Closet to Cupboard: Polka Dots

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Step by Step: Parmesan Couscous with Asparagus and Tomato

It is spring asparagus time here in New England! In fact, I just picked up my first share of spring asparagus from my CSA last night! I made this dinner to highlight the fresh, unique flavor of my little green, tree-like friend.

Ingredients:

1 Package Near East Couscous
10 Stems Asparagus (chopped in 1/2 inch slices)
2-3 Cloves Garlic (crushed & chopped)
10 Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1 Palmful Parmesan Cheese
1-1/4 cup of Vegetable Stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

Chop all of your veggies. Heat your oil over medium and add your garlic, sauteing for 2 minutes.

Add your stock and spice packet to the oil and garlic and bring to a boil. While it is coming to a boil, grab your pine nuts and heat them on a skillet until they are lightly toasted (slightly browned). Set aside pine nuts to cool.

Add your asparagus to boiling stock and reduce heat and cover for 2 minutes. Add in your couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Once all stock is absorbed, add your tomatoes, pine nuts and Parmesan - stir and enjoy!!

Step by Step: Shrimp Taco's

This past weekend I was totally in the mood for Mexican food. The one issue is that the majority of Mexican recipes are made with either beef or chicken. I committed to a meat and poultry-less lifestyle so that wasn't going to be possible... Then, as I was perusing one of my favorite blogs, Pioneer Woman, I saw a recipe for Shrimp Tacos! I went to the fisherman down the street, bought me some freshly caught prawns and started cooking. Let me say... this is one of the freshest, most tasty meals I have ever made!

Shrimp Tacos

Ingredients

 Shrimp

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

1-1/2 pound Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined, Tails Removed

1 can (6 Ounces Approx) Mexican Tomato Sauce Or Enchilada Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

Slaw:

1/2 head Cabbage, Sliced Thin

1/2 head Purple Cabbage, Sliced Thin

1 whole Jalapeno, Chopped

Juice of one lime

1/2 cup Whole Milk

1/2 cup Mayonnnaise

1 teaspoon White Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 bunch Cilantro, Roughly Chopped

EXTRAS:

16 whole Corn Tortillas, Warmed

Pico De Gallo

Avocado Slices

Lime Wedges

Instructions

Let's start out with the slaw. Slice cabbage & purple cabbage thinly and place in large bowl. Chop jalapeno and squeeze the juice of one lime all over the mixture. Lastly, chop up your cilantro.

Next, let's make the slaw sauce. Mix your milk, mayo, cayenne, vinegar sugar and salt together. The earlier you make this mixture, the better. The flavors will all combine really nicely. Once it has had time to combine, pour it over your chopped slaw, mix and pop in the fridge to further combine.

Now... time for Shrimp. Place your peeled and de-veined shrimp in a pan heated with vegetable oil. Cook shrimp until it is pink.

Once the shrimp is pink, pour the enchilada sauce and cumin onto the shrimp. Turn the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes - soaking up those flavors!

 

Warm your tortillas in the microwave and grab your slaw and any of your other additional fixings (avocados, mango pico de gallo) and build your taco's.

 

 

All you have left to do is pour yourself a margarita and enjoy. The crunch of the cabbage combines with the sweetness of the mango and the heat of the shrimp makes for one enjoyable meal. Mr. M is not usually a fan of slaw, however, he is a big fan of this one!

Step by Step: Spinach Linguine with Roasted Zucchini

 

I think I consumed more zucchini last summer than ever before. I thank the Salem Farmer's Market for that amazing feat of wonder. I may have cooked zucchini every single way you could ever venture to imagine - so this roasted zucchini dish was not a challenge at all! I decided to kick my zucchini consumption off a little bit early. 

Spinach Linguine with Roasted Zucchini

Ingredients

One Zucchini

One Shallot

Two Cloves of Garlic

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Parmigiano Cheese (grated)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425. Wash and chop your zucchini in one inch slices. Chop your shallot and crush and chop your garlic. Place all three in a mixing bowl and toss with 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil.

