Grilled Polenta with Mushrooms and Sausage

I had left over polenta and decided since we were having grill night we might as well use it up.  We threw them on the grill with some steak and topped it with a mushroom mixture that I had made in the skillet earlier.  It is some times difficult to figure out timing when you grill especially being in an apartment where you have to run back every time you need something.  So I had sauteed the mushrooms and then wrapped them in foil to heat on the grill right before the steaks and polenta were finished.  It worked out great and might be the easiest side dish EVER!

Grilled Polenta with Mushrooms and Sausage
Source:  Miss J Original

4 oz mushrooms
1/8 tsp of oregano
5 slices of polenta
1/2 sausage (removed from casing and broken up - I used a feta spinach sausage from Whole Foods)
olive oil

On a grill save skillet, coat pan with olive oil.  place polenta slices on the pan and set aside.  In a skillet, heat a tiny bit of olive oil and throw in mushrooms.  Remove sausage from casing and breakup into little pieces before adding to the skillet.  When mushrooms start to release the moisture and soften toss in the oregano and mix well.  Once mushroom mixture and sausage is fully cooked, place in some aluminum foil. 

Heat grill.  Grill the polenta on each side until done (approximately 5 minutes). 

Set aside on the grill and keep warm until other items (we had steak) are done. Sit back and enjoy a glass of wine while the rest of the items cook.

When there is a couple minutes left, throw the aluminum foil with mushroom mixture on the grill to heat up.  Serve the mushroom mixture on top of the grilled polenta.

Skyler on patrol in case anyone has a food fumble.

- Miss J

Avocado Nectarine Salsa

Today was the first day in a long time that the weather here in Saint Louis was amazing.  It cooled down to mid 60's so it was a perfect night to grill.  Moe wasn't getting off work until around 7 so I decided to make a fruit salsa to eat while we were sitting outside and waiting for the other food to be done.  I love peach salsa but have never tried to make it before.  I had tons of nectarines so decided to give it a whirl.  I figured how can you go wrong with tons of cilantro, onion, and fruit!

Avocado Nectarine Salsa

Source:  Miss J Original

3 nectarines (or peaches)

1/2 small onion

1 key lime

fresh cilantro (approx. 1/4 cup)

1/8 tsp cumin

1/2 avocado

chipotle ground pepper (optional)

freshly ground pepper / salt to taste

Finely dice the onion.  Chop the fresh cilantro and add to a mixing bowl along with the onion. 

Slice the nectarines (or peaches) into small cubes and add to the mixing bowl. 

Slice the avocado into long slices and then cut into thirds. 

Add to mixing bowl.  Cut lime in half and squeeze juice into mixing bowl careful not to let any seeds fall into mixture.  Add cumin and ground chipotle pepper and mix everything together.  Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste and then mix again.  Chill in fridge for 15 minutes to let flavors meld. Serve with tortilla chips.

Ratings:
Miss J, 10 out of 10
Moe, 9 out of 10

- Miss J

Greek festival in CWE!

Test

This is my first attempt to send a picture to my blog straight from my phone!  Looks like a success!!!

- Miss J

Crying is for Cry-Babies?

I wrote this blog in my head at 7 am when I woke up and was not able to fall back asleep. I couldn't get past a comment that someone made the night before.  It rubbed me the wrong way.  I can't remember the exact words, but whether it was meant to come across like this or not, my takeaway was "crying was for the weak".  As I said, this rubbed me the wrong way.  First, I had just come off a rough week where I felt like walls were closing in around me and the only exit were paths that I wasn't sure I wanted to take.  Sacrifices that I knew I would make and want to make but for whatever reason, did not seem appealing at the given moment.  Secondly, I had literally been crying no less than an hour before which created a personal link to the comment.  Either way, the words hung in the air around me for the rest of the evening.  Why is it that people think crying is a sign of weakness? And why is it that if you do cry occasionally, you suddenly get classified as a "cry-baby"?  Why can't someone just cry and move on with their life?

Crying is therapeutic. For me, it is a way for built up energy and emotion to come pouring out.  My freshmen year of college, my roommate taught this to me.  I can remember doing poorly on a paper that I worked so hard on or getting in a fight with my boyfriend, and coming back to the dorm room angry.  She would be say to me, "you just need a good cry and you'll feel better".  As weird as that sounded, it was true. 

I think crying is one of the most human acts that an individual can do.  It forces you to put your guard down and just let go.  For me, once I let go, I feel like I can take a deep breath and start over.  It is almost cleansing in a sense.  Now explaining to Moe that I just needed a good cry is sometimes difficult as he wants to do something to make me feel better.  However, I think him working in the hospital and witnessing how the act is therapeutic and healing at times has helped. 

