Whenever we order Chinese carry-out, I usually end up getting lo mein. When I saw this post on Annie’s site, it looked so delicious, I couldn’t wait to try it. Very glad I did! It was a delicious dinner that came together in a matter of minutes. Not to mention, it’s pretty figure friendly! Any vegetables would be wonderful in this. I kind of used what I had on hand. Also, I cannot wait to try it with Chinese roasted pork (you know – the red tinted stuff?). I’ve seen it at my local grocer, have wanted to try it, but just wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Now I know!

I sort of had a hard time finding the lo mein noodles. Chances are you will find them in the International or Asian aisle of your supermarket. It seems to be hit or miss! You could use spaghetti noodles, but semolina pasta doesn’t absorb the sauce as well. I was shocked how much soy sauce goodness that these babies absorbed. It really was delicious!

This was plenty for myself and my husband, with a small portion leftover for leftovers. If you’ve got more than 2 folks to feed, I’d double the recipe.

Chicken Lo Mein

6 oz. lo mein noodles
1 tbsp  oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1/2 small onion, largely diced
1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
1 cup snow peas
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sesame oil

Bring a pot of water to boil.  Cook the lo mein noodles according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.  In the meantime, make the sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, chicken broth and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.  Whisk well and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken to the pan and cook until browned and cooked through.  Add in the vegetables, each a few minutes apart, starting with the onion, carrot and bell peppers and ending with the snow peas.  Cook until tender, but retains a slight crunch.  Add in the garlic and saute just until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the sauce to the pan, and then the cooked lo mein noodles.  Toss the mixture well to coat everything.  Drizzle with the sesame oil and toss once more.  Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Annie’s Eats and Elly Says Opa!

I came across these panini sandwiches while I was expecting our son Andrew. It was an instant hit with both myself, and the husband. I couldn’t believe how flavorful this sandwich was, or how easy it was to throw together. In fact, in the last week before Andrew was born, Jon took over all cooking duties for me. It might sound simple enough, but it’s actually quite a feat for him.

He cooked the usual things that men (well, most of them!) are capable of cooking…spaghetti, hot dogs, tacos. In other words, processed/ground meat central. But, he also decided to go out on a limb for himself and made these paninis. I did assist him a little in the chopping of the jalapenos. I would have been waiting all night for him to chop up 2 of them – bless his heart. My point is they are wonderfully easy. Takes 20 minutes to throw together…tops!

Spicy Southwest Turkey Paninis

1 sourdough boule or loaf, sliced in pieces 1/2″ thick

3/4 lb oven roasted deli turkey, sliced thin

2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into 1/4″ thick slices

1/2 lb Pepper Jack cheese, sliced (sandwich size is ideal)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp hot sauce

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

kosher salt and ground black pepper

Whisk mayonnaise, hot sauce, jalapeno, and cilantro in a small bowl. Set aside. In another bowl, toss red peppers with the olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Heat large non-stick grill pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange peppers in a single layer in the pan, place a square of aluminum foil on top (that way you don’t kave to wash the pan you weigh down with!), then place a dutch oven, or any other heavy bottomed pan on top of the peppers to weigh them down. Cook, stirring peppers occasionally, until peppers are browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and wipe out pan.

To assemble the paninis, spread mayonnaise mixture evenly on each slice of bread. Lay 2 slices of cheese onto one side of the bread. Top with turkey, red peppers, and remaining cheese. Arrange remaining bread, mayonnaise-side down, over cheese.

Heat grill pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Place 2 sandwiches in pan and weight down with Dutch oven (you can use the aluminum foil trick here as well). Cook sandwiches until golden brown and cheese is melted, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer to wire rack and repeat with remaining sandwiches.

Source: Cook’s Country

My mother-in-law was visiting with us last week. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see her often as her current job has her based in California. So, when she comes to visit…it’s always a real treat. I had thought that I would get a lot done while she was here, as far as gardening and cooking goes. But, sometimes it’s just nice to take a break from it all, and that’s kind of what I did. Hence, the lack of recent blog posts.

One thing I did manage to make while she was here are these blueberry muffins. I’m very glad I did, because this will be my go -to blueberry muffin recipe from now on. I have tried several recipes before, and every time, have been let down. The muffins were either too dense, not sweet enough, or dry. Not these though; they were perfect in every way, shape, and form.

Streusel-Topped Bluberry Muffins

Yield: 18 standard size muffins

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

For Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 muffin tins with baking spray or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Make well in center of ingredients.

Place 1 vegetable oil into a small measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to make 1 cup of liquid. Mix this into the flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 3/4 way full, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 10 1-second pulses, or until mixture resembles wet sand. Alternately, you could use a fork or pastry cutter.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

I have a confession. Up until recently, I was a taco spice packet user. I tried to make my own spice mixture, but it was just never as pungent as the kind from the yellow packet. After taking a gander at the nutritional information, and the whopping amount of sodium (I’m a salt lover folks, but come on. How do they pack that much sodium into that tiny little package? The world may never know) I decided it was time to ditch the packet for good!

As far as taco shell selection goes, we like to fry our own corn tortillas in this house. Every once in a while I get a hankering for a boxed shell that you just warm up in the oven.  But, there is definitely something to be said for the pan-fried corn tortillas. They aren’t soft, yet they aren’t completely crispy either. I find that the outer portion of the shell gets nice and crispy, while the center stays soft and pliable.

I’m sure this recipe would be just as wonderful with ground turkey or chicken as well.

