Recipe: Crab and Cucumber Salad

A great summertime treat my family loves is Crab and Cucumber salad.  It is fresh and cool, especially on these hot summer days, and it is one of those dishes that can serve as a nibble or a meal.  Even better, it is quick to make - less than 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients at the ready.  So, I thought I would share the recipe with you...

All you need is an English cucumber, 1/4 cup of finely diced celery, a 2 tablespoons of finely chopped Walla Walla sweet onions, 2 teaspoons of finely chopped parsley, 8 ounces of chopped crab meat, and 2 tablespoons of mayo (though you may want more - depending on your preferred consistency).

Make sure you crab meat is cooked and cold.  We typically put it in the fridge for about an hour before preparing the mixture.  Peel the cucumber, then split in half.  Core out the seeds to create little cucumber boats.  Next mix your chopped onion, celery, parsley, crab meat, and mayo (adding little dollops of mayo until you achieve your preferred consistency).  Then fill you cucumber boats with the mixture and enjoy.

We do this salad in a variety of ways... using cucumber boats, chopping the cucumber and mixing it in with the crab mixture, or cutting the peeled cucumber into thin circles and putting a dollop of the crab mixture on top (much like an appetizer).  Whatever form you like, it is good stuff!

If you make this recipe, come back and tell me how you liked it.  And Tweet me a photo of your creation on Twitter.  You can find me here:  @bsmpblog.  I cannot wait to see your photos!

Happy Monday!

Recipe: Shrimp Linguine

One of the things I love about autumn is the food.  Those warm, comfort dishes that make us toasty from the inside out.  A dish that is sure to please is Shrimp Linguine.  It is light enough to eat all year around, but we especially love it in the autumn.  

Even better?  It takes less than 20 minutes to make.  Here is how you make it...

Take one box of linguine noodles and put them in a pot of boiling water.  I use the whole grain noodles, and I always add a few drops of olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking.  You'll want to cook these noodles until they are Al Dente (firm but not hard).

While the noodles are cooking, cut up 1/4 cup of red onions and put them in a fry pan with about 3 tablespoons of butter.  If you like onions, you can add more but since I'm not a fan of onions - I keep it minimal.  I'm always concerned the onions will over-power the other components of this dish.  Cook until they are translucent.

Then add about 5 tablespoons of a nice extra virgin olive oil (EVOO).  The one I used for this recipe is Kaldi which is a Greek olive oil.  It has a slight fruity taste to it.

Take a pound of shrimp (I use the jumbo sized prawn shrimp) and pull off the tails.

Add the shrimp to the EVOO, butter, and onions.  Make sure the shrimp is on medium-to-low heat, so the shrimp doesn't over-cook.

Make a herb mixture of rosemary, thyme, parsley, and chives.  Roughly cut the herbs.  I like herbs, so I use a tablespoon of each. 

Add it to the shrimp about 1 minute before the shrimp is thoroughly cooked through (and done).  By now, your noodles should be done.

At the last minute, squeeze half a lemon onto the shrimp before turning off the heat.

Plate the pasta then add the shrimp including all the juices the shrimp cooked in.  Top with freshly ground Parmesan.

The final step... sprinkle with white truffle oil.  Keep in mind, this oil goes a long well so be conservative when adding it to the dish.  Top with a little freshly ground pepper, and serve.

Hope you enjoy the dish.  Let me know if you try it out and how you like it.

Greek Salad Recipe

One of the favorite salads is called the Greek Salad.  It's fresh, packed full of flavors, and - even more importantly - it is easy.  It takes less than 10 minutes to make and is never a disappointment.  And since I decided Greek Salad is what I wanted for lunch today, I thought I would share this recipe with you.

Greek Salad

1 long English Cucumber
1/4 cup of grape tomatoes
1/4 diced red onion
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Crumbled Feta Cheese
Pepper

Peel the cucumber and chop into large chunks.  Cut the grape tomatoes in half.  Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion.  Lightly drizzle the EVOO and crumble Feta on top (the Feta amount is to preference... I like a lot of Feta).  Mix everything up, so everything is lightly coated.  Dish into bowls and top with pepper (pepper amount is to taste).  Serves 4.

This definitely is a go-to salad for the summer because it is cool and refreshing.  However, I eat this salad all year-round and it is easily adaptable to suit being served with poultry, fish, pork, or beef.  Give it a try and make sure to come back and let me know how you liked it.

It's All Berries!

The world is coming up berries at my house.  Mum has gone berry crazy... Raspberries and strawberries filling our freezer, while recipes for jam are being diligently reviewed.  Just how much raspberries and strawberries have filled our freezer is unknown, but there is talk of more.  Good grief!

