Elementary Chef

Here’s a great recipe for those of you with an over-abundance of basil! (Feel free to share with me! It’s been so hot in the South mine has withered away!)

Pasta Salad with Shrimp and Basil

1 lb. medium shrimp, cooked and peeled
4 cup cooked medium shell pasta
2 cup chopped plum tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp extra virgin olice oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all the above ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours.

pasta salad, basil, shrimp

Really, BLT is a misnomer. There is no lettuce in this pasta salad — it’s spinach! Regardless, it’s a darn good pasta salad!

BLT Pasta Salad

1 16 oz. pkg. medium shell pasta (or other small to medium pasta)
1 lb. sliced bacon
4 or 5 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 package pre-washed spinach
Champagne or white wine vinegar
Olive oil
8 oz. blue cheese

Cook pasta until tender according to directions. Throw spinach in 1 minute before you remove from heat. Drain and rinse under cool water. Meanwhile, cook the bakon until brown and crisp. Crumble. In large bowl, stir together pasta and spinach, bacon, cheese, tomatoes. Add oil and vinegar to taste. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

bacon, pasta salad, blt, spinach, blue cheese, bleu cheese

–

In late honor of National Mustard Day (which I think was Friday!)…. Here is my favorite mustard recipe. It’s great on soft pretzels.

Oooh… Now I want a soft pretzel….

Southwest Chile Mustard

1/2 C brown mustard seed
1/4 C mustard seed
3/4 C red wine vinegar
3/4 C beer
2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 Tbs cumin powder
1 tsp Tabasco sauce

In non-aluminum pot or jar, combine mustard, vinegar, beer, pepper, and garlic. Cover and soak for 36 to 48 hours; adding additional vinegar and beer, in equal proportions, in order to maintain enough liquid to cover seeds. Puree mixture with cumin and Tabasco in food processor. Process until mixture becomes creamy and flecked with seed, about 3-4 minutes. Add additional vinegar as necessary to create a creamy mustard.

recipes, mustard

At this time of year, our kitchen overflows with tomatoes. Now, I LOVE tomatoes, and “too many” is never enough in my book! But right now, we’re working to use them up faster than they get over-ripe! Tonight, we celebrated the summer harvest with one of my favorites — gazpacho! This cold soup is easy and elegant. It just takes a lot of chopping!

Gazpacho
2 cucumbers, finely chopped
6 tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
2 scallions, chopped
1 Clove garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken stock (I make it with chicken bullion)
3 Tb. red wine vinegar
Dash of Tabasco sauce
Basil, oregano, salt, salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Refrigerate 1 hour, or until cold. Serve very cold.

gazpacho, tomatoes, recipes

Here’s a great contest for your little elementary chefs! Jif peanut butter is funding a $25,000 college scholarship for the most creative peanut butter sandwich! Time to get junior’s wheels turning!

A peanut butter sandwich could help a creative kid chef pay for college. The makers of Jif peanut butter, the number one choice of choosy moms, announced today a call-for-entries for the Sixth Annual Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest. The grand prize is a $25,000 scholarship fund with each of the four runners-up receiving a $2,500 scholarship fund. Parents can help their kids (ages 6-12) enter this nationwide contest between August 1, 2007 and November 15, 2007.

The winner of last year’s most creative peanut butter sandwich was inspired by a love of sushi. Twelve-year-old Alexandra Yoder of Fort Wayne, Indiana created “Peanut Butter Rolls - Sushi Style,” consisting of Jif Creamy peanut butter, strawberry cream cheese and fruit rolled in a crepe, cut and served “sushi style.” Alexandra added more creativity to her sandwich by finishing off the “sushi” with pretzel rods for chopsticks and chocolate yogurt for soy sauce.

The Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest(TM) is open to children ages 6 to 12, and sandwiches will be judged on the following criteria: creativity, nutritional balance, taste, appearance and ease of preparation. For Official Rules and entry form visit http://www.jif.com. Entries must be postmarked by November 15, 2007 and received by November 22, 2007: Jif Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich Contest(TM), Cohn & Wolfe, 292 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Ten finalists will be selected by a panel of judges in December and posted on http://www.jif.com in January as part of a nationwide online vote. Five finalists will ultimately be selected to compete in a live judging event in New York City in March 2008.

contests, scholarships, peanut butter

Here’s a fun and easy dessert that’s always a crowd pleaser!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts
9 inch unbaked pie shell
whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add flour, sugar, and brown sugar; beat until well blended. Blend in melted butter. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour into pie shell. if shell is frozen, defrost first. Bake 1 hour, serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

chocolate, pie, chocoloate chip, recipes

I have to start back to school tomorrow. Teaching, that is. That makes it time for a night of Bellinis, I believe. Celebrate with me with this recipe! And pretend you’re at Macaroni Grill!

Peach Bellini

6oz Andre Asti Spumanti
1 oz peach schnapps
Fresh frozen juicy peaches (throw in a couple in the freezer for 2 hours, try and get fresh white peaches, they’re they best for this)
5 ice cubes

Throw it all in a blender and mix it up! You can also throw in a half a shot of grenadine and it makes it a pinky colour. I

bellini, Macaroni Grill, champagne, recipes