Winter feasts

One of the nice things about cooking in winter is there's so little competition. I get home from work and there's no chance of a run or the beach - so I sort of love just digging in in the kitchen. It's dark and cold out but light and warm in my cozy kitchen.  Jeopardy and NPR are the soundtrack as I assemble, sautee and prep. 

And I love inviting people over on winter nights - breaks up the winter blues!

Last week we had a couple good meals and fun nights. John and Kaitlyn, the newlyweds, came up for a lovely meal of Shrimp Pad Thai. 

Shrimp Pad Thai 

In a bowl combine 

1/2 cup boiling water,

 1/2 cup brown sugar, 

1/2 cup fish sauce

4 TBSP rice vinegar,

 2 TBSP Siracha, 

juice of 2 limes.  

Stir to dissolve.  

Add 1 lb medium shrimp.  Set aside. 

Cook 1 lb linguine, broken in half. Cook one minute less than instructions and rinse under cold water.

Prep the pad thai:

slice 1 onion thinly

chop 6 scallions into large-ish pieces

grate 4 carrots

mince 6 cloves garlic

chop 1 cup peanuts

 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro

lightly beat six eggs in a bowl.

Heat 4 TBSP veg oil in a large pot until really hot - smoking, even.

Add  onions and sautee about 2 minutes, until start to soften & color

Add the garlic and stir in the eggs, stirring constantly while they cook, about 1 minute.

Add the cooked linguine, and scallions and stir until pasta is re-heated, 1-2 minutes

Pour in the shrimp with its sauce,  stir and cook until shrimp is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in peanuts, cilantro and carrots and turn off heat. 

add 4 cups bean sprouts, stir and serve!

Then last week I pulled out an oldie but goody for our couples' group.  SO EASY and SO GOOD. 

 I am not exaggerating when I say that every person had at least two helpings.  It's a terrific meal that tastes like it's way more difficult than it is!

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes

1. • 3/4 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
   • 1 medium onion, chopped
   • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
   • 1 28-ounce can diced peeled tomatoes
   • 1/4 cup purchased pesto sauce
2. • 10 ounces ziti or penne pasta (about 3 cups), freshly cooked
   • 8 cups ready-to-use spinach leaves (about 2/3 of 10-ounce package)
   • 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
   • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)

Heat heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, onion and garlic and sauté until sausage is cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes with juices to pan. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in pesto. Season sauce with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before continuing.) 

Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. 

Combine pasta, spinach, mozzarella and 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese in large bowl.

Stir in hot tomato sauce. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. 

Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese over. Bake until sauce bubbles and cheeses melt, about 30 minutes.

Love these people! 

I think this was right after we went around the table doing 'shots' of coconut oil, after I lamented my crappy memory and my friend Jo insisted coconut oil would help. Completely repulsive - like eating Crisco.  I downloaded a NYT crossword puzzle app instead.

oops, don't forget dessert!

Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake

 

Kahlua - yum

Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate cake mix
• 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 3 eggs

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and coffee liqueur. Beat until ingredients are well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when lightly tapped. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely on wire rack.

Printed From Allrecipes.com 2/4/2016