And she isn't done with raspberries and strawberries.  She intends to go to the fields and get blueberries, tayberries, and marionberries.  This year Mum has really rolled up her sleeves and enjoyed her retirement.  I think the first year of her retirement, she was just getting used to the notion.  But this year, she's living it up to the fullest.  Apparently summer means living it up with berries.

I'm not complaining, but I think I'm going to go crazy under all these berries.  One thing is for sure... Dawn loves it.  She's had strawberries every day since June 1.

Discovery: KIND Bars

 

I have made a fantastic new discovery... KIND bars.  They're these great bars that are full of good stuff like nuts, honey, and sometimes chocolate... sometimes fruit.  A friend of mine, who has lost 125 pounds over the past 12 months, discovered these little gems when she was trying to find a healthy snack.  She eats these when she misses a meal, needs some energy, or before a work-out (which she does daily).  Though I wasn't looking for a meal substitute or something to eat before working out (because this girl doesn't intentionally work out), I was interested in a healthy snack.

One day, while going through the grocery store, I saw these bars and thought I would buy one and give it a try.  I fell in love.  My favorites are Peanut Butter/Dark Chocolate and Dark Chocolate/Cinnamon Pecan.  Love them!  And, apparently so does the rest of the world because every time I try to different stores to buy some - they're sold out.

 

I love that these bars are packed with protein, have minimum sugar, and have no cholesterol (though I've been blessed with good cholesterol numbers), and have low sodium.  While there is fat, it is generally more healthy fat - because of the nuts.  They're crunchy (sometimes a bit too hard) and have the right amount of sweetness.  I totally recommend them!

Happy Thursday!

Public Service Announcement...

Just when you thought it was safe to start that diet (okay, it really is never safe to start a diet around the holidays), Reese's comes out with these babies... Reese's Peanut Butter Trees.  I'm convinced these bad boys are just down-right evil.

I have a serious weakness for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I have a serious weakness for the peanut butter and chocolate combination.  As my family with attest - I have no problem skipping out on the candy.  I can even go without chocolate for significantly long periods of time.  My record for skipping out on the candy was 13 months until I ruined it with a miniature Mr. Goodbar.  But if I see that tell-tale orange - I'm puddy.

So, of course, when I saw these in the store - I had to buy them.  Worse yet? I was unable to keep myself from eating three (yes, three!) in one sitting.  I actually had to give them to Mum to hide, so I wouldn't eat that fourth one that was begging to be eaten.  Reese's cannot fool me... That holiday goodness is really disguising evil.  Readers... Beware!

Lunch with the Family...

Sometimes it is good for the soul to just go to a restaurant and indulge.  So, the other day I decided to take Mum and Dawn to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner:  Chihuahua Family Mexican Restaurant.  It has been a while since we've eaten here - for a variety of reasons - and we were very excited to be going back. Every time we eat here, we have a positive experience.

 I just love the look of this place.  Lots of bright colors, red brick, and black iron details.

They even use the planter boxes along the side of the restaurant to plant flowers, herbs, and a lime tree.  I cannot help but wonder if the limes are for the Coronas they serve in the bar area.

Every table gets a basket full of warm tortilla chips.

And two bowls of goodies to put on those warm tortilla chips.  I admit, I prefer Mum's Pico de Gallo.  She makes the best stuff.

There is never a shortage of food at this restaurant.  We get large plates that are hot to the touch.  And those hot plates (you have to be very coordinated to ensure you don't burn yourself while eating) are heaping with food and the heated plates keep the food warm during the entire meal.

This was my plate... Two chicken enchiladas, rice, and beans... Fabulous.  Even more fabulous? The conversation.  It is one of the great things about going to a restaurant.  You don't have to worry about fixing the food, serving the food, or doing the dishes.  Instead, you can just pick what you want and sit back to enjoy the company you're eating with while others worry about fixing the food, serving the food, and doing the dishes.

We don't indulge that much, but when we do - we relish it.  Our conversation lasted 2 hours - well passed the food.  Bring on dessert!!

Monte Cristo Sandwich Recipe

 

One of the favorite dishes this family likes to eat for dinner, especially on warm summer nights is the Monte Cristo sandwich.  But what is great about the Monte Cristo is that it is great all year around... the perfect comfort food.  And, it doesn't take much preparation or energy to make.  Here is the recipe...

Turkey Slider Recipe

One of the favorite dishes Mum makes is turkey sliders.  These are a standard all year around, but they are especially enjoyable on cool summer evenings when we're sitting around the patio and enjoy the summer breeze.

Here's the recipe...

