Soy-Ginger Fish with Roasted Zucchini

After my hiatus from cooking & grocery shopping, our house was void of all items necessary to make a decent meal. So yesterday, I made a list of the meals I want to make for the next week, put together my grocery list & made a run to my H-E-B.

I know The Hubs was glad to have a home cooked meal last night, even if what I made was a bit out of his ordinary fare.

I had seen a recipe for soy & ginger glazed fish in a magazine on my flight back from Atlanta a couple of weeks ago & it looked tasty. So I made something similar last night and it turned out GREAT! The Hubs even loved it!.

Ingredients:

* 2 - 6 oz. portions of white fish (I used Mahi Mahi)
* 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
* 2 Tbsp brown sugar
* 1 Tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
* olive oil
* salt & pepper
* 1 medium zucchini, sliced
* 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
* fresh herbs, chopped (I used basil & sage)



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, combine the ginger, soy sauce & brown sugar to create a glaze. Set aside.



3. Toss sliced zucchini & squash with 1 Tbsp. olive oil & fresh herbs. Pour into a baking dish.



4. Place fish fillets on a foil lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil & season with salt & pepper.



5. Put zucchini/squash and fish into oven on middle rack.

6. Bake fish 5 - 7 minutes, removing to baste with soy sauce glaze twice during final minutes of cooking.



7. Remove zucchini/squash from oven after 7 minutes (or at desired doneness) and serve alongside fish.


My Tid-Bits:

* Never cooked with fresh ginger? It's really easy. Just buy a piece of ginger root at the grocery store, peel a portion of the root with a vegetable peeler and use a microplane or grater to grate the ginger. Put any leftover ginger root in a ziploc & toss into the freezer. Some grocery stores even carry grated ginger if you're not up to grating it yourself. And if you REALLY like ginger, feel free to double the amount you put into your glaze.

* This is another quick dinner to fix. Prep took about 10 minutes & cooking was 7 minutes.

* Another bonus? This meal is healthy! One 6 oz. fillet with glaze + half of the zucchini/squash mixture is only 300 calories and less than 10 grams of fat!!

Houston Restaurant Week(s)

For all my Houston readers or those of you may be visiting Houston in the next 3 weeks, it's that time year...

HOUSTON RESTAURANT WEEK

(Although, it's technically 3 weeks long, so I'm not sure why they call it Restaurant "Week").

Starting Sunday, August 1st through Saturday, August 21st, you can dine at over 115 of Houston's best restaurants for a very reasonable price.


CLICK HERE to see a list of the restaurants.

All 115 participating restaurants have prex fixe menus featuring a two course lunch for $20 or a three course dinner for $35. And the best part is that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Houston Food Bank.

For a list of menus, CLICK HERE.

The Hubs & I will definitely be participating in this good cause. I'm trying to convince him we should visit at least 1 restaurant each week. We'll see if he goes for it.

My short list of restaurants to visit during Restaurant Week:

* Damian's Cucina Italiana
* Eddie V's Prime Seafood
* The Grove Restaurant
* Mark's American Cuisine (I've been here before and it is OH SO GOOD, but pricey)
* Ouisie’s Table
* Ray's Grill
* Truluck’s (Yes, this is a chain, but I've been there many times & it's just good)

You also can't go wrong with:

* Mia Bella (menu not posted yet, but their food is delicious)
* Rainbow Lodgs (very cool atmosphere & where The Hubs proposed)
* *17 (delicious if you like the be a little more adventurous)

If you've been to any of these restaurants & highly recommend them (or don't), please feel free to share your suggestions in the comments.

Happy Eating!

Shrimp Scampi

I realize its been almost 2 weeks since I last shared any recipes. My apologies for slacking. I've been a busy girl!

Weekend before last, The Hubs & I took a trip to San Antonio & Frederickburg to celebrate my birthday and see my sister's family. When we got home on Monday, my mom & her friend were at our house, as they had come to help celebrate my birthday. Tuesday, my actual birthday, I woke up with a stomach virus. Let me tell you...being sick on your birthday just stinks! We had to cancel birthday dinner plans & I spent the day in bed. Luckily it was a short lived bug & I felt good enough to at least enjoy a piece for the Hazelnut Raspberry Cake my mom had made...





SO YUMMY! (The cake was supposed to be topped with raspberries & drizzled with white chocolate, but wasn't so that it would keep in the refrigerator until I could really enjoy it).

Wednesday & Thursday were spent with my new CEO. Friday - Tuesday I had a Trade Show and baseball games. Then yesterday, I met my sister & her kids in New Braunfels for a 8.5 hour trek through Schlitterbahn. Whew!! Talk about exhausting.

Needless to say, I haven't done much cooking or blogging.

