shrimp summer rolls

What do I crave when the weather gets warm? Food that doesn't weigh me down! I convinced my man to try summer rolls from a store a few weeks back, and my obsession with these rolls became contagious... I don't know which he likes more - the crisp, refreshing veggies inside (which I love), the succulent shrimp (which I also love), or the fact that he gets to dip them into sweet chili sauce.

It doesn't really matter which he likes more, because it means I get to eat these delicious rolls more often now! After a few searches at local stores, I found the rice paper wraps, and made the rolls as an appetizer for a recent dinner. I put lettuce, ribbons of cucumber, skinny carrot sticks, and sweet shrimp. Delicious!
P.S. Now I know what I need to have for an appetizer tonight. =)

Stir-fried Chicken Paprikash

Steamed the chicken with salt, pepper, and sherry vinegar, then combined it with sauteed peppers and onions, sour cream and chopped flatleaf parsley. It's our new chicken obsession!
We served it over couscous here, but it wasn't a great compliment to the chicken, so maybe rice next time...


Two years ago today: beef stew over mashed potatoes

Giouvesti with Keftedes (from Kalofagas)

While going through my Google Reader entries recently, I was stopped in my tracks by this recipe by Peter Minakis on his blog Kalofagas. The most appealing part of this recipe is that we only had to buy 3 ingredients (orzo, tomato sauce, and chicken stock) in order to make it - we had the rest!!

I followed the recipe almost to a T, but I couldn't help myself - I added some feta to the meatball mixture before frying them up. The recipe was really easy to follow (and easy for someone like me to stick to) - you cook the meatballs, then saute the veggies and the paprika for the pasta in the leftover oil and meaty bits in the pan. Then you add the orzo and toss it with the oil and veggies. When everything's coated, add the tomato sauce and the stock, then pour it into a casserole dish (or two, if you're me), add the meatballs, and let the oven do the rest.

Here's what it looks like when it comes out of the oven...
The result? The pasta is incredibly creamy and flavorful. The meatballs are savory and are delicious with that little bit of feta added in. The dish is like a big hug in a bowl - comfort food at its best.

my love's birthday dinner

First, we made a culinary stop-off in India for some chicken tikka masala, spiced pulao (rice), potato and pea vadi (vegetable patties), cucumber raita, and naan bread.
My love does not enjoy Indian desserts as I do, so we made a quick detour to France for a crepe cake - 20 crepes layered with vanilla pastry cream and fresh raspberry sauce.