Cheers to Summer!

Berry Parfaits
(Photo Credit: Chris Oliver)

Summer is about eating light and, for me, enjoying all the fresh fruits that go along with the season. Here's one way that Chris and I have been enjoying strawberries, blueberries and blackberries for breakfast - in a delightful Berry Parfait!  It's super easy and quite a treat first thing in the morning.  Plus, if you're having company, this is sure to impress.

Berry Parfaits
(Courtesy of Kelly Oliver)

Ingredients:
Vanilla yogurt
Strawberries
Blueberries
Blackberries
Granola (Use store bought or make your own using this recipe: http://cookinginclarendon.blogspot.com/2009/09/one-of-my-favorite-recipes-is-for-nutty.html)

Note: There's no magic formula for this recipe.  If you don't have blackberries on hand, then just use whatever berries you have.  If you want to buy your granola at the store rather than making it, that's fine. You could also opt for a different flavor of yogurt.  Experiment and enjoy!

Method:
Grab a few pretty wine glasses and start layering each ingredient, starting with the yogurt, followed by the berries, and then the granola.  Create at least two layers.  Enjoy!

Fabulous Food Friday: Pittsburgh's Strip District

I recently recommended some restaurants in Pittsburgh to a friend who was going to visit my hometown, and thought I'd share a few with you.  All of these restaurants are located or have locations in Pittsburgh's famous Strip District, which houses many authentic Italian food markets, Mexican and Asian grocery stores, restaurants, and shops that sell spices, coffee, chocolates, and cookware, among other things.  (The name doesn't stand for anything lewd...for a brief history, see: http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/thestrip/thestrip.html.)

Given that it's such a foodie paradise, Chris and I always make it a point to stop here on bustling Saturdays when we visit my parents to pick up marinara sauces, biscotti, nut rolls and other delicious things.  If we were able to easily transport refrigerated food back to Arlington with us, I would make it a point to buy some fresh fish at Wholey's fish market and some of the fresh produce at any number of stores.  Saturdays are busy (a great time to visit) and the air is filled with the smells of street vendors making Chinese food or grilled chicken skewers and markets giving away samples of their pepperoni rolls, luring in casual shoppers like me.  We always have fun exploring this area and seem to find something new to bring home every time we visit.

On to the restaurants...please feel free to let me know if you have any other great suggestions in da 'Burgh:

Lidia’s
Great Italian food for lunch or dinner.  I love their pasta trio of the day.
http://www.lidias-pittsburgh.com/

Primanti Brothers
If you’ve never tried their sandwiches topped with French fries and coleslaw, and I even know some Pittsburghers who haven't, you must stop here.  It's a classic Pittsburgh tradition.
http://www.primantibros.com/01locations.html - various locations around town

Roland’s
Known for their lobster roll, I particularly enjoy their fried fish sandwiches.
http://www.rolandsseafoodgrill.com/

Pamela’s
Fantastic breakfast place with amazing crepe style hotcakes that will melt in your mouth.
http://www.pamelasdiner.com/ – various locations around town

The Bun is Done

The bun is done!  As I mentioned before, I was expecting my first baby in June.  This child decided to make a fashionably late, but a very welcome and much-anticipated, appearance.  Chris and I welcomed Claire Elise Oliver into our family on June 23, 2010, at 7:01 pm and she weighed 6 lbs., 10 oz.  Now almost two weeks later, Claire is thriving, I'm both exhausted and ecstatic as a first-time mom, and Chris is enjoying his new role as daddy and Claire's personal photographer.  (Speaking of photography, thanks to Chris for the new profile pic and to his mom, Linda, for the fantastic Cooking in Clarendon apron.)

Claire's arrival also marks 9 months from when this Cooking in Clarendon blog was birthed, though it wasn't planned that way.  Though to me, it's a joyful reminder of how my passions of family and food are intertwined and I'm grateful for both.

More recipes and other posts to follow in the coming days...I leave you with this:

The next Clarendon Cook?

Quick Weeknight Meal: Pepper Pasta

I love being able to throw together a delicious meal with things that I have on hand...recipes with special ingredients that I don't have in the pantry drive me nuts, especially when I'm hungry.  This dish was born out of that frustration (or inspiration, if you will).  It's a flexible dish, meaning that if you don't have a green pepper on hand, then omit it.  Just use one red pepper.  Or you can use a jar of roasted red peppers instead.  Or you might want to add some more pepperoni (sometimes I do).  I think I've perfected it now, but if you try it and find something else to add that makes it even better, please let me know!

Pepper Pasta
(Courtesy of Kelly Oliver)

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/2 t. fennel, crushed
1 red pepper, chopped into medium pieces
1 green pepper, chopped into medium pieces
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped into small pieces
1 can diced tomatoes
20-25 thin slices of pepperoni (I use a pre-sliced brand), cut in halves
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 t. basil
1/2 t. oregano
pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
fun-shaped pasta (fusilli, farfalle, penne, rotini, etc.), about a half a box
parmesan cheese, to taste

Method:
Cook pasta according to package directions.  At the same time in a separate pot, heat 2 T. olive oil, adding crushed fennel.  Heat 1-2 minutes.  Add onion, red and green peppers, and saute 5-7 minutes or until softened.  (You may need to add more olive oil for sauteing the vegetables.)

