Did you ever think?

Hello all my beautiful foodies out there. My first order of buisness is about a restaurant I pass by quite a bit, Scarpettas. Scott Conant is the owner. I was quite surprised to see that his restaurant got a B rating. As cocky and pretentious as he is, he should be ahamed of himself. I just needed to get that off my chest before I get to the good eats of the day. Thanks for letting me share :) Did you ever just start grabbing stuff to make a marinade or a sauce and really didn't know whether it would turn out good or not. If your adventurous you do those things and hope for the best. Which is what I did today. I was at one of my favorite markets..the chelsea market in the meat packing district. I went into the lobster company. They really do have the best seafood. The scallops are real. Not the fake ones they try to pass off. And they have so many different kinds of shrimp, and fish...yummy yum yum. I was a strict vegetarian for a while but a year or so ago I started eating seafood. I'm what you call a fallen vegetarian. But I'm alright with it! I eat a lot of shrimp and I was really excited to see they had the Langostines. Head on shrimp. I've never had those before and I've heard they're so good. I must admit seeing the shrimp with the head on and those wiggly little antennas was a bit shocking at first, but I didn't come all this way to chicken out now. They're a bit pricey at 20.95 a lb. They also had the blue head on shrimp for 17.95 a lb. I asked what the difference was besides a few dollars in price. The man behind the counter said the blue ones are a bit sweeter so I bought those.
Now the inspiration for my sauce. I love louisiana hotsauce but I wasn't in the mood to be overwhelmed. I wanted them to have some kick but still be mellow. I carefully deveined my shrimp but still left the shell and heads intact. Cooking the shrimp with the shells on will keep them super yummy. I patted my shrimp dry and spinkle with a little salt. I poured on 3 generous splashes of my Orange Blosson honey balsamic vinegar. Probably about a 1/4 cup. Then over that I poured on my louisiana hot sauce. About the same amount. I added a whole bunch of garlic that I ran through a garlic press. About 6 large cloves. I put the lid on the container and shook them up to really coat those shrimp. I let them sit in the fridge for about and hour. I chose to saute them in a combination of olive oil and butter. Butter for flavor...and olive oil to raise the smoking point. If you're going to saute in butter you don't want it to burn so its recommended to add some oil to it. When the oil was really hot I added the shrimp the pan and covered them. I cooked them for about 8-10 minutes.
I have the to tell you..I never thought I would say this out loud. Lol...but I loved ripping the heads off those those babies and sucking the juice out of them!! OMG..double OMG...so feaking good!!
So I highly recommend getting the head on shrimp. And the sauce...the combination of the hotsauce and tasty vinegar was super yummy. Just the right amount of heat. This will definately be added to my special ocassion repertoire for sure
So I hope your inspired to go outside of your comfort zone and try this recipe. Off for now honeybees and bears!

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tip of the moment#5

Earlier I blogged about a chipotle yogurt dip. That recipe has inspired this tip of the moment. I'm sure I'm not alone with the issue I'm about to address. What to do with the leftover chipotle peppers in adobo sauce? Because I know that when I buy a can of these knock your socks off peppers that I usually only use 1 or two of them along with a little of the sauce and then the rest usually sit in my fridge and grow mold. This time in order not to waste a whole can of peppers I spooned the rest into little ziplock baggies and they're going right into the freezer. I put about 3 peppers in each bag along with a little sauce. That way I can just pull out one bag and defrost when I need it and not waste any
Off for now!

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The ultimate dipping sauce!

I learned how to make this sauce when I was 18. I worked at a raw bar during the summer. We served oysters, clams on the half shell, shrimp cocktail and fried calamari. I have to say this was a fun job for me. It was easy since our menu was so small and most of the work was cleaning and prep. Our sauce for the calimari was a chipotle yogurt sauce that was so addictive our restaurant neighbors wanted to use it on their french fries and their chicken fingers...and so easy to make! It stays really well in the fridge and only gets better after a day or two.

1 cup light mayo
1 cup plain fat free yogurt.
(Make sure its plain..I once accidently used vanilla yogurt and it was a disaster lol)
1 chipotle pepper with 2 tbs of the adobo sauce it comes in.
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
A dash of salt and pepper to taste

The great thing about this recipe is you can adjust it to your taste. If you like it creamy add more mayo. If you like it a touch lighter go heavier on the yogurt. If you like it more spicy add more of the adobo sauce from the peppers. If your not a fan of cilantro...I don't know what to tell you because you need the cilantro to counter balence the heat of the peppers. I would definately let the flavors marry a bit in the fridge and then adjust the flavors. Keep in mind the chipotle peppers will get more intense as the flavors blend together. You can use this on anything its so good. Use it with a vegetable platter for appetizers if your entertaining. Its definately one of my favorite go to sauces for company. Hope you're inspired to try this.
Off for now !

