A Hunger For Reading

Though cooking is my number one passion, reading comes a very close second. Of course, the two are often combined. Because of this I have learned that though I love bookstores they are quite a dangerous place for me to visit. Dangerous to my wallet that is! Between my love of reading (anything and everything) and cookbooks I could spend a small fortune in a very short period of time.

I am always reading a book (often 2). I keep one under my pillow to read myself to sleep (occasionally that bites me in the butt when I get to the climax of a book and can't put it down) and one in my bag at work for rare moments when we get some down time. I sometimes keep magazines, especially cooking magazines (or gossip rags...shhh don't tell anyone) in the car for times when I have appointments or have to wait for anything (I am very impatient and if I have something to read I don't get as irritated).

I have come to the conclusion that spending $8-20 (often more for cookbooks) on a book that I often finish in a week (or less) when I can get used books for a fraction at Edward McKays is kind of extravagant. I am just as happy reading a book someone else has read as I am reading a brand new one.

As far as cookbooks are concerned, unless I find one that is just chock full of recipes that I like or has a theme that I use a lot ( My Perfect Party Cook Book is my bible) buying new ones is not very frugal. I can find a recipe for most anything somewhere on the Internet.

Magazines? Well I have a friend who subscribes to Food and Wine and she passes them on to me when she is finished and the bookstore does not seem to mind me paging through theirs while I enjoy a cup of coffee. I just have to leave my credit card at home.

There is one other alternative. The Library. The only problem I have with that is ummmm... Returning the books. I recently went to the library after a long hiatus. Why would a person who loves reading so much shun the library? Perhaps it was the $30 of overdue fines I had.(blushing) BUT, I am happy to report that I have cleared that all up and I am once again welcome at the library.

What does any of this have to do with cooking? Well, a few weeks ago when we had a rare slow day in EMS we decided to make the library our base station (it is right behind the Fire Dept). I was flipping through a copy of Cooking Light and came across an interesting recipe for Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp. But as fate would have it we got a call and I had to hurry out to "save a life".

As often happens, we never got another break that day So I never made it back to the library to copy the recipe When I got home I looked up the website and was very pleased to find the recipe with no problem. I was even more pleased when I tried it. It was really quick and really good.

I have made it twice now and I am adding it to my regular repertoire. The first time I made it exactly more or less just as it was written. The second time I was serving the shrimp over pasta and wanted a bit more "sauce" so I doubled everything (and used a lot more curry) except the oil and shrimp and onions. it was not quite as "light" but it was delish seved over a bed of angel hair pasta. This is the recipe as originally printed in Cooking Light.

Thia Coconut Curry Shrimp

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 teaspoon red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen)

1 teaspoon sugar

12 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup light coconut milk

2 teaspoons fish sauce

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and curry paste to pan, and sauté 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in sugar; sauté 15 seconds. Add shrimp; sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Stir in coconut milk and fish sauce; cook 30 seconds or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and basil.

Makes 2 servings, 1 cup each.

Nutritional Information as provided by Cooking Light

Calories: 255 (26% from fat)

Fat:7.4g (sat 2.6g,mono 1.8g,poly 1.9g)

Protein:36.1g

Carbohydrate:10.2g

Fiber:1.1g

Cholesterol:259mg

Iron: 6mg

Sodium:740mg

Calcium:111mg

In Spite of my Mother...

