January 30, 2008

Main Dish Fish and Shellfish: Shrimp and Portobello Mushroom Fettuccine

Main Dish Fish and Shellfish: Shrimp and Portobello Mushroom Fettuccine Submitted By: BONNIET310
from Allrecipes Dinner Recipes
This versatile dish features shrimp with sauteed portobello mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a cream cheese and whipping cream sauce jazzed up with Cajun seasoning.

January 29, 2008

Pulp, There It Is

Pulp, There It Is
from The Amateur Gourmet by Adam Roberts

Does anyone else think it's strange when you buy orange juice now you're given a choice between lots of pulp, some pulp and no pulp?
Normally I'm an orange juice snob, coming from Florida as I do, and in Florida when you get fresh-squeezed orange juice you just know it has pulp. Oranges have pulp and therefore the juice has pulp.
But when you buy a factory packaged O.J. like Tropicana, as I do now and again when I'm sick or when I'm getting a bagel, I'm flummoxed with pulp choices. Do I want some pulp or lots of pulp? I certainly don't want no pulp though I know there are people who hate pulp and I'm sure I'll hear from them in the comments.
I just want the proper amount of pulp for the amount of orange juice I'm about to drink. How much pulp came out when you squeezed those oranges, Tropicana? Lots or some? Well put that amount in the container and I'll drink it. You know since it's 100% pure and natural I figure the amount of pulp should be pure and natural too.
What's next, choose the tint of the orange juice color? The viscosity, the acidity? I'll take what comes out of the orange and leave those choices to Mother Nature not Mother Industry, thank you.

January 28, 2008

WBW #41: the exciting wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region


WBW #41: the exciting wines of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region
from Purple Liquid: a wine and food diary by Catherine Granger
I can't believe today is already Wine Blogging Wednesday, the first of 2008! Time flies! This is the 41st edition of this popular event and it is hosted this month by Jack and Joanne of Fork & Bottle. They believe that Friuli, this month's theme, has become the most exciting wine region in the world. I almost agree: I think it is one of the most exciting wine producing regions and I really love the Friulian white wines.The problem is that it is not easy to buy a white wine from Friuli that is not from the ubiquitous Pinot Grigio but I did find one that looked interesting: the 2005 Marco Felluga Collio Bianco Molamatta. It is a blend of local grapes — Tocai Friulano, Ribolla Gialla , and Pinot Bianco — from the Collio DOC. Collio is naturally protected by the Alps on the North and open to the Adriatic Sea on the South, and it is generally considered Friuli's finest wine producing area. The Marco Felluga estate has been making wines since the 19th century and Marco Felluga is today one of the leading producers in the region.The wine kept its promises. It had a bright golden yellow color and a rich nose of white blossom, honey, and pear. On the palate, it was full-bodied with mouth-coating flavors and a sappy mineral finish. Superb with baked spice-rubbed salmon fillets.Joanne and Jack, I am sure you'll get many fine wines for your round-up but this one is highly recommended!Previous WBW posts:• WBW #39: a wine from Silver Burgundy, the 2005 Viré-Clessé Maison ChansonWBW #38: 2001 Periquita ClassicoWBW #37: Hello Teroldego!Technorati tags::

January 27, 2008

Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf

Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf
from Chef Michele's Adventures: Celebrity Chef Cookbook Reviews by Michele
I recently got a few new cookbooks that contain some really amazing recipes. I'm hoping to try several over the next few weeks and will post the recipes here.Tonight I made a dish called Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf from Claudia Roden's Arabesque. This cookbook contains recipes from Morocco, Lebanon and Turkey. There are many beautiful photographs throughout the book as well. It would make a beautiful coffee table book because the cover is so pretty. I really enjoyed reading this book because not only is it a cook book, it also contains a wealth of information about the countries from which the recipes hail. This is the first recipe I have tried from this book and it is wonderful! We had it with buttered peas, homemade pitas and hummus.Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf(Adapted from Arabesque by Cladia Roden)(for the rice)1 1/2 c. long grain rice1 (15 oz.) diced tomatoes1 tsp. chicken bullion powder2 tsp. sugarsalt and pepper1/2 stick butter, diced(for the chicken)4 boneless, skinless chicken pieces1 Tbsp. light olive oil2 Tbsp. butter1/2 tsp ground coriandersalt and pepperdried parsleyStart by making the rice. Blend tomatoes in blender then add enough water to make 2 2/3 cups. Pour the tomato puree into a pot along with the bullion, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy. Add more water if needed towards the end of cooking and simmer a few more minutes. Stir in butter and set aside. For the chicken, cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat oil and butter in a skillet then add chicken and cook 6 - 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn pieces over once during cooking. Serve chicken over the rice sprinkled with parsley.

New Cookbooks!

New Cookbooks!
from
Chef Michele's Adventures: Celebrity Chef Cookbook Reviews by Michele
Over the past few months I have been adding slowly to my cookbook collection. I recently purchased
Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook after borrowing it from our church library and falling in love with it. I used to always use the "Fix It And Forget It" books quite a bit when I was seeking a great slow cooker recipe but this is now my "go-to" book for all things crock pot. This book is great because it uses a lot of really nutritious ingredients and there are not a lot of processed foods used. I also bought the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook. This one is awesome if you are trying to incorporate more whole grains into your diet. There are plenty of recipes for things you would normally make like pancakes, oatmeal, breads and pizza crust. The only difference is these recipes use whole grains and they taste great! You can check all the new additions to my collection over on the right sidebar ... just scroll down a bit to see them all.