Part II of surf & turf...the surf

Shrimp are quite possibly my favorite food! If cooked correctly, it can be the most delicious meal. I have to give credit to Tyler Florence, this recipe is adapted from his "Ultimate Grilled Shrimp." It is sooooo good (enough to warrant exta "o's").

For basil butter...place one stick of softened unsalted butter in food processor, along with the zest of a lemon, the juice of one lemon, a big bunch of fresh basil, salt and pepper. Blend into a smooth mixture.

For shrimp...using a knife, slice the shrimp down the back (almost butterflied...but not slice all the way through), keeping the shell on. With a butter knife or small spoon, spread basil butter into sliced shrimp. Place on hot grill and cook for about 3-5 minutes of each side until shrimp is pink throughout (be careful not to overcook it...overcooked shrimp taste like rubber). Grab a handful of napkins and enjoy shrimp!!

(pictures include grill, shrimp before and after cooking)

Part I of surf & turf...The Turf

On occasion, we'll cook separate dinners...tonight was one of those nights. The Fresh Market had absolutely gorgeous Florida shrimp (16-20 count) on sale for $7.99/lb so I splurged and got some, and since Ryan is not a shrimp fan, we got an Angus strip steak (like I said, we don't eat red meat very often...so we go all out when we do!).

For the steak: About 30-45 minutes before grilling, take the steak out of the fridge and place on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil on both sides. Add cracked pepper and a lot of kosher salt (enough so it can form a nice crust). Heat a grill on high and place steak on a well-heated part of the grill. The time it takes is so inconsistent, that you really have to use the "press" method. I learned a neat trick in Esquire about doneness...make an "ok" symbol with your thumb...for a rare steak, it should feel like the "base" of your thumb when it's connected with your first finger (medium rare with middle finger, and so on). Once steak is cooked, let rest for 10 minutes, and then slice.

For sauce: slice baby portabello mushrooms and saute in a small frying pan on medium heat with olive oil for 20 minutes, or until completely softened and carmelized. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir until flour has coated the mushrooms. Add wine of choice (we used marsala tonight) and cook at medium heat stirring for about 5 minutes. Thin out with a little beef broth until you get desired thickness. Serve sauce over sliced steak and enjoy! (I am not a mushroom fan, but this sauce has such a good flavor, I eat it and pick out the mushrooms to give to my husband!)

(pictures show the sauce cooking...along with the garlic sauteed spinach, and the steak before grilling)

Sunset in Florida

This has nothing to do with food, but check out the gorgeous sunset from our house. We are lucky enough to live in west coast Florida, so we frequently get beautiful sunsets. Unfortunately, like many Floridians, we hardly get to the beach to view them. Maybe next weekend...

If I was a vegetarian

Ryan and I were vegetarians for about 3 weeks, but then relented and started eating chicken once again (and every now and then pork or beef). With dinner tonight I made side dishes that would be good enough for a meal. (see pictures)

For spinach...on low heat, saute minced garlic in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. After garlic is browned (careful not to burn them!), add in a couple of big handfuls of baby spinach. Stir on low heat until all spinach is wilted.

For potatoes...parboil fingerling or baby yukon gold potatoes in salted water. Drain and let cool. Slice in half lengthwise. Put in a bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then place potatoes, skin side up, on a hot grill for about 15 minutes. After they have nice grill marks in them, put back in the same bowl with the oil and salt and pepper.

For bread...put olive oil on bread with garlic salt (or chopped garlic if you're feeling more ambitious than I). Place bread on a grill (or under a broiler) for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Sunday is for cooking!

Like any other ideallic Sunday, I've spent the day so far grocery shopping at The Fresh Market, catching up on the previous week's DVR'd shows, reading "chic-lit", and of course cooking! For lunch I made an easier version of a croque monsieur (skipping the time consuming bechamel sauce). It was quick and tasted almost as good as any Parisian bistro.

French ham and cheese sandwich:

We used mini baguette, but any crusty bread will do. Combine 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise (we use the olive oil based one) and 1 tablespoon mustard (dijon or grainy), and spread on both sides of slice bread. Place two thin slices of deli ham and shredded cheese of choice (we used emmental...it's like swiss; but gruyere would be good too). On top of the sandwiches, spread some softened butter (I cheated and melted it partially in the microwave) and a little bit more shredded cheese. Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese melted. (The pictures are the before and after).

More later with cooking stories. I hope everyone is having a terrific weekend, can't believe it's the end of February already!

Mall food?

