A generous dose of wine goes a long way.
That, at least, is the motto of this weekend's culinary adventures. :)
This weekend, I have managed to make shrimp with peppers for smittywing, who brought over Thor so that now I can have actual visuals while I read Darcy/Clint, meatballs with General Tso's sauce, and a red pepper/green bean saute. All of which has been divided into wee portions and frozen. I also have finished the cross stitch and taken it to the framers, brushed both dogs (which should qualify as aerobic activity, omg), acquired groceries and dog food, changed lightbulbs, and painted my nails with Shiny Dancer and a topcoat of Spark-tacular. My thumbnails in particular make me very happy. Which is probably something I will never say before, and like the Doctor, will never say again.
Speaking of, Matt Smith is breaking my heart on a near-weekly basis. I adore that show.
I drove cute pups to rescue last week - pics soon - and one of my favorite Dogs XL fosters got a forever home this week, which is all excellent news. I am also still poking sticks at words in the hope they'll go somewhere, and I am *FINALLY* entirely caught up on Criminal Minds. I cannot wait to have my team all back this season. <3
Other than that, life continues apace. I cannot believe that it is halfway through September. *headdesk* How did that HAPPEN?
(Quick recipe dump below the break)
Shrimp with Peppers
In a big, high-sided skillet, melt 2-3 tbsp of butter. Add in 3 cloves (or more) garlic, chopped, and two onions, chopped. Saute on medium till soft and translucent and browning nicely. Add in six bell peppers, cut into strips and then halved. Add a cup-ish of wine (I used red, white would also be tasty) and let everything bubble for awhile till the peppers look pretty soft. At that point, dump in a big bag of frozen shrimp. Mine were pre-cooked, raw would be good too, but you'll want to add more liquid - broth, or wine, or water. Let cook till warmed through. Add in a little salt, a small jar of a tomato sauce you like and maybe 1/8 c of port or balsamic vinegar and stir to incorporate, then leave on the burner till nice and hot all the way through. The final product should be like a chunky soup or a stew with a lot of broth. Would be good over rice, or with nice thick crusty bread.
How to Rescue Freezer-Burned Meatballs
Take a bag of frozen Ikea meatballs or similar. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a big, high-sided skillet. Dump in meatballs, turn stove on medium low. When everything is sizzling, add in about 2 c of chicken broth and half a bottle of TJ's General Tso's sauce. (N.B.: You could substitute pretty much anything for the Tj's sauce - just taste the broth when you've added. Orange marmalade would work, or hoisin - something with a lot of strong flavor that's slightly sweet.) Let the meatballs cook until hot all the way through, then remove into serving dish with a slotted spoon. Add in a cup of red wine (or white) and let the liquid in the pan reduce a little. Thicken with a cornstarch and water slurry until you get a consistency you like. Make sure it's hot through, take off the heat, and spoon over the meatballs. I think, though I am doing this as a test, that this can be frozen and reheated pretty well, because the meatballs have been rehydrated a little and have a sauce to draw more moisture from during reheating as well.
Green Bean and Red Pepper Saute
Snap the ends off a lot of green beans - 6 cups, at least. Take one red pepper and cut into bite-size chunks. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a big, high-sided skillet. (That sentence should probably be my cooking motto.) Get the oil popping hot and dump in all of the veggies, stirring constantly so they don't stick and char. When they're as done as you like them, turn down the heat a little and add spices - I used the juice of half a lime, a lot of sesame seeds, and a spice mix that had a little sugar, some hot chilies, and cardamom. Five spice would've been good in a pinch - you could also go more Italianish with oregano and parsley or an Italian seasoning blend. Stir so the spices coat everything well, turn the heat back up and stir a little bit longer. Voila, c'est fin. I think, though I am doing this as a test, that this can be frozen and reheated pretty well, though it might be a little softer/juicier when you reheat it than when first made.
This weekend, I have managed to make shrimp with peppers for smittywing, who brought over Thor so that now I can have actual visuals while I read Darcy/Clint, meatballs with General Tso's sauce, and a red pepper/green bean saute. All of which has been divided into wee portions and frozen. I also have finished the cross stitch and taken it to the framers, brushed both dogs (which should qualify as aerobic activity, omg), acquired groceries and dog food, changed lightbulbs, and painted my nails with Shiny Dancer and a topcoat of Spark-tacular. My thumbnails in particular make me very happy. Which is probably something I will never say before, and like the Doctor, will never say again.
Speaking of, Matt Smith is breaking my heart on a near-weekly basis. I adore that show.
I drove cute pups to rescue last week - pics soon - and one of my favorite Dogs XL fosters got a forever home this week, which is all excellent news. I am also still poking sticks at words in the hope they'll go somewhere, and I am *FINALLY* entirely caught up on Criminal Minds. I cannot wait to have my team all back this season. <3
Other than that, life continues apace. I cannot believe that it is halfway through September. *headdesk* How did that HAPPEN?
(Quick recipe dump below the break)
Shrimp with Peppers
In a big, high-sided skillet, melt 2-3 tbsp of butter. Add in 3 cloves (or more) garlic, chopped, and two onions, chopped. Saute on medium till soft and translucent and browning nicely. Add in six bell peppers, cut into strips and then halved. Add a cup-ish of wine (I used red, white would also be tasty) and let everything bubble for awhile till the peppers look pretty soft. At that point, dump in a big bag of frozen shrimp. Mine were pre-cooked, raw would be good too, but you'll want to add more liquid - broth, or wine, or water. Let cook till warmed through. Add in a little salt, a small jar of a tomato sauce you like and maybe 1/8 c of port or balsamic vinegar and stir to incorporate, then leave on the burner till nice and hot all the way through. The final product should be like a chunky soup or a stew with a lot of broth. Would be good over rice, or with nice thick crusty bread.
How to Rescue Freezer-Burned Meatballs
Take a bag of frozen Ikea meatballs or similar. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a big, high-sided skillet. Dump in meatballs, turn stove on medium low. When everything is sizzling, add in about 2 c of chicken broth and half a bottle of TJ's General Tso's sauce. (N.B.: You could substitute pretty much anything for the Tj's sauce - just taste the broth when you've added. Orange marmalade would work, or hoisin - something with a lot of strong flavor that's slightly sweet.) Let the meatballs cook until hot all the way through, then remove into serving dish with a slotted spoon. Add in a cup of red wine (or white) and let the liquid in the pan reduce a little. Thicken with a cornstarch and water slurry until you get a consistency you like. Make sure it's hot through, take off the heat, and spoon over the meatballs. I think, though I am doing this as a test, that this can be frozen and reheated pretty well, because the meatballs have been rehydrated a little and have a sauce to draw more moisture from during reheating as well.
Green Bean and Red Pepper Saute
Snap the ends off a lot of green beans - 6 cups, at least. Take one red pepper and cut into bite-size chunks. Put a little olive oil in the bottom of a big, high-sided skillet. (That sentence should probably be my cooking motto.) Get the oil popping hot and dump in all of the veggies, stirring constantly so they don't stick and char. When they're as done as you like them, turn down the heat a little and add spices - I used the juice of half a lime, a lot of sesame seeds, and a spice mix that had a little sugar, some hot chilies, and cardamom. Five spice would've been good in a pinch - you could also go more Italianish with oregano and parsley or an Italian seasoning blend. Stir so the spices coat everything well, turn the heat back up and stir a little bit longer. Voila, c'est fin. I think, though I am doing this as a test, that this can be frozen and reheated pretty well, though it might be a little softer/juicier when you reheat it than when first made.