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Young & HungryIf you can't take the heat, get outta the kitchen! |
| 2 February |
Hey guess what – January’s over! Time to focus on chocolate, fondue, and something delicious to make for that special someone so they’ll still be yours after Valentine’s Day. What’s more romantic than a dinner in? Let me rephrase, what’s more romantic than a dinner in when you’re used to dining out? I might, for once, prefer not to slave the day away, but I’ve no doubt put in more than my fair share of kitchen duty. So what to make for that special someone who will, for this one day at least, be your culinary inspiration? Well, if you’re a lady cooking for your mister, you cannot go wrong with this pork roast. It’s juicy and tender and doesn’t require constant attention so you can focus your first course elsewhere. If you’re a mister cooking for your miss, perhaps this is a selfish choice of meat, but she’ll never question your machismo.
Since I did first whip this up back in 2009 when I was stuffed from an indulgent December, I left the meal at meat and veggies. You surely have recuperated by now and are ready for some starch. Try a mashed parsnip or simple risotto. The gym lines are finally clearing, so you should have more than enough time to give this roast the extra hours of TLC it deserves. I promise you’ll be paid back one hundred kisses over.
| 18 December |
It’s finally pear season! The peachy peaches of summer are long gone to be replaced with gifts of citrus and pomaceous fruits from Harry & David. I recall the much anticipated day when the big box of pears would arrive individually wrapped in gold foil and sitting atop a bed of green foam in their assigned cubbies. And then the wait. Oh, the dreaded and forever long wait for the pears to ripen so that you could scoop out the fruit with just your spoon. Of course, almost immediately after the pears reached the perfect ripeness, they just could not be eaten quickly enough and, god forbid, became waste. If only I had known then what I know now. Had I been in possession of this delightful crumble recipe those pears would have made it to their proper resting place, in some pudgy girl or boys belly. Alas, I know better now and will never let a pear fall short of its proper destiny on my watch.
This crumble could also be used atop apples, peaches, or whatever fruit might happen to be in season. If you have leftovers, it makes a delicious topping for your morning oatmeal or yogurt. And, as usual, serve a la mode.
| 20 July |
First of all, congratulations to the bride to be. I am beyond elated for you and beyond grateful to you for providing me with an opportunity to FINALLY make these shrimp. Giada made this recipe at least a year ago and it has been loitering around my recipe box ever since. For those of you that know me, you know that once I get something in my head it is undoubtedly going to remain there haunting me and stressing me out until I finally concede. This and timeliness (which is of course next to Godliness) are the only ways in which I am OCD, but they are surely enough to drive me and others to a supreme state of irritation. If only I were infuriatingly clean as well…
I think I owe my obsession over this recipe to my larger goal of achieving the perfect polenta. Some might disagree, insisting that such a thing does not exist. Polenta is not the bland evil stepbrother of grits, the bastard child of an affair with a Italian import who, oozing with machismo and wooing unknowing women with their pretty accent and open conduct, swept Mrs. cornmeal away. No. When done right, I know in my heart that cornmeal can trump our precious Southern grits. One day, hopefully while I still have the leftover cornmeal in my pantry, I will perfect the yellow stepchild and I will share the resulting recipe with all of you.
Until then I want to share with you this recipe for polenta crusted shrimp. I made them for my friend’s wedding shower and they were about as good as I spent the last year dreaming them to be. Speaking of dreams, I had to endure my Mom cheering me on in a cupcake eating contest in attempt to fulfill her dream of grandbabies and marriage. I was charged with finding the hidden wedding ring which, like the brides bouquet, would mean that I too would soon get married. Ten cupcakes later and still sans ring I surrendered. Perhaps my Italian prince is simply charming, but that doesn’t mean my polenta dreams can’t come true.
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