Menu for 8/9:
- Shrimp Scampi
- Fettuccine Alfredo
Shrimp Scampi:
Shrimp, butter, lemon juice, parsley, salt & pepper, garlic, maybe white wine.
So this week it is back to the books; cookbooks that is. I received two cookbooks for Christmas and have since purchased 3 more so it is about time to put them to use. Both of this week's recipes come from a book that I bought about a week ago from "Used Book Superstore!", and yes that is the real name of the store. Well, I may have added the exclamation point. If you are unfamiliar with this place let me briefly enlighten you. Imagine the book section of your local thrift store, on steroids. That about sums it up; it has the same musty smell and weird selection just tons more of both. The book that the recipes are from is a gem; it is called "Cooking for 1 or 2" and was published in 1978. It is amazingly 70's-riffic and I am convinced that it was for the girls who just got married and had no idea what a kitchen was. It has a recipe for a baked potato. Awesome. My recipe for a baked potato; clean potato, wrap in tinfoil, put in 350° oven for 20 minutes, done. Well, after perusing the book a couple of times I've decided that I am going to try one of the "challenging" recipes with this Shrimp Scampi.
Fettuccine Alfredo:
Egg noodles, heavy cream, shredded Parmesan and Romano cheeses, butter, salt & pepper, a pinch of nutmeg.
This recipe is from the same book as the previous recipe. Again it is from the more "challenging" part of the book. The menu this week was a joint decision and I am going to state ahead of time that I think these recipes will not be too hard to complete and that I think I will finish at a rather normal time. I also think that they are going to taste delicious together, albeit really rich.
The camera that I normally use has been going through hissy fits as of late demanding that there is no memory card when there clearly is one. Hence I have been using the camera on my phone, so I apologize for the poor quality. I am hoping to replace the temperamental one soon but you, my dear readers, may have to put up with lesser quality photographs for a little while.
Menu for January 5th:
- Salad with homemade vinaigrette
- Homemade rice pilaf
- Roasted salmon with green herbs
Salad:
Mesclun mix, shredded carrots, thinly sliced red onions, Trader Joe's® "stuffing mix".
This is a pretty standard salad in my eyes, but I am keeping in mind the fact that my darling is (in this way at least) a rather stereotypical male and dislikes at least 90% of all veggies and is turned of by "frou-frou" stuff in his salads. I personally love veggies and nuts and fruits and especially cheese and the inclusion of all in a salad would only better said salad in my opinion. The boy is picky however so I have to keep it safe. The Trader Joe's® stuffing mix contains celery, onions, fennel, rosemary, parsley, and a few other herbs all chopped up and mixed together.
Vinaigrette:
Olive oil, honey, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
This is a recipe that I pulled out of my head. Vinaigrette's have to be one of the easiest things to make and I was supremely lucky to have a legitimate chef as a roommate in my early twenties who taught me how to make them. Once you learn the technique you can implement nearly any ingredients that you can think of. He once made one with tequila and avocados that was amazing; now that I am thinking of it I may have to replicate it later on in this experiment.
Rice Pilaf:
Medium grain white rice, orzo, vegetable stock, fresh chopped green onions, fresh minced curly parsley, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
The recipe that I am going to use on for this pilaf is a variation of one used by the boy's mom. Pilaf is one of his favorite side dishes so when we were out in the mid-west for the holidays she showed me how to make it. I have kept the bones of her recipe but I am going to add a little bit of me into it to make it mine. This will be the first time that I am trying this recipe so I hope all goes well.
Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs:
Salmon fillet, olive oil, lemon juice, minced scallions (both green and white parts), fresh minced dill, fresh minced curly parsley, dry white wine.
This dish is found in the Barefoot Contessa "How easy is that?" cookbook, copyright 2010, published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House Inc., New York. There, I do not want to get in any copyright infringement issues. I love Ina Garten, I want to be her when I grow up. My darling knows this and bought me one of her cookbooks for Christmas. This will be the first time that I am trying one of her recipes from a book and I think that I will have to fudge it a little considering the fact that it calls for a skinless salmon fillet and I could only obtain a skin on fillet.
I have decided to not post the recipes unless they are asked for. Alright here I go!
