Summer Dreaming

Today is a bleak, chilly, overcast, day in March, and all I think about is the warm summer sunshine. I miss sandal weather and my beautiful basil plant. In a few weeks, I will be able to plant seeds and have a near endless supply for my summer cooking. This recipe was a creation I made last summer with my basil, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto with Broiled Shrimp Skewers served over fettuccine. 

 

This pesto was quite easy to make. Basil, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, and parmesan cheese were blended in the food processor.  The shrimp were broiled with olive oil, salt, and pepper. This meal was light, fresh, and delicious.

Veal Piccata

Veal is a dish often reserved for an Italian restaurant, but it does not have to be. To make veal at home all you need are veal scaloppines, which are thin slices of veal. There are many ways to use this cut of veal and one of my favorites is with a piccata sauce.  To make the the dish I began by dredging the veal in seasoned flour. Next it was browned in olive oil. When the meat was a golden color, I removed it and began the sauce. The sauce is deceptively simple.
I sauteed the garlic in the pan dripping and then added white wine and let it reduce. Next came the the lemon juice,  butter, parsley, and capers. When this has reduced I added the veal back into the pan and two minutes later dinner was finished. The veal was served over pasta, which was made at the same time as the veal, and warm Italian bread. The meal was fantastic.

Bruschetta Chicken

I had bought a can of tomatoes that I wound up not using, and I was dying to use them. When something sits in my cabinet too long I begin devising ways to use it. After searching the internet for ideas, bruschetta chicken came to mind. Normally I would have made it with fresh tomatoes but the canned ones were calling me. Using fresh ingredients with the canned would hopefully make a fresh tasting dish.                                                          

The first step was to bread and brown the chicken cutlets in breadcrumbs. After the chicken baked for several minutes, I added the bruschetta mixture and cheese. The mixture had the tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in it. letting it marinade for almost an hour took away the canned flavor of the tomatoes. I also tossed the spaghetti with the bruschetta mix as a light sauce. The flavor was light and refreshing. I added a new chicken dish to my repertoire and another use for my basil plant.

One Dish Wonder

Chicken can be used a million ways it seems. Sometimes I get in a chicken rut and make it the same way many times. A new recipe that I have been making is spicy apricot chicken with sweet potatoes. I prefer sweet potatoes over white. To me they have a better flavor and texture. The glaze is simply delicious with garlic, ginger, apricot jam, sriracha, and soy sauce. As the chicken roasted I glazed it along with the sweet potatoes. The chicken came out tender and well flavored and the sweet potatoes were additively tasty. 

Pie in the Sky

I love pie and one favorite is a chocolate french silk pie. You may have heard it called any combination of french, silk, and/or chocolate which are accurate. The reason I made this pie was because I had a can of sweetened condensed milk sitting in my cabinet. I was determined to use it, so I researched and found a recipe for chocolate french silk pie made with sweetened condensed milk. The pie starts with a chocolate cookie crumb crust which I admit I bought from the store. Next, comes the chocolate pudding. Pudding is not something I have ever made from scratch, and I feel silly about that because it is super easy to make. In short I took milk and heated on the stove and added the sweetened milk and chocolate. Next came the eggs, corn starch slurry, and vanilla. The one variation I made was to add more chocolate because 4 ounces was not enough. The last step is to beat in butter and pour the pudding in the pie shell. After resting for several hours in the refrigerator I topped the pie with lightly sweetened whipped cream. The pie was additively good and disappeared very quickly.

Romantic Dinner

Romantic dinners are a common activity couples share together. To save money we have been eating at home instead of going out to eat. I decided to make risotto, steak and Cesar salad. The steak was very basic with a balsamic herb marinade. The salad and risotto were the stars of the dinner. Several months ago I began experimenting with making my own croutons. If you have the time please try making your own croutons. It is worth the effort, which is very little. The method I use is to melt butter, olive oil, garlic, and spices in a pan. Then I toss them with cubed bread. Any bread will work. The last step is to toast the cubes in a low over. The dressing was a traditional Caesar, containing egg yolk, lemon, olive oil, and garlic. The salad was the bright accompaniment to the heavier risotto and steak.

I have been fascinated with making risotto for a long time. The rice was the main reason I have not tried to make it because I could not find it. By luck I was given arborio rice, so now I could make my risotto. I had made chicken stock the week before so I had almost everything I needed on hand. At the store I purchased mushrooms and shallots. The process is not difficult but requires patience and diligence. To my boyfriend's dismay there is not an exact time that a risotto needs to cook. You simply stir and add stock till the rice is perfectly cooked. At the end I added parmesan cheese. I thought it was incredible. I was glad to have leftovers because it was so delicious. I cannot wait to make risotto again.

Chinese Takeout at Home

I love Asian food. There are so many countries and varieties of cuisine. Like most people Chinese food is one of the first types of Asian food I was introduced to. Mongolian beef is a dish my boyfriend and I enjoy at Phoenix Asian restaurant in Greensboro. I decided to recreate the dish along with fried rice for dinner one night. The ingredient list is surprisingly short, the sauce is comprised of only five. The steak was dusted with corn starch and fried then added to the simple yet flavorful sauce along with green onions. Fried rice is a dish I make often, because it turns leftover rice into a wonderful new dish. I used carrots, onion, and eggs because I wanted a more simple rice to complement the beef. Edamame were simply steamed and served as a side dish. Everything was delicious.