The Novel Bakers ~ Gathering in the Garden ~ Part I

This time the Novel Bakers are cooking from "Gathering in the Garden", a cute book written by Shelley Snow and Elaine Husband.
Shelley and Elaine have been lifelong friends from the time they were young girls, growing up in much simpler times. If you're a baby boomer, you will easily identify with these two delightful women and some of  their experiences.
They had much in common then, (as we learn through the book),  and are still best friends some 50+ years later.
They and their families live in Tennessee ~  both women are recognized watercolorist;  their artwork is featured throughout the book.
This fun little gem of a book is filled with ideas for themed parties for today, and is interspersed with memories (at times hilarious) of their time growing up together.
~*~*~*~*~

I must say, this assignment has been a bit of a challenge for me since the forest fires around here drastically cut into the time we were able to spend outdoors ~ so this post was put together rather hastily (yesterday) on one of the first clear (ash free) and cooler days since the fires began in late July.

Ahem. I think I'm not so good at following 'themes' sometimes (that's just me...) So I skipped around and chose recipes from the book that fit in with what we normally eat.  I fudged a little and tweaked the recipes to suit our tastes. 



Not many cherry tomatoes this year, so I picked other tomatoes from the garden and made the Pickled Shrimp recipe (I omitted the olives and substituted sliced baby cucumbers from the garden.) 



Cover painting "Still Life with Blue Goblet" by co-author Shelley Snow. (watercolor)





I took some liberties and made a Roasted Bell Pepper and Crab Bisque,  because it complements the shrimp (though the soup recipe is not in the book.)  You can serve it hot or cold.




We're relishing the last few days of summer  here . . .




I served the soup with some slices of Asiago cheese bread.

Roasted Red Pepper soup with Crabmeat, garnished with Cilantro.





Tomato Salad from the garden harvest, drizzled with herb vinaigrette and served with Pickled Shrimp. I used the same vinaigrette for both the tomatoes and the shrimp... (see below.)

I love the fresh  colors of summer on a plate . . .




Fishy ~  Crate and Barrel glass tumblers from years ago.



 Zebra striped green tomatoes ~ one of my favorite varieties, very sweet and mild.






Savoring every fresh vine ripened tomato from the garden . . .








. . . because soon they will be gone. 
We won't be able to enjoy these treasures until next year.





Okay.
Truth in recipes . . . 
I didn't use the bottled dressing as the authors' recipe instructed.   I made my old tried and true simple dressing/marinade for the cooked shrimp:

Your favorite minced herbs  (I used fresh parsley and chives from the garden),  minced garlic if you want ~ a bit of oil, your favorite vinegar,  salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar or  other sweetener  just to mellow it a bit. 

You can't beat it ~ it's FRESH. And the bonus is, no synthetic taste, no chemicals or preservatives  (and costs only pennies.)





You can serve a few shrimp on the tomato salad . . .





. . .  or serve each person a bowl of shrimp.  :)





I hope you, too, are enjoying these last days of summer for this year.
Thank you for coming by to visit!


Please stop by Wednesday for the next post from our featured book.

And please do check the other Novel Bakers to see their fabulous impressions of  "Gathering in the Garden"

Unlike me, I'm sure they followed the rules . . .  ;-)



a quiet life blog
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Bon Appétit!

Shrimp Toasts ~ Chinese Style (Fried or Baked!)

Honestly, I can't tell you if these are authentically Chinese... however,  I have found recipes for them in Chinese cookbooks written by Chinese-American authors who were born in China. And I know the translated name for them is pronounced  'Ha Toe See'...but the "sandwich bread" aspect of the recipe causes me to wonder.  Maybe one of my readers can tell us more about the origin the the recipe?






I've been making them for years, and anyone who likes shrimp usually finds them irresistible.
Not low in fat, but the good news is rather than frying them you can bake them instead.
I combined a couple of recipes to come up with my own version, and rather than mincing all of the ingredients, I use the food process ~ so much faster and neater!






Recipes vary in ingredients somewhat but all call for raw prawns, scallions, water chestnuts, an egg (or egg white), cornstarch, dry cocktail sherry and a little salt, and those are the ingredients I use.


Other recipes include ginger, garlic and fresh fresh pork fat ~ but I find these flavorful enough without the extras.







They make a great little appetizer to go along with your favorite cold beverage or hot tea ~ I've also served them as an accompaniment to a (non-authentic) Chinese Salad or Wonton soup.






The sesame seed/paprika topping is added before baking or frying...it is optional (but I always include it as it keeps the shrimp topping succulent, and prevents the shrimp from over cooking.)  Cilantro garnish is also optional, but I always serve mine with some homemade Coleman's mustard for dipping, for those who want a bit of heat.




If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, you can find it on the Once Upon a Plate recipe blog ~
HERE.




Thank you for stopping by and thank you for any comments you would like to leave; I truly enjoy reading your feedback!   Have a great week ahead everyone.  xo

Pacific Coast Seafood Chowder

Pacific Coast Seafood Chowder ~ Why Pacific Coast?

Because that's where I am, and where my seafood for this chowder is from. :)

Growing up on the Peninsula of the San Francisco Bay Area, we were surrounded by water; the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

Naturally, since my dad was an avid boats man and fisherman, the fish he caught was on the table frequently (sometimes it seemed TOO often for us kids.)

