From the Dinner Doctor...

A simple but lovely pasta dish.

Angel Hair Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

8 oz angel hair pasta

2 tbs olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
1/2 cup half and half
Basil for garnish

1. Bring water to a boil (salt if desired), add angel hair and cook until al dente, about four minutes. Drain pasta and toss with one tbs olive oil, cover to keep warm.

2. Heat remaining oil in a skillet, and cook onion and garlic on medium heat until onions are softened, about three minutes.

3. Place onion, garlic, peppers, and half and half in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Spoon sauce over pasta, stir together, and garnish with basil leaves.

This book is a life saver when you have stuff in the fridge or pantry that you don't know what to do with!

Thou shalt not covet thy sister's cookbooks!

On my sister's cookbook shelf...

Hot Sour Salty Sweet. A terrific tour of Southeast Asia's cuisine. Well written directions, lovely photographs, brief histories of each region, and a glossary of ingredients and techniques.



My sister got it for Christmas several years ago from our mother- and I was the one who wanted it! I keep saying that I'll borrow it and try stuff from it....but I never get around to it. I'm watching her house while she's on vacation, so I'll take time to study the book and copy down a few recipes.

Too much zucchini!

My mom's garden is producing a good crop of squash. I've picked enough zucchini and patty pan squash to make casseroles several times.

I don't have a real recipe. I just sort of throw everything together:

Two cups of assorted squash, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded cheese (Swiss or a mild cheddar)
1 cup breadcrumbs or crushed crackers (I use Panko breadcrumbs)

Salt and pepper to taste

Stir first four ingredients together in a baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until squash is tender. Sprinkle top with cheese, then add breadcrumbs. Bake until crumbs are nicely browned.

Another older recipe...

A recipe I found in The Washington Post a few years ago. It's a Peruvian dish, and it's delicious! Recipes from Peru often have a blend of native, Spanish, and Asian flavors, as in this dish.

Lomo Saltado

Stir-fry of beef with onions and tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce

1¼ pounds beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips (1/2 -by 1/2- by 2-inch)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 tomatoes, seeds removed and sliced into wedges
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Makes 4 servings.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, cumin, 1 teaspoon vinegar or lime juice and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Add meat, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss meat to cover with liquid. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

When meat is ready, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a wok or frying pan until smoking. Oil must be very hot. Add beef strips and stir-fry until meat is browned on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn meat constantly and cook in batches, if necessary, to avoid steaming meat.

Add onion and stir-fry until slightly transparent but still firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Toss in tomatoes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of soy sauce. Stir-fry just to combine ingredients, taking care not to overcook tomatoes. Tomatoes should be slightly firm and just heated.

Sprinkle cilantro over mixture and toss lightly to distribute evenly. Remove immediately from heat to prevent overcooking.

Serve with rice. I like Goya's Spanish-style yellow rice, but plain white rice is fine, too.

I also make a vegetarian version- I substitute Japanese eggplant and tofu for the beef. I slice the eggplant lengthwise and stir-fry it with the onions, adding the tofu just before the tomatoes.

Another yummy cake!

This is the Fresh Orange Cake from the Cake Mix Doctor.





Serves 16
Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 47 minutes
Assembly time: 5 minutes

Cake:

Vegetable oil spray for misting pan, plus flour for dusting pan
1 package (18.25 ounce) yellow cake mix with pudding
1 cup fresh orange juice (or from the carton)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use canola because it's flavorless)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs

Glaze:

1 cup confectioner's sugar
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice (from about one medium orange)
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest (from one medium orange)

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable spray. Dust with flour, shaking out the excess.

2. Place the cake mix, juice, oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for one minute, then scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase the speed to medium and beat for another two minutes, until thick and well blended. Pour batter into the pan and place in the oven.

3. Bake the cake until golden brown and just starts to pull away from the pan, 45 to 47 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes, then invert on a cake plate to cool completely.

4. Prepare the glaze: combine the sugar, juice, and zest in a bowl and stir until smooth.

5. Pour glaze over the top of the cake. Let the glaze set before slicing.

The cake can be stored, covered, for up to a week. It can be frozen for up to six months.

This is a simple cake and is always eaten up at my family gatherings! The orange zest in the glaze makes the cake smell so good.

Perfect for the grill.

Another recipe from Quick Fix Meals- Pineapple Shrimp Skewers.

I adapted it somewhat- it's supposed to be served with a rum sauce, but I added the rum to the glaze.

1 to 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup canned pineapple, cubed (save the juice)
1 large red onion, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks (this was my addition)

For the glaze-

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/2 cup dark rum
Pineapple juice

Mix the hoisin, rum, and pineapple juice in a bowl and set aside. Using metal or wooden skewers, alternate pieces of onion, pineapple, shrimp, and pepper. Brush skewers with hoisin mixture. Cook on the grill until shrimp are bright pink, about five minutes. Baste the skewers with sauce as the cook, turning them frequently. Serve with rice.

Pesto Pizza!

This recipe came from Quick Fix Meals, by the Food Network's Robin Miller.

White Pizza with Basil Pesto and Pine Nuts

1 pound fresh or frozen pizza dough (I used Boboli® crusts)
3/4 cup prepared pesto (I used my homemade pesto)
1 1/2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese (I used half that)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 450°. If using pizza dough, roll it out into an 18-inch circle. Transfer to a large baking sheet. Spread pesto evenly onto the dough, to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Sprinkle top with mozzarella, Parmesan, and pine nuts. Bake until the cheese melts and crust is golden brown, about ten minutes. Let stand for five minutes before cutting slices.

Easy and delicious! Takes no more than half an hour to prepare and bake.