ROASTED CARROT PASTA... with... TIGER PRAWNS

SUNDAY NIGHT DINNER....

Well you know how I love to entertain.. And I love impromptu events even more. Well, I called my friends Tommy and Kendall on Sunday afternoon and said, "I know it is really short notice, but.... wanna come for dinner?" Tommy said let me ask Kendall and a minute later he said they would love to come.. Is 6pm ok??? Well it was 3:30pm and that gave me plenty of time.. So we were on!

I have had this idea in my head for a week or so to do something with roasted carrots cut on an angle and feta.. and I have been reading this wonderful book about French recipes "Pot au Feu"

everything in one pot.. well.. it got me thinking, I had the carrots and the feta and sweet onion and shallots and I was going to do these BIG SHRIMP... and the idea just came to me as I was cutting the carrots, to do it all together.. with penne pasta..

So.....

I roasted the carrots at 350° for 30 minutes

I sauteed the onions, shallots, chives with butter and garlic

I cut up 3 Roma tomatoes and placed in bowl to get to room temperature with a little salt

I put the pot of water on to boil for pasta

I pulled the carrots out and turned up the oven to broil/ high

I broiled the BIG SHRIMP for 6 minutes on a cookie sheet evenly spread out with shells on

when the pasta was finished I drained it and put it in big bowl

then I tossed it with a tablespoon of butter and and big drizzle of olive oil

added the carrots and onions mix (be sure to get all the oil from pan)

then added the fresh roma tomatoes and feta

and finally the shrimp (after I took off the shells)

Voila!

ROASTED CARROT PASTA with TIGER PRAWNS

Ingredients:

5 nice big carrots

1 sweet onion

2 shallots

2 tablespoons of chopped chives or dried (if using dried use only 1 tbls)

lots of garlic chopped

3 Roma tomatoes

2/3 cup feta crumbled ( I like the block of feta that you crumble yourself so the pieces aren't too small...)

2 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup of olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 box penne pasta

16 shrimp (preferably Tiger Prawns)

There you go.. a great really tasty pasta that is unusual and hearty and surprisingly light....

We drank a nice merlot with it and it was perfect....

Let me know if you try this and how it goes..

Buddah's Hand Citron...

Happy Tuesday!

Guess what this is???? Look close. It is called Buddah's Hand. it is in the lemon family. There is no doubt in my mind when you want a lot of zest that this is the very best way to go.. You know how I told you that I did a lemon zest for Thanksgiving Turkey? Well, this is the best most incredible was to get "zest". Hard to find, but try the more upscale stores.. and if they don't have it ask them to get it.. really great stuff..

Thanks all for now! I am going to go dream up a recipe to use this Buddah's Hand....

Tracey

After Thanksgiving Memories...

Well, how did your Turkey Day go??

Ours was spectacular, truly wonderful. We cooked most of everything Wednesday.. Mary Joan chopped and stirred and gave a rousing moral support effort. When iI thought I was too tired to do the final item on our list, (splaying the turkey) she cheered me on and said "if you do it now all will be done then we can go to dinner at Don Pepe's and someone can serve you and when you get home we can watch a movie". That was all I needed so we attacked the turkey. Splayed, then rubbed with lemon juice and olive oil and covered in lemon zest, lots of fresh thyme ( from my garden), salt and pepper then wrapped tight and off to bed in the fridge.

Thursday morning we watched Macy's Parade and relaxed, walked the dogs and delivered pumpkin bread to the neighbors. All that was left was to reheat the potatoes, sweet and mashed, steam the broccoli, make the cranberry sauce, with apples and orange zest. And of course cook the turkey and make the stuffing and gravy. Well, the stuffing we did early, since it wasn't going into the bird, therefore we could wrap in foil and keep warm, the gravy takes time but, since I had made the stock the day before all I had to do was saute the oyster mushrooms and then go at making the gravy with, wondra, 1/2 & 1/2, salt pepper and a dash of chervil.

