What's For Dinner

Shrimp on the Barbie
My birthday was this past weekend and my husband made me a lovely dinner after sending me to the spa for the day! He took large prawns, placed a basil leaf on each one and individually wrapped them with prosciutto. A little s&p, drizzle of olive oil and grilled them up. After they were done, he took about a cup of French liquor, Pernod, and heated it in a sauce pan, then lit it on fire and promptly poured it over the shrimp. AMAZING!

Moma’s Ribs
My mom makes the best ribs and I’ve been trying for years to replicate them – I’m not there yet, but close!
Take baby back pork ribs (have the butcher remove the back membrane) and simply salt & pepper and slice yellow onions over the top of them. Tightly place foil over the glass pan and place in the oven at 325-350 for an hour. Remove from oven and drain off some of the juices (if there is a lot), recover and place back in the oven for 45 more minutes. Then take them out and put your sauce on them (I make my mom’s sticky sauce), cover and put in oven for another half hour. Take off the foil and let them cook for 20 more minutes to dry out a bit. I served them with coleslaw and the best green beans -
I’m sorry I don’t have an exact recipe for my Mom’s sticky sauce, but it is brown sugar, ketchup, a dash of mustard, worchestchire sauce, and a dash of vinegar. I’ve spent years trying to get the right amounts of each so it tastes like my moms!!!

Peachy Chickeen
Last night my neighbor and I made peach jam from the bounty on her tree! Tonight I browned up some chicken on the stove and just before it was finished cooking I spooned some of the peach jam on top and let it caramelize. It was delicious!
I served it with Jacques Pepin’s potatoes
corn on the cob and a peach crisp for dessert because we still had peaches left over!

Lyric’s Chicken 2 Ways
I love my friend Lyric and am so sad that she moved across the country so I can’t benefit from her culinary genius as often!
Buy a rotisserie chicken and pick it clean. Split it in half. One night, make it into a BBQ chicken pizza (I make my dough and actually cook it in just a few minutes on my stone out on the grill, then put toppings on and finish it in the oven). The second night, put the remainder of the chicken into this Ina recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/orzo-with-roasted-vegetables-recipe/index.html
It's HEAVENLY, makes an abundance and is loved by all, even the little guys learning to eat.

Make Your Own Sandwich!
Sandwiches, they’re not just for lunch! I love to buy a bunch of fresh cold cuts and let the kids assemble their own sandwiches. I find they are more likely to try new things when they make it themselves! Plus, I love that there are no pots and pans to clean up!

Tom Kha Gai (Coconut/lemongrass soup)
My friend Marcy passed this along and I can’t wait to try it!

Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
1 can (14 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
6 quarter size slices fresh ginger
1 stalk fresh lemongrass
1 lb boned, skinned chicken breast (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp Thai chili paste
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp cilantro
red/orange/yellow peppers

What to do:
In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, chicken brother, fresh ginger. Cut lemongrass stalk into 1 inch pieces and add to pan. Bring to boil over high heat. Add chicken, mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, chili paste. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is firm and opaque, 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish each serving with fresh basil leaves and cilantro. Discard lemongrass. Serves 4.

**this only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. For added flavor allow it to sit on low for an hour to let spices set in. I add red pepper flakes which makes it spicier. :) Then I also add a few chunks of multi colored peppers about 15 minutes before serving to add some color. Then they aren't too mushy.