In the kitchen tonight...

Our basil plant is HUGE so I was planning to make some pesto and mixing it with whole wheat pasta. As I was coming home from work I started thinking about what else was in the refrigerator and decided to do something with shrimp, tomatoes and mushrooms too. So I came up with this....

Here's the recipe:

Shrimp with Tomatoes, Mushrooms and Pesto over Whole Wheat Pasta

Giada’s pesto
Whole wheat pasta
16 frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 mushrooms, sliced thin
2 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
Salt and pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook whole wheat pasta according to the package.
Prepare pesto according to Giada’s *modified* recipe (below)
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan, add minced garlic and sauté for 2 minutes
Add mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and continue to sauté until mushrooms let out their juice
Add shrimp, tomatoes and pesto, combine until heated through.
Serve on top of pasta

Giada’s Pesto:

1 1/2 lightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Blend the mint, basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. With the machine running, gradually add 1/4 cup of olive oil, processing until well blended. Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Serves 2

Summer Cooking

Aside from the traveling, work and other typical summer activities, I have spent a large amount of time in the kitchen--this should not come as a shock to anyone :-) Some times I stuck to the recipe, sometimes I made up my own and sometimes Jeromy and I made it a team effort. Below are our creations:



























Frittatas. Here's the thing I love about frittatas--you can put almost anything in them! On the left we have a broccoli, green pepper and cheddar frittata and on the right we have a tomato, tomatillo, green pepper, corn and cheddar frittata. The CSA we joined gave us a TON of produce over the summer so this was a great way to use up some of it.


This would be kangaroo filet. It was AMAZING. Jeromy and I have a butcher that we love in Del Ray and he imports kangaroo from Australia, so we had to give it a try. It's leaner than chicken and tastes as good as steak. On the side we have sauteed kohlrabi greens, mashed purple potatoes and corn on the cob, all from the CSA.


Risotto. I love risotto. I really REALLY love risotto. So even though it's not the time of year for risotto, I made it anyway. This recipe I made up on the fly with what we had on hand which was: shrimp, tomato paste, chicken broth, zucchini, white wine, parmesan cheese and arborio rice. I was really looking forward to the leftovers but someone else got to them before me!

More to follow....
Lisa :-)

Adventures in the Kitchen

Last night I decied to put our Food and Wine subscription to use and made the Poached Salmon with Corn and White Wine-Butter Sauce, from the most recent issue. It sounded kind of complicated after reading through the recipe a few times, but I discovered that if I had my ingredients ready to go ahead of time and followed the recipe step-by-step, it wouldn't be so bad. Here is my mise en place (those French chefs really know what they're doing!)

The only missing ingredient is the basil--I snipped that from the back deck right before adding it.

About 20 minutes later, we were ready to eat!

If you'd like to try this recipe, it can be found at: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/poached-salmon-with-corn-and-white-wine-butter-sauce

Happy Cooking (and Eating)!

Lisa :-)

The Lion of the Senate is Silent Today

I couldn't let today go by without comment. I was shocked and sad when I woke up this morning and discovered that Senator Ted Kennedy had died late last night. Growing up in Massachusetts, the Kennedys were akin to the Royal Family and even though I knew that Sen. Kennedy was not long for this world, I hoped he would make it long enough to be able to vote on the health care reform that was the cause of his life. He was not a perfect human being, but none of us are. He was an amazing orator and statesman and I'm not sure that I'll see a senator as skilled as he was in my lifetime. He was able to reach across the aisle to make this country a better place and I hope his legacy lives on. So, Senator Kennedy, thank you for your service to the Commonwealth and to this country that you loved so much. I hope the seas that you now sail on are smooth and that the wind always fills your sails. Even though we are sad here on earth, I hope you are rejoicing with your family that has preceded you in Heaven. Rest in Peace.

Lisa

Blog Facelift

My blog has received a bit of a facelift. Instead of writing just about me and my triathlon training, I thought I'd open it up so Jeromy and I can both write about the things that we do, see and most likely, make. Because really, we love to cook, Jeromy loves to do projects around the house and I really love to make anything that will make me seem more like Martha Stewart. We hope you enjoy seeing what we're up to!

ANOTHER triathlon??

Yup, I did it again! The New Jersey State Triathlon for the second year in a row. I remember last year saying, "next year I'll train for this." I didn't. But, I did set a personal record and I think that's kind of a big deal. Despite the fact that I ate a hamburger for dinner the night before, I still managed to do each leg a little faster, including the transition. Usually transition is where I get hung up and kind of take my time and hang out, but not this time. This time I was fast as fast can be (which is still not entirely that fast :-) The most interesting part of the day was after the race was over, Jeromy took pity on me, Kara and Laura and put our names in for the free massages. While Kara and Laura enjoyed what seemed to be very relaxing rub downs, I was subjected to the S&M masseuse who stood on my shoulders and then kept swinging my legs around in ways that were neither comfortable nor decent. At least Jeromy, J.P. and Mr. Decker had a good laugh! I was hoping Oden would see my distress and come running to my rescue, but let's face it, as much as he's a lover that dog is not a fighter. He's just so darn cute. Pictures to follow.

Up next: a week in Yellowstone National Park with wolves and grizzlies and bison, oh my!

Hooray, Maine and New Hampshire!

I was excited to hear on the news that Maine and New Hampshire have become the next states to allow same sex marriages. Hooray, Maine and New Hampshire! Way to respect everyone's right to marry whomever they choose. I'm proud to be from New England--Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Maybe that's enough peer pressure for Rhode Island to come around....