Zoodles for the Birthday Win

He's 5 and so pumped about it.  And also: he's now a SWAT member compliments of Mannah.

So we've had a busy couple of weeks counting down the days until my baby turned FIVE.  What the what.  I feel like we were just at the hospital (note: we were the ONLY ONES in the delivery wing of of Mercy in Manhattan, it was amazing and quiet).  Anyhow.  Everyday we counted down the days and discuss all the things he wants (ENTITLED MUCH?) and I think we nailed it and he had a great b-day.

Batman made it all the way from Gotham.  And so did eight thousand Legos.

We had plans to test his skills at mini golf but once he lined up all his lego sets, he wanted a "stay-at-home day."  So we stayed in jammies (or SWAT costumes, as the case may be) and built Legos ALL DAY.  It was awesome.  It was like Christmas morning, except for the fact that Elliott didn't get a gift and he was a tiny tyrant off and on all day long.

Owen took this picture.  Props to Aunt Katie and Uncle Zac because this has stayed by his side for a solid 48 hours thus far.

Ok, this is probs getting boring for everyone except my Mom (love you mom!) so I'll get to the food already!

For his birthday dinner we went to Brixx which is his #1 requested restaurant because they provide pizza dough for kids to play with at the table.  Winning.  So I told him I'd cook him whatever he wanted on Monday night as his birthday dinner at home; he chose shrimp (sometimes he calls them skrimps) and spaghetti because he wanted to try throwing the noodles on the ceiling to see if they stick.  They did.  (I distinctly remember my Auntie Val letting us throw noodles on the kitchen cabinets in their first house in Lafayette.  Cool aunt move that I need to tuck away for when my little lovies come to visit.)  So I made Greek Shrimp Scampi with Zoodles!

So zoodles were a total hit and we will be incorporating them regularly.

My cousins have been raving about zoodles and sending me links to recipes that I have yet to try.  I finally busted out my Gefu spiralizer and WHAT.  AWESOME.  It was a bit of a learning curve figuring out how much pressure I needed to use (esp'lly with little hands assisting me).  But our final product was awesome - one zoodle was about two feet long!  And the boys loved eating the left over zucchini pieces!  WIN!

 I married angel hair and zoodles for the winning birthday dish.

So I took the zoodles and tossed them in the last 15 seconds of cooking the angel hair (I detest the taste of uncooked zucchini.  Can't even handle it.) and the boys totally ate it.  Next time I'll add more zucchini and way less pasta.  Sneaky!  Next up: Chicken Zoodle Pho!

Greek Style Scampi with Zoodles
Recipe adapted from a dear law school friend Samantha Everette

{Ingredients}
1 t. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided
4 (14 oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained and chopped (I acutally used 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes and tossed the whole thing in)
1 1/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup (4 oz) crumbled feta cheese
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (just realized I forgot this one, but we didn't notice it!)
1/4 tsp fresh ground place pepper
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (8 oz uncooked)
2 zucchinis, spirlaized (next time I will do 3 or 4)

{Instructions}
Preheat oven to 400*.  Heat oil in large dutch oven or skillet over medium heat.  Saute garlic 30 seconds.  Add 1/4 cup parsley and tomatoes.  Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes.  Add shrimp, cook 5 minutes (I didn't do 5 minutes because I was distracted by little people throwing spaghetti on the ceiling and cabinets but the shrimp turned out fine because you pop it in the oven for 10 minutes).  Pour mixture into oven-safe dish (I skipped this since a dutch oven is oven safe), sprinkle with cheese and bake at 400* for 10 minutes.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup, parsley, lemon juice and pepper.

Cook pasta to desired doneness.  In the last 15 seconds of cooking, toss in your zoodles for a light blanch.  Drain and empty into your serving bowl.  Toss with 1 tsp of olive oil to ensure nothing sticks!

Serve shrimp mixture over noodles and enjoy!

Hoondly, noondy, froondy, umm bork bork bork! (Swedish chef, anyone, anyone?)

Bon Appetit friends!

Spring Fever

We are warming up here in the Midwest and I wanted my table to reflect my Spring Fever! So I made this delightfully light and fresh dish sent to me by my dear friend Angela. Angela and I have known each other since the first grade - we are closing in on our 30th anniversary - crazy! For the past couple of years, we have sporadically mailed each other our favorite recipes, and I cannot believe I waited two years to make this one!

