 My daughter and I headed off to run some errands yesterday afternoon and we were having so much fun that time just got away from us. My stomach, however, doesn't forget what time it is and it let me know that it was nearing dinnertime. Unfortunately, we were not even close to home yet when my stomach started to rumble. Fortunately, we were close to a Trader Joe's! (I love that store.) I decided to scrap the menu that I had planned for dinner and swap it with a quick and easy shrimp and pasta dinner. I quickly picked up some shrimp and fettuccine and spinach at Trader Joe's and we headed home. (Oh and I got a bottle of 2 buck chuck too.) When I got home, we opened the wine and my husband and I had this dinner on the table in about 20 minutes. (Including picture taking!)  Shrimp Florentine Pasta 8 ounces uncooked fettuccini 2 Tablespoons butter 1 pound large shrimp 1 Tablespoon fresh garlic 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 6 ounces fresh baby spinach
I tore this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine and I posted it on my refrigerator as a reminder to myself to make it on a night when I needed a healthy meal in a hurry. Last night was the perfect opportunity. These are the nutritional facts provided by Cooking Light: Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups Calories: 402 Fat: 8.6 grams Protien: 32.1 grams Carbohydrates: 49.3 grams Fiber: 4 grams Cholosterol: 188 milligrams Iron: 6 milligrams Sodium: 520 milligrams Calcium: 107 milligrams Friday night pasta night - I love it.
Ciao!
0 Comments
 What is it about eating food on a stick that makes it so much more appealing? I made homemade corn dogs last week and I am willing to bet that the kids liked them even better because they were on a stick. I love this version of corn dogs because they're baked instead of fried and the cornbread dough is much better than traditional corn dog batter. Baked Corn Dogs 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon salt 2 ½ teaspoons yeast ¼ teaspoon baking soda 2 Tablespoons olive oil ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 8 hot dogs 1 cup cornmeal 1 egg 1 ¼ cups flour 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Add flour, salt, baking soda and cayenne. Knead 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise 45 minutes.
Bake 12 minutes at 450.  Look how happy the kids are when I start taking pictures while they eat. (he he he)
Ciao!
 When I was about 20, my brother and I jumped on a plane and went to Mexico for a vacation. (My first ever airplane trip and I didn't even have a passport! Oh how times have changed.) We spent most of our time in Cuernavaca but spent some time in Mexico City as well. It was a great vacation and even though it was well over 20 years ago, I can still remember the food that we ate while we were south of the border. One of the best things that we ate was sold on from vendors on the street. It was corn on the cob smothered in a melty, gooey, salty cheese and served on a stick. I was somewhat hesitant to try it but after one bite - I was hooked. It was amazing and unlike any other corn that I had ever eaten.
The timing was perfect because I found this recipe for Mexican Grilled Corn in my Cook's Illustrated magazine on the same day. I had hopes of recreating the delicious corn that I ate in the streets of Mexico.  Mexican Grilled Corn 1/4 cup light mayonnaise 3 Tablespoons light sour cream 3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro 1 garlic clove 3/4 teaspoons chili powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) juice from lime 1/2 cup queso fresco 4 teaspoons vegetable oil 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 6 ears corn, husked
I am sure that the corn that we ate on the street in Mexico was not this gourmet, but this version is pretty good too. Unfortunately my super picky teenagers would not even try it. (That is the reason that only one piece of corn in this picture has the cheesy mixture.)
This version of corn on the cob would be perfect at any backyard barbeque this summer. Give it a try. Ciao!  I decided to create my own recipe for chicken paninis last week. Since there were only 3 of us eating dinner that night, I downsized the recipe and made 1 panini for each of us. I started with a leftover grilled chicken breast, some hearty french bread, some leftover longhorn cheese and a bunch of cilantro that needed to be used up.
Grilled Southwest Panini 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1 clove garlic 1/4 jalapeno, seeded 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice pinch of salt 1 Tablespoon olive oil 3 Tablespoons light mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 6 slices french bread, cut 1/4-1/2 inch thick 3 slices longhorn cheese (Substitute whatever cheese you prefer.) 1 cup cooked chicken (Rotisserie chicken would great if you didn't happen to have any leftovers.)
Top with remaining piece of bread to complete the sandwich. Put sandwiches on the Big Green Egg.
I used the lid to my dutch oven to gently "press" the paninis while they cooked.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get the paninis to brown very well. I kept the heat low because I was afraid of burning the bread but my strategy worked against me because I couldn't get it toasted either.  I thought the paninis were excellent. They had a nice smoky flavor from the grill and the cheesy chicken was perfectly complimented by the spicy mayonnaise and cool cilantro pesto. These tasted like a sandwich would cost at least 10.00 at a gourmet sandwich shop.  Unfortunately, my family didn't share my opinion about the paninis. My daughter took one bite and left the rest on their plate. My son ate his sandwich but I could tell that it was only because I was getting annoyed that no one was eating. I don't know if it was the crunchy bread or the smoky flavor but neither one of the kids liked these paninis very well. (Can't win 'em all.)  So it was a split decision over out Southwest Paninis - I loved them and the kids hated them. Decide for yourself.
Ciao!
My wonderful husband was out of town for the past couple of weeks and it's safe to say that the kids and I slipped into some pretty poor eating habits while he was away. It's time for this family to get back on track so I made a batch of fish tacos for dinner to get us back into the groove of healthy eating. I was inspired by a recipe in my Cooking Light magazine but I ended up modifying the recipe quite a bit. I didn't grind my own spices - I bought ground, I didn't pan fry my fish - I grilled it, and I used parsley instead of cilantro. Despite my alterations, the tacos turned out great. It feels good to be filling our bodies with healthy foods like fish, mango and avocados instead of cupcakes and buttercream.  Grilled Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa 1 teaspoon cumin 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cloves garlic 2 mahi mahi filets 1/2 diced avocado 1/2 diced mango 2 Tablespoons chopped green onions 2 Tablespoons diced red onions 1/2 Tablespoon lime juice 1/2 diced jalapeno 8 corn tortillas
The tacos were a hit. I really liked the avocado mango salsa with the spicy fish. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
By the way - they were just as good reheated for lunch the next day!! Ciao! |
