Bowtie Pasta with Chicken and Pesto

I love the garden harvests of summer and last night, I made a dinner that tasted like summer, with a few things from the backyard!

Pesto:
2 cups (packed) basil leaves (remove the tough stems)
1/4 c pine nuts
3 cloves garlic (more or less depending on your vampire status and taste buds)
put the above ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well chopped

1/2 c good olive oil
add in a stream and pulse to incorporate

remove from processor bowl and stir in
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Let sit at room temperature until the next step is done


1 package of bowtie pasta (or your favorite shape) cooked according to the package's directions.

3 chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 clove garlic
1T olive oil
Heat the oil in a deep skillet, add garlic, cook chicken until no pink remains

Turn off the heat and add
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
cover for 4-5 minutes to warm the tomatoes

Add the cooked pasta and the pesto and toss, coating everything with that yummy greenness.

Serve with crusty Italian bread and a nice tossed salad.

Italian Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4-6 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 8 oz package of fresh mozzarella, diced to 1/4" dice
1 small vidallia onion, coarsely diced
1 qt cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper diced
1/4 lb spicy capicolla, fried like bacon and chopped in chunks
fresh basil (about 15-20 leaves divided)
3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2T olive oil
1 #28 can diced tomatoes
1t sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Make a pocket in each of the chicken cutlets, keeping the opening as small as possible. I put in the knife and then move the blade to each end making a nice size pocket with a small opening. Set these babies aside.

Add olive oil to a deep saute pan, add garlic and heat. Add cherry tomatoes and roast until they start to pop. Swirl in the pan to coat them with oil and garlic. Add the onion and the red pepper, saute until soft. Set aside.

Dice up the mozzarella, add about 2/3 cup of tomato/pepper/onion mixture. Toss in the fried capicolla, and about half of the basil leaves, chiffonaded (if that is a word)

This is the stuffing for your chicken. Mix it up and evenly fill up the pockets in the chicken breasts. Using a wooden toothpick, close the opening so the stuffing doesn't fall out on cooking. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes on a cookie sheet.

To the remaining tomato/onion/pepper mixture, add the can of diced tomatoes, the remaining basil, the sugar. Using a stick blender, puree coarsely to create a sauce. (I moved it into a sauce pan so it didn't shoot all over the kitchen.) Let simmer for 15-20 minutes to mellow all the ingredients.

Remove the chicken from the oven and saute both sides in that sauce pan that once housed those roasted tomatoes, adding a little olive oil if needed. Brown them so they look nice and tasty.

Serve with something nice and green (we did peas, or on a bed of steamed spinach) and top with some of that nice fresh tasting sauce. Enjoy.

Summer Pasta Sauce

1 small eggplant, peeled and cubed in 1/2" cubes
1 medium zucchini, grated
2 pts cherry tomatoes (or roughly chopped larger tomatoes or a combination)
garlic to taste (I used 2 cloves)
fresh basil (about 1/4 cup)
6 Italian sausage links or bulk sausage
1 28 oz can tomato sauce (or a jar of prepared sauce)
2T olive oil
1/2 cup red wine

A package of your favorite pasta, cooked to your taste.

In a large sauce pan with high sides, heat the oil and garlic. Add the cherry tomatoes (and/or other tomatoes) toss to coat with oil and cook until they start to pop (or soften). Add eggplant and continue to saute. Add zucchini and tomato sauce. Break up the raw sausage into small pieces and add. Chiffonade the basil and add to the mix. Add the wine, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions (we used fusilli lunghi bucati which looks like kinky hair). Enjoy

Rockin Robin's Raving Enchilada Sauce

makes about 2 cups

* 2 cups chicken broth
* 4 Tbs Gebhardt Chili Powder
* 1 tsp. ground cumin
* 2 heaping tsp. garlic powder (with no salt added)
* 3/4 tsp. salt
* 1 pinch ground cinnamon (less than 1/16 tsp.)
* 1/3 tsp. sugar
* 5 Tbs. cold water
* 5 Tbs. white flour

Directions:

In a 2 quart sauce pan add the chicken broth, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and sugar (the sugar is a little secret to eliminate any bitter taste from the chili powder).

