:: what's for dinner ::

last week i made shrimp tacos for dinner one night...and another night...and another. and then i made them again last night.

my name is julia and i'm a taco-holic.


- corn salsa/relish: canned corn, diced jalapeno, diced red pepper, diced red onion, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, ground black pepper, parsley (or cilantro which i didn't have), olive oil, lime juice

- thinly chopped red cabbage
- sauteed shrimp (cut in half): olive oil, lime juice, cayenne, black pepper
- sliced avocado

- whole wheat tortilla (i found some that i looove, but can't remember the name!)

:: my dear friends ::

my heart has been very full today. to the point where it kind of hurts...in a good way. i just made my second trip of the day to the grocery store and on the way the circumstances were just right for me to hear God speaking to me. this time, he wanted to talk about the friends in my life. and i listened (for a change). it was a little overwhelming and i had to take a few deep breaths before i could even walk into the store.

here's the thing. i realized that my absolute dearest friends are those who allow me the honor of serving them. God blessed me with a "servant's heart" as my sister and brother-in-law (two people i put in the "dearest friends" category) say. and some of my happiest and fullest moments in life are when i'm helping my friends in some way.

today i'm cooking for a friend whose father-in-law passed away last week and she & her husband just moved into a new house. a slightly overwhelming week, to say the least. she could have declined my offer for a (mostly) home cooked meal. but she didn't. and the gift of her acceptance put me in my kitchen on a beautiful Memorial Day, chopping (one of my favorite pastimes) anything that got in my way. most of what i've been making won't even make it to her house (per her request, not my refusal) but i've been working on fresh salsa, roasted red potatoes, broccoli salad, red cabbage slaw and who knows what else between now and dinner time.

in the middle of the joyous madness i got a message from another sweet friend. one who constantly tells me how special i am, despite how bad i am at reciprocating such kind affirmations. she came home early from the beach yesterday so she could relax at home and get ready for her work week. she spent this morning and part of the afternoon at the ER with her mom. my response was food first, then (closely followed, but followed, still) prayer. the order doesn't matter to her. and while she didn't accept my offer to come sit at the hospital with her or meet her at her mom's house to help get things in order, i know she will gladly accept (and even propose - an even better gift sometimes!) offers yet to come. including all this extra food i have sitting around now.

the situations aren't always so grim, yet they are often related to food. my best friends know that i want to feed them...and they let me.



thank you, my dear friends. i love you.

:: pantry raid - thai soup ::

i've had a craving for some thai soup lately, so i stopped by the store on my way home from work to pick up emongrass and veggies to make tom yum goong, a sweet & spicy soup with shrimp. you could also make tom yum gai (with chicken) or just tom yum (no meat).

as usual, i don't have a true recipe, but i'll do my best to tell you what i used, how much and how i put it all together.

i started with a medium sauce pan and moved up to a large pot because i figured i'd make a lot and have it for giveaways and leftovers.

ingredients needed:
+ lemongrass
+ basil
+ chili pepper
+ ginger
+ cilantro
[for each of the above, i like to use the tubes that are found in the produce section. the pastes/tubes just make for super easy storage, measuring and clean up.]
+ low sodium vegetable stock
+ fish sauce
+ minced garlic
+ 3-4 (or more) stalks green onion
+ lime leaves [i didn't have any, but i used a splash of lime juice & a little more basil for some punch]
+ shrimp [i used peeled & de-veined cooked frozen shrimp - tails removed]

those are the basics. you can leave out the fish sauce and shrimp for a vegan version.

