A Refresher

It's scorching outside and I have a feeling you need something refreshing and cool. Just like this carafe! It's a great looking glass bottle for water or wine. That means it can go from a casual patio lunch to a late night cocktail party. I love the elegance and shape of the bottle and it also comes with a handy solid-glass stopper. It's from CSN Stores which has a great selection of home good sections like bathroom vanities, cookware, and modern furniture design.

I can't wait for one of you to have this carafe for 4th of july weekend!

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what your favorite 4th of july food is. It can be a snack, dip, drink, whatever you like.

Winner will be chosen using a random integer generator and will be announced Thursday evening.

Open to residents of the U.S. or Canada.

Tale of Two Sandwiches

Adam and I have different views on food. Of course he loves the food I prepare, but if I weren't in the picture, he would be eating easy mac, hot dogs and cheese dip every night. I'm sure some of you understand what I mean;) So, Sunday afternoon Adam and I were making lunch together and he was set on making grilled cheese — buttery bread and all. Here's how it went down:

How about some mustard on the bread, too?

Nope, just cheese.

Tomatoes?

Nope, just cheese.

Pesto?

Nope, just cheese.

Fine!

I ended up making myself toast with pesto, fresh mozzarella and salted tomatoes (all the ingredients Adam declined) and it was delicious! Of course, Adam loved his grilled cheese, too.

Which sandwich would you choose for yourself?

Apple Crisp

I don't normally bake, but today I looked over at my fruit basket and saw a high pile of apples that I left for Adam when I was out of town this week (he did not eat any of them!) So, I instantly thought to make apple crisp because it's gooey and delicious and I love that crunchy topping. Plus, my favorite part — no pie crust to worry about! This is a spectacular dessert and very easy, even for an amateur baker like me.

You start with some cinnamon sugar mixture tossed with about 7 peeled sliced apples.

Then the streusel topping. Flour, brown sugar, butter and oats!

And into the oven it goes at 350 for about an hour. And it comes out like this: Hot and bubbly and crisp on top.

And of course, a la mode is highly recommended.

Yummmmmm.

Note: I did sort of step-by-step photos for this recipe because it was easy to transport the baking dish to my large window in my living room. I usually don't show step-by-step photos when I cook because it is too difficult to take the pan, skillet, saucepan to the living room every step for a photo. I hope I have a window in my next kitchen! Let me know if you like the step-by-step or not. I will try to do more if you do. Enjoy!

Apple crisp

via joy the baker

about 7 apples, any type will do, peeled, cored and sliced

3 tbs sugar plus 1.5 tsp cinnamon mixture

Topping:

1 1/3 cup flour

1 1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter, slightly softened

1 Preheat oven to 350. In an 8x8 baking dish, arrange a layer of apples and top with some cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat, alternating apples with cinnamon/sugar until all apples and remaining mixture are in the baking dish. Toss all together.

2 In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon and butter. Using your hands, mix well together until butter is evenly mixed throughout. Take a handful and mix the topping in with the apples. Sprinkle the rest on top, covering all the apples.

3 Bake for about an hour until bubbly and hot. You might want to bake it on top of a baking dish in case the liquid bubbles over while baking. Serve warm with ice cream.

Shrimp Scampi

Ohhhhhhhhh yeaaaa.........come to mama.

Thats exactly what you were thinking when you saw this photo, right?

Or maybe you're thinking that you could never make this at home because it will never compare to your favorite shrimp scampi at your local Italian restaurant...

Well, I'm here to tell you that this DOES compare to your favorite shrimp scampi. It is delicious and perfect for a crowd or even just for two. It is great for left overs (cold!), too. You start with 1 lb of frozen raw deveined peeled shrimp. I have tried both roasting and stir frying shrimp. I can tell you that I much prefer the convenience of roasting because they cook more evenly and quickly, but I love the golden color and crust of stir fried shrimp. The taste is exactly the same, so if you have a few more minutes go the stir-fry route. I will explain each way in more detail below.

1 lb frozen deveined peeled shrimp, raw

Seafood seasoning (mix of paprika, garlic salt, onion powder)

3 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

2 tbs butter

1/4 cup white wine

1 lemon, juiced

angel hair pasta

1/2 cup chopped parsley

freshly grated parmesan

1 Thaw previously frozen shrimp (of course, you can buy them fresh at the seafood counter as well) and pat dry. Season well, both sides of shrimp.

2 Heat a large skillet with olive oil and butter. Sauté minced garlic until it infuses the oil with garlicky goodness. Lay the shrimp in one even layer (you can do this in batches if your pan isn't big enough). The shrimp must sizzle or your pan isn't hot enough. Cook the shrimp until pink on one side, then flip to the other side, one by one. About 2-3 minutes per side

3 Set aside your shrimp once cooked. In the same pan, add about 1/4 cup white wine and deglaze the pan, scraping the bits of shrimp garlicky nuggets from the bottom of the pan. Add another tablespoon of butter and the juice of 1 lemon.

4 Boil water for the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.

5 Pour pasta in the pan with the liquid and coat the noodles with the sauce using tongs.

6 Add in chopped parsley and plenty of grated parmesan.

7 Toss the shrimp with the noodles, serve with more parmesan.