Now please don't think I moved away, and I cry myself to sleep at night :)  That is hardly the case.  I am actually the happiest I have ever been and have enjoyed this move more than I could have ever imagined. I feel like Moe and I are at an exciting point in our lives and that the journey ahead although difficult at times, will be exciting.  Even so, no matter where you live or what you are doing, we all have our moments.

Anyways, enough of my ranting on the topic of crying.  All I have left to say is that if you haven't cried in awhile, you should consider giving it a try. 

Quote:  "Let your tears come.  Let them water your soul."  ~ Eileen Mayhew

Yes..... I stole L Rizzy's quote idea at the end of my blog :)

- Miss J

Turkey Bake with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese

I have decided that I am replacing the word "meatloaf" with "turkey bake" in my cooking vocabulary.  I am hardly a vegetarian, but every time I hear the word "meatloaf", I get a pinch in my stomach. It just makes me think of a heavy brick of unhealthy meat and not the light, healthy meal that I am actually going to prepare.  I never make meatloaf with ground beef and I always bake my "meatloaf" so to me a "turkey bake" is a completely appropriate name.  I saw this recipe when I first moved to St. Louis on the food channel.  The Neelys were making this for the kids so I took a mental note and decided to finally try out the recipe this week.  I made some modifications based on what ingredients I had laying around.  I was fascinated by the idea of including blue cheese in my "turkey bake".  I thought it would be overbearing especially for Moe who likes blue cheese but in moderation.  However, this wasn't the case at all.  It was a nice compliment.


Turkey Bake with Mushrooms and Blue Cheese
Source:  Modification from Gina's Turkey Meatloaf from The Neelys

1 pound of ground turkey

1 cup of mushrooms, finely chopped

1 small green pepper

1 small white onion, finely chopped (or 2 small shallots finely chopped)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/8 cup of chicken stock

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup of panko (or left over bread crumbs that have sat out for a night and hardened)

4 ounces of blue cheese (if crumbles are large, break them up into smaller pieces)

1/2 can of tomato paste

1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

red pepper flakes, optional

1 shallot

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat oil in a saute pan and add diced white onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and garlic.  Saute until mushrooms are browned and onions are translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Crush red pepper flakes and add to pan if desired. Remove mixture from heat and set aside and allow to cool.  In a mixing bowl, combine egg, bread crumbs, blue cheese, and mushroom/onion mixture.  Fold in turkey with your hands and combine.  Careful not to over mix.  Pour turkey mixture into a bread loaf pan or casserole dish.  If in a casserole dish, shape into a rectangle.  

In a bowl, mix canned tomatoes and tomato paste together and season with salt and pepper.  Slice remaining scallion long ways.  Do not dice but keep in long pieces to place on top turkey bake.  Pour sauce over turkey mixture and top with slices of scallions. Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until internal temperature is 160 degrees.    Slice, serve, and enjoy!

- Miss J 

Served with grilled eggplant and baked polenta.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

I am not a fan of the Saundra Lee Semi-Homecooking show.  However, I am a fan of the concept.  I find it challenging to make a full meal out of "scratch" on a week night. I had bought the Sweet Chili Sauce at Trader Joe's awhile go and have been using it when I serve meatballs as an appetizer.  This time around, I decided to use it as the sauce in a shrimp stir fry.  Both Moe and I enjoyed it especially given how little time it took to prepare.  I'm a fan of this one.

Sweet and Sour Shrimp

Source:  Miss J Original

8 jumbo shrimp - deveined (with or without tails is fine depending on preference)

1/2 cup of Trader Joe's Sweet Chili Sauce

1 bell pepper (preferably red)

1/2 cup of cashews

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 onion diced finely

water chestnuts (optional)

2 scallions (greens only)

1 tsp butter

Thaw shrimp in a bowl of cold water for 20 minutes.  Brine shrimp (see below for directions) and pat dry before cooking. 

While shrimp is brining, heat butter in a saute pan.  Add cashews to pan and saute until lightly toasted.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Without cleaning saute pan, add diced onions and remaining oil.  Saute for 1 minute then add the red peppers.  Continue to cook until onions are translucent. Remove from pan and set aside. 

Add shrimp to saute pan.  Cook on medium high for two minutes on both sides or until shrimp is cooked.  Careful not to overcook to avoid shrimp getting too tough to eat. 

Once shrimp is done, toss all cooked ingredients together in the saute pan.  Add chili sauce and stir until everything is heated through.   Serve immediately over a bed of jasmine rice. 

Notes: I didn't have enough shrimp so I threw some scallops in this recipe instead.  Scallops take a bit longer to cook in the skillet than shrimp so add those to the pan first.

Directions for brining shrimp: Dissolve 3 tablespoons of salt in about 1 gallon of cold water. Soak for 20-30 minutes if peeled shrimp and 40-50 minutes for unpeeled shrimp. Remove shrimp and rinse with cold water. Pack with ice until ready to use.

-  Miss J