What We Ate Last Week

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

These got double approval from RJ. I would love to share the instructions but I followed them exactly and I don't want to plagiarize. Another hit from the cookbook Barefoot Contessa At Home. If you want the recipe let me know and I'll figure out how to get it to you.

Mini Ravioli Pasta with Shrimp

This was seriously good. And it made enough that RJ and I ate some for lunch the next day, and it tasted even better.

1 package dried ravioli noodles (The have these at Trader Joes in the died pasta section. If you shop elsewhere I would try orzo instead).

1 lb. shrimp

Between 1/4 c. and 1/2 c. olive oil

3 lemons (about 1/2 c. juice)

1 teaspoon salt & 1 teaspoon pepper (plus more for shrimp)

2 persian cucumbers, diced

1/4 c. chopped fresh dill

1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1/2 c. (or more) crumbled goat cheese

Cook ravioli according to packaged directions. Drain.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place shrimp on baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with additional salt and pepper. Bake for 5-6 minutes; until cooked.

Whisk together juice from 3 lemons, olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour over the still warm pasta and stir to coat.

Add red onion. shrimp, parsley, dill and cucumbers to ravioli mixture. Allow to cool. Add feta.

Serve at room temperature.

Creamy Chard and Squash Pasta

I made this dish last week b/c we needed a quick and easy dinner, and the yellow squash and chard in the garden was ready for harvesting!

Two large handfuls of swish card; chop rips about 1 inch big, and save leaves for tomorrow's meal

2-3 yellow crookneck squash, diced about 1 inch

1-2 large zucchini, diced about 1 inch

3/4 c. - 1 c. heavy cream (I used half&half)

approx. 3/4 lb pasta noodles

1/4 c. butter

1/2 yellow onion chopped, or 2 leeks

salt and pepper

Boil a big pot of water. Blanch chard ribs for about 3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon. Add noodles to boiling water and cook according to package directions.

Meanwhile melt butter in large skillet. Saute onion and/or leeks about 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add chard ribs, yellow squash, and zucchini. Cook over medium heat approx. 4 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook until reduced by two-thirds.

Drain pasta and set aside.

Mix chard mixture with pasta. Apply salt and pepper to taste ( I am pretty generous - particularly with the pepper.) ENJOY!

Dill Potato Salad, Sautéed Chard Leaves, and Panko Crusted Asian Salmon

The potato salad recipe was again a Barefoot Contessa. The salmon was supposed to be but I started doing my own thing half way through the recipe and ended up with this:

Heat oven to 500 degrees.

Line 8x12 inch baking pan with foil.

Put in salmon steaks. Brush on olive oil.

Make sauce. Mine was a crazy mixture of soy sauce, hoison sauce, garlic, salt, pepper, toasted sesame oil. and minced ginger.

Coat salmon with panko crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs). Pour sauce over crumbs. Bake for 13-18 minutes depending on thickness of salmon.

It was good but next time I might try broiling instead of baking b/c the crumbs weren't very crispy.

And the sauteed chard was easy. I got the recipe here.

Happy Eating!