Fettucine in Charred Tomato Sauce and Shrimp

It's quite embarrasing that I haven't posted here in such a long time.  Here is a GREAT recipe that I just discovered in a new cookbook I ordered recently called, "The Athlete's Palate Cookbook." Mike and I have found that if we work together on this one that is doesn't take that long to make it.  Mike prepares the shrimp and tomatoes and puts them on skewers and then grills them.  He does the tomatoes at 450 for about 10 minutes making sure to rotate them.  The shrimp is also cooked at 450 for about 8 minutes rotating every 2 minutes.  He prepares both the shrimp and tomatoes by coating them in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Since our kids aren't huge tomato fans we usually half this recipe for the tomato sauce and then just give them the plain fettucine noodles.  One of the greatest things about this recipe is how simple and fresh it tastes.  It is so yummy!

Fettucine in Charred Tomato Sauce and Shrimp

(photo taken from "The Athlete's Palate Cookbook")

Charred Tomatoes

12 plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I just finely chop them into small pieces)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I use regular black pepper)
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
3/4 lb fresh fettucine, cooked al dente
Fresh basil sprigs, for garnish

Shrimp

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 large shrimps, peeled and deveined


Tomatos

Place the tomatoes on a very hot grill plan (we use skewers placed in a grilling rack that we can rotate easily) and char on all sides, turning with tongs, about 7 to 10 minutes.  Remove them, cool slightly, and coarsely chop. 


Sauce

Heat the oil in a large, high-sided saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the charred tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook until the tomatoes are soft and break down completely, 20 to 30 minutes.  Stir in the basil.  Add the cooked pasta and, using tongs, stir to coat the pasta evenly.

Divide the past among four large, shallow bowls and top with 5 of the pan-sauteed shrimp.  Garnish with the basil sprigs.


Shrimp

Prep the shrimp by peeling them and deveining them.  Then coat them in olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Put them on skewers and put them on the grill and rotate them every 2 minutes so they have been cooked on each side twice (total of 8 minutes). 

Ballerina Cupcake Toppers

I thought these ballerina cupcake toppers were so adorable and perfect for any little girls birthday party. HERE is the link to the tutorial that I used. She even did a video which I thought was helpful.  I decided that using tulle was way cuter than using the pink tissue paper.  I also used pink straws instead of toothpicks.  I was surprised at how easy these were to make.  The only tricky part was getting the tulle to not stand straight up in the front.  The double sided tape did very little to hold the crazy tulle in place for just this part.  To get the front of the skirt to lay flat I had to used the ribbon to hold it in place.  Also, for the bodice I ended up copying and pasting it a bunch of times in a document and then printing it out on the wrong side of a piece of pink cardstock.  That way I didn't end up having to trace them all before cutting them out.  Just remember when you are cutting that you cut inside the black line so it won't show on the back of the bodice.  I ended up making 15 toppers so I tried to salvage as many as I could to save for another day.

You could also use this tutorial to make matching invitations by following the same directions except don't add the back skirt and tape the bodice and front skirt to a blank card or folded piece of card stock. You could also attach these to gift bags.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

These homemade blueberry muffins are to die for delicious.  The best part is that they use ingredients that are a bit healthier like half wheat flour instead of all white flour and applesauce instead of butter.  I am addicted to these muffins.  I love making the jumbo muffins instead of the regular sized muffins.  This recipe yields about 7 jumbo muffins or 12 regular muffins.  I have to thank my friend Myisha for giving me this great recipe. This recipe originated from Becky Hammond.


Blueberry Muffins


Ingredients:

4-1/2 oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 oz. (1 cup) whole-wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar (1 cup tastes even better)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup natural unsweetened applesauce (sweetened works just as well)
1-1/2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries (I use frozen so they don't bleed too much)


Directions:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Coat a 12-cup standard muffin pan or a 6 cup jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk both flours, the baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and oil until the mixture is pale and slightly frothy. Whisk in the applesauce, lemon zest, and vanilla. With the whisk, stir in about half the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and then the remaining buttermilk, stirring until well incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling them to the top (even with the jumbo muffins). Tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and then unmold. Serve warm or let cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 3 months.

Katsudon

As with any New Year I have new goals and ambitions. One of my goals for the year is to try new recipes (including traditional Japanese dishes) and an overall effort to cook healthier.  Since I do love food some of my recipes won't be 100% fat free.  It's called baby steps people!  Anyways, one of our favorite Japanese dishes is Katsudon (deep fried pork and egg bowl). Mike found this recipe from a  youtube video called, "Cooking with Dog" where the dog, whose name is Francis, is the host. It is so dumb that it is funny. Click HERE for the link. The recipe was perfect and our Katsudon turned out so WELL! Some of the ingredients are from our little Japanese grocery store but can also be found at most international grocery stores in the US.

