Another dinner

Since we're hopefully moving soon, I had to use ingredients that I already had in my pantry.  I created another pretty good meal that can be whipped up in no time, is healthy, and really tasty.  I love shrimp and vegetables, so this one includes a lot of both.  Enjoy!

Fire Roasted Shrimp (serves 2 with leftovers)

1 small onion, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (Hunt’s brand is really good)

1 cup seafood stock

2-3 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary (depending on how much you like)

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Salt/pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes (as much as you like)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika if you don’t have smoked)

1/2 – 1 pound shrimp, deveined and peeled

Juice of ½ of a lemon

Heat medium sauté pan to medium high heat- add olive oil

Add onion and cook until softened

Add mushrooms and cook until just starting to soften

Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds

Add can of fire roasted tomatoes, seafood stock, rosemary, parsley, salt/pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika

Increase heat to high and bring to boil

Reduce sauce until thick- about 10-15 minutes (stir often to check the thickness)

Add the shrimp, stir, and cook through

Add the juice of ½ of a lemon and stir

Taste for seasoning and serve

Note:  This recipe is also good if you use ½ cup white wine and ½ cup of seafood stock.

You can also use chicken stock if you can’t find seafood stock.

Feta cheese on top for garnish goes beautifully with this dish as well

I blame my parents (for making me love veggies)

I blame my parents.  They made me eat my vegetables everyday growing up, but I really don't remember ever complaining about it.  I ate corn, green beans, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, peas, potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces, spinach, asparagus, onions, bok choy, etc. and I loved them all.  Besides the ones that my dad grew in the garden, most of them were either frozen or canned, but nonetheless, I still ate them.  The only ones that I hated were lima beans that were mixed in with the frozen mixed veggie medley.  Yuck.  I still hate them. 

However, as I grew and started cooking, I grew tired of canned and frozen vegetables.  Also, my husband wasn't as big of a fan of veggies as I am and he would only eat canned green beans.  He claimed that he didn't like any other veggie (besides mashed potatoes) and wouldn't try them.  He said brussel sprouts tasted funny, mushrooms had no flavor, asparagus smelled weird, and broccoli was boring.  So, I had a mission:  make him like a variety of vegetables.  Being a beginner cook at the time, I had no idea how to make veggies in a delicious and easy way.  However, as I watched Ina on the "Barefoot Contessa" I noticed that she roasted all of her vegetables.  I figured I would try it because it looked easy and really tasty.  I roasted a safe veggie first:  potatoes.  They were, of course, a huge hit between my husband and I.  Potatoes were too easy though.  Of course he liked roasted potatoes- they taste like french fries without the grease.  I tried another safe veggie:  fresh green beans.  He also liked these.  Then, I tried broccoli and cauliflower.  Again, he liked it.  I tried zucchini.  He loved it.  I roasted butternut squash.  He went crazy for it (still one of his favorite roasted vegetables).  I started to get more daring and roasted brussel sprouts.  After convincing him to try it and giving permission to put Parmesan cheese on it, he agreed and ate more than me!  I then started roasting everything:  asparagus, onions, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, mushrooms (which are my favorites), bok choy, celery root, and any other veggie I could get my hands on.  Needless to say, I converted my husband into a vegetable lover like me and I roasted veggies at least 4-5 times a week to go with our meals.  Now when I have an off day or no veggie looks good at the store and I serve him canned green beans, he complains!  I take that as a good sign though.

Roasted Vegetables
You can roast just about any veggie out there (except lettuce)- I haven't found one that doesn't taste better after it's been roasted.  Here are a few of my favorites: 
tomatoes (de-seeded and cut in half), radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, zucchini, butternut squash, mushrooms (any kind but button- they really don't have any flavor), carrots, brussel sprouts, asparagus, bok choy, celery root, potatoes, and sweet potatoes

I cut up the vegetable into bite sized pieces (not too small) and make sure that they're all about the same size for even roasting
place on sheet pan
drizzle with good olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper (season them really well)
toss around to make sure the oil and seasoning are evenly distributed
roast at 425 until tender
serve with Parmesan cheese (optional)

