Aunt Vera's Monkey Bread

Uncle Lee and Aunt Vera are in town... and that means Monkey Bread. Warning: you may feel like you ate a brick of butter and sugar after this meal... but it is SOOOOOOOOO worth it.

Ingredients

• 2 packages of Grands Buttermilk Biscuits (there are 8 biscuits to a package)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 3/4 stick of butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• Bundt Pan

Preparation

1. Heat 3/4 stick of butter and stir in the cup of brown sugar as the butter is melting. Once you have a mixture of syrup, turn off the heat, set aside, and allow it to cool.
   
   
2. As the syrup cools, mix the 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Adjust the ratio of sugar to cinnamon to your liking. My measurements are just guidelines. I always go by a licked and dipped finger-tasting to decide when it's right ; ) I guess you could shoot for a tan color if you prefer not going by taste.
3. Open the package of biscuits and cut each biscuit into four pieces.
4. Roll each quarter of the biscuit into a ball and toss the balls in the bowl of the cinnamon mixture.
   
5. Toss the cinnamon coated balls into a thoroughly buttered/greased bundt pan.
6. Once all the biscuits have been cut, balled, coated, and placed in the pan, pour the syrup mixture over the cinnamon balls in the bundt pan.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 and bake until golden brown and puffed up (20 min give or take).
8. Cool for however long you can stand to resist the smell of cinnamon heaven.
9. Put a plate on top of bundt pan, flip the bundt and lift it off, leaving the mountain of cinnamon syrup deliciousness to bask in all of its glory.

ENJOY YOUR MONKEY BREAD!!!! Thank you Aunt Vera!!!

Ginger Sesame Seared Ahi Tuna w/ Salad

Today I planned ahead. I made my marinade and dressing before work, so all I had to do when I got home was throw the meal together. My mom and I found this recipe online a couple of years ago. WE LOVE IT because it's lite, refreshing, & mouthwatering all at the same time!

Seared Ahi Tuna

Ingredients

• 2 ahi tuna steaks. (3/4 inch think... ALSO I think buying these at an asian market is the best. They are top-notch, sushi sashimi quality there!)
• 2 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. of grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• 1 green onion (save some for garnish or even more to toss in salad)
• 1 teaspoon lime juice

Preparation

Mix the marinade, pour it over the tuna steaks, & pop those puppies in the fridge for at least an hour to bask in the deliciousness that they are becoming.

Heat a nonstick skillet over med/high to high heat (I add a litte olive oil to avoid sticking in the cast iron frying pan I like to use). Once the pan is hot, sear the steaks 1- 1 1/2 minutes on each side. YOU WANT THEM TO BE GORGEOUSLY STILL PINK ALL THROUGHOUT THE CENTER! (see pictures)

Asian Dressing

Ingredients

• 3 oz. rice vinegar
• 1 oz. soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 clove of garlic pressed
• 5 oz. vegetable oil

Preparation

Whisk that ish together and toss over some yummy dark greens! Ta-da you have a salad to rest your sexy ahi tuna on.

Check it out now..... the funk soul searer??

My messy prep space.

Only the outsides of the steaks turn a greyish-pink color. The inside stays a vibrant purple/pink color!

See that pretty color in the center??? Lovely. And I can't have seafood without my friendly Ballet of Angels. Please forgive my cell phone quality pictures. One day I will own a legitimate picture taking device.

Must work on timing

Sooooo, I got all excited about being able to cook dinner for the family and add and add to this blog. And then I got a job where I work until 6:30. That really messes with the planning and cooking of a meal. Especially since I come home starving and wanting instant gratification. I'm gonna have to work on something here. Maybe in the meantime I'll just post old awesome recipes that other people ask for a lot. Maybe...

Summer Grub: Brussel Sprout Salad, Shrimp Cakes, & Corn Salad!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNCLE TIM! 

zeee Backyard!!!

SO! I have decided to begin posting. I had previously been waiting on obtaining a digital camera so I could document my  TASTY FANTASTIC FANTABULOUS CREATIONS... but seeing as I have just only today obtained a job and have exhausted savings on moving across the country and paying student loans.... one should not hold ones breath until Ryan obtains said digital camera.

The other night I cooked dinner for my family in honor of my Uncle Tim's Birthday!!! YAY! We enjoyed a delicious dinner in our backyard! It's been super hot here in the San Fernando Valley so we had to have a light & breezy dinner! I turned to Ms. Giada's Shrimp Cakes and Brussel Sprout Salad recipes and paired them with this Crisp Summer Corn Salad (my healthy spin on a starch) that I discovered in a Taste of Home magazine!  

