December 8, 2007

Fresh Basil Pesto

Whenever I make pesto, I always try to make a huge batch. Because there’s nothing more disappointing than eating pasta that doesn’t have enough sauce on it!

If you don’t have a food processor, a blender works fine. If you don’t have either- hope your knife skills are excellent!

Ingredients were all from Trader Joes:

2 containers fresh basil
2-3 cloves fresh peeled garlic
1 lemon squeezed
a dash of cayenne pepper
1 large handful of pine nuts
4 heaping tablespoons of parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup of olive oil

Chop up a few cloves of garlic (I used 3 for this batch)

Now add the basil. Make sure to leave off the stems. You can see I left one on! Woops!

Make sure to scrap down the sides…

Now, start adding your olive oil.

I added a little over 1/4 cup of the oil to get the consistency I wanted.

I tossed in a handful of pine nuts (they’re even better when toasted)

I added 1 fresh squeezed lemon to the mix (prevents discoloration)

A dash of cayenne pepper for spice.

Some fresh ground pepper to even out the flavor….

Now put about 4 heaping tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. (Skip this part if you’re vegan)

The cheese is in place of salt. It adds a LOT of flavor. Mix that all up!

Now we have some pesto!

When I made dinner the other night, I added some of the pesto to my shrimp (with red pepper & olive oil) to make jazz them up before grilling:

I put those on skewers (4 to a skewer-except 1 had 5!)

I grilled them on high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side!

I think this weekend I’m going to have a slice of bread toast with pesto on it. Stay tuned.

recipes, Uncategorized

December 5, 2007

Dinner Tonight. Project Runway. Project Pesto.

Pesto Recipe/Garlic Bread Recipe/Grilled Pesto Shrimp Recipe… to follow.

Everything from Trader Joe’s!

Uncategorized

December 2, 2007

Hello, December.

This weekend was chilly.

I spent time on my computer with a slice of buttery toast and a cup of coffee.

Yes, it is a Halloween mug. Yes, I know it’s December.

I did some landscaping in the backyard:

The weather kept changing on me:

I soaked in all the beautiful colors of the fallen leaves:

I made a very yummy rustic/savory tart with carrots, sweet potatoes, bacon, goat cheese, red onion, rosemary & butternut squash:

I watched Gilmore Girls with Whitney. I think we got in 6 or 7 episodes!

I made more mushroom soup.

I drank a lot of coffee.

I got my hair colored.

I went to the library & got some cookbooks to admire.

I did some glittering.

We bought our Christmas tree & did some decorating.

Oh! I finally did the dishes:

Now it’s time to watch some Dexter. I hope you all had a good weekend too!

around the home, Uncategorized

December 1, 2007

30 days of Trader Joe’s

Phew! That was a quite a project I got myself into! I just wanted to thank all of you who stopped by & commented. You kept me going! It makes me thrilled to hear from other Trader Joe’s lovers out there! And thanks to you, I have some new items from Trader Joe’s in my pantry right now! Thanks for the recommendations!! I’ll let you know how it goes.

For those of you who wondered if I will be continuing this—-FEAR NOT, I will be posting more Trader Joe’s Favorites/Concoctions. The frequency might not be as great….but for now my goal is to post a few items/favs per week! So look out!

Thanks once again! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

-Tracy

recipes, Uncategorized

November 30, 2007

Mediterranean Couscous

Favorite Trader Joe’s Item #30: Couscous

Cook couscous according to directions.

I doubled the recipe so that we could have leftovers for the next few days.

Let’s begin with the recipe……

Chop 1 red onion:

Drain & rinse 1 can of garbanzo beans:

Chop up some little tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes (half of the TJ’s jar), two handfuls of basil, 2 lemons & 1 jar of marinated artichokes:

Open 1 package of crumbled feta:

Mix those ingredients with the Cous-Cous.

Make sure to add some Extra-Virgin Olive Oil.

Squeeze the lemons on top & mix. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Serve in a bowl:

Dig in with a fork or spoon:

It’s pretty good with grilled sausage on top:

Now you have a tasty meal & a few leftovers to last you a few days. The end.

recipes, Uncategorized

November 29, 2007

Creamy Mushroom Soup

Favorite Trader Joe’s Concoction: Creamy Mushroom Soup

Ever have one of those nights where you come home from the grocery store with SOOO many potential dinner options and you can’t think of what you REALLY want to make/eat? And then all of a sudden you make something that you had no intention of making when you bought your groceries? That’s what happened Tuesday night.

I bought mushrooms on Tuesday. I LOVE mushrooms. Husband-not so much. But he’s been eating mushrooms in stuff lately….so I figured I should go full force and make some mushroom soup. Baptism by fire anyone?

Over the summer I read Ruth Reichl’s Comfort Me with Apples: More Adventures at the Table (fabulous book btw). I whipped out her recipe for mushroom soup from the book because it sounded so damn good….This makes about 4 bowls worth. Maybe less… I lost count because I was in a mushroom soup coma.

Here are the ‘shrooms I used along with the whipping cream (don’t be a hater!) and Beef Broth Concentrate from Trader Joe’s (totally easy/excellent!)

Here’s your ingredients:

10 oz. sliced mushrooms (I used crimini for this soup)
1/2 stick butter (you can cut that in half if you are feeling chubby)
1 small onion diced
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup of beef broth (I used 1 packet of the TJ’s condensed beef broth mixed with 1 cup water)
2 cups half & half (I used 1 3/4 cup whole milk mixed with 1/4 cup whipping cream)
Salt & Pepper to taste (I added a lot)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Trader Joe’s Black Truffle Oil (when in Rome-right?)

Melt butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. When foam subsides, add onion and sautee until golden. Add mushrooms and sautee those babies until brown.

Here’s me sauteeing some mushrooms. They’re not brown enough yet:

Stir in flour to coat the mushrooms. Then slowly stir in broth. Heat half and half/milk on the stove or in the microwave and slowly add to pot. Add the nutmeg & bay leaf. Stir thoroughly to ensure that everything is incorporated. Simmer on low for ten minutes (do not boil). Add salt & pepper to taste.

I was thinking a little red wine or brandy would be good mixed in. I’ll have to try that next time!

Pour into your bowl & top the soup with little splashes of the Black Truffle Oil and more Salt & Pepper.