Food In Many Forms

Recently, I read several reviews of New York City restaurants that served amazing Dover Sole. Naturally, I had to go to Balducci's and try this fish for myself . This was just Grey Sole broiled with lemon juice, salt and pepper . I also made a sauce, but it just tasted like lemon juice, and it wasn't necessary. I definitely would make this again.

From a Chicken Stir-fry recipe in The Herb Garden Gourmet by Tim Haas and Jan Beane that I bought in Knoxville, Tennessee. I've never used crystallized ginger before , but it was really easy to use. Those who tasted said it was a good mild-flavored dinner for every day . Plus, I got to use a wok! 

These are a great easy side dish when you don't know how long the main course is going to take to cook. The green beans are trimmed; the red bell peppers are cut into strips. Boil the green beans for three minutes, rinse with cold water and set them aside. This will take about 15-20 minutes if you are slow at prepping.  LEAVE THE GREEN BEANS AND PEPPERS ALONE UNTIL FIVE MINUTES BEFORE YOU WANT TO SERVE DINNER Then, dab 2 Tbsp of canola oil into a skillet. Turn the burner to medium-high, wait for the oil to heat up and throw in the peppers and green beans. Sprinkle them with a little soy sauce. After two minutes, turn off the heat, add 2 Tbsp sesame oil, sprinkle some sesame seeds on top (not pictured) and serve. Voila! 

When my hubby had a sore throat, this was a real treat because it was smooth going down and easy to swallow. I thought it was a little bland, but some freshly ground pepper gave it a nice little kick. Ingredients 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for baking dishes Coarse salt and ground pepper 1 pound wide egg noodles 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 5 cups whole milk 4 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in olive oil, drained 1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and thickly sliced 5 scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan Directions Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dishes. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles until 2 minutes short of al dente; drain, and return to pot. Meanwhile, in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add bell peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp-tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirri...

I am so conflicted about the issue of beans. Canned beans are so easy and convenient , but they are more expensive and full of salt. Dried beans are supposed to be so healthy for you , but every time I cook them it take more than three hours. According to what's cooking america , "The best way [to soak beans] is to put them in cold water; bring them gently to a boil and then with saucepan off the heat, allow them to remain in the water for 1 to 2 hours only." The package had similar directions, but after an hour of soaking, and another hour of simmering, I still had crunchy beans . I had to basically boil the beans for an hour to get any effect at all, adding cups of water at a time. I think I will continue to use both dry and canned and try to make up my own directions for  soaking beans without leaving them overnight.... Ingredients: Servings:4 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 -3 cloves garlic 2 (14 1/2 ounce) ca...

This recipe made AMAZING royal icing that went perfect on Christmas cookies. Of course, me being who I am, I was have freaking out the whole time that I was eating raw egg whites. Well, I did some research, and although it is not recommended to eat raw eggs, if you are going to it helps if they are from cage-free hens or from an organic market, since they live in healthier conditions. It is supposedly also safer to eat raw egg whites than raw egg yolks. Or if you can plan ahead, just buy pasteurized egg whites - then you are completely in the clear :)  Royal Icing 2 large egg whites or 5 tablespoons meringue powder 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted Food coloring, if desired For Royal Icing: With a hand mixer, beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or extract until frothy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, smooth, and shiny. Turn to high and beat approximately 5 minutes till stiff and g...

Last night I was hungry, there was no fresh food in the house , and I went into a food frenzy . Immediately, I pounced on the frozen shrimp and canned tomatoes, and before I knew it I was cooking Giada's Shrimp Fra Diavolo recipe. Of course there are a few small differences. No fresh food means no fresh onions, so those were nixed, but it actually made the recipe ten times simpler. Ingredients 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 cup dry white wine 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves 1 tablespoon chopped  Italian parsley leaves 1 tablespoon chopped  basil leaves Directions Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for abou...