Use a whisk to mix everything well. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes.

Whisk frequently to make sure all spices dissolve. This is important for flavor and a nice smooth sauce.

While the sauce is on a slow simmer/boil, add 5 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl.

With another whisk mix 1 tablespoon at a time of flour. Whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. If you have lumps here, you will definitely have lumps in your sauce.

After 3 minutes of cooking sauce, turn the heat up to high. Very slowly, pour the flour mixture into the boiling sauce. Here you must whisk the sauce vigorously while adding the flour to avoid lumps.

After all the flour is added, continue to whisk for one minute. You can turn the heat down to medium during this time. Just make sure the sauce is boiling.

Turn off the heat, this enchilada sauce recipe is done.

You will notice that as this sauce sits it will form a "skin" on the surface. This is normal and in fact the longer the sauce sits the thicker this skin becomes. All you have to do is peel the skin off and throw it away.

As you can see, this enchilada sauce recipe is very quick to make.

So go on, make some cheese enchiladas tonight for dinner.

Chicken and Mushroom Frittata

A friend of mine, who is also a writer (and she knows who she is), was telling me that cooking is a way for her to clear her head and be thoughtful about what she is going to write.

For me, it seems that the food is the driving end of the bargain.

My life is filled with stories surrounding the food. Food seems to be the center of so much and is the cornerstone of many of my memories, especially distant ones from people no longer with me.

My mother was a meticulous cook with over 2,000 cookbooks in her personal library (more than the Betty Crocker library in Minnesota with a full time librarian, she liked to brag). She would spend time actually reading the books, from cover to cover and seemed to know just what book to grab to cook whatever struck her fancy. This was all before Google and the Food Network. Julia Child was her inspiration and we watched the show on PBS religiously. My mother experimented with Coq Au Vin, pate, trussing chickens and poaching fish--things that were not common fare on most of my contemporaries dinner tables. At a time when Campbell's Soup was the mainstays for most, my mother was making granola and whole wheat bread that made me wince when I found it in my lunch box. How I longed for the soft and squishy Wonderbread my school mates found for lunch.

There weren't a lot of repeat meals in our house. And no experiments... everything needed to follow a neat map of a proven recipe. I don't ever remember something that was a flop or inedible. Unlike at my house where I take 4 things and figure out how to put them together. I think the next food network star should go from kitchen to kitchen at 5pm and have dinner from what is there ready on the table by 6. Welcome to my life. I suppose if I spent the time to plan, that wouldn't be the way I look at things but then I wouldn't have that chef school market basket challenge to keep my brain cells alive, each and every day.


So for lunch today, I did a favorite go-to meal, a fritta. You can take just about anything and pour eggs over it, add a bit of cheese and broil it. Cut in slices with salsa, what more could someone need? (And we have some for tomorrow as well!)

Chicken and Mushroom Fritta

mixture of mushrooms, chopped coarsly (about 1.5 or 2 cups)
1T butter
1/2 small spanish onion sliced thin
3/4 cup cooked chicken, in small chunks
1/2 c mozerella cheese, shredded
1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c broccoli florettes, broken or chopped into small pieces
5 eggs w 1T cold water beaten until a nice sunny yellow
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the mushrooms and onions with the butter until the liquid is gone and there is a bit of brown on the mushrooms. Sprinkle in the broccoli and the chicken, cover to steam for about 2 minutes to give the broccoli a head start and warm the chicken.
Sprinkle the cheeses evenly over and pour the eggs over the top covering everything. Cook over low to medium heat until almost set. Place pan in the oven under the broiler and cook until puffed and golden brown on the top.

Remove from oven, let sit for a few minutes and then cut into slices and top with salsa if desired

Nora's Irish Soda Bread

Dry Ingredients

*3½ Cups flour
*4 Teaspoons baking powder
*1/3 Cup sugar
*1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
*8 oz. Raisins, softened (soak in hot water, drain)
*1/2 Teaspoon salt
*1 Tablespoon caraway seeds


Wet Ingredients

*2 Eggs beaten
*1 Cup sour cream
*1/2 Cup buttermilk
*3 Tablespoons melted butter



Combine wet and dry ingredients, knead together, put in a greased and floured 9" pie pan.

