Don't you just adore summer peaches?

This is almost not a recipe, since all I really did was slice some beautiful produce from the farm stand down the road.  I have a feeling I'll be visiting that farm stand verrry frequently.  It's conveniently located across from the library, and with my summer habit of devouring books {and peaches}, that's my go-to corner this summer.  Peaches and fiction, ahhh.


Do yourself a favor and invest in some spectacular balsamic vinegar for all your salads this summer.  This one is a glaze I found at Whole Foods, and I use it on caprese type salads, because it's thicker and easier to make designs with over the salad.  But I'm also a huge fan of the Olive This balsamic that's been aged 20 years.  The longer it's been aged, the less acidic.  Meaning, I would eat that stuff with a spoon.

Someone please remind me to water that basil plant.

Apparently, there are people who want dessert to be dark chocolate-free?!

I can respect that preference, though let's be real, I'll never understand it.  But in the spirit of equal opportunity dessert making, this recipe is for you, lemon lovers and dark chocolate-phobes.

Full disclosure: I do not eat white chocolate, so I haven't tasted one of these.  However, I made them for a party, and they got rave reviews from all the white chocolate and lemon fans.  I probably just lost all credibility in your blog-reading eyes, but I needed to be honest {and ensure that if any of you ever bring me a dessert, there is no white chocolate in it}.


A big bonus of making these {besides their sparkly-cuteness and my total disinterest in eating them, so more room for cupcakes!} is how easy they are!  Basically if you can melt things in the microwave, then roll stuff into a ball shape, you're set.  It's even easier if you have a melon-baller.  And people are very impressed.



Perfect for picnics, or just filling up a pretty bowl on the table...

Tacos can heal the world!

At least my world.

I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony!  I'd like to buy the world a taco, and keep it company!  {What?  No, I wasn't born when that commercial happened, but I'm up on things.  Ok, my father used to sing us every theme song and jingle from 1970-1985}


After a beautiful {gorgeous, sunny, 65 degree} weekend, it's back to the daily grind, and nothing cheers a Monday up like a shrimp taco.  I actually made these tacos while we were in Wyoming, because nothing is quite as foolproof as avocado {or guacamole} + salsa + tortilla + kicky shrimp {or shrimps, as my great-aunt used to say}.  I really don't think you can screw up a taco, because the toppings are totally up to you!  Cheese? Yes!  Tomatoes? But, of course!  Slaw? Absolutely! Apple?  Go for it! {This is also known as "cleaning out your refrigerator into a tortilla}



We used to live in Nashville, which I also refer to as: the town with 2,464 amazing taco restaurants.  Our current town is more like: the town with two very below average "mexican" chains and NO {repeat ZERO} taco places.  Let's not even start with the food truck ratio of Nashville to here {7,983:0}.  It's enough to make me jump in my {tiny} car and drive around town offering tacos out the window.  Which is probably enough to get me arrested.


So in lieu of any good taco providers, I provide for myself.  It's handy that I'm pretty good at it.  I've also included an un-pictured recipe for lime, cilantro, and apple slaw which is also kick you in the pants awesome on top of shrimp in a taco.


Basic Shrimp Tacos
Serves 2 (verrry easily multiplied)

2/3 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons panko crumbs
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon tony chachere's seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon smoked {or regular} paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4-6 small tortillas

Toppings and such:
Avocado or guacamole
Quartered cherry tomatoes
Salsa
Cheese
Sour cream
Red onion
Slaw (check out below)

Heat a skillet to medium-high heat.  Toss shrimp with panko crumbs and spices until they're evenly distributed.  Pour 2 tablespoons canola oil into the skillet, and when hot, add the shrimp.  Cook until shrimp are pink all the way through, about 5-7 minutes.  Layer in a tortilla with amazing toppings!

Lime, Cilantro, and Apple Slaw
Serves 6+ as a taco topping

1 bag of pre-shredded cabbage
1 large redish apple (no greens or yellows)
Juice of 2 large limes (about 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons honey

Place the cabbage in a large bowl.  Mix together the lime juice and the first tablespoon of honey and taste.  It should be tart, but not sour.  If mixture is sour, add the second tablespoon.  Pour over cabbage and mix well.  Then, slice and apple into small chunks and toss with cabbage.  Voila!  Finito.

