My dad thinks that fresh scallions just need a little salt to taste perfectly delicious. I'm inclined to agree with him.

I love to make wraps. They're all self-contained in a package that makes them easier to transport and eat than a regular old sandwich. Anything goes in a wrap too, turkey, veggies, whatever and it's pretty much delicious. We went picnicing the other night and tried some new wrap recipes. This turkey wrap has curry mayonnaise, apples, and pears. It's easy to make, makes up quickly and tastes fresh and wonderful.

But if you really want something extravagant give these mango and shrimp wraps a try and don't use shrimp... use lobster. Oh yeah, lobster. You can buy 1.5 lb. bags of lobster claw meat in the freezer section at Costco, and it's good, tender lobster meat. By substituting the shrimp with lobster you avoid most of the cooking time for these wraps and your friends will definitely be begging for one of these!

It's cloudy and cool on the Southern California coast this weekend. July 4th should be about sunshine, beer and barbecue, but instead I sit curled up with a toasty warm cappuccino. I love it and it loves me too.

I'm sitting here with my cup of tea admiring the brightness of my fresh homegrown tomatoes. My goal for today is to figure out something lovely to make for dinner with these red wonders.

I love fresh limes and fresh cilantro so much that my mouth starts watering just with the thought of the combination! This shrimp and noodle dish is a fast way to get those flavors I love. It uses easy-to-come-by ingredients for an exotic taste.

Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Cilantro
From: Fine Cooking April/May 2010



Rice Noodles with Shrimp and Cilantro
Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:
6 oz 1/4" wide rice noodles (pad thai)
2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
1 1/2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
3/4 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
3 Tbsp peanut oil
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions: Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the noodles, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a colander and run under cold water to cool slightly. Drain well.

In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce, and fish sauce; set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with 1 Tbsp of the oil, the coriander 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt.

Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the red pepper, jalapeno, and shallot, sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring until it turns pink and is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the lime juice mixture and cook, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through, about 1 minute more. Add the noodles and half of the cilantro; toss until the noodles heat through and pick up the sauce, 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with the remaining cilantro, with the lime wedges on the side for squeezing.

Yum!

From my garden: Limes

Well, really the recipe is Linguine with Baby Heirloom Tomatoes and Anchovy Breadcrumbs but I had tons of fresh tomatoes from my garden and they were a fabulous substitution. This recipe is easy and has ingredients I regularly have in the kitchen. I love how quickly it cooks up and it tastes delicious. A definite winner.

From Epicurious.com

Ingredients
8 ounces linguine
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 anchovy fillets, mashed to paste with 1 teaspoon oil from can
3 garlic cloves, pressed, divided
1 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless country bread
1 1-pound container baby heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Cook linguine until just tender but firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and 2 garlic cloves, then breadcrumbs. Cook breadcrumbs until golden, tossing to distribute evenly, about 5 minutes. Scrape crumbs onto plate and cool.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in same skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and remaining garlic clove. Cover; cook until tomatoes begin to break down, 3 to 4 minutes. Using fork, crush 1/4 of tomatoes. Add pasta, basil, cheese, and 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid to tomatoes. Toss, adding more liquid if dry. Mix in half of crumbs. Season pasta with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta to large shallow bowl; top with remaining breadcrumbs and serve. Yum!

Grass fed, organic, free range? Do you ever stand in the grocery store wondering which package of meat your supposed to buy? Should it be hormone-free or all-natural? This article does a good job of clearing up the confusion of all these different labeling standards for meat products in the US. I learned that chickens and pigs are not allowed to be given hormones so any label that claims that is only being redundant. And for meat to be considered organic it must be certified by the USDA for eating a chemical-free diet and never having been given antibiotics. Take a look and learn about the labels so you are an informed shopper.

I'm Heather and I love food. I think about food, I dream about food, I grow food, and I really love to cook. I hope you'll continue to join my on this blog and follow me through my adventures in eating.