i also used:
+ canned bamboo shoots [wish i'd done bean sprouts instead]
+ canned baby corn
[i only used about 1/3 of the can of each of the above. saved the rest for stir fry later this week.]
+ fresh snow peas
+ fresh asparagus

put the following in a large pot (in order) over medium to high heat:
4ish cups of vegetable stock
1-2 cups of water
2 tablespoons fish sauce
baby corn
bamboo shoots
green onion
lime leaves or lime juice or lime zest (or combination)

to that, add (in any order):
note: the following things are very roughly measured. as in, i just squeezed some from the tube and am now guessing how much that was. and i'm not good with estimating measurements. start on the small end and add more as needed. sorry. it's really hard to mess this up, because you can always add more water or stock to dull it if need be.
2-3 tbsp lemongrass
1/2 tbsp chili sauce [be careful - it can go from mild to hot pretty quickly with this!]
1-2 tbsp basil
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp garlic
1-2 tbsp ginger

stir together. taste. add a little salt & pepper as needed. (i did a tablespoon or so of pepper and maybe 2 teaspoons of salt, max. i don't like salt, but it's good to bring the flavors out.) how does it taste? do you want it spicier? add more chili pepper. want it to have more of that lemony tartness? add more lemongrass. need more sweetness? add basil. you can taste all of the flavorings alone to see what each brings to the dish and determine what you're missing and what you need to add.

once you get the broth where you like it, add the snow peas, asparagus and shrimp. (i save these for the end because the shrimp is cooked and only has to thaw and i like my snow peas & asparagus with some bite to them.)

once the shrimp has completely warmed through, you're ready to serve. the longer this sits, the better it tastes.



this post has not been proofread, so please excuse any typos you might find! i just wanted to hurry and get it up before i slacked off.

:: pantry raid - blueberry zucchini bread ::

i actually have a recipe for this one!

blueberry-zucchini bread (muffins)

INGREDIENTS FOR MUFFINS:
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable (or canola) oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 teaspoons vanilla extract (i like to have a heavy hand with this)
1 3/4 cups white sugar (original recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups, but it was too sweet for me with the applesauce)
2 cups shredded zucchini (i leave the peel on)
1 1/2 cups all purpose white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt (i use kosher salt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (heavy handed)
1 1/2 pints fresh blueberries

preheat oven to 350 degrees. place muffin cups in muffin pan.

in large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, applesauce and sugar. fold in the zucchini. beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. gently fold in the blueberries. transfer to the prepared muffin cups. (or use a pyrex baking dish - ungreased.)

CRUMB TOPPING: combine 1/4 cup wheat flour, 1/4 cup white or brown sugar and 1/4 stick of softened butter. mush together with a fork or spoon. add more dried stuff if too buttery, more butter if too floury. should be just mushy enough to crumble on top of the muffins or baking dish. can also add some chopped walnuts. (raw sugar can be sprinkled on in place of the crumb topping, too, but i never have that on hand.)

bake until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. i check on them when i can really start smelling the cinnamon and bake a little more if necessary.

:: pantry raid - fish tacos ::

this is one of my current favorite go-to meals. super quick, easy, nutritional and inexpensive. i mean REALLY inexpensive.

FISH TACOS
i'll start with the "necessities" and then move on to the add-ons.

the fish:
i use tilapia from the bag. 1 fillet is normally enough for 2 tacos. thaw the fish, remove from the pouch. place in a hot pan with a little olive oil (or non-stick spray for no additional calories). i only season with pepper and whatever other spices move me in the moment (garlic, cayenne pepper, paprika, cumin). i don't like salt, so i don't add salt, but you can. a little seasoning is plenty for this because you'll have other seasonings in other components. all together, it's a flavorful dish. cook the fish, separating/flaking it as it cooks.

tortilla shell:
i don't use anything special. i have these in my fridge pretty much all the time (great for quesadillas (which i never make) and with hummus and veggies). but you can get low-carb or spinach or some other special sort of tortilla. place a small bowl with water in the microwave, put tortilla on top. once the fish has finished cooking, turn the microwave on for 10-20 seconds to warm. the water just helps steam/soften it - you don't have to do that part.

now you could be done. you could go ahead and spread some sour cream, salsa, lettuce, cabbage, cheese and the fish on the tortilla, roll and eat. but i like one (if not both) of these other things on mine. to me, these MAKE the tacos. and both of these things are great pantry raid "recipes" because i pretty much always have (most of) the ingredients on hand. (and so should you.)

