Blueberry Cobbler

I am not new to pie and cobbler making, but I must say, this is the best cobbler concoction to come out of my kitchen yet! Absolutely delicious! Blueberries can be pricey, so I am sure this recipe will work with other fruit fillings, such as peaches.

Filling:
-2 1/2 cups blueberries
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-juice of one lemon
-3/4 cup white sugar
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 teaspoon flour
-1 tablespoon butter, melted
Topping:
-1 3/4 cups flour
-4 teaspoons baking powder
-6 teaspoons white sugar
-5 tablespoons butter
-1 cup whole milk
-2 teaspoons sugar
-a splash of cinnamon

Grease an 8 inch square or round baking dish. Pour blueberries into the dish, and mix with the vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle 1 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.
Stir 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar together in a bowl. Rub in 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers. Make a well in the center, pour the milk into the well, while stirring. Mix well. Cover, and allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon the batter evenly over the blueberries. It is fine if some blueberries peak through. Sprinkle the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar over top.
Bake for 20 -25 minutes. The top should be a golden brown.

Sweet and Sour Pork

This recipe is easy to make and is best served over rice. Take your time while cooking the pork. Your patience will be rewarded-I promise.

-1 pound pork loin, cubed
-2 eggs
-6 tablespoons cornstarch
-vegetable oil
-1 onion, diced
-1 red bell pepper, diced
-2 green onions, sliced
-1 cup rice vinegar
-1/3 cup ketchup
-1 cup sugar

Stir the pork cubes, eggs, and 4 tablespoons of the cornstarch together in a bowl. Stir and coat the pork well. Place in a collandar and allow to drain while preparing the other ingredients.
Heat a large pan or wok on high with a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook for about a minute. Add the red pepper and green onion and cook for one more minute. Add the vinegar, ketchup, and sugar, turn down the heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 3 minutes.
Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water, add it to the mixture in the pan, simmer for one minute until the sauce thickens. Pour the sauce into a bowl.
Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add half the pork cubes into the pan and cook them until they are browned and crisp. Remove the cooked pork from the pan. Repeat with the remaining pork. Return all the cooked pork to the pan and add the sauce. Reheat until the sauce is bubbling.

green curry and coconut milk chowder

saute red onion, leak, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini, and sugar snap peas out of the pod.

in a separate pot boil some diced potatoes. i included chicken in the boil because i wanted chicken in the dish, but you don't have to.

when the potatoes are done, add to the saute. then pour a can of coconut milk to the saute.

keep aside a little of the coconut milk and add green curry past to taste.
then mix it all together and yum yum eat it up

saffron rice

i am on a saffron rice kick. and it is so easy to make. i don't have a pic but i will try to take one tonight. the dish has never lasted long enough for me to be able to take an image of it.
so yummy it will disappear.
this is a dish for a rice cooker only, and use fresh rice. nothing that has been around too long or has lived in the freezer.

ingredients:
saffron from Trader Joes
raw sugar
rice vinegar
basmati or jasmine rice
pinch of salt

so, i usually make a cup of rice since it is just the two of us. here is how i make it

1/4 of rice vinegar (i use the seasoned. any brand will do. it is cheapest at Trader Joe's)
1 tsp of sugar (i like the raw granulated, any grocery store has it)
1 cup rice
2 cups water (i sometimes use chicken stock if i have it)
a pinch or about 7 threads of saffron
a pinch of salt to counter balance the sugar and saffron

preparation: soak the saffron in the vinegar along with the salt and sugar over night. this brings out the color.
service: before serving, if you want the rice to be god awfully yummy, fluff the rice with a tsp of butter and grate a little parmesian over it.

hope you enjoy this recipe.
Mona

three ideas for dinner....

Soba noodles, snow peas, shrimp, straw mushrooms, ginger and broth. It ended up being a kind of soup. Though Paul said he would have liked it as a stir-fry better,I loved it the soup way.

This was tuna crusted with pepper and sesame seeds. it was a bit on the hot side, making a wasabi accompaniment impossible. i served it was soy sauce and rice. You can find this in the frozen aisle.

This was a sausage rigatoni. i just looked for a recipe on Epicurious.com that looked interesting and used that. It was pretty good.

Italian Dressing Drumettes

It did not occur to me to take a photo of this dish because I was just mindlessly preparing a meal, and did not realize it would turn out so yummy. This is the most simple and easy recipe you will ever find, and soooooo good!

- 10 chicken drums
- one bottle of Italian salad dressing
- 2 large handfuls of mushrooms

Marinate the chicken drums and mushrooms in the entire bottle of Italian dressing over night. Neatly lie the meat and mushrooms (still with all the dressing) in a baking pan. Cover with foil. Bake for about one hour at 370 degrees. The juice will bubble in the oven with flavor, and when done, the chicken will nearly fall of the bone.
Serve over rice or cous cous.

Garlic Seafood Pasta

Break free from marinara as a topping for spaghetti with yummy seafood and veggies.

- 3/4 bag of spaghetti
-3 cups baby spinach
-1 tomato or 2 handfuls cherry tomatoes
-half an onion
-1 pound shrimp
-1 pound pre-cooked mussels
-5 garlic cloves
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-2 tablespoons butter
-olive oil
-salt
-pepper
(I did not have white wine on hand, but that would be a wonderful addition to this recipe)

Cook spaghetti in boiling water. Drain, and return to saucepan. Stir in spinach and tomatoes. Cover and keep warm. While pasta is cooking, cook the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat for one minute. Add the shrimp, mussels, garlic, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently for no more than three minutes. Stir in wine (if using), salt, and pepper. Cook until shrimp are thoroughly cooked, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until butter is melted. Add mixture to pasta. Toss.