New Frontiers: Collard Greens

I am starting my New Year's resolutions early this year. First, I am committed to trying new recipes and preparing foods I traditionally have prepared for me. Second, I am going to use more local produce. Third, I am going to work on working off the poundage I have put on, but that's for another post! But back to my first resolution. Although I do love cooking I have let my fear override my willingness to prepare things I have  loved to eat but let someone else cook. But when I picked up last week's CSA, I found collards in my bag of veggie awesomeness. I needed to cook them. I wanted to cook them. Could I convince myself to do it?

Fast forward to a much needed break from work, having been off since the 21st of December. I have been newly revitalized to cook a lot more being home. I have had time to peruse recipes, think about what I want to get out of 2013 culinary wise and do some serious menu planning. Visiting my parents on Christmas Day, I mentioned the collards I had to cook. My 82-year old grandmother chimed in with her sure fire method: cook them with some cabbage and add red pepper. Conveniently, my CSA also came with Chinese cabbage.Well, that was enough to make me commit.

I bought a piece of country ham for seasoning and set to work. First, I cooked four slices of bacon in a stock pot and drained them, reserving some of the drippings. To the drippings I added half of a chopped red onion, some red pepper flake (about a tablespoon), some cayenne (about a teaspoon) and a little olive oil. Just once the onions started to soften, I added  the ham piece and gave it some quick color. next I added 4 cups of my homemade chicken stock. I brought this up to a boil. Then I added all of my collards in batches and then all of the Chinese cabbage in batches as well. Each time I added a bunch of leaves, I ensure I wilted them down before I added the next. Finally, I added 2 cups of water, covered the pot, reduced the heat to a simmer and let sit for 2 hours.

They came out FANTASTIC! I served them with crumbled pieces of bacon on top. My mother-in-law said she had never had them before, and really enjoyed them. Hubby, who turned his nose at the idea of them, gobbled them up too. They were spicy and salty and, wonderful!

This is what I needed to convince me my New Year's resolutions were not at all unreasonable or unreachable. I am very excited about what's around the bend!

Cook Crook Creation: Brownie Awesomeness

Merry Christmas! Unbelievably I am sitting in a quiet house right now on Christmas Eve while my boys are off doing some last minute shopping. I still have some baking, cleaning and cooking left to do, but had to share this fabulous treat recipe for those of you who need some more sweets for your holiday menu or maybe a last minute gift! I created these one night in a panic to make something delicious for my husband's co-workers for Christmas. I had brownie mix but did not just want to make plain old brownies. I stumbled upon a fudge recipe that had a pretzel crust and thought why not a pretzel crusted fudge brownie? And then, not wanting the top to be outdone, decided to make the brownies with a cream cheese swirl. Hubby walked into the kitchen while I was "inventing" and asked me what I was making....my answer was Brownie Awesomeness!

Brownie Awesomeness

Crust:

1 ½ cup crushed pretzels

1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter

½ cup granulated sugar

Brownie:

1 package fudge brownie mix (I used the Duncan Hines Family size)

¼  water

¾ cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

Cream Cheese Swirl:

6 oz. softened cream cheese

1 egg

¼ Tsp vanilla

1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix crushed pretzels, butter and sugar in a medium bowl and then spread into a 13x9 baking dish. Press the “crust” evenly into the bottom of the dish and bake for 8 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Prepare brownie mix according to the package directions for “fudge like” brownies: add the brownie mix, water, oil and eggs into a large bowl and mix well. In another bowl, add the cream cheese, egg, vanilla and sugar and beat well with an electric mixer until smooth.

Gently spread the brownie mix on the pretzel crust. Using a spoon, add dollops of the cream cheese mixture across the surface of the brownies. Then using a knife or small spreader, gently swirl the cream cheese into the brownie batter until all of cream cheese is incorporated. Swirl in opposite directions to get desired look.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least one hour on a cooling rack. Slice with a sharp knife into 6 columns and 4 rows.

I wish you and your family the merriest of Christmases and a Happy New Year!