NOW THE FUN PART! The 18lb turkey was huge and looked even more so since it was splayed. So I cut off the legs and put them in a grill basket, and placed on the grill. The breast, and it was the biggest, plumpest, turkey breast I have ever seen, I just placed on the grill bone side down. Daddy was manning the grill (yeah Dad!) the first side was perfect. 15 minutes and gorgeous.. So, Daddy flipped the legs and I came out to help and flipped the breast, lid on grill.

And we came back in the house.. a couple minutes later I looked outside and the webber kettle was smoking like crazy. "DAAAAAAADDDDDY we have a fire", I called out.. He rushes out takes the lid on and yep... FIRE. Then he takes the legs off and I run out with 2 forks and stab the breasts and lift off and it is a ball of fire! We are all standing around blowing, swearing and waving and praying that too much damages hasn't been done.. So right into the house we go.. I wipe off the charcoal residue and it wasn't too bad.. actually it was all the fresh thyme stems burning and not the actual bird, so we places legs and breast on a deep baking pan and into the oven at 325.

well 90 minutes later.. we pulled out the best looking and definitely the best tasting Turkey I have ever made. I was moist and had a wonderful grill/smoked flavor. truly great.

Other than the Turkey adventure the rest of the meal was smooth sailing and easy and turned out just like I wanted..

Hope yours did too..

I attempted to take some photos of the food just before everyone "dug" in.. At least you get the ideas of what it looked like before we took our plates to my beautiful table...

Remember: IF YOU WANT RECIPES, WRITE TO ME! you can do it on comments.. Love, Tracey

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!

Well, Turkey Day is finally here.. My cousin Mary Joan is here from Pittsburgh, and Daddy, of course and our friends Tommy & Kendall will be arriving around 5pm. Now that you have the guest list.... lets get to the menu. Mary Joan requested a more "traditional" menu.. (I usually go for non-traditional).. so,

Turkey

(I cut the back bone out of this 18lb bird, then broke the breastbone, not an easy feat, and then splayed it on its belly so it was flattened. rub the entire bird inside and out with lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, salt & pepper and fresh thyme. Wrapped it tightly in plastic wrap and put in fridge to marinate. Will put on grill for 15 min per side then into the oven for 90 min to finish)

Oyster Mushroom Gravy

(made from the stock of the turkey, oyster mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, salt & pepper)

Mashed Potaotes

(typical except, I use celery root, yellow finnish potatoes, cream cheese, 1/2, salt & pepper)

Mom's Candied Sweet Potatoes

(in a deep skillet, stick of butter and 1 1/2 cup dark brown sugar stirring all the time till bubbling. par boil the sweet potatoes then dry with towel and place gently in butter and sugar, cook till very soft and sticky. DO NOT COVER WHILE COOKING)

Broccoli with Butter

Daddy loves his broccoli steamed with butter and salt and that is all... so that is what we will have)

Crystal's Pumpkin Bread

( many years ago, I worked with a gal named Crystal.. she was great. and one year she made this amazing pumpkin bread and luckily gave me the recipe.. I think I have made it every year since we met and that was .... long ago!)

Stuffing

(it will be plain and simple... sauteed onion, celery and fennel)

1000 pecan pie

(ok so i don't know that it is 1000 pecans.. but you get the idea.. take any pecan pie recipe and add extra pecans, roast them on a cookie sheet first if you have the time and then WOW, yummy)

I will try to post some photos later.. so you can see what I created.. Hope you all have a wonderful day, full of love, family & friends! Tracey

Remember write to me for recipes!

Elle's Birthday Dinner!

Hey... I am back!

I had a dinner party for Elle, well it was her birthday and she created a menu of her favorites that I cook.

