Now I know that I pretty much like most seafood.  Well, I take that back. I can’t really get into oysters, even though I live so close to Apalachicola. Give me lobster or crab legs any day!

But, I still love shrimp and I have a tendency to buy big frozen bags of it at Publix if it’s on sale.

Such was the case last weekend, when I came home with a bag of medium shrimp. I figured that one day this week I would get home early enough and be ambitious enough to make a nice dinner.  So, last night I popped the dinner question to my boyfriend and he said, upon hearing shrimp was involved, that he would be over promptly.

I combed the Internet for a few recipes and sort of settled upon this one from Daily Unadventures in Cooking as the base for my meal, but tweaked it a bit.

(For Two people)

Ingredients:  12 shrimp shelled, spaghetti, can of diced tomatoes slightly drained, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp butter,  1/2 cup white wine, basil, oregano, parmesan cheese,

Directions:  Heat butter and olive oil in pan. Add garlic and let cook for a minute or two.  Drain the excess juice off the top of the diced tomatoes (don’t have to drain thoroughly, just all the juice at the top of the can) and add to the frying pan, which will sizzle and splatter. Then add wine.  Add shrimp and cook until they are white, not translucent.  Add oregano and basil to taste.

Meanwhile, heat water and cook spaghetti according to directions. If the shrimp finishes first, simply turn off the heat and let it sit.  When spaghetti is finished, drain. Then put pasta into the frying pan with the shrimp and sauce and toss.  Place in serving bowl and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

An ideal way to finish it off would have been to add fresh basil or parsley, but I did not think about that before I got home yesterday.  So, it was sans garnish.

Served With: Arugula salad.

I mostly love it for home project inspirations and of course, recipes.

So, here are five recipes I found via Pinterest that are now on my list to try.

* Mushroom grilled cheese from Closet Cooking (I must have liked the look of it so much because I pinned it twice!)

* Slow bake mac ‘n’ cheese from A Whisk and a Prayer

* Peach tart from Food 52

* Green tea smoothies from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

* Applesauce bread from the New York Times

Now, I just need time to make them!

Last week, I corralled several friends into going to Food Truck Thursday in the name of “research.” I’m writing a magazine piece on food trucks and felt it was only proper for me to go to some of the food truck events and purchase some of their food and devour it. Again, it was research.

The event started taking place last summer as the food truck craze managed to find its way to sleepy Tallahassee, but I had yet to go.

So, five friends and I descended on a parking lot in Tallahassee to see what Food Truck Thursday had to offer. I had interviewed one of the vendors, Rebecca Kelly of Street Chefs, for my piece already and knew that the grilled cheese was awesome. (Four types of cheese, fresh basil, tomato and homemade bread all grilled to a buttery perfection…you could also get bacon added if you wanted) My friend Lynn devoured the shepherd’s pie wrap from Street Chefs, and my boyfriend opted for a personal pizza from Fired Up Pizza Truck, which somehow managed to get a brick oven into their vehicle. And two other friends who had already eaten dinner, but just came to join us for fun, just got dessert from a local cupcakery, Lucy and Leo’s. They sadly ran out by the time, Lynn, our other friend Deneige and I made our way to their truck.

All the food was delicious, cheap and accompanied by live music.

Looking for a Thursday night activity? Go to food truck Thursday.

It’s in the parking lot between the Burger King and old post office on W. Tharpe St., across from the Lake Ella Publix.

Sorry the photo is so dark. I snapped a few really quickly and didn’t realize how dark they turned out until I got home.

Food
Menu: Fruit salad, blueberry scones, scrambled eggs plus orange juice, hot chocolate or tea

And the book…
Sun Also Rises

(OK, my boyfriend had already reclaimed the actual copy of the book, so I just took a pic of the Kindle he got me for Christmas!)

Next book: Let the Great World Spin

Well, a few weeks ago, a fellow reporter Tweeted a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for mushroom bourguignon. When I inquired about it, she assured me it was awesome (it certainly looked amazing from the photos and description!). So, last night, I finally got around to making it.

And after I made it, I decided that I needed to amend my last post on my favorite recipes of 2011 because this would probably top the list.

There can absolutely be nothing wrong with portabella mushrooms bathed in merlot, accompanied by butter, olive oil, garlic, onions and beef broth. It’s just the truth.

I didn’t quite follow the directions as Smitten Kitchen had them. For example, I didn’t realize until I was halfway through that I was supposed to mix a few ingredients separately and combine them later. I don’t think it really mattered in the end, so, it’s all good!

