FETA CHEESE VINAIGRETTE

Every now and then you have to mix up your salad dressings. Vinaigrettes are the dressings of choice and are usually prepared with lemon flavors, dijon mustard flavors, the traditional balsamic vinegar...and so on and so on. Using a good extra virgin olive oil is very important in dressings.

Surprise your guests and spice it up a bit with a creamy feta vinaigrette. This is very smooth and tangy at the same time.

Ingredients:

3 ounces feta cheese preferably French, crumbled
2-1/2 tbl red wine vinegar
1 tbl water
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup + 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Ground pepper

In a food processor, pulse the cheese with the vinegar, water, oregano and oil until smooth. Seasonn with salt and pepper.

Another fast recipe from your favorite food blogger!!!!????? Haha

Serve this tangy dressing over grilled vegetables, shrimp, cucumber, spinach, tomato salads or in your favorite potato salad recipe.

ENJOY!


y

FRIDAY COCKTAIL - REDHEAD IN BED

Apologies to Steve if I am late with this Friday's cocktail. I got the impression you were starting "pretty" early today?????

Another refreshing summer time drink that incorporates fresh seasonal strawberries....

This makes about 10 drinks so hold on to your hats!!!!!!

Ingredients:

3 lbs strawberries cleaned and coarsely chopped

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup + 2 Tbl citrus VODKA

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Ice

1/3 cup chilled Riesling

In a bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and let stand, stirring occasionally until the strawberries release their juices - about 10 minutes......

(Have a glass of the Riesling while you wait)

In a blender, combine half each of the strawberries and their juices, the vodka and lime juice with with 1 cup of ice and puree. Pour into a pitcher. Repeat with remaining strawberries and juices, vodka and lime juice with another cup of ice. If you have an industrial blender or food processor or are just making a smaller batch there is no need to divide.

Fill 10 collins size glasses (slightly smaller than a pint glass) halfway with ice. Pour the drink into the glasses. Top each with a 1/2 Tbl Riesling and serve.

Sounds super sweet, but the citrus vodka and lime even things out!

Happy Weekend....My kids are coming to visit - HURRAY!!!!

ENJOY!

STRAWBERRIES AND BUTTERMILK ICE AND BALSAMIC VINEGAR

It's definitely berry season!!!! I am not much of a fruit person, but fresh ripe berries are addictive for me.

This recipe, made notable by Napa pastry chef Deanie Fox, combines the berries with a granita. Making a granita is very simple but time consuming. From beginning to end this dessert takes a little more than 3 hours, but most of the time is spent waiting for the granita to freeze. Very much worth the wait, so plan ahead.

Ingredients:

3-1/2 Tbl sugar
1-1/2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 pint strawberries cleaned and quartered
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
sprigs of fresh tarragon for garnish

In a bowl, whisk 1-1/2 Tbl of sugar and 1/2 Tbl lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the buttermilk and pour into a shallow baking dish. Freeze until firm, whisking every 30 minutes for about 3 hours.

In a bowl, toss strawberries with 2 Tbl sugar and 1 Tbl lemon juice. Add the lemon zest and vinegar. Let stand for 30 minutes.

Spoon the berries and any juices into glasses. Using a fork, scrape the buttermilk granita into fluffy crystals and spoon over the strawberries. Garnish with the tarragon.

Very refreshing in the hot summer weather!
ENJOY!

SMOKY GLAZED ASPARAGUS

Today's afternoon barbecues have gotten a bit more upscale than the ol' Oscar Mayer hot dog or "hockey puck-like" burgers. We are grilling fish and vegetables and even fruits.

I love asparagus and this recipe really raises the bar. In 2009, Food and Wine magazine voted Nate Appleman best new chef. This is his recipe which coats the asparagus with a lemony "mayonnaisy" marinade before grilling. The mayo almost forms a crust...so good!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tbl lemon juice

1 garlic clove crushed

1 tbl sweet smoked paprika

2 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin seeds

I lb thick asparagus peeled

In a shallow dish, whisk the mayonnaise with the oil, lemon juice, garlic, paprika, salt and cumin. Add the asparagus and toss. Let stand for about 30 minutes.

In the meantime, light your grill. Grill the asparagus over moderate high heat. Turn to cook all sides about 6 minutes.

Great with steak, fish, chicken...whatever you have!

ENJOY!

MOM'S FAVORITE - SHRIMP AND BROCCOLI

Mom's favorite dish and I plan to make it for her when she visits soon.

