Cooking Again

Dinner last night was a delicious seafood pasta with a side of steamed rainbow chard from our farm share.

Seafood Pasta

Ingredients
8 oz fettuccine (I prefer fettuccine and linguini however it\'s also fine with spaghetti)
8 oz peeled shrimps or mixed seafood (you can use scallops, squid or mussels)
1 tbs of butter
extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup Mexican creama if unavailable use 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup sour cream
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
handful of fresh basil leaves thin chopped
Method
In a large frying pan heat the butter and 2 tbs of olive oil. Add chili and garlic and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat and add the seafood. Cook stirring until the seafood has a golden crust (3-4 minutes). Remove the seafood from the pan and keep warm.

Return the pan with oil and juices on medium heat. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Reduce the wine to 2/3 of the volume. Add the cream, lemon zest and heat. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Bring water to boil in a large pan, add salt and 2 tbs olive oil. Cook the fettuccine, drain.

Add fettuccine and seafood to the pan with cream sauce and mix well. Serve immediately sprinkled with fresh basil and grated Parmesan.


Dessert was watermelon balls with blueberries mixed together with a bit of sugar and a slice of banana bread.

Banana Bread

Ingredients
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
3/4 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix applesauce and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas.

Sift together dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Mix until well blended. Pour into greased 9-by-9-by-2-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until top is all browned. Cut into squares when cool.
This is my old time favorite.


This morning it is time to make granola. I have been making this and storing it in quart jars since we lived in Sawyers Bar.

Homemade Granola

1 lg box oats
2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 jar wheat germ
2 cups soy flour
2 cups milk powder
2 cups ground/chopped almonds
2 cups sesame seeds
2 cups sunflower seeds
Mix dry ingredients together

4 cups honey mixed with 1 cup of oil (Heating this mixture in a saucepan makes it easier to mix into the dry ingredients)

Mix all together and toast in large pans in 350 degree oven about 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir to prevent scorching. Store in airtight containers.