Normally I avoid eating at malls at all costs, but there is one major exception: Cosimo's Brick Oven. It's been at Sarasota Southgate Mall since I was in high school and the quality hasn't changed. Ryan and I were doing some shopping and treating ourselves for lunch at Cosimo's. Granted, it's a little pricier than most of our lunch bills, but hey we were teachers who had a very long week! I get hardcore cravings for Cosimo's. Of the 100 times I've gone, 98 of those times I've gotten the same thing: spicy chicken fusili. It is so good. I'm tempted to write into a food magazine and see if they can snag their recipe for this. It is seriously yummy. The best part is that they give you so much, I got to have part two for breakfast on Sunday (weird I know, but we had yet to go grocery shopping, so it worked). When I was going through my month-long vegetarian kick, I got it without the chicken, and it was nearly as good (with enough grated parmesan, who could miss the sliced chicken breast?? Speaking of which, does anybody else ever feel guilty when the waiter is grating cheese over your meal? Secretly I want them to keep going and add more, but my guilty conscience always says "that's good" way before I have my prefered cheesy-ness...but I digress). Ryan is the adventurous one and tries different things, usually the daily specials. On Saturday he got the eggplant parmesan lunch entree with the portobello chowder. Both were yummy. The chicken blt sandwich is always really delicious. So take my advice, if you can handle braving the hoardes of old people, give Cosimo's a try (I know my mom is in charge of tourism in Sarasota so it's good news for her that all the snow birds are in town, but I think it's seriously annoying!). The service is a little to be desired, but the food makes up for it!

Busy week=takeout please!

So I have to admit...this week is probably a bad example to write about recipes because we are so insanely busy we had to get some takeout. After our middle school's volleyball game Monday night, we got takeout from Pei Wei (owned by PF Chang's). I have to say, it's one of the best chinese takeout I've ever had! Although, one downside is they always give me a hard time about ordering the way I do. I get the pad thai without peanuts, tofu, or bean sprouts. They make it seem like I'm trying to order some crazy thing, but oh well...their demeaning looks are worth it. The food's good, and it's cheap! So there you have it, less than a week into my blog, and I'm already straying away from cooking! Whoops. There's always tonight...

(the picture is the pad thai...but not mine...yucky peanuts!)

School lunch?

So I'm sure you remember when you were in school and how awful school lunches were...well, they haven't improved. Granted things are a little healthier and there are more options, but the taste, well...is non-existant and unnatural. As a teacher, we only get about 20 minutes to eat...after dropping our kids off in the cafeteria and doing other required duties; so lunch has to be quick, easy, and keep us full for the rest of the (exhausting) day. On lazy days, I opt for sandwiches or leftovers (not bad options really). When I have time to plan ahead, my favorite lunch is salad. My favorite go-to salad is pictured above in tupperware all ready to go for Monday morning. It consists of homemade creamy vinaigrette (a little mayo, whole-grain mustard, balsamic vinegar, and really good quality extra virgin olive oil), baby spinach, bacon, sliced granny smith apple, and crumbled goat cheese. It is delicious and keeps well until "A" lunch begins. This salad, along with a coke zero, is just what I need to get me through 7 hours of middle schoolers (I really do love them, but they are tiring!). Hope this easy lunch idea will work for you sometime..it's really yummy! :)

Dinner, part IV...plating and eating!

Now to the good part...plating the whole meal and eating! I start with a big scoop of the creamy mashed potatoes (they do a good job holding everything else in place), put the fish and asparagus on top of that...then finish off with some bacon "bits" and a couple spoon fulls of the sauce over everything. This meal is best with some bread to dunk in the sauce, but we forgot to buy some! (I already made Ryan run out to Publix once for some forgotten butter...this is what happens when I don't shop with a list!).

I hope you enjoy!! This was a lot of fun to make...it looks pretty, but tastes even better (if I may say so myself). This was fun...now it's time to grab a handful of girl scout cookies (I mean...an apple?) and watch the US/Canada hockey game!

(pictures- the final plating, Ryan enjoying dinner, and even Sadie thought it smelled good!)

Dinner, part III...fish & sauce

Buerre Blanc- okay so this probably isn't the most healthy sauce, but damn is it good! And plus, it's a Sunday night...there's no counting calories on a Sunday! In a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup of dry white wine (I used a cheap pinot grigio...I still buy into that whole mentality of cooking with expensive/drinking wine...$6 wine works great for me!), 1/2 cup of chicken stock (I use the I'm-too-lazy-to-make-my-own-homemade-stock stuff in the box...sorry mom!!), the juice of 2 lemons, 1 tablespoon of lemon zest, 2 sprigs of fresh thyme (pull out just before serving), and salt and pepper to taste. Once the liquid has been cooking on medium heat for about 5 minutes and reduced, add 3 tablespoons of chopped, cold, unsalted butter to the sauce. Stir pretty constantly (stopped to drain the potatoes and check on the fish, etc...unless you happen to be lucky like me an have an awesome husband/sous-chef). Once the butter is all melted in, the sauce should develop a "silkier" texture. You can reduce it further, or you can let is simmer until plating.