Take 1 pound of ground turkey breast, 1 large egg, and 1/4 cup of bread crumbs.  Combine well.  Mum uses her hands and just digs in.

Then add some fresh herbs... rosemary, parsley, cilantro, tarragon, and chives.  Once you've rinsed them off and pat them dry, dice up the herbs.  Mum rough cuts the herbs, but I always chop them up as fine as possible.  Either way works.

Add that to the turkey, egg, and bread crumbs.  Once it is all mixed well, pull apart small handfuls of the mixture.  Form them into the shape of a ball, take a table spoon and smush them down into a patty before putting them on the grill or fry pan.  Cook thoroughly.

Dress the turkey sliders any way you want.  Mine always has mozzarella or provolone cheese, leaf lettuce, and pickles.  Dawn's always as ketchup but no pickles.  Mum's always has relish instead of pickles.  Either way you dress it, turkey burgers taste great.  They're a fresh, filling alternative to the standard beef sliders.  Fabulous!

Fruit and Veg Market

I love going to the fruit and veg market for many reasons.  The primary reason is all the fresh produce at reasonable prices but I also love all the color.  The fruit and veg market is packed with color.

We try to go to the fruit and veg market at least once a week, and we primarily buy lemons, limes, tomatoes, bananas, grapes, and apples.  This time, we also bought cantaloupe, watermelon, leaf lettuce, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and onions.

But the fruit and veg market that we go to has an abundance of variety, which - at times - can get us into trouble.  Too many choices can occasionally make a person indecisive.  Except for Dawn.  Dawn always goes for the oranges.

On this shopping trip, we bought two different kinds of onions.  We're using them for the salsa we're making in a few days. 

And of course, Mum had to have her watermelon.  I'm not a fan of watermelon.  Rather, I'm a cantaloupe girl.  But Mum loves her watermelon and we always end up buying lots during the summer months.  

And for a photographer, the fruit and veg market is a dream come true.  Look at all these melons!!  Fabulous colors and textures.  Now I'm hungry.

Happy Tuesday!

Fiesta Chicken Recipe

Fiesta Chicken is a fabulous, fun, and flippin' fantastic recipe my family loves to eat at any time of the year.  And, even better, it is super easy to make.  So I thought I would go ahead and post the recipe for all of you to try.

Salsa Recipe

 

Mum and I decided we wanted to make Fiesta Chicken for dinner, so it meant whipping up a batch of fresh salsa.  So, I thought I would share the recipe with all of you.

Celebrating For No Reason...

I have always believed that it is a good idea to celebrate, even when there is nothing to celebrate.  Just pick a random day and celebrate.  How you choose to celebrate is completely up to you, but do it.  It's fun, energizing, and give yourself something to look forward to.

Sister Day and Cupcakes...

Yesterday was Sister Day.  Sister Day is a day when Dawn and I go out and spend the day together.  We do fun things like have picnics, take photographs, watch a movie, go for a hike, or whatever it is that strikes our fancy.  We have these Sister Day celebrations several times a year, and every time Dawn gets so excited that she doesn't sleep too well the night before and we end up cutting our Sister Day short because she's fallen asleep while we're driving around.  Yesterday's Sister Day was a reschedule of the day before's Sister Day because Dawn had gotten absolutely no sleep the night before and within an hour of leaving the house - she was zonked out.  So, we cancelled and rescheduled.  Only this time, I decided not to tell her about the rescheduling so she could get some sleep the night before.

Valentine's Cookie Party

To celebrate Valentine's Day (a holiday I'm notoriously negative about), we decided to throw a little cookie party.  Of course, it was just me, Mum, and Dawn.  We could have invited more people, but then we'd have to share the cookies.  Yep... I'm selfish that way.

The end result of our cookie party looked something like this...

Chicken and Veggies Stir Fry

I don't cook often, but when I do I try to do it in a creative and healthy way.  And, yes, I'm always messy.  And while I believe cookbooks serve a very valuable purpose, I don't really like to follow them too closely.  Instead, I prefer to just go for it and create whatever strikes my fancy.  This is one of those recipes...

You start by cooking the rice.  I prefer to cook the rice in the oven because it comes out dryer and more fluffy.

Cupcake Carousel

I LOVE cupcakes.  While they aren't my favorite dessert treat (that would be ice cream or baklava), they rank up right there.  I believe cupcakes are the perfect combination of sweet goodness and moderation - especially the mini cupcakes.  I'm a big fan of mini cupcakes.

The other day I was flipping through a magazine and saw this beauty.  How wonderful it is that?!?! It's a cupcake carousel offered by Horchow.  It's whimsical and fabulous.  This is definitely going on my birthday list.  It's just too bad my birthday isn't until September.