Trust me, I realize that the next few sentences will sound a lot like bragging instead of blogging...you'll have to forgive your author but I can't help this one.
I am a traditionalist who likes to stick to old rules and conventional wisdom and our Thanksgiving last week was everything out of the ordinary for me. Incredibly warm weather, sand stuck in our hair, turquoise ocean, nursing sunburns, pineapple galore, and virgin pina coladas... and I couldn't have loved it more!!! I will ditch everything that is traditional Thanksgiving fare to me from now on for a Maui holiday!
You see, my Thanksgivings are typically made up of cold weather, snow in my hair, white capped mountains, glowing white skin, sweet potato everywhere, and spiced holiday cider.
I have to applaud my mom though who did an outstanding Thanksgiving dinner despite the fact our condos weren't laced with all the wonderful appliances we're used to. Or the fact that we were on an island with ingredients that were hard to come by. Our turkeys were beautifully roasted, potatoes were exquisitely mashed, rolls were baked with love, stuffing was made from scratch, and all the other side dishes matched right up. Anyways, I'm still stuffed from it all. Home in Philadelphia again and stuffed still!
Speaking of Philadelphia, coming home from a vacation has never been so depressing and heartbreaking. I mean, I like Philly, c',mon , I do! Can't you hear me through cyberspace chanting, "I love PhillY! I love PHILLY!".
It's just that, well, Philly isn't quite Hawaii-like.I was hoping our taxi driver on the way home from the airport would at least greet us with fresh leis. Didn't happen.
So, in an effort to boost my sunken spirits, I took the liberty yesterday of purchasing a couple pineapples and it did the trick. I managed to consume an entire one by my lonesome with some assistance from Hejo and now my tongue has itty bitty cankers growing like wildfire.
I also made two recipes yesterday that were island-ese for me: spaghetti squash with grilled shrimp and grapefruit avocado salad. Both were simple, refreshing, and took me back to island paradise. I am lacking in one photo, excuse moi, but enjoy the other one and I highly recommend both recipes for your collection.
I am a traditionalist who likes to stick to old rules and conventional wisdom and our Thanksgiving last week was everything out of the ordinary for me. Incredibly warm weather, sand stuck in our hair, turquoise ocean, nursing sunburns, pineapple galore, and virgin pina coladas... and I couldn't have loved it more!!! I will ditch everything that is traditional Thanksgiving fare to me from now on for a Maui holiday!
You see, my Thanksgivings are typically made up of cold weather, snow in my hair, white capped mountains, glowing white skin, sweet potato everywhere, and spiced holiday cider.
I have to applaud my mom though who did an outstanding Thanksgiving dinner despite the fact our condos weren't laced with all the wonderful appliances we're used to. Or the fact that we were on an island with ingredients that were hard to come by. Our turkeys were beautifully roasted, potatoes were exquisitely mashed, rolls were baked with love, stuffing was made from scratch, and all the other side dishes matched right up. Anyways, I'm still stuffed from it all. Home in Philadelphia again and stuffed still!
Speaking of Philadelphia, coming home from a vacation has never been so depressing and heartbreaking. I mean, I like Philly, c',mon , I do! Can't you hear me through cyberspace chanting, "I love PhillY! I love PHILLY!".
It's just that, well, Philly isn't quite Hawaii-like.I was hoping our taxi driver on the way home from the airport would at least greet us with fresh leis. Didn't happen.
So, in an effort to boost my sunken spirits, I took the liberty yesterday of purchasing a couple pineapples and it did the trick. I managed to consume an entire one by my lonesome with some assistance from Hejo and now my tongue has itty bitty cankers growing like wildfire.
I also made two recipes yesterday that were island-ese for me: spaghetti squash with grilled shrimp and grapefruit avocado salad. Both were simple, refreshing, and took me back to island paradise. I am lacking in one photo, excuse moi, but enjoy the other one and I highly recommend both recipes for your collection.
Grapefruit-Avocado Salad3ruby red grapefruits, peeled, sectioned, and chopped
4 semi-ripe avocados, cubed
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cup white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
3 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
From the oil down, mix all ingredients together in a blender. Pour over the chunks of grapefruit and avocado. Toss gently and chill. Serve cold.
*This recipe serves 12. I know, it's huge- I had to fourth mine and it served 2-3.. You might want to at least halve it so it doesn't all go to waste.
Grilled Shrimp on Spaghetti Squash
{Everyday Food, December 2009}
1 medium spaghetti sqash, halved lengthwise
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and toss with 1 tsp olive oil. Roast until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
You can either roast the squash or boil it- I did the latter and let it cook in boiling water until it was tender and soft enough to shred.
Once the squash flesh is scraped out into a large bowl, add shrimp and any cooking juices. Toss with lemon juice, remaining olive oil, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
4 semi-ripe avocados, cubed
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cup white vinegar (I used white wine vinegar)
3 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp ground mustard
From the oil down, mix all ingredients together in a blender. Pour over the chunks of grapefruit and avocado. Toss gently and chill. Serve cold.
*This recipe serves 12. I know, it's huge- I had to fourth mine and it served 2-3.. You might want to at least halve it so it doesn't all go to waste.
Grilled Shrimp on Spaghetti Squash
{Everyday Food, December 2009}
1 medium spaghetti sqash, halved lengthwise
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
Fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 375. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and toss with 1 tsp olive oil. Roast until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
You can either roast the squash or boil it- I did the latter and let it cook in boiling water until it was tender and soft enough to shred.
Once the squash flesh is scraped out into a large bowl, add shrimp and any cooking juices. Toss with lemon juice, remaining olive oil, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
2 comments:
J-E-A-L-O-U-S
Kate I am glad that you had such a fab thanksgiving! I will have to try the tropical route someday! I love the color of your avocado salad! Looks refreshing!
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