The filet mignon that was served to us at the Larry Fitzgerald dinner on Monday night at Morton’s were huge! All three of us brought home large portions. The beef was already cooked perfectly (of course), so I didn’t want to have reheat too much and end up overcooking them. So… panini sandwiches were the perfect vehicle for the perfect steak!

Rich Man Panini

2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons sour cream or yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ciabatta rolls, split in half
8 thin slices pepper Jack  or Fontina cheese
1 pound medium-rare beef tenderloin, sliced thin
12 thin tomato slices
1/2 cup fresh arugula leaves

Place cream cheese, horseradish, and sour cream in a small bowl and use a fork to blend together until smooth.

Preheat a panini press.

Spread the top sides of the bottom halves of the cibatta rolls with the horseradish mixture. Lightly oil the bottom sides of the bottom halves and lay down on the preheated panini pan. Top each with 2 slices cheese, 1/4 of the beef, 3 tomatoes, and 1/4  of the arugula leaves. Spread the horseradish cream on the inside top halves of the rolls and place atop the sandwiches.

Brush the top of the rolls with oil and press down the panini lid.

Cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Serves 4

Believe it or not, I’m still trying to use up the “sweet” wine in our house. In my August 13th post, I used a bottle for a party beverage/punch. Today, I am “disposing” of more…

Sweet Chicken Breast and Fruits on Quinoa

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1 small to medium apple, diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves
Zest of 1 small lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sweet wine, such as Moscato, Riesling, or Gewürztraminer
1/2 cup dried cranberries or cherries
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Quinoa
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, peeled and diced
1 cup quinoa
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1 large sprig fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté chicken until golden in color, about 3 minutes. Turn and sauté another 3 minutes. Transfer pan to oven and roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm.

Place pan back on stove, add the other tablespoon olive oil; sauté onion and apple until onion is translucent. Add sage sprig, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cranberries and wine. Over high heat, reduce by half. Add brown chicken stock and cream. Reduce until slightly thickened. Remove sage and finish sauce with butter.

Quinoa: In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Add quinoa and stir until well coated with oil. Season with salt and pepper then add chicken broth and sage sprig. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 12 minutes. Remove sage sprig and taste for seasoning, adjust as needed. Stir in minced sage.

Place a mound of quinoa in the center of each plate. Slice each chicken breast diagonally and arrange on top of couscous. Spoon sauce over the top and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Today is my friend, Larry Fitzgerald’s, 27th birthday. Larry and I began cooking together when he was only 22 and I was exactly twice his age (ouch!). He was a star wide receiver even then, beginning only his second season, but now – well, now he’s a superstar. Deservedly so! He’s beyond talented. Larry has incredible work ethic and is as humble as can be, one of the nicest and most genuine people on the planet. It would be hard for the average person to imagine being as humble as he is, after you watch this amazing video from ESPN Sport Science.

Dave, Marissa, and I attended the Second Annual Larry Fitzgerald & Friends Celebrity Servers Night to benefit The Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Foundation and The Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund, last night at Morton’s. My favorite thing about the photo of us above, is how I’m looking at my camera that Marissa is holding, and Larry is looking at the camera that his professional photog is holding. So neither picture turned out well, so typical!

I snapped about a dozen picture of Marissa with the various Cardinals servers/stars (including Steve Breaston, Darnell Dockett, Derek Anderson, Matt Leinart, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (DRC), Beanie Wells, Early Ducet, Levi Johnson, Anthony Becht, Coach Whiz and more; but the picture shown is our favorite. She is between rookie first-round draft pick, Dan Williams (#92) and Calais Campbell (#93) – who is one of the sweetest guys you could meet. I’m talking “puppy-dog” sweet! It was a great night, for a great cause, for the greatest guy around! Happy Birthday Larry! Love you.  xoxo

It’s been a strange week. Dave was out of town on business Friday – Friday. I was in California that first weekend for a wedding (gorgeous wedding). Then Marissa went down to Tucson for her boyfriend’s birthday (Happy birthday, Alberto!).  And on Thursday, I took Connor up to Flagstaff to begin his sophomore year at NAU (Have a great first day today, Con! Missing you!).

The four of us were never home at the same time, and now we won’t be again until … Thanksgiving, probably (insert sad face here). After all that disruption, what we need is breakfast for dinner. There aren’t too many things that feel more cozy than having traditional morning food in the evening.

