10.04.2005

Time to Eat... Again!

2 New Recipes in 1 week - I rule!

Napa Valley Tacos with Shrimp and Goat Cheese

1 lb small shrimp (51/60 size)
1/2 cup lime juice
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 + 1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped white onion
about 4 tablespoons of goat cheese (1/4 of a log)
a few leaves of lettuce
pico de gallo
small corn tortillas

Mix the lime juice, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1 T. olive oil in a plastic bag. Remove the tails and shells from the shrimp, add to the bag, and marinate for 30 minutes to one hour.

Add 1 T. oil to a large skillet, and saute the onion until it just starts to brown over medium high heat. Raise the heat to hight, then dump the entire contents of the marinade bag into the skillet. Cook shrimp until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the goat cheese, stir until dissolved. Lower heat to medium, then let simmer until contents thicken, about 8 minutes.

Place 1 lettuce leaf, and a spoonful of pico into each tortilla (I suggest doubling them up). Add a giant spoonful of shrimp mix to each taco.

Serve with a California Chardonnay, I recommend

Clos Du Bois.

Yes, I have been knitting and this is still a knit blog. I have been insanely busy with my school travels, so I will be getting a REAL post (opposed to, you know, this FAKE post) in soon.

Till then, here's me and the Vive-Master. Do you know how hard it is to get a cat to sit still and take an arms-legnth photo at the same time?

Yeah, not easy.

Happy hump day!

9.29.2005

Back to the Kitchen!

Bowtie Pasta with Soy-Mushroom and Wine Sauce

Note: All amounts are approximate. I am a 'little bit of this, a pour of that' sort of a chef. I mentally tried to assign amount values after the fact.

1 package sliced white mushrooms
2 T. Light Soy Sauce
1 T. Lemon Juice
1 t. Sugar
1 T. Olive Oil
1/4 c. + 2 T. white wine
2 T. Alfreado Sauce
3 T. Pomodoro Sauce (or any other packaged sauce like Prego)
1 cup Bowtie pasta (more or less to preference)

Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Strain and place aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over high heat and add the mushrooms, cooking until juices release (about 3-5 minutes, depending on the condition of your mushrooms). Mix Soy Sauce, Lemon Juice, and sugar in a small bowl. Add to saucepan and lower heat to medium-high. Cook about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup wine, cook for 2 minutes, then add alfredo sauce, stiring to mix. Lower heat to a simmer, then add pomodoro sauce. Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

IF the sauce starts to harden in the pan, add the 2 T. wine and deglaze. Gently add pasta to skillet and toss to coat.

Serves 2.

Serve with arugula salad and white balsamic vinegarette (olive oil, white balsamic, garlic, dijon mustard, salt and pepper).

Wine pairing: A light Chianti
Spulrge: Ruffino Chianti Classico Riserva '00
Steal: Piccini Wicker Toscano '01

In Celebration of my 1 year blogversary (thank you for all your lovely comments!), I started a project with my very first pair of needles:

That's a little baby hat to match the kimono. Never done color work... should be quite an interesting experience.

Ciao!

9.28.2005

Happy 1-Year Blogversary to Me!
(damn that was close... only 12 minutes left in today!)