gazpacho:
this is a new thing for me to make, but i LOVE it. i've made it twice recently, two different ways. here i will tell you how i made it tonight because it was really easy. (so was the other time, but i don't really remember what i did.) put all of the following into your blender. chop everything choppable (except tomatoes). doesn't need to be finely chopped since you're using the blender. just make sure everything is about the same size so that it all blends somewhat evenly.
+ 1 large can of whole tomatoes. i had accidentally bought whole the other day and i knew i wouldn't use those for anything else, but you can use diced or petite diced. or fresh, even. i did throw my first itty bitty homegrown tomato in there, too!
+ 2 bell peppers. i used 1 red, 1 orange. you can use whatever you like/have
+ half a cucumber. i kept the peel on, but you can remove, if you prefer
+ 1/4 - 1/2 red onion
+ parsley, cilantro, chives, lemon and/or lime zest, kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, minced garlic (fresh if you have it), allspice, old bay all to taste. (start small and add to it as needed.)
+ lemon juice, lime juice, worcestershire sauce, tasbasco (or schlotzsky's hot sauce if that happens to be what you have!), sriracha (just a couple of drops! add more if you like heat), and red wine vinegar all to taste, too.

blend. i used the chop setting. then, as i added more seasonings i used the stir setting or stirred by hand to avoid losing the chunkiness.

note that unless you are going to eat this as gazpacho -the soup- you will not want it super liquid-y, so you have to have a lighter hand with the liquids and keep the solids a little chunkier (and then you get both gazpacho-the-taco-condiment and gazpacho-the-soup!).

texas/redneck caviar bean dip:
i make this a lot. so many uses for me. a great go-to thing to have in the fridge. CANNOT make a little bit at a time so i always have plenty to go around. put the following things in a bowl:
+ 1 can garbanzo beans
+ 1 or 2 cans whole kernel corn
+ 1 can black beans (i can't stand black eyed peas, but you can add 1 can of those, too)
+ canned tomatoes or rotel. for the amount of beans/corn i just mentioned, i would probably do 2 cans of diced tomatoes or 3 cans of rotel.
+ 1/2 - 1 white onion
+ spring onions & colored bell peppers are great in this, too
+ the same dry seasonings as above - parsley, cilantro, garlic, chives, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, paprika - and chili powder
+ zesty italian salad dressing. the longer the dip sits, the more everything soaks up the liquid, so do a little more than you might think you need (or just add to it later).

mix together. cover & refrigerate.

add more cayenne or hot sauce for added heat. add some lime juice for added zest.


back to the tacos:
i take the flat tortilla, spread a little light sour cream (teaspoon or so), then spread the gazpacho and/or bean dip on top of that. then i add some shredded cheese, shredded red cabbage (my 2nd favorite part of this!), squeeze some lemon or lime juice on that, then put the fish on top of it all. roll halfway, fold in the ends, roll some more and chow down.

enjoy...and post comments if you have questions or feedback!



this post has not been proofread, so please excuse any typos you might find! i just wanted to hurry and get it up before i slacked off.

:: pantry raid! ::

i'm not organized enough in the kitchen to be able to tag my dishes with a certain dollar amount or to call them "30 minute meals." but i can safely call most of my dinners (and lunches, for that matter) "last minute meals" as i often get a hankering for one particular thing, raid my pantry and throw a meal together.

i have friends who ask me to teach them to cook. who ask me for recipes. i don't use recipes and (as previously noted), i'm not really organized in the kitchen - not enough to teach someone to cook. i think i would only confuse and frustrate someone. i have learned to cook by watching & helping my mom (and grandmothers and cooking shows), not by using recipes. it's trial and error based on love and desire; i live to eat, for sure.

but since i know i have an interested audience, i'll post a meal here (that i just finished!). it was super fast, easy, inexpensive and good! oh, and pretty nutritious, too. a great summer fare that can take advantage of the best produce this season has to offer - or not. (note the canned & frozen items used this time around for the sake of convenience).

as noted, i do not follow recipes. along those lines, i cannot (do not) write recipes. it will be up to you to figure out how to alter if you choose to leave out certain parts of this.

things to note:
when it comes to seasonings - or anything that you're adding - start light.; you can always add more pepper, garlic, etc, but you can't take it away.

i have all of the following things on hand, pretty much at all times. if you don't - well, in my opinion, you should. why not?

