Orange-Basil Shrimp

After making a particularly delicious batch of sangria, I found myself with half an orange left over. And thus, all the inspiration necessary for one of my favorite simple recipes.

Ingredients:

- 1/2 navel orange

- 1 cube frozen basil / or 1 tsp. minced basil

- 2 handfuls / 25 tiny shrimp (precooked)

- 1 tsp sugar

1. Squeeze the juice out of the navel orange into a small skillet or saucepan on medium-low heat. I let a few chunks of orange float in there as well, so I could squish them down with a ladle later to release more of the liquid.

2. Mix in the basil with the orange nectar.

3. After the basil and orange have mixed thoroughly and the mixture is bubbling slightly, add the shrimp.

4. Zest the orange peel over the mix of orange nectar, basil, and shrimp. Let the mix simmer for a few minutes.

5. Don't let the liquid boil off. When the basil and orange mixture have coated the shrimp, carefully remove only the shrimp into a bowl. Add the sugar to the simmering liquid, and wait just a few seconds for the caramelization to complete.

6. Spoon the caramelized orange-basil glaze over the shrimp.

Chipotle Mayo

Was Kelis actually singing about this mayo when she wrote "Milkshake"? Perhaps embarrassed by the food she was dedicated to, or perhaps paid off by the powerful mayo lobbyists, she then re-dedicated the song to a more predictable subject. Read on for what I may have found in her archives...

Best Mayo Ever
- mayo (about 1/2 cup)
- chipotle spice (1.5 dashes)
- Adobo spice with pepper (about 1/2 a dash)
- paprika (1.5 dashes)

Mix together all ingredients. Whip. Enjoy. By the spoonful or on a burger, I don't judge.

...

"Mayo" - Kelis (with a little help)

[Repeat x2]
My mayonnaise brings all the burgers to the grill,
And they're like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge

I know you want it,
The thing that makes me,
What the guys go crazy for.
They lose their minds,
The way I wind,
I think its time

[Chorus x2]
La la-la la la,
Mix it up.
Lala-lalala,
The burgers are waiting

My mayonnaise brings all the burgers to the grill,
And they're like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge

I can see you're on it,
You want me to teach thee
Techniques that feed these boys,
It can't be bought,
Just know, thieves get caught,
Watch now if you're smart,

[Chorus x2]
La la-la la la,
Mix it up,
La la-la la la,
The burgers are waiting,

My mayonnaise brings all the burgers to the grill,
And they're like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge

Oh, once you get involved,
Everyone will look this way-so,
You must maintain your apetite,
Same time maintain your svelte,
Just get the perfect blend,
Plus what you have within,
Then next his eyes are squint,
Then he's picked up that chipotle scent,

[Chorus x2]
Lala-lalala,
Mix it up,
Lala-lalala,
The burgers are waiting,

My mayonnaise brings all the burgers to the grill,
And they're like
It's better than yours,
Damn right it's better than yours,
I can teach you,
But I have to charge

Stuffed Portobellos are Delicioso!

I look forward to the produce aisle at the grocery store with the same fervor 7-year-olds have for a candy store. At Christmas time. But in a universe where that candy store sells super fresh healthy things that you can eat in unlimited quantities and are the perfect base for a culinary masterpiece. What I'm trying to say is... the candy store is basically a big disappointment in comparison to the produce aisle at a certain, non-Trader Joe's grocery chain that starts with a Harris and ends with half the name of a common playground feature.

Thanks to this grocery chain, I found giant portobellos that just looked like they could do with some delicious fillings. This was my response to their cry.

(makes 4 mushroom caps)

- 4 large portobello mushrooms

- 6 baby bella mushrooms

- 2 handfuls spinach

- 1/2 - 1 whole green bell pepper

- 1/4 tsp minced garlic

- 1 onion, diced

- 2 tbs cream cheese

- a healthy sprinkling of mozzarella cheese

- Pam or olive oil

1. I started by removing the portobello stems, chopping them and putting them aside in a mixing bowl. I then removed all the black veins inside the portobello (scientifically, they're called the gills of the mushroom).

2. De-seed and chop the green pepper. Mix into the chopped portobello stem.

3. Dice the onion and add to the mix.

4. Slice baby bella mushrooms to 1/8 inch width. And obviously, throw them in the mix.

5. Warm a skillet on medium heat skillet. Then, either spray with some Pam or throw about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on it. Put the minced garlic onto the heated skillet.

6. When the garlic has started releasing its aroma, throw the mixed veggies onto the skillet.

7. When the onions have begun to brown and mushrooms have become soft, chiffonade the spinach leaves (or just shred it into thin strips if it's a weekday) and throw onto the skillet as well.

8. When the spinach has wilted and onions are medium brown, put all the veggies back into the mixing bowl and add the cream cheese. Mix around so the cheese melts into the veggies.