Roasted Vegetable Soup
(This recipe was adapted from one of Ina's recipes)
Any variety of leftover roasted veggies can be made into an incredible soup.  I've used leftover butternut squash and onion, broccoli, and potatoes, among many other variations.  I also add fresh spinach or arugula to give it extra texture. 
Just put roasted vegetables in a blender or food processor, add chicken (or veggie) stock (just enough to thin it), salt/pepper to taste, and any other spices you like- I like cumin, curry, and even hot sauce. 
Blend until pureed
If it's too thick, add more stock
Place in pot on stove and heat through (taste to make sure the seasoning is right)

So, thank you parents for making me eat my veggies.  It paid off in the end.  However, I still hate lima beans.

Note:  baking times may vary, but I've found that 425 will evenly roast any vegetable.  Usually temperatures range from 400, 425, to 450, but veggies really aren't that sensitive- just keep your eye on them so they don't burn.

Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes

I created a recipe for strawberry champagne cupcakes out of my love for champagne, berries, white cake, and white buttercream frosting (I think the perfect cupcake is white cake with white icing).  However, I wanted to infuse flavor into plain white cake and since I had an abundance of strawberries, I started to experiment with them.  Also, what's better with strawberries than champagne?  Combing the 2 was a no brainer.  I've made them several times with rave reviews so far and I think I've just about perfected the recipe.  The champagne flavor is more of a fruity flavor (you won't taste the bubbles) and it's incredibly good.
The cupcakes have 3 parts to them, but they're all easy and you can make the strawberry sauce in advance.  You'll also have plenty leftover sauce and it's great over ice cream, berries, and it freezes beautifully. 
Here's my recipe:

For the cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup champagne/prosecco/sparkling wine (make sure it's a good one and something you would want to drink- the better the quality, the better the cupcakes will be)
3 XL egg whites
2 tablespoon sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350
Sift flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside
In another bowl (or measuring cup) combine champagne, egg whites, sour cream, and vanilla
Whisk together until sour cream is incorporated and there's no lumps
Using an electric or hand held mixture, cream butter and sugar at least 5 minutes, until light and fluffy
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix until incorporated
Add 1/2 of the wet mixture
Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture
Add last 1/2 of the wet mixture
Add last 1/3 of the flour and mix until just combined (do not overmix!)

Divide the batter among 12 cupcake paper liners
Bake 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes
Remove from the pan and place cupcakes on a cooling rack until completely cooled (you can also refrigerate them- the colder they are the easier they are to cut)

Strawberry Sauce:
1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
2-3 tablespoons water
1 jar (12 oz.) strawberry jam

Cook berries, sugar, and water (start with 2 tablespoons and add more if the sauce is too thick) in a medium saucepan over medium high heat
Bring to a boil and stir so it doesn't burn
Cook until berries are softened and sugar is dissolved
Off the heat, add strawberry jam and puree (with blender, food processor, or immersion blender)
Taste and add more sugar if needed
Cool sauce

When cupcakes and sauce are cooled, use a small knife to cut a fairly large hole from the center of cupcake (reserve the top)
Fill the hole with strawberry sauce (about 1-2 tablespoons)
Place the top of the hole back in cupcake

Champagne frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter at room temp.
4-5 tablespoons champagne/prosecco/sparkling wine 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of champagne with an electric or hand held mixer
Add more champagne as needed until frosting is smooth and spreadable, but not thin (if it's too thin, add more powdered sugar.  If it's too thick, add more champagne)
Generously frost each cupcake with the icing and garnish with a strawberry

Variation:  This recipe can be made by using a 1/2 stick of butter and a 1/2 cup applesauce in place of the whole stick of butter in the cupcake recipe.  Also, fat free sour cream is perfectly fine.

Note:  You can refrigerate these cupcakes (so the frosting doesn't melt), but bring them to room temp. before serving. 
Also, the longer the cupcakes sit, the more you'll taste the champagne- I make them the day ahead and they're even better on the 2nd day.  Enjoy!