Jerked-Spiced Shrimp with Coconut Mango Rice
Serves 4

Shrimp Ingredients:
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground red pepper (cayenne)
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1/8 tsp ground allspice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp

Instructions
Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add oil and shrimp in large bowl; toss well to coat. Thread shrimp evenly onto 8 (8") skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes or until no longer gray; turning once.

Coconut Mango Rice Ingredients
2 cups water
2/3 cup light coconut milk (I was shocked I was able to find this in my super market!)
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
3/4 cup shredded carrots
2 cups diced, peeled mango (about 2 mangoes, or one large; can substitute with peaches)
1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Instructions:
Bring water, coconut milk and salt to a boil in a med saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Add carrots and next 6 ingredients. Toss gently to combine.

If you have left over mango like I did, Owen would be happy to take it off your hands :)

Weeknight Gourmet

We had our first snow!! Well, first accumulation. Since there is no such thing as "local" news in the Little Apple, I have to rely on the ever fabulous Topeka news to determine now many inches we actually got - approximately 8". I wasn't able to measure it due to the fact that we have this lovely phenomena called "blowing snow" - super fun!

Alas, it was quite beautiful when the sun came out! But with the sun came an arctic blast - it was 5* (-10* with windchill) when J was shoveling the drive. Owen and I enjoyed watching from inside the warm house :)

Anyfood, we are on this "don't-eat-take-out" kick, or maybe you could call it a resolution to cook more at home and throw less away. I swear, I am the queen of buying a TON at the super market and then choosing to eat out every night. I have good intentions to make yummy wholesome meals all week long, but I have terrible follow through. So for the last two whole weeks, we've been making dinner :) And tonight was new-recipe-night - um, delish. I busted out my "Williams-Sonoma Weeknight" cookbook that we got for our wedding. I LOVE this book - super easy and quick! Generally I love really simple scallops, but these were fantastic with a little Chinese Five Spice - delish!

Five-Spice Scallops with Noodles
Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Oranges
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 lb fresh Chinese egg noodles (I used udon noodles because that was what I had in the pantry!)
1 1/4 lb large sea scallops (as opposed to bay scallops - although I bet they would be just as good)
2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder (if you have trouble find this spice, try www.penzeys.com - on a totally different note, I had the BEST Five-Spice Gimlet at Mei N Yu in Georgetown about a year and half ago - they made it with Chinese five-spice simple syrup - amazing!)
4 tbsp Peanut or Canola oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finally chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 lb sugar snap peas (we used snow peas because we have a huge bag from our monthly run to Costco!)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
4 green onions, white and pale green parts chopped

Instructions:

1) Grate 1 teaspoon zest from the orange and squeeze 1/2 cup juice, and set both aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are tender, according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.

2) While the noodles are cooking, sprinkle the scallops on both sides with the five-spice powder and season lightly with slat and pepper. In a large frying pan over high heat, warm 3 tablespoons of the oil. Working in batches if necessary add the scallops in a single layer to the pan and cook until well browned on the bottom, about one minute. Turn the scallops and cook until well browned on the outside and just opaque in the center, 1-2 minutes. Transfer the scallops to a plate (and I would add that you should cover them - while perfectly cooked, they were a bit on the cold side when I plated).

3) Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the same frying pan over high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar snap peas and stir fry just until tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Stir in the orange zest and juice, wine and soy sauce and cook until slightly reduced, 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and green onions and toss gently to combine. Divide the noodles and snap peas among 4 plates, top with the scallops and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Easy Peasy

Eating while pregnant has brought out some interesting choices for dinners - my fave for a while (to include this past Saturday night) has been peanut butter on a tortilla. Seriously, I sometimes crave it. Last night was different, I craved this fabulous Roasted Shrimp & Orzo Salad - SO good. It is light and fresh and just perfect for a Sunday supper!

Roasted Shrimp & Orzo

Serves 8 ~ Barefoot Contessa at Home

Ingredients

Kosher salt

Good olive oil

3/4 pound orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons - I cheated and used the bottled stuff. Seriously, if I were to squeeze all the lemons that Ina called for in her wonderful recipes, I'd need my own lemon tree! Of course, if I still lived in the Golden State, this would not be a problem. Alas, metro DC does not provide the environment for the proper growth of a lemon tree!)

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined (16-18 count)

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (about one bunch)

1 cup chopped fresh dill (forgot to get this at the store and supplemented with dry - I probs used about 1/4 cup - for some reason we have two large bottles of dill in our pantry so I'm trying to get rid of some of it before we move!)