From the bay we usually had Sea Bass. Other times he would take family and friends on overnight excursions out in the Pacific through the Golden Gate for Salmon, Rock Fish, Snapper and the like. Another treat was fresh, trap-caught Dungeness crab.

The bass was either baked or poached. Rock Fish and Snapper were usually pan-fried.

Years ago our summer vacations were spent on the boat in the Sacramento River Delta, then we would occasionally have big fish frys (usually catfish) with friends from other boats. While there we would catch bass, often crayfish/crawdads, once in a while carp, and less frequently, sturgeon. I don't remember eating the carp or sturgeon.

Salmon was fixed a number of ways; broiled, baked, poached, steamed or grilled. My French grandfather would sometimes gently poach the most lovely salmon cheeks and serve them with lemony-garlic butter, or his silky hollandaise. YUM! And, because the salmon was so plentiful, mom and dad brined and moist-smoked a good portion of it for our own enjoyment, and as gifts for family and friends.

That was always a great treat, and everyone always looked forward to receiving filets of freshly smoked succulent salmon.

Of all the fish we had though, the ONLY way I remember my folks making seafood chowder was the brothy tomato based style (similar to Manhattan clam chowder.) I still like that style very much, but I also like seafood chowder prepared this way, too. No long simmering either, so it can be on the table in well under an hour, but it's great when reheated as well.

Recipes for this kind of creamy chowder are made using generally the same method ~ however I devised this one because I wanted a recipe that was not too gloppy and thick as some tend to be so the seafood flavors are prominent. Milk replaces the cream (or half and half), though it does contain butter so it is not low fat.

One thing is for certain... it is very flavorful and it is my all-time favorite Seafood Chowder. The perfect thing to chase the chill on a damp, gray day.

If it sounds like something you might like I would love to share my recipe with you. If you try it, I hope you'll find it as enticing as we do.

You can find it HERE on my recipe blog.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Sweet Kate's Sweet Mustard Shrimp for Foodie Friday

It's FRIDAY and time for FOODIE FRIDAY hosted by

Michael's DESIGNS by GOLLUM!

Please check out everyone who is participating by clicking the logo above.

I gave a sneak peek of this recipe yesterday on my "Retro Luncheon" theme for Tablescape Thursdays (click to see.)Kate (on her blog A Spoonful of Thyme) recently shared this recipe ~it received raves here. Thank you Kate!!

It's a terrific appetizer, but I served it as a main course with a vintage recipe from the 50's ~ maybe your mother or grandmother made this as well? It's a simple pea, water chestnut, celery salad with a creamy dressing. It was the perfect meal on a hot day.

A perfect balance of sweet and tangy ~ the shrimp can be steamed or poached then marinated, or marinated then grilled.

Perfect party food too ~ If you like shrimp, I think you may love this recipe.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe you can check out Kate's blog, or

click HERE to go to my recipe blog and see the minor changes I made to make it suitable to our dietary requirements.

Thank you again Kate! I'll think of you every time I prepare this. :)

I served Kate's Shrimp with "Good Old Pea Salad", a long-time standby when you need a quick salad, or side dish. If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, please click HERE.

Thank you for coming by today ~

please leave me a comment so I can come visit your blog!

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Thai-Style Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken and Spicy Peanut Dressing

One of my favorite salads ~ it includes lots of interesting textures all topped off with a sweet-tangy-spicy peanut sauce.


You can use any greens that you like; spinach, spring greens, cabbage, etc.

You could add crispy noodles if you like...




Rather than grilled chicken you can use rotisserie chicken meat, or any grilled or seared beef, pork, prawns or tofu.

If you would like a printable copy of the recipe, you can find it on my recipe blogCLICK here.

I hope you enjoy it if you try it. Thank you for stopping by! :)

Wonton Shrimp Blossoms

I first tasted these treats at a bridal shower several years ago ~ they were so good and so popular, I knew I had to get the recipe. I scribbled it down on the back of an envelope, and have been making them at least once a year ever since.

I don't know what the original name was, so I just call them Wonton Shrimp Blossoms, because they resemble a flower blossom. It works for me, but you can call them whatever you want ~ I just hope you will try them. They are great in hot weather or cold and with frozen shrimp so readily available now, you can enjoy them anytime.

Don't hesitate to use frozen shrimp for this recipe as it is just one component of the final product; it is cooked and chopped before mixing with the other ingredients so the texture doesn't matter so much.

If you are looking for a shrimp appetizer that won't break the budget, this might be the one for you. Only 10 ounces of shrimp makes 24 appetizers, but they have a nice shrimp flavor and the wontons baked this way add a great contrast to the creamy filling.

Wonton Shrimp Blossoms

Makes 24 bite size appetizers

24 square wonton skins/wraps

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

10 ounces peeled, cooked shrimp, finely chopped

2 green onions/scallions, finely chopped

1/3 cup carrot, finely grated

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

Small pinch cayenne pepper, or dash of Tabasco sauce

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

Spray mini muffin pan with cooking spray. With a pastry brush, brush one side of each wonton square with melted butter and gently press into muffin cups, buttered side up.

Bake 8 minutes or until brown and crisp. Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, combine cream cheese and remaining ingredients, mixing well.

With a small scoop (or 2 teaspoons), fill each baked wonton cup with a rounded scoop of shrimp mixture. Place filled cups on a baking sheet as you fill them, then bake 5 to 6 minutes, or until filling is hot and bubbling around edges.

Make plenty because everyone always gobbles them up. There are never any left when I make them! I hope you like them, too.