The Simple Things

December has been a crazy month. Work is wrapping up for the year and I finished my last class for school. My last class...ever! Before I knew it, we were a week away from Christmas!

In the last few days, time seems even more precious. I am a food writer, not a social issues one so I will only say that my reaction to the tragedy in Connecticut was akin to the nesting I did when I was late into my pregnancy with my son. I wanted to clean and cook and ...even bake. The holiday time makes that all seem more reasonable of course but I knew I suddenly wanted to squeeze out a million memories and tackle dust bunnies because I felt powerless to do anything else.

Tonight was our yearly tradition of cookie making. My step-daughter will be with her mother until the New Year so we did it tonight and because it was a school night and a work night we did use a mix. But who cares? We made egg yolk paint that I used when I made cookies with my parents. I let them cut their choice of shapes (notice the Star Wars ones) and paint whatever they wanted.

Rebecca's Cookies

Josh's Cookies

Favorites were chosen for lunch boxes and for Santa. My son was covered in flour and when he went to bed my dear girl wanted to help me make candies for my office and wrap gifts for my co-workers. I got a little choked up as I looked at my sleeping boy and said good night to my teenage girl. I am no longer in a rush. Every moment counts. It is the simple things.

Dinner by Bestie

My best friend Steph and I met in college working in a not-to-be-named chain steak place. We roomed together after college and admittedly I never cooked as much as I do now. Fast forward 15 years. We are both married, with kids, busy careers and we live 3 hours apart. We don't get to see each other as often as we'd like so when she was in my town for a conference, I jumped at the chance to spend time with her.

We Christmas shopped. We had a girls night out with some of my other friends. We went to Whole Foods for lunch and then drinks. Then when it turned out she was free for dinner on Sunday, we decided on a home cooked meal.

She helped with the menu, asking me for ingredients for the goat cheese kisses and volunteering to make them and then requesting baby bok choy as a veggie. The weather was so warm we agreed grilling would be a great option for our main dish. I brought up the shrimp skewers I love and she suggested steaks to go with. Finally I decided on parsnips for our starch (a purée for sure!). I grilled the baby bok choy too....

This plate is the result.

Just as delicious as it looks. I loved cooking with her and I loved cooking by suggestion. Come back anytime Steph. I am happy to cook but next time I am buying!

Breakfast ... Fast

I love breakfast. Eggs. Bacon. Sandwiches. Omelettes. Corned beef hash. Wait...must stop salivating. Weekends we go all out. My challenge is the week days and my work schedule. Some mornings I need to leave my house by 5 a.m....yep I said A.M. But my love of breakfast doesn't waver and I am a person who must have breakfast lest risk crankiness. The problem is I would fail to give myself time to get a morning meal together...and to a drive-thru I would go or I would just scrounge up something at my desk. NOT a great way to start a morning.

So I had been seeing different recipes online for making egg "muffins", simple eggs made in a muffin tin. I had made a South Beach diet version using Egg Beaters but never used real eggs. Then over the Thanksgiving holiday I needed a quick way to make breakfast for 6 adults, 3 teenagers and a 5 year-old. The recipe is on Pinterest and online in a million places but ultimately I go back to one of my favorite no-carb/low-carb sites, Kalyn's Kitchen as a favorite although the version I made (and cannot remember the source) was at 350 degrees and you just break one egg into each muffin tin and then break the yolk as opposed to beating eggs and pouring into cups. Then you sprinkle the top with the meat and cheese (if that's what you are using)

They were a hit with the extended family and I made them again this week to have breakfast on hand for me and the rest of my house. I used just deli ham and shredded colby jack. There are a million combinations, it's quick, low mess and delicious. Now to figure out how to get breakfast to ALWAYS be that easy!

Thanksgiving: Thankful for not Cooking?

Thanksgiving is a culinary Super Bowl for me. I personally start prepping and planning at the end of September, right when Halloween decorations start inundating local stores. This year I scoured websites, pulled pages out of magazines and salivated over Pinterest. However, we traveled this year to Connecticut to visit my husband's side of the family and my sister-in-law who was kind enough to turn over her house to all of our crazy, said Thanksgiving was all taken care of.