Not that that fact is in anyway relevant to this pasta.  But after spending a week at "camp," he came home yesterday morning and slept {passed out} the WHOLE day.  So it's just fun that he's back up and alive {and now shaking his sadly beheaded stuffed dog at me}!  Also fun: only spending 20 minutes on dinner and having your husband think you're a genius!


But seriously.  You know those nights when you have meetings during dinner hours?  Because the world has yet to adopt my rule that the hours from 6-8pm are for DINNER.  Not meetings.  Not homework.  Not even tv.  But dinner with the family {or husband and Moose in my case}!


I also have rules about getting up before 8am and getting out of bed during rain/sleet/snow/dreary days that I'd like to speak with the universe about.  But one thing at a time.  And first up: this baked, beautiful pasta!!

Basically in the time that it takes to bring water to a boil and then boil noodles in said water, you are finished with the prep.  Meaning that you can put it in the fridge and instruct the husband when to preheat and bake it so that when you walk in the door at 8pm, dinner is ready!  Whew.

And it's Thursday, and I can tell you're tired {ok, I'm still on Mountain time, so that 6am wake up this morning was brutal, and thus I'm tired}, and dinner really needs to not take an hour to prepare.  I'm mean really, can you actually go wrong with anything topped in mozzarella cheese?

Baked Sausage Pasta
Serves 4

1lb rigatoni pasta
1 35 oz can of crushed tomatoes (good quality)
1/2-3/4 lb of mild pork sausage
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup fresh spinach, torn
2/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Boil noodles according to al dente directions.  Cook sausage over medium-high heat.  Place noodles in a 9x13in glass baking pan and mix in sausage, cherry tomatoes, basil, spinach, and all of the sauce.
Top with cheese!

Bake for about 20 minutes at 375 (and you can refrigerate the whole thing for up to a day before).

I think pasta is the sixth love language...

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

But the soup in here's delightful!  Ok, sorry for getting that stuck in your head.  But the weather here is just gross: cold, windy, rainy, icy- none of the things I enjoy {like: tropical, beachy, pooly...}.  Soup just sounds cozy and warm right now.  And this soup is craazy easy.


Easy like 4 ingredients.  Easy like how it would have been to stay in bed this morning instead of getting up and de-icing my car and driving to work.  Easy like a marathon of Scandal from a prone position on the couch.  Oooh, easy like laying by a pool!  Ok right, it's still winter {why does everything keep coming back to the pool?} And yes, come summer, I'll be telling you all every 10 seconds how gross and hot I feel.  I'm just awesome and easily pleased that way.


This is that soup for the time when you want to put things in the oven, kick back with a glass of wine, and have the whole thing just happen in front of you.  Also, I'm sure you could sneak in some other veggies here, like spinach or beans or something.  I mean, hey, the whole thing gets blended together!  And these flavors are the perfect canvas: they have their own depth and satisfying flavor, but could easily accomodate something else.  Ooh, you could add bacon!  {In crumbles at the end though, not to be blended. ew, liquid bacon.}

 
Mmm, give it a try, eh?  And serve with good bread, oh please serve with good bread.

Roasted Onion & Garlic Tomato Soup
Serves 5-6

1 35oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes
4 small (or 2-3 large) onions
2 heads of garlic
2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce + 2 tablespoons sauce
Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 and peel and trim the onions, slicing them in half.  Place on a parchment (or foil) lined baking sheet and bake for 45-60 minutes, until they are soft and browning.  Slice the tops off of the garlic heads and wrap them in foil.  Bake for 30 minutes.  After the onions and garlic are roasted, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the head and place into a large pot with the onions and the can of tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.  Add in the chipotle peppers (be careful, they can get spicy quickly) and adobo sauce.  Then using an immersion blender (or other blender) puree the mixture.  (If using a regular blender, do it in batches and be careful!)

