Friday, April 10, 2009

Lemon Garlic shrimp & Pasta



Lemon Garlic Shrimp & Pasta

1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined
16 oz pasta
1/4 c butter
1/4 olive oil
4 large garlic cloves crushed
1 /3 c white wine
1/4 c lemon juice
salt & pepper tp taste
1/2 c fresh parsley
1 Tbs lemon zest
1 batch of asparagus
Parmesan to sprinkle on top.

Fill large pot with water to boil, add pasta, cook until al dente. Chop the asparagus put in the bottom of the strainer, pour pasta water and all over the asparagus and let it sit for 5 minutes...

in a skillet, add oil and butter, and melt. Add garlic and cook til softened. (a few minutes)
Add shrimp, wine, lemon juice, and cook until shrimp are no longer translucent in the middle.
(about 5-6 minutes.) Pour pasta/asparagus into large bowl, then pour the shrimp onto the pasta and stir up, add salt and pepper, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, stir in parsley and lemon zest.
Serve, and enjoy!





Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Blueberry Zucchini bread

Blueberry Zucchini bread

  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups white sugar
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pint fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 mini-loaf pans.
  2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer to the prepared mini-loaf pans.
  3. Bake 50 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Buttermilk pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes


We like to add slices of banana and walnuts, chocolate chips or strawberries into the pancake as it cooks... Very good, fluffy pancake!
Also another tasty additive: cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger... or pumpkin pie spice to the batter... YUM!

We ate all the evidence...no picture! Sorry about that!


3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted


In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a fork to blend. Stir until just blended together. Do not over stir! Scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Penne ham veg gratin


See my notes at the bottom. I made what is pictured so I had to make some adjustments. Everyone LOVED THIS....

Pepin's Penne, Ham and Vegetable Gratin

Ingredients

Directions


  1. Boil about 2 quarts of water. Add penne and cook about 12 minutes until al dente (slightly firm). Drain and cool under cold water.
  2. Put cooked penne into a large bowl and stir in the ham, corn, peas, zucchini and cheese.
  3. Make the White Sauce:.
  4. Melt butter in saucepan, add the flour, and whisk it together until smooth.
  5. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring a bit. The sauce should thicken.
  6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream. Let it cool until lukewarm.
  7. Heat the broiler. Add the sauce to the penne and vegetables, and place in a shallow baking dish that can hold about 6 cups.
  8. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
  9. Broil about 4 inches from the heat until the top is lightly browned (about 6 to 8 minutes).
  10. Serve immediately.
  11. NOTE: Pepin says you can make this ahead of time up to adding the Parmesan. It will keep, covered, at room temperature for a few hours, or up to a day in the fridge before finishing in the oven, so it’s a great make-ahead dish. If refrigerated, just bring it back to room temp and bake at 425 for about 30 minutes.
  12. SECOND NOTE: Don’t let this sit in the oven after it’s finished or it will become gooey.
MY NOTES: I used MORE of everything. I used 15oz of pasta as I wanted a cake pan filled with this.... I didn't have any corn, so I added what I had, zuchinni, brocolli and cauliflower. I used the same amount of salt and pepper, used 2 cups of cheese(swiss & Gruyere). On the White sauce, I used 3 TBS butter, 3 TBS flour, 2 1/2 cups milk, & 3/4 cup heavy cream. Just to have a bit more, and it was perfect.

The three of us at 3/4 of a cake pan... I know. but it was good!

Monday, February 23, 2009

banana muffins


  • Banana Muffins
A great way to use up a lot of bananas! These were really moist and delicious.
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 bananas, mashed
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 wheat germ
  • 1/4 walnuts
  • 1/4 chocolate chips

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder salt, wheat germ and walnuts. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. add a few chocolate chips on top, just for good measure!
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes

Onion chuntey


I sort of made this up as I went along. It's pretty yummy.

Red Onion Chutney

I took:
6 red onions & shredded them on my mandolin.
Add:
1/2 Cup olive oil
and over med. high heat, saute them about 20 minutes, they will start to turn brown
and caramelize, so stir often.

I then added, 3/4 cup sugar
and 1/4 agave.
( I always try to cut the amount of sugar with agave, since this was the first time on this it worked for me)

1 Cup red wine vinegar
1/4 balsamic vinegar

and let it cook until it was gooey.


I sterilized two pint mason jars, and filled them up with the onion chutney sauce.

And proceeded to eat one off with our turkey dinner... ;-)

You do not have to water can the two jars. Once you pour into the jars the sauce, put on lids, tighten and turn the jars upside down and let the heat seal the lids.

I let cool and put both in the fridge. Once opened, will last THREE months in the fridge. Donna Hay also has a similiar recipe, and that is what is listed there.

Salmon and Soba noodles

This is a Donna Hay recipe.
It is a HUGE favorite in our house. It's FAST, easy and Delicious.


Salmon & soba noodles with mirin dressing



(10 oz) about 2 bunches of soba noodles
1 1/2 salmon fillets, skin removed
1/4 cup coriander (cilantro) leaves
salt & cracked pepper

Mirin dressing:
2-3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 teaspoons chopped pickled ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons mirin
salt & cracked pepper

Mirin dressing: Place sesame seeds, ginger, soy, lemon, mirin, salt & pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside;

Place noodles in a medium saucepan of boiling water and cook until ready. Soba noodles are quick, and should take about 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside;
Brush the salmon with oil and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Heat a medium saucepan and cook salmon to your liking;
Place the noodles and half the mirin dressing in a bowl and toss to coat. Divide the noodles between bowls and top with fresh cilantro.

Serve salmon over noodles. top with veggie, sauce, sesame seeds and fresh cilantro.

We like to also add a veggie. usually stir fried zuchhini....