Innie or Outie

This is an easy way to have a cool meal during the hot summer days, Summer Salad:

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This tasty salