Capanelle Pasta with Carmelized Onions, Peas & Mint - serves 4 with leftovers

I just looked at my blog to see what everyone else is writing, i.e., Jaime Oliver, who posted a recipe starting with "Sticky Squid Balls with Grilled Prawns".  Just so you know, I will never post something like that on this site, let alone something with that kind of tag line.  Immediately sets the tone, don't you think?  Kind of like some of the acts of my husband.  It's been awhile since I've mentioned him and his time is due.  He's is in the landscaping business and, sometimes, in return for his services, some of his clients feel the need to give him odd items that they either don't want, or, don't really need. Reminds me of my old cat, AC, who brought an array of dead animals to show his love an affection even though I had no idea what to do with it. Take this past weekend for example.  He comes through the door with what appears to be a sack of grain stuffed in a pillow case hunched over his shoulder.  To my surprise, one of his clients, who happens to own a mattress company here in Dallas, gave him the new luxury item for anyone who cherishes a good night sleep and has the money to spend for it.  A pillow made entirely of buckwheat.  You heard me, buckwheat.  Now, I'm not sure about you but I only know of one thing to do with such a grain and that is to eat it, not sleep on it, unless you're a farmer or a monk who lives in the 1700's.  It weighed more that my son.  The fact that he carried it over his shoulder should tell you how heavy it was.  The kids and I used it to do sit-ups.  We all took turns laying on it and, we might as well had pulled up and rested our heads on a boulder.  Are you supposed to sleep with your chin to your belly?  Because that's about where mine landed.  Maybe this was Jaime's inspiration for his recipe.  It ended up being a door jamb for the closet door that my husband never closes.  I may use it to drop on my son when he refuses to wake up in the morning.  One thing we won't be using it for is sleeping, unless of course we have sticky squid balls for dinner.  It too, could be all the craze, if you're willing to pay for it.

Ingredients

4 large yellow onions
1/2 cup olive oil
16 oz dried campanelle or farfalle pasta
1 cup frozen peas
3 tbs white balsamic vinegar
1 tbs Thai fish sauce
1 cup coarsely chopped mint
1/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus more for shaving

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add pasta and cook to package instructions.  Cut the onions in half and thinly slice lengthwise.  Heat the oil in a very large skillet.  Add the onions and cook over high heat, stirring, until dark brown, about 15 minutes. Add the peas to the pasta for the last 5 minutes of cooking.  Drain well, saving 1/2 cup pasta water.

Add the vinegar and fish sauce to the onions; cook 2 minutes.  Add the drained pasta, peas, reserved cooking water, mint and grated cheese.  Cook 2 minutes, until hot.  Add salt and pepper.  Serve in bowls; use a vegetable peeler to shave shards of cheese on top.

Inspired by Radically Simple

Finally, Family Dinner at the Table Opposed to On the Run Tomato & Mozzarella Risotto with Shrimp

An hour and 18 minutes ago a friend just texted me stating that she needs her "fill" of my blog. Feeling the pressure,  I now write as I've heard from many of you.  So, here goes. Not sure about your lives but if they are as busy as mine, who has time for family dinner.  Last night marked the first time in at least 3-4 weeks that the four of us (that would mean my family, not someone else's), joyfully, sat around our dinner table for dinner.  These types of moments make my heart sing and leave a permanent smile on face, at least until my chi of reading in bed gets disturbed by noises coming from one of my child's body. My catering business is doing fabulous and I have been blessed beyond measure, recently accepting a position with Jen-Air as their executive chef for the metroplex.  This just adds to my already crazy schedule not to mention just being a wife and mom.  The kids are temporarily on a holding pattern with sports, which was last night, all to begin again today.  So, I ask that you take heed in these types of moments.  They are the best times to talk, laugh, catch-up, play the initial game, feed the cat at the table and, most importantly, relish in the beauty of the best gifts that God has given you, no matter how busy your schedule.  Family. Dinner. At home.  At the table.