I was excited and sad all at once. No early morning prepping. No agonizing over turkey doneness (if you saw last week's Top Chef you know even chefs have bad turkey moments). No juggling of times and peeling and, and....no cooking Thanksgiving?! What would I do without that stress to fuel my culinary fire?

You know what I did? I enjoyed every last bite of that delicious dinner that my very awesome sister-in-law ordered from Whole Foods. It made a plate that looked like this:

And a leftover turkey and stuffing casserole that I made that looked like this:

And a turkey salad club that looked like this:

And potato pancakes that looked like these:

And THIS is how I celebrated my last evening with my family, during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

No drama. No stress. No back-breaking mixing and chopping. No pacing the kitchen. Lots of time to enjoy moments like this:

There are many a Thanksgiving dinner left in the future for me to cook . So far though, the best time I have had, has been the one I didn't.

Steal of the Week: Churro Cheesecake

When the election was going on, I began to wonder if Facebook had any redeeming qualities anymore. I have a Twitter and a Pinterest, why did I need a news feed of emotionally charged stuff only sprinkled with updates of people I care about? Yet I soldiered on and wouldn't you know it, people post recipes on there too?!

Thank you Karen for sharing this recipe for churro cheesecake! I always have reduced-fat crescent rolls on hand as well as neufchatel cheese so I whipped this up super quick for my wine tasting/spa party! Delicious.

So good in fact, my chocolate obsessed hubby loved it!

Pinterest Recipe: Pineapple Cake

I am becoming quite fond of Pinterest and its easy to access recipes. Equally enjoyable are the easy recipes, especially for things I am not as good at, like baking. So how could I turn down a cake that was two ingredients? Yep, just one 20 ounce can of crushed pineapple and one box of angel food cake mix. My kitchen smells amazing. The true test will be my office mates reaction tomorrow!

Harvest Pot Roast

What's better than a hot meal after standing in line for almost 2 hours to vote? A hot meal from a crock-pot with a November theme: harvest!

One chuck roast, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and a blend of brown gravy mix, seasoned salt, and cinnamon! Made a nice gravy when it was done. And as an aside, pairs great with Punkin Ale!

Charcuterie

I LOVE cheese! I love meat and cheese and tasty little bits of mustard and peppers and eggs and focaccia. I could live off charcuterie.

Party Time! Halloween

We had a great party Saturday night! It was rainy but our friend Sandy had not yet arrived so our fun was not dampened! Tried some great Pinterest recipes, especially the " broccomole"! Fun, friends, food and a homemade TARDIS costume.... Priceless!

Pinterest Recipe: No-Bread Cheese Bread-sticks

My friend Kandice has made a commitment to make every recipe she pins on Pinterest. I have not been as dedicated as that but I am making an honest attempt to try them all.

Cut to tonight when I had a head of cauliflower I had yet to use and remembered that I had pinned a recipe for cheesy garlic cauliflower bread-sticks. You read that correctly: cauliflower. As it turns out I had already heard from my friend and fellow food blogger, Cooking for Betty that she had tried the cauliflower pizza crust and had been happy with the results.

This recipe was super easy, and I had all the ingredients on hand minus the fresh garlic (which, umm how did THAT happen?) so I substituted with more garlic powder and a little Tastefully Simple Garlic Garlic. My family's verdict? My husband and step-daughter were practically fighting over them at the table and I will be making them again this weekend on order request. And let me say as a cheesy bread-stick expert, this is a keeper for sure!!

Steal of the Week: Pumpkin Bread

That awesome first CSA box experience included 2 pie pumpkins. Here then is my opportunity to confess I have NEVER cooked with fresh pumpkin. However, the opportunity presented itself and I was on the search for a pumpkin recipe calling for the fresh stuff.
Then I found this recipe for Pumpkin Bread by one of my favorite chefs, Alton Brown. It was especially attractive because it used the seeds too.
While peeling the pumpkin proved difficult (I was down a vegetable peeler) the food processor made quick work of shredding the flesh. I toasted the seeds to add and the result was moist, delicious and devoured by my office in one work day!