In my dreams {probably other people's nightmares}, there are two of me.  The first me goes to work, works her heart out with kiddos, and then comes home and collapses {um, hey current life}. Meanwhile the second me is at home, cooking, cleaning, and exercising {basically living the life that pinterest insists I have}.  When me one gets home, me two takes over, all nurturing-like, and makes her a lovely, wholesome snack and then a beautiful dinner.  Probably something like this:

Also in this dream, I have Carrie Underwood's legs {and voice}.  I'm also best friends with her.


But when reality strikes and I realize that I'm just the one me, I breathe a little sigh {that apparently has penetrated Moose's subconscious, because he's starting to sigh just like me.  whoa, weird}, foist my tired little self off the couch and make something awesome.  Because it's just not worth it to eat blah food.  And doesn't the sight of this cheer you up a little?


Eventually, I get carried away in grilling avocados {heck yes, it's a thing!} and the intoxicatingly simple aroma of garlic sauteed in olive oil.  Making flavorful, comforting food is my therapy.

And in case I get invited to an impromptu get together with friends, I lay it all out as an appetizer like this:


But with a side salad and nice glass of wine, me two promises that this will be entirely restoring.

Shrimp Stuffed Avocados
Serves 2

2 ripe avocados, sliced in half
1 lb shrimp, shells taken off and chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons red onion, minced
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Heat both a grill pan (or real grill) and cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.  When the grill pan is hot, place the avocado halves open side down on the pan- press down and let grill for about 5 minutes, checking intermittently.  When the avocados are getting warm and have distinct grill lines, remove from heat.

Meanwhile, saute the garlic and red onion in a bit of olive oil in the cast iron skillet.  When they become fragrant, add in the shrimp and cherry tomatoes.  Saute until the shrimp just turn pink, then remove from heat and place in the divot of the avocados, allowing shrimp to spill over onto the plate as well.  Squeeze a generous amount of lime juice and sprinkle salt over top.  Serve warm with a side salad or veggie!

The appetizer version:
Shrimp and Avocado Appetizer
Serves 4 in appetizer portions

1/2 lb shrimp, shells off and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
Juice of 1 lime

Slice an avocado into long, slender pieces and place onto a large serving plate.  Squeeze lime juice onto the slices.  Evenly distribute the cherry tomatoes over the avocado.  Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat, and in 1 tablespoon olive oil, saute the shrimp pieces.  Once the shrimp turn pink, remove the skillet from heat and allow shrimp to cool for a few minutes before adding to the top of the avocado-tomato mixture.  Squeeze the rest of the lime juice over the whole thing and refrigerate until you serve.  Great eaten with tortilla chips!

People all over the world!  Join hands! Start a love train, LOVE TRAIN!

I'm a little excited over here.  Something amazing happened in my kitchen today.  It's called Mexican Chococado Pudding.  I know that title is confusing and worrisome to most of you, but stay with me.  Let's all raise our hands if you love: avocado {hand up!}, sugarless desserts {hand up! also skeptical look because what creepy seven syllable sweetener replaced the sugar...}, spicy-ness {Louisiana girl hand waving up in the wind!}, and CHOCOLATE {all appendages in the ayer, ayer!}.


As some of you know, I had to give up sugar a few weeks ago {19 days ago, but it's whatevs}.  It's for class and lasts three months, blah blah blah {how annoying is it when people go into vivid detail about what they can and cannot eat and how it's affecting every part of their body.  ew.}.  Basically, I have not eaten chocolate for 19 DAYS.  Swoon.  It's crazy ridiculous.  However, I gave up refined white sugar and crazy unnatural sweeteners {what up, dextose/phenylalanine/aspartame/splenda/equal/crazycraz they are in EVERYTHING}, but that list does not include: honey, agave, and dates.  All of those are natural.  As in came from a plant or bee or something.  {Please don't ask me to rationalize these rules, they just are.}

And this recipe lets me EAT CHOCOLATE without sugar!!  {Insert me dancing with a spoon}  But I needed more.  Have you ever had Mexican hot chocolate?  It's all smooth and chocolatey until it kicks you in the throat with cayenne?  I love that stuff.  So naturally, I added in some cinnamon and cayenne, which you can leave out if you're not into that spicy hot throat dance.


