Sweet Love and Ginger

Jessica

Simple Summer Date Night

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When I think of summer, I think simple, and that was the
theme for this date night.

I didn’t bother with a table cloth, or a flower arrangement.
We ate outside, because it was cooler than inside, and then I didn’t have to
clean the house. I put a fat candle on a plate in the middle of the table and
put a few daisies from the yard around its base. I put our regular dinner
plates down, mainly because I’m not fancy enough to have china, some homemade
cloth napkins, and a carafe of chilled white wine. Then I served dinner.

Summer is a time for little sleep, hard work (for those of
us in construction in the northeast), and lots of playing outside. I wanted
just one special night to share with Chuck, after weeks of dinners on the road,
quick grilled, or over the fire, and looking at my generally un-groomed
stressed out self I wanted to show him how appreciative I am that I don’t
always have to be perfectly manicured, cleaned, and coiffed for him to tell me I’m
beautiful. I did take the time to actually shave my legs, put on some make up
and (gasp) straighten my hair, for the evening, along with cook him a dinner
especially suited to his tastes.

I’m sorry I have no pictures of the night, it was a blog/work
free zone, but I thought that you might like to see what I served to my very
special man on our date night in.

 

Soup: Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Salad: Fresh Garden Greens with Creamy Pesto Dressing

Entre: Shrimp & Parsley Ravioli with Red Pepper Scampi Sauce

Desert: Strawberry & Ginger Sorbet: 2 Cups fresh
Strawberries, 1 tsp ground ginger, splash of lime juice, blended and frozen.  

Virtually everything but the ravioli was made ahead of time
so it was a pretty easy dinner to piece together, and with the sun setting
behind us, and little Brody happily chewing on a bone at our feet it was a
pretty perfect night.

Brody Stories: Hiking Abraham & Ellen VT

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Oh! Hi again! Hi Hi HHIIEEEE!

In case you didn’t have the pleasure of meeting me before,
my name is Brody, I was adopted by my mom and dad not too long ago, and most
of the time they are the best parents in the whole world.

Ya know I really love that they love the outdoors as much as
I do, but sometimes my mom is a little too crazy about it.

Last weekend best friend Baxter came over to my Grand-momma
Chucks house and spent the night so that our moms could take us hiking the next
day.

I was so excited I got up a couple times in the night and my
mom had to put me back to sleep, but eventually she finally got her lazy butt
up and we drove all the way up to Bristol VT. We left Baxter’s moms car in Jerusalem at the Jerusalem trail head
and took my mom’s car to the Lincoln Gap Trail head. The road up there was
REALLY steep, and Baxter and I were all excited because we knew we would get to
play in the woods soon.

The Lincoln Gap trail up to Abraham was super easy for me, but I had to
keep going back to check on my mom, she’s a lot slower than I am. I had a
little trouble with a couple of the scrambles, but I got through them all on my
own, and after 2.6 miles we were at the top. We had to go on the leash then
because of the vegetation up there, but that was ok, I was ready for a snack and
a little break, plus it was pretty.

 

Next we hiked along the ridge, for about 3.7 miles. It was
pretty easy and a nice walk, Baxter and I had a good time racing up and racing
back to our moms. We got to take little a break near Sugar Bush, and a quick stop to read the sign on Lincoln peak, then by the
time we finally hit Mount Ellen I was starting to feel tired. Luckily Mom took
a break and I got to take a quick nap in the soft grass before we started to descend
the 4.3 miles down the mountain. The first part was pretty rocky, and steep,
but then it flattened out some and was easy downhill walking the rest of the
way out.

When we finally got to the car our moms told us that they
were left the keys in the other car, so we had to keep walking down the road to
the country store and wait for my Grand-momma to come save us. She’s the best.

It was a lot of fun, and also super tiring. I did nothing
but sleep on the way home, and all the next day. Mom was pretty much there with
me since we hiked a total of about 12 miles (including the 1.4 to the store).
 

Welp that’s all for now! Have a great weekend!!

Oh P.S. My mom wants me to give a shout out to Carrie for some awesome pictures of me!

How to Roast a Red Pepper & Roasted Red Pepper Soup

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I’ve talked about it before. Roasting red peppers is
something I do quite often at the end of summer and into fall. I’ve learned a
few tricks of the trade overtime, and recently read that despite what all the
chef’s will tell you about roasting your peppers over an open flame, and
pealing the skin off the only way to get that rich, smooth, and perfect
carmelization is to actually roast them in the oven. I’ve roasted them in the
oven a lot, but only under broil and for about 20 minutes. This particular
author and chef suggest however that they should be slow roasted for nearer to
40 minutes, and hers is an opinion that I would tend to believe. You are sure
to hear more about her later on don’t worry.

So needless to say I tried it, and I agree.

I have never gotten my red peppers so wonderfully sweet and
slippery. I don’t think I could possibly roast my red peppers any other way from now on. If you are wondering how I used to do it, I explained it fairly well here.
Long Oven Roasted Red Peppers

2 large red bell peppers, quartered, and deseeded

Non stick spray

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  On a greased baking sheet place peppers skin
side up and put int the oven to roast for 40-50 minutes. Once the peppers have
become blacked remove from the oven and set aside for 30 or so minutes until
they have become cool enough to handle. Using your hands remove and discard the
peel. Peppers can be placed in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks, or jar with oil
for 2-3 weeks.
Oh and because this is what I did with my red peppers once they were deliciously roasted.