Admittedly, the seeds in my opinion did not add as much to the bread as I thought and I do not think they are absolutely necessary. I can see variations of this and definitely muffins would be great!

Pasta, Pasta! Chicken Sausage Alfredo

The best thing about pasta is it is quick! And when you can put together with a quick homemade sauce and an easy add-in it is also delicious. The quick light Alfredo recipe I discovered from before went great with sun dried tomato chicken sausage and fresh fettuccine!

Crock-pot Creation

That CSA box I purchased contained radishes. I do not believe I have ever put a radish in anything other than a salad! However, it is a root vegetable so why not use them in stew? The problem? No stew meat. However, I did have boneless chicken thighs and decided to go with those.
Two pounds of thighs, one cup of red wine, two packets of brown gravy mix, one cup water, four sliced carrots, the radishes, chopped green pepper, salt and pepper. 10 hours later, a pot roast like stew I served over rice for hubby and over some toasted sourdough for me!

Dining Out: Pierce's BBQ

My step-daughter asked for one thing during our weekend away in Williamsburg: a trip to Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que! A local staple and a tourist Mecca, the barbecue is tasty and worth the wait, the small restaurant and the even more minuscule restrooms! This is a time when splurging for a "combo" is worth it, especially when it comes with tasty classic crinkle cut fries and a homemade cookie.

While not the North Carolina style barbecue I usually crave, the Pierce's sauce and simplicity of its food make it a great lunch spot. Family friendly and always consistent, we stop there whenever we are in the area.

Friday Night Bites: Old Bay Wings

My dear husband went out with a buddy to watch his Yankees and have some drinks. He loves me enough and knows me well enough to ask about wings. I love wings. They may be one of my favorite foods. These beauties are coated in Old Bay. I am a happy girl!

Groupon Meal: Baker's Crust Breakfast

My family is spending the weekend in Williamsburg, VA celebrating an early birthday for our almost teenager. Hubby bought a Groupon for Baker's Crust months ago only to discover it was only good at the Williamsburg location. So our Sunday breakfast plans were set! Everyone's breakfast was delicious but mine was an extra treat, because it was something I would never make at home: smoked salmon eggs Benedict with fried capers and creamy hollandaise! What a great way to fuel up before a day at the theme park!

My First CSA Box! Local Produce at the Ready

I am so excited about locally grown produce! Let me back up...I have never participated in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture for those of you who may not know) and was always a little hesitant to do so because of the commitment. Ordinarily, you pay up front for 6 weeks of produce that you need to pick up from a specified location. THAT seemed unattainable to me and my family, the crazy-busy, two-people-working-outside-the-home family that we are. So I was very excited when a farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia started offering a "flexible" CSA which allows you to choose the weeks you want to order. Mattawoman Creek Farms sends me an e-mail advising me of that week's selection and if I am interested, I pay via PayPal and choose my desired pick-up location.

Today was my first pick-up which was a breeze, just signed my name and got my produce. And what a bounty I got: pie pumpkins, butternut squash, arugula, red radishes, a hot pepper mix and purple potatoes. I am so excited to make some yummy dishes. I have already froze some of the hot peppers for later and I am working on creating a spicy harvest soup of squash and pumpkin. If you want to know more about CSAs, check out Local Harvest: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

Rainy Night: Grilled Cheese Alright

The weather where I live is awful tonight. Temperature dropped with rain, lots of rain. What is better than grilled cheeses with manchego, Irish cheddar and Gruyere served with a side of soup. Warm bellies tonight!

Crock-pot Creation: Asian Style Pork Tacos

It may not look like a lot in the pot, but this is the makings of pulled pork tacos with a sauce of soy, hoisin, cola, ginger and garlic. Yummy!

