I typically make Macaroons as part of my Christmas Cookie Collection, though really, they are not German per se, nor are they Christmas-y. They are delicious, of course, so I thought that I would do some experimenting on variations. I’ve already got a recipe for Chocolate hip Macaroon, so this time, I went with Coconut Butterscotch-Chip Macaroons — with teeny tiny butterscotch chips, which are a little bit hard to find. These are very sweet and rich, but definitely delicious.
I love seafood. Most any kind of seafood really, but shrimp are actually one of those super-easy things to make, and because they are mostly IQF on the boats (Individually Quick Frozen), they are fresh when they are frozen and great to keep on hand. This is a garlic and saffron recipe that comes together very quickly. There are two things to be careful of though — be careful not to overcook the shrimp (less than 10 minutes will do) and the sauce can split if you aren’t careful. Paying attention and doing everything expeditiously certainly helps.
Stuffed peppers have been on the rotation for dinners for years. Mostly, I go along more the “Italian style (with a garlic and basil tomato sauce), but I thought that I would do something a little different this time, with more of a Mexican style, with black beans, corn, and leaning to cumin, coriander and a sharp cheese. It’s a great dish to make in the winter. I’d stick with red, orange or yellow peppers over the green as they can be a little bitter. Also, this recipe is flavorful, but not overly spicy.
Doing a little more experimenting with “upside down” desserts, this time plain old apples, but the batter also has toasted walnuts for a bit more flavor, and made in a bundt pan. I was actually afraid that this one wouldn’t release as well, and that I might have a disaster on my hands, but it inverted and released quite nicely and it tuned out ok. The cake itself isn’t as moist as I would like though, so might have to serve with some whipped cream. Just a little Sunday afternoon snack at coffee time.
Sunshine in a jar! Mangoes were on sale at Whole Foods this week, and when balls of sunshine are available, I bought some and ended up making this jam. Super quick to make and should extend the life of these lovely fruits for a bit. Lovely on toast but also with yogurt and granola. Or just plain by the spoonful.