pokitini

one of the best martinis ever and there is no alcohol! Still not okay for pregnant women though. This is one of those recipes here we love it here in Southern California but most people think we are weird for loving it! Ahi is one of my absolute FAVORITE foods! But once hen out o dinner with my fiancees mom, who is from the midwest, she freaked out that "my fish wasn't cook, don't eat that! It took awhile for everyone at the table to convince her it was okay but she wasn't going near it!

ahi (tuna)

green onion sliced thin

avocado cut in small squares

pine nuts

sesame oil

sesame seeds

soy sauce

First you want to find a beautiful sushi grade piece of ahi. Next you can just cut it up or sear it for a few seconds on each side over medium heat. I prefer it raw but not everyone does. Take the pine nuts and cook them over medium heat stirring constantly until they turn slightly brown. Next mix it with the green onion, avocado, pine nuts together with a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce to taste. top with a few sesame seeds and a bit of the green onion and you have a beautiful and healthy dinner in minutes! I serve mine in martini glasses and call it a pokitini.

Enjoy!

A summer salad

Okay so this one is not so much a recipe but an idea. This is a popular one in our house during the summer but it is hardly ever the same twice. The only ingredients that I always add are baked goat cheese, spinach, some kind of nut and different fruits. I usually always top it with shrimp but scallops are also tasty and chicken would go great as well!

Okay so start with spinach, we like spinach because of all of the nutrients but it also pairs perfectly with the goat cheese.

Then put on whatever fruit you please. Recently I used raspberries, strawberries, grapes, avocado and pomegranate seeds. I have also used mango and pineapple but didn't have any. Really any sweet fruit would work!

Then add some sort of nut. I usually use sliced almonds and pine nuts.

lastly take some goat cheese and roll it in your hand and then gently flatten... kind of like you would do with a small cookie. brush some olive oil on each side and then coat with bread crumbs place them on foil on a cookie sheet and broil them for about 5 minutes.

The best stuffed shells you will EVER make.

I left on a business trip so there wasn't a whole lot of cooking going on since I was across the country from my kitchen. Later in the week, cooking resumed and my first night home I had a small impromptu dinner party, yea, I don't know what I was thinking either. All in all it was a great time, great friends and great food!

I wish I could take full credit for this one but I can't. I do change it up a bit so I will post the recipe and then at the end tell you how I change it. This one comes from the food network from Giada.

(12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1 (8 to 10-ounce) package frozen artichokes, thawed and coarsely chopped

1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons. Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells, top with the grated mozzarella. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

Arrabbiata Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

Yield: approximately 6 cups

Okay now with a recipe that good what do I change? Well I have said before and I will say again we love garlic in our house so there is plenty of that! I would say I increase it by three times as much. I also add more parmesan then it calls for and use a high quality high flavor cheese. I include lots of extra basil and parsley as well. I grow it myself and we love the fresh flavor of basil. Lastly I do not make the arrabbiata sauce. If you have a trader joes by you you will be doing yourself a huge favor by going to the store and picking up two jars of their arrabbriata sauce. Seriously it is fabulous! I don't think I could make it any better if I tried! One of the best parts about this recipe, if you didn't read it already, it freezes! It makes a TON and you can freeze as much as you want!