Ingredients

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 1/4 cups organic vegetable broth 
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 
1/2 cup finely chopped onion 
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/4 cups uncooked Arborio rice 
3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 ounces chopped fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup) 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 cups torn fresh baby spinach 
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for shrimp
Directions

In a medium skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium heat until shimmering.  Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and pepper.  Add shrimp to pan and saute until pink, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
Bring vegetable broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring frequently. Add rice to pan; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 cup broth to rice mixture; cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Reserve 1/3 cup broth. Add remaining broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next (about 22 minutes total). Stir in tomatoes; cook for 1 minute.  Add shrimp, stirring to incorporate.  Add cheese, pepper, and salt to rice mixture, stirring constantly until cheese melts. Remove from heat; stir in reserved 1/3 cup broth, spinach, and basil. Place 1 cup risotto in each of 4 shallow bowls. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil over each serving.

We're Not in Texas Anymore Trout - serves 4

We are finally enjoying what Texas weather should be.  California.  Today, we awakened to a crisp breeze of 65 and are now hovering at 82.  Going to the farmers market this morning was not only great because of what was offered, but it was apparently obvious that everyone attending was in good spirits.  I attended alone however, there were couples who appeared to actually love each other.  No sad faces or looks of disgust.  Venders weren't huffing along, half-haphazardly throwing sacks of goods to buyers.  People were nice to one another, complimenting each other, even offering a pleasant "good morning" to one another.  It's amazing to me that weather affects each of us in different ways.  I get grumpy.  I sweat.  I get agitated and don't want to talk to anyone.  Not even my kids, my husband or anyone for that matter.  Before this wonderful cool air hit, a girlfriend and I literally stood in our friends wine refrigerator until we cooled off after sitting at a miserably hot football game last night.  Who does that?  I'm just lucky to have a friend that has a cooler to stand in so I can cool off.  So, with the probably brief weekend "ah" weather, it's a great time to fire up the grill (or oven) and make use of some up and coming fall vegetables.  Pair with steak, chicken or fish and I promise you will get another "ah' moment before this cool air leaves and makes us all irritated with one another again.  Catch me before it does.

Ingredients

4, 6 oz filet of favorite fish (I used trout that we caught) seasoned with sea salt and pepper
1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (about 1/4')
Really good olive oil
2 tbs minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea or Kosher salt
Fresh pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.  Meanwhile, line baking sheet with foil, spraying with Pam or olive oil.  Place sweet potato slices in single rows.  Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
On another baking sheet, lined with foil, sprayed with Pam or olive oil, place fish on top.  Add to oven when potatoes are 10 minutes from being done.
Once fish is in oven, heat a large skillet and add 1-1/2 tbs olive oil.  Add garlic and onions, sauteing for about 4 minutes.  Add spinach, in batches as it wilts, stirring to incorporate.  Once all has mostly wilted, add red pepper to taste as well as salt and pepper.
Remove potatoes and fish from oven.  Stack potatoes in a line on plate, top with spinach and add fish.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve.  (I use homemade pesto to top off dish.)

Flash Noodle Bowl - serves 4

Summer has been fun, crazy and gone in a flash.  The latter part of the previous sentence has basically been my husband, who after Memorial Day, finally decided that all my nagging would likely stop if he would just start working out and eating better.  After being together for nearly 20 years, the nagging has paid off.  Not only did he start eating better, he has become Mr. Extreme Makeover of the neighborhood.  He's also managed to beat records at Crossfit.  He is a machine.  He drinks protein shakes in the morning (no more 7-11 tacos), packs his own lunch (no more Home Depot Hot Dogs) and drinks a trough of water everyday (no more liters of Diet Coke, kegs of beer or barrels of wine).  He's even cut down on the coffee (down from 8 cups a day with 3 heaping tbs of turbinado sugar) to 2 cups/1 regular spoon full of turbinado and, no more raiding refrigerators after all have gone to sleep (no more pints of ice cream or Debbie Snack Cakes).  Now, he leaves apple cores all over the house.  He came in this morning as I was dressing for the day, eyes all "hey, honey, we still have some time before the kids get up" (like 1 minute before) then tells me that he's 1 pound off his 30 pound goal.  30 POUNDS.  Crazy, gone in a flash, all of my husband's terrible habits (well, that might be pushing it, but I'll take what I can get).  He's that fit, spunky man I married way back when and I have him back.  Healthy and all.  And no, we didn't have time.

