Coming Soon...

No cooking in the last 24 hours, just trying to eat as many leftover as possible and clearing the fridge for our weekend BBQ.  I have to have my fridge and freezers almost emptied, organized and cleaned by Friday when Tim returns home from Costco with his portion of the food for our big BBQ.  I go on Saturday to Whole Foods to get all the produce.  Fun!


So coming up this weekend:

Best Potato Salad Ever
Pesto (homemade for the first time!) Shrimp & Orzo
Some sort of cold corn dish....not sure which one yet but I'm browsing through all my resources to find a fun and fabulous one.

Shrimp & Broccoli

In my quest to use up everything in my freezer and fridge before this weekend I discovered a bag of "steam fresh broccoli florets" and frozen uncooked shrimp.  I did a little cook book searching and some internet research and came up with dinner.


Inspired the Amateur Gourmet, and this recipe, I found in my "Back to the Basics" Barefoot Contessa cook book this little gem.  It will make you think of broccoli in a whole different way.  My nemesis, Paula Deen, would just smother the broccoli in butter and cheese, but this is broccoli in it's glory.

ingredients on my horrible counter

toss in olive oil, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

toss in thinly sliced fresh garlic

after peeling your shrimp keep these to use in fish stock

olive oil...

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

add the shrimp to the broccoli and cook until the shrimp are just turning pink

this tasted soooo good with this meal

after zesting the lemon, squeeze it to get the fresh lemon juice

mmmm it smells so good already

now to add the magic

serve on pasta or brown rice

Note:  The recipe calls for both pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. I didn't have any pine nuts (must buy some this week to make pesto this weekend) and I completely forgot to sprinkle the cheese at the end.  Both would have made the meal wicked amazing, but you know what??  I didn't miss the cheese at all!  It tasted great without it and it was healthier.  If I was just making the broccoli as a side, I would definitely make sure to add both pine nuts and cheese, but for our dinner...it didn't matter.


Recipe:


Barefoot Contessa's Roasted-Parmesan Broccoli:

Ingredients

• 4 to 5 pounds broccoli (I used a 1lb bag of frozen steam fresh broccoli and it was the right amount for 2 adults and 3 picky eaters)
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• Good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

If you want to do my Broccoli & Shrimp, follow the instructions up until putting the broccoli in the oven.  Cook it for 10 minutes if from a frozen bag, 15 minutes if fresh, before adding the shrimp (tossed in olive oil, kosher salt and ground black pepper).  Cook the broccoli and the shrimp for about 9 more minute or until the shrimp begin to turn pink.

Put the broccoli and shrimp in a large bowl and add in all the other ingredients.  Serve over brown rice or spaghetti.

Homemade Pizza

There are many nights where I just don't have the will to make dinner.  Usually when Tim isn't going to be home.  I have Papa John's on speed dial but lately the fun to making pizza myself has overcome the urge to reach for the phone.  


While I like the ease of just buying Trader Joe's pizza dough in a bag, and it is tasty and simple, I have found I prefer the taste of homemade pizza dough.  America's Test Kitchen has a great recipe, that uses a processor which works well for me since I don't own a KitchenAid. One day!  The only downside I have found for making your own pizza dough is that you have to plan ahead. You can't decide at 5pm that you want to make pizza and serve it at 6pm.  You CAN decide at 3pm that you want to make pizza and serve it by 6pm.

I hate rolling pins for pizza. I find it's so much easier to work the dough with your hands on a greased cookie sheet.

I sauteed the garlic in olive oil for just a minute or two before adding it to the tomatoes

heaven in a bowl

Don't forget to give the hungry baby some cheese to eat while you assemble the pizza

my helpers who are still learning how to evenly distribute the cheese

half the cheese went into theirs mouths

I returned to the kitchen to find that the pizza was being closely monitored.

cheesy goodness

approved!

Dough:

4 1/4 cups bread flour  2 1/4 tsp (1 envelope) instant or rapid-rise yeast ( 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 1/2 cups warm water 

Makes 2 lbs dough (enough for 3 12" pizzas)

Prep time - 5 minutes

Total time - 1hr 15 min

In the processor with dough blade attached:

Combined dry ingredients and mixed on low to blend.

Add olive oil & water. Mix on low until a ball of dough forms.

sprinkle flour on the table and need dough for 5 minutes before placing it in a well oiled bowl.

Let rise for 1 -1 1/2 hour covered with plastic wrap.

Sauce:

small can crushed tomatoes

minced fresh garlic

chopped fresh basil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

Cook on a greased pan for about 13 minutes, until cheese is beginning to brown and bubble, at 425 degrees.

Welcome!

Welcome to Food Love.  I've decided to start this blog because I love food. I love making food. I love eating food. I love photographing food.  I love sharing food.  I love food.

I'm trying to lose weight without losing my love of food and show my family my love for them by the food I put on the table.  Healthy food doesn't have to be boring.  My camera and my kitchen will share my cooking adventures...usually with my tiny sous chefs.

"Cooking is like love; it should be entered into with abandon or not at all." — Julia Child