donna's daily dish

shrimp burgers

6/27/2019

Several weeks ago, I was watching Cook’s Country on a public broadcasting channel where they prepared shrimp burgers. The recipe was easy to prepare and they looked absolutely delicious. It’s always interesting to find new ways to prepare seafood besides frying, broiling or cooking en papillote (in parchment paper pouch).

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weeknight meal

6/24/2019

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Putting together a meal is all about planning, organization and execution. Here in New Jersey, food flyers arrive in the mail on Thursday for sales starting on Friday or Monday. Whole Foods sales are uploaded on their website or app Wednesday morning and go through the following Tuesday. You look what’s on sale, find a recipe that can be done in under 45 minutes, purchase the ingredients and you’ll have a quick, nutritious meal. There are many websites that can provide you with quick and easy recipes and I find The NY Times Cooking app and epicurious.com very good resources. You also need to have pantry staples in which to make this process easier too.

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friends

6/19/2019

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There is a group of former coworkers from the school where I worked who I still keep in touch with. Every so often we get together and call our gatherings “faculty meetings.” This past weekend we had a meeting at my house. The menu was

Aloha Dip with Crackers
Tennessee Whiskey Cheese (from Wegmans) served with crackers

Lentil Salad with Tomato and Dill
Tricolored Fusilli Salad
Beef Teriyaki
Lily’s Marble Cake

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upper west side

6/17/2019

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The first time I had been to Lincoln Center was at a performance at the Metropolitan Opera House during Christmastime. Our son was visiting from Florida, where was working at the time, and we took he and his sister to see Hansel and Gretel. The opera house is impressive in its grandeur and elegant chandeliers. On the back of the seats there is a digital screen that provides translation in several languages of the opera. Since then, my husband and I have seen Madame Butterfly, La Boheme and La Traviata to name a few. This past spring, we saw Rigoletto. This version was updated taking place in Las Vegas in 1960’s. It had colorful staging with lots of neon lights, costumes and even colorful characters.

We have also been to Lincoln Center Theater. The theater is designed so that the seating is almost in the round. The stage doesn’t seem as high as other theaters, so the audience feels closer to the performance. We have seen War Horse, South Pacific and recently the revival of My Fair Lady starring Laura Benanti and Harry Hadden-Paton. Following the Sunday matinee show, we went to Bar Boulud for dinner. Bar Boulud is a short walk from Lincoln Center at Broadway and 64th Street. We had previously had lunch there in late winter prior to seeing Rigoletto.

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lobster rolls

6/10/2019

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Our local food store, ShopRite, has on special again this week, wild, live caught lobsters (1 to 1-1/4 pounds) for $8.99/lb., or $6.99/lb. if you have a PricePlus card. I purchased these lobsters a few weeks ago and made lobster mac’n cheese. This time, I wanted to try making a lobster roll. The only lobster roll I’ve ever had was made by Luke’s Lobster when my daughter brought me to their first shop in the East Village of New York. Luke’s Lobster works with the lobstermen bringing the highest quality seafood they find to their seafood company and then shipping directly to their “shacks.”

I just so happened to be doing an internet search for Luke’s recipe. I found the recipe on the Today Show, Oprah and Martha Stewart websites. I was so happy I was able to find it. Luke’s is different as the lobster meat isn’t mixed with mayonnaise, which makes it light and delicious.

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what's available

6/9/2019

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While straightening out my freezer, I came across a piece of pork tenderloin that I purchased a month or two ago. This was a good start for dinner. I also had two yams that were in my basement for a couple of weeks so they too needed to be eaten.

I searched the Williams-Sonoma website’s recipe link for the ingredients I had. I found one for molasses-glazed pork roast and sweet potatoes. Fortunate for me, I keep molasses, red pepper flakes, Dijon mustard, olive oil, shallots and Williams-Sonoma concentrate chicken stock in the house. I also needed fresh rosemary, which is in my garden.

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two p's in a pan

6/4/2019

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I would have never thought of it, but poultry and pork work nicely together. I was at a loss as to what to prepare for supper last night. I wasn’t getting any inspiration from the weekly circulars, so I did an internet research for chicken recipes. I found recipes for roasted chicken, chicken Parmesan and a recipe for chicken and sausage bites with apple cider vinegar sauce. Hmm, the last one sounded interesting. A visit to my local Pastosa and a chat with Giovanni, where I picked up some boneless, skinless chicken breasts and Italian pork sausage links with fennel. Also, needed for the recipe was garlic, onion, extra-virgin olive oil, red pepper flakes and, of course, apple cider vinegar. I had only a small amount left, but I love De Nigris Premium Aged Apple Vinegar from Modena. It’s so smooth tasting.

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