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen…

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter, softened; 2 pounds portobello mushrooms, in 1/4-inch slices; 1/2 carrot, finely diced; 1 small yellow onion, finely diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup full-bodied red wine; 2 cups beef or vegetable broth (beef broth is traditional but vegetable to make it vegetarian; it works with either); 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1/2 teaspoon dried); 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup pearl onions, peeled (thawed if frozen); Egg noodles, for serving; Sour cream and chopped chives or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions: Heat the one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a medium Dutch oven or heavy sauce pan over high heat. Sear the mushrooms until they begin to darken, but not yet release any liquid — about three or four minutes. Remove them from pan.

Lower the flame to medium and add the second tablespoon of olive oil. Toss the carrots, onions, thyme, a few good pinches of salt and a several grinds of black pepper into the pan and cook for 10, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for just one more minute.

Add the wine to the pot, scraping any stuck bits off the bottom, then turn the heat all the way up and reduce it by half. Stir in the tomato paste and the broth. Add back the mushrooms with any juices that have collected and once the liquid has boiled, reduce the temperature so it simmers for 20 minutes, or until mushrooms are very tender. Add the pearl onions and simmer for five minutes more.

Combine remaining butter and the flour with a fork until combined; stir it into the stew. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency. Season to taste.

Notes: Smitten Kitchen says to boil the sauce down to the right consistency. I cheated and added a little bit more flour to thicken it up. I also ditched the carrots. A note from my friend who recommended the recipe was to make sure to get the pre-pealed pearl onions.

Serve with: I had some bagged salad that I served on the side and drank the merlot that I had used in the sauce.

But, I still did find quite a few new ones that I think are keepers.

So,  here we go. (These are in no particular order of preference)

1. An event of 2011 I surely won’t forget was coming down with mono. It was certainly a surprise to be getting it at 26 and really a surprise to be getting it at all, given that nobody around me seemed to have it.  Yet I went down for the count this summer with the dreaded disease, which did a number on my immune system that lasted for several months afterward. But, during my sick time, I managed to make this chocolate souffle that just made everything better.

2. My sister told me to make a whole chicken in a crock pot. So, I did. Leftovers yielded quesadillas and homemade chicken noodle soup.  It’s really the easiest way to make a whole chicken and the meat is so tender, it practically falls apart.

3. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. This recipe came from my friend Jen and I cannot say enough about it. The cookies were so soft and a lovely mix of pumpkin and chocolate. I gave a bunch to my friend Catherine so that I wouldn’t eat them all at once.

4.  My mom has made homemade applesauce every Thanksgiving for years, but this was the first year I tried it. I made it once to go with bbq as a test drive before actual Thanksgiving. (I didn’t want to be responsible for a ruined Turkey day dish!) I seriously love this recipe and could eat it every day.

5. Pulled pork in a crock pot. I love making meat in the crock pot because it comes out so tender. But, I had never tried to do bbq in it until October of this year. I bought a Boston butt and threw it in the crock pot with some spices and sauce. It turned out deliciously.

And that is it. I wish you all a happy holiday full of family get togethers,  carols and delicious Christmas treats.

And to get you in the Christmas mood…

Skinny Taste has my favorite healthy and tasty recipes. The creator, Gina, initially started it as a project to adapt recipes to the Weight Watchers point system and ended up with quite a database of recipes that were both  scrumptious and healthy.

My favorites include the roasted red pepper soup (I made it the other day), chicken bruschetta and spinach lasagna rolls. The meatballs from the other night were also courtesy of her site.

I was able to do a lot of cooking this week because it was not quite as hectic at work and I took a day off Wednesday, which resulted in the soup, some Christmas cookies and a new recipe, chicken rollatini stuffed with zucchini and mozzarella.

I had found the recipe on Gina’s site a week before, sent the link to my boyfriend and informed him that I was making it for dinner Wednesday night if he was so inclined to stop by.

I did have one minor screw up though. I accidentally grabbed chicken breasts instead of chicken cutlets at the grocery store. To fix that, I put the chicken in a plastic bag and got out a hammer.

No, I’m not  joking. I had to flatten the chicken some way.

The chicken was then bathed in a lemon juice-olive oil mixture and covered with a breadcrumb -parmesan mix. Then, I spread a mixture of oil oil, shredded zucchini mozzarella and parmesan on the underside of the chicken breast and rolled it up.