I have come to the conclusion that I LIKE tomatoes. Now this might not seem like any great epiphany to you but my MOTHER would certainly be shocked to read this. My WHOLE life I have said I hate tomatoes. When I was growing up mother (who would sprinkle salt on a whole tomato and eat it like an apple) always put tomatoes in our dinner salad and MADE me eat them. So, I would pick out the tomatoes and choke them down by themselves. Don't tell my Mom but, I actually would swallow them whole which I also did with peas (which by the way I love now) and lima beans. This would INFURIATE her. "If you hate them so much why would you eat them by themselves???" my reply, "I love salad. "
My answer was simple and I think, quite insightful for a small child. I wanted to enjoy my salad. Savor my salad. If I ate the salad with the tomatoes it would have ruined it. It is also further proof that I was a foodie even back then. I can also vividly remember the sausage pizza we had every Fri night (and cold pizza left overs for breakfast Saturday morning) from Jacks Pizza. It was just recently that I realized that the reason that I loved that pizza so much is that the sausage was perfectly spiced with loads of fennel seeds. SEE ... what 5 yr. old has such a distinguished palette?
I also have vivid memories of going to my Grandparents and my Grandpa giving me a glass of Buttermilk. Sprinkled with a dash of salt and pepper. I loved tang of the buttermilk and the feel of it coating my mouth. I would drink it like a wine connoisseur ... rolling it around my mouth and over my tongue before swallowing it. OK, maybe I was a strange child ..but then again, look at me now. Are you REALLY surprised?
Once again, I have gotten off topic (but it was a nice stroll down memory lane) back to tomatoes. So though I hated tomatoes I loved catsup and tomato soup (with grilled cheese of course) and of course spaghetti. But as I have gotten older I have continued to add more and more tomatoes to my diet. But I have always been resistant to any raw tomato. Several years ago I decided that a small amount of tomato on Mexican food was really good. I love salsa but I stuck to the more thinner kind with less chunks in it. Then I tried Sams club "Fresh Salsa" sold in the refrigerator section and I was like ..HEY that's pretty good stuff. Then I decided to try to make my own Pico de Gallo. That was it, I was hooked!!! I was beginning to realize that I could no longer claim to hate tomatoes when I started eating the Pico De Gallo by its self. With a spoon! But, when I was cutting up tomatoes for it the other day and the juice ran down my wrist and I licked it a thought MMMM...I knew I was busted! Now you will still not catch me putting a slice of tomato on a burger and you will NEVER catch me putting them in my salad (thanks to MOM for traumatizing me ...lol). I love tomatoes in lots of other things!

I am sure you are saying ..."geeze is she EVER going to get to the point? ...you know ... like an actual recipe?????" Hey it's my blog! You're not the boss of me! Anyway, I made some Pico the other day and I was planning on adding shrimp and taking it to work for lunch. But through the course of the day I would walk by the fridge and take a spoonful (or 4) of it. By the time I got ready to pack my lunch for the next day. There was a pitiful amount of Pico left. Even with a lot of shrimp it was not going to make a very substantial lunch. So I came up with this tasty (and WAY simple) little dish and was very satisfied with my lunch. I have reworked it to make more than a single serving here. You can use a store bought Pico de gallo but really, its quite simple to make and SO worth it. It also allows you to make it as hot or as mild as you like. I would recommend making the Pico a few hours before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients to let the flavors develop and for it to get "juicy." It's fresh and light and very summery!

Pico De Shrimp and Pasta Salad

3 cups fresh Pico De Gallo (click on link for recipe)
8 oz steamed Shrimp cooled
4 oz of Orzo cooked according to Pkg. and cooled
Salt to taste

Fold together first 3 ingredients. Salt to taste. Refrigerate for at least 30 min.

Approximately 4 servings for a main dish (light lunch) or 6-8 as a side dish.

* I used the frozen precooked shrimp thawed and drained before adding to Pico.

Good Friends and FOOD

I had been thinking about throwing a dinner party for a few days. My friend Larry being the catalyst for that (when are you going to cook again) So faced with a day of no real plans I decided that I was just going to be spontaneous and do it. I rang up my friend Evie and asked her what her and John were up to. They had already talked about going downtown to the Blues and Brews Festival by the River. We decided we would do an early dinner and head down there after that. Unfortunately Larry could not make it(I promise to bring you some left overs) and Marlana was out of town. So it was Evie, John , Me and Tanya.

