Mango Salsa

430.  Cool, fresh, satisfying; these words describe fresh-made mango salsa.  When a break is needed from the standard tomato based salsa, fruited salsa is perfect.  Fruits that work well would include mango, peaches, plums, or pears.  When the fruit is softer or more ripe, the sugars develop in the fruit making the sweet/savory balance so much better.

"Salsa is something I never get tired of.  How could I, when there are so many different flavor combinations to try?"

~ Megan Myers

Baked Zucchini

 429.  Summer time always provides us with plenty of beautiful vegetables and zucchini is always at the top of my list.  They are lovely and so versatile to work with as well as the flavor that will compliment any  pairing whether sweet or savory.  This is a savory dish, although using some of the same methods as my classic recipe HERE, the recipe was adapted from Antoni Porowski's cookbook for "Baked Zucchini".  

His recipe is vegan but I use ground beef in my recipe.  I followed each step but made a meatball-like filling for the deep well you create by scraping out the seeds.  Often times I will chop up the seeds and flesh removed and mix it with the filling, if the seeds are young and tender.  A light marinara sauce was a perfect base for this recipe HERE.

The breadcrumb topping was a really nice addition, although, next time I would use a finely ground parmesan cheese.

Topped off with chopped basil leaves and a side salad, this was a beautiful summer meal.  Thank you zucchini...you've done it again.  Made it on my "Summer Favorites" list.

"When I pass a flowering zucchini plant in a garden, my heart skas a beat."

~ Gwyneth Paltrow

Ice Cream

428. While scrolling the other day, there was a posted video of homemade ice cream made at home in a ziplock bag that only takes 20 minutes!  What is it about these videos that create the craving and desire to have that burger, or cupcake or pair of shoes right now?!!!  Well, you guessed it...I had to have ice cream now!  

Here is a recipe.  Collecting my ingredients, the adventure began.  Ziplocks, check, half n half, check, fruit, check.  I chose strawberries.  

Now for the shaking and squishing and tumbling of the smaller ziplock bag inside the larger bag of ice and salt.  Placing it into a large plastic bowl with a lid does help!

It wasn't a perfect bowl of ice cream, but it sure satisfied my craving!  This method is so much fun and would be a great energy user for kids.  Thanks to Meta-Madness we all have ordered something or eaten something that we really didn't need, want or even thought about.  But that is advertising persuasion working.

Oh, and, eat the ice cream right away.  Out of the freezer the next day it turns rock hard.  FYI

"Particularly Instagram, people look like they have a much better life than they really do.  People basically seem like they are way better-looking than they really are, and they are way happier-seeming than they really are."

~Elon Musk

Sushi

427.  Sushi is such a delight.  It is savory flavors coming together on your pallet exploding with surprising nuances. Salty, smooth, cold, crunchy, textures popping with spicy, tangy, toasted, yummy experiences.  Some would say "fishy" too but, that depends on the seafood that you use.  Of course, raw fish is involved but the health factor far outweighs the off-putting thought of "raw fish".  Once I tried sushi,  I always walk away satisfied.

We have our favorite rolls and favorite restaurants that serve sushi, but, I decided to make sushi at home.  I purchased a sushi kit, which you can find them at William Sonoma online here.  And, it comes with instructions that are so easy to follow.

I purchased fresh water salmon and sliced it paper thin, toasted sesame seeds, sliced an avocado, julienned cucumber, sautéed shrimp and cut it into chunks, cream cheese pieces, mango sliced thin, coated onion slices with egg and flour and fried them in hot oil till crispy.  I also found black caviar and made sticky rice.

And then we started the process.  It took a couple tries accomplishing the rolling and tucking skill, but, we each gave it a go.

We also made spicy mayo and pickled ginger, my recipe here.  And who could forget wasabi!!  

What a pleasant surprise and we ate sushi for hours.  Some rolls were with seaweed outside and others with seaweed inside and rice on the outside which was tricky.

I also made nigiri with the extra salmon, shmear of wasabi and rice.  More reasons to say yum!

What a great experience and delightful dinner!  So, no, it was not expert quality but it satisfied.  I will leave that to the masters!

