Recipes and Books
Celebrate Valentine’s Day (or the weekend) with a sweet and spicy dinner for two. Sweet pineapple salsa compliments jerk scallops full of flavor in a dinner that comes together quickly.
Continue reading “Jerk Scallops with Pineapple Salsa over Coconut Rice”
Rich & Easy Clam Chowder takes just minutes to prep, and then simmers away in the slow cooker for an easy evening meal.
I first made a version of this Rich & Easy Clam Chowder years ago, back when I had just started this blog. The original post is embarrassing – I didn’t even include a picture. Insane, right?! Despite the sad state of that post, people continue to visit it, so I finally decided it was time to update the recipe – and National Soup Swap Day was the perfect excuse to do so.
Since I had never heard of National Soup Swap Day before this year, I’ll give you a bit of the background, compliments of Soup Swap. The holiday was officially founded on 2006 and has its roots in a Seattle man named Knox Gardner, who started swapping soup with his friends in an effort to bring some variation in soups (some times one batch is just too much to finish!) during a dreary season. Today, Soup Swap is on a mission to encourage healthy eating and community spirit through soup.
This Rich & East Clam Chowder does make quite a large portion – easily enough to feed 6 – and is a comforting lunch or dinner during these cold weather months. As I went to remake my old recipe, I struggled to find the products I used. Everything was in different sizes, if I could find it at all, and many in different variations. So this recipe has been updated with what I was able to find in my local supermarket. I also added a bit more clams and did a bit more tweaking of the prep and quantities. I didn’t have any – I’m actually not a fan of clam chowder – but my hubby at it for 3 days straight, so I’ll call it a winner.
Thanks to Kate at Kate’s Recipe Box for hosting today’s group of bloggers in their celebration of National Soup Swap Day. Warm up this winter and check out their creations, below!
Lean shrimp is tossed with zucchini, Asian egg noodles, and a spicy Sriracha sauce to create a quick weeknight dinner.
When I left for vacation late last month, I knew my garden wouldn’t last much longer. The tomato plants were still bearing fruit but the fruit seemed to be getting eaten more quickly than it did earlier in the summer, and the plants looked wilty and sad. Even the zucchini plant looked like it was slowly dying, even as it continued to get larger and continued to flower.
My predictions weren’t far off. When I returned from vacation, I started to pull my tomato plants. The herbs were still thriving, so those got pruned back (hello, pesto and sage leaves for my freezer!) with hopes that I’ll continue to get fresh herbs for another month or two. The zucchini plant isn’t looking great, but I’m still harvesting at least one zucchini each week so it’s going to stay a little bit longer. But while I love grilled zucchini and baking with it, I badly needed a change.
Enter this lo mein dish. While spicy enough that I had to tweak the recipe a bit, it was a hit in the house. I will warn you that even after tweaking the recipe, it’s still has a bit of kick from the sriracha, so if you can’t handle the heat, don’t bother trying it. That being said that even the spicier of the two versions, my husband and I enjoyed enough to know that we’d be making the recipe again and again. Bursting with flavor, it’s a quick weeknight meal.
Lean shrimp is tossed with zucchini, Asian egg noodles, and a spicy Sriracha sauce to create a quick weeknight dinner.
Recipe Notes:
This recipe was adapted from Baker by Nature
It feels like spring has been approaching for weeks. Apart from a freak storm (that actually ended up being a bit disappointing) this past week, there’s been no snow for us this year, and very few really cold days. Instead, this winter has been filled with the kids running in the yard, trips to the playground, and happy hours on patios. The season for warm soups, stews and comfort foods was pretty short this year. With the warm weather, I’ve been switching to lighter meals with fresh ingredients. Spring foods are making an appearance just a little bit earlier than usual.
My hubby and I don’t eat a lot of seafood – for me, even less since I had Miss. Hazelnut (the aversion of seafood never completely disappeared after she was born) – but this recipe has a special meaning for us. It was the first meal my hubby ever cooked for me, what we consider to be our first date. My hubby laughingly told me the story of getting the recipe from a friend and calling with numerous questions. What’s prosciutto? What’s a zester? Do I have to do that? All of this to impress the new girl in town. The unexpected meal was delicious, the perfect first date.
This recipe is my version of that dish – almost 10 years later.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Salmon with Brie
By Books n’ Cooks
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
Place 1 oz. brie on top of each piece of salmon. Wrap each brie-topped salmon piece tightly in two slices of prosciutto, overlapping the slices slightly. Place on prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until salmon is cooked throughout.
Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes. (I served it over couscous with a side of roasted Brussels sprouts, pictured above.)
And here are some more easy, spring recipes for you!
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Simple grilled shrimp are paired with a 4-ingredient spicy peanut sauce to create a quick appetizer or weeknight dinner.
One of the things I enjoy most about summer is that most of the weeknight cooking is relegated to my hubby. I prep the meal – usually some sort of protein and veggie – and he grills it. This gives me an extra few minutes each day to relax or play with the little one (at this point, it’s usually less playing together and more, me chasing after her as she climbs up the stairs or pulls things off pantry shelves).
This recipe is quick and easy for your summer entertaining. Prep the peanut sauce earlier in the day, grill up some shrimp, and serve. There’s only about 15 minutes total prep and cook time, and that’s if you’re cooking the shrimp instead of talking your hubby into it. I’d recommend serving the shrimp hot, but room temperature is fine too.
Simple grilled shrimp are paired with a 4-ingredient spicy peanut sauce to create a quick appetizer or weeknight dinner.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
While grill is warming up, season shrimp lightly, on both sides, with salt and pepper. Either thread shrimp onto presoaked wooden skewers (or use metal skewers) or place in a grill basket. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until hot.
In a food processor, combine zest from 1 lime, juice from two limes, peanut butter, garlic chili sauce, 3 Tbs. mint, and 1/4 c. cold water. Process until smooth. Taste - add additional chili paste if you'd like a spicier sauce. Add an additional tablespoon or two of water and/or lime juice for a looser consistency.
Serves 6-8 as an appetizer, Yields 1 c. sauce
This recipe was adapted from Fine Cooking No. 96
