(T.V.) Dinner for One

So, I just had a whirlwind trip to Vegas with five of my closest girlfriends (you know, one of those where you arrive midday Saturday, party all night, get no sleep, and hop back on a plane at 6 in the morning to return home). Suffice it to say, Sunday (today) has consisted of me detoxing, drinking tons of water, and catching up on sleep. By 6 p.m. I was ready for dinner, but not in the mood to drive anywhere, so rummaging through my cupboard and refrigerator, I threw together the following t.v. dinner (I ate it very satisfyingly in front of my television).

Asian-Italian Fusion Noodles

2 rolls bean thread noodles

1 green onion, chopped

1 T. sweet white onion, chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced

1 T. sun-dried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, coarsely chopped

1/2 T. fresh basil, chopped

1 sardine, chopped (about 1/3 can of sardines in olive oil)

1 T. Grapeseed oil

1/2 T. unsalted butter

1 T. soy sauce

Soak the noodles in very hot water while preparing the rest of the dish. Saute half of the green onion with the white onion, and garlic for about 5 minutes in the grapeseed oil and butter on medium heat (the white onion will start to turn translucent). Add the sun-dried tomatoes and sardine. Drain the noodles and roughly cut them with kitchen shears. Remove the saute from heat and toss the noodles in. Using tongs, toss in the basil and soy sauce. Top with the remaining green onion and serve. The beauty of this dish is that you don't really need to season, not even with salt (the soy sauce and sardines have plenty of salt).

Cheese Plate for Dessert

Jarlsberg

Irish Cheddar

Gruyere

1 T. pepper jelly

Not sure that these cheeses completed complimented each other, but they are what I had in the fridge, so I enjoyed about a tablespoon-sized portion with each for dessert. I used the individual pieces of cheese as the carrier for the pepper jelly.

Quick Shrimp Salad Dinner

It's Friday night, and I'm stuck in traffic on the freeway on my way home. Mylo might beat me to my place, so I need to think of something quick, easy, and light for dinner. Hmmm... Aha! What about a shrimp salad? I could buy frozen, uncooked, peeled, and deveined shrimp. I've always got mixed greens in my fridge. And tomatoes and garlic in my window sill. I would just grab some crumbled goat cheese and already sliced mushrooms to add...and a bottle of white. My wine fridge is overtaken with my favorite reds. I'd need a milder white with shrimp, like a hearty Chardonnay, something that would stand up to the garlic and shrimp.

Trader Joe's is on my way home, so it wasn't difficult to stop in and quickly grab the shrimp, sliced mushrooms, some crumbled goat cheese, a bunch of basil (always good to have on hand) and a Rodney Shaw Chardonnay. I was on my way home and ready to start dinner.

Quick Shrimp Salad

1 bag of frozen, uncooked, peeled and deveined, shrimp

4 oz. sliced mushrooms, white or cremini

8 garlic cloves, minced

1 bag of mixed greens

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup of basil, julienned

1/4 cup of crumpled goat cheese

1-2 T. EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Soak the bag of shrimp in room temperature water for 30 minutes or so (depending on how frozen the shrimp are). When they are thawed, heat a large pan and add the EVOO. Drop the shrimp in and salt and pepper. When the shrimp start to turn color, add the mushrooms and 4 T. of garlic, and season with more salt and pepper (season along the way). When the mushrooms start to release some moisture and the shrimp are opaque, remove from heat. Put the mixed greens in a bowl and toss in the basil and tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and shrimp, juices and all, and the other 4 T. of garlic to the salad and toss gently. Sprinkle the goat cheese over top. Serve immediately.