I never think of myself as a finicky eater, but the longer I write this blog the more apparent my finickiness appears.  Of course, it could be I only have so many years left and I’m not going to waste it on food that doesn’t ring my bells.  As I look through cookbooks, I will flip right past recipes that have no appeal or too many ingredients.

So, what do I love?  Don’t you play that game as well?  We spent a couple of years living in Hawaii and I fell in love with Kimchi.  I’ve always liked pickles, but this goes beyond pickles to spicy and funky.  My mom used to always put a bowl of sliced onions and cucumbers in vinegar on the dinner table and this reminds me of that.  Korea, Norway, very similar in its own way.  I could eat it every day.  I love, love, love watermelon, especially cubed with mozzarella and basil.  Or mozzarella with grape tomatoes.  You’re going to notice a little trend, I will never pick cow when I could pick shrimp.  I don’t want heavy pasta, but I do enjoy pasta with vegetables or seafood.

This is my version of linguine and shrimp.  It comes together so quickly and with just a few ingredients.  I’m just cooking for G and I tonight, so the ingredient list will be a little scaled down.  I put enough water for 8 ounces of linguine on to boil.  If my shrimp is frozen, I start thawing it.  I like using 16 to 20 count shrimp.  That simply means 16 to 20 per pound.  I prefer unpeeled, tail on.  I think they last longer in the freezer and it gives me more options.  I put them in a colander and run cold water over them.  When they’re thawed, I peel them.  This was one pound of shrimp.

By this time the water is probably boiling and I throw the pasta in.  I heat butter and olive oil in a fry pan and cook the shrimp.  I add fresh lemon juice, more butter and garlic to taste.  When the pasta is done, I add it to the shrimp with a little pasta water if needed.  A wee drizzle of olive oil to finish.  This is a light yet filling meal and it looks pretty as well.

This is probably more than you needed to know about me, but if you stick around, you’ll hear even more.

* From the Recipe Box:

For those of you paying attention, that is not linguine.  You know the drill, no store runs for one item.  This is angel hair, which is not my favorite pasta, but it will work in a pinch.

and remember:    I’m only responsible for what I say, not for what you understand.  Big kiss, Lynn

My sous chef is here visiting and he is a total spare ribs freak.  I don’t make a lot of ribs:  too messy to eat and they get stuck in my teeth.  Yes, I’m that girl.  We did an online search and came up with this recipe.  It was originally posted by Fifteenspatulas.  I’d never heard of that blog before, but you can’t go wrong with a 4.9 out of 5 rating.  I’m going to look for more of their recipes because these turned out fabulously.

4 to 5 pounds of St. Louis-Style Pork Spare Ribs

2 teaspoons kosher salt

18 ounces barbecue sauce, 1.75 cups, either store bought or homemade

 

Season two racks of St. Louis Style Spare Ribs with 2 teaspoons if salt, concentrating it on the meaty side if the rubs,

Cut the rack into individual ribs, cutting in between the bones

Place the ribs on a rimmed half sheet pan and drizzle with about 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.  I used Sweet Baby Rays because my sous chef was here and that’s his favorite.  Toss the ribs in the sauce until evenly coated.

Arrange the ribs on the pan, placing them meaty side up.

Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil.  You really want to create a tight seal here.

Bake the spare ribs for 1 hour and 45 minutes, then remove the foil.  They will look fairly unglazed at this point.

Take half the remaining barbecue sauce and baste the ribs.

Bake the ribs uncovered for another 30 minutes.  They should be starting to get some caramelization on the edges, but they need another basting.  So baste the ribs with the remaining barbecue sauce, about 1/3 cup.

Bake the ribs another 20 to 30 minutes in the oven.  They should look wonderfully glazed by now.

 * From the Recipe Box:

Remember to remove the silverskin from the ribs.  You don’t want to eat it and it’s very hard to even bite through.

These were amazing.  Yes, you heard me, the non-meat eater, say that.  Next I’m going to find good Asian sauce recipe to make for the ribs.  I actually can’t wait.  I’ll keep you posted.

and remember what Albert Einstein said:  Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.    Big kiss, Lynn

 

I think this might be SJ’s favorite thing I make.  I was in the mood for it the other night.  They are super easy and you can have dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.  I prefer making them with chicken breasts rather than thighs.

We butterfly 3 chicken pieces and pound them out to about 3/8 inches.  I set up a lovely dredging station.  I put approximately 1 cup of flour and S & P on the first plate.  Two beaten eggs on the second plate and 1 cup of Panko on the third plate.  Once the chicken pieces are pounded out, we begin the dredge.  Pat off the chicken, dip both sides in the flour.  Give them a quick dip in the beaten eggs.  Now a quick trip through the panko.  See the first picture.  The crust is really thin, as is the chicken itself.

I put about a quarter inch of canola oil in either a non-stick pan or a cast iron pan.  Cook the chicken on both sides until golden brown.   I usually cover it up with my trusty pizza pan.  Heaven forbid I buy a pan with a lid.  This only takes about 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Remove from the pan and place them in a pre-heated 200 degree oven to keep warm while cooking the rest.  Add more oil, let come back to temp and fry more.  For 3 large breasts butterflied, plan on feeding 3 to 4 people.

I like serving them on a bed of arugula, but I didn’t have any tonight.  And, you know the rule, no trips to the grocery for one item.  I drizzle the greens, in this case romaine, with olive oil and balsamic reduction.  Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

 * From the Recipe Box:

This is such an easy dinner yet so very tasty.  The chicken stays so tender.

Even if it’s just G and I, I will cook up 3 breasts because this makes a great salad protein.  I try and make salads for dinner every other day so we get our greens.

and remember what Padma Lakshmi shared in her Instagram:  Germany doesn’t have Nazi monuments to “remind” citizens of their history.  Instead, they have memorials for the 6 million Jews and others who were murdered.  The U.S. doesn’t need statues of confederate generals to “remind” us.  The confederacy was created solely for the purpose of subjugating and controlling Black people through enslavement.   We need monuments for Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, people who fought the good fight.  Big kiss, Lynn