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pancakes for brunch, lunch or dessert!

Oh yea..you read that right. Pancakes are not just for breakfast anymore. Lunch, brunch or dessert...these are awesome anytime. I promise you, this recipes is an awesome go-to that will impress anyone. Hope you try these and enjoy!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups AP flour
4 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
3tbs melted unsalted butter
1/2 tsp good vanilla extract
1 cup finely grated carrots, patted dry on a paper towel
1tsp orange zest
1tbs finely diced candied ginger
1/4 cup toasted choped pecans or walnuts and a little more for garnish
Cooking spray

Maple cream cheese drizzle
8oz softened cream cheese
1/2 cup grade B maple syrup
4tbs butter

For the pancakes whisk together flour,sugar,baking powder,pumpkin pie spices,baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together eggs,buttermilk,melted butter and vanilla. Add carrots and zest and mix until smooth. Add wet ingredients to dry and fold in nuts and ginger. Do not overmix.refridgerate for at least 30 minutes. When you're ready to make your pancakes please resist the urge to stir that batter. You don't want to destroy all the lovely bubbly goodness that's been developing. I posted a recipe in my blog all about pancake technique..so feel free to search and read it...
The maple cream cheese drizzle is made the same as you would a frosting. Do it in a standup mixer or a with a hand held mixer.
To serveHstack pancakes and drizzle with maple cream cheese and garnish with nuts
...and most important ENJOY..and impress all of your friends because this recipe is the bomb!
Off for now!

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a quickie

Ok bees and bears..here's a quickie for you. Soyaki marinade from trader joes. It is totally the bomb for fish and tofu (or whatever you want to put it on). I minced some fresh garlic and mixed it in before I used it..on the money. A must have for any kitchen

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a comfort food twist

Hey everyone,

It was raining when I decided to do this recipe and when the weather is crappy out I go right to comfort food. When I was little in my house tuna casserole was something my mom made from time to time. I'm doing a new twist on an old classic. I'm making tuna stuffed shells. It thought this was interesting and since I like tuna casserole I'm all in.

Ingredients
For the sauce
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
3 cups whole milk
Pinch of cayanne
Pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp salt (or to your preference)
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup grated fontina or white chedder
20 cooked jumbo pasta shells

For the filling
1tbs olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup green peas
2 (6oz) cans solid white tuna flaked into small pieces
2tsp lemon zest
1tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup fontina or white chedder
1egg, beaten
2/3 cup ricotta
Pinch of cayanne
2 tbs grated parmesan

In a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. Cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly add the milk and whisk like crazy until there are no visible lumps. Add nutmeg, cayanne and salt. Simmer the sauce and then turn off the heat and add the cheese and oregano.
Put sauce to the side.
Saute onions in the olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and diced peppers and cook for five minutes until soft. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, except the parmesan. Mix with a fork until just combine.
Spread 1/3rd of the sauce on the bottom or a 13x9 casserole dish. Stuff the shells with the filling and place into the dish. Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 400 until GBD. (Golden,brown and deliscious).

So I hope your inspires to use up those cans of tuna in a.new twiat on an old classic comfort food favorite!
Off for now!

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veggie chili

I've been trying to incorporate more veggies and fiber in my diet. Fiber is our friend. A lady I know from my job told me about this recipe for vegetarian chili and brought me the recipe. I saw where she altered it to her taste. Like most older people she prefers her food on the mild side...but I'm a spicy girl. Not blow your head off spicy, but I like big bold flavors with a little bit of heat. I played around with her recipe a bit and came up with one that I think is totally legit. Hope your inspired once again. This is slow cooker friendly or you can do it on the stove top in a big pot. This is super easy to make and freezes extremely well.

Ingredients
14oz can of black bean soup
15oz can of kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
15oz can of garbonzo beans (drained and rinsed)
16oz can bush's baked beans
28oz can crushed tomatoes(the one w/basil already in it)
1 15oz can of corn kernels drained
1 medium onion. Chopped
1 zucchini. Chopped
1 celery stalk. Chopped
3 garlic cloves. Chopped
1/2 jalapeno. Seeded finely chopped.
1tbs cumin
1tbs parsley
1tbs smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cayanne pepper
1tbs honey
1tbs peanut butter
1 package of soyrizo

Combine all of these ingredients in a slow cooker and season with your spices cook on low for 6-8 hours or on the stove tope for 3 hours.
Serve with cornbread, tortillas or rice.
Hope your inspired to make this. It came out super yummy!

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