But wait.  I haven't explained the weirdo part of this.  The avocado.  Please don't leave just yet.  For the most part, you cannot taste avocado-ness, but if you have a serious avocado aversion, I'm sure you'll be just like Mr. S&S with mushrooms and claim that you can taste unfathomably tiny hints of them in everything.  So I'm not making any crazy promises to you, anti-avocadoers.  Except that you might starve in my house since I cover everything with avocado and lime.


Here come the outrageous claims for everyone else who is cool with avocado: it's gluten free! dairy free! sugar free! good for your heart! makes your hair grow long and shiny! gives you more friends! {ok, I made the last two up}.  But couldn't you see serving this to your girlfriends {maybe while calling Tierra all the synonyms of crazy while watching the Bachelor} and then smugly telling them how wonderful and healthy it is for you?


 And aren't we celebrating Chocoholics day, I mean Valentine's Day, later in the week?  Perfect.

Mexican Chococado Pudding
Serves 2, is easily multiplied (Inspired by How Sweet It Is and Forgiving Martha) 

1 ripe avocado, sliced open, seed removed
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
3 oz (just under 1/4 cup) agave nectar
1/4 cup almond milk (you can use regular, it just won't be dairy-free, duh)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 shakes cayenne powder (measurement-wise that is probably 1/32 a teaspoon.  be careful with it)

Scoop the insides out of the avocado.  Decide which type of blending equipment you want to use (blender, food processor, immersion blender, etc, all work) and combine all of the ingredients in the appropriate receptacle.  Blend away until smooth.  Eat immediately or place in an air-tight container in the fridge.

And nothing says comfort to me like pasta.  But why is it that I always forget about making pasta with meatballs?  I must make pasta with regular sauce four times a month, but meatballs about twice a year.  They are almost as simple as regular sauce, but infinitely more fun to eat.


These meatballs are extra special because my Wyoming brother-in-law hunted and killed an elk, then shared the spoils with us.  So these are elk sausage meatballs!  But don't worry, I've taken into account that you all don't have awesome elk-slaying brothers-in-law and adjusted the meat in this recipe.  And the secret ingredient in this recipe: CHEESE. bahaha!


Not the fancy asiago that the Barefoot Contessa's recipe calls for {she uses the most expensive ingredients.  Geez, her food is great, but I am not about to spend $20 on truffle butter just because she tells me to} but rather parmesan {and maybe a little monterey jack I had leftover}.


I always tear up some spinach leaves and cook them into the marinara sauce as well, you know, just to make the whole thing healthy.


Is anyone doing anything fun this weekend?  I think I'm going to talk Mr. S&S into taking me to see Silver Linings Playbook at some point, and we probably need to give the pup an outing.  He's been looking at us rather longingly lately.  Also, I purchased a big bag of blood oranges at Trader Joe's, so they'll need to be turned into something fantastic.


But you should definitely add these meatballs to your weekend agenda.  They freeze very nicely, too.

Pasta with Meatballs
Serves 3-4, inspired by the Barefoot Contessa's Spicy Turkey Meatballs

1 pound of pasta (I vastly prefer short noodles, so no spaghetti here, but follow your heart)
1 pound of ground turkey
1 pound of italian sausage
1 cup breadcrumbs or panko, or a combo
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs
1 28 oz can of good quality* crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed.
2 handfuls of spinach
3 shakes (about 1/8 teaspoon) ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Measure out breadcrumbs and pour milk into them.  Then add breadcrumb/milk mixture to the turkey and sausage.  Add in cheese, red pepper, oregano and mix well.  Finally, add olive oil and eggs and mix with your hands until everything is evenly combined.  Form into 2 inch round meatballs and place onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, saute the garlic in a little bit of olive oil until it becomes fragrant.  Add the crushed tomatoes and spinach.  When the meatballs are finished, add 8 or so to the sauce and let simmer while you cook the pasta.  Finish the sauce with the few shakes of nutmeg and serve with parmesan on top.