2. Pour into a wide rimmed baking dish and place in a single layer. Pop into over and bake for 20-30 minutes until lightly browned. Turn once during baking.

3. While zucchini is baking, prepare linguine per directions on package. Before draining, grab 1/4 of the pasta water and set aside. 

4. Pour the cooked pasta into a bowl and immediately add the cooked zucchini. Top with some pasta water (to taste) and coat. Top with freshly grated cheese and enjoy!

Closet to Cupboard: Chevron

Dress // Necklace // Shirt // Bowls

Step by Step: Roasted pear, blue cheese and arugula salad

The sun came out at the very end of the day today and in honor of sunlight and the summer that is right around the corner, I wanted to make something crisp and fresh for dinner. I had been dreaming about having grilled pears for the past couple of days, so, I took that idea and made it a dinner - instead of dessert. This was so refreshing, bright and satisfying. I plan on making this a summer staple.

Roasted pear, blue cheese and arugula salad

 

Ingredients

2-3 bosk or anjou pears

arugula

sharp blue cheese

raisins or craisins

2 lemons

1/2 cup apple cider

salt & pepper

chopped nuts (waltnuts)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grab your pears, wash and peel. Then, core and dig out a little "well" where the core was. If you have a melon baller, that will do the trick. I don't, so I just used a spoon!

2. Place your pears, well up, in a small ceramic baking dish. Slice your lemons and squeeze the fresh juice over the pears.

3. Next, grab your cider and pour 1/2 cup over the pears as well. 

4. Grab your blue cheese, break of small slices and place in the well of you pear. Sprinkle raisins on top and place in your preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. During baking, be sure to baste your pears in the liquid.

5. Once tender, take pears out of oven and let cool. Wash and dry you arugula and chop your walnuts. Once the pear has cooled off (but is still warm!), place on your arugula bed, top with walnuts, salt and pepper. Lastly, use the liquid from your roasted pears to dress your salad. The warmth of the pear and liquid make a great companion to the peppery, cold arugula and crunchy walnuts.

Pink Ombre: Closet to Cupboard

Jeans // Dress // Shirt // Bowl // Spoons // Jar

Step by Step Guide: Pasta Sauce (Gravy) From Scratch

This weekend I had the family over for a nice Sunday dinner. It was decided pretty last minute that it was at my house and I had no idea what to make. My husband muttered something about really wanting meat balls and I decided, "hey...why not put together a nice sauce". In my household my mother's pasta sauce is legendary. My brother scoffs at any sauce that isn't just like hers. So, instead of even trying to compete, I just decided to put together my own. My mothers sauce is made tediously, carefully and slowly. She hovers over it making sure there are no chunks... a perfectly smooth sauce. So, I decided I would make mine very chunky!

Mimi's Homemade Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Large Cans of Large Peeled Tomatoes in Sauce

1 Large Can of Tomato Puree

1 Small Can of Tomato Paste

1 Small Yellow Onion

2 Cloves Garlic

3/4 Cup Vegetable Broth

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Dried Basil

Dried Oregano

Dried Pepper Flakes

Parmesan Cheese

Baking Soda

Don't forget to click the link below to see the rest of the recipe!

Palatine Blue & Marigold

Bracelet // Scarf // Necklace // Dress

Breakfast At Tiffany's Bridal Shower

So, everyone knows Breakfast at Tiffany's, right? Well, I am lucky enough to be part of a wedding party and we just threw the bride a Breakfast (or Brunch!) at Tiffany's themed bridal shower. To be honest, the planning was harrowing and the event didn't go off without some mishaps, however, I think the theme was, overall really nicely done and I wanted to share what we did with all of you! It absolutely wouldn't have been able to have been accomplished without the help of each and every one of the bridesmaids.

Again, this was collaborative so I cannot, cannot take all of the credit.