Cooking in August

Little Miss Cora came to visit Auntie Megan's kitchen. Even though she can't eat any of my goodies just yet, I'm sure one day she will be so excited to visit Casita Cory for a delicious meal made just for her by her Auntie Megan!

Wheat Allergies...No problem! This past weekend, I had a great time hanging out with my family. Mom, Dad and Jen all came and stayed a few days, and Reba and lil Cora made their way down for a day trip. And of course I had so much fun playing in the kitchen making meals that keep bringing my family back to visit! My younger sister has a wheat allergy, but I was dying to try this Shrimp and Pesto Pasta recipe from the Bride and Groom cookbook she and my older sister gave me as a shower gift. So I went to Trader Joe's and picked up a package of the brown rice spaghetti. This recipe was really easy, delicious and perfectly light for dinner on a hot summer's day!

Shrimp and Pesto Pasta

1 lb brown rice spaghetti

1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and de-veined

2 tsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

Casita Cory Pesto Sauce

Cook the brown rice noodles in about 1 1/2 qts of water with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil. Once noodles are cooked to al dente, strain and set aside.

In a skillet head the olive oil to medium heat. Add in the shrimp and add salt and pepper. Let them cook on one side for one minute, then flip them. Add in the garlic. Cook until the shrimp are opaque.

Toss in the strained noodles, the sliced tomatoes and the pesto sauce.

Remove from heat and serve.

Serves 4.

The only way to make a baked potato even better is to bake it twice. Below is a recipe that I served up with Giada de Laurentiis' Pork Loin with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette. I will definitely be making these potatoes again. I mashed the potatoes by hand, but you could purée them in a food processor or blender to make your twice baked potatoes really smooth. Depends on the texture you are looking for.

Twice Baked Bacon and Cheddar Potatoes

4 large Russet baking potatoes

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup fried bacon broken into small bits

2 scallions, diced

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Rinse the potatoes, pat dry.

Rub them with a little bit of butter and sea salt.

Wrap in aluminum foil and poke with a fork to help them cook through.

Bake for about an hour or until the potatoes are soft when you stick them with a fork.

Once the potatoes are ready to be removed from the oven, set them aside and let them cool for about 8 to 10 minutes.

When they have cooled enough that you can touch them to work with them, cut the potatoes in half and then spoon out the insides of the potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl. Be careful not to spoon out so much that the skins collapse.

Add about 3/4 of the chopped bacon, and 3/4 of the diced scallions.

Mix in the sour cream, butter, and milk.

Finally add salt and pepper to taste and mix them in with 1/4 cup of the cheese.

Using a large spoon scoop the filling back into the potato skins and place them on a large baking sheet.

Top the potatoes with the remaining bacon and cheese and return to the oven for about another 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Remove and top with the remaining of the chopped scallions and serve!

Lunch Time Grilling!

One day Forrest was home for lunch, so I grilled up some kabobs on the grill. I used yellow and green peppers, red onion, squash and zucchini, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and chicken. I made a quick marinade of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, about 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary and thyme and some ground Italian seasoning. They were delicious!

Midday Seafood Bash!

Another day when Forrest was home, I cooked up Giada de Laurentiis' Mussels, Clams, and Shrimp with Spicy Broth. Here are the pictures of that meal!

The following was my favorite!!!!

Bacon Cheddar Burgers with Grilled Onions!

1 large yellow onion

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

3 slices medium sharp cheddar cheese

lettuce

3 slices of tomato

3 slices of bacon

3 hamburger buns

Preheat a grill pan to medium high heat.

Slice the onions into 1/4 inch slices, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper

Place the onions on the grill pan and cook on each side for about 2 to 3 minutes or until they are tender grill marks appear. Remove and set aside for later.

Preheat a skillet to medium heat and cook the bacon on each side for about 5 minutes or until nice and brown and crispy. Remove from skillet and place on a paper towel to drain off excess grease and cool.

While the onions and bacon are cooking, in a large bowl combine the ground beef, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and worcestshire sauce. Make three 1/3 pound patties.

After you remove the onions, add the three patties to the grill pan and grill on each side for about 4 minutes or until your desired internal temperature (I generally go for medium well).

Pile up your burgers with the cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, patties, bacon and onions.

Slather on some ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise if you like and enjoy!

Serves 3 burgers.