Shaved Raw Asparagus with Parmesan Dressing

 I am sharing this recipe from my Mom, she is always coming up with a great recipe to try!  She read about this recipe in the Food and Wine magazine.  It is a Mario Batali recipe.  I don't have any of his cookbooks, but I have watched him cook many times...think maybe I should look at investing in one of his cookbooks!!

It is a easy recipe to make:

Ingredients
2 pounds large asparagus
1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan-Reggiano Cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons warm water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 In a small bowl, mix the Parmesan-Reggiano with the lemon juice, water and olive oil.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long, thin strips and transfer to a large bowl.

Add the asparagus to the dressing and toss to coat.  Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve at once.  (My Mom says that it is also good for a few days after made)

Meet my new Grandson

Haden Holden Moore was born on March 15, 2011.  He weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and is 22 inches long.  I love this picture with his cute little smile.

 My daughter Jill, son-in-law Scott and sweet baby Haden, don't they make the perfect family!

Haden wearing his Mickey Hat -- His nursery has a Mickey Mouse Theme, very cute! 

Watching my daughter give birth to this little guy was just about the most exciting day of my life!

Shrimp & Pasta Primavera

 Have you seen these spices with a recipe at you grocery store?  I am all about trying something new!!  Even though I probably had most of these spices (actually had them all) I wanted to try this recipe :)  It made making the dish easy and fun after a busy week.  The recipe was great and I could really see using this kind of package if you go away at a vacation rental and want to do some of your own cooking!

Package Includes:
1 1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. minced onions
1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. thyme leaves

You will also need:
8 oz. linguine
1 pound large shirmp, peeled and deveined
3 1/2 cups assorted vegetables, such as broccoli florets, sliced carrots, red bell pepper strips and peas
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding shrimp and vegetables during the last 3 to 4 minutes of cooking.  Drain well.

Mix remaining ingredients in same saucepan.  Bring to boil, stirring constantly with whisk.  Reduce heat to low; simmer 5 minutes.  Add pasta, shrimp and vegetables; toss gently to coat well.  Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Butternut Squash Fries

This is a great alternative to deep-fried potatoes.  These fries are slightly sweet, slightly spicy, and oven-baked for a nice roasted flavor.  One more good thing about these fries is that they are only 1 point per serving on Weight Watchers!!!

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray

1 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, long "neck" cut into sixteen 3/4 inch-thick sticks

1 tsp. table salt

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Preheat oven to 450.  Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Arrange squash fries on prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and chili powder; liberally coat with cooking spray.

Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 18 minutes.

NOTE:  Start with a large squash.  You will end up using about 1 lb of squash and have the bulb" of the squash left over. 

We enjoyed the squash fries with Mahi-Mahi and sauteed spinach!

Focaccia Waffles / Pizza

 This is a great and fun way to make pizza FAST and maybe slightly more healthy!!  I got this recipe from Rachel Ray.  She had a week showing different ways to use your waffle iron.  I didn't see any of the other ways, but when I saw this I just had to try it!!

 I bought Trader Joe's pizza dough...cut the dough in half...rolled out the dough to the size to fit my waffle iron.  Rubbed the dough with olive oil and then sprinkled it with rosemary, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper on both sides.
Next -- lay it onto the waffle maker, close the top and cook for 4 minutes.

Focaccia Waffle

Make Arugula salad:

2 cups baby arugula

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin Olive oil

salt and pepper

Then top with:

fresh mozzarella

thinly sliced prosciutto

Sable Breton Galette with Berries and Shrimp and Grits

 This is a great dessert that can be made ahead and easily transported for dinner at your Daughter and Son-in-Law's house :)  I made the crust the night before, it has to chill at least 3 hours.

 The next morning I rolled the crust the size of the tart pan.  I like to roll between two pices of saran wrap, nothing sticks that way.

 The finished tart, ready to wrap up and head to Jill's.  When I got to her house I spread tart with lemon curd and topped with fresh berries.  The tart was like a yummy shortbread cookie, great easy dessert!

For the Galette
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
10 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 large egg

Whisk the flour and baking powder together.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy.  Add the sugar and salt and beat for another 2 minutes, or until the mixture is very smooth.  Beat in the egg and mix for 2 minutes more.  Reduce the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture, and mix only until it is blended, you'll have a very soft dough.  Scrape dough onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Press down on the dough to form it into a disk, wrap it well, and chill for at least 3 hours.
To bake the galette, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Butter a 9 inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Roll the chilled dough and place in the center of the tart pan and pat and press it into an even layer.  Don't press the dough up the sides of the pan, you want as flat a surface as you can get.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the edges come away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer the pan to a cooking rack and let the galette rest for 3 minutes or so, then invert it onto another rack, invert again onto a rack so that it's right side up, and let cool to room temperature.

When ready to serve, spread with lemon curd and top with fresh berries.  Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serve.

Jill is starting her dish...love looking at her baby bump!! 

Dish is all done -- you mix the grits and shrimp mixture all together.

This recipe is outstanding!!! The grits are so creamy....Great job Jill, we loved them!!

You will find the recipe here Ultimate Shrimp and Grits