*This is not the time to skimp: the better quality tomatoes, the better the sauce will taste.  However, if your sauce has a little acidity or metallic taste from the can, add in a few tablespoons heavy cream (or 1 tablespoon melted butter mixed with 2 tablespoons milk) to take away that bite.

Ready for your close-up?

Hey there, Pad Thai.  I know, it's ludicrous to even be discussing more food after the overwhelming undertaking that is Super Bowl Sunday pot lucks.  I am still tasting buffalo chicken dip {which I'm pretty ok with} and feeling a tad bloated from over-indulgence.

By the way, how was your Super Bowl?  After losing power {thanks teenage texter for knocking down THREE utility poles next to our house}, I couldn't make a new batch of mac & cheese cupcakes {but I'm SO honored by all of you that told me you made them!!}, so we showed up {ridiculously} early to our {wonderful} friends' house for the party.  Then of course, I watched 2 seconds of the game, the entirety of Beyonce {loved it.  come on, people, she was paid to dance}, shrugged about the power outage {used to live in Louisiana, those are very normal}, then fell asleep once things got good {back at our home, don't worry}.


But back to the fact that we still have to eat dinner tonight.  Hopefully, you are having a light salad and thinking healthy thoughts.  Because I'm not, and heaven knows someone needs to.


But pad thai.  Yes.  Ok, confession: I can never bring myself to order anything else on the menu at Thai restaurants.  It's too good.  And this is me: the woman who gets pouty when Mr. S&S orders the same thing as me because then I don't get to try two things.  Pad thai is the exception.

However, making pad thai at home is an undertaking.  To make the real stuff you need ingredients like tamarind and fish business- things I am not about to buy for one meal and then resent the space it takes up in my home.  No thanks.  That is where this recipe comes in.  It uses all things I already have in the pantry!


Also, it does not include sprouts.  Brussels sprouts are my friend, bean sprouts make me gag.  Blech.  Add them if you want to, but don't bring any over here.

Poor Woman's Pad Thai
Serves 3 

2 large chicken breasts, cut into bit sized chunks
1 pound/package medium size egg noodles
1 large carrot, shredded into peels
2 cups spinach

For the sauce:
1/3-1/2 cup soy sauce (start with 1/3, test if you want more)
1 tablespoon srirachi
1/2 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons peanut butter (I use crunchy, because I live on the edge)
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce (optional, if you don't already have it, don't worry)

Topping Ideas:
Chopped peanuts or cashews
More srirachi
Big squirt of lime juice
Cilantro leaves

Mix the sauce ingredients together.  Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture over the chopped chicken, then cook chicken in a large skillet over medium-high heat (takes about 6-8 minutes).  Meanwhile, boil the noodles (aim to have the noodles and chicken finish cooking about the same time).  When noodles and chicken are cooked, pour the noodles into the large skillet.  Add the carrots and spinach, then reduce the heat and stir the sauce into the whole mixture.  If you think the noodles are under-coated with sauce, add another spoonful of peanut butter and a tablespoon of soy sauce.  Make sure to stir well and serve hot with toppings!


Now, anyone want to come over here and make us dinner?  Super Bowl Monday should just be for sleeping...

This is the good stuff.

Good as in: takes 20 minutes and just a handful ingredients to create a culinary taste-explosion.  Well, explosion might be strong.  But oh my this salad is good.  Remember when I mentioned this salad, how frequently I make it, and explained that enough toppings allow this to be a whole dinner in itself, filling up the hungriest husband?  It's true.  Plus, the way I pan-roasted this salmon is hands down my favorite way to cook salmon.


Shocking revelation: it uses the cast iron skillet.  If you haven't procured one yet, here it is.  For less than $20.  Need I repeat: does not necessitate cleaning?

But again, a big thanks to the Bon Appetit pan-roasting article.  Before this, I usually cooked salmon in the oven, either on broil or just a hot temp.  That totally works, but I think the timing is just better this way.  That and I realized that salmon is meant to be eaten medium or medium-rare.  This isn't chicken, people, bright pink inside is good.