Shrimp is usually sold by "count". The count suggests about how many shrimp you will get if you order a pound. So if you buy 21-25 count, expect 21-25 shrimp. If you buy 31-50 count the shrimp are obviously smaller. For this recipe I try to use the 21-25 count at a minimum. For my Mom, I would easily go for the 16-18 count since they are the star of the meal.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup clam juice

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tbl minced garlic

2 tbl olive oil

1 lb raw peeled and deveined shrimp

4 cups broccoli chopped

2/3 cup water

2 tbl fresh basil chopped

1 tbl lemon juice

red pepper flakes

salt

pepper

In a bowl., combine and whisk the clam juice, 1 tbl garlic and cornstarch. Set the bowl aside.

Heat 1 tbl olive oil in a pan. Add 1 tbl garlic and red flakes to taste. Cook about 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and a pinch of salt. When the shrimp is pink on all sides use a slotted spoon and remove them from the pan to a bowl.

Add 1 tbl olive oil to the same pan and add the broccoli. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about a minute. Add the water and cover the pan. Cook the broccoli until it is tender but still crispy. Using the slotted spoon remove the broccoli from the pan and add it to the shrimp bowl.

Add the clam juice mixture to the pan.. Cook over medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the basil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and broccoli back to the pan and heat through. Serve over rice or pasta.

A nice crusty bread... a glass of chardonnay...total comfort food!

ENJOY!

ROOT VEGETABLE AND CHEESE GRATIN

Get that "yuk" look off your face now!!!! Root vegetables have such great flavor, very healthy and I doctor this recipe up to give it a little extra kick. I think many of us walk right by the squash, rutabagas and sweet potatoes simply because we don't know what to do with them...

Well don't walk by these vegetables again...this is delicious!

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes peeled

1 butternut squash peeled

1 medium rutabaga peeled and halved lengthwise

1 (8 oz) jar artichokes drained

2-3 large roasted red peppers diced

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese

1-1/2 tbl olive oil

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Slice the potatoes and squash lengthwise on a mandoline or slicer. If you don't have those, slice them with a knife as small as you can. Slice the rutabaga crosswise very thin. Use butter or cooking spray to grease a 13 X 9 pan. Layer half the potatoes in the dish with a bit of an overlap. Season them with salt and pepper. Top with half the rutabaga, squash, artichoke and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat layering until all vegetables are in the pan.

Pour the broth over the vegetables. Cover with tin foil tightly and bake for one hour until vegetables are fork tender. Remove the foil and pour in the cream. Bake 30 minutes until the liquid is thickened.

Preheat the broiler. Mix the panko, oil and cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the gratin. Broil for about 2 minutes until golden. Let rest for about 10 minutes.

Mostly healthy, perfectly delicious

ENJOY!

EGGPLANT AND SAUSAGE STUFFED SHELLS

I love stuffed shells..so much easier to stuff than a manicotti or cannelloni noodle. You can stuff them with just about anything. In this recipe you could substitute chicken or beef for the sausage and it calls for spinach and you all know I don't like spinach. I use finely diced or shredded zucchini instead. As always try what you like!!!!

Ingredients:

4 tbl olive oil
3/4 lb Italian sausage meat (no casings)
4 large shallots chopped
4 tbl minced garlic
1 large eggplant chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
salt
crushed red pepper
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
2/3 cup spinach (thawed and drained well) or shredded zucchini
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 pkg large shells (about 18-20)
28 oz can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped basil
4 oz grated fontina cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a saucepan heat 2 tbl olive oil. Add sausage saute until cooked through. Add half the shallots and the eggplant (If using zucchini instead of spinach add it here). Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Add half the garlic and cook one minute. Remove pan from heat and let cool.

Add mascarpone cheese, spinach and half the parmesan cheese to the cooled vegetable mixture. Cook shells according to package directions but not quite el dente. They will cook more in the oven. Drain and pat dry. Grease a 13 X 9 pan. Stuff shells with vegetable mix and place in the pan like the picture above.

For the sauce, heat remaining olive oil in a pan. Add the rest of the shallots and cook until soft. Add the rest of the garlic. Stir in tomatoes and season with salt and red pepper flakes. Add the heavy cream and reduce the sauce by about 1/3 - about 20-30 minutes. Add basil to the sauce.

Pour the sauce over the shells and sprinkle them with parmesan and fontina cheese. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 15 more minutes until bubbly and the cheese and sauce are light golden brown. Let is rest for 10 minutes and serve.

A nice garden salad and some crusty bread - PERFECT!!!!
ENJOY!