"ALL VEGGIES* DINNER"
featuring: creamed corn, sliced cantaloupe, roasted tomatoes, baked okra, red cabbage slaw and deviled eggs.

put eggs on to boil for deviled eggs
preheat oven to 400 for tomatoes & okra

creamed corn:
drain a can of sweet yellow corn - set the liquid aside. (fresh corn from the cob is preferable, but not enough so to have made a special trip to the grocery store for it when i had canned on hand.) dump the drained corn into a skillet with a dab of butter (or not) over low-medium heat. add a few sprinkles of bacon bits (the real bacon pieces, not the hard, crunchy kind). i always have hormel bacon pieces in my fridge for salads, green beans, corn, scrambled eggs. once the butter has melted, sprinkle about a tablespoon of flour to thicken. add the corn liquid for a sweeter taste or just skip straight to adding some milk. i used organic 2% because that's what i have. cream is more traditional (and would mean skipping the flour). add a little milk. stir. mash (with potato masher, spatula, back of spoon, etc). season it. i use a good bit of black pepper, (unsalted) poultry seasoning, a pinch of kosher salt (can omit) and a little nutmeg. watch it thicken. if it gets too thick, turn down heat and add more liquid (milk and/or corn juice). the longer it sits, the better the flavor.

roasted grape tomatoes:
spread grape tomatoes on a baking sheet. drizzle with olive oil. sprinkle with black pepper, garlic powder and a tiny bit of kosher salt (if desired). place in oven (can go in before preheated). eventually, you'll hear them popping as they burst open. once they pop, remove from oven. you can remove them before then, too, but i think post-pop is when they're best. i sprinkled mine with some fresh basil from the garden after taking from oven.

baked okra:
i used frozen, sliced okra (thawed) because that's what i have. fresh, sliced okra may be used (and would have been preferable if it didn't mean making a trip to the store!). about 2 cups for the amount of stuff i'm about to tell you. really, i just used what was left in the bag i had. it's way too much for one person, but i'll reheat tomorrow for lunch. in a small dish (i used a square pyrex casserole dish - great for dredging), mix about 1/2 cup of cornmeal (i used buttermilk cornmeal because that's what i had, but the recipe i was using for inspiration called for yellow cornmeal), 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder (which i don't have, so i added about 1 teaspoon of grated white onion), some cajun seasoning (which i don't have, so i used cayenne pepper and some old bay) and black pepper. in a separate bowl, lightly whisk 1 large egg. dump the okra into the egg, coating each piece. use a slotted spoon to add egg-coated okra - a little at a time - to the flour mixture. dredge . (the first batch i did was very well coated and was too crunchy, not okra-y enough for me. the second batch was just lightly breaded and was much better.) place the okra on a baking sheet, leaving space between each piece for even browning. spray the tops lightly with cooking spray. cook for 20-25 minutes or until the outside is crispy.

red cabbage slaw:
chop red cabbage. toss with a little mayo, red wine vinegar (or tarragon vinegar or white vinegar or a combination) - or just use store bought cole slaw dressing. season with garlic powder, pepper and salt (if desired). refrigerate until everything else is done.

deviled eggs:
once the eggs come to a rolling boil, remove from heat and cover for 20 minutes. then peel and cut in half, length-wise. place the yolks in a bowl. i use a metal strainer to finely mash the yolks, but a fork or spoon will work, too. just might be lumpier. add a little mustard and mayo (start with small amounts and add to it as needed) and white pepper (black pepper is fine if you don't keep white on hand). fill the egg white holes with the yolk mixture. if you're over 70, sprinkle some paprika on top. over 80, add an olive slice. (that's a joke. i like mine topping free.)

sliced cantaloupe:
slice cantaloupe.


i had a couple of cornbread muffins left over from another meal, so i had those tonight, too.


