Crispy Coconut Shrimp and Broccoli with Lime Dressing

I tried this recipe from my pile, this one is from Martha Stewart. It was totally awesome!!

I couldn't stop eating the shrimp. I made the recipe exactly as  written. They had a slight sweet favor to them and you could so taste the coconut. Without being overwhelmingly coco nutty sweet. The sauce I served was the Adult one with curry and yogurt. I used Greek yogurt because that is what I had in my fridge and I didn't have the Madras Curry called for in the recipe. I did find using the regular curry a little weak, wished I put more in. I'll have to make this recipe again using the Madras Curry to see if there is a difference. If you know the difference please leave a comment with an explanation.

 I served it with steamed Broccoli and a Lime Dressing and rice. I usually make my Broccoli sauteed with garlic and oil. I really enjoy this new variation. The flavor had a slight Oriental taste to it. Pairing itself with the shrimp perfectly.

The Shrimp were really simple to make and so very delicious. Other ways I though of to use this shrimp recipe is as an appetizer. My hints for make these recipes would be make sure your all set up before you start heating the oil. I started to batter the shrimp when I turned on the oil. At the beginning it worked but I quickly ran out of battered Shrimp and was rushing to batter more before the oiled burned.

It's awesome you stopped by....Thanks!!
XOXO
Esther

Recipes follow

Crispy Coconut Shrimp
Everyday Food, September 2005

Prep Time 35 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Yield Serves 4


Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 large egg whites
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail on)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 cups vegetable oil
Bottled sweet-and-sour sauce, for serving
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon curry powder, preferably Madras
Lime wedges, for serving (optional)


Directions

1. For the kids: In a food processor, pulse together coconut and breadcrumbs until coconut is in small pieces; transfer to a shallow bowl, and scatter a handful over a baking sheet. Set aside. In another shallow bowl, lightly beat the egg whites.


2. Toss shrimp with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Working in batches, dip shrimp in egg whites to coat completely; lift from whites (shaking off any excess), and dredge in coconut mixture. Lay on prepared baking sheet.


3. In a large, deep heavy-bottom pan, heat oil over medium heat until 350 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Cook half the shrimp, lightly shaking to separate shrimp, until golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 350 degrees; repeat with remaining shrimp.


4. Reserve half the shrimp for the adults. Serve remaining shrimp with sweet-and-sour sauce.


5. For the adults: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, lime juice, mustard, and curry powder. Serve the sauce with reserved shrimp; garnish with lime wedges, if desired.

Steamed Broccoli With Lime Dressing

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Yield Serves 4

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds (1 large bunch) broccoli
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Coarse salt

Directions

1. Prepare broccoli: Cut off and discard tough ends of stalks, leaving about 2 inches attached to the florets. Using a paring knife, cut broccoli lengthwise into pieces. With a sturdy vegetable peeler (or sharp knife), peel away the tough outer layer from the stalks. In a large pot fitted with a steamer basket, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add broccoli pieces in a single layer. Cover, and steam until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together lime juice and sesame oil; season with salt.

3. Add broccoli to dressing; toss lightly to coat. Serve immediately

Crispy Pancetta, Burrata, and Tomato Sandwiches

I have tons of recipes that collected over the years. Many I have tried but most I have not. I have challenged myself to do two of my saved recipes a week. I will only post the ones that I absolutely love. I will share  photos of my dish any changes I made and of course the recipe.

Here is the first  one I did.

 I call it a play on the BLT. The first step in the recipe is to marinade the tomatoes. I got to use some of the tomatoes from my garden. You will want to make sure you have really ripe tomatoes.It so added to the flavor. The tomatoes were so delicious I ate the left overs as a tomato salad.

The next step was to cook the pancetta.

I cooked it nice and crisp. And I cut up the Burrata. Just look at the creamy center. It's so yummy!!

Here is the sandwich all done.