Bake 55-60 minutes at 350°


AN IMPORTANT NOTE: This will make one big loaf or two modest sized loaves.

Mushroom Ravioli

Filling Ingredients
1/2 sweet onion diced fine
2 cloves garlic grated
1/4 cup butter
2T olive oil
1 cup button mushrooms
1 cup oyster mushrooms
1 cup shitake mushroom
1 cup baby bella mushrooms
(or 4 cups of the varieties and mix you prefer)
sprinkling of kosher salt


1 c ricotta cheese (part skim is okay)
1/4 c Parmesan cheese grated not really fine
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese grated
1 egg, beaten
fresh ground pepper
fresh grated nutmeg
1T fresh cilantro

round dumpling skins made with eggs (the yellow ones)

Butter/sage sauce
4T butter
5 sage leaves, rolled and sliced thin
1 garlic clove chopped fine

Chop the mushrooms so the pieces are about the size of peas. Dice the onion to the same size. Melt butter and olive oil, add onions and garlic. Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid is released. Sprinkle with salt, set mushroom mixture aside to cool.

Mix ricotta, other cheeses and beaten egg together. Add pepper, nutmeg and cilantro.
Mix in cooled mushroom mixture and mix until blended.

Place one dumpling wrapper on the counter and using water, make a ring along the outside edge with your finger. Put about 1T filling in the center and cover with a second dumpling skin. Press the edges to seal and make sure to remove the extra air from between the layers. Place these on a cookie sheet with saran wrap to separate the layers. Chill for an hour before cooking.

Using a high sided saute pan (deep enough water and lots of surface area) bring salted water to a boil. Gently slip in 6-8 dumpings into the boiling water making sure they don't stick together or stick to the bottom. Cook 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon (drain well) and place on serving plate or individual plates. Cook the next batch.

While the pasta is boiling, make the butter sage sauce. Melt the butter, add garlic and sage. After the butter comes to a boil, remove from heat. Spoon over cooked ravioli as you plate them. Serve with a nice chopped salad.

Easy Rice Pudding

1 box vanilla pudding mix (not instant)
1 egg
2 cups plus 2T cold milk
3/4 cup left over rice

mix milk, egg and pudding mix together until well blended. Add rice and break up into individual grains as you stir it. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and comes to a complete boil. It will thicken more as it cools. Pour into serving dishes or just spoon into your mouth.

Best Drop Biscuits

- makes 12 biscuits -

Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup cold buttermilk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (about 5 minutes), plus 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing biscuits

Procedure
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 475°F. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Combine buttermilk and 8 tablespoons melted butter in medium bowl, stirring until butter forms small clumps.

2. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with rubber spatula until just incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of bowl. Using greased 1/4-cup dry measure, scoop level amount of batter and drop onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet (biscuits should measure about 2 1/4 inches in diameter and 1 1/4 inches high). Repeat with remaining batter, spacing biscuits about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until tops are golden brown and crisp, 12 to 14 minutes.

3. Brush biscuit tops with remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Scalloped potatoes and ham

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2.5 cups milk
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter
1 sweat onion like Vidalia, thinly sliced
6 large russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb chunked left-over ham
2 cups grated monterray jack cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in milk. Return pan to heat and bring to a simmer while stirring. When sauce has thickened remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg and set aside. In a skillet, cook onions in melted butter until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1/3 of the white sauce in bottom of baking dish and top with half of the potatoes. Spread out half of the onions, ham, cheese And another third of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Continue layering ingredients, ending with the remaining cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly and a knife inserts into the potatoes easily.

the best chicken fried rice

1 cup cooked chicken cut into small cubes or shreds (use leftover roasted chicken or precooked chicken like from Costco.
4 cups cooked rice (either cook early in day or leftover from the day before)
1/2 c shredded carrots
3 green onions sliced thin (use green ends)
1/2 sweet onion coarsley diced
1 c cabbage coarsley chopped
4 T soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
4 T olive oil
1-2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 eggs beaten

heat 1 T oil in a wok or large frying pan, saute the onion and the cabbage. Add the shredded carrots and green onions and saute for a minute or two. Add 1 T soy sauce, and set veggies aside. Add frozen peas to the bowl to start the defrosting.

heat another T of oil and add the chicken and 1 clove of garlic, minced fine. saute until warmed and a little crispy, add 1 T soy sauce. Remove into bowl with veggies.

