Monday, November 16, 2009

Shrimp with roasted garlic pesto pasta

Welcome to 7th Kitchen!

On Saturday, I tried a recipe from Sunny Anderson. One of my favorite Food Network star. I like her show a lot because she seems very friendly and energetic and down to earth. Even though I like her show, I had never tried her recipe so this was first time trying her recipe. It came out really good! I really like this pasta. Click here for her recipe on Food Network website.

This pesto is really easy. All you need is cherry tomato, garlic, basil, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. I was amazed how good it tasted! and it goes great with the shrimp.


On Sunday, my old friend came to visit. I hadn't seen her for a long time. It was really nice to see old friends. It was really warm yesterday in NY so we walked on the beach and had a great time catching up. It is amazing how we can re-connect with your old friends with a new technology these days.

It is also a nice day in NY today. I hope it stays this way all through winter!




Sunday, November 15, 2009

Mac & Cheese with onion, mushroom and bacon

Welcome to 7th Kitchen!

On Friday night, it was quite cold outside (strong wind and rain) so I wanted to make something very comforting. I decided to make Mac & Cheese. I have never made Mac & Cheese from scratch so I am not sure if this is how you make Mac & Cheese but it came out pretty good. Here is how I made.

Ingredients
Yellow Onion 2
Bacon 4 strips
Mushroom 1 package
Macaroni Half a package
Butter about 3 table spoons
Flour about 5 table spoons
Milk about 1 cup
Heavy cream about 3 table spoons
Cheese about 6oz
Salt & Pepper

1. Boil Macaroni in a hot water until al dente. Meanwhile, cut onions, bacon and Mushroom into thin slices and saute in a pan. Season with salt & Pepper.

2. Make white sauce in a small pot. Melt butter, add some flour, add some milk, stir and repeat the flour and milk process until the sauce amount will be about 1 cup. Stir constantly so the sauce will not burn.

3. Mix onion, bacon and Mushroom with Macaroni and white sauce then pour some heavy cream and cover it with cheese



4. Place them into a casserole dish and bake it in a 350F oven for about 30mins.

5. Serve while it is hot!

I used mix of Mozzarella cheese, Monterey Jack and Cheddar. You can use your favorite cheese. If you prefer, you can use more cheese and make it more cheesy.

It is easy but satisfying meal. Everybody loves Macaroni & Cheese, right?

We had it with a side of arugula salad. I made this dressing which my mother in-law taught me. It is with Olive oil, white vinegar, maple syrup and salt and pepper. It is really really good and I make this dressing quite often for my salad.



Friday, November 13, 2009

Thai Lunch


Welcome to 7th Kitchen!

I had lunch with my friend today and we went to Thai restaurant. We have been to this restaurant before and it is our favorite restaurant. I have not eaten Thai food for a while so I was really excited. Normally, I don't order Thai curry in Thai restaurant because it is something I can make at home. But yesterday I was craving for something spicy so I ordered red chicken curry. This was quite spicy. My body was getting really warm after eating this.


I love Thai food. This made me want to make Thai food at home. Maybe I will make Thai curry this weekend. It is quite easy and always good. (I use Thai curry paste)

Anyway, the weather was horrible yesterday (and also today) but I had a great time with my friend catching up. She has two kids so she is pretty busy. It was interesting to learn how busy the parents can be when your kids are into some kind of sports or something like that. It is great that your kids have something that they are passionate about and something they enjoy but the parents also has to commit to that since they have to take their kids to practice all the time and they also have to take the kids to the games on the weekends.

I remember my boss used to tell me that he need to drive their kids and other member of the team to the games on the weekends and around the fall it was almost every weekend. He had no time to rest and relax. Sometimes he even had to drive to a different state. It is a lot of work but the parents always want the best for their kids so they do whatever to support their kids for what their kids want. It is not a easy job to be a parent but I think it is a very rewarding and satisfying job.

Anyhow, it is cold and windy and rainy again in NY. Maybe I will make something warm and comforting tonight. Such as Macaroni and cheese??? Yummy!