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium diced (I didn't seed it - and I used an English cucumber b/c that was what I had!)

1/2 cup small-diced red onion (about 1/2 of a medium sized onion)

3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2) Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon salt and a splash of oil (I skimped on the salt and totally skipped the oil), and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9-11 minutes (or just follow the instructions on the box), stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

3) Meanwhile, 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 5-6 minutes, until the shrimp or cooked through (mine were done in 4 minutes). Don't overcook!

4) Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving. (I chilled mine and served cold - I prefer it that way!)

Bon Appetit!

Super Simple!

Bon jour! The J man and I have returned from galavanting around Europe. Sigh, it was tres magnifique! While in Paris, I read "My Life in France" by Julia Child and it was simply divine - all you foodies out there MUST read it! I garnered the following invariable advice from the Culinary Queen: "Learn how to cook - try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!"

On that advice, I got "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" whilst in Paris - I cannot wait to start trying it out and describing what I've discovered! We had so many amazing meals in Europe - I will post some pictures later this week. For now, here is a tasty, easy, weeknight meal. I had three girlfriends over when the J man was out of town, and I cannot believe how simple and elegant this Bon Appetit recipe turned out! You must try it!

Seared Mahi Mahi with Green Gazpacho Sauce

Bon Appetit, September 2009 ~ Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped English hothouse cucumber (about 1/2 large)

3/4 cup coarsely chopped green onions

1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

5 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons (or more) white balsamic vinegar (I used rice wine vinegar as I couldn't find white balsamic vinegar - I LOVE living in Northern Virginia. Love it. Seriously.)

2 1/2 teaspoons chopped seeded serrano chiles (Again, couldn't find serrano chiles in this fine city, so I used jalapenos - which were a tad bit hot, so I added more cilantro and cucumber to mellow it out)

4 7-8 ounce mahi-mahi fillets

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

6 ounces small red and yellow cherry, pear, or grape tomatoes, halved

Instructions

* Combine cucumber, onions, cilantro, 4 1/2 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar, and chiles in processor (I used a blender). Using on/off turns, blend mixture until finely chopped. Transfer to bowl. SEason with more vinegar, if desired, and salt and black pepper.

* Sprinkle fish fillets on both sides with salt, pepper, and cumin. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish and cook 5 minutes. Turn over, cover and cook until fish is just opaque in center, 4-5 minutes (this technique steamed the fish - I would have preferred the fish to be browned...)

* Divide gazpacho sauce amount 4 plates. Top each with 1 fish fillet. Scatter tomatoes atop and around fish and serve.

And in the sage words of Julia Child: Bon Appetit!

All Dressed Up

Isn't summer wonderful?!  I am simply addicted to anything I can get my hands on at our local Farmer's Market or our farm co-op!  This yummy Salad Nicoise was made with potatoes and tomatoes from our local farmer's market, and amazing, I mean simply delish, green beans from our farm co-0p.  This salad is so satisfying, we had it again today for lunch, sans salmon.  Yummy!  

The dressing we used was from the Silver Palate - I've only made a few things out of this little gem and, oh my heavens, it has all be great!  I used chives and parsley straight from our balcony herb garden :)

Our Favorie Vinaigrette

Makes 1 Cup ~ The Silver Palate

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Minced fresh parsley and/or snipped fresh chives to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions

1.  Measure the mustard into a bowl.  Whisk in the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and herbs.

2.  Continue to whisk the mixture while slowly dribbling in the olive oil until the mixture thickens.  Adjust the seasoning to taste.  Cover until ready to use.  (Vinaigrette is best if made just before it is to be used.)  If necessary, whisk again before serving.

**For our tasty Nicoise we had red potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, eggs, salmon, olives, a little lemon (for the salmon).  But you can add whatev you want!  For lunch today we added cucumbers, green onions, and yellow bell peppers - all locally grown :)

Food for the Proletariat

Wasabi Foodies,

Here is your latest installment of Cooking with Soja. I realize that there was only one prior installment about a year ago, but whatevs, I didn't have a computer before. So, a couple of days ago, I "entertained" the Stephens in my Julia Child-era kitchen, which says nothing about my skills or lack thereof as a cook, as it does about the age and state of my 1960s kitchen. These are the breaks when you live in an area that doesn't ever seem to be affected by the housing depression the rest of the country is suffering from, thereby precluding my ability to actually purchase a house with a useable kitchen. I'd even take something circa 1985. I don't need Viking and Subzero...just something newer than I am....I digress.