Now on to the main star...the fish! We bough mahi mahi for tonight's recipe, but we've made the same fish with halibut (mahi was on sale for $7.99/lb at Whole Foods). Take one tablespoon of softened butter and spread over the top of the fish (the skin side down). Sprinkle on a mixture of grey salt, pepper, chopped thyme, and lemon zest (about 2 tablespoons total of the rub) on top of the fish and gently massage into the skin. Place fish in a baking dish and into the oven for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish filet. And as the Food Network always says...let sit for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven, so it doesn't lose its juiciness.

Dinner, part II...bacon, potatoes, & asparagus

On to the recipe...although I have to admit, I'm not the best at keeping track of precise measurements (Ina Garten would be disappointed).

Bacon- place 8 slices of organic applewood smoked bacon on an unlined, ungreased baking sheet in a 400 degree pre-heated oven for about 10-15 minutes (or in my timeline, enough to relax..drink a sparking lemonade with Newman's Own lemonade and Whole Foods Italian sparkling mineral water...and read a little bit of the latest Food & Wine). Once it's cooked through, drain on some paper towels and break into small pieces/chunks. The leftover bacon will be used in salads for lunches this week (anything to avoid buying school lunch...it's already third quarter, and we've avoided that fate thus far).

Asparagus- love it or hate...and I love it, that is once I discovered roasting or grilling it. Steamed asparagus to me is disgusting and like eating brocoli, just one of those things you did when you were a kid. Now I actually enjoy eating asparagus (too bad the side effect of eating this veg still occurs...you know you know what I'm talking about...). Anyways, cut the bottom part of the stalks off to avoid the wood-y part of the vegetable. Toss with some olive oil, fresh thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a small Pyrex baking dish. Cook for about 15-20 minutes in the same 400 degree oven. Grilling asparagus is another delicious way to cook asparagus (I was just too lazy to get the grill going for one thing today; lazy Sunday..."it's the chronic-wha-cles of Narnia"). If there's extra, it's good cold or re-heated.

Mashed potatoes- I'm pretty sure everyone knows how to make mashed potatoes. Once they're done cooking...I use a hand masher and mix in 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, 1/4 cup of half-and-half, and salt/pepper to taste (I never said this was going to be a healthy dinner!).

Dinner, part 1

Alright...meal numero uno, here we go. Ryan and I went to Whole Foods after the beach today to get the world's best smoothies from their juice bar (worth the exorbitant $5), and while we were there we noticed they were having a sale on mahi mahi...so we splurged and attempted to do the week's shopping at WF. Needless to say, it was more expensive than our typical Publix trip...but we were happy buying all organic produce and meat/fish (we've been inspired after watching the movie Food, Inc.). So anyways, back to dinner...our decided menu was: baked mahi-mahi with a crust of lemon zest and thyme, mashed potatoes, roasted asparagus, lemon/thyme buerre blanc, and all that topped with a little organic bacon (happy pigs make tastier bacon). It wasn't that difficult to make, although did require the use of almost every cooking utensil and pan we have, resulting in a mess in the kitchen (the garbage disposal breaking half way through clean up didn't make things easier). To the right is a picture of my dutiful husband Ryan cleaning...he's the best!

Siesta Key

Okay...so I guess I am already deviating from the plan...but I had to post some pictures and brag about being at Siesta Key beach today. It was one of those unbelievably gorgeous days in Sarasota; where it makes you realize why you live in Florida. I mean, February at the beach in shorts and a tank top...can't beat that! I realize I am biased, but I really think Siesta Key is the most beautiful beach I've ever been to (and yes my mom is the queen of Sarasota county tourism...but I really do feel that way!). Anyways, here are just a few shots from this afternoon.

Welcome!

For the past few weeks (months, years, etc.), I've been trying to figure a way to incorporate all the things I love the most in my life...my husband, my dog Sadie, writing, eating, cooking, photography, and shopping. So I decided, what the heck, I'll try keeping a blog about these aspects of my life. Although, admitedly, I did just see Julie & Julia, I swear I don't want it to be something like that! One of the best ways to enjoy a day is to look up a new recipe (or make one up), go to the store and cook it. I'm lucky that I have access to a variety of stores that offer great produce, meat, and groceries within 20-30 minutes (including a good organic selection and farmers' markets...."stuff white people like"). I am a teacher, but have dreams of one day opening a restaurant (pipe dream). I'm going to try to blog about adventures in cooking and traveling (I strongly believe the best way to explore a city is through its food). You'll also get sick of me talking about my dog Sadie, she's like our child! I hope you enjoy :)