Anniversary Dinner

Yesterday (June 18) was my husband and I's 6 year wedding anniversary.  We usually celebrate by going out to a wonderful meal and making a wonderful meal at home.  We went out to Farm Haus in St. Louis which is an incredible place.  The chef was just named one the top 10 chefs in the country by Food and Wine magazine and the food is based on what's in season and local ingredients.  Thomas had the asparagus salad with grilled asparagus, radish, and a garlic vinaigrette, "breakfast" for his main course (pork belly with a sunny side egg on top, homemade sausage, and corn blinis), and strawberry panna cotta with angel food cake, fresh strawberries and basil ice cream for dessert (basil ice cream is on my list to make- soooo good!).  I had the wild mushroom salad with bacon vinaigrette, blackened red snapper with collard greens and spoon bread, and a "rocky road" dessert with flourless chocolate cake, caramel ice cream, marshmallow, almond brittle, and caramel sauce.  The meal was one of the best we've ever had.

Now onto the meal that I made at home.  I don't have a name for the dish because it was born from my mom's seafood with linguine that I grew up on.  I changed it and added more ingredients.  It's a wonderful, fast, easy, elegant, and delicious recipe that anyone can do.  You can change the seafood to any seafood you like, add herbs, and add veggies.  It's a thin, almost broth like sauce that incredibly flavorful (and also healthy).  Here's my recipe:

8 oz. pappardelle pasta (or any wide noodle would work, like linguine)
3 tablespoons olive oil
About 2 cups of sliced portabello mushrooms
About 6 cloves garlic, minced (I love garlic so I go heavy, but add as much or as little as you like)
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
A couple of splashes of chicken stock or seafood stock (if you like a thicker sauce, add less.  If you like a thinner sauce add more.  I probably added 1/4 - 1/3 cups)
A splash of white wine (probably a couple tablespoons)
2-3 tablespoons minced parsley
Salt/pepper to taste
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Red pepper flakes (as much or as little as you like)
1/2 - 1 pound shrimp, cooked/peeled/deveined (depending on how much shrimp you would like)
1/2 - 1 pound fresh crab meat, cooked (again, depending on how much crab you like)
1/2 pound clams, cooked
Parmesan cheese to top

Bring a large pot of water to a boil
Salt the water and add the pasta
Cook according to the directions (I always cook pasta 2 min. short on what the package says- you want nice and al dente pasta)

While water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil over medium high heat
Add the mushrooms and cook until just starting to soften
Add the garlic and cook another minute
Add scallions, chicken or seafood stock, wine, parsley, salt, pepper, zest and juice of the lemon, and red pepper flakes
Bring to boil to reduce (the sauce will thicken slightly) and stir
Reduce heat to low
Add shrimp, crab, and clams
Heat through
Add the pasta to the sauce and toss gently to combine (the pasta will absorb the sauce)
Serve with Parmesan cheese

Be sure to taste the sauce as you go along to make sure you have seasoned it correctly.  Also, instead of straining the pasta, I take it out of the water with tongs and put it directly in the sauce.  Some of the starchy cooking liquid will still be on the pasta and it adds flavor.  They do this with pasta in Italy and it's perfect every time.  Also, if your sauce is too thin, add some pasta liquid to it- it thickens up beautifully. 

Husband Pleasers Part 2

Ok, I jumped the gun a little bit on my husband pleasers (Scotcharoos) post.  I remade the recipe again this morning and used mini marshmallows in the Special K mixure.  Another winning result! Here's what I did:

Make the Scotcharoos exactly as stated before, but after you add the peanut butter to the sugar mixture, stir in about 3 cups of mini marshmallows off the heat (or you can take big ones and break them up). 
Stir the marshmallows until incorporated- they shouldn't melt completely, but they'll get really soft
Spread mixture in pan
Omit the caramel (unless you like extremely sweet things, but I didn't add it because I was afraid it would be too overpowering)
Put chocolate/butterscotch chips on as usual and sprinkle with sea salt

The Special K mixture becomes like a Special K marshmallowy-crispy treat and they are wonderful!  Try the famous Scotcharoos all 3 ways (traditional, caramel with sea salt, and marshmallow with sea salt) and decide which one you like best!