Note, I cut this recipe way down because I was only cooking for two, but here’s the original from Skinny Taste.

Ingredients: 1 tsp olive oil, 4 cloves garlic, chopped, 1 1/2 cups (1 medium) zucchini, shredded, 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Romano cheese (or parmesan), 3 oz part skim shredded mozzarella, salt and pepper to taste, 8 thin chicken cutlets, 3 oz each, 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, 1 lemon, juice of, 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and fresh pepper, non-stick spray

Directions: Wash and dry cutlets, season with salt and pepper.  Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add oil when hot then saute garlic a minute, or until golden. Add zucchini, 1/4 cup Romano cheese, salt and pepper and saute about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool. When cool, add mozzarella cheese and mix to combine.

Lay chicken cutlets down on a working surface and spread 3 tbsp of zucchini-cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one and keep seam side down.

Combine breadcrumbs and grated cheese in one bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper in another bowl.

Dip chicken in lemon-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down in a baking dish (no toothpicks needed). Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spraywith oil spray.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes. Serve immediately. Serving size is listed as one, but if you are having this as a low carb meal with a salad, I suggest you have two.

How was it: It comes boyfriend approved, but I think he liked it more than I did.  The meat was certainly tender and I did enjoy the zucchini/cheese filling. I served it with rice and salad.

Such was the case with turkey meatballs.

OK, not really. They still turned out well in the end. I just took a different route to dinner than the recipe laid out for me.

I was scoping out recipes on Skinny Taste, one of my favorite recipe websites (Really tasty meals are essentially healthified) and came across the recipe for turkey meatballs in the crock pot.

I had it all planned out.

I made the meatballs at about 8 a.m. Tuesday.

(I seriously love parsley)

My general plan was to come home at noon and put them in the crock pot with the sauce. But did that happen? No.

The work day got unexpectedly busy and stressful, so when the boyfriend suggested a quick trip to  Panera, that sounded like a better idea than going home.

I adjusted my plan so that I could stop home later in the day.  But that didn’t happen either.

So, there would be no crock pot meatballs. Instead, there were oven baked meatballs.

I put the meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. I then placed them in the sauce that was already bubbling on the stove. After letting them cook some more in the sauce, I spooned them out onto some whole wheat buns.

I t was probably 8:30 p.m. by this time, 12 hours after I originally started. Like I said:  best laid plans.

 Here’s the original recipe, which is what I followed for the meatballs and sauce. I obviously just didn’t put them in the crock pot.

Ingredients for meatballs:  1.3 lb ground turkey breast, 1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup parmesan, 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped, 1 egg, 1 large garlic clove crushed, 1 tsp kosher salt and fresh pepper

Ingredients for the sauce: 1 tsp olive oil,  4 garlic cloves mashed, 1 bay leaf, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes,
salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or parsley

Directions: In large bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix with your hands and form meatballs. In a small saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn.  Pour crushed tomatoes into the crock pot with bay leaf, then add garlic and oil. Drop meatballs into crock pot and cook on low for four hours. Remove and sprinkle with basil or parsley.

How to eat: With pasta, on a bun or with spaghetti! We went the bun route. Meatball sandwiches seemed like the perfect end to a long day.

I actually stole it from Rachel Ray’s Magazine — Recipe here.

I made chicken tetrazzini for the first time about a year ago, using a recipe from Whole Foods that was totally bland. It called for very little butter or parmesan and milk instead of cream. My mom’s recipe was high on cream and butter.

After from searching around via Google, I settled on Rachel Ray’s. It upped the butter content considerably, but didn’t call for cream.  The taste was 10 X better and the meal comes boyfriend approved, even though I used wheat pasta, which he is not a fan of.

It didn’t look hard. Basically, you buy Keebler’s grasshopper cookies and dip them in melted white chocolate. Then, you sprinkle crushed candy cane or peppermints on top.  Sounded delicious and not too hard.

Then, my job collided with my cookie plans.

It was all going well, the ingredients were bought, the peppermint was crushed and the chocolate was melting on the stove.

Then, just as the white chocolate was reaching a deliciously melted point, I realized I’d missed a phone call from a night editor in Fort Lauderdale. I dutifully called back and answered the editor’s question.  Unfortunately, when I did this, I walked into the other room. when I returned, my chocolate had gone from the perfectly melted point to burned.

Result: No cookies.

I blame the copy desk.