This sandwich was out of this world. The flavors just melded together so perfectly. The creaminess of the burrata and the saltiness of the pancetta. The marinaded tomatoes just yummy, yummy, yummy. The only change I made was to put the sandwich on Italian bread vs the brioche the recipe called for.

Here is the recipe that originally ran in Bon Appetit 2007

You'll find burrata cheese at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores, Italian markets, and cheese shops.

6 servings

Recipe by Sal Marino
Photograph by Brian Leatart

August 2007

Ingredients

• 4(3-ounce) packages thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)
• 6(3- to 4-inch-diameter, 3/4-inch-thick) slices ripe Costoluto Genovese tomatoes or other ripe red heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2cup(packed) coarsely torn fresh basil leaves
• 6tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
• 2teaspoonsdried oregano
• 1/2teaspoonfleur de sel or coarse kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 12(4 x 4 x 1/2-inch) slices egg bread or brioche, lightly toasted
• 18ouncesburrata cheese
• 4cups(about) baby arugula or mixed microgreens

Preparation

• Working in batches, cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer to paper towels to drain. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.
• Place tomato slices in shallow baking dish. Add basil, olive oil, oregano, and fleur de sel. Sprinkle with ground black pepper and turn to coat. Let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
• Place 6 toasted bread slices on work surface. Divide burrata among bread slices and spread to edges. Top each with 1 tomato slice, then pancetta slices, dividing equally. Top with arugula. Cover with remaining 6 toasted bread slices, and press each slightly to adhere. Cut each sandwich in half and serve.

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2007/08/crispy_pancetta_burrata_and_tomato_sandwiches#ixzz1ZfP5K9pc

An Autum Bouquet

Michaeals Art and Craft store was having an awesome sale on thier Fall Flowers. When I went to check it out I fell in love with these

I also bought this basket. It has the shape of a pumkin.

I filled the basket with florsit foam. My first step was putting in all the tall item a slowly filling in the basket.

Here is a picture of the final piece.



Now I'm ready for the Fall season and don't have to worry about getting flowers.

It's awesome you stopped by....Thanks!!

XOXO

Esther





Brimfield Antique Show

Brimfield Antique Show http://brimfield.com/ is my most guiltiest of pleasure ranking up there with chocolate. Yup that good. There and hundreds of vendors selling from good old fashion antiques that are either in "as is" quality to totally re-furbished. Items that have been hand crafted to thing recently salvaged. What ever your little hearts desire I'm sure you can find it here. I've been to this show 4 times now, and I never able to see all the vendors.  Here are a few photos of the show

This year I was on the look out for corbels. And I found some!! Three different types of designs all with an aged feel I was hoping for. One set even has the mounting brackets all done for me.

I will be using them to hold up some shelves in the kitchen.  I'll be redoing the kitchen soon and I'm going for a Tuscan farmhouse look in there. I think the corbels will add a nice rustic touch.

I love the Brimfield Antique Show for several reasons. The variety of items you can find, ideas you get, the fun of the hunt and the bargains. I got my lot of corbels for a mere $90.00. I had spied several on eBay for $35.00 or more per corbel. So you know I was doing my chicken strut and singing "I got myself a bargain...I got myself a bargain"

The show is held 3 times a year and I plan on going again next year. So check out their website and let me know if you want to go bargain hunting with me.

It's awesome you stopped by....Thanks!!

XOXO

Esther

Harvest on the Hudson

Harvest on the Hudson http://harvest2000.com/hoh/ is right on the Hudson river located close to the Hastings on the Hudson train station. The building is beautiful with high ceilings and great views of the river. The landscaping is equally as beautiful. I hear there is a path you can walk around in. I haven't actually seen it for myself. I have been twice and the service has been good.

We had delicious zucchini flowers for appetizer. They were battered and served with a very good sauce. I wish there was more of the sauce to go with the flowers.

One of my Aunt's had this veal dish it was served with a salad the dressing was really good.

She said it was amazing. My other Aunt had a salmon dish.