Jazz up boring meat

Plain chicken, pork loin, fish, or even steak is boring!  Here's a sauce that's healthy and full of flavor.  I've adapted this recipe from a combination of many recipes and I tend to change it every time I make it, but here's the basic recipe:

Leek sauce

2 medium leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup sliced mushrooms, any variety (I love mushrooms, so I include a lot, but you can add as many as you like or leave them out. Portabella mushrooms are really good, but plain old button mushrooms would be just fine)
a splash of Brandy
a splash of chicken stock
1-2 teaspoons fresh minced rosemary
1-2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
Crushed red pepper (as much or as little as you like)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons sour cream

Put olive oil (or spray) in large pan and turn on heat to medium high
Add leeks and cook until just softened
Add mushrooms and cook until just softened
Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds until garlic is cooked
Add a splash of Brandy and scrape up the browned bits on the pan
Turn heat to high and reduce Brandy
Add a splash of chicken stock and stir until slightly thickened
Turn heat down to medium low
Add rosemary, parsley, crushed red pepper, Dijon, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste
Heat all of the ingredients through and serve (serves 2)

This is excellent over roasted chicken, pork loin, or fish.  I usually sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Simply delicious!

Note:  You can add any herbs you like- thyme and basil are great additions.  Leeks are part of the onion family and look like giant scallions.  They are milder in taste and really good.  If you can't find them, I'm sure that regular onions would be fine- just a little stronger tasting (I've never tried this with regular onions)

Husband Pleasers

A husband pleaser comes in the form of a scotcharoo.  What's a scotcharoo?  It's a cookie/bar/candy that my mother in law, Susan, has made since my husband was a child.  Everyone loves them.  They are addictive.  They are crunchy, peanut buttery, chocolaty, and everything else that is good in life.  They are also the easiest recipe I've ever made.  The basic recipe is Special K cereal mixed with sugar, karo syrup, and peanut butter.  That's pressed into a pan and topped with melted semi sweet chocolate chips and butterscotch chips.  This is the only way that my mother in law makes them and I made them the same way for years.

However, I was bored with them.  I wanted something more- more flavor and something different.  I started by experimenting with the cereal.  I tried Rice Crispies, but they just went stale after a day.  I then tried Corn Flakes, but it gave the Scotcharoo a corn flavor that was not welcome.  So, I stayed with the Special K since it stayed crunchy and didn't add any flavor. 

I decided that instead of messing with the recipe, I would add things to it- I love caramel and think that caramel should be included in all desserts, so I added caramel between the Special K and chocolate layers.  I also love sea salt and noticed that salt combined with chocolate is simply delish.  A sprinkling of sea salt on top of the warm chocolate really set this dessert off and brought out all of the flavors.

So, after experimenting with this humble recipe, I recreated it and made it a bit fancier and more decadent. 
Here's the new recipe:

6 cups Special K cereal
1 cup sugar
1 cup white syrup (karo)
1 1/2 cups smooth peanut butter
caramel sauce (any brand of your choice)
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
sea salt

Measure Special K and place in large bowl.  Set aside
In small saucepan, bring sugar and white syrup to a boil (stirring often so it doesn't burn)
Off the heat, add peanut butter and mix until smooth
Pour sugar/peanut butter mixture in the Special K and mix gently until combined
Press evenly into a greased (or sprayed) 9x13 pan
Let cool
Pour and spread caramel sauce over Special K mixture (as much as you like- I like a lot, so I went heavy)
Let cool and set
Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips (don't burn!) and stir together
Pour chocolate over caramel/Special K mixture and smooth over the top
Sprinkle sea salt evenly over the top of the warm chocolate
Let set at room temp or in the frig until firm and cut into bars

While this is a good start to a new and improved Scotcharoo, I may try mini marshmallows mixed in with the Special K/peanut butter mixture next.  If that goes well, I'll change the recipe again.  As for now, the humble and incredible Scotcharoo got a makeover and they are even better than the originals- Thank you Susan for this recipe!