 
Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Soup

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 large potato, peeled, and chopped

2-3 Roasted red peppers (or 1 6 oz jar, drained &
rinsed)

2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 tbs sour cream

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Shredded cheddar cheese

In a thick bottomed sauce pan sauté shallot, in oil over
medium high heat, for 1-2 minutes. As the shallot begins to become translucent,
add in red pepper, potato, and broth. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or
until the potato becomes soft. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches if
needed and puree until smooth. Return to the pan and remove from heat. Stir in
sour cream until well blended. Serve warm topped with cilantro and cheese, as
well as additional sour cream if desired (Serves 2-3)

Oh I Just Don’t Know & Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken

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I have some sort of blues thing going on here. I’m in a funk I can’t get out of.

I’m not an emotional eater by any means, drinking and cooking on the other hand; and I don’t mean just boos. When I’m upset often time’s tea or cocoa are the only things that will sooth me. Oh and cooking, especially baking. There is something about chopping vegetables, and stirring large bowl of batter, or whipping cream that just helps. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on your point of view) for everyone that surrounds me I rarely eat anything that I make when I’m hurting, so it gets pawned off on everyone else.

I’m having an even harder time coming up with good posts. I have no end to my food photos and recipes but the rest of the post should be filled with words and feeling too, and I’m just having a hard time of it. I feel like with so many posts I am just going through the motions giving only a little blurb about whatever recipe I am posting, and that’s not really the feeling I want to have from my blog, but with my mind clogged with so many other things it may be all I have to offer you for a time.

Bear with me for a little while. I’ll get my mojo back soon. And in the mean time here’s an amazing new recipe that I got originally from Bon Appetite. It sounded perfect for a late summer dinner with all the fresh tomatoes about. Even Chuck, who aside from actual sauce could do without tomatoes, actually liked it. This one is going to become a favorite I can tell, it tastes wonderful and I only had to alter the recipe a little to make it clean.

Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken

 

Oh I Just Don’t Know & Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 to 6 Servings
Ingredients
  • 3-4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons herbs de province
  • 1 teaspoon Salt plus additional season
  • 1 teaspoon Pepper plus additional season
  • 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 1 tablespoons of tarragon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl combine 1 tbsp oil, tomatoes, herbs de province, salt & pepper, tossing to combine.
  3. In a large oven proof skillet heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Add tomatoes and transfer the skillet to the oven to roast, for about 15 minutes or until the tomatoes burst. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl and drizzle with Worcestershire sauce.
  4. Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. In the same pan sear the chicken breast over medium high heat for 5-6 minutes a side, you may need to add a little more oil to the pan so it doesn’t stick.
  5. Once seared, transfer the pan back into the oven to roast for an additional 10-12 minutes, to cook through.
  6. Transfer chicken to a cutting board to rest for 5-6 minutes, meanwhile, in the same skillet add an additional tbsp of oil to the pan and heat it over medium high heat, add the shallot and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  7. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar, scrapping up some of the brown bits from the bottom. Add the tomatoes and their juices back into the pan and cook again for an additional 2-3 minutes, until the sauce begins to thicken.
  8. Adjust seasoning and serve warmed topped with a sprinkle of tarragon and parsley.

 

I paired this recipe with some brown rice, cooked in chicken broth, carrots and a few spices, Don’t ask for the recipe I made it up as I went and have no idea what I actually did, but the above recipe defiantly feels like a rice side type of recipe. What do you think? What would you pair it with?
Herb Roasted Tomatoes over Chicken

Similar Recipes:

Garlic & Herb Roast Chicken

Burst Sun Gold Tomato Sauce

Chicken w Spicy Apricot Sauce

Green & Yellow Beans: 4 Ways

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Right now the garden is overflowing with green and yellow beans (mostly yellow). We cannot eat them fast enough, so I have started putting a few in the freezer, but I’m still loading up our meals with quite a few of them.

After a long weekend away visiting Chuck’s parents in VT we came back to the mother-load of beans. So I decided I would cook them all in one night.

Now the issue was how to make a load of green beans appealing to us. I opted to make them in all of
our favorite ways, the idea being that they would feel like separate side dishes and not be a chore to
eat, plus it would be a great way to showcase my favorite green bean recipes here on the le blog. 

Charred Barbeque Green Beans

1lb green or yellow beans

¼ cup prepared barbeque sauce

Place grean beans on a preheated grill over high heat and
cook until the outsides begin to char. Toss with barbeque sauce and serve.

Quick Greek Style Green Beans

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 lb
green or yellow beans

Juice from ½ a lemon

½ a lemon sliced

¼ cup of feta cheese crumbles

In a large frying pan heat oil and garlic over medium heat sautéing
for 3-5 minutes, or until garlic begins to brown and become aromatic. Add beans
and toss cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes, just enough to heat the beans
through. Transfer to a serving tray and toss with lemon, juice, and feta
cheese.

Bacon and Caramelized Onion Beans

2 or 3 strips on bacon

1 small onion sliced thin

½ tsp salt

1 lb
green or yellow beans

In a large frying pan cook bacon until crispy and remove
from pan. Add onion to the pan and sauté, you may need to add a little olive
oil depending the amount of drippings in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and
add salt. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until it begins to brown and caramelize.
Add the bacon back into the pan, along with the beans, cooking for an
additional 1-2 minutes, and serve.

Beans with Harrissa Oil & Tomatoes

1 tbsp Harrisa Condiment (available at specialty stores)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 lb
green or yellow beans

1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved

In a large frying pan heat oil and harrissa over medium high
heat for 1-2 minutes, add beans and tomatoes to the pan and cook for an
additional 1-2 minutes, tossing to coat. Serve immediately.

Now here are just 4 of our favorites, but there’s so many more that include eggs, sundried tomatoes,
and different cooking procedures.

What’s your favorite bean recipe?