Dinner Out: Yo Yo Sushi

I have been eating sushi as long as I can remember. My grandparents lived in Hawaii and I remember the summers we visited I was gobbling ahi tuna. For a long time, I was leery of sushi outside of Hawaii and California or high dollar restaurants. Now it is like there is a sushi bar everywhere! My favorite spot is a drive from home but close enough to my husband's job that he goes there for lunch just to make me jealous. Yo Yo sushi has never disappointed me, including tonight, date night with hubby. The chef special rolls were interesting (tuna and macadamian nuts?) and delicious. A little shumai to start and Sopporo beer and I thought about my grandparents and was thankful my hubby loves it as much as I do!

Quick Cupboard Meal: Spicy Indian

Today was one of those days when both me and hubby worked late and felt the whole day was rushed. It's nights like these I am glad I plan out meals! Tonight was an easy meal from ingredients I keep on hand (chicken, basmati rice, jalapenos, scallions, tomato paste) and two strategically purchased items: 1 jar of tikka masala sauce and 1 package of naan bread from our local grocery bakery.

The jarred tikka masala suace by Sharwood's is something we tried once before but decided needed something more. So tonight, I sauteed some scallions and thinly sliced fresh jalapeno in some olive oil and then added the chicken and sauce according to package directions. I then added about a tablespoon of tomato paste (the squeeze tube of tomato paste from Trader Joe's is a kitchen must have!) and some garlic salt. The sauce simmered, the naan was brushed with olive oil and heated in the oven, all while the rice cooked. In about 15 minutes, dinner was served! Once work slows down I want to try my hand at making my own Indian but for now this is a pretty good substitute.

Dinner Out: Five Guys!

Today was a day I forgot to eat lunch and tonight it was just me and the boy so I felt I was justified in a dining splurge. And by dining splurge I mean a calorie splurge. So one of my guilty pleasures is a cheeseburger (with mustard and pickles no less) so off to Five Guys Burgers and Fries we went. How do you say no to peanuts right before dinner when he loves them so?
I got my usual, little man got his kosher dog and we shared some fries. I may be playing some Just Dance tonight to work off some of it but it was delicious.

I have had In n' Out and I had my first taste of Smashburger when I was out in Arizona this spring. But Five Guys will always hold a special place in my burger loving heart...if for no other reason than it was what I had when we brought our little guy home from the hospital. Happy food memories!

Light Macaroni and Cheese: Encore Please

This time of year is perfect for one of my family's favorite dishes: Mac n' Cheese courtesy of Cooking Light that has appeared on this blog before. It is a little time consuming in terms of the prep, but the actual dish comes together in minutes. What I do recommend is reading up on how to peel and cut a butternut squash before attempting it. The pre-peeled stuff in the grocery store will NOT give you the flavor you want. This time I also tried a Gruyere and cheddar cheese mix from Trader Joe's. The flavor was fantastic!

Steal of the Week: Ancho-Glazed Salmon

I love it when a plan comes together! So that recipe I pinned to use with my expertly (ahem) prepared salmon?Fantastic! Simple ingredients in a spicy and sweet rub made delicious fish and sweet potatoes!

The fish cooked while the potatoes broiled and I quickly steamed some fresh broccoli to round out our meal. Hubby gave it two thumbs up! Now I just need to practice my fish mongering skills!

You can find the recipe here: Ancho-Glazed salmon

Salmon: Teaching Myself to Swim in the Culinary Seas

I bought some beautiful salmon this weekend in an effort to continue our journey of eating more healthy. I just prepped them for tonight's dinner and realized I should have paid more attention in Chef Edward' salmon skinning class! But, I prevailed. The fillets are skinned, re-checked for bones, and bones removed. I also have fillets that do NOT look like they have already been eaten on and a new recipe to try that I just pinned. Here goes nothing!

Crock-Pot French Toast: The Next Day

So, the Crock-Pot French Toast? This was what I woke up to the next morning. The house smelled like someone else was in my kitchen making French Toast (as if THAT would ever happen) and it looked delicious. The recipe (and others I found on a quick search just to be sure) said to take the lid off the last 15 minutes of cooking in order to brown the bread. THAT was a huge step although I don't doubt had I just scooped this into a bowl it would have been met with delight as well. However, the crisping did make it just like French toast out of the skillet.