MENU...

chopped salad (fresh fennel, celery, sweet onions, feta, tomatoes, mandarin oranges, pine nuts tossed in a honey mustard vinaigrette with wasabi and lemon added)

eggplant towers (pan fry eggplant slices dipped in egg and tossed in panko and flour and garlic salt... stack eggplant then mozzarella , tomato, fresh basil, eggplant, drizzle with a tomato vinaigrette)

poached salmon stacks (garlic mashed potatoes on plate in center then shredded yellow squash lightly pan sauteed in a butter cream sauce, then I cut the poached salmon into squares

and placed a square on top of the squash.. drizzle of the cream sauce and garnished with fresh dill.)

OK<>

Of course I did a cake! One on my wacky towers.. very fun, devils food with a tower of red velvet all iced with cream cheese frosting and accents of dark double fudge..

I believe all 9 of us had fun, ate well and went home a little fattier and happier!

WRITE TO ME FOR RECIPES..... Love, Tracey

Remember Me????

Well, I know it has been awhile.. but... things have been crazy. After My sweet Todd died.. I just didn't feel creative.. not that I didn't cook.. I did.. I cooked up a storm.. I don't know how I am going to tell you all about the new recipes I have figured out.. but, I am determined that I will.. PLUS... I started a new business! models actors faces agency.. we help get you started and or get you the tools you need.. photos, comp cards, business cards, books ect.... really fun. I love shooting head shots. and I have a partner "Elle" Hannah. (see photo).. she is in real estate and is a marketing and sales specialist. we have a web site: www.modelsactorsfaces.com take a look.. ANYWAY.........................

JULIA CHILDS IS A GENIUS... did you go to the movie??? well to be honest I never read cookbooks.. I look at ones with pretty pictures and figure out how to make the stuff, or find an ingredient or temp to bake.. but never read a cookbook.. I HAVE CHANGED.. after the movie, which was wonderful.. I ran home got on amazon and ordered every book of Julia's I could find.. 5, yep five... and started reading.. still am.. but her book on life in france and the creating of her first cookbook is so wonderful and inspirational and well (heavy sigh)

it has changed my cooking life. all for the better..

I started off with cornish hens.. cut the back bone out and rib cages and splay.. marinate in lemon juice, lemon zest, salt pepper and lots of fresh thyme and POW! fast easy and so moist and tasty.. throw the splayed hens on the grill for 5 minutes per side, just enough to get some grill flavoe and color. then into the oven in a roasting pan skin side up for 15 minutes at 350.. voila fast, fabulous and thanks to Julia... tastes great.. bon appetite

I have Todd on my mind....

Hello All,
Back on March 9th I wrote about a friend of mine Todd ... He and his brother Jack came for dinner while Mary went away to visit her daughter..  

Well,  I can't believe I am going to say this out loud..  but, He died Tuesday night at 5:40pm.  

Daddy and I went to see him Sunday night..  It broke my heart to see him laboring so to breathe and in so much pain..  and to see the lovely Mary steadfastly standing by his side, holding his hand.. swiping his lips with water, caressing his head..  The love was so apparent..  truly a moment of love , grace and dignity for them both.  I will miss him always.  He was a big part of my life and the very best friend.  He was always there for me.. Thanks Todd.  He is to have a memorial service tomorrow, Saturday at 10am.  Mary called and said.. "help"

and of course I was waiting hoping to be of some help..  so I will help to do the food for the reception..  more about that later..  but for now..  

My letter to Todd.....

Todd, 
Well my dear sweet loving friend.. You have gone and I am missing you. We have been such good friends, family really, for a long time.. Photo shoots, TV shows, dinner parties, music, the pool, Bubba the yard guy..... All the things you loved. You fought so hard this past year and a half against this horrible disease.. I am so desperately sorry that you lost.... but, I will forever be grateful that you left us surrounded by those you love most.. Mary, Alex and you Mom Gretchen. You died a Hero, with elegance and grace and dignity. 
God Bless You, Todd and keep me in your heart as I will forever keep you in mine.. 

Tracey