Yummy! A Journal of my past dishes and the secret to sauce for ANYTHING!

Hey folks! I haven't been blogging lately simply because there hasn't been much to write about, at least nothing I wanted to share. But there are a few thing that make me really happy...music, my friends (the real ones) and food. And I'm using this blog to share, so it's now the vittles turn! I love to cook, I watch tons of Food Newtwork shows, grocery shopping is fun for me. I just really love creating things in the kitchen...even more than I like eating it. I am truly a foodie! So, my way of sharing, short of having everyone over for dinner, is to photograph my finished meals and share them. So, here goes nothing...

This one is a simple dish of leftovers. I had some Krab left over from an earlier meal, dry pasta and frozen broccoli. With butter, garlic and a few other simple ingredients (more on that later) you can make a sauce for darn near anything. 10 minutes in the pan and the time to cook the pasta can make a very satisfying and cheap meal!


So, I'm a HUGE fan of Trader Joe's. They've got great food and great prices and there's always something new to try. I L O V E their Lobster Ravioli. They're great on their own and don't really need a sauce. You could get away with tossing them in olive oil and Parmesan and everyone would be happy. But, who wants to do simple if you don't have to? So, my little sauce was butter, crushed garlic, fresh lemon, herbs de Provence and spinach. Tasty stuff! I know I keep mentioning butter, and it sounds like things come out really heavy, but they don't. You simply adjust the proportions. Sometimes the butter is just to saute the aromatics, sometimes it's really a sauce base, other times it's just there to make things a tad bit creamier. I know we're in "you're nobody unless you're skinny" L.A. but I'm neither skinny or nobody, so butter it is! That's what gyms were made for...



Most people that know me already know that I don't eat meat. I eat seafood, but that's it. I am, however, a huge fan of all things fake meat! I can work wonders with Tofu, Chik'n, veggie sausage. You name it, I've done it. This dish came about after seeing the feature on Gardein on Oprah. I thought, "ooooh, new toys!" So, I bought the "beef" chunks and a mild curry sauce since I was craving Indian. One thing I've learned about seasoning fake meat is that you have to season it alone, then season the sauce you're putting on it. You should do that with meat too, but I'm just saying, the fake stuff needs it. I loved this dish! Gardein, Peas, Curry Sauce and Brown Rice = Happiness!


This shrimp and pasta dish got lots of reaction to the folks that saw it, and I must say that it was fantastic! I've been experimenting with one dish meals that take less than 45 minutes. I'm normally a protein/veggie girl, on plate in separate servings. But the typical salmon fillet with a side of vegetables was getting boring. This dish featured my favorite sauce secrets, but you can substitute any ingredients want. Protein, starch(pasta, potatoes, rice, etc) and veggies can work in almost any combination and any proportion. Plus, did you guys (whoever you are) know that shrimp are pretty much 10-17 calories each depending on the size? YAY! Now, assuming you don't deep fry them, they're a great way to have something with protein and a bite to it, but low calories. At my house, a quick meal is sauteed shrimp and vegetables. Fast, light and tasty!


Ok, back to the shelves at Trader Joe's! I discovered Seafood Sausages a couple weeks ago in the freezer sections. They're made of shrimp, scallops and white fish. It sounds strange, but it's quite tasty! Yesterday, I found out that they discontinued them (bummer), but there are few seafood places in the hood that make their own (victory!). The sauce for this dish was made by deglazing the pan with white wine, then adding butter, crushed garlic and the rest of my saucy items. Great, GREAT dish!


Ok, about that sauce...
One night I was cooking and was out of fresh lemon. I raided my cabinets and fridge for anything with some acidity to replace the lemon and happened upon...Lemon Curd! Yeah, Lemon Curd. Since then I've made lots of sauces with Lemon Curd in it. The basics are: Butter, Lemon Curd, Crushed Garlic and White Wine. Seriously, it goes on almost anything. I'm not giving proportions because it's something you adjust to taste. Maybe you need more acid. You can add fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar. You can add spice to heat things up, salt and pepper (white pepper is my preference) to taste, herbs, whatever you think will taste good to you! And it's SO simple. So, next time you want to saute something you think needs a little sauce, try it. You can even make it in the microwave. Cook it in 30 second intervals and stir it until the lemon curd melts and it's hot. I prefer to make it on the stove, and sometimes (like the Seafood Sausage dish) I will use the goodies in the pan. Saute your protein, put it to the side, then make your sauce with the pan drippings. No matter how you do it...it never fails!!!

Since we're al dealing with varying financial states and going out to eat isn't really practical, why not start playing around in your kitchen? You may find out that you've got a talent for it like I have. Alrighty folks...MANGIA!