To top it all off we popped open a bottle of wine from Sharpe Hill Vinyard over in Putnam Connecticut, right by my handsome boyfriend's hometown! It's the Best Selling Wine in New England!!! And my favorite white wine PERIOD. It's called Ballet of Angels and it's heavenly crisp with some pear accents. That's completely just my thought. Go buy a bottle yourself to decide how you feel! You can't miss it's awesome label:

Ballet of Angels Label.

Giada's Brussel Sprout Salad*:

Ingredients
Dressing:

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
• 2 cups baby arugula
• 1 head Belgian endive, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (For those of you who are ignorant like me, this is a video of what an endive looks like and how to cut it! P.S. Don't be ashamed. Almost every time I've bought an endive for this recipe the checker asked me what the hell it was so (s)he could look up its code)
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted* (lazy people like me would be happy to know they sell little bags of this in the produce section of most major grocery stores)
• 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese 

Preparation (according to Giada, with Ryan's notes):

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (I skip the salt and definitely don't add all of the dressing. Otherwise you'll be calling it drenching : D )

For the salad: Using a small paring knife, remove the outer leaves from the brussels sprouts (I save the centers and use them when cooking a stock for a soup! so tasty and less wasteful). Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the brussels sprout leaves and cook for 1 minute (I say do it for three. I like my brussel sprout leaves cooked enough to be sweet and soft. One minute never covers it for me). Drain and place in a bowl of iced water (this is so important! Skipping this step leads to soggy, less-green brussel sprout leaves. Eww). Drain well in a colander. Place the brussels sprouts leaves, arugula, endive, and almonds in a salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss together. Sprinkle with the cheese and serve!
*Cook's Note: To toast the almonds, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 6 to 8 minutes until lightly toasted. Cool completely before using.
Prep Time: 25 minutes (peeling the brussel sprouts leaves takes for ever! Put on a good tv show and sip on some wine to make it more fun.)
Cook Time: 1 minute
Serving Size: 4 servings

Don't leave candles outside in the valley. Ours melted into a folded in half position.

Giada's Shrimp Cakes*:

Ingredients

Shrimp Cakes:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 (4 ounces) large button mushrooms, cleaned and stems trimmed, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 large shallots, minced (I love shallots so I always add an extra... clove? is that what we call those pieces?)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 tablespoons plain breadcrumbs (I've toasted my own bread crumbs and I've used the pain panko ones. Both work just fine and both taste great!)
• 1 large egg
• Zest of 1/2 large lemon

Butter:
 *Note- I cut this recipe in half. A whole stick of ginger butter, as yummy as it is, is way to much for the number of shrimp cakes this recipe makes.

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2-inch-long piece fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated to yield 4 teaspoons
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup grapeseed or vegetable oil, plus extra as needed

Preparation

For the shrimp cakes: In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, carrot, shallots, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the carrot begins to soften, about 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor. Add the shrimp, breadcrumbs, egg, and lemon zest. Pulse until combined but still chunky. Using damp hands, form the mixture into 15 patties, each 2 inches in diameter and 1/2-inch thick. Place on a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

For the butter: In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, mix together the butter, ginger, soy sauce and salt until combined. Place the mixture on a piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic wrap over and form the mixture into a log about 7 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm. When ready to serve, slice the butter into 1/4-inch-thick pieces.

In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 of the patties and cook for 3 to 4 minutes each side until golden. Add extra oil, if needed, and cook the remaining patties. Serve the shrimp cakes while still warm with a slice of ginger butter on top.

Cook's Note: Use any leftover ginger butter to top chicken or fish.

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 12 to 15 minutes

Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size

15 shrimp cakes

Picked the flowers from my Mom's garden!

Crisp Summer Corn Salad*:

Ingredients

• 5 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I use Jamaican Pickapeppa sauce instead!)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

In a small bowl, whisk 4 tsp. oil, lime juice, salt and pepper sauce; set aside.

In a large skillet, cook and stir corn in remaining oil over medium-high heat until tender. Transfer to a salad bowl; cool slightly. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and basil. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Let stand for 10 minutes before serving or refrigerate until chilled. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Serving size: 4

*Just to be clear. I do not claim any of these recipes to be my own! I just want to share the deliciousness that they are with people that also appreciate damn good food. I found Giada's recipe's at at this website, if you'd like to check out the source. 

Happy cooking and happier eating!

My painting of the meal since I do not have a digital camera. Note the Brussel Sprout Salad (left), Shrimp Cakes and Ginger Butter (center), Corn Salad (right), and Ballet of Angels (back right).