Heat 1 tsp oil, add beaten egg and cook until set. Flip, cook reverse. Remove from heat, roll and slice into strips, add to bowl with other stuff.

Add 2 T oil, swirl around the pan and add the rice, make sure to break it up with a spoon. Add 2 T soy sauce and drizzle 1T sesame oil over. Keep mixing and stirring until heated through. Add the bowl full of other stuff and toss to mix.

Serve immediately...yum, yum

Pad Thai

•8 oz. Thai rice noodles (or enough for 2 people), linguini-width, available at Asian/Chinese stores
•1 to 1 1/2 cups raw chicken breast or thigh meat, sliced
•Marinade for Chicken: 1 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•3 cups fresh bean sprouts
•3 spring (green) onions, sliced
•approx. 1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro
•1/3 cup crushed or roughly chopped peanuts (or other nuts, such as cashews)
•1/4 cup chicken stock
•1/8 tsp. ground white pepper (or substitute freshly-ground black pepper)
•PAD THAI SAUCE:
•3/4 Tbsp. tamarind paste dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water (look for tamarind at Asian/Chinese or Indian food stores)
•2+1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce
•1-3 tsp. chili sauce (depending how spicy you want it)
•3 Tbsp. brown sugar
•OTHER: oil for stir-frying, and wedges of lime for serving
Preparation:
For a step-by-step version of this recipe (with pictures), see: Perfect Chicken Pad Thai, step-by-step!

1.Bring a large pot of pot to a boil and remove from heat. Dunk in your rice noodles. Allow the noodles to soak while you prepare the other ingredients. Note that you will be frying the noodles later, so you don't want to over-soften them. Noodles are ready to be drained when they are soft enough to be eaten, but are still firm and a little "crunchy". Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
2.Make the Pad Thai Sauce by combining the sauce ingredients together in a cup. Stir well to dissolve the tamarind paste and brown sugar. Set aside. Note: this may seem like a lot of sugar, but you need it to balance out the sourness of the tamarind - this balance is what makes Pad Thai taste so tangy-terrific!
3.Place chicken slices in a small bowl. Pour the marinade (2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp. soy sauce) over the chicken. Stir well and set aside.
4.Warm up a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp. oil plus garlic. Stir-fry until fragrant (30 seconds).
5.Add the chicken (together with the marinade). Stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute.
6.When wok/pan becomes dry, add a little chicken stock (1-2 Tbsp. at a time), enough to keep the chicken frying nicely. Continue stir-frying in this way until the chicken is cooked (5-8 minutes).
7.Add the noodles, and pour the Pad Thai sauce over. Using two spatulas, wooden spoons, or other utensils, immediately stir-fry the noodles. Use a gentle "lift and turn" method (like tossing a salad) to prevent noodles from breaking.
8.Stir-fry in this way 1-2 minutes. If you find your wok/frying pan too dry, push noodles aside and add a little more oil to the bottom (but no more broth, or the noodles will become soggy).
9.Add the bean sprouts and sprinkle over the pepper. Continue "tossing" 1 more minute, or until noodles are cooked. Noodles are done to perfection when they are no longer "hard" or crunchy, but chewy-sticky wonderful!
10.Taste-test for seasoning, adding more fish sauce until desired flavor is reached (I usually add at least 1 more Tbsp. fish sauce). Toss well to incorporate.
11.Lift noodles onto a serving plate. Top with generous amounts of fresh coriander, spring onion, and crushed/chopped nuts. Add fresh lime wedges (lime is great squeezed overtop), and serve with Thai Nam Prik Pao Chili Sauce on the side, if desired. ENJOY!
Pad Thai Tip:For even more flavor, I make a double batch of the pad thai sauce. Then, as I'm stir-frying the noodles, I keep drizzling over the sauce until I'm happy with the taste (I also add extra fish sauce). Any leftover pad thai sauce can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Peanut butter noodles

Ingredients
1/2 pound Chinese egg noodles
3 tablespoons dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon red chili paste, such as sambal oelek
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons hot water
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Cucumber slices, for garnish
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions
Cook the noodles in large pot of boiling unsalted water over medium heat until barely tender and still firm. Drain immediately and rinse with cold water until cool. Drain the noodles really well and transfer to a wide bowl; toss with the sesame oil so they don't stick together.