These sandwiches are delicious with or without the addition of a poached egg. I did four with and four without. Use any cheese you like, but I’m using pepper Jack to go with the jalapeno sausage I purchased at The Pork Shop… so darn good!

Sausage and Basil-Parmesan Biscuit Sandwiches

2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup minced fresh basil
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup milk
1 egg

3/4 pound bulk fresh pork sausage
16 thin slices pepper Jack cheese
Poached eggs, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat mat or parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, whisk to combine. Cut in butter with pastry blender or two forks, until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Stir in basil and cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stir with a wooden spoon until just moistened.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface; pat into a 1-inch-thick circle. Cut with a 3-inch biscuit cutter into 8 biscuits. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove form oven and cool slightly on a rack before slicing. Reduce oven to 350 degrees.

While biscuits bake; cut sausage crosswise into 8 equal pieces and flatten each into 3-inch rounds. Cook sausage patties in a large nonstick skillet over moderate heat, turning, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Split biscuits, then make sandwiches; layering with bottom half biscuit, 1 slice cheese, 1 sausage patty, (add poached egg here, if using) another slice of cheese, and biscuit top.

Place sandwiches on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Makes 8 sandwiches

Just in case you missed this fabulous article about Trader Joe’s, I’m posting IT HERE, for you to enjoy. Be sure to watch the piece on 2 Buck Chuck while you’re there too.

And… just in case you missed THIS FUN VIDEO when I put it up a few months back, check it out today… or watch again.  Great Fun! Have a woderful weekend!

The final recipe for our preimere shot at “Cook Once – Eat All Week” is inspired by non other than Costco!  I don’t know if you’ve tried Costco’s Sonoma Chicken Salad or not. Honestly, it would be hard not to if you’ve been there during their prime “sample time”. But if you have, you already know how deliciously fabulous it is! They shred and chop up their own rotisserie chickens and package this tangy-sweet delight. With this recipe, you can make your own for much less. I know, I’m saying out load that there is actually an item at Costco where I can beat their price! Crazy Talk!

My friend and neighbor, Rainey, served Costco’s salad as a spread for crackers the other night and that is what inspired me to “copy” it.  Enjoy it that way (addicting) or as a main coarse. Either way, it couldn’t be easier!

Scottsdale Chicken Salad

(Inspired by Costco’s Sonoma Chicken Salad)

Dressing
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons agave nectar or honey
1 teaspoon Greek or Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 cups shredded chicken, coarsely chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup dried cranberries or dried cherries
1/2 dry roasted, salted almonds; coarsely chopped
4 large bibb or iceberg lettuce leaves
Cherry tomatoes; some halved, others left whole

Dressing: Whisk vinegar, mustard, nectar, and seasoning in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in oil until emulsified. Whisk in mayonnaise. Stir in poppy seeds. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Add chicken, celery, cranberries, and almonds in to dressing and toss well to coat completely.

Place lettuce leaves on four dinner plates. Top with chicken salad, garnish with cherry tomatoes and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Today, on our continuation of “Cook Once – Eat All Week”, we will use the au jus acquired from roasting the chickens two days ago. If you have been using store-bought rotisserie chicken, no problem, it’ll work with trumped up chicken broth. The filling won’t be quite as rich as when using the au jus, but tasty, all the same. There are also some choices when it comes to the vegetables for today’s chicken pot pie. You can use the standard peas and carrots or a delicious medley called “organic foursome” I found at Trader Joe’s which also includes corn and green beans. Finally there are options for the topping. Ready-made raw pie crust or puff pastry. I used puff pastry and nearly burnt it while trying to achieve a browner color under the broiler… so be careful with that!

Quicker Chicken Pot Pie

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour, plus more for rolling dough
3 1/2 cups au jus from roasting chickens or chicken broth mixed with                   1 tablespoon honey mustard and 1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
10-ounces mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered
3 cups shredded roast chicken
16-ounce package frozen “organic foursome” from Trader                                            Joe’s or regular frozen peas and carrots, thawed
1 store-bought sheet puff pastry (thawed) or purchased pie crust
Egg wash; 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When butter bubbles, whisk in the 3 tablespoons flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 3 minutes. Slowly add the au jus or broth in a steady stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. When all of the broth has been added, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, whisking occasionally for 5 minutes, or until thickened slightly. Remove sauce from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Wipe out skillet.

Heat olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add thyme and transfer onions, with a slotted spoon, to the bowl with the sauce.

