Baked Shrimp and Feta

I know I just made something from the October issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine, but when I saw this recipe for Baked Shrimp with Feta I just HAD to make it. And I'm so glad I did. I served it tonight to my mother and sister and their guys - all gave it rave reviews. It was even suggested as a dish to prepare for our next dinner party . . .

Baked Shrimp and Feta 6 to 8 servings 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined Juice of 1 lemon, plus wedges for serving 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 cup tomato puree 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped 1 bay leaf Salt and pepper 1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the shrimp with the lemon juice and arrange in a single layer. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato puree, oregano, bay leaf and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Discard the bay leaf and pour the sauce over the shrimp; sprinkle the feta on top. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then place under the broiler until the feta is lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve with the lemon wedges.

Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup

I'm back! I'm back and in a new place. A new, old place actually. I have moved back to Chicago. I spent the last two weeks driving up here and getting unpacked. Now I have my cookbooks all up on the shelf and all of my cooking utensils unpacked - so I'm ready to go! It's been about 6 months since I've been actively cooking. So much has gone on in my life. But now I am home and I have people to cook for so I am so excited! Tonight was my first night in the kitchen after a long time - and it was a new kitchen to boot. But, I have a Whole Foods right down the street from me and I am in Heaven.

I knew I wanted to cook tonight but I have not gone through my cookbooks to pick out something special yet. I turned to the October issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and flipped to the "7 days, 7 dinners" section and picked something out. I chose the Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup because it seemed quick and tasty. And I wanted to make sure I got in an entry for The Doubly Delicious Two Year Celebration of Weekend Herb Blogging. It just cooled off here in Chicago so soup was the perfect thing for me to prepare.

This soup feature fresh dill. I LOVE the smell of Dill. I haven't found it to be an very versatile herb because if something contains dill you usually know it distinctly. However zucchini is one of the most versatile ingredients out there. Use it raw in salads, roast it up, puree it to make bread . . . the possibilities are endless! And according to the entry in Wikipedia, "In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the Zucchini to be the Britain's 10th favorite culinary vegetable." I'm not surprised at all!

This Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup is super easy to make. The hardest part was peeling the potatoes - I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes and zucchini and a chopper for the onions. My mom and I had it for dinner tonight with nothing else but the suggested Pumpernickel bread and a glass of Syrah. My mother is a much more cautious cook than I am. She'll try anything at a restaurant but she tends to prepare old standards of meat and potatoes at home. The first thing she told me when she saw me cooking tonight was that she usually doesn't like creamed soups (but she'll try whatever I make). I explained to her that this soup doesn't have any cream in it and that it is very healthy. She watched me break out the immersion blender and was impressed with the results. She commented at least five times how much she liked this soup. I thought it was a tasty and healthy dinner to enjoy on a cool night. Perfect for fall.

Zucchini, Potato and Ham Soup 1 tablespoon butter 2 onions, chopped 2 large yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon gold (about 1 pound total), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick 3 zucchini (about 1 pound total), sliced 1/4 inch thick Salt One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth Two 1/4-inch-thick slices cooked ham (about 8 ounces), finely chopped 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill Pinch nutmeg Pumpernickel bread, for serving

Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini and season with salt. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil; cover, lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Using a blender, partially puree the soup, leaving some chunks. Stir in the ham, dill and nutmeg and serve with the bread.

Check out the round-up for the The Doubly Delicious Two Year Celebration of Weekend Herb Blogging by the gal who started it all at Kalyn's Kitchen.

Foodie Transitions

I can't believed how I've slacked in my foodie blogging! I've been doing lots of foodie things, but not cooking. Summer has come and gone and I never grilled one thing. I did get to take a few trips though which have allowed me to cross off a few more things on foodie project. I've been to Vancouver, Alaska and Chicago and have had lots of good food and wine at some really great restaurants.

I still have two food-blogging blockers right now . . . 1) My camera is broken; and 2) I'm moving out of state. Back to Chicago I go, just in time for fall. So since I'm in the process of moving, and it's been a fluctuating date, I haven't been keeping much food in my house. But now I'm definitely set on the 3rd week of September. And the best part about that is there will be a Whole Foods two blocks from my house!

On another note, I have changed my eating habits quite a bit. After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma and Skinny Bitch this past year, I'm eating mostly vegan. Not that I won't eat meat or dairy or eggs, but I'm focusing on organics if I do. And for now I'm eating lots of veggies and beans.

So the fun part is that now I'm going through all my existing cookbooks and looking at all the veggie recipes with a different point of view. Lots of good things to cook! I can't wait to get to Chicago and get settled and START COOKING!

