Shrimp with Fennel

This is a recipe I started making a few years ago because it was quick and easy and great for one or two people. It's great during the warm weather - very light but satisfying.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups fennel bulb (about 3/4 pound), thinly sliced
1/4 sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, thinly chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons lime juice


1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.


2. Add sliced fennel, salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic, and bay leaf, cook 5 minutes or until fennel is crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.


3. Add red pepper and shrimp; cook 3 minutes (took longer on my stove in CT) or until shrimp are done, stirring occasionally.


4. Stir in lime juice. Serve with lime wedges, if desired.



Source: Cooking Light Magazine


According to Cooking Light:
Calories: 154 (30% from fat)

Mother's Day Feast

One of our favorite things to serve for a festive occasion is lobster, so if you’re trying to think of something special to cook for your mother this year try this slightly different approach to boiled lobster. We particularly like this recipe because you can serve the lobster with the spicy broth cutting out all those butter calories! It’s also a nice dinner for a mid-Spring evening – it reminds you summer will soon be here! As it happens, right now we can find lobster here for $5.99 a pound.

To round out the meal, I usually serve a Caesar Salad and roasted potatoes with this. Of course, if there is good, fresh corn available I'd serve that instead of potatoes.

Enjoy!

Spicy Boiled Lobster

2 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
20 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
4 live Maine lobsters, about 1 1/2 pounds each

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil (the recipe doesn't say how much water, we use enough so that the lobsters are fully submerged). Add the salt, coriander seeds, cayenne, red pepper flakes, peppercorns, and bay leaves.



2. Lower the lobsters carefully into the pot of boiling water. Return to a boil and cook for 6 minutes. Transfer the lobsters to a large bowl, and pour 6 cups of the cooking liquid over them. Or, put one lobster on each plate and serve a small bowl of broth to each person - this is the method we use. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
   
   

Source: Great Good Food, Julee Rosso

What to do with leftover Bananas

Dallas and I love bananas with our cereal, but it never seems we are able to eat them all before they start turning brown. So, we have a lot of banana bread in our home and friends often get loaves of banana bread when we visit! I've been making some version of this recipe since the mid-70s. Originally I started with the basic Fannie Farmer recipe which has evolved over the years. Hope you enjoy!

Banana Bread

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, well mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a loaf pan (I use Pam).
2. Mix the bananas and eggs together in a large bowl.
3. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add the walnuts and mix.
4. Put the batter in the pan and bake for 1 hour.
5. Remove bread from pan let cool on a rack.

Note: I use 3 small loaf pans in which case they bake for 40 to 45 minutes.