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.

Buttermilk-Battered Chicken Breast with Sweet Corn Sauce

The picture might not look so good, but Paul liked it. I will make it again this week as i still have some chicken breasts marinating... let me know what you think.

so, anyway, I made this tonight. Paul ordered something similar on vacation and he gave me a bite of it and i have been craving it ever since.
When Paul ordered this on vacation, well his didn't have a sauce, but i will make this since i have most of the ingredients. I got the recipe from Epicurus and it says "Scott Uhelein, executive chef at the renowned Canyon Ranch Health Resort in Tucson, Arizona, provides an easy technique for a dish that is good enough to eat every day — you can't even tell it's good for you!" I don't know about that, but this is what i am making tonight. I have been marinating for hours. I think that that is the trick, as i could really taste the buttermilk in that bite i had...

I think i like it better without the sauce, but the sauce made it interesting. Things go better with sauce, eh Saucy?

Ingredients:
Sauce
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels - i used canned.
1 tsp minced garlic - didn't add
1/4 cup diced onion - didn't add
1 1/4 tsp olive oil
1 tsp minced jalapeno pepper- i am going to leave this out. Paul doesn't like them....
2 tbsp minced red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
Pinch of black pepper
2 tsp fresh lemon juice


chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 pinch black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic - didn't have any
1/2 tsp onion powder - didn't have any
1/2 tsp dry mustard - i put some grey poupon in the sauce instead for the bite.
1/4 tsp celery seed - didn't have any
1 tsp olive oil

preparation
In a medium pan, saute corn, garlic, and onion in oil over medium heat 1 minute. Add jalapeno and bell pepper. Cook 30 seconds. Add stock. Reduce liquid by half. Season with honey, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Transfer to blender and puree.
With a meat mallet, pound chicken breasts to about 1/2 inch thick. In a shallow glass baking dish, combine chicken with buttermilk and black pepper. Marinate at least 2 hours. In a medium bowl, combine flour, paprika, salt, granulated garlic, onion powder, dry mustard and celery seed. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour until well coated. Heat oil in a large pan and add chicken. Over medium heat, cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes on each side until golden. Serve each breast with 1/2 cup Sweet Corn Sauce.

Love Pizza

Embrace your love for food by baking this heart-shaped pizza!


Preheat oven 425 degrees. Place pizza stone in oven for one hour.

Dough:
-1 package active dry yeast
-2 and 1/2 cups flour
-3 tablespoons olive oil
-1 tablespoon salt
Mix the package of yeast with 1/4 cup warm water. Allow to sit about five minutes, until frothy.
Mix flour, olive oil, and salt in a mixer with a dough hook. Add yeast while mixing. When thoroughly mixed, place in a bowl and cover with saran wrap and a towel. Allow to rise for one hour.
Roll dough into desired size and thickness. Shape into a heart with a pizza cutter.
Toppings:
-pizza sauce
-shredded mozzerella cheese
-sliced button mushrooms
-sliced (or cut into hearts) italian sausage,pre-soaked in maple syrup
-sliced black olives
Bake approximately 20 minutes on bottom rack on pizza stone. Keep your eye on it. Remove at desired dough consistency.