#29: A Chicago Power Meal at Aigre Doux

Yes, this photo is from my cell phone. My new cellphone which I forgot to take the little plastic thing of the lens! Oh well, you get the idea.

I tried to go to Aigre Doux back in July and had a hard time. I was on a mission to go for lunch at this particular restaurant because it is listed as #29 A Chicago Power Meal on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007. I was on the North-side so I called and found out they were open for lunch until 2pm. They told me that as long as I got there by 1:45pm they would be able to seat me. We got there at 1:20 and I was informed that the kitchen had just closed! I was REALLY pissed.

Luckily, I was in Chicago this past weekend for Lollapalooza and Tiffany and I decided to try Aigre Doux for lunch again before she dropped me off at the airport. Aside from our frustrating experience trying to get a meal here, the food is great! For an appetizer we had Ahi Tuna which was a bit different because they served it with Jicama - yum! For lunch I had the Roasted Lobster Bucatini ($18) which was SUPER good but was heavy enough to eat for dinner. Of course we had to try the Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert and that is one thing I want to learn to make. It was SO GOOD! Thank God I was getting on a plane so I could take a nap after that filling meal! I will definitely go to this restaurant again, however I think most of my friends will think I is way to expensive for lunch.

#32: The Whole Tree

Okay, attempting to "taste" #32 The Whole Tree on Food and Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 was impossible for me. AND it cost me a fortune.

32 The Whole Tree

It’s the herbivore’s version of head-to-tail eating. Consider how three Chicago restaurants are using various parts of the peach tree:

Peach Leaves MK the Restaurant infuses ice cream with peach leaves.

Unripe Fruit It flavors a salsa for smoked trout and a vinaigrette at HotChocolate.

Wood Osteria di Tramonto smokes pork shanks over peach wood.

When I went to HotChocolate the restaurantaurs had no idea what I was talking about. I went for brunch on a weekend and we still had an amazing brunch, but I didn't get to taste any part of a peach tree. I will say that their tea was amazing even though that they must be know for their Hot Chocolate, based on the name. We were asking so many questions I think they knew we were going to write something about them because they offered my friend and I each complimentary hot chocolates. They were the BEST we ever had. Homemade marshmallows! I had the mexican version and she had the traditional version. We will definitely be headed back there when it turns cold.


We later went to MK which is a very expensive restaurant. Unfortunately, the menu changes seasonally and there was no peach ice cream anywhere on the menu. So I did attempt it, and we did end up with an AMAZING dinner, but didn't accomplish my goal.

Over all, I spent over $200 and never got to taste any part of a peach tree :(

#1: Langoustines

I came into Chicago to go to The Police Concert at Wrigley Field with my friend Tiffany. We were tried to go for a Chicago Power Meal, but they were closed for lunch by the time we got there. Next we tried to eat The Whole Tree at HotChocolate but they were closed too! So we wandered to a Mexican restaurant down the block and much to my surprise I was able to order Langoustines which are #1 on the F&W 100 Tastes to Try list!

Langoustines are very similar to shrimp and are also known as Norway Lobster, Dublin Bay prawns or Scampi "found in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and North Sea as far north as Iceland and northern Norway, and south to Portugal". Normally I would not have ordered these because they came with the shells on and I do not like doing the peel and eat thing. However, they just happened to be on the menu so I went for it. They were very good. Sweeter than shrimp and it seemed that most of the meat was up in the head area which might gross some people out.

#16: Great Canadian Wines from the Okanagan Valley

#16 on Food & Wine's 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 is Great Canadian Wines from the Okanagan Valley and I think it was my favorite "taste" of all. I got to sample many wines on our trip to the Pacific Northwest earlier this year. We spent a long weekend in Vancouver and every place we went I asked for wine from the Okanagan Valley. Luckily, there were several chardonnay and other white wines. This was great because it was warm in Vancouver and a cold glass of white wine hit the spot every time we took a break.

Weekend Herb Blogging Roundup

A whole bunch of people submitted entries for this past weekend's Weekend Herb Blogging event. Sorry to all for the delay in getting these all posted! Now here's the roundup:

Katerina from Daily Unadventures in Cooking used lemongrass in a thai soup called Tom Yum Gung (Shrimp in Hot Lime Broth).

Shawnda from Confections of a Foodie Bride used cilantro in her pico de gallo recipe.

Kalyn from Kalyn's Kitchen highlighted radishes in her Roasted Radishes Recipe with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seeds.

Sara from I Like to Cook used zucchini to make Grilled Zucchini and Proscuitto Pizza with Sage.

Burcu from Almost Turkish Recipes used okra in her Baked Okra (Fırında Bamya).

