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Showing posts from June, 2016

Shrimp & Asparagus Stir-Fry

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You can make this delicious, fresh, and healthy  dinner in less than 15 minutes. Let's begin: Peel the shrimp. Snap off the hard  ends of the asparagus, then slice them into thirds.  Mince the garlic and ginger. I've been using fresh  ginger much more lately. It gives a big flavor  boost and it's so good for you.   Heat 2 T of the olive oil on medium-high in a  large skillet. Add the shrimp, half the salt  and red pepper. I use ¼ t of the red pepper  flakes because we like a little kick... it's just right for us. You can use less.   Saute' until they turn pink and are done.  Remove the shrimp to a plate.  Add the remaining 2 T olive oil to the pan.  Add the asparagus, the remaining salt, minced  ginger and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently until the asparagus are crisp-tender.  Return the shrimp to the pan.  Add the soy sauce, stir to combine.  Add the lemon juice, stir again. Serve hot.  Shrimp & Asparagus Stir-Fry 1 lb shrimp, peeled 1 lb asparagus, ends snapp

Make Your Sandwich Great Again!

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Here are the candidates that promise to deliver great flavor. The good news is you can vote for all of them! The secret is in the sauce. Swap out the plain  mayo you use on your sandwich and mix up a special kicked-up spread in minutes. The Grilled Reuben with my homemade 1,000 Island Dressing  Marshall Field's Special Sandwich with homemade 1,000 Island Dressing BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato) with Herb Mayonnaise. You can mix each recipe in a jar. Store in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Make as little or as much as you want. I usually make half a recipe so that I'll use it within 2 weeks for the two of us. Shrimp Roll with Lemon-Tarragon Mayonnaise. But wait...there's more! 1000 Island Dressing 1 C mayonnaise ¼  C sweet relish ¼  C ketchup ¼  t salt & ¼  t pepper ½  t tarragon 1 t Worcestershire sauce dash Tabasco (optional) Mix and store in a jar I use this one on BLTs, chicken,  turkey, and a grilled reuben.  YUM! Herb Mayonnaise 1 C mayonnaise 1-½  t th

One-Pan Brown Sugar Garlic Pork Loin with Vegetables

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I love dinners that use just one sheet pan to roast everything in the oven.  The roasting juices from the pork enhance the flavor of the vegetables.  This was part of a large loin roast I bought at Sam's Club. I just cut it into the size we need for the 2 of us and still have some left over for sandwiches the next day. I usually cut the larger piece into thirds and freeze the other 2. Pork loin is such a versatile roast. I have several go-to recipes. This combo of seasonings gives great flavor and adds a completely new twist on the more traditional pork roast.  Brown Sugar Garlic Pork Loin         with Vegetables 2 lb pork loin 4 garlic cloves, minced 4 T brown sugar 1 T soy sauce 1 T oil salt and pepper 1. Combine the ingredients and rub all over the pork,  salt and pepper to taste. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast in a 375º for 25 minutes. 2. During this time prepare the vegetables. After the pork has been in the oven for the 25 minutes, add the vegetables to the  pan

Maine Blueberry Gateau

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I first had this cake at my friend Evie's Epiphany Party last year, and it was truly an epiphany.  I never knew homemade cake could taste so good--so buttery and moist and bursting with blueberries!  I e-mailed Evie immediately after the party to ask for her friend's recipe, and it turns out it's from a bed & breakfast in Maine. The first time I made this cake I made it in a pie pan (because I didn't have a 9" pan) and used frozen wild blueberries.  It was quite tasty but not as pretty so I dusted it with powdered sugar as instructed in the original recipe.  When I made it this time I used a 10" springform pan and fresh blueberries, and it looked nice enough to forgo the powdered sugar dusting. Don't worry if you think the cake batter to fruit ratio is off.  You will be spooning a lot of blueberries on top of the batter, but while the cake bakes in the oven the blueberries sink while the cake rises so it's perfect by the end. Maine Blueberry Gatea

Moin Moin Loaf

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I like you to explore new ways of cooking moin moin because I totally understand how tedious the process can be. So I personally always explore new ways to make my life easier in the kitchen. I was working with a hotel in Lagos recently and was asked to come up with a new way to serve moin moin as a buffet option. Typically, moin moin is cooked in individual containers or portions.....so to save space on the buffet table and create a more compact and individualized platter, I decided to steam (not bake) the moin moin in a bread loaf tin. This made the moin moin come out shaped like a loaf, and was really easy to slice into individual portions, easy for diners to take slice by slice. See some of my delicious moin moin recipes: 1. Moin moin made with fresh beans 2. Moin moin made with bean flour What to do Make your moin moin batter as usual and pour into a non stick baking pan. Then carefully place the pan into a steamer and steam until cooked. The time may vary depending on how deep th

Is Moin Moin Safe to Eat?

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Moin moin is a popular savory bean pudding made by steaming a batter of ground beans with some added peppers onions etc. Recently in Nigeria, there has been some concerns about the consumption of this special dish, a favorite for most. So while there is absolutely nothing wrong with the dish itself, there are serious concerns about how it is made. Traditionally, moin moin is made by steaming a batter of blended beans, in banana or broad leaves (ewe eeran read more here ), but in recent times all types of containers have been used to steam the pudding. Most commonly used containers include tins/cans, foil containers, cellophane/polythene plastic bags and even old fruit juice/drink bags such as Caprisun sachets. Cooking Moin Moin Safely This is my perspective, once you ingest food (or anything at all), that's it, in terms of the effects or impact the food has on the body, either good or bad. So it is so important to ensure that you are fully aware of what your food contains before e

Sauteed Avocado & Shrimps

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Its been well established that avocado pears are great for health. They are quite delicious too, but that is when they have well ripened, and soft and full of flavour. Okay, there are sometimes when you get the craving for avocados and the ones you have at home, are not quite ripe enough... so what do you do. The normal thing to do is wait a few more days to allow them ripen and soften. But what if you do not have that patience... I know its not a common thing to do, but I cooked my not so ripe avocados and I absolutely loved it. You have to try it. What you need Firm, not so ripe avocados Cooked shrimps Chopped onions Chopped red peppers Pre cooked red pepper sauce Chopped green peppers Salt Black pepper Coconut oil What to do 1. Cut into the flesh of the avocado pears and dice evenly. Set aside. 2. Heat some oil in a pan and add the chopped onions, peppers and a good amount of pre made red pepper base sauce. (Use an amount which is in proportion with the other ingredients.).  3. Allo

Farm To Feast Dinner - Taliesin

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I just love this time of year in Wisconsin!  So many fun things going on all summer long.  Like yesterday, we went to a Farm to Feast Dinner at the Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin.  Taliesin is an 800 acre estate located in Spring Green.  The property has seven buildings that span decades of Wrights career, 1887-1959.  A guided walking tour was provided.  Our guide Jill filled us in about the property, buildings and shared with us a little history about Frank Lloyd Wright.  The property is still used for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.  There are only about 25 students and they live and study right on the property.  It was fascinating and now I want to go back and take the tour of the Wright's main house. After the tour we got to listen to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra string quartet while enjoying some delicious appetizers along with some local wine and beer.  What a wonderful event!  The weather was perfect, the Taliesin setting for the dinner was beautiful,  s