Tropical Shrimp Curry

We love curry!  

I had some mango habanero sauce and cut up pineapple in the fridge, 

so tropical shrimp curry was born!

First, I caramelized the cut up pineapple in a hot, hot pan.

Next, add some chopped veggies.  Anything really.  

I used corn from the farm stand and romano beans from the garden!

Add a little splash of water to steam the veggies.

Mix some cornstarch with curry powder.  I used some hot curry that I got on a trip to St Marteen!

Dry the shrimp on some paper towels and remove the tails, then toss in the cornstarch.

Once the veggies are close to done, add mango habanero sauce.  

You can use a purchased sauce or see the recipe below for an easy puree.

Bring to a boil, then reserve the saucy veggies in a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, make some white rice.  I always mix in a little butter cause it's yummier.

Clean your pan out and add a little oil.  Saute the shrimp until crispy brown goodness is achieved.

Top the saucy veggies with crispy shrimp and some chopped herbs.  Enjoy!

TROPICAL SHRIMP CURRY

1/4 Pineapple, chunked

1 1/2 cups Veggies, Chopped

3 TB Cornstarch

1 tsp Curry Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

14 Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined

1 cup Mango Habanero Sauce

Caramelize the cut up pineapple in a hot, hot pan.

Next, add chopped veggies.  Add a little splash of water to steam the veggies.

Mix some cornstarch with curry powder and salt. 

Dry the shrimp on some paper towels and remove the tails, then toss in the cornstarch.

Once the veggies are close to done, add mango habanero sauce.  

Bring to a boil, then reserve the saucy veggies in a serving bowl.

Clean the pan out and add a little oil.  Saute the shrimp until crispy brown goodness is achieved.

Top the saucy veggies with crispy shrimp and some chopped herbs.  Enjoy!

Serve with white rice.

MANGO HABANERO SAUCE

1 Mango, cut into cubes

1 Habanero, seeds removed if you can't take the heat, I leave 'em!

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup water

2 TB sugar

Saute the mango, habanero, onion, and garlic over medium high heat to get some color.

When everything is soft, puree with water and sugar.

Trifle!

I haven't posted in a few days, so this timing is super off.  But, I made a delicious trifle for 4th of July and had to post a recipe!  Being a traditional British dessert, I thought it was an extremely appropriate dish to celebrate our independence.  Obviously, it doesn't have to be 4th of July to make this.  You can choose different flavors for it and make it for any holiday or just because it's delish!

First, make the jelly.  

You can use some boxed jello and add some fresh berries, but I made this one from fresh raspberries.

But don't put it in the fridge to set, just wait until you are ready to build your trifle.

Next, make a sponge cake.  Or you can use a store bought sponge cake.  

I made a blueberry cake with a little food coloring and fresh berries.

The last thing you need is a sweet cream or custard.  

I whipped cream with cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Now you are ready to build your trifle!  Take 1/3 of your jelly and put it on the bottom of a clear bowl.

Set this in the fridge till it solidifies.  You can do this while your cake bakes.

When your first layer of jelly is set, put half of your cream on top.

Cut your cooled cake into squares and squeeze them on top of the cream in one layer.

Top the cake with the second half of the cream.

Wipe the edges to make clean layers.

Top the whole thing with the remaining cool, but not solidified jelly.

Put the whole thing in the fridge overnight and voila!  Trifle!

I haven't posted in a few days, so this timing is super off.  But, I made a delicious trifle for 4th of July and had to post a recipe!  Being a traditional British dessert, I thought it was an extremely appropriate dish to celebrate our independence.  Obviously, it doesn't have to be 4th of July to make this.  You can choose different flavors for it and make it for any holiday or just because it's delish!

Trifle with Jelly, Sponge, and Cream

First, make the jelly.  

You can use some boxed jello and add some fresh berries, but I made this one from fresh raspberries.

But don't put it in the fridge to set, just wait until you are ready to build your trifle.

Raspberry Jelly

6 cups Raspberries

2 cups Sugar

2 envelops of gelatin

Cook 4 cups of raspberries with 2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water for an hour, puree, and strain out the seeds.  Bloom gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water, then add to the warm raspberry puree.  Mix in the remaining 2 cups of fresh raspberries.

Next, make a sponge cake.  Or you can use a store bought sponge cake.  I made a blueberry cake with a little food coloring and fresh berries. 

Sponge Cake

5 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar (for whites)

5 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar (for yolks)

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

Beat egg whites with sugar until stiff.  Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add oil to egg yolks.  Add half the flour and salt.  Then, fold in half the whites.  Fold in the rest of the flour, then the rest of the whites.  Pour into a prepared cake pan and bake at 325F for 35-40 minutes until cooked through.  Cool before using in trifle.

The last thing you need is a sweet cream or custard.  I whipped cream with cream cheese and powdered sugar.