Add diced tomatoes, pepperoni, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, basil, oregano, pepper and salt.  Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes.

Stir cooked pasta into the sauce, mixing well.  (If you prefer having a saucier version, you might want to add another half of a can of diced tomatoes.)

Serve and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Eggstra Special Breakfast

One of my favorite ways to eat eggs as a child was when my mom added egg noodles to the scrambled eggs.  I'm not sure why but it was certainly always a treat!  I got to see my mom the other week when Chris and I visited Pittsburgh and somehow this dish came up in conversation.  So, of course, I went to the store this week and bought some egg noodles.  And yes, it was as good as I remembered.  Even better, Chris enjoyed this too!

Thanks, Mom, for passing along such a wonderful recipe and thanks for being such a great Mom!  I owe my love of cooking to you.

I have a lot of fun food finds from Pittsburgh that I'll share over the coming weeks.  Stay tuned.

Scrambled Eggs with Noodles
(Courtesy of Jean Walmsley, adapted by Kelly Oliver)

Serves: 2 hungry people

Ingredients:
1 T. butter
1/4 cup diced onions
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk (I used skim.)
Garlic salt, to taste (I used roughly 1/4 t.)
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Dried parsley (I used roughly 1/2 t.)
1/4 cup shredded cheese like cheddar, monterey jack, etc.
1/4 to 1/2 cup egg noodles, cooked according to package directions

Method:
Heat frying pan to medium-low.  Melt the butter, and then add the onions, stirring occasionally and cooking about 5-7 minutes or until softened and translucent.  Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl.  Add and stir in the milk, garlic salt, pepper, parsley and cheese.  Add egg mixture to the pan and stir regularly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.  Carefully stir in noodles when the eggs are about halfway cooked.  Finish scrambling the eggs until done.  Serve and enjoy!

Note: You can always make scrambled eggs your way and just add the egg noodles.  The recipe above is completely adaptable.

Peanutty Goodness

Not sure if this really counts as an official pregnancy craving but ever since Easter brought about my favorite Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in plenty, I've been enjoying a lot of desserts with peanut butter.  So I started looking up some recipes on Epicurious.com to see what I could bake using peanut butter, and found the one I'm including below, although there were many tempting options.  Of course, if the trend continues, you'll be sure to see some more peanut butter recipes on this blog very soon.  The peanut butter cookies I made really turned out well...they were light, peanut buttery, and had just the right amount of sweetness.  Even a few days later, their consistency stayed the same, which I can't say about many cookie recipes I've tried.  Enjoy!

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
(Courtesy of Bon Appétit, January 1998 issue)

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, peanut butter and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in both sugars. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir half of dry ingredients into mixture. Add eggs 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in remaining dry ingredients.

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough into 1 3/4-inch-diameter ball. Arrange dough balls 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using back of fork, flatten dough balls and form crosshatch design on tops. Bake cookies until dry on top and golden brown on bottom, about 14 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.)

This recipe can be found at Epicurious.com: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/4645?mbid=ipapp

Easy Entertaining: Baked Lemon-Garlic Shrimp

It's funny how food moods change with the seasons.  Given how warm it's been (unusually warm for Washington, DC as well), I've been wanting lighter, fresher meals.  So when my family came for a visit over Easter weekend, I knew I wanted to make a shrimp dish.  I found the perfect one - Baked Lemon-Garlic Shrimp.  The taste was light and fresh, and it was definitely healthy.  I baked it in one big casserole dish and then served it over cous-cous.  Perfect!  This is a good dish for company since it's easy to assemble and it's healthy.  Your guests will thank you.

Baked Lemon-Garlic Shrimp
(Courtesy of  The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp
1 bunch (10-12 ounces) fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 T. olive or vegetable oil
Salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon-pepper seasoning salt
Parsley sprigs for garnish

Method:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Shell and devein shrimp.

In bowl, combine spinach, tomatoes, 1 T. olive oil, and 1/2 t. salt.  Toss to coat.  Place spinach mixture in four 1-1/2 cup shallow casseroles. (I didn't have individual casserole dishes, so I just used one large casserole dish, which worked just fine.)

In the same bowl, combine shrimp, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, lemon-pepper seasoning salt, 1 T. olive oil, and 1/2 t. salt; toss shrimp to coat.  Arrange shrimp mixture over spinach mixture.

Bake 12-15 minutes, until shrimp are opaque throughout.  If you're using individual casserole dishes, the recipe recommends that you serve this dish by placing each casserole on plate and garnishing with parsley sprigs.  (I served the shrimp over cous-cous.)

Note:  This recipe makes 4 main-dish servings (it allows plenty for seconds or leftovers).  Each serving is about 205 calories, 26g protein, 6g carbohydrates, 8g total fat (1g saturated), 219 mg cholesterol, 865 mg sodium.