Shrimp Curry and Crispy Edamame

Shrimp Curry

-garlic, minced
-onion, diced
-bell pepper, diced(prefer it with red, but I had green on hand this time)
-sesame oil

Saute the above in a wok or large skillet until tender.


Add:
-curry paste
-curry powder
-garam masala
-coconut milk
And bring to a boil


Add raw, peeled and deveined shrimp and cook until pink. Add a couple of pats of butter and once melted add a slurry of water and cornstarch to thicken sauce. Stir in fresh cilantro and serve over rice.


Crispy Edamame
-frozen edamame, thawed
-salt
-pepper
-olive oil
Spread out on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

I sprinkled mine straight onto the curry for a little extra layer of flavor.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

This one is easy peasy for dinner!

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts, depending on size
1 cup of buffalo sauce
1/2 package of dry Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
a little cornstarch

Place chicken in slow cooker. Mix buffalo sauce and ranch mix together and pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred chicken. Use a tablespoon or so of cornstarch to thicken sauce. Scoop onto buns with blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Red, White & Green!

Taken from Wikipedia:
Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil, and seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil.[1] In Italy, unlike most salads, it is usually served as an antipasto (first course), not a contorno (side dish).

Fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden and fresh mozz made this one of the freshest tasting dishes I've had all summer!

Caprese Salad

Layer slices of tomato, mozzarella and basil leaves. Drizzle with EVOO. I also added just a splash of red wine vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.
Chill for at least an hour or longer.

Gone Country...

This meal was definitely not lite, but it spoke summer to me. Some good ol' down home country eatin'.


Breaded Pork Chops with white gravy, slow simmered green beans and fried green tomatoes.


Fried Green Tomatoes
-cooking oil
-sliced green tomatoes
-Ky Colonel seasoned flour.

Dredge both sides of tomato with flour. Cook in hot oil, 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

Chicago Style Hot Dogs and Watermelon Lemonade!

In my opinion, you cannot celebrate 4th of July weekend without at least one hot dog and one glass of lemonade. Of course, I can't go with just the ol' plain jane kind. So...here's my version.

First, the Chicago style hot dog...definitely not for everyone, but we love em' Generally, we get them at a local place, Lonnie's Taste of Chicago, but this time we decided to give them a try ourselves.

The goods:


Assemble as follows:
-Poppy Seed Bun
-Hot Dog
-smear of yellow mustard
-kosher dill pickle slice or spear
-diced onions
-green sweet relish( I really wanted the BRIGHT green kind from Lonnie's but could not find it available anywhere without purchasing online)
-tomato wedges
-sport peppers
-sprinkle of celery salt

Consume:


Wash it down:



Watermelon Lemondade

Puree watermelon chunks in blender until smooth. Strain through wire strainer to get out any remaining pulp. Make a simple syrup. Mix together simple syrup, watermelon puree, fresh squeezed lemon juice and cold water. Serve over ice.

Happy 4th of July!!