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut oil over medium-low flame. Add the green onions, ginger, garlic, and chili paste. Cook and stir for a minute until soft and fragrant. Mix in the brown sugar, peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, and hot water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the peanut butter has smoothed out. Toss the noodles with the peanut sauce until well coated. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with the sesame seeds, cucumber slices, and cilantro.

Polenta Pizza from Mark Bittman

Need to try this, it looked good.

Time: About 45 minutes, plus one hour’s chilling

The Minimalist: Your Morning Pizza (February 18, 2009)

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for pan

1/2 cup milk, preferably whole

Salt

1 cup coarse cornmeal

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) chopped pancetta

1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed and dried

1 to 1 1/2 cups Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees; brush a layer of olive oil on a pizza pan or cookie sheet. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk with 2 1/2 cups water and a large pinch of salt. Bring just about to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking all the while to prevent lumps from forming. Turn heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thick, 10 or 15 minutes. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in a bit more water; you want a consistency approaching thick oatmeal.

2. Stir 1 tablespoon oil into cooked cornmeal (polenta). Spoon it onto prepared pan, working quickly so polenta does not stiffen; spread it evenly to a thickness of about 1/2 inch all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put it in refrigerator until it is firm, an hour or more (you can refrigerate polenta overnight if you prefer).

3. Put polenta in oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it begins to brown and crisp on edges. Meanwhile, put two tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and pancetta is nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to take onion and pancetta out of pan; set aside. Add spinach to skillet and sauté until it releases its water and pan becomes dry; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper.

4. Take polenta out of oven, sprinkle with Gorgonzola, then spread onion-pancetta mixture and spinach evenly on top of cheese; drizzle with another tablespoon olive oil. Put pizza back in oven for two minutes, or until cheese begins to melt and pancetta and vegetables are warmed through. Cut into slices and serve hot or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 servings.

Variation: Before you put polenta in oven, top it with thin slices of fresh mozzarella, two or three thinly sliced Roma tomatoes or a bit of tomato sauce, and a handful of fresh basil leaves.

Fluffy waffles

1 3/4 c flour
2t baking powder
1T sugar
1t vanilla
1/2 t salt
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 3/4 c milk
1/2 c oil

Mix together all dry ingredients, set aside.
Mix together all wet indredients except the egg whites.
Beat the egg whites with a wire wisk until soft peaks form.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry one. Make sure everything is moistened, some lumps will remain. Gently fold in the egg whites. Cook in a waffle iron.

Top with sliced strawberries mixed with 2-4 T sugar.

Yum Yum

Chinese Dumplings

(perfect for Chinese New Year) and great fun for the kids to make. It really doesn't matter what they look like, they taste yummy. They freeze well.  I put them on a cookie sheet in the freezer and then move to a zipper top freezer bag.  Just take out as many as you need and boil....

2-3 green onions minced small (or Chinese Chives)
2 ribs celery (1 if Chinese celery) chopped fine
1 pound ground pork (or you can use ground chicken)
dried or fresh parsley (sprinkle some on)
1T grated fresh ginger
1 cup cabbage (chop small--I use Dole coleslaw mix and chop finer)
1/2 cup grated carrots that are also chopped small.

1 egg beaten
1T cornstarch
2t sesame oil (get this at an asian market, unique taste)
salt and pepper to taste (just sprinkle some in)
(mix the 4 preceeding ingredients together)

Purchased dumpling (round) or wonton (somewhat square) skins

Mix the meat and veggie mixture (use your hands, it's more fun) add the egg mixture. Mix it up. Drop buy skant teaspoonfulls onto the dumpling skins. Seal with water (use your finger to dip in a bowl of water and run a wet finger around the edges.) You can pleat these babies, make them into purses, or use a fork and go around the edges like ravoli. It all tastes the same. Get creative.

