August 2, 2010

Spaghetti with Zucchini Walnuts & Raisins

I’m normally not a fan of pastas like this. There isn’t a sauce that saturates all the noodles so you really have to work at creating the perfect bite with all the ingredients. It’s also a bear to mix together because all of the fun stuff just wants to hang out at the bottom of the pot. It was hard for me to judge how much I liked the pasta until half of the spaghetti on my plate was eaten. Verdict? YUM!

All of the leftover zucchini, raisins & nuts on my plate tasted wonderful! We got a little fancy and topped our pasta mounds with some white truffle oil. It brought out the earthy flavors of the nuts & Parmesan cheese. Good call, Casey. If you’re a walnut & raisin fan like Cooper, you’re in for a real treat! He was begging for more plump golden raisins & toasted walnuts. Two out out two boys in this household approve. Which makes the only mom/wife/cook in this household thrilled.
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recipes, Uncategorized

July 31, 2010

Shrimp Cucumber Mango Salad

I predict that 5 months from now, in the dead of winter, I’ll totally be jonesing for this salad. It’s zesty, crunchy, sweet & spicy!!! All of my favorite things! It’s summer in a cup; which is how I served it tonight! No need to turn on the oven/stove/grill. This recipe requires nothing but a fridge, a cutting board, a knife & a few bowls to execute. The best part is that it’s super duper low in calories & has like no fat whatsoever. You know what this means? I get to go hog wild for dessert tonight!

I’m gonna go do that now…Peace out.
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around the home, Uncategorized

July 30, 2010

My life. Summer 2010.

I check on my plants at least twice a day. I like watching their progress. I do a lot of watering.

recipes, Uncategorized

July 28, 2010

Summer Squash with Goat Cheese

Another bucket of summer squash was set outside our front door a few days ago!! My neighbor is going crazy with this summer squash business! After making the risotto the other night, I needed to make something simple and uncomplicated (aka-I just got home from work and don’t feel like cooking!) So here’s what happened: I sauteed zucchini & summer squash in a pan with onions & thyme. I browned them a bit and added garlic at the very end (so it wouldn’t burn). It all went on a lovely plate and was topped with crumbles of goat cheese. We made a main course out of it with some yummy toasted french bread. The goat cheese crumbles melted on top of the squash; adding a scrumptious creamy/tangy element to the dish!

Feel free to substitute the goat cheese for feta or Parmesan. I’ve been on a great goat cheese binge lately, haven’t I? Sorry! If you aren’t into cheese, the squash is fine without it!! It would make any vegan happy. Thank you Ann for the best summer squash I’ve tasted! I’ll will let you know when we’ve had enough! At this rate, it could be soon!
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recipes, Uncategorized

July 27, 2010

Simple Banana Ice Cream

I keep going back to this post on the kitchn….ONE INGREDIENT ICE CREAM. It’s absolutely bananas! That’s it! I started to preheat the oven today for banana bread and said SCREW IT. I couldn’t be bothered, so made ice cream instead! It’s the simplest little recipe. There’s no ice cream maker required. You just need a device that can puree almost frozen bananas and then you have banana ice cream! No wonder everyone’s been raving about it! It’s CRAZY DELICIOUS.

You’ll find that it’s pretty adaptable. A scoop of peanut butter mixed in would be good…cocoa powder would be dandy! Some cocoa nibs or some chocolate chips? Heaven! I put a scoop of unsweetened coconut flakes in ours tonight! It added a nice little crunchy texture. I topped it with a little chunk of pizelle my grandma made. Hummina Hummina!

The directions go something like this:
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recipes, Uncategorized

July 27, 2010

Blueberry Pie

I made this pie for my dad because:

1. It was his 64th birthday.

2. He loves blueberry pie.

3. I love him!

4. I wanted to impress my family with homemade pie crust. (And did!)

Oh! This pie!! There were times I felt like giving up because the dough was being a bit obnoxious when I was rolling it out. Parts of it crumbled and I felt like all I was doing was piecing it together. I mostly blame the temperature outside mixed with my lack of patience. It also didn’t help that I drank a bunch of wine the night before with my family and didn’t sleep well. With a glass of red wine and a long deep sigh, I finished what I started. There’s nothing that says I love you more than a homemade blueberry pie. Right? We devoured this fantastic lemon scented blueberry pie. My dad was proud, and we had such a wonderful evening!

Happy Birthday Dad! And thank you to Martha Stewart. This recipe worked out fabulously!
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recipes, Uncategorized

July 26, 2010

Zucchini & Summer Squash Risotto

Executing this recipe the other night reiterated two things:

1. Making risotto is not hard. It just requires a bit of attention. A drawing pad, crayons & a high chair made this possible!

2. I should never take for granted having neighbors who drop off buckets of homegrown vegetables at my door. NEVER.

My friend Lana seduced me with her batch of pattypan risotto last week. Her son Alden is a week older than Cooper, so we commiserate in the battle of getting veggies into our carb loving sons! If you need to hide some veggies in a dish for your children, this is a good one to try! If you have a significant other who LOVES risotto, this will not disappoint! Casey ate A LOT!

This risotto is very light & creamy. The zucchini & summer squash melt right into the risotto; adding a bit of sweetness. The Parmesan & lemon juice additions at the end are key! They jazz up the risotto perfectly! It’s OK to go heavy handed on them! Thank you Lana & Helen for the inspiration. This will definitively be in our rotation!
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