Preparing the Pork:

Pork Loin (1 cm thick)
Pinch of salt and pepper
Frying oil
Flour
1/4 of an egg
1 Tbsp. water
Nama Panko (fresh bread crumbs)


Make cuts along the pork on both sides (this prevents the pork from curling as it is fried).  Pound the pork to make it tender.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on one side.  Crack an egg into a dish.  Scoop 1/4 of the egg into a glass pie dish.  Add the water and beat the egg.  In another pie dish use a baking brush to coat the pork with flour on both sides.  After the pork is coated with flour, dip the pork loin in the beaten egg and then coat it with the Nama Panko.  Deep fry the pork over medium heat.  Turn the pork so it browns evenly.  Flip it over and fry the other side.  Remove the pork and drain the excess oil.  Cute the pork into 1 inch pieces and set aside.


The Sauce:

50 ml of water
1/5 tsp. granulated dashi
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Hon Mirin
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 sliced onion
1 egg
Mistuba (Japanese wild parsley) - optional


Combine the water, dashi, soy sauce, Hon Mirin, sugar and onion in a small saucepan and cook on medium heat.  When it starts to boil, reduce heat to low and let it simmer until the onion is soft (about 3 minutes).  Place the pork strips on top of the sauce mixture in the saucepan and pour 1 beaten egg on top of the pork.  Cover and cook on high heat for one minute.  Sprinkle the mistuba on top and scoop everything onto steamed rice.  Serve while hot!

Cinnamon Rolls

These are the BEST cinnamon rolls I have ever had. I make them every year for Christmas morning. They are not that hard to make but take some time to prepare so I usually make them the night before. This recipe was given to me by my mother who got it from our dear friend Karen.

The Dough:

2 1/4 cup hot water
1/2 can (3/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 stick margarine (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dry potato flakes

2 eggs
2 Tbl. yeast
4 cups flour

Directions:

Combine the water, evaporated milk, margarine, sugar, salt, potato flakes and 2-3 cups of flour. Mix. Add the eggs and yeast. Mix for about 4 minutes. Add the flour until the dough pulls away from the bowl. It will be a soft dough. Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise until double (about 1 hour).

Divide the dough in half or thirds depending on pan size. Roll out into a long rectangle. Spread with melted butter and sprinkel with cinnamon and sugar mixture (1/2 cup sugar with 2 Tbl. cinnamon). Roll it up so it is in a long roll and cut 1 inch slices with floss. Place in the pan about 1/2 inch apart. Allow to rise about one hour. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 min.

The Frosting:

1 stick butter
1 lb box of powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
3-4 Tbl. milk

Frost while the rolls are still warm. Enjoy!

Lemon Poppyseed Bread

For years it has been our tradition to make Grandma Candace's lemon poppyseed bread for our neighbors. It was especially fun to make some for our Japanese neighbors this year. Our sweet old Japanese couple across the street really liked the surprise and greeted us and our kids with such kindness. They are the sweetest old people I have ever met. They just love hugging our kids and talking to them (in Japanese of course). I actually wrote the card in Japanese by myself but had help with the translation!

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/8 cup cooking oil
1 1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 1/2 Tbl. poppyseed
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 tsp. butter extract

3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Mix the first 7 ingredients and then add the flour and baking powder. I usually make small loaves because they turn out better. I can get 7-8 mini loaves out of one batch. Bake at 350 F for 33-35 minutes. Brush the topping mixture while the bread is still hot.

Topping:

1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. butter extract

Salmon and Asparagus

We had the most fabulous salmon last night. About a month ago Mike bought a great App for his iPad called Weber On the Grill. It has been great for learning how to properly marinate all different kinds of meat and for learning how to properly use the grill and all its many cool features. He has learned so much already and our meat since then has turned out restaurant style even. We used cedar planks to grill the salmon over indirect heat. We bought our cedar planks from Williams and Sonoma. They come in a pack of 5. Included below are the recipes for the Salmon and the Asparagus.


Cedar-Planked Salmon with Honey-Lime Dressing

Dressing:

2 Tbl fresh lime juice (we didn't have lime so we used lemon)
2 Tbl rice vinegar (we didn't have rice so we used regular and reduced to 1 Tbl)
2 Tbl dijon mustard
2 Tbl honey
2 Tbl minced fresh chives
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp. granulated garlic (we used crushed garlic instead)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large salmon fillet (2 1/2 to 3 pounds, about 16 inches long and 3/4 inch thick)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

In a blender combine the dressing ingredients except the oil. Mix until well blended and then add the oil.

Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking over high heat (450 to 550 F).

Season the flesh side of the salmon with the salt and pepper. Pour about half of the dressing over the flesh and use a brush to distribute evenly.

Remove the soaked plank from water (soak for about 1-2 hours in water) and immediately place it over direct high heat until the edges start to smoke and char (5-10 min). Move the plank over indirect high heat and place the salmon, skin side down, on the plank. Grill until the salmon is just slightly pink in the center and brown on the edges (20-25 min). Keep lid closed as much as possible during grilling.

Serve warm with the remaining dressing.


Slightly Grilled Asparagus

Dressing:

1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbl lemon juice

Directions:

Mix the dressing and place in a medium sized bowl.

Wash and cut the asparagus.

Heat water in a medium sized pot until boiling.

Place the asparagus in the boiling water for 1-2 minutes to blanch them. I have found that closer to 2 minutes is better.

Immediately remove the aspargus to the bowl with the dressing.

Heat up your George Forman grill and place the asparagus on the grill for 2 minutes.