Considering it was already after 12 when we came up with this brilliant plan I was suddenly in a time crunch.

Menu:

Margaritaville Chicken Fajitas

Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Roasted Green beans

Pavlova

Have I ever told you I HATE Wally World?? Well on a Sat at 1230pm in Hope Mills not only do I HATE it but I LOATHE it. I would have much rather just gone to Harris Teeter where I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, to shop. Where every thing is clean and neat and beautiful. Unfortunately the prices there are not always so beautiful (although for produce it is totally worth it).

By the time I got home it was nearly 230 and I still had to make the marinade for the chicken. YIKES ! I got that going right away and popped the chicken breasts in so they could do their thing. I also did a separate bag of the veggies with a little marinade also.

Next on the agenda was the Shrimp and Orzo Salad. I had seen this recipe on Barefoot Contessa yesterday and could not wait to try it! That was painless but geeze look at the time it is almost 4 and I still have cleaning to do and oh Gee I forgot the Whipped topping ...and to put out the eggs to come to room temp and ....oh man NO WAY am I going to get everything done

REVISED Menu

Margaritaville Chicken Fajitias

Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Roasted Green Beans

Grilled Pineapple and Berries

over

Strawberry and Mango Sorbet

I have really been wanting to dazzle my friends with the Pavlova but there was just not enough time....sigh!

So at this point it is beginning to drizzle and I am not really thinking I want to wrestle with the veggies on the grill anyway. SO I get this BRILLIANT idea to use my cast iron griddle on the cook top. I do the pineapple first which goes realatively well. Then I move on to the peppers and onions for the Fajitas. About 5 mins into this the smoke detector goes off...not a big deal and CERTAINATELY not unusual. Someone thought it was a good idea to put a smoke detector in my Kitchen. Just using the broiler sets the damn thing off EVERY time. I was not any where near being done with the veggies though and fanning with a towel and turning on the ceiling fan and opening the door was not working. But OMG >>> LOOK at the time. I can't stop. I call my Son in and scream over the piercing beeps ...TAKE OUT THE BATTERIES!!!!! Well, we never did figure out how to even get it open. By the time I was finished cooking the veggies the smoke detectors in the BEDROOMS were going off. Ummm maybe next time I will do those veggies on the Grill after all and the chicken? Oh yeah, I stood in the rain and grilled them.

I can always count on my friends to be late which is good ..because dinner was NOT ready at the scheduled 5:30. But by 6 Evie and John came rolling in (Tanya was on time so I sent her back out to get ice ) and dinner was just about ready to be put on the table!

Everything was yummy and I was especially happy with the Shrimp and Orzo Salad Although I just realized I forgot the parsley. I am Definately making that again. Next time I plan on adding Sundried tomaotes and maybe some red and green peppers just to give it a little more crunch and some color. The only deviations I made from the orginal recipe is I used the Sun-dried and Tomato and basil feta(would you expect anything different from me?) and dried dill ( about 2TBS) because I did not have fresh.

Shrimp and Orzo Salad

Kosher salt

Good olive oil

3/4 pound orzo pasta

1/2 cup lemon juice (3 lemons)

Freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, diced

1/2 cup small-diced red onion

3/4 pound good feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.
Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!
Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Margarita Chicken Marinade

("Perfect Party Food" cookbook)

1/4cup olive oil

1/2 cup OJ

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup gold tequila

1/2tsp ground cumin

1canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Place chicken and marinade in ziplock bag and let marinate in Fridge for at least 4 hrs or overnight. Makes enough marinade for about 12 chicken breasts. Broil or grill chicken until juices run clear Garnish with fresh cilantro and slices of lemon, lime and orange.

