Monthly Archives: August 2012

Annie’s Eats

Mmm…buttery, garlicky pasta.

I feel like I’m always chasing time. There’s too much I want to do and not enough time to do it, and my list just seems to grow and grow. As a result, I’ve kind of become obsessed with tomorrow: tomorrow I’ll do this, tomorrow I’ll try that, etc. Thinking that way doesn’t help me at all, it only makes me more stressed out! Seriously, how does Martha Stewart do it? She’s so organized and compartmentalized, I’m convinced she’s managed to eek out 25 hours at least from a day.  This week’s food blog review is from another busybody,  Annie’s Eats, written by Annie, a blogger, cook, baker, wife, mom, and doctor.

One of my favourite Greek dishes is shrimp scampi. I know it is for many of you, as well. There’s something about shrimp cooked in tons of butter and garlic that makes my mouth water just thinking about it. And the smell is unbelievable, too! Annie’s Shrimp Scampi is adapted from a recipe by Ina Garten, and was a hit at the dinner table. It’s one of summer’s must-eats, and the combination of butter, garlic, lemon and parsley made for a perfect dinner.

Use store-bought rotisserie chicken to make this pizza superquick and easy.

My husband is the pizza maker in our house, and makes his dough from scratch, but since he’s been so busy lately, we been pizza-less. I decided to have a go at it but instead of making my own dough I bought it, and tried out Annie’s Thai Chicken Pizza (one of her own original recipes). While it’s not really a Thai dish, you can pretty much find a version of thai chicken pizza anywhere, including your neighbourhood pub. I was pretty excited that the pizza was smothered in sweet chili sauce, and liked the addition of freshly chopped peanuts and cilantro. However, I have to be honest and say it wasn’t my favourite take on thai chicken pizza. It was delicious and my husband loved it, but I felt like it needed another level of flavour; a drizzle of hoisin or peanut sauce might have done the trick. In any case, I’ll definitely be making it again!

Impress yourself with this dish.

I’ve got another great Greek-inspired recipe for you. This Foil Packet Fish Over Greek Orzo brings together many of my fave ingredients in one dish: tomatoes, olives, garlic, butter, orzo and fish. It’s cooked neatly in foil packages and when you open them, bam!, you’re met with a colourful, flavourful dish that smells as good as it looks. Annie made a compound butter with garlic, dill and lemon zest, and I think it makes the dish. The butter would be a hit spread over grilled corn or some flatbread, as well. I don’t know where Annie finds the time to do everything that she does, but I know I’ll have whatever she’s having!

 

Photos  by Must Eat Now and via Annie's Eats

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Sugar Friday: Shrub

Who wants a shrub? I do!

A lot of folks have been busy this summer making jam. I love jam, but I just can’t bring myself to dedicate all that work and time (I’m a little lazy), plus it requires a lot of space. In downtown Toronto, kitchen counterspace is rare real estate. I still load up on fruit at the farmers’ market, though, and have found other ways to enjoy them. I recently discovered Shrubs through The Best Remedy, and I love them so much I’ve been telling friends, and now you, about them.

Shrubs is the best thing to happen to your summer beverage lineup since flavoured vodka. It’s a way of preserving fruit that dates back to the 18th century, and is a concentrated syrup of equal parts fruit, sugar, and vinegar. You can add it to mineral water for a thirst-quenching spritzer, or mix it with some vodka and ice for an easy cocktail.  You can use almost any fruit you wish, like strawberries (a great way to use those really ripe ones you just can’t bring yourself to eat), blueberries, peaches, raspberries, even rhubarb. You can even get creative and mix fruits (raspberry-peach sounds good to me). The Best Remedy is written by Kelly Carambula, who knows a thing or two about mixology (she owns and operates The Good Cheer Co.) Summer’s winding down so I suggest you stock up on fruit, load your fridge with shrubs, and you’ll be sipping pretty for months to come.

Photo via The Best Remedy

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