Tuesday night, The Hubs & I really wanted to eat at home, but I haven't been grocery shopping in 2 weeks. I dug through the pantry & refrigerator and came up with the stuff needed for Shrimp Scampi. I compiled several recipes I found online & came out with this:

Ingredients:

* 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
* Salt and pepper
* Olive oil
* 1 small onion, diced
* 2 or 3 cloves garlic
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/2 cup white wine
* 1/2 cup stock, chicken or shrimp
* 2 tablespoons cold butter
* 2 tablespoons chopped basil
* Pasta (Preferably angel hair, but all I had was bow tie)

Directions

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil & cook pasta according to directions.

2. Meanwhile, season shrimp with salt and pepper.



3. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until just starting to turn pink, but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.



4. Toss the onions in the pan and saute just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.



5. Pour in the lemon juice, white wine, and stock. Reduce by 2/3, about 5 minutes.





(Please ignore the fact that I've peeled the nail polish off one of my nails...bad habit).

6. Add the shrimp back to the pan and swirl in the butter.



7. Season with salt & pepper, if needed. Toss shrimp & sauce with pasta. Top with basil.



My Tid-Bits:

* This was SUPER easy & quick - perfect for a weeknight dinner.

* This recipe is largely based on Emeril's Shrimp Scampi, but I changed it up a bit.

* I always keep chicken bouillon on hand in case I don't have chicken stock. For this recipe, just mix 1/2 cup hot water with 3/4 tsp. bouillon.



* I promise to be better about posting more recipes in the coming weeks. I have some in the hopper already, so keep an eye out for those.

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Pouch-Grilled Potatoes

Remember how I told you that the latest edition of Everyday Food has tons of yummy looking recipes and I wanted to make them all? Well, I made the Pouch Grilled Potatoes last weekend and they were OH-SO-DELICIOUS!

I've grilled potatoes before, but I NEVER would have thought to top with them cilantro & lime. Sounds odd, but was a perfect combination. The Hubs was hesitant to put the lime on his, but he trusted my word that it was yummy and he loved it!

We will definitely be making this one again soon.

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 lb. new potatoes, sliced (or just halved if they are small)
* 4 garlic cloves, skin on
* 1 Tbs. EVOO
* coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* lime wedges, for serving



Directions:

1. After you've sliced the potatoes, put them in a bowl & toss with EVOO.



2. Arranged the potatoes & garlic on a double layer of foil. Season with salt & pepper.



3. Fold foil around potatoes & crimp edges to form a packet.



4. Grill potatoes directly over heat source, rotating packet often, until potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.



5. Carefully transfer potatoes to a serving dish. Toss with cilantro & season to taste with salt & pepper. Serve with lime wedges.



My Tid-Bits:

* If your potatoes are done, but the rest of your meal isn't, just put the pouch over the cooler part of the grill to keep warm.

* Be very careful when opening the foil packet. There will be steam & the potatoes are HOT!

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Monday Morsel from Mom (7th Edition)

Growing up, I always looked forward to Saturday mornings for two reasons:

1. Saturday morning TV (cartoons and eventually Saved By the Bell) and
2. BREAKFAST!!!

Every Saturday morning my mom made a full, delicious breakfast - waffles, pancakes, french toast, muffins, eggs, bacon, etc. I still can't figure out how she gets her scrambled eggs so perfect & fluffy.

I spent many a Saturday perched on the couch with my plate on my lap (yes, we were allowed to eat in the living room) watching the drama unfold at Bayside High.

Now I try to do the same & cook breakfast every Saturday for The Hubs and whatever company we may have at our house or the lake house.

My all-time favorite thing to make for breakfast is my mom's waffles. They are just SO GOOD! I've been known to give waffle makers with this recipe attached as wedding gifts. :)

I made waffles served with strawberries & blueberries on the 4th of July for our Patriotic breakfast! Everyone really enjoyed them...some people (I won't point fingers) may have eaten more than 1 or 2.


Mama's Waffles

Ingredients:

* 2 ½ c milk
* 2 eggs
* 2/3 c oil
* 2 ½ c flour
* 4 t. baking powder
* 1 T sugar
* 1 t. salt

(Sorry I don't have an ingredient picture, but I'm pretty sure you know what all of these things are).

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs & oil. Using an hand mixer, beat until well combined.



2. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar & salt.



3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the milk & egg mixture. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until light.



4. Cook according to your waffle makers instructions.



5. Top with all of your favorite: butter, syrup, berries, whip cream, peanut butter, etc.



My Tid-Bits:

* I'm also a believer that breakfast food doesn't always have to be made in the morning. Just ask The Hubs. We probably have breakfast for dinner more than he'd like.

* If you're in the market for a great waffle maker, I LOVE my Cuisinart. All I have to do is pour in 1/2 cup of batter, close the lid & wait for the light to turn green.

* If you use 1/2-ish cup of batter for each waffle, this recipe will make 10 to 12 waffles.

