Menu for 5/18:
- Fried Rice (à la carte)
- Spicy Edamame
- Vegetable Gyoza
Fried Rice:
Rice, egg, soy sauce, green onion, snap peas, shrimp, tuna, scallops, chicken, Canadian bacon.
I apologize for my inability to update on Tuesdays. Tuesday is always a busy day at my office, and by the time I get home I have forgotten to update. Well it's better late than never right? Right?! Hee-hee, of course it is... So fried rice huh? Yup that is what I am making, AND, I am making it from the all important (dare I say pivotal) work "Cookery for 1 or 2". Hands down, the best $1.99 purchase I have ever made. The "à la carte" option is not in the book however, I made it up when I went shopping this week. The book calls for chicken, shrimp, or beef, to be added as the main protein. I decided "feh!" on those options when I was standing at the seafood counter and looking at lovely fresh shrimp and fresh tuna AND fresh scallops. i figure that I will cook them all up and have them on the side. That way the two of us can pick and choose what we want in our nom nom rice.
Spicy Edamame:
Just that, edamame with spice. I am "cheating" on this one, it is a Trader Joe's® thing, you throw it in the microwave and three minutes later you have steaming hot nom.
Vegetable Gyoza:
Same thing as the edamame, except minus the microwave, add the oven and there is more than just three minutes involved.
I am fairly certain that this meal will be delicious, and no, I am not just saying that because half of the meal is coming straight from a bag. Though that may play some type of role in the nom factor. Check back tomorrow for pictures!
Menu for 4/6:
- Shrimp on Polenta pillows
Ingredients for above mentioned dish:
Precooked polenta, olive oil, crushed garlic, julienned sun-dried tomatoes in oil, capers, white wine, frozen raw large shrimp pre cleaned.
This is another recipe from the 'I ♥ Trader Joe's®' cook book. This week, however, I am putting a little twist on it. I have purchased all of these ingredients from a mainstream grocery chain. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) I know that not all of you who read this little blog have access to the wondrous establishment that is Trader Joe's®, 2) I want those who are inclined, to be able to reproduce what I make, and finally 3) I didn't have a choice in the matter and fate had me shop at the previously hinted at mainstream grocery store. If any of you are interested in trying out any of the past recipes that I have showcased here, leave me a comment and I will forward you the information for which ever nom dish you would like. See you on Thursday!!
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 3/2:
- Pizza (two types)
- Sea-salt caramel gelato
Pizza #1:
Pizza crust, pizza sauce, mozzarella and provolone cheese, fancy sausage, garlic.
I am going to fully admit right now that I am partially cheating. There is no real recipe this week. I have bought Pillsbury Pizza Dough™, and Trader Joe's Pizza Sauce™ and plan to make a mess of them. Furthermore I did not cure the sausage myself nor did I curd the cheese. Sue me. I don't even know if the expression "curd the cheese" is the correct term either, or if it is even a real term at all. Well it is now. Anyway, as you may have noticed, this pizza has meat on it to it is his pizza. We had fun on Saturday and went to BJ's Wholesale Club while incredibly hungry. I don't recommend this unless you are willing to pay $50 for only cheese, pizza crust, and Ruffles™. On the brighter side I can now make enough pizza crust to feed at least the Back Bay, if not all of Boston. Only pizza crust though. I could make Boston pizza bread sticks? Oooo! Cheesy bread sticks!! Hmm, I don't know if I want to share now that I thought of it.
Pizza #2:
Pizza crust, pesto, shrimp, broccoli, spinach, mozzarella and provolone cheese.
This one is clearly mine and it is going to be delicious. I am stoked for it and I don't even surf/skateboard so the fact that I am using the term "stoked" should emphasize the level of how much I am anticipating this nom-fest. I might add a little bit of garlic to it just to boost it into the stratosphere of nom. It is going to be good. That is what I am trying to convey, alright.
Sea-salt Caramel Gelato:
Yeah, this was an impulse buy, 100% impulse buy. You try walking past a little tub of delicious with that title. I dare you to resist it!*
*This dare does not apply to those whose don't like any of the following: gelato, caramel, sea-salt.
Menu for 2/9:
- Stir-fry with shrimp and noodles
Stir-fry:
Shrimp, noodles, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, mixture of veggies.
This Wednesday night dinner will be a product of being short on time and funds. I already have most of the ingredients in my kitchen as I am typing this. Actually, I have all of the ingredients, what I should have said was that I already had most of the ingredients just out of hand.
I am anticipating and easy night with this one. I don't think I will be getting a snow day (sad), so something quick will be a good thing. Stir-fry is the definition of simple in my world. Get a whole bunch of fresh (or frozen in some cases) stuff, toss in skillet, sear, add sauce. BOOM, done. If you are looking for a better definition of "stuff" I classify it (in this case) as such: Protein, Starch, Vegetables. Rice will not be included in this particular stir-fry because of the noodles. Doubling up on veggies is great, but doubling up on starches... not so much. I may add red chili flakes to it for heat but I am still undecided on that point. He loves the spicy. I have a love hate relationship with it.
Check in on Thursday for the results!