Here is our lovely menu from Tuesday night that everyone seemed to enjoy. I put my own take on a Food and Wine 2006 recipe called Salmon with Leek Fondue. We had a side of rice pilaf and some sauteed squash. Here's what I did to serve 3-4 people:

Buy four nice filets of salmon. I normally just hit up Whole Foods for my fishticles but Mrs. Stephens advised me of a fish market right off 395 in Alexandria called Slavin and Sons Market. Do not be put off by the aquarium smells when you walk in; they have tons of fresh and frozen fish that do not smell once you get them home and cook them up. I purchased four filets of Wild Alaskan Salmon. Do not faint when when you go to pay- its worth it!

Season the salmon with salt and pepper, brush with olive oil and broil four inches from the heating element for 10-11 minutes. Done.

While the salmons are broiling, make the leek Fondue. Here's what you'll need:

2 leeks
1 onion
2 garlic cloves diced

Saute everything in a large skillet until everything is very soft- about ten minutes. Sprinkle two tablespoons of flour on the sauteeing veggies. Cook for 2-3 minutes, add 1.25 cups of chicken stock and simmer until it gets noticeably thicker. Transfer to a blender and puree. Return the puree to the skillet and add 1/3 cup of half and half or whole milk or if you are feeling too thin or your thighs could use some cellulite, heavy cream. Stir it all up and season to taste. Keep warm on the back burner.

Make the rice: Dry roast some pine nuts on the stove top- about a handful is good for a cup of rice. It takes about 5-8 minutes to get them nice and dark. Empty toasted nuts into a bowl and set aside. In the same pot, saute some onions and a piece of garlic with some butter for five minutes or so. Then, add the 1 cup of rice and toast the grains for about 2 minutes. Dump 2 cups of chicken stock and the pine nuts into the pot, bring to a boil and cover, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 16 minutes. Once it was finished cooking, I dumped some edamame in the pot, but you don't have to.

Saute the Squish. I had some yellow squash but you can use anything you can find. Like eggplant or zucchini or butternut. Whatevs, this is not Gordon Ramsey's kitchen holmes. So just take some panchetta or bacon and get it crispy in the pan, add the squash and about one small diced onion and just cook it down until its really soft- about 15 minutes.

Now you are ready to eat: Pour the leek fondue over the salmon, get yourself some squish and some rice and a big glass of vino and have fun. I like to get myself an additional big glass of vino during the cooking process and so should you.


Here is a picture of the French Quarter in New Orleans. Because this is a food blog, I mention this because there are alot of great places to get delicious meals, and because I was there for a month last month, here's a pic from my hotel room. I enjoyed a similar meal as this post in New Orleans at Emeril's NOLA restaurant in the French Quarter. This is not a town conducive to losing weight or eating healthy or not drinking. My next posts may be about eating hay and soy and wheatgrass and "shakes" made of lemon juice and cayenne pepper. yum.

Crowd Pleasing Easter

Jeremy and I were lucky enough to spend Easter with family this year - my parents flew out from California to celebrate Easter and to see the sights that our fine city has to offer! My dad had never been to DC, so we forced him to march around the monuments, read the Constitution and accompanying documents, watch Jeremy's argument at the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and last, but definitely not least, gaze in amazement at Julia Child's kitchen on display at the Museum of American History. Simply perfect.

Anyfood, on Easter we had a little app to whet the appetite: Crab Meat Pattie (pictured above; an old family fave that we have recently been re-introduced to and, I kid you not, it was stupendous) and the main event was traditional ham (which I was none too pleased with as I am not a fan of ham, Sam I Am). As I am not a fan of the ham, I was very excited about the Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese my mom suggested out of Ina's Back to Basics. It was SO GOOD.