The verdict from the family? Anything that my step-daughter says to make again is a keeper and hubby AND small son both gobbled it up. I couldn't resist serving it with bacon of course!

The original recipe linked to Pinterest is found HERE. 

You can follow my food and recipe board on Pinterest as well....I am always finding things that are interesting, inspirational and like this French toast, recipes I have to try. And as if there was a question, yes I have a bacon love page too!

French Toast! In a Crock-Pot?

I just put this together. Pinterest strikes again! Trying out this French toast recipe made overnight in the slow cooker. I bought a beautiful loaf of raisin challah and I am crossing my fingers! If it works I will share recipe and link tomorrow !

Chicken Chili: It's What's for Breakfast

Those of you who know me outside this blog in "real life" know I have been fighting a cold/Captain Tripps-esque misery for a week. It is raining this morning and nothing sounded good except for my leftover chicken chili from Tuesday. So even with the shaking of my husband's head in the background, my breakfast was served. I think the jalapeño is helping my sinuses.

Find the recipe at: http://www.mypodcooks.com/recipes/slow-cooker-chicken-chili

From a Freezer and Delicious

As a busy mom that also works outside the home, and goes to school, and writes food articles, I do use what the culinary world calls "convenience foods". Usually it is to fill the gap of a side or shorten prep time. I do NOT just buy anything however and one of my go to items from the freezer are the sweet potato items from Alexia foods. We have bought their regular sweet potato fries, spicy ones and waffle ones. Then we found the sweet potato nirvana: Sweet Potato Puffs.

I was skeptical at first of this tater toy looking orange puff. However the moment the smell hit the house and I popped one in my mouth, all doubts erased. We snacked on them tonight while introducing my youngest to Harry Potter. Relatively guilt free and delicious. I am considering not sharing with the kids anymore. Happy snacking!

Pizza. Yes, it is a food group.

Some days even the best home cook or chef eats out. Some of my best memories from childhood involve a dinner out just because. Now I am a mom and sometimes we eat out for the experience. Tonight was one of those nights. And there is no place we eat pizza except YNot. Tonight in fact it was the little man's request. Food is a memory. Wherever or whatever you eat make the memory a good one.

Maybe I am not done...

Funny thing about technology. It can be a blessing and a curse. In this case my choice to buy an actual "smartphone" may be what keeps this little blog going. That and support of great friends. Stay tuned!

Decisions, Decisions

It has been 17 whole days since I have sat down and spent time writing and crafting this 'thing" I started almost 3 years ago but really got rolling in the past year and a half. I have had this wonderful opportunity to recently write for MyPodCooks.com the last few months and have enjoyed having a reason to create even more new recipes. I auditioned for a new cooking reality show and I am currently putting together my application for Chopped. Work school, home, unexpected surgery on the horizon...so much going on. My love of food has not change. My love of cooking has not change. Now it is simply about time and desire and well, lots of things!....stay tuned. I have some decisions to make!

Wordless Wednesday: Veal Chop with Mushrooms

My mouth has watered many a time at the thought of this dish so the last time hubby and I took beloved step-daughter to Il Gardino,  I made it mine. Delicioso!

Cook Crook Creation: Heirloom Tomato and Blue Cheese Salad

Nothing gets my attention more during the summer than tomatoes! I am especially a sucker for heirloom tomatoes, the various colors and tart flavor are a treat! I really wanted to showcase the tomatoes as well as make something with a lot of flavor so I pulled out one of my other favorite ingredients: blue cheese.

Blue cheese, especially the quality kind purchased from a specialty store or a grocery with a good cheese case, is strong so a little goes a long way. It also has a natural saltiness so extra salt is often not needed. For this creation, I decided to go very basic: simply red wine vinegar, red onion, olive oil, the blue cheese and tomatoes and some fresh ground black pepper.

