Strawberry Jam!

We had a great Saturday morning outing as a family at the farmers market! I have been wanting to make strawberry jam and get some fresh fruit to just have in the freezer for winter. So yesterday was the day! We got a bunch of organic strawberries and last night after the kids went to bed Andy & I made organic strawberry jam!!! We love to spend time in the kitchen together cooking and baking, and now making jam. When it was all done I felt so resourceful and proud of my three batches of strawberry jam! Yeah! It was so fun!

Pleasing Panzanella

We did the mushroom/chicken/panzanella/banana menu last night. Saturday night . . . perfect for a BBQ. It was so good, and fun to make as well! My husband is back home, so I got to try it all out on him. He loved it as well. I did everything by the recipe, except . . . freshly grated nutmeg. Did you guys get an actual nutmeg and grate it? I just used the already ground up stuff. And I don't have a microwave, so I warmed the oil/garlic on the stove--don't think that made any difference. I couldn't get portabellos so I used normal white mushrooms. They were big, but not as big as portobellos, so they were FULL of stuffing. Mmmm . . .
The chicken and salad were GREAT! We love the tomato/olive oil/basil/garlic combo. It's like bruschetta in a salad. Panzanella is good anyway, but to make it using the grill made it WAY better.
The bananas were fantastic! We went down to the gelato store and bought some vanilla in a takeaway and then made it with the optional chocolate sauce. I loved the combination of the cinnamon and chocolate. And my husband said "That was [explicative] good," (sorry, I know this is a family site, he can be a bit 'colorful').
It was so fun to make the whole meal on the grill. Thanks for great recipes! I will make this again and again . . . and keep it in the back of my mind for when we have company for dinner.
Finally, a big thank you for the recent recipes that include basil. I have three basil plants that are growing out of control. I think you can see two of them poking up in the photo. I was pleased as punch to be able to hack so much off of it between the panzanella and the basil lemon limeade from Serena (review to come shortly). Super!

Recipe of the Week: Mango Rice Salad w/Shrimp

Hi ladies,
So this is a recipe from my cooking magazine of choice, Cooking Light. It was on the cover of their June 2005 edition, and I couldn't resist trying out such a colorful summery dish. If you're not a fan of shellfish, simply substitute the shrimp with chicken. So, here's to another summer menu!

Mango Rice Salad w/Grilled Shrimp

1 tbl minced fresh garlic
1 tbl minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tbl soy sauce
4 tsp curry powder
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/8 tsp ground cumin
1.5 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 36 shrimp)
2 cups water
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 1/4 cups uncooked long grain rice (try basmati or jasmine)
3/4 cup shredded carrot
2 cups diced peeled mango (about 2)
1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbl chopped fresh parsley
2 tbl lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add shrimp, toss to coat. Cover and chill 1 hour.
2. Bring water and coconut milk to a boil in a medium saucepan; add rice. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add carrot and next 7 ingredients (through salt); toss gently to combine.
3. Prepare grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.
4. Thread 3 shrimp onto each of 12 (6-inch) skewers (soak skewers beforehand to avoid burning). Place skewers on grill rack or grill pan coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until shrimp are done. Serve skewers over salad. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Yield: 6 servings.

Here is a nice simple dessert that would go well with the main course - if you're not too tired of mangoes. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds refreshing.

Mango-Lime Parfaits

1/2 cup sugar
2 tbl water
1 tbl light-colored corn syrup
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled mango
10 gingersnap cookies crushed

1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a microwave safe bowl; microwave at high for 1 minute, or until sugar melts. Cool completely. Add juice to syrup mixture; stir well.
2. Spoon 1/4 cup ice cream into each of 6 parfait glasses; top each serving with about 2 tablespoons chopped mango. Drizzle 1 tablespoon syrup mixture over each serving; top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger-snap cookie crumbs.
If you want, repeat the layers - or just leave it simple!

Happy Cooking!

It's a Miracle! A Maple Syrup Miracle!

I am so behind with this blog. It all started with the fact that I couldn't make ANY of the items on Serena's menu . . . apart from the drink. Although I can get most things here (reminder: I live on a small island in the Mediterranean), or a sort of substitute, sometimes it is just impossible to make certain things. Although I can get salmon, I couldn't get maple syrup which was the key to the salmon recipe. I haven't been able to get fresh rosemary at the moment (THAT is a weird one, because usually I can always count on that). I can't get fresh blueberries OR blackberries. Strawberries are now out of season, so they cannot be found either. BAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! I thought it was kind of funny, actually, since I don't really have this problem often, but this one was a doozy!
So, today I went to a grocery store that I don't usually go to, and I FOUND MAPLE SYRUP!!! Woot Woot! (It cost me around $11 for the amount to make the recipe once, but who cares! ahahaha!) So, I am going to go to another grocery store this week to see if I can get the rosemary and I will at least make the salmon and the potatoes. I so excited!
One more thing: I haven't done the current recipe (which is "due" today). My husband comes home from abroad this week, so I wanted to wait until I had someone to enjoy it with me. So, I'll be doing Serena, Staci and Tisha's recipes in quick succession. I'll be bombarding you with my reviews sometime later this week.
Thank you for understanding, girls. I've been a naughty participant lately, but I enjoy being included. I am as enthusiastic about this blog as ever!
Soooo, Tisha . . . What's cookin', good lookin'? Can't wait to find out!
P.S. Attached you will see me, the food snob, CLEARLY enjoying a hot dog and a Budweiser--from a roadside van, no less (oh, the shame!). High quality grub. Hahaha.