Beef Tacos

1 lb ground beef (at least 80/20)

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp hot sauce (I like Frank’s)

1/2 cup jarred salsa

12 6-inch corn tortillas

4 tbsp vegetable oil

kosher salt, for seasoning taco shells

iceberg lettuce, shredded

3 roma tomatoes, diced

shredded cheddar cheese

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef to hot skillet, breaking up with your hands as you add to the pan. Cook until beef begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove most of the grease from pan (leave a little bit for flavors sake!) and add chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute to bring out the flavor in the spices.  Add in the hot sauce and the salsa. Cook for another minute to warm through, then place the beef into a bowl, cover, and set aside.

In a clean skillet warm 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Fry tortillas in pan for about 1 minute on each side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with a pinch of salt. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

I like to serve with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, diced tomato, red onion, hot sauce, and sour cream. Or, whatever floats your boat!

Leftover taco meat is good for stuffed peppers, taco salad, or quesadillas.

For this trip to the orchard I got white peaches, as they were larger and prettier in general this week. Blueberries happened to be on sale this week too, for $1.28 a pint. So, I made this dessert for almost nothing. I think it would also be absolutely wonderful with raspberries, or even blackberries.

The original recipe calls for making individual crumbles in ramekin dishes. But, it was just us chickens here tonight – and I diddn’t feel like getting into all that for just us. I went ahead and doubled the crumble portion of the recipe as well – just ’cause that’s how I roll.  If you do decide to do individual portions, you’ll want to cut the crumble amounts in half and shorten the cooking time to 40 to 45 minutes.

Peach and Blueberry Crumble

Serves 5 to 6

For the fruit

2 lbs firm, ripe peaches (6-8 peaches)

2 tsp grated lemon zest

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh blueberries (1/2 pint)

For the Crumble

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 lb (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily.  Place them immediately in cold water.  Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl.  Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour.  Toss well.  Gently mix in the blueberries.  Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes.  Spoon the mixture into 1.5 quart casserole dish.

For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Rub the mixture with your fingertips until it is in big crumbles, then sprinkle evenly over the fruit.  Place the dish on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and back for about 1 hour, until the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  If you want to make these early, store the unbaked crumbles int he refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Adapted from: Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa at Home

Fresh shrimp are very easy to come by here on the Eastern Shore. Shrimp are wonderful, you can virtually do anything you want to with them. I will spare you all any Bubba Blue quotes, but the man did have a good point. I’d go as far as to say they are the most versatile thing in the whole ocean. But, I have to say, my favorite preperation of a shrimp is the good old batter and fry. While I absolutely adore a zesty shrimp scampi, or an piping hot batch of Old Bay-laiden steamed shrimp, there is something to be said about the simplicity of a fried shrimp.

Because shrimp cook so quickly – things easily go awry. The difference between perfectly cooked and shrimp jerky is a matter of seconds. And, nothing is worse than an overcooked shrimp. Well, okay, I’m sure there is something worse…but, it’s pretty damn bad people!

Feel free to use frozen shrimp (I pity the fool!). Just make sure they have been thawed completely before battering and frying.

Fried Shrimp

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp (20/25 count), peeled and deveined

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cornmeal (yellow or white)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp Old Bay (or another seafood seasoning)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp hot sauce

Vegetable oil for frying

Place 2 inches of oil into a large saucepan or dutch oven and heat to 375 degrees. While waiting for the oil to warm up, prepare the shrimp.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, Old Bay, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In a shallow dish combine the egg, milk, and hot sauce.

Drege the shrimp in the flour mixture first. Shake to remove excess flour from the shrimp. Then, place shrimp into the egg mixture. Turn to coat, remove and let excess drip off, then place back into flour mixture. Dredge in the flour thoroughly to make sure all sides are coated. Repeat process with remaining shrimp, working in batches of 4 or 5 at a time.

Place shrimp in the hot oil, and cook, turning over in oil several times, for about 2 minutes or until the shrimp are golden brown. Be careful not to overcook! Once you see the shrimp start to “curl up”, you know they are almost done. Give then another 30 seconds to 1 minute at that point, to let them finish their browning – then pull them out immediately and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.

You can keep shrimp warm in the oven on a wire rack set over a baking sheet.  But honestly, they are great at room temperature too. Serve with lemon wedges and a good, spicy cocktail sauce.

My father has got one of the greenest thumbs that I’ve ever seen. Every summer, for as long as I can remember, my dad has had a HUGE garden. It’s actually come to be quite the spectacle at their current home. They live on Chincoteague Island, which is a popular tourist destination in summer. Evidently, people are not used to seeing a garden up close and personal. Every time we are visiting, there are folks stopping in the street to take pictures. Poor souls – I don’t know what I would do without a garden at my fingertips!

Last weekend my dad gave me two HUGE zucchinis. You know, the kind that are too big to do anything with? Then, I came across a post over at Erin’s site. It was the perfect use for these goliaths. Actually, I only used one. Any suggestions for the other?

These were seriously some of the best cupcakes I’ve had in my life. And, I’ll tell you kids, I’m no stranger to a cupcake. The were so moist and delicious, they literally melted in your mouth. They would have been awesome “as is”. But then, to slather them with heavenly cream cheese frosting? OMG, make these.

I always have a cache of spices I am trying to use up, so I tweaked the original recipe a bit. I added in some allspice, as well as a pinch of 5-spice powder. If you don’t have those – feel free to omit them, they will still be just as good!

Zucchini Spice Cupcakes

Yields: 24 cupcakes

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp table salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp Chinese 5-Spice Powder
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp grated lemon zest
2 cups packed light brown sugar
3 cups packed grated zucchini
1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. In another bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla, and zest until well blended; whisk in brown sugar until smooth. Stir in zucchini, then add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in walnuts.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

To finish, use an offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, and then vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. If not using immediately, frosting can be refrigerated up to 3 days in an airtight container; before using bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth again.

Adapted from: Erin’s Food Files