Ingredients (inspired by Cooking Light)

4 shiitake mushroom
1 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
4 teaspoons lower-sodium soy sauce 
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed 
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, sliced 
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced 
1 quart water 
2 cups buckwheat noodles, cooked to package direction 
1 pound chicken cutlets 
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds 
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise 
1/2 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Directions

Remove mushroom stems. Thinly slice caps; set caps aside. Bring stems, broth, and next 6 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Remove pan from heat. Bring 1 quart of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Sprinkle chicken with black pepper. Place seeds in a dish. Press seeds into both sides of chicken. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Add bok choy, cut sides down; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Add reserved mushroom slices and bell pepper. Strain broth mixture through a sieve into pan; cover and cook 2 minutes. Remove vegetables with a slotted spoon.Thinly slice chicken. Place 1/2 cup noodles, about 1/4 cup vegetables, and 4 ounces chicken into 4 shallow bowls. Spoon 1/4 cup broth mixture over each. Garnish each with two lime wedges.

My "Sick" California Vacation Pasta with Salmon - serves 4

Oh how I love California.  Not sure what makes it so wonderful.... hmmmm, maybe the scenery, the hills, the insanely blue skies, the amazing, makes me realize, "how I hate Texas heat" weather, no mosquito's, no humidity, wearing a sweater in July, 60 degree morning runs, the beaches, Irish coffee, eating crab for breakfast, having dinner every night with family and friends or, most of all, hanging with some of the best cousins on the planet.  Mostly my first cousin because in both of our busy worlds, we oddly enough try to take a deep breath and play catch-up with each other every summer.  For me, it's like eating a truffle.  I rarely get to eat them and when I do, it's intoxicating to the last bite.  That's like my time with my cousin.  We rarely get to see each other and when we do, I savor every minute of it. And each year, we say goodbye wondering when the next time will be.  Our trips to San Fransisco are not only fun, but full, joyously full, of good, family fun.  Hanging out with high school girls and getting acting lessons from another, all the while getting in our "ready position" for an evening of badminton. And what a better way to watch the Olympics until midnight, outside, fire burning, all snuggled up cheering for Team USA.  It's a vacation made in heaven and in return, cook to my hearts content all the while sipping wine with my closest friend as the the smaller cousins run about outside, in 75 degree weather, knowing that possibly, quite possibly, they too can have the same kind of relationship with each other as I do with mine.

Ingredients

Corn pasta or regular pasta, cooked to package instructions, saving 1/2 cup of pasta water
1 pound Atlantic salmon, skin removed (have butcher remove pin bones as well)
2 zucchini, shaved (shave with potato peeler)
1 pint tomatoes, halved
(combine the next 4 ingredients together, mixing well to combine)
3 tbs finely chopped oregano
5 tbs garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp Kosher salt 
Additional olive oil for drizzling
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam.   Arrange salmon on backing sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Place in oven and bake for about 10 - 12 minutes or until center is cooked through.  Meanwhile, heat large pan with olive oil.  Add tomatoes and shaved zucchini, tossing to coat.  Saute for about 3 minutes then add oregano/garlic mixture to pan. Add reserved pasta water, toss to coat and saute for an additional 3-4 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Remove salmon from oven.  Chop salmon and set aside.  In a large serving bowl, add pasta, vegetables and chopped salmon.  Mix well incorporating all ingredients.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil.