Katie of Thyme for Cooking, the Blog used ingredients other than cilantro in her Tomato Olive Salsa.

Peter of Kalofagas - In Pursuit of Delicious Foods used lemon verbena in a Mojito Cocktail.

Alysha from The Savory Notebook users her fresh grown basil in a recipe for Lemon Basil Vinaigrette.

Sarina from The TriniGourmet highlights coconut in her entry.

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook used haricot verts in her own recipe for The Ultimate Almondine.

Zorra from 1x umruehren bitte aka kochtopf used rosemary in her marinated feta.

Ulrike of Küchenlatein used mint in her strawberry jam with mint which she made in the microwave.

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything used Buddha's Hand in her Candied Buddha Fingers.

Genie from The Inadvertent Gardener used dried lavender in a recipe for Lavender Coolers.

Sher from What Did You Eat? featured mint in an Asian-Style Cole Slaw.

Anna from Morsels & Musings used oregano in her pita pizza.

Angie from My Kitchen: My Laboratory uses adzuki beans in an original dessert soup.

Anh from Food Lover's Journey used chive in the recipe for Individual Tomato Tarts with Chive Ricotta.

Pille of Nami-nami used stinging nettle in a recipe for Nettle Soup with Eggs & Herbs.

Sra from When My Soup Came Alive used Malabar Spinach in an interesting stir-fry.

Emily of Superspark used some gorgeous yellow stuffed blossoms in her recipe for stuffed squash blossoms.

Eve from In Mol Araan used thyme in her recipe for White Beans and Thyme.

Kate from Veggie Friendly used nori in her recipe for Vegetarian Sushi.

Nicole from Pinch My Salt used fresh mint in her recipe in a Tzatziki Sauce.

Astrid from Paulchen's Food Blog made a Flowery Herb Mix.

Favorites from the Pacific Northwest

The month of May has come and gone in a quick blur. I injured my back and was out of commission for the first half of the month. I had to get better so that I could go on vacation for the second half. I just got back from an Alaskan cruise with additional days in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. It was a really great time.

I was really excited to each Alaskan King Crab Legs right there in Alaska. Our breakfast waiter recommended Twisted Fish Company in Juneau. We went there after our tour and had to wait over an hour. By the time they got seated they told us they were out of crab legs! The only ones they had left were the legs with the claws. We said that was fine with us! They were good but nothing special. In fact, we later found out that all crab legs get frozen immediately so the we ate the same freshness of crab there in Alaska that I do in Chicago or Tampa. But at least we got to say we at crab in Alaska.

Some of my top foodie highlights from my trip:

The June tasting menu at Raincity Grill in Vancouver, which is known for their seasonal local food.

Poached Pot for breakfast to Mosaic Bar & Grille in the Vancouver Hyatt. This consisted of ham, asparagus, spinach, stewed tomatoes and poached eggs.

Noshing at the Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver. My mom got the freshest cherries we had even eaten! I got an amazing beer shrimp salad and a few other things. I really wished I lived there so I could shop and use all the fresh food in my own kitchen.

Fresh oyster's at Twisted Fish in Juneau. They were from local waters and the best I have ever eaten.

Tea time on the cruise ship. I'm very easy to please when you give me cucumber sandwiches and scones.

Fish and chips made with fresh cod at Steamer's in Ketchikan.

Eating spicy Indian food on the balcony at Moxie's in Vancouver.

Ice cream in Butchart Gardens in Victoria. Not that the ice cream was anything special, but it was a beautiful place and pretty hot, so an ice cream cone was perfect.

Wine and Thai peanut legs at Milestone's in Victoria overlooking the harbor.

Buying tea and wandering through the market in Vancouver's Chinatown.

Indulging in the Tasting Menu at CinCin in Vancouver where we spent as much per person and we should have for the entire meal.

I also can back with a The New Alaska Cookbook: Recipes from the Last Frontier's Best Chefs. I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and get cooking!

Pizza and Chocolate Cake

Can you believe I have not cooked one thing in over 10 days. I'm freaking out about it. My bank statement has charges from places like Sonic, Quizno's, the Chinese food place and the cafeteria at my office. Life has been so busy. Last week I bought a new car which was a lot of fun but included a few nights of test driving and all of that. I also had a friend's wedding and we had plenty of weekend wedding activities. Last night I finally whipped out my cookbooks and put together a grocery list for some things I want to make. I was going to stop at the grocery store on the way home from work, but I got a disturbing call in the middle of the day. I have some plumbing problems. Long story short, no cooking until this gets resolved. So tonight, it's pizza and chocolate cake. Oh, and buffalo wings too.