If you web search "Sushi" you will be amazed how many recipes, hints, tutorials and videos you will find. My favorite go-to is on PBS and my rice turns out perfect every time.  PBS Sushi Watch Here

"I've been making sushi for 38 years, and I'm still learning.  You have to consider the size and color of the ingredients, how much salt and vinegar to use and how the seasons affect the fattiness of the fish."

~ Masaharu Morimoto

Almond Cake with Amaretto Buttercream and Raspberries

426. This Easter we enjoyed a lovely brunch and a variety of delicious treats, along with this Almond Cake with Amaretto Buttercream and Raspberries.  

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The Amaretto was purchased at Trader Joes and brings such a perfect flavor to the batter.

The cake is lovely, moist and aromatic.  Slicing it lengthwise is very easy and the sides are not crisp.

The buttercream is very soft and perfect for spreading.

What an absolutely lovely cake this is, moist with delicate flavor.  Each bite is so very satisfying and  light.  It is not a heavy cake as most scratch cakes can be.  And, I must say, I am most proud of the finished product.

"Cake baking has to be, however innocently, one of the great culinary scams:  it implies effort, it implies domestic prowess; but believe me, it's easy."

~Nigella Lawson

Vintage Recipes

425.  I have been a collector of recipes since I was around 10 years old.  Always under my mother's feet when she was baking and sneaking licks and globs of dough.  Licking the mixing beaters was never enough!  Cookie dough, cake batter, frostings and raw raised dough was a weakness for me.  

My mother had recipe pamphlets that would come inside the flour bags.  Booklets available in the baking aisle of the market and small paper pamphlets that contained some of the best recipes.  I have to admit, it had become a passion of mine to sit and copy the recipes.  Until one day, I decided to cut out the pictures to glue to my handwritten recipes. 

Yes, my mother was so patient with me, although, I ruined many a recipe with holes cut out of the ingredient list or directions.  

She also had recipes from friends, each recipe tried and true, dog-eared, a favorite or a staple. Each recipe is such a treasure!  She also had recipes from my paternal grandmother and they were old when she received them.  

It is interesting to see the ingredients from the older recipes such as "Spry" or "Oleo", substitutes for butter.  I cherish all these memories and using these recipes to create delicious treats for my family and others is so fulfilling.

"A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal."

~ Pat Conroy

"I think baking is very rewarding, and if you follow a good recipe, you will get success." 

~  Mary Berry

Shrimp Scampi Fettuccine

424.  A comfort meal that is speedy to prepare but checks all the boxes is Shrimp Scampi Fettuccine.  I searched for a recipe from all the great Italian cooks and no one has this recipe.  Even Joy of Cooking, McCalls Cookbook, New York Times...etc.  This was a surprise being that this recipe is such a staple in most Italian restaurants but, mostly as simply Shrimp Scampi.  

How hard could it be?  

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So, I boiled water for "good" fettuccine, which makes all the difference.  Trader Joes or Barilla are my go-to brands.

Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time because this recipe comes together quickly.  Add olive oil and 3 Tablespoons of butter into a large shallow pan over medium heat. 

Once the oil came to temperature, I slowly sautéed the garlic then added in the patted dry shrimp watching the heat so the garlic will not burn.

 The pasta was almost done.  Once the shrimp turn pink, flip each one over.  Then the peas went in, juice from a whole lemon, 1/2 cup white wine, cracked peppercorns and red pepper flakes.  Allow everything to simmer.  Add salt to taste.  Once the pasta is finished, drain and add to the scampi sauce. Toss to coat and add more pasta water if necessary.  Then sprinkle all the parsley over and add 3 Tablespoons of butter and mix to coat all.  

Plate and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Now that is a perfect meal!  

"In order to create a little bit of confidence, start cooking with pasta.  Pasta is phenomenal.  Once you've cooked pasta properly for the first time it becomes second nature."

~ Gordon Ramsay

"Italians love their pasta l-o-n-g.  They love to twirl it on a fork and get a full bite.  A broken up pasta doesn't feel as good in your mouth as a nice rolled up forkful..."

~ Lidia Bastianich