So summer was here for a day and then I think that the collective hurrah! of the city of Chicago scared it away. It’s been cold, rainy and daily hopes of me grilling anytime soon are dashed by the constant rain, hail and yuck that is our every day.

Enough about the weather. I suppose we were warned with that April shower/May flowers poem.

I hate poetry.

However, I don’t hate soups and stews and as such I’ve had ample reason to bust out some oldies and goodies. Example: the African pumpkin-tomato soup of yore. SO good and just like the first time I made it, I was sad when my spoon hit the end of the pot. I’ll be making it again soon and very soon (and updating my pictures to boot- I ate this pot too fast. Whoopsy.).

This soup/stew/whatever you want to call it was actually an afterthought but I’m so glad I went with it. After my grocery stores didn’t have the ingredients for my first choice, I went this this one, this Moqueca de Camaroes, a shrimp stew. Probably better since my first choice, apparently, if cooked improperly, that sauce is poisonous- and that fact alone makes me think it might be banned in the US for that reason. I’ve done no research to support this theory, but something makes me think that the import/export regulators don’t have faith in us to 1) cook it properly or 2) not use it to kill other people. Either way, they are probably right.

So good choice to make the moqueca de camaroes.  It was very reminiscent of the shrimp creole I made not that long ago (and loved). However, the parts that made it different (limes, lots of cilantro and coconut) made it so different and, to me, more reminiscent of Thai food than Belizean.. 

Though it’s very good on its own, I wanted to do so much more with this recipe. I almost added sausage and I almost added wine, but for this one, I figured I’d stay as true to the recipes I combined as I could. I’m sure there will be lots of sausage and wine to come, but for today, I abstained.

Often times served with rice, I just ate mine as a soup so that I could eat it with bread. Lots of bread. I have to pick my carbs. And I choose bread or cake > rice.  So, carb load as you see fit.

I was at the gym today and happened on the treadmill just as the movie Under the Tuscan Sun started. For as being as rom-com crazy as I have a tendency to be, this one never really spoke to me, and I’ve only seen it once, I think. Not sure why (not having recently broken up or anything), but this time I really just found the movie so delightful and it made the hour at the gym fly by, and left me hoping for its presence on Netflix so that I can finish watching it tonight.

In any case, it was sort of fortuitous timing since today’s dish is a flashback to Italy!  I did give Italy its due three week shake over a year ago when I cooked it, but given my lackluster feelings on pasta and Italian food in general (don’t hate), it’s not a country to which my kitchen often returns. Mom feels the same way, and I think both of us were surprised by how drawn we were to the Italian restaurants at Epcot. Likewise, in the gut-busting lunch provided to us for Food Blog Forum, the risotto di mare from The Flying Fish Café at Disney’s Boardwalk was the one dish for which I made room for seconds and is the inspiration for today’s Spring Shrimp Risotto. (more…)

Happy Friday the 13^th!  Is that bad luck day? Depends on who you ask. If you ask Brother, he’d probably disagree since 13 is his favorite number, and it served him pretty well those years playing basketball and soccer. However, for all you triskaidekaphobics out there, here’s something that may make today not so scary.  Chocolate Cheesecake Cups

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, in case you were keeping track. I took the opportunity and my lack of direction on the subject to tap into the cookbook stores. (more…)