The result was a very pretty and fresh tasting salad that went perfect with that evenings grilled ribeye steaks. It reminded me of the days when my mom would bring in ripe tomatoes from out garden, slice them and then crumble blue cheese on top of them. I think the heirlooms are beautiful and their acidity combined with the blue cheese creates a nice bite of flavor.

Steal of the Week: Black Bean and Mango Salsa

A dear friend of mine came for a visit and of course I wanted to cook some yummy stuff for her! We have the same likes and when I saw that mangoes were on sale at the local grocery store for $1 a piece, I immediately thought about making mango salsa. I found a pretty good recipe in my trusty The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook ( I also recommend Best of America's Test Kitchen: The Year's Best Recipes, Equipment Reviews.) The fact that it also called for black beans and I was sold. Of course I made modifications as I always do. In this case I omitted the pineapple juice (I have NEVER had a mango salsa with pineapple juice)and replaced it with red wine vinegar and I omitted the jalapeno and replaced it with cayenne.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 - 15.5 oz can black beans, rinsed
  
• 1 - mango, peeled, pitted, chopped fine
  
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine
  
• 1/4 cup minced red onion
  
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  
• To taste sugar, salt and pepper
  

Combine all of the ingredients, seasoning at the end with a little sugar (I probably used about 1/4 teaspoon) and fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt to taste. The result was sweet and spicy and delicious. I served it with the spicy grilled shrimp and basmati rice and the next day we were eating leftovers of it right out out of the bowl with tortilla chips!

Summer Drinks!

Between Pinterest and Facebook and all of the other food blogs I follow, there is an endless selection of summer beverages. From the lime sherbet margaritas to various fruit sangria, Summer appears to be the season of imbibing! I developed a drink based on a delicious one I had out in Arizona: blue lemonade .

I can't get enough of fruit juices and the various combinations with different liquors. Next up is a martini I tried that was Captain Morgan's, Amaretto and pineapple and cranberry!!

Happy sipping!

Link to Love: MyPodCooks!

Okay so maybe this is a little self-promotion but my first cooking article was published for the new website mypodcooks.com. I will hopefully be a regular contributor writing articles and sharing new recipes. The best part for me is being part of a new site devoted to one of my favorite things!

Take a look at my first published recipe:
http://www.mypodcooks.com/quickandeasy/articles/pan-seared-scallops-with-bacon-and-spinach

This dish was AMAZING...so much so I made it twice in two weeks!

Check out the site and look for more articles from me in the future.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy 4th of July!

Wordless Wednesday: Best Bar Food

Never underestimate the allure and deliciousness of fried artichokes and fried pickles.

Shrimp Two Ways, Two Days Part II

Leftover cooked shrimp in my experience either ends up as a salad, in a salad or on a soup. There is no secret to this as shrimp can easily be overcooked and become tough like leather (how many Top Chef episodes have you seen when the judges decry overcooked shellfish??) BUT, that being said, I saw no issue with WARMING the shrimp and using in a recipe, so with beautiful ingredients on hand: fresh cilantro, limes, a farm grown red pepper, onion, garlic, cayenne and cumin, a new dish was born...shrimp fajitas

The shrimp already had some nice flavor from the previous nights marinade and grill, but for this dish I wanted to amplify the spice, so I made a quick rub of chopped cilantro, about a teaspoon each of cumin and cayenne and some lemon juice, and redressed the shrimp:

In a saute pan, I added a little olive oil and sauteed the peppers and onion that I sliced into strips. Right when the veggies were just about to brown and were still crisp, I added a quick squeeze of lime, the garlic and the shrimp.

The shrimp were only in the pan long enough to marry the flavors and warm them. Then it was time to dress them on some corn tortillas. I tried two different toppings: one of just goat cheese and a little more cilantro and one more traditional of sharp cheddar and sour cream:

The extra cumin and cayenne really amplified the spice which had quite a little bite but was by no means uncomfortable. I think I have convinced my husband that shrimp is indeed fabulous!