Crab Meat Pattie


INGREDIENTS
12 oz cream cheese; softened (please let me know if you ever find a 12 oz package of cream cheese - I just used an 8 oz package and cut back a wee bit on the other ingredients)
1 can crab (6 oz - however, I used whatever was necessary to cover the top)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons mayo (I didn't add this at all - didn't need it)
1 small green onion; minced fine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup chili sauce (the kind you find next to the catsup, not the kind you find on the Asian food aisle at the super market)
Fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Wheat Thins on the side


INSTRUCTIONS
In a mixer (or just in a bowl and substitute your elbow grease for your mixer), combine cream cheese, lemon juice, green onion, worchestershire sauce, salt, and garlic, until well blended. If your mixture is too soggy, add the mayo. Form cream cheese mixture into a "pattie" about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick. I prefer to make it thinner as then you have more surface space to cover with yummy crab!! Build a slight lip to hold the chili sauce. Spread the chili sauce around the top of the pattie (I just put as much as I needed so that it covered the surface and you couldn't "see" through to the cream cheese.) Sprinkle crab meat on top; garnish with parsley. Serve with Wheat Thins. Um, yum. We had it two out of the 8 nights my parents were here - so good!


Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese
Serves 6, Back to Basics


INGREDIENTS
3 ripe but firm Anjou pears (or whatever you can get your hands on - just make sure they are firm)
Freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons - I cheat and use "Real Lemon Juice" in the bottle...)

3 oz coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese such as Stilton
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup apple cider (or apple juice)
3 tablespoons port
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 oz baby arugula (we used baby mixed greens)


INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat the oven to 375*.
2) Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small, sharp paring knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.
3. Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentations.
4) In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Back the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.

How do you like my action shot? Look at the gorgeous blue cheese just staring up at you! Doesn't it look amazing with the walnuts and cranberries?? My mouth is watering.


5) Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Add the arugula and toss well. Divide the arugula amount 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt and serve.


The finished product on my fabulous Pottery Barn salad plates I got last spring. Love. The plate the crab meat pattie is on above is also part of the set. I heart them almost as much as I heart this salad.


This is the extent of my Easter ham. My mom begged and pleaded with me to have a bite. So I did. I still don't like ham unless it is hiding under some swiss cheese, nestled in between two pieces of rye bread. I don't know what it is, but that is the only way you are going to get me to eat ham. Sam. Although, if you hide it in some Mac and Cheese like the fine folks at Jackson's in Reston do, I might eat it then too and not complain...

Jeremy Cooks: Part Duex

I'm not even kidding ya'll, Jeremy made yet another delish dish!  Our agreement tonight was that he would prep the salmon, and I would take care of the details and cooking it.  Well, when I walked in the door tonight he had everything ready to go and was just waiting on me.  I think I am facing some serious competition in the kitchen.  Is it just me or is it totally hot when your man cooks for you?  I love how excited he is when he cooks for me - sigh.  I'm a lucky lady.

This recipe comes to you straight from a recipe card in my recipe basket...I have no idea where I got it.  Usually I'm pretty good about writing where the recipe comes from - but not this time.  I am assuming it is a Cooking Light master piece because I have the nutritional information at the end of the recipe...

Honey Glazed Salmon

2 tablespoons minced shallots

1 tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (J couldn't find the ground red pep so he used red pepper flakes instead - nice kick and I highly recommend this switch-a-roo)

4 (6 oz) salmon filets (about 1" thick)

Cooking spray

Thyme Sprigs (please note how Jeremy garnished my salmon with some fresh sprigs on top - isn't he the cutest??)

Instructions

1)  Prepare grill or broiler (we actually baked it at 350* for 10 and then broiled for 5 and got a nice char on top - smelled and tasted great!)

2)  Combine 1st 6 ingredients in a small bowl.  Brush honey mixture over skinless side of fish.  Place fish on grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray and cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily tested with a fork.  (We improvised and placed it on foil on a regular old super market jelly roll pan and drizzled a little olive oil - always on a quest for those healthy oils!)

Bon Appetit!  

Me and Ina

First things first, this is a picture of me and my new best friend Ina. We go way back, all the way to November. She called me and said, "Meg, I'm going to be in town - let me sign your cookbook!" So I did. And she signed 3 more for me :)

It has been a crazy couple of months and I've sadly forsaken my foodie blog. So get ready for some serious blogging sista's!

I have two little gems for you tonight: one is an oldie but goodie and its never disappointed. The second is a newby - I made it out of my new Back to Basics cookbook my dear friend Ina penned.

Pumpkin Chicken Chowder

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic

1 cup each chopped onion and bell pepper (please do not be crazy specific on this one - go crazy)

8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 (15 oz) can solid pack pumpkin

1/4 cup long grain rice (I use brown rice - better for you but it takes a little bit longer to cook!)

1/2 frozen corn (or 1 can of corn)

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp salt and pepper

2 (14 oz) cans fat free chicken broth

Instructions

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken, onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in broth, pumpkin, corn, rice, & seasons. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally until rice is tender. Serve warm. SO GOOD. We ate it tonight and it was amazing!!