Bring a pan of water to a boil. The size of the pan dictates how many dumplings you can cook at once. (2 QT do 10-12 at a time, more if you are in a hurry and stir so they don't stick.) Cook them about 7 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon onto a platter.

Dip into purchased dumpling sauce or make your own...1T sesame oil, 1.5 T soy sauce, powdered garlic to taste...yum yum

Red Curry, Shrimp and Green Beans

I love Thai food and this came from ingredients I had on the counter when it was time to make dinner

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1T dumpling sauce (pour over the raw shrimp before cooking)
1 red pepper, cored, seeded and sliced in strips
2 cups string beans, cut into one inch pieces, on the diagonal
1/2 sweet onion chopped into course chunks
1T Thai red curry paste
1 14.5 oz can of coconut milk
1T grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic chopped fine (or dried garlic)
1 T olive oil

Cook rice.
Use Jasmine rice (2 scoops in a rice cooker) with 1/3 the above can of coconut milk plus necessary water for cooking.

Make the shrimp and other stuff....
Add olive oil to the pan, start to saute the garlic and add the peppers and onions. Add in the green beans, and the curry paste. Saute until tender crisp. Grate the ginger and add the shrimp. Saute the shrimp until almost cooked. Add in the coconut milk and simmer until everything is done.

Serve over the jasmine rice and enjoy!

Brownie wonder bars

1 package Giradelli Chocolate brownie mix
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1C coconut
1 stick butter (melted)
2c crushed chocolate graham crackers
1c chocolate chips
1 c mini marshmellows

Make brownies according to package directions, set aside

Melt butter and pour into a 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Add crushed graham crackers and mix with the butter to form an even base.
Sprinkle chocolate chips evenly. Drop the brownie batter by spoonfuls to cover, spread with a spatula if necessary. Sprinkle coconut, sprinkle marshmellows and drizzle sweetened condensed milk evenly over all.

Place in 325 oven for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting. These were great with vanilla and/or chocolate icecream on top for a decadent dessert!

Strawberries and Cream Trifle

This trifle uses the following layers:
Lady finger cookies soaked in heavy cream for 2 minutes (! used about 8 oz of cookies and 1 cup of heavy cream for soaking)
Whipped cream (2c with 2t vanilla and 1T powdered sugar)
Frozen or fresh strawberries and raspberries
Vanilla pudding (I made one from scratch, recipe below, otherwise use 2 package of the dry mix)
Chocolate drizzle (I used Baker's dipping chocolate drizzled with a spoon)

Make the pudding, and then make the whipped cream.

To assemble, use a clear trifle bowl or clear mixing bowl so you can see the layers. Start with the ladyfingers, add a layer of berries, half of the pudding, and half of the whipped cream. Drizzle with some of the chocolate. Repeat. Use some whole berries for garnish on the top. Invite a hungry group of friends to help you devour this!

Vanilla Pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups 2% milk
4 egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat.
Stir a small amount of hot filling into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in butter and vanilla.
Cool for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside

Scallops and Grapefruit over spinach saute

What to make when you have these two ingredients....

Yesterday, I purchased scallops and when I got back to our shore house, I looked around and realized I had about 8 grapefruits. Sounded like an interesting citrus sauce.

first, start the spinach.
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 sweet onion sliced
1T olive oil, and chopped garlic to taste ( I use at least 1 clove)

Saute the above ingredients in the heated oil until cooked. Add a large package of fresh baby spinach leaves in the saute pan, remove from heat and cover. Toss occasionally to wilt all the spinach.

Now make the scallops

1 pink grapefruit (need about 1 teaspoon of zest and 1/2 cup of strained juice)
3/4 lb of sea scallops patted dry
1T olive oil
1T butter
1 clove garlic chopped

Heat the butter and the olive oil until the butter starts to brown and add the scallops. Cook about 2 minutes a side until you have a brown sear on the outside (it might take a minute or two longer if the scallops are huge.) Flip and cook the other side. Remove from pan to a plate. Add the grapefruit juice and zest to the pan and scrape up all those brown bits. Cook until the sauce has reduced by half.

Put the spinach on a plate, arrange the scallops, drizzle the sauce over and that makes a quick and yummy meal!