Summer Wrap

Ok, Ok I know its been awhile since I have posted. Hopefully, I still have some readers left. I have been busy doing all that summer stuff. I recently came back from a long weekend at Myrtle Beach. I did make my weightloss goal before I left but... With dinner one night at the Melting Pot (YUM!!!) and another at Captain Georges seafood buffet and snacks and cocktails(lot's of cocktails) I am afraid to get back on the scales until I get back to my good eating habits for a little while. This wrap was inspired by the Thai tuna from Roly Poly one of my favorite "fast food" places. I have tried about half the stuff on the menu and have NEVER not liked something and I feel like I am giving my body something healthy as they use lots of fresh ingredients. I usually opt for extra spinach on my wraps to add bulk and help fill me up. Sorry about the picture quality. I took the pictures then ATE THE WRAP and THEN looked at the pictures. Let's just say it tasted better than the pictures look. Sweet and Spicy Tuna wrap
1/2 cup (total) cubed mango, pineapple and avacado
1 Tbs minced red onion
1 Tbs sweet chilli sauce
1 pouch Sweet and spicy tuna
4 Tbs shredded sharp cheddar cheese
baby spinach leaves
alfalfa sprouts
Mix together fruit, onion and chilli. Layer spinach on each tortilla. Place half of tuna on each tortilla. Spoon half of fruit mixture on each. Top each with half the cheese and a handful of sprouts. Roll tightly. ENJOY!

Here Fishy Fishy

Good News! I am happy to report that I have lost 6 lbs!!! Whoo hoo!!! I have been really sticking to my good eating habits. I have added tons of veggies to my diet (raw for the most part because they are more filling and easier for snacking) No special meals but trying to make lower fat and carb choices (but still eating normal food) and strict portion control. I am allowed a snack anytime I wish but it is fruits (usually 2 a day) or Veggies (unlimited). I am also working on getting more dairy with yogurt and an occasional 1/2 cup of low-fat ice cream (vanilla with a handful of blueberries is my favorite) This is the secret for me ...Working on adding good stuff instead of concentrating on eliminating bad stuff. If I eat all of the good stuff I am supposed to ..There is not much room in there for the bad stuff. People at work are making fun of me and my never ending lunchbox of food (mostly veggies) but HEY ...IT WORKS FOR ME!!! I also go for the "eating from the rainbow" thing, this helps with taste boredom and takes advantage of all the different vitamins and anti-oxidants from different fruits and veggies.Last night I made fish which I love but don't eat that often because my children won't eat it. This recipe was inspired by an episode of "Good Eats" with Alton Brown. He did a fish in parchment paper. I have to say this is a quick and painless way to cook fish. There is no mess and it does not smell up the house as much as other cooking methods. The other thing is it comes out SUPER MOIST. I have done this with a variety of fish (salmon, talpia, tuna and this time Mahi- Mahi) and veggies. My favorite veggies to put in it are Sugar snap peas(but I ate all of them with my hummus, thanks INDYFOODIE that was a great idea) and carrots but I was out of these so I went for what I had on hand. INGREDIENTS: Fish Fillet (Mahi- Mahi is pictured) ,1 cup frozen spinach thawed and drained, 1/4 cup jullienned carrots ,1/4 lemon, salt & pepper to taste, dab of butter ,Parchment paper Tear of about and 18 inch piece of parchment paper. Fold in half and cut into a heart (just like you did in grade school). Unfold and place spinach on 1/2 of paper near fold. Add a dab of butter.salt and pepper to taste. Place fish fillet on top of spinach. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add another dab of butter. Squeeze lemon over top. Fold paper over and starting at V of the heart make about 2 inch folds over laping each one by 1/2. When you get to pointed end twist. Place on microwave safe plate and NUKE for 4 mins. TA DAHHHH ! Perfectly cooked fish with no fishy smell in your house. I served mine with Rice. I would have preferred Brown rice ..But ...I REALLY need to go the store! Note: Alton added a splash of Vermouth to his. The last time I made this I used a splash of Bacardi limon which added a nice depth to the flavor but I totally forgot it this time.