Sylvia's Scenario

I made this recipe last night and I thought it was different because it's a shrimp dish without tomato sauce or curry which seems to be in most my shrimp dishes lately.  This recipe is full of fiber from the artichoke hearts and kale and it's so hardy you don't really need pasta with it. Plus, you can make it in 30 minutes in one pan; my kind of meal.  I got the recipe from a food blog called  Julia's Album.   Her theme is to provide simple weeknight meals to make your life easy.  This one was super easy, too.  I always have a bag of Trader Joe's frozen artichoke hearts in the freezer (as well as their frozen cauliflower rice) and I love recipes with them.  I miss getting new recipes from dietitian, Hannah Freese, RD, since she discontinued her nutrition business so now I'm always on the lookout for new recipes that fit her guidelines.  I did switch out the spinach in the recipe for kale and used full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream. ...

I've made this recipe twice already this month (and there's only been 3 days in May...!) so I thought I better post it. I got it from the Seattle Times last week and decided to try it out and I'm glad I did. It was so good that I invited my sister and her husband over for dinner and made it again the next day.  It's a perfect dish to have with guests over because it will totally impress them and it did.  The funny thing is that my sister saw the recipe in the newspaper, too, so she was delighted to come over and try it out.  This recipe is from a cookbook called The Complete Book of Greek Cooking and was originally called Shrimp Scorpio from the Recipe Club of Saint Paul's Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The book, published in 1990 and still available, is full of dozens of homestyle Greek recipes. This recipe is brimming with nourishing ingredients, too, like spinach and has all at the Mediterranean flavors we love. It really is a true winner. I am slowly getting b...

Our 35th day of self-quarantine .  We are eagerly awaiting the governors press conference today because he's suppose to talk about outdoor recreation activities and maybe lift restrictions on golf, fishing and hunting.  Bruce is eager to hear this one because he wants to be able to play golf again.  It seems to me that golf would be safe enough.  Our state is taking things really slowly so we won't have a second wave hit us of the coronavirus .  Now, every time the governor comes on the air, we're eager to hear what will be the next thing to open.  Last week, he allowed construction workers to go back to work. (I'm so glad our remodel is all done.  We started our remodel one year ago exactly.)  Two neighborhood farmer's markets opened last week, too, with lots of restrictions but at least that's something.  Our neighborhood farmer's market hasn't started back up yet, but when it does, it will be interesting to see how it's changed.  T...

In honor of Fat Tuesday, which is tomorrow, I made a real New Orleans dish for dinner tonight. This is a take on Shrimp and Grits which is one of my favorite Southern dishes. This recipe uses creole seasoning, not cajun seasoning. I didn't know there was a difference but there is. Cajun seasoning consists of many different peppers, such as white and black pepper, bell peppers and cayenne peppers. Cajun cuisine also incorporates paprika, garlic, onion and celery. Creole seasoning primarily relies on herbs like oregano, bay leaf, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley and paprika. You can probably guess that if your dish has tomatoes in it, the recipe will most likely be asking for creole seasoning. Creole seasoning will result in a well seasoned dish while cajun seasoning will give you something very spicy. This dish has creole seasoning and I can vouch that it was full of flavor. Creole seasoning may be hard to find if you don't live in Louisiana. There is a very common brand...

This week I signed up for an online menu plan by Cooking Light and tonight I made our first dinner with it and it was great! I subscribed to their cooking magazine years ago, back in the day when we would clip out recipes and save them, before the internet. I got a lot of good recipes that way. When I saw their ad promoting their Cooking Light Diet Plan, I remembered how good their recipes were so I signed up for 3 months for around $22. They email me everyday with the day's menu plan. You can also look ahead at all their menu choices, too, and save good ones you like in your "cookbook". You can choose between vegetarian, gluten free or the one I chose called SmartCarb. SmartCarb is minimally processed foods and refined sugar and is overall lower in carbohydrates. That one seemed closest to the way I eat. Bruce does not eat low carbs. and also eats much more than me so then I get tempted to overeat. For example, he wanted more of that granola  I made for our ...

Last night, I made this cajun dish that we had in New Orleans  since I still have the Big Easy on my mind. After the wonderful  trip  that we had, it's hard to just forget about it, even if tomorrow is Easter.  We stayed in a vacation rental in the Garden District that slept all eight of us very comfortably and it also had a pretty decent kitchen. On the first night, we picked up some take-out from a neighborhood restaurant and my niece, Claire, made this dish to go along with it that she found on Pintrest.  The recipe is from the blog The Hungry Bluebird  which has lots of great recipes.  Everyone loved this dish and I knew I wanted to make it when I got home.   The good thing about this recipe is that it tastes even better leftover the next day when all the seasonings have had time to soak in.  So, don't be afraid to make the full recipe even if it's only for two people because you'll want to eat it tomorrow, too. ...

This is the first recipe I made out of my new cookbook Flavor First by the Biggest Loser dietitian, Cheryl Forberg, RD.  Now, I know why she calls her book Flavor First. Yummy!  If you don't eat shellfish, you can substitute bite-size pieces of fish such as salmon or flounder. Serves 4 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves 2 scallions, coarsely chopped 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes (optional) 3 Tbsp. + 1/2 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken broth 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion 1 medium red bell pepper, diced 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced 1-1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil 1 pound prawns or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/4 cup tamari salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds for garnish 2 cups cooked brown rice or cauliflower rice 1. Combine the cilantro, mint, scallions, ginger, garlic, chile flakes (if desired), and 3 Tbsp. of the ...

This is a good dish for a summer potluck or for a quick dinner like we had tonight. Medium shell-shaped pasta will also work in place of orecchiette. Serves 4 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta 1 cup frozen peas 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 cup thinly sliced radishes Dressing 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup buttermilk 3 Tbsp. minced fresh chives 1 Tbsp.chopped fresh dill 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/8 tsp. ground red pepper 2 garlic cloves, minced 1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Combine pasta, peas, shrimp and radishes in a large bowl. 2. Combine mayonnaise and remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well with a whisk. Pour over pasta mixture, tossing to coat. 3. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature, or cover and chill until ready to serve. `

The taste of the South was calling today.  It was another dreary, wet Spring day so a spicy dish to liven things up around here was just what the doctor ordered.  But besides shrimp, I added a few more items to spice it up a bit.  This recipe is a take on an old fashioned recipe my mom use to make called polish sausage casserole...only Southern style!  I actually like grits.  They're pretty bland but we ate them for breakfast with cheese and Worcestershire sauce with our breakfast chops when we lived in Iowa.  Not that Iowa is the South, but I'm not sure why we ate grits in Iowa.  People also ate biscuits & gravy but I've never been able to get into that.  We also ate side pork for breakfast which is uncured bacon   Interesting.  Lots of pork in Iowa!  I did eat grits last year when we traveled to Augusta, Georgia, Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina and I love Southern cooking.  So try this recipe and enjoy. Serv...