Add the mushrooms to the same skillet and cook over medium-high heat until mushrooms release their liquid, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and simmer until liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and add to onions in the bowl; along with the chicken, peas & carrots, and remaining salt and pepper. Toss well and spoon into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Lightly flour a work surface. Roll puff pastry/pie crust until it is slightly larger than the baking dish. Carefully place the dough over the pie filling, tucking the edges underneath. Use a sharp knife to make 3 or 4 small incisions in the top of the crust and brush with egg wash.

Bake until crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until the filling starts to bubble at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes more. If you would like a browner crust, place under the broiler for just a minute or two, watch carefully, especially if using puff pastry, it goes from gorgeous golden brown to black in seconds! Cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 -8

This is dinner #2 using the shredded chicken from the post two days ago. I like to serve this salad a little warm/a little cold, pretty much at room temperature. When you get home from work, running the kids around, the gym, whatever it is you’re racing in the door from; throw the potatoes in the pot. Then change your clothes or get the kids set up with their homework, or whatever it is that needs to be done pronto. Then drain the potatoes and set them aside. Next, in-between doing all the things that get in the way of concentrating on making dinner, stop and make the vinaigrette and set it aside. And then when you’re ready to assemble it all; just slice the potatoes, and throw it in all together in a bowl and dinner is on that table before you know it. Please be sure to get one of those people, who always need to be fed, to set the table. I honestly hope you’re not doing that and making dinner, put those kids and husbands to work!

Honey Mustard Potato and  Chicken Salad

1 pound small yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon honey mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups shredded roast chicken
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry or teardrop tomatoes, halved if on the larger side
2 cups arugula leaves

Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon of the salt in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, whisk together mustard, vinegar, and garlic.  Add the remaining salt and the pepper. While whisking, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream until emulsified.

Halve the potatoes (or quarter if they are on the larger side) and add to the bowl with the vinaigrette, add the chicken and gently toss. Fold in the capers, tomatoes, and arugula just before serving.

Serves 4

This is meal #1, using the idea of “Cook Once – Eat All Week”. Yesterday we roasted 2 chickens, shredded the meat, and will use that for several meals. Each meal will be simple to slam together and slap on the table during busy weeknights. Use as many or as few connivence items as you please. For example; roast, peel, core, and seed your own fresh red bell pepper – or use the jarred version. Shred a block of cheese, or buy pre-shredded. Grind cumin seed or use already ground. You get the drift – make it easy on yourself! This takes only a few minutes to assemble and just 20 minutes to bake. Serve with the garnishes or not.

Tomorrow’s shredded chicken dinner will be – Honey Mustard Potato and Chicken Salad.

Creamy Chicken and Corn Enchiladas

2 cups shredded roast chicken
1/2 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 3/4 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese, divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
8 flour tortillas
2 cups purchased green chili enchilada sauce, divided
1/2 cup sour cream
Garnishes
1 tomato, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and cubed
Sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine shredded chicken, roasted bell pepper, corn, 1 cup of the shredded pepper Jack cheese and the ground cumin; season with salt and pepper.

In another bowl whisk together 1 cup of the enchilada sauce with the sour cream. Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 13×9-inch baking dish

Divide mixture between the tortillas, roll up and place in a baking dish. Spoon the rest of the sour cream-enchilada sauce over the enchiladas down the length of the pan in three stripes. Use the remaining 1 cup of enchilada sauce to spoon over the enchiladas down the length of the pan in-between the stripes to make a pattern of dark green and light green sauce stripes. Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese.

Bake in preheated oven until heated through and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Garnish with chopped tomatoes, avocado and sour cream.

Serves 4

I admit, that title is a little misleading, but it is catchy! If you read yesterday’s post, you already know what I am thinking though. One day you cook a large piece of meat and then use that meat all week to make quick-shortcut meals on busy weeknights. Today I shall give you the recipe for perfect roast chicken. You’ll actually roast 2 chickens and from there you’ll have several options.

The first choice is to cut off 4 pieces of the roasted chicken (preferably 1/2 breast, 1 thigh, and 2 legs) and use those for the first dinner of the week, along with sides of your choice. Maybe mashed potatoes and green beans would be nice. The meat from remaining 1 1/2 chickens will then be shredded, refrigerated, and used for meals the rest of the week.

Option number two would be to roast the 2 birds and shred all the meat, which is what I have done.