Cream Filling

2 packages (8oz) cream cheese

2 cups cream

2 cups powdered sugar

Whip all ingredients until fluffy.

Now you are ready to build your trifle!  Take 1/3 of your jelly and put it on the bottom of a clear bowl.

Set this in the fridge till it solidifies.  You can do this while your cake bakes.

When your first layer of jelly is set, put half of your cream on top.

Cut your cooled cake into squares and squeeze them on top of the cream in one layer.

Top the cake with the second half of the cream.

Wipe the edges to make clean layers.

Top the whole thing with the remaining cool, but not solidified jelly.

Put the whole thing in the fridge overnight and voila!  Trifle!

I Saw, I Pinned, I Conquered

Like a lot of other people, I'm loving pinterest right now!  It's such a great way to research and organize ideas.  A lot of pins are dreams of things to have, do, or make in the future, but here are a few things 

 I saw, I pinned, I conquered!

Blackberry Claufoutis looked yummy.... so I made some!

 Vertical Gutter Garden looked super cool... so I made one!

These chicken lettuce wraps made me hungry... so I made some!

 

I loved the way this peach tart was decorated... so I made one!

I wanted a meyer lemon tree... so I got one!

Vertical Gutter Garden!

I've been dreaming up this project for a few weeks and finally got it done!  In a few months, I should have a beautiful vertical lettuce patch!

You'll need:

Ywo 2 by 4's cut down to the height of your fence - mine were 5ft.  

I had them cut down at Loew's when I bought them.

A sharpie or pencil.

Four sections of old gutter cut to the same length - 5ft here.

Hammer and nails.

A few square feet of dried coconut planter liner and garden twine.

Long screws and a drill.

First, stand the 2x4 up next to the fence and mark where it will be screwed in to the fence board.

This way you can make sure not to nail a gutter into this area.

Lay the 2x4s parallel and layout the gutters as below.

You want to make sure the gutters are diagonal and each lines up with the next below. 

 The idea is that the water will flow down one to the other.  

Since the gutters don't have holes, this is create good drainage.

Nail the gutters into place - I used the side of the hammer to start because it was the only way it fit.

Once the nail is started, you can hold back the top of the gutter to make room for hammering.

Make sure those upper gutters are flowing into the bottom, like this...

Wrap the sharp edges with the coconut liner and twine.

Screw the whole thing into the fence with two long screws.

Voila!  Vertical Gutter Garden!

I'm waiting for my lettuce seeds to sprout - a few have come up!  Pretty soon, I'll have a vertical lettuce patch!  I plan to plant each gutter a week or two apart so that I can harvest in a rotation.

Things that make me happy...

Farmer's Market Veggies Made into Art

Wet Dog at the Beach

Breakfast Sandwiches at a Newly Discovered Cafe

Kitty Cat in a Lettuce Patch

Fresh Lavender Bouquet Drying in the Kitchen

Chicken Napa Cabbage Wraps

I love spring and summer cooking because of all the fresh produce available.  This recipe is delicious and FULL of healthy veggies!

Chicken Napa Cabbage Wraps with Cucumber Relish and White Rice = YUM!

I find the napa cabbage holds up better than other lettuce and is easier to eat.  Make sure you make lots of stir-fry because everyone will ask for seconds.

First grab some asian ingredients from the pantry for a stir-fry sauce.  I used ready-made stir fried sauce and jazzed it up with some other seasonings.

Brown your chicken pieces and deglaze with sauce.

Saute some fresh spring veggies;  Here I used carrots, asparagus, onions, and zucchini.

Chop some cucumber, bell pepper, radish, and herbs.  Season with mirin, lime juice, and olive oil for a light relish to add even more crunch to your lettuce wraps.

I love extra condiments, so I also made a quick spicy mayo.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Cucumber Relish and Spicy Mayo
Serves 4


Chicken Stir-Fry
2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
3 TB Stir-Fry Sauce (or hoisin sauce)
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB mirin
1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce
3 cups of chopped veggies, like grated carrots, diced onion, zucchini and onion
1 small head napa cabbage

Cucumber Relish
1 cup diced fresh veggies, like grated radishes, diced cucumber and bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped herbs, like parsley and mint
1 TB lime juice
1 TB mirin
1 TB olive oil

Spicy Mayo
1/4 cup mayo

1 TB lime juice

1 TB mirin

1 TB chili garlic Sauce

Brown the chicken in some oil.  Mix all the ingredients for the stir-fry sauce and add to deglaze the pan.

Set the saucy chicken aside, stir-fry the vegetables in the same pan.  Re-add the chicken and sauce.

Cut and wash napa cabbage leaves, 2-3 per person is good.

Mix all the ingredients for cucumber relish and spicy mayo.

Serve with white rice.