Bay Scallops Gratins

Ingredients

3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 medium shallot, minced

1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto di Parma, minced

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp Pernod (really?? What the heck is that? According to my trusty "Food Lover's Companion" Pernod [pehr-NOH] is "a yellowish, licorice-flavored liqueur similar to absinthe. Pernod is very popular in France and is usually mixed with water, which turns it whitish and cloudy." I know, doesn't sound so appetizing - but let me say, this was a divine dish and I wouldn't change a thing!)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp good olive oil

1/4 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)

3 tbsp dry white wine

1 pound fresh bay scallops or bay scallops cut in quarters

Lemon, for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425*. Place 3 (6-inch round) gratin dishes on a sheet pan.

2. To make the topping, place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (you can also use a hand mixer). With the mixer on low speed, add the garlic, shallot, prosciutto, parsley, lemon juice, Pernod, salt, and pepper and mix until combined. With the mixer on low, add olive oil slowly, until combined. Fold in panko with rubber spatula and set aside.

3. Preheat the broiler, if it's separate from oven.

4. Place 1 tbsp of the wine in the bottom of each gratin dish. With a small sharp knife remove the white muscle and membrane from the side of each scallop and discard. Pat scallops dry with paper towels and distribute them among the 3 dishes. Spoon the garlic butter evenly over the top of the scallops. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the topping is golden and sizzling and the scallops are barely done. If you want the top crustier, place the dishes under the broiler for 2 minutes, until browned. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and serve immediately with crusty French bread.

For serious?! It is SO GOOD. And super easy. If you don't already have this cookbook, get on it. Target has it for $24 and Costco has it for $18. Well worth the dough!!!

Yes we can...

Make crab cakes that is!  My mammers was here this weekend and we had grand plans to make crab cakes!  We bought the crabmeat at Costco thinking we'd have time (ha) to whip these puppies up.  Alas, my man and I had to embark on this culinary adventure without the mammers as she had to go home :(  Alas, I am very please to report that the crab cakes were a success even if the mammers wasn't here to provide sage culinary wisdom!

Not the most beautiful specimen, but so darn good.  Get on it and get some lump crab!

Ingredients

2 pounds crabmeat

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 whole eggs

1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher slat

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley

Dry bread crumbs, as needed

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350*.

2) Lightly squeeze the crabmeat to remove excess moisture.

3)  In a bowl, combine the mayo, eggs, seasonings, and parsley.  Whisk until blended.  Fold in the crabmeat and combine throughly.  Add the bread crumbs in small increments and combine just until the mixture is lightly bound together (too many bread crumbs will result in doughy cakes).  Portion into 3 oz cakes.

4)  In a frying pan, heat the olive oil.  There should be just enough to coat the bottom of the pan.  Sear the crab cakes on both sides to golden brown.  Place the crab cakes in the oven for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with lemon garlic aioli (2 T may, 2 t lemon juice, 1/4 t garlic - mix).

Restaurant Food...

"It tastes just like restaurant food!"  If that isn't an endorsement from our friend Liz, I don't know what is!  Liz and her husband Walter joined us for dinner and we feasted on Shrimp with Red Cream Sauce - I got this little gem from www.thepioneerwoman.com (a fantastic website devoted to all things domestic on a working cattle ranch - Liz introduced me to it!  While I love being a Soldier/Army Wife, I would love to live on a working cattle ranch practicing the science of home economics!)  Anyfood, it was a delightful evening with great friends and yummy food!

Shrimp with Red Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked shrimp, tail on

1 pound penne pasta

1 white onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup white wine

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

fresh parsley, chopped

fresh basil, chopped

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp olive oil

Directions

1) Heat one tablespoon each of oil and butter (everything is better with butter), add shrimp and saute until just done.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Let cool; remove tails and chop.

2) Heat remaining oil and butter (while I stand behind butter, I recommend taking it easy at this step - the other ingredients have yummy flavor that you don't want to over-power), onion, and garlic.  Saute until onion is transparent.  Add wine, let evaporate.  Add tomato sauce and heavy cream - stir to combine.  When heated through, add basil, parsley, and shrimp.

So easy and so delish!  I garnished with some freshly grated romano cheese...just in case I didn't have enough calories...

