The Adventures of a Calamari Queen

My Chive herbs are growing happily in our yard and I’ve been thinking about using them in a cream cheese dip/spread after I had some chive and onion cream cheese in Panera Bread.  So last week I used some of my chives and made this simple cream cheese recipe.  I know you can get herbs anywhere but there is something about planting herbs in your own yard and using it in your cooking/recipes.

Ingredients (www.food.com)

I’m so into Pioneer Woman lately!  If she’s not on the food network I check On Demand if they have her show.  I think it’s because I’m kinda intrigued with her life on their ranch, and I cannot get over her colorful Le Creuset pots!  LOVE IT!!!  She prepared this salad and it looked so yummy.  We are not big salad eaters in our house and I know we need to change that.  I didn’t use Pecans because we only have almonds.  I also made the dressing and I’m thinking from now on I will make my own dressing, it is so simple and much healthier compared to what you get in the store.  We loved this salad so much that we had it three times this week already!

Ingredients (recipe:http:// thepioneerwoman.com)

• 12 ounces, weight Salad Greens (spring Mix)
• 2 whole Apples, Cored And Sliced Very Thin
• 1/2 cup Pecan Halves
• 1/4 cup Dried Cherries
• 6 ounces, weight Blue Cheese, Cut Into Chunks
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup (more To Taste)
• 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar (more To Taste)
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

We had a simple curry dish for dinner tonight.  I bought the shrimp this weekend and I had planned to just roast them but Hubby prepared the tuna tartare last Sunday and we had a lot of extra ingredients like the coconut cream, lemon grass(they’re not cheap), and the red curry paste, so I just decided to make a Red Curry dish and use the shrimp instead of chicken (my choice of meat whenever I have curry).  I didn’t follow an exact recipe here but I did check Pioneer Woman’s curry recipe and the food network site to get some inspiration.  I sauteed the shrimps first for a couple of seconds because I wanted them cooked together with the spices.  Shrimp cook very fast and gets tough if you overcook them, so you gotta watch out!

After the shrimps, I sauteed onions, garlic, ginger,red peppers, lemons grass (smells so good in the kitchen). Then I added 3 tablespoons of red curry paste, coconut cream, fish sauce. Let it  boil, then I added young sweet corn because I like it but you can add other veggies if you want (like carrots, peas). That’s it!

This is the Tuna Tartare that Hubby made during my In law’s Birthday dinner we had last weekend. We almost always order tuna tartare whenever we eat out, it’s just so good! I get that not everybody will get this dish right away, especially since it is still “raw” fish after all.  Lucky for me, Hubby was able to turn me on to tuna tartare goodness:-)

Here’s the recipe: Tuna Tartare (Chef Stefan Richter)

Ingredients

For the sauce:

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sweet chile sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 tablespoons siracha

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 tablespoons coconut milk

1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass

1 tablespoon minced and peeled ginger

1 tablespoon Thai curry paste

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce

For the tartare:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 avocado

1/2 lb. raw sushi-grade tuna

Chopped cilantro and sesame seeds, to taste

Directions

1. To make the sauce: combine all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir well. Heat over high heat until sauce comes to a boil.
2. Transfer the sauce to a food processor or blender and carefully blend.
3. Pour into a bowl that is set over an ice water bath. Let cool.
4. Once the sauce is cool, mix 2 tablespoons of the sauce with the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise.
5. Cut the avocado and the tuna into uniform 1/2-inch squares.
6. Carefully fold the tuna, avocado, and sauce together. Mix in the chopped cilantro and sesame seeds. Stir and serve.

Serves 2-4.