The sauce served with the Salmon was amazing and the fish was do to perfection. I ordered Prime Rib. With Prime Rib depending on the temperature you want will determine the cut you get. The rarer you want the more in middle of you get more well done closer to the end you get. I usually order an end cut. I find the end cuts to be tastier and more flavorful. But this night I was in the mood for a medium rare.

And that is exactly what I got. OMG was this amazing. I am so glad I ordered it. Those of you who know me know my most favorite cut of beef is the NY Strip and Prime Rib is close to my last. But is dish was really really good.

Of course we can't forget dessert. We had a apple crepe and a chocolate lava cake. They both were simple delicious.

I high recommend this restaurant. You will enjoy the atmosphere, views, service and of course the food.

It's awesome you stopped by....Thanks
XOXO
Esther

A BBQ Party

About a month ago I hosted what I hope to be an annual BBQ party. I had so much fun planning the meal and setting up the atmosphere for my guest. I had decided on making the look of the BBQ a French Country setting with a touch of tropical. Yes I know not a usual combination. As for the menu we had Flat breads on the grill, grilled veggies, steak, chicken and rainbow trout. Dessert was cupcakes and chocolate cake which were so kindly brought by my Aunt and my dear friend.

I used a ton of sunflower placed all over the backyard. I used Kale, Collar Greens and Basil from my garden as filler. You can see the Kale in the picture above

I also placed little chalk boards around to welcome my guests and to let them know with ease where they could find the food and drink.

You can just about make out the drink sign here. 

This is one of the 3 kinds of flat breads I made. We had brie with prosciutto, goat cheese fig and arugula and the in the picture was caramelized onions, sausage and Manchego cheese. So easy to make. The one trick I learned after the first batch was to cook the pizza dough on both sides before adding the topping this made for a much more crispy flat bread. We also had this yummy bean dip and salsa my sister brought over. Sorry I forgot to take pictures.

Here is the canopy again. And you'll see a nice palm in the corner to add that touch of tropics to the room. I also think the green and canopy gave a slight tropical feel.

To make things super easy for everyone I wrapped the utensils in a napkin and tied everything with a ribbon.

 The plates and utensil packets were placed into a basket. Everything in one place. I could have done this with out the help of my Aunt she volunteered to wrap the utensils

As for the main meal we had an assortment of grilled veggies

And this super fresh rainbow trout I bought from Whole foods. The fish monger there was so extremely helpful from picking out which fish to buy to how to prepare it. I followed his instructions to the tee and the fish came out perfect.

Of course we can't forget the bread. I just love the basket full of bread. Not only are they good to eat but they also add a decorative touch to the table . This basket was filled with baguettes, Asiago cheese baguette and a round loaf.

We partied and BBQ'd till dark. When the bugs started to come out we lit some citronella candles I found at Home Goods in the clearance aisle. They were simply amazing and quite strong. Not a bug dared to bother us. I'll have to look for them again next year.

It's awesome you stopped by.....Thanks!!

XOXO

Esther

Coffee Can Transformation

I love the Illy brand coffee and they come in these great cans

I been feeling bad about throwing them out all the time. I decided to find a way to use a couple of them in a re-purposed way. I have this wonder paper from KC and Company.

Don't you just love the colors and design. I'm sure you can guess what I did next...yup your right I covered the cans with the paper.

I did each can a little different to see which way worked the best. The first can I just adhered the paper using mod podge edge to edge. There is a slight indentation at the top of the can for the screw top. Which posed a problem with a tight fit but the rest of the can work beautifully. The second can I brought the paper over the top. This looked great, giving a more finished feel to the edge of the  can and also it covered the sharp edge along the top edge. The draw back it looked messy inside of the can. I added some fiber and other flowers.. here is what the finished product looks like.

When I do these again. I'll try something else for the top edge. I think I will put ribbon along the inside edge to cover the inside edge to cover the sharp edge and giving it a finished look.

Now they are sitting pretty on my work table full of paint brushes and scissors. 

It's awesome you stopped by....Thanks

XOXO

Esther