* my mom would make a meal like this and call it "all veggies" despite there being cantaloupe, tomatoes and other fruits on the bill. in our house and in the south (as far as i know) this is considered an all vegetable meal. period.



this post has not been proofread, so please excuse any typos you might find! i just wanted to hurry and get it up before i slacked off.

:: bananaramalamadingdong - part deux ::

at the beginning of march i had the idea for a banana pudding inspired dessert. i promised to give it a try and post an update. here's how to make this treat, based on what i did, what worked, and what i would do differently next time. i wouldn't consider this a success (yet) but it definitely has promise. i can't really give you measurements, because i don't really measure. just make as many or as few ice cream sandwiches as you like and play the meringue quantity by ear.

i used two flavors of ice cream -french vanilla & mayfield banana pudding.

• soften ice cream.
• slice a banana (1/4-1/8 inch) and saute with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. let cool. reserve the butter/sugar/cinnamon liquid and some banana slices for a topping.
  
• using a measuring teaspoon (or melon baller), sandwich one small scoop of banana pudding ice cream between 2 vanilla wafers and banana slices (1 or 2 slices per sandwich).
  
• place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• place baking sheet in freezer to refreeze. [you could just stop here and enjoy some very easy & tasty ice cream sandwiches - or continue to the meringue/baked alaska portion of the program.]

• click here for very helpful information about making egg white meringue. read this before starting the process.
• in a stainless steel or glass bowl (don't use plastic), beat room temperature eggs whites to stiff peaks.
• remove firm ice cream sandwiches from freezer & cover completely with meringue, making sure the meringue meets the parchment paper lining to create a seal during the baking process.
• return to freezer (for at least 2 hours). ice cream needs to be well frozen.
  
• when you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 425.*
• bake until meringue gets brown tips (approximately 3-7 minutes).
  

* i preheated to 450 and to 425 - my results were not good (because of a limp batch of meringue from adding sugar early and not using cream of tartar). you might want to start out with just a few sandwiches and see what temperature and cooking time works best.

drizzle butter/sugar/cinnamon liquid & some banana slices over the top. caramel sauce would be really good with this, too.

i don't have a picture of the finished product because mine fell completely flat (due to the reasons i mentioned above). my brother & sister (guinea pigs) said it tasted like pancakes. that's pretty much what they looked like, too. the taste was good, execution needs improvement.

:: bananaramalamadingdong ::

last night as i was falling asleep i thought about banana pudding ice cream that a friend had recently discovered. and i thought about turning that into an ice cream sandwich. with nilla wafers. and then i started thinking about making a whole ice cream sandwich dessert based on the traditional components of banana pudding. and i came up with this. i'm fine tuning the ingredient/method thoughts and will attempt making these sometime over the next week or so. once i've gone through the trial & error of actually making them, i'll update with what works (and what doesn't) since ingredients, methods and temperatures are all just rough ideas at this point.

barely bite sized banana pudding foster sandwich baked alaska.

("barely" because these might be huge.) we'll work on the name down the road.

soften banana ice cream. sandwich between nilla wafers. place on lined (parchment paper) baking sheet. place back in freezer.

prepare meringue (beat egg whites, slowly add sugar until stiff peaks form).

remove sandwiches from freezer. cover each sandwich with meringue, to the sheet/paper to create a complete seal. return to freezer for a couple of hours to set.

preheat oven to 425. remove sandwiches from freezer and place in oven (lowest shelf) until meringue is lightly browned.

top with caramel or bananas foster sauce (butter, cinnamon, brown sugar. rum/banana liquer if desired).

[random baked alaska photo]

* could also incorporate marshmallows. (maybe stuff sandwiches into marshmallows and roast them instead of using meringue?)

* could also add banana slices to the banana ice cream sandwich. or use vanilla ice cream with banana slices.

if you give this a shot, be sure to post comments with your successes and messes!