Something Cookin' in the Kitchen

Archived from June 18th, 2010 from the old "Out of the Fryin' Pan and into the Fire"

My effort to cook and try new recipes this past year has somewhat failed due to the lack of time with graduate school, working full-time and part-time, and working out to name a few things that keep me from being in the kitchen. Needless to say, the roommate, Tonia, has also been in the kitchen quite a bit as she has found a new hobby to relieve her boredom and her new calling in life. I have felt like I'm falling behind in my culinary skills and haven't given my full attention to the wonderful kitchen.

So tonight, when the wife was out and about having dinner, I decided to try some new and

healthy recipes. I am going to post the links as well as some pictures to show you what I've been up to while cooking in the kitchen.

Shrimp Avocado Tacos

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1072134

This was a delectable little dish that only took 20ish minutes to prepare! That's it! And the best part was there was no heating up the house with ovens, stoves, or grills; great during the summer when you don't need to heat up the house! First of all, I cut the recipe so I just made 2 tacos, used fresh cilantro from the garden and instead of three limes, I used one and added a little more lime juice. I also added a little onion and spinach for flavor and presentation. It was scrumptious, low calorie (260 calories for the two), and so easy to make! :)

Grilled Balsamic Peaches and Frozen Yogurt

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/quick-recipes/dinner/healthy-grilling-recipes/?page=7

For dessert, I was a little leery of the recipe and what it called for. I did some substituting and adding of ingredients to the recipe. I also only made enough for one person, so I cut down the 6 servings for just lil' ole me. First, I forgot to get balsamic vinegar, so I used red wine vinegar in my concoction; I also added a pinch of cinnamon and also some corn starch into the syrup when it was on the stove to make it thicker. I did add the ground pepper, but only a shake or two to the syrup once it was done cooking. Let it cool for a bit while you grill the peach on the grill. I lightly brushed the peaches with canola oil. I didn't use any butter, but I did add a sprinkle or two of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the top. You'll also see on the top left the kind of frozen yogurt I used. It has a different flavor and zing to it that I absolutely love! :) It was delightfully delicious! It is pretty light for a dessert as far as calories are concerned (199), but I figure with my light dinner, I was given a little leeway with my calories for the meal.

Yummy! :)