Roasted Lemon Basil Shrimp With Angle Hair

What did the lemon say to the lime?
Sour you doin'?

Scrimps! Yay!

Do you say shrimp or scrimps?  I like to call them scrimps, maybe it's a southern thing, maybe I am just a weirdo...awww....let's go with it's a southern thang. 

Summer is such a great time for light and flavorful dishes.  This is a super easy roasted lemon basil shrimp recipe (say that fiver times fast) that works great over pasta, but you could probably put the dish over fresh spinach or rice as well.  Husband added red pepper flakes to his (which is always a good idea, if you like that sort of thing).  The best part, you can get this sucker on the table in under 30 minutes.  Bamzers.

Here's what you need (we made extra, so you could prob serve 3-4 people with this):
1 pound of shrimp
1 lemon, using zest and juice
8 or so tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
handful of fresh basil leaves
6 or so little sweet peppers
handful or so of grape or cherry tomatoes
angel hair pasta
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of white vinegar

Lemon Thyme Baked Salmon and Sauteed Garlic Lemon Kale

What did the fish say when he posted bail?
I'm off the hook!

Deliciousususususuususususussss.....

I must have been on some kind of Thyme-Lemon kick the other day, because in addition to the tasty Raspberry Lemon Thyme Smash we also had this beauty for dinner.

This is my new favorite way to cook salmon.  It came out absolutely flaky, moist and delicious.  Since outside has been full of rain, grilling was not an option.  Into the oven dinner goes! (or on the stove-top if your name is Kale).

Healthy, somewhat fast (under 40 minutes), and warm.

Here's what you need (for 2 people):
For the Salmon:
1 big ol piece of salmon
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons of lemon zest
1/3-1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
For the Kale:
1-2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of garlic, chopped/minced
2-3 large handfuls of kale
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Raspberry Lemon Thyme Smash (A cocktail to get you smashed...)

What do Raspberries like to do after work?
They have jam sessions.

Occasionally, we like to have cocktail hour at our house.  This is a tasty, did I say TASTY, summer cocktail that uses some fresh berries and a pinch of herbs from the garden (yay garden!).

Here's what you need (per cocktail):
6 raspberries
some thyme from the garden
ice
1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons of simple syrup
2-3 tablespoons of gin

Not Your Mama's Pasta Salad

What do you call a fake noodle?
An impasta!

Nooodles!  Noodle, Noodle, Noodle.

Yesterday, I read a cute quote on Pinterest.  "If anyone ever tells you your dreams are silly, remember, there's some millionaire walking around who invented the pool noodle."  Cute, right?  There is a great (and short) article about the inventor of the pool noodle (Steve Hartman) here by Robert Osborne.

But, back to the edible kinds of noodles....

I love a tasty pasta salad.  This one is quick and easy, a perfect lunch option for those with little time.  I used some Ramen whole wheat noodles because they were on hand and they cook fast (like under 4 minutes!).  Looking over the fridge, I found some kale, tomatoes and feta, and BAMZERS there was lunch.

Here's what you need:
1 pack of Ramen (I used Hakubaku Organic Ramen Noodles from World Market, comes with 3 packs)
some cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 tablespoon of sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 large handful of chopped kale
some plain feta crumbles
1-2 teaspoons of aged Balsamic vinegar
1-2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Blueberry Blackberry Lemon Bread

Knock-knock.
Who's there?
Army.
Army who?
Army and you still going for ice cream?

Blueberry Blackberry Lemon Bread.  Say that three times fast.

Over the weekend, I was lucky enough to receive some fresh picked blueberries from my buddy Whitt.  Hopefully this recipe will do her berries justice.

So many delicious things are made with blueberries: pie, cobbler, crisp, muffins, cake, fruit salad, smoothies, Gin cocktails, or just straight up.  I decided to go with a bread (the thicker bigger version of a muffin).  We picked up some blackberries on sale at Kroger and lots of lemons....mmm....berries and lemon....add sugar and you've got a party for your mouth. 

Here's what you need (for 2 loaves, one for you, one to share):
3 cups of blueberries and blackberries
3 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
12 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 cups of sugar, plus 2/3 cups of sugar for glaze
4 eggs
4 teaspoons of lemon peel
1 cup of milk
7 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Apples and Bacon

What day do chickens hate the most?
Fry-days.

Although not fried, this Grilled Chicken is sure to make your mouth happy.

Finally, the rain stopped and the sun abated enough for a good grill out on the back porch Thursday night.  This Grilled Chicken Spinach Salad with Apples and Bacon was a quick and tasty dinner (it would also be also a really good lunch or brunch option).  We served ours up with a simple tomato rice.

Here's what you need:
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (we only used 1 for 2 people and saved the other for the next day)
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1-2 teaspoons of paprika
salt and pepper to taste
2 carrots, chopped
6 radishes, chopped
1 apple (we used fuji)
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 large handfuls of spinach
3 slices of bacon, cooked and diced

Baked Kale

Why do cabbages win at races?
Because, they know how to get a-head.

I don't know about you, but we had a ton of leftovers from Easter weekend.  For dinner tonight, I heated up leftover lamb, turkey and then made a quick Baked Kale.

Here's what you need for the Baked Kale (get your own meaty leftovers):
1 bunch of kale (I only used half for the 2 of us for dinner)
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt
pepper
olive oil

Clam Linguine with White Wine and Red Peppers

Why wouldn't the clam share his treasure?
Because he was a little shellfish.

 Sunday nights are typically family dinner at my husband's parent's house.  This week we volunteered to cook and give them a night off (which worked out, because the day before we made the mistake of going to Costco hungry and somehow came home with 5 lbs of littleneck clams!).

I decided to try my hand at some Clam Linguine with White Wine and Red Peppers.

Here's what you need for plenty of food for 6 people:
5 lbs of littleneck clams
1 teaspoon of kosher salt, plus 1-2 teaspoons of kosher salt
1 box of linguine
2 beautiful red peppers
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 cup of dry white wine
1 cup of clam juice
1/2 bunch of fresh Italian parsley
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
1-2 lemons for squeezing

Iced Green Tea with Lemon and Honey

What did the bee say to the flower?
Hello Honey!

Since I am from the south, I love to make iced tea.  This is a quick recipe for Iced Green Tea with Lemon and Honey.

Here's what you need:
boiling water
stardard size teapot
5 bags of green tea
1/2-1 lemon
1 tablespoon of honey
pitcher