9. Carefully spoon the veggie mix into the awaiting portobellos.

10. Top with mozzarella cheese and put in the oven for about 10 mins, or until the mozzarella has started to brown.

Special RAPTURE Edition BBQ!

There is nothing better than sunshine when the world is predicted to end. Alas, Harold Camping was wrong but it still gave me an excuse to BBQ delicious things at an End of the World food feast.

In the spirit of the event, I made burgers filled with ingredients one should eat on their last day on Earth.

Makes about 4 burgers

- 1 lb. ground beef (80/20 or 75/25 for moister burgers)

- 2-4 tbs. gorgonzola cheese

- 1 tbs. sun-dried tomatoes

- Adobo seasoning to taste

- chipotle powder to taste

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1. Chop up the sun-dried tomatoes into 1/4 inch or smaller pieces.

2. Mix up beef with 1 egg. Knead so the egg gets absorbed into the meat.

3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, breadcrumbs, and all seasonings. Knead again to mix well.

4. Finally, add the cheese (which should be super crumbly) and mix carefully so the cheese doesn't melt all over your hands. Form into burger patties. (Hint: use your knuckles to depress the middle of the burger to accommodate how the burger middle inflates during grilling.)

5. Grill it up, then serve on a bun spread with homemade chipotle mayo.

Island of Paradise Salad

Mangoes are the most perfect fruit on the planet. Being math nerds and food-obsessed, my boyfriend and I once created a scatterplot depicting the fruit kingdom, rated on the x-axis for their deliciousness, and on the y-axis for the ease of eating the fruit in question.

Though we may have disagreed on exactly where mangoes lie in the supremacy of fruit, my experiences eating them in the homeland put them squarely at the top of any such list.

As such, I decided to reuse the concept of the mango-pineapple mixture atop a new platform.

- mango chunks (1 cup)

- pineapple chunks (1 cup)

- strawberries (1 cup or 5 hearty red-fellas)

- spinach (2 handfuls)

- gorgonzola cheese (1-2 tablespoons)

- cinnamon-chipotle pineapple glaze

1. Dice the mango and pineapple into similar sized cubes.

2. Slice the strawberries lengthwise, about a quarter of an inch thick.

3. Mix all the fruit and spinach together.

4. Sprinkle gorgonzola on top, generously.

5. Spoon the cinnamon-chipotle pineapple glaze on top -- and get a napkin. It's going to be a delicious mess all over your face.

Sweet and Spicy Fruity-Tooty Whiting Fillets

I cannot believe that it has taken me until May to recall the power of photography to bring food writing to life. Thankfully, my camera phone has found its new calling.

This week, I decided to play with some stuff in my fridge and see what would happen. Whiting fillets were the base of my creation, with a mixture of pineapple and mango pieces that were cooked in a healthy dose of spices.

Ingredients:

- Whiting Fillets (6 fillets)

- pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (1 can)

- mango chunks (8-12 oz.)

- cinnamon

- chipotle spice powder

- balsamic vinegar

1. First, I seasoned the fish with just salt and pepper. Grilled it up on the stove.

2. I diced up the pineapple and mango chunks into even, bite-sized cubes and put them aside.

3. Stirred up about a tablespoon of chipotle powder and 1.5 tablespoon of cinnamon in the pineapple juice, heating on medium heat on the stove. After this started boiling a little, I stirred in about 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. I put the fruit chunks into the saucepan. I let this sauce caramelize on the stove.

4. After the fillets were cooked and the sauce properly caramelized and syrupy, I laid out the fillets, then spooned the sauce over it with the fruit chunks on top.

This is perfect whenever you're facing a mango craving -- aka: always.

Sexy Salami Sandwich

When I was in eighth grade, I conducted an science experiment testing the ability of taste buds to differentiate between various flavors. Even at a young age, I was fascinated with the function and capacity of taste buds. I made a sandwich today that reminded me of these tiny taste receptors, in how they felt honored to eat the sandwich thrown together by the leftovers contained in my fridge.

Sexy Salami Sandwich

- Best Mayo Ever

- spinach/sliced strawberries/sliced mushrooms/garlic and herb goat cheese crumbles salad**

- 2 slices of bread

- Salami circles (about 4-5)

- grated swiss cheese

**The spinach/strawberries/mushrooms and goat cheese were combined and left over from dinner last night.

1. Spread Chipotle mayo on both slices of bread.

2. Place 4-5 circles of salami on one slice.

3. Sprinkle grated swiss cheese on top of the salami circles.

4. Toast both slices of bread (open-face) in a toaster oven.

5. Layer the greens (salad) on top of the salami and cheese and place the other slice of bread on top.

After finishing this salad, I didn't want to eat anything else to compromise the flavors I was tasting in my mouth.

Dear taste buds,

You're welcome.