I Hate Peas

I hate peas.  I always have.  Mostly because my mom hates peas.  That means we never ate them and I have never ordered a meal that contains peas, if I can help it.  Sure, I'll add them to recipes when they're called for, but usually a little less than requested.

I love to cook and watch every season of Top Chef.  This year there was a big surge in 'english pea puree' used as sides or as a brightly colored accent for something to sit upon.  This gave me the want to make pureed peas for Charlotte to try.  And yes, I admit, I licked the spoon.  And yes, I admit, I licked the spoon again.

So when I came across a pasta recipe with bacon (winner!) and peas (loser!), I figured I'd give it a shot.  Blake liked it so much he ate all the peas and bacon and left the noodles!  Now that is a first. I even made my mom try the leftovers for lunch the next day.  On her birthday. Some would say that is beyond cruel thing to do to a pea hater.  Well, she ate it.  And said she actually liked it!

People, we must have an amazing recipe on our hands.  Well, lets not kid ourselves, it does have a good amount of bacon (and I always add lots more than called for!), cream, and some grated  parm on top.  I can say I did enjoy this dish and plan to make it again.  Go ahead, give it a try!

Fresh Angel-Hair Pasta with Bacon and Peas, courtesy of Martha Stewart

Serves 4 to 6

Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1 box (10 ounces) frozen peas, thawed
1 cup half-and-half
18 ounces fresh angel-hair pasta

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain (leave fat in skillet).

Add shallots to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add peas and half-and-half; season with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to combine, adding some reserved pasta water a little at a time to coat. Sprinkle with bacon, and serve immediately.  Click here for online recipe.

This would also make for a nice side dish with grilled salmon!

Cupcakes in a Cone

Ever since Lucy's grandma made these cupcakes for her birthday party a few years ago, I've been obsessed with them!  They are such a great change from the usual cupcake and are less messy.  No paper wrapper to dispose of when eating and they've got a built in handle!  These will make for the perfect kid dessert at a KDC (Kappa Dinner Club) party tonight.  17 adults and 19 children.  Watch out!

Follow the directions on your favorite boxed cake mix.  I usually use the Betty Crocker Rainbow Chip since it looks festive.  Place paper liners in cupcake tins and fill 2/3 full with prepared batter.  Place an ice cream cone on top of the batter and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes.  The batter will rise and bake in to the cone! 

Once cooled take the cupcake/cones out of the trays and carefully remove the wrapper and frost with frosting of choice - store bought or homemade.  I always sprinkle with colored sugar or colored balls.

I used a cream cheese frosting made at home.  I use:

1 - 16oz box of powdered sugar

1 - 8oz package cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. butter

1 tsp vanilla

Blend all the ingredients together with mixer until smooth!

Crazy Carrots

Just a few of the crazy carrots that Blake and I pulled from the garden today!

Chinese Chicken Salad

Tonight I'm having a girl's party and everyone is bringing their favorite summer appetizer or dessert.  I made Ina Garten's chinese chicken salad and it is super tasty.  As my friend warned, you end up with about twice the amount of peanut sauce that you need.  So use about half on the salad (or whatever amount you prefer) and use the rest as a dip for assorted veggies. 

This salad was a big success and the dip was too!

Double whammy. One recipe equals two dishes... an appetizer and a salad or main course!

*To save time, use a whole roasted chicken from the supermarket!

Chinese Chicken Salad, courtesy of Ina Garten

4 split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin-on)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound asparagus, ends removed, and cut in thirds diagonally
1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced diagonally
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup good apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan and rub with the skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the skin, and shred the chicken in large bite-sized pieces.

Blanch the asparagus in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain. Cut the peppers in strips about the size of the asparagus pieces. Combine the cut chicken, asparagus, and peppers in a large bowl.

Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing and pour over the chicken and vegetables. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and season to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Click here for online recipe courtesy of Food Network.

Shortcakes and Fruit

In addition to the chinese chicken salad, I made little shortcakes with strawberries and peaches with fresh whipped whip cream for dessert.  This is one of my favorite spring/summer dessert staples.  The shortcakes take only a few minutes to whip up and you can top with any fruit that is in season.

Shortcakes with Fresh Fruit

2 1/3 c. Bisquick mix
1/2 c. milk
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

1/2 c. whipping cream

Fresh fruit of your choice. I like combining strawberries with another fruit.
1/4 c. sugar

Heat oven to 425°F.

In large bowl, mix sliced fruit and 1/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on how ripe fruit is). Set aside.

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.*

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. I occasionally sprinkle about a tablespoon of fine sugar while mixing to sweeten the whipped cream.

Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

*For the party, I divided dough in to 12 small shortcakes which are a great size after a big meal.

Gone Fishin'!

Today we attended a fun birthday party at a u-fish trout farm!  I LOVE to fish, so when daddy and Blake couldn't catch anything I was more than happy to take over.  Momma caught a lovely 8" trout, maybe enough for a single serving appetizer for a toddler?

And, in a way only a mom can, no one was there to help with a net so I just raised the pole, grabbed the fish with my hand and was assisted by my friend Samar (another mom!) to get the hook out.  All while Charlotte was strapped to me.  Pretty comical.

And yes, I did attempt to cook my massive catch.  I took one bite. 

Peach Pie

Today I made an amazing peach pie and crust from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Pie and Pastry Bible cookbook.  Such an amazing treat when you've got ripe peaches.  The whole house smells so good!  Email me if you want the recipe!

Letting the peaches drain after sitting in a sugar mixture...

Reducing the sugar and other ingredients to be poured on top of peaches.

Getting everything ready to be piled in the pie crust!

The finished product was so worth the effort!