Kitchen Diva

This has been a crazy week for me.   I have been in rehearsals and now performances of Carmina Burana with the MN Orchestra.  (FYI - there are still tickets for performances on Saturday and Sunday) Since I am singing, I do not want to have a heavy dinner.  It just makes the high notes flat!   So I am opting for a more substantial late lunch.   I love Thai food and have been craving it but since it can be heavy I felt inspired to create these lettuce wraps. Thai Inspired Lettuce Wraps Ingredients 1 tsp ginger (grated on a microplane) 2 cloves garlic (grated on a microplane) 2 tsps of red chili paste (I used Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste) (feel free to add more) 1 lb ground turkey breast Canola Oil enough to cover the bottom of the pan For the wrap Romaine Lettuce Leaves Cilantro Radishes sliced Fresh Lime In a medium skill, add the oil, ginger, garlic and chili paste.   Stir until the oil gets slightly hot and the ...

There are days when I come home, I don't feel like pulling out all the pots and pans to make a Michelin worthy meal.  In fact it is almost every day that I feel like something fast and easy.   Although we do have Broder's Deli on spreed dial, I have been inclined to make one pot dishes reminiscent of my days as a poor student.   Unlike here in America, where as an undergrad I could sustain myself on Kraft mac n cheese or ramen noodles, in the UK students lived primarily on beans and toast or beans on baked potatoes or ... well tinned beans on anything.   Let's just say I needed a little variety.    So I learned to be resourceful and make a one pot dish that could be stretched over a few days or for a multitude of people.  This is sort of based on something my Nana use to make with rice, mushrooms, chicken stock and any spare vegetable she had around (normally peas). My One Pot Wonder 1lb ground turkey 1 small onion chopped 1 c...

I don't know about you but I am itching for the tastes and smells of Spring and Summer.  So far the weather has not given me either.    On Friday P & I went to the Linden Hills Co-op for basic necessities.  Walking through the fresh vegetables and finding ramps I was now looking for things to make to bring a little bit of Spring and Summer inside the house since Mother Nature was definitely not in any hurry to give this to us outside.    I bought some ramps (recipe to come later) and a Key Lime Pie for our desert that night.   Thinking the taste of the citrus would help cure us but it only left us wanting more. This gloomy cold May (yes I did say May) morning, I needed that Summer fix.  Rooting through the fridge and cupboards I found two items, crescent rolls and lemon curd.   So here is my two ingredient easy peasey breakfast treat. Lemon Curd Crescents 1 can crescent rolls (I used Immaculate Rolls since they...

Every year P's office has a potluck.  It has to be something P can make and take plus share the recipe.   I was trying to find a fun recipe and found one for Hot Wing Dip.  The ones I found on line all had a jar of either blue cheese or ranch dressing and canned chicken.  Since I am allergic to mayo and wanted something bit more tasty I decided to play with the recipe and came up with the one below. Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip 3/4 cup Red Hot Sauce 1 brick of cream cheese 8 oz of sour cream 5 oz blue cheese shredded chicken (use the breast and thigh meat from a rotisserie chicken) salt & pepper to taste Mix all the ingredients into a 1.5 quart crock pot on high until all the cream cheese has melted.  Stir occasionally during this process. Once melted turn to low and simmer until ready to serve. Serve with celery sticks, carrots, french bread and tortilla chips.

This morning I cooked up a storm.   I woke up bright and early and made the raspberry buns from the Magnolia Cookbook.   Can we say to die for.   Lots of butter and cream cheese but so delicate in taste.  We then ran to the Kingfield Farmers Market.   Last week I was looking for a zucchini plant although they were out on of the farmers said they would bring me one.   We also needed strawberries for the berry salad to go along with the brunch. By the time we go home it was time to put the egg bake into the oven and recreated something I had a little over a year ago in NYC. On an adventure in Tribeca to go over to TeaNY, a friend and I were starving.   We stopped into this little cafe (can't remember the name) next  door.   We ordered a bruschetta for starter.  Mine was ricotta cheese and cinnamon.  OMG it was amazing.   I have been trying to recreate it but seem to lack the balance I reme...