Pasta Cravings - serves 4 with leftovers

I just returned from the yearly trip to Galveston with the in-laws.  For those of you who have been watching the weather,  it flooded all but one day of our trip, leaving us trapped in the house with nothing to do but watch our beach tent fold under pressure, read, play hours of gin, not to mention things that can not be mentioned.  Did I tell you I was with the in-laws? I longed for home, especially a break from seafood which we did get plenty of.  Since the end of May, I've gradually started omitting gluten as well as cow dairy from my diet.  Not only do I feel better, but that little pooch that you ladies know what I'm talking about, has disappeared.  I won't turn down a great piece of cheese or good 'ole crusty bread, but the results are amazing and a splurge goes a long way.  However, after returning to the luxury of my home and kitchen, I made this dish using gluten free, rice pasta.  Let me tell you, this was as good, if not better, than regular pasta.  So good in fact, that my husband couldn't even tell the difference.  Top that off with fresh, home grown cherry tomatoes and Texas onions, and you have a wonderful dinner (or leftovers) right before you.  Soak up these gems before they are gone.  If only Galveston could have had the same rewards.

Ingredients ( I use all home-grown veggies or local produce)

1 pkg of brown rice pasta (I used the Jovial brand) or regular pasta, cooked to package instructions
2 tbs really good olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pint of assorted cherry tomatoes, slice in half lengthwise
2 tbs chopped basil
1 tbs chopped oregano
Kosher salt  (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Add'l olive olive oil for drizzling
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil.  Add onions and garlic and saute until onions have started to brown, stirring occasionally.  Add tomatoes and mix with onions.  As tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes, use a wooden spoon and break up tomatoes, extracting their juices.  Simmer for about 10 minutes and add herbs, salt and pepper.  Mix well and top to cooked pasta.  Drizzle with olive oil and a little Parmesan cheese.

Summer Peach and Tomato Mozzarella Salad - serves 4

The heat is here in Texas along with mosquitoes.  They are so thick that I think that one day I might see one of them take off with our cat.  There is no amount of MosquitoNix or OFF! that will deter them from pouncing and sucking so we are left to either walking around consistently to keep them from landing or staying inside.  Last night, as my kids swam in the neighbors pool, I literally walked around their outdoor  dining table 500 times while reading a book to keep them from sucking me dry.  And, for those that know me well, that does not settle well with my easily, get queasy, stomach.  But, a mother will do what she has to do in order to keep her children entertained and her husband on the couch.  In case you haven't taken the time to notice, peaches are in abundance due to our mild winter and tomatoes are ripening as we speak.  Lucky for us, those are one of many amazing factors of summer that keep us plugging along and temporarily takes my mind off the persistent itch from wherever the mosquito has bitten me.  Mixing tomatoes and peaches together with mozzarella (only from the Mozzarella Company in Dallas, http://www.mozzco.com/ ) and homemade pesto will not only take you out of the heat, if only temporary, and send you to that " I Can't Believe it's Not Butter" setting with Fabio.  Or, in my case, George Clooney.  But then again, Fabio is better than a hoard of mosquitoes chasing you around a table.

Ingredients

4 homegrown tomatoes, sliced (not all the way through) in 4ths
1 pound fresh tomatoes
4 peaches, seeded and diced
1 tbs white wine vinegar
1 tbs fresh lavender or basil, finely chopped
Really good olive oil for drizzling
Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper
Pre-made Pesto or Homemade (optional)

Directions

(The pic above shows how I displayed for my last Backyard Dinner, but you can prepare how you like)

Set tomatoes on plate, already sliced as specified.  Slice the mozzarella, about 1/4 inch thick, and slide in between each cut on the tomato.  Mix peaches with vinegar and herb of your choice.  Drizzle olive oil over tomato and season both tomato and peaches with salt and pepper.  Add pesto to the side.