Option number three is to skip roasting your own chickens and purchase 2 rotisserie chickens from the market. I have some strong opinions about rotisserie chickens and where you should buy them that I must share though –prepare for my rant!  Costco is the only place I buy rotisserie chickens. First of all, they are huge and give you plenty of meat; second, they only cost $4.99!  I did my own research several summers ago and it takes nearly 3 1/2 grocery store rotisserie chickens to give you the same quantity of meat as 2 Costco chickens. And those grocery store birds cost as much as $7,99 each! Most importantly the Costco chickens are moist, juicy, and delicious! So there you go, one woman’s serious thoughts on store-bought rotisserie chicken.

All that said, there is nothing like a home-cooked roasted chicken and this is a great recipe. If you have the time, roast them yourself.  The recipe makes a lot of au jus. Be sure and save it, we’ll use it later in the week. Don’t worry if you use rotisserie, I’ll give you another way to “fake” the au jus when needed.  Another important items to mention; I purchased my raw chickens at Costco. They came in a 2-pack and were just .99 per pound, they weighed in at a whopping 10 pounds. It may be difficult to find 5 pound chickens at the regular grocery store. If your chickens are smaller, be sure to decrease the cooking time a bit, and of course, you’ll have less shredded chicken in the end. The recipe may look long, but it really isn’t, just a lot of lengthy descriptions that explain the process as thoroughly as possible.

Roast Chicken with Dijon Au Jus

Two 4 to 5 pound whole chickens
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, divided
4 cups chicken broth, divided
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, divided
3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Rinse chickens well, then dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. (The dryer the chicken is, the less it steams – this is the secret to the best roast chicken.) Salt and pepper the cavities of both chickens. Divide 1/2 teaspoon of the dried thyme between the two birds into the cavity as well.

Use about 1 tablespoon of salt to season the outside of the chickens; pinch the salt between your thumb and index finger and sprinkle it all over the chickens. Season the outside of both birds with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme and more freshly ground black pepper.

Truss the chickens. (When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, reduces shrinkage by about 15% and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.) To truss; use about 2 feet of cotton kitchen string. Center the string under each bird at the neck or shoulders. Come up and wrap the string over the wings, then up over the breast, cross the strings and bring up around each of the legs once or twice. Tie string securely, nice and tight.

Place chickens, breast side down, on a rack set in a large roasting pan. Be certain to leave a little space between the birds, so they don’t touch. This allows the air to flow all around the chickens as they roast.

Put the roasting pan in the oven.  Roast chickens 25 minutes; then add 2 cups broth to roasting pan, do not pour liquid over the birds, just into the dry pan.  Roast 25 minutes longer; remove from oven, turn chickens over, breast side up and add the remaining 2 cups broth to roasting pan.  Return to oven and roast approximately an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of one thigh on each chicken registers 170 degrees. Remove from the oven and add 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, to the pan.  Baste the chickens with the juices. Remove chickens from rack and place on a cutting board, allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour juices from roasting pan into a 4-cup measuring cup and let sit until the fat rises to the top of the cup. Skim off most of the fat with a large spoon and discard. (you’ll end up with about 1 cup of fat, be certain to throw it in the trash, not the garbage disposal!) Pour the pan juices (there will be about 4 cups) into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, then whisk  in mustard and the remaining 1 teaspoon fresh thyme. Season sauce with salt and pepper.  Cut chicken into pieces.  Drizzle with sauce and serve.

If you choose to shred all the chicken, you’ll wind up with about 10 cups shredded chicken. I then discarded the skin and string and used the bones to make chicken stock, which rendered  8 cups of stock. Tomorrow we’ll use 2 cups of the shredded chicken to make Creamy Chicken and Corn Enchiladas.

…Vicki Dickerson!

Congratulations, Vicki. I will email you later today to work out the delivery arrangements for your baker’s dozen cookbook prize. A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to leave me a comment. I don’t think most people realize how much each and every comment left  by readers means to your average blogger. Trust me, they mean so much and it warmed my heart to receive 40 comments for that particular post. (Although only 38 qualified  as entries, since immediate family members were not eligible,)

I also wonder if most people know where the phrase “Winner winner, chicken dinner” came from? Well the story goes that in Las Vegas for many years, (and many years ago) every casino had a three-piece chicken dinner special for $1.79. With the standard bet being $2, a winning bet would be enough money to buy a chicken dinner. Hence the phrase.

