bloody mary shrimp taco

bloody mary shrimp taco, originally uploaded by organic baker.

here's an idea for a quick dinner:

are you tired of seasoning your shrimp the way you always have it? sure it's good, but after having your good, well seasoned perfectly cooked shrimp from the grill, you just get tired of it. at least i do. one night, knowing that we will be having shrimp for dinner but not wanting to prep for a long time, i decided to have my bloody mary for dinner.

so here it goes:
shrimp - clean, no shell and deveined
dump it all in a ziplock bag... with...
bloody mary mix (the spicy one)
a small handful of brown sugar
celery salt
horseradish
a splash of vodka if you will
(hey... didn't i tell you it's a bloody mary shrimp?)
olive oil

while marinating in the refrigerator, prep bamboo skewers by soaking it in hot water.

grill yellow bell peppers until nice and done. by then, the shrimp will be very eager to meet the grill. dan grilled the peppers and shrimp with some smoking chips (ask him what... he's the grill master). while he's grilling, i chopped some red onions, tomatoes and cilantro.

served with whole wheat tortilla and peach salsa. yummy.

crab fried rice

crab fried rice, originally uploaded by organic baker.

sunday. lunch time. what's for lunch? tough question. though my sunday muffins are good (read: whole wheat banana apple walnut muffins), i'd say it's not enough. invading the ice box and pantry, here's what i've concocted:

crab fried rice

the secret in making good fried rice is in the rice. rice should be cold (read: from the refrigerator), never freshly cooked (that would make the dish mushy). my 'papa molo' would make fried rice over the lowest heat possible, with constant stirring and for at least a good 10 minutes.... so let's keep it at that.

in a hot wok over high heat, start with a couple teaspoons of oil. sautee garlic, onions and carrots. add a couple squirts oyster sauce and hoisin. sprinkle with a couple dash of chinese five spice. add a teaspoon of sriracha. add frozen corn and peas. add crab meat (i used the canned version... hey that's good enough!) then stir in the cold rice (it will be in a big clump if from the refrigerator - simply break it down by crushing it with your fingers - trust me on that).

turn the heat down low and with the use of 2 big serving spoons, mix your rice mixture in the wok for the next 10 minutes. check for seasoning. when cooked, make a well in the middle of the mixture and drop 2 eggs, slowly scrambling then mixing in the rice. sprinkle with sesame seed oil and sesame seeds.

amazingly good.

care for karekare?

seabass karekare, originally uploaded by organic baker.

***warning: this is slightly on the absurd side, so, if by chance you think i've crossed the line... just skip this and move on... read something else... or watch tv...***

this week is my glorious chance to eat "sinigang" (tamarind soup - with veggies mind you) without any hesitation. i have to be honest though - if there's any kind of food that i miss terribly the most... it's kare kare. my tito carlo makes the best one because he uses freshly ground peanuts and finely ground toasted rice. it's probably been a good 8 years now since ive had one. kare kare is traditionally an oxtail stew with peanut sauce, served with shrimp paste on the side. the stew itself is on the bland side, mainly getting flavors from the slow simmering of oxtail and peanuts. the shrimp paste, as weird as it sounds, makes a wonderful dipping sauce that takes the dish into another level of epicurean delight. this is the ultimate food pairing.

since i dont eat anything that makes a sound audible to the human ears, i gave kare kare a good thought. then at a fish market, it suddenly hit me... sea bass has that gelatin like substance similar to that of an oxtail! perfect candidate! i got a pack a a premade kare kare mix without msg, but lo and behold.. had chicken flavor. i had to do some quick thinking. i decided to simmer the slice of seabass in about a quarter cup of water. while it was simmering, i mixed half a cup of peanut butter with a cup of water, a teaspoon of chicken flavored vegetable powder, 1 tsp rice flour, quarter tsp annatto powder, salt and pepper. discard the simmering liquid and replace with the peanut butter mixture. add a good two hands full of chopped yard long beans, stir frequently during the first 5 minutes until it reaches a boil then let simmer for about 7 minutes. check and adjust seasoning. add baby bok choy and let simmer for about 3 more minutes. turn off heat and let stand for about 10 minutes before eating. serve with steamed rice.

sheer happiness.

not into stewed fish? how about grilling it, then serve the sauce on the side... or baste the fish with the sauce while grilling then saute the veggies. try it!

unchicken soup

warning soup for the season, originally uploaded by organic baker.

i decided to be a part of the welcoming committee for this year's flu season. i graciously welcomed the first wave of flu virus and called them my own. it was probably due to the stress of opening another school year, trying to make my cupcake store grow, weather adjustments, change of daily routine, a combination of all factors, i was sniffling like crazy. when i'm sick, roan's sick too, that's just a fact of life. give it a few more days and dan will join in the bandwagon.
as a preventive measure, this soup came in very handy on dan's first and last day of feeling sick this year. the key to this soup is using all the fresh veggies you can think of and letting it cook in a real good vegetable stock. in a big pot, saute red pepper flakes, onions, garlic and fennel. add carrots and potatoes then mix in two boxes of good vegetable stock and bring to a boil. add tomatoes, mushrooms, string beans, peas, corn, zucchini and red bell pepper, season to taste. in a separate pot, cook some mini pesto ravioli (just because i dont like my noodles mushy, plus this method makes sure that the noodles doesn't suck all the stock from the soup). put some ravioli in a bowl, ladle some soup, top with parsley and you're done!
guaranteed to work faster than zicam or your money back!

tequila lime shrimp pasta

tequila lime shrimp pasta, originally uploaded by organic baker.

interesting enough, this pic earned a fave of the day applause by a flickr group. well, that was really nice.

dan decided he'll make me dinner one random night a few weeks ago. this dish turned out really amazing, quick and simple.

he sauteed a generous amount of garlic, red pepper flakes and shrimp, added sun dried tomatoes, tequila, lime and tossed in fettucini, finished it with cilantro.

oh how i'd love to have this again!

veggie pizza

veggie pizza, originally uploaded by organic baker.

sunday night. what a better dinner than pizza?

i was off to the stores sunday afternoon looking for things i need for my friday booking. then we had to drop by at petco to get something for mr. webster. how convenient.. trader joe's was just right next to petco.

i admit i cheated on this pizza. due to lack of foresight, i had to get a premade pizza dough. at least tj's whole wheat pizza dough is great. so there. add a bunch of caramelized onions, sauteed crimini mushrooms, chopped tomatoes from the garden, fresh minced garlic, herbed goat cheese and a generous drizzle of olive oil. yep, no sauce. just fresh veggies.

oh, and a pizza stone is but essential for a good pizza. now if only i have a wood fired brick oven!

my first atlas 180 pasta

whole wheat pasta, originally uploaded by organic baker.

a curtain of pasta

1 1 /2 cups soft whole wheat
1 1/2 cups durum semolina
4 large eggs
water

mix. add water as needed. let rest for about 30 minutes. roll and cut. hang dry for about 30 minutes. boil in salted water for 3 minutes til al dente.

ta da!