spilled espresso

After a very busy and productive week following a busy and hectic visit to South Carolina and leading into another very busy week, Will and I decided to take a super slow and lazy Sunday for ourselves, complete with sleeping in, gorging on pancakes, going to a movie in the middle of the day and cruising around the aisles of Target with our wee one, Ms. Ally. A busy day of doing nothing can be enhanced in its greatness by starting the day off with the perfect cup of coffee! Here are a couple little tips that will enhance your morning coffee time...

#1- use a quality coffee brewing method like a coffee press. It takes a little bit of extra time but the anticipation only adds to the experience.

#2- buy whole bean coffee and grind it just before brewing to keep those oils fresh and the flavor strong.

#3- spend the extra money on good beans... do I really need to elaborate on this one? Auggie's coffee house in Redlands is a small coffee shop with big coffee loving attitude! They roast their own beans on site and have a variety of amazing flavors for under $20 a bag (that's less than a certain large coffee chain charges and their beans taste like burnt pebbles!)

#4- put a small pinch of cinnamon in the bottom of your favorite mug and pour the coffee on top. Cinnamon brings out the yummy coffee flavors. If you can stand it, drink your coffee black! Coffee tastes amazing on its own and not only will you be opening yourself up to new flavors and experiences, you can cut calories by skipping cream and sugar.

I hope these tips can help you enjoy your coffee time a little more in the morning! When I first met Will I ordered a double espresso on our second date and he admitted to me he does not drink coffee. I was mortified! Coffee is a huge part of my life and I loved to share it with the people around me, but I let it go and decided to look at the positives... I was thinking about all of the positives while staring at his butt as he walked away. When he came back he rocked the table and my double espresso spilled all over my lap.

Then we fell in love.

There were many coffee-less mornings and I didn't mind, but when Will bought me a bright red coffee press to celebrate the end of breastfeeding Ally and we picked up some coffee beans I persuaded him to try a sip. He was instantly hooked and we now have "coffee time" every morning before he goes to work! It is my favorite time of day besides for my foot massages at night and that is why I love coffee... it brings people together! Try these tips on someone you know who doesn't much care for coffee and I bet you will be sharing coffee time together in no time!

a summer time shrimp recipe

It has been way too long since I have written any blogs about my culinary adventures as of late! Unfortunately it has been so hot here that I have not been able to try a single Aunt Pearl recipe. The majority of the recipes I have require oven time and there is just no way you can make me turn on my oven in this heat, so instead for the entire week I made up a "summer menu" by pulling recipes out of magazines and using old favorites. While I came up with this menu I realized I have a lot of recipes that use the oven and very little summer recipes! How can this be when I live in a desert city? I decided that I would try a new recipe every day this week that requires very little cooking time and fresh summer ingredients. The best ones would make it into the recipe box so that I can use them again.

It might sound strange to people who do not like to spend much time in the kitchen cooking or planning meals, but this has always been my favorite part of cooking... planning to cook. Designing menus, researching recipes and choosing ingredients is meditative and relaxing to me and I just love it! My menu planning goes a little something like this: I make a fresh pressing of coffee and pour it into my favorite Beatles mug, set up Ally with some favorite toys on the floor in front of me, surround myself with cookbooks and cooking magazines and a notebook and pen. Sometimes it goes fast after a decide on a few key ingredients I want to use and sometimes I sit there for an hour or more! Here is what I came up with for this week...

Monday- Shrimp and Tomato saute over whole wheat pasta
Tuesday- Grilled steak, corn on the cob and grilled texas toast
Wednesday- Ravioli Salad with a cilantro pumpkin seed pesto
Thursday- Burgers with Gorgonzola cheese and bacon scallion potato salad
Friday- Collard wraps with feta and cranberry quinoa
Saturday- Roasted tomato pasta

Let me just say that every single thing came out fantastic! All of these recipes will be making it into the grand honor of my recipe box because not only were they delicious, they were easy! It turned out that all but one of these recipes came from one magazine, "Everyday Food" a Martha Stuart publication. What a shame that it is not a regular publication! Absolutely there was one recipe in particular I will be using again and again until summer is over- the shrimp and tomato saute. Tomatoes are so yummy right now and I want to take advantage of this one for as long as I can get away with it! Here is my version of the recipe, I made just a couple changes to the original...

Shrimp and Tomato Saute

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
salt
white pepper

In a large saute pan heat 1 Tbsp oil over high heat. season the shrimp with salt and white pepper and add half of it to the pan. Cook until it is opaque all the way through. Transfer to a plate and add 2 tsp oil to the pan then cook the rest of the shrimp. Once cooked transfer to the plate with the rest of the shrimp. Reduce the heat to medium and add your garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds and add the tomato. Cook until the tomato breaks down, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, return with shrimp and any collected juices to the skillet. Cook for 1 minute and toss with the parsley and lemon juice. Turn off the heat, serve over pasta or eat it on its own. Surprisingly delicious!

serves 4