And speaking of chicken dinner, beginning tomorrow, I’ll have a week’s worth for you. I received an email from a reader who had a couple of great suggestions. First, that I add a Menus page with suggested menus using the recipes posted here. As I told her, “great idea – I wish I would have thought of it myself!”  It will take some time to get that in order and create all the necessary links. I’ll let you all know when the Menus page is up and running.

Secondly, she asked that I put together some “Cook Once – Eat All Week”  ideas. At least that is what I will be calling it. This is how it will work: I’ll give you a recipe for a large piece of meat and then 3 or 4 recipes the following days using that meat for dinners for the rest of the week.  We’ll start with roasted chicken. I once asked Julia Child what she thought was the “perfect” dish and she replied, “a perfectly roasted whole chicken.”  I could not agree more. Of course, with the convenience of store-bought rotisserie chickens, you can skip roasting the bird yourself, but more on that tomorrow.

Thanks again to everyone who entered/commented, and thank you all for reading and cooking along with me!

Shrimp: My darling daughter, Marissa, made dinner for the family last night.  I’m guessing she did this for two reasons. First, she misses making “roomie dinners” for her college roommates now that they’ve all graduated. And second, she feels sorry for me, her sad exhausted mother.

Hoarding: Yes, hoarding is the reason for both my sadness and my complete and utter emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. No, I am not the hoarder. Someone very close to me, who shall remain nameless, is though. When said person goes out of town for more than a week, (which only happens once, maybe twice, a year) I go over and clean up the disgusting mess that this person calls home. I won’t go into the gory details, but trust me, it’s awful! During this particular cleaning and tossing session, I went deep, deeper than I have in many years. I began on Saturday and have been working on it every single day, every waking hour, since. Hence, cooking and taking care of myself, my family, and this blog have been on the back burner (pun intended) and that burner has been turned off! I’ve missed a couple days of posting and will miss a few more. But the next few days will be due to something much more fun and happy. I’ll be in Laguna Beach this weekend for the wedding of a dear friend’s beautiful daughter. I’ll me back on Monday.

Contest: No, as you’ve probably figured out by now, this is not an actual “Shrimp Hoarding Contest”, although that doesn’t sound all bad. The contest I am referring to is the one that ends at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on August 22, 2010. That is Sunday night, so get on the stick and ENTER HERE! I don’t want any of you to miss out. The winner will be named when I return to blogging on Monday morning, it’ll be here before you know it.

Now for Marissa’s dinner. A wonderful cookbook for novice or experienced cooks alike is Homemade in a Hurry by Andrew Schloss. In fact it is on my list of “must have cookbooks” which you can view HERE. Marissa adapted the recipe a bit to match her taste and it was delicious! Thank you sweetheart, not only did you make dinner – you made my day! xoxox

Hoisin Pesto Shrimp and Veggies over Brown Rice

1/2 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons basil pesto
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 pound extra-large (21-25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 large red or yellow bell pepper; cored, seeded and julienned
1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Oil for coating grill pan or rack
3 cups cooked brown rice
Parsley, basil, or cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the hoisin, pesto, garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. Toss in the shrimp, bell pepper, and onion until thoroughly coated.

Grill the shrimp and vegetables until the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes per side.

Serve immediatly over cooked brown rice garnished with herbs.

Serves 4

After yesterday’s long “birthday” post, I thought it would be nice to post a quick and easy soup for today. Since it’s still scorching here in the desert, I serve this soup at room temperature rather than hot. The avocado just seems to make it more “cool” and summery. If you haven’t already commented on yesterday’s post, be sure and do so to be in the running for the grand prize for a baker’s dozen of fabulous cookbooks. You can easily make this a vegetarian soup, just use all water instead of chicken broth. The carrot and avocado flavors actually come through better that way.  I’m just not a huge carrot fan, so I prefer the broth to tone that flavor down a little.

Carrot and Avocado Soup

2 pounds carrots
1 pound potatoes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 avocados, cut in half and pitted, divided

Peel carrots and potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces and place in a large soup pot. Add garlic, broth, water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes or until vegetable are tender.

Puree soup in batches in a blender. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh of 2 of the avocados and place in blender, puree until smooth. Taste soup and season with salt and pepper. Thin with more water for desired consistency. Serve soup as is or return soup to pot and heat lightly, if desired.

Use a table knife to dice the remaining avocado halves directly in the peel/shell.

Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the diced avocado, use a spoon to scoop out the pieces and carefully drop on top of each soup bowl. Give each portion a grind of black pepper and serve.

Serves 6