Deanna’s Wild Wild West Sausage Dish

Conserve energy and keep the house cooler by using your slow cooker instead of the oven. You can also add potatoes to make this a one-pot meal. Serve sausage dish with a tossed salad or sliced fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients:
• 4-6 medium potatoes, boiled and cut (Optional)
• 12 to 16 ounces smoked sausage, whole
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 can vegetarian chili
• 1 tomato, chopped
• ½ bag of baby carrots
• ½ red bell pepper

Preparation:
Toss all ingredients except the potatoes together in a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH until carrots are tender. Then add the potatoes (Optional).

Test Lab: Herb and Garlic Spread

HERB AND GARLIC BUTTER

1 lb. salted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. dried each of thyme, tarragon and marjoram
2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients until blended, use on bread, for broiling fish, or chicken, for sauteing beef or veal, or for tossing with hot vegs, pasta, or rice.

This modified recipe originally came from cooks.com. I bought Garlic Butter from Whole Foods so that took care of 2 key ingredients and I just had to add the herbs from my pantry.

Photo credit: momssoapbox.com

Manila - March 2010: Shrimps in Herb and Garlic Butter

I know this is just too mouth-watering to ogle at but this is so easy to do. Would I make it difficult for you? Here's the recipe:

2 kgs shrimp, shelled but keep the head!

Marinade:
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
Escal herb and garlic butter
6 kalamansi

Mix the marinade and lather the mixture on the shrimp. Allow the shrimp to sit, maybe even nap, on the marinade. Grease the baking pan with butter so the shrimp will not stick on the baking pan. Place in the shrimp in a neat row just like I did in the photo.

Bake until shrimp is done.

Serve with pan-fried garlic potatoes.

Manila - March 2010: Tropical Fruits Parade

We stayed in Manila for only 8 days with family time as priority. So we have no pictures of landscapes, sunsets or romps in the beach but pictures of food, the kitchen, gatherings at the dining table and many, many happy faces of family members. No landscape photo or sunset photo can replace the family togehterness captured in photos during those 8 short days.

But I am not going to write about family in this blog. I am writing about another "F" word - Fruit. Tropical fruits, specifically. Mangoes, mangosteen and the largest dragon fruit I have ever seen so far. As large as a little girl's head. Even Gumby and Pokey, friends of mine who accompanied me on this trip, can't get over these strange fruits.

A Word from our Sponsors: Multi-Tasking Cookers

Is there such a term? I coined the word because I usually work with two, sometimes three slow cookers in one cooking session. Here are my proud hard-working beauties - Large Marge for fish, Green Goblin for meats and Mini Me for sauces, dips and fondue!

Mussels with Tomato- Wine Broth

I love shellfish - oysters, mussels, scallops, etc. This recipe does not use a slow cooker. Just your usual boiling routine.

This recipe (which I slightly modified with ingredients I have in my pantry, i.e. red pepper) and photo came from http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=630136

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
1 cup spicy dry red wine
3 cups chopped stomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 pounds small mussels, scrubbed and debearded

Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add wine; simmer 3 minutes. Add tomato, salt, and black pepper; cook 1 minute.

Add mussels; cover and cook 4 minutes or until shells open. Remove from heat; discard any unopened shells. Stir in arugula; serve immediately. Bon appetit!

Slow Cook Scallops in White Wine

1 tablespoon butter

4 thin slices lemon

1 large garlic clove, peeled and halved lengthwise

8 to 10 ounces bay scallops or sea scallops, rinsed and patted dry, tough connective tissue removed

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 lemon wedges


a dash of white wine

Place the butter, lemon slices and garlic in the insert of the slow cooker. Set on high, cover and heat until the butter is hot, about 30 minutes. Add the scallops and sprinkle with the salt. Stir to coat them with the butter and seasonings, cover and cook on high for 30 to 40 minutes or until the scallops are thoroughly hot and opaque in the center. To serve, press the lemon slices with the back of a spoon to release their juices and then discard them. Sprinkle the scallops and their cooking liquid with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the scallops to 2 serving plates. Drizzle each serving with some of the cooking liquid, sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with fresh lemon wedges. 2 servings.


Photo credit: http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=2972