INCREDIBLY SIMPLE SHRIMP AND SQUASH DINNER

Posted in Incredibly simple, Seafood, Side dishes, Veggies by sallybr

For a light version, pair the shrimp with spaghetti squash. To go for the kill, serve with a hearty helping of fettuccine… Two super easy recipes that we absolutely loved!

Let’s start with the main dish…

SAUTEED SHRIMP WITH LEMON-CAPER DRESSING
(adapted from The New York Times)

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
¼ cup lemon juice
2 very thin slices of lemon, deseeded and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped dill
1 tablespoon capers or more, coarsely chopped
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Kosher salt

to brine the shrimp (optional, but recommended)
1 qt water
1/4 cup Kosher salt
squeeze of lemon juice

Brine the shrimp by soaking in the solution for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain, rinse lightly and pat dry with a paper towel. Reserve.

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil with the lemon juice, chopped lemon, dill, and capers; set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and lightly browned on the edges, 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer the shrimp to the bowl with the lemon dressing and toss to coat. The shrimp can be served right away, over pasta, rice, or any side dish you desire.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

SUPER SIMPLE SPAGHETTI SQUASH

To get the original recipe, click here

I don’t think I will ever use another method to make it. The only tricky part is slicing it, BUT if you poke a few holes with a fork around the skin and microwave it for 5 minutes, slicing is easy.

Place crosswise slices (about 1.5 inches thick) over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove the seeds with a spoon. Drizzle some olive oil, salt and pepper, rubbing the slices to coat slightly.

Bake at 400F for about 40 minutes, flipping the slices midway through roasting.

Use a fork to shred the squash while still warm in the pan.

Comments: The shrimp preparation is delicious, I’ve made it three times in the past month, so I highly recommend you give it a try. As to the squash, I love how each little portion is perfect for a single serving. You can do that and follow with recipes that use the squash in little muffin tins with a bit of tomato sauce, or an egg, there are countless options out there in the blogosphere and Pinterest universe. It ends up with perfect texture.

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22Jun2025

SPAETZLE, A CLASSIC MADE LIGHTER

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Side dishes by sallybr

I am a bit shocked that in 16 years of blogging life, this recipe has not been featured yet. I used to make it often in the early years of our marriage, but truth is, that marriage is now over 25 years young. So there you go. Better late than never, here I am to share my favorite method to make spaetzle. With a very light hand on saturated fat, but still super tasty.

SPAETZLE
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 + 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the water
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons low-fat milk
olive oil and olive spray
Panko bread crumbs to taste

Place the flour, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Make a well in the center. Mix the eggs with the milk in a small bowl and whisk well until fully blended. Pour into the flour well and stir until no bits of dry flour are present. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Reserve.

When the batter is ready, place a spaetzle maker over the boiling water. Pour the batter into the metal basket, over the holes. Run the plastic component back and forth over the holes. I cooked mine in three batches.

Once the all spaetzle floats to the top, simmer for 1 minute more. Transfer with a slotted spoon to the oiled baking sheet. You can enjoy them now with butter if desired, or pan-fry it like I did, with olive oil.
To fry, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and the spaetzle. Add some bread crumbs as you sautee the spaetzle, season with more salt if needed. Serve while still warm.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: It was so nice to make this recipe again, after such a long hiatus. Not even sure why it took me so long to re-visit it. It is a wonderful side dish that goes well with meat, poultry, seafood. We enjoyed it with roasted chicken thighs and some green beans. If you don’t have a spaetzle-maker, you can use a colander. Works perfectly well, just rub the batter into the holes with a rubber spatula over the boiling water.

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24Apr2025

PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BARS

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch by sallybr

And now for something completely different! I don’t normally make this type of stuff, but my dear stepdaughter-in-law urged me to give them a try. First, no oven is needed, they require no baking. Second, you can customize them in many different ways. She adds dried fruits, uses maple syrup instead of honey, they always work. I made the recipe exactly as published in my first time but the husband already requested that I add seeds and nuts to future batches. I don’t eat energy bars but must say that after trying a bite of these, I was hooked. Sweet, but not too sweet. Delicious! And a little bit goes a long way indeed, as energy bars are supposed to do.

PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BARS
(from Erin Lives Whole)

1 1/4 cup oat flour (store bought is best for ultra fine texture)
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1– 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix together oat flour, protein powder, and salt.

Add in peanut butter, honey, vanilla extract, and 1 tbsp coconut oil. Mix. It will be very thick, I suggest using your hands to really mix well. It should eventually come together like playdough, but if it’s still too dry add more coconut oil. You want them to be FIRM not soft and too much coconut oil will make them soft. Mix in chocolate chips.

Press into a bread pan (~8×4) and add more chocolate chips on top if desired. Press them into the top.

Let sit in fridge for at least 1 hour before cutting into. Store in fridge.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Check the original post to see all the variations Erin has tried. Apparently these are copycat versions of a popular brand called Perfect Bars. I had never heard of them, but as I mentioned, it’s not something I consume. The husband is more into cereal bars and things of that sort. I will be making them again for sure, they lasted a little less than a week for us, and stayed unchanged in flavor and texture sitting in the fridge. Courtnie, my daughter-in-law says they also freeze well. She likes them with maple syrup instead of honey and with tiny bits of dried blueberries…

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5Mar2025

CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAMY TURMERIC-MUSTARD SAUCE

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This is very rich with heavy cream, but if you don’t mind splurging a bit for a special meal, totally worth it. Boneless chicken breasts can dry up easily but in this method they stay moist and tender.

CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAMY TURMERIC-MUSTARD SAUCE
(adapted from epicurious)

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
¾ tsp kosher salt, divided
1 + ½ tsp. ground turmeric, divided
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
Herbes de Provence, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Heat oven to 375°. Mix 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp. ground turmeric in a small bowl to combine. Sprinkle 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts all over with flour mixture.

Heat 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Cook chicken until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to a plate. Reduce heat to medium; heat remaining 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in same skillet. Cook the shallots sprinkled with Herbes de Provence until soft and fragrant. Add the heavy cream, turmeric, mustard, honey, black pepper and the remaining salt. Bring to a simmer, then return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until sauce is slightly reduced and chicken is cooked through, 20–25 minutes.Remove skillet from oven (HANDLE WILL BE HOT!) and transfer chicken to a cutting board. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice against the grain ¼” thick. Return chicken to sauce, place back on the stove for a couple of minutes just to warm up the slices in the sauce. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Normally I do not make recipes with so much cream and saturated fat, so this was a departure from the way we eat. It was delicious indeed! I was afraid the heavy cream would dry out too much during baking, uncovered, but it was not the case. Keep an eye on it, add a little water if it is getting burned. I love turmeric… And PLEASE be sure to remember the handle will be hot. I did not, and paid a painful price. Enough said.

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29Nov2024

FALL LEAVES PANCH PURAN SOURDOUGH

Posted in Breads by sallybr

PANCH PURAN SOURDOUGH
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

500g bread flour
350g water
75g starter at 100%
9g salt
1 tsp pinch puran spice mix

Make the levain mixture about 6 hours before you plan to mix the dough. It should be very bubbly and active.

When you are ready to make the final dough, place the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer and dissolve the starter in it, mixing with a spatula briefly, then add the flour, salt and spice mixture. Turn the mixer on with the hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes at low-speed all the time. You will notice the dough will gain quite a bit of structure even with just 4 minutes in the mixer. Remove from the machine, and transfer to a container lightly coated with oil, cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow it to ferment for 4 hours, folding every 45 minutes or so. Because the dough is already a bit developed from the initial time in the mixer, you should get very good structure after 3 and a half hours, or even sooner than that.

After four hours bulk fermentation, shape the dough as a ball, and place, seam side up, in a lightly floured banetton. Leave at room temperature one hour, and then place in the fridge overnight, from 8 to 12 hours.

Next morning, heat the oven to 450F.Place a parchment paper on top of the dough, a flat baking sheet, and invert the dough, flipping it out of the banneton. Flour the surface of the dough, score with a razor blade, and bake at 450F for 45 minutes, preferably covered for the first 30 minutes to retain steam. Cool completely over a rack before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the yin-yang feel of this design which is quite popular for batard-shaped loaves, you can see examples everywhere in social media. Coupling razor blade with small scissors is all you need to get this simple look going.