Salmon with Hoisin Glaze

Um, YUM. (I think I might start most of my posted recipes with that phrase...) This was SO EASY and it was delish! The original recipe actually calls for salmon steaks - I'm not much into the steaks (nor chicken with skin and bones, in case you are wondering). I used a few salmon filets I had tucked away in the freezer and it turned out tres manufique!

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. orange juice
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. honey
Course salt and ground pepper
4 salmon steaks (8 to 10 oz. each), 1 inch thick

Preparation
1. Heat broiler. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together orange juice, hoisin sauce, and honey.
2. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Brush half of the hoisin sauce mixture over to coat.
3. Broil salmon about 4 inches from the heat source, basting once, until opaque in center, 10 to 13 minutes.

Please note that my dear husband has added some ranch dressing on the side to dip his way-too-healthy salmon into - yucko. We tried out those ziplock mircrowave bags to steam our veggies - they were only so-so. Haven't tried them since.

Look how happy he is! Actually, I think he was annoyed that I made him pose for yet another food picture for my blog!

Salmon with Fresh Salsa

Um, YUM. I was watching Jamie Oliver a few months ago and he made this delish smoked salmon that made my mouth water - even though I couldn't smell or taste anything. I recreated it, without the smoking bit as we have v. sensitive smoke detectors!! We had it last night and it was absolutely devine! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Salmon (I did enough for two people)
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 avocado, diced
2 green onions, sliced with a little of the greens
1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely diced
handful of cilantor (or corriander if you are Jamie Oliver)
the juice of one lime
1 red chili (Harris Teeter didn't have red chili's so I used green - not spicy enough)
Salt
Pepper
And I added a dash of cumin
Chili infused Olive Oil

Toss all but the salmon together in a bowl - it clearly makes the salsa. I had a few bites with some tortilla chips and man was it delish! Rub olive oil on both sides of the salmon, salt and pepper, and cook on the stove top until the fish flakes. Mine was pretty meaty, it took about 15-20 minutes in the thickest parts. So easy and super good for you!

Nothing Shrimpy About It!

Okay, after a very very long hiatus, I am back and boy do I have TONS to post! J and I have been cooking up a storm - just not making the time to share our fab recipes. Oh yes, that's right, J has been cooking too!! In fact, the recipe I am about to share has become part of his repertoire!

This tasty little number comes from "Giada's Family Dinners" - my dear, sweet, almost-married-cousin JJ got me this book and we LAAAUUUVVVEE it!

Pepperoncini Shrimp

Serves 6

48 large shrimp (about 2 pounds), peeled and deveined*
4 tablespoons pepperoncini oil (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Toss the shrimp in a large bowl with the pepperocini oil. Sprinkle with slat and pepper. Saute the shrimp until just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Add the cooked shrimp to the bowl with the pepperoncini oil and toss again to coat. Transfer the shrimp to a platter and serve.

*J and I just add the amt of shrimp we'll eat as we rarely share meals with others - something we are trying to change!

Pepperoncini Oil

Makes 1/2 cup

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped pepperoncini
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the pepperoncini and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the peperoncini and oil into a heat proof bowl and cool to room temperature.

According to Giada, this pepperoncini oil is great on any fish as well as on shrimp. She also recommends throwing the shrimp on the Barbie. I would try it, but the great county of Arlington has determined I might burn my condo down if I had a BBQ...or "grill" if you are from the East coast...

Getting Rough

So just because I have't posted anything, doesn't mean I haven't been cooking! Jeremy and I tried a delish recipe that is definitely going on our list of faves: Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes. I did a little switch-a-roo with the fish: Cod for Orange Roughy; Trader Joe's didn't have any Cod the day we decided to make it. I don't know what it tastes like with Cod, but my goodness it was FAB with Orange Roughy! The whole darn thing from start to finish took 30 minutes - so simple!!

Serves 4

2 medium leeks, white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced, rinsed well, and patted dry
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 table spoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 12 ounces)
4 cod fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick

1. Preheat the oven to 450*F. In a 9-by-13 inch baking dish, toss together the leeks, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, thyme and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspon pepper. Cover with foil, and bake until the leeks just begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add the tomatoes, and toss to combine. Season both sides of the cod fillets with 1/2 teasponn salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; place on top of the vegetables.

3. Cover the dish and bake until the fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Preparing the leeks:
Fist cut away and discard the leek's root and dark green leaves, then thinly slice the white and light green parts crosswise into rounds. Wash the leek rounds well, as dirt tends to collect in the rounds.