ago and plenty of mayo, sour cream and lemon juice & cilantro to go around. I chopped up the pasta shells, mixed in about 1/4 cup of mayo and a few tablespoons of sour cream, juice from 1/3 of a lemon, s/p, chopped cilantro and shredded carrots. Stuck it in the fridge until the burgers were ready to let the flavors combine.

We cooked the burgers until the inside temp. reached 160deg. and I topped mine with bleu cheese crumbles, caramelized onions and placed the bacon on the bottom and garlic mayo on the top.

 The sweet husband topped his with bacon & american cheese and placed his onions on the bottom. Dipped in ketchup, of course.

The combination of smoky, slab bacon, hearty beef and sweet onions was excellently paired with the tang of lemon and cilantro in the pasta salad. It was an excellent, delicious meal. Go big or go home ladies and gents. Enjoy!

Fettucine with Ricotta, Tomatoes & Basil

Quick. Simple. Right up my alley. Here is an instructional video I found while searching for Betty Crocker's recipe that outlines the recipe in about 1.5 minutes. 

Well, instead of a regular tomato, I opted to use one can of [nsa] stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped with my kitchen shears. Either way, I wouldn't use a garden variety, perfect for a burger but not my pasta, tomato.  If you want to use fresh tomato go for a roma or campari.

This dish was fast, delicious and fresh. Enjoy!

Pesto-Parm Grilled Cheese

Nothing to really post at length, the dish explains itself and I really outline all of the grilled cheese etiquette here.  This time around we used bakery style french bread and stuck to our favorite Pastene brand pesto - it's usually hiding around the other pasta sauces or in an aisle with other Pastene items [capers, artichoke hearts, etc.]. 

We paired the sandwiches with a small salad with simple ingredients: cucumber, celery, cherries, pecans and baby spinach. I topped my salad off with the homemade lemon dressing [found here] and the sweet husband opted for bleu cheese on his. Nice, lite meal! Enjoy!


Tomorrow: Fettucine with Ricotta & Garlic Bread