Pineapple Jerk Chicken with Rice

We now interrupt the 4th of July posts previously in progress to bring you a delicious dish I made for dinner last night...

Pineapple Jerk Chicken with Rice

A few days ago, The Hubs finally grew tired of my gigantic stack of foodie magazines on the coffee table & asked me to please remove them. In the past, they've gotten stashed in a closet upstairs, never to be opened again (unless I'm looking for something holiday specific). This time I decided I'd tear out all of the pages I've "dogeared" and put them into a binder using those plastic sheet protector things so the recipes at least had a shot at being made one day. I've yet to buy the sheet protectors OR the binder, but I did find a couple of recipes whose ingredients made it on my grocery list this week.

The first was a recipe for Pineapple Jerk Chicken with Rice from Rachel Ray Magazine. It is simple to make & full of flavor. The Hubs & I both loved it!

Ingredients:

* 2 cups brown rice
* 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1 jalapeño chile—stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
* Salt and pepper
* 1/2 pineapple, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
* 1/2 cup jerk marinade
* One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
* 1/2 cup chopped cilantro



Directions

1. Cook rice according to directions on the box.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook until the onion is browned, 7 minutes; transfer to a bowl.



3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then add to the pan and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes.



4. Add the pineapple and jerk marinade and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.



5. Stir in the onion mixture, black beans and cilantro.



6. Cook until the beans are heated through, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.



7. Serve over the rice.



My Tid-Bits:

* The Jerk Marinade you use will really dictate the flavor of the dish. Rachel suggests Lawry's, but HEB didn't have it, so I bought KC Masterpiece. It was really good.

* You can use whatever rice you like. I use the Uncle Ben's Boil-In-Bag rice just because it turns out right every time. Each bag is about 2 servings of rice.

* This dish has a tiny hint of spice, but is definitely not hot. If you like more heat, leave the seeds in the jalapenos.

* This recipes makes 4 VERY generous servings.

* I heated up the leftovers for lunch today and it was just as good (and y'all know how I feel about leftovers). I made some fresh rice and heated the chicken/pineapple mixture on the stove top. I would recommend adding a Tbsp or 2 of the marinade to add some of the moisture back into the dish.

And on an unrelated note...I also made Rice Krispy Treats last night "just because." Next time I want to do that, could someone please remind me what a bad idea that is! The Hubs & I had eaten over half of the pan before we went to bed last night.

Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Salad

I think I've finally recovered from my 4th of July food coma. We spent the holiday at our lake house with good friends & WAY too much food. Somehow, we always manage to overdo it.

Over the next few days, I'll share several of the recipes from our food crazed weekend - starting with the first thing I made when we arrived Friday night: Mozzarella, Tomato & Basil Salad.

This great appetizer is quick & easy to make.

Ingredients:

* Fresh Mozzarella (I used Bel Gioioso Pearls)
* Basil, chopped
* Cherry tomatoes
* Olive Oil
* Salt & Pepper



Directions:

* Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Allow to sit for 30 minutes to combine flavors.



My Tid-Bits:

* I used about 6 oz. mozzarella pearls, a handful of basil, 2 Tbsp. EVOO and 2 dozen tomatoes.

* You can also make this salad by slicing mozzarella & tomatoes and layering them with whole basil leaves. Drizzle with EVOO, salt & pepper.

We nibbled on the mozzarella salad making Farfalle with Portobellos & Shrimp for dinner.



And since no meal is complete with out dessert, we had Pound Cake with Berries & Fresh Whip Cream.

Roasted Zucchini & Tomatoes

I sincerely apologize for my lack of recipe sharing recently. I was at Food Show for 3 days eating my weight in cheese & ice cream. It's pretty embarrassing when the guys at the Gelato booth recognize you from the year before - although not embarrassing enough to keep me from going back everyday (and sometimes twice a day).

And I've spent the past 2 evening prepping for my big 4th of July party we're hosting with some friends! If I remember to document everything, I'll have lots of good recipes to share next week.

In the meantime, last night I had to throw together dinner for The Hubs & I with very few ingredients available since I hadn't been to the grocery store in a while. I found a zucchini in the veggie drawer and tossed it with some herbs & tomatoes from my "garden" and EVOO before roasting them. The final result was delicious!

Ingredients:

* 1 Zucchini, sliced
* 12 cherry tomatoes
* 2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, thyme, sage)
* 1.5 - 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
* Salt & Pepper



Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425.

2. In a bowl, combine sliced zucchini, tomatoes & chopped herbs.



3. Add EVOO, salt & pepper and toss.



4. Arrange in a single layer in a baking dish and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until done to desired tenderness.



5. Serve immediately. Makes enough for 2 servings.



I hope that everyone has a happy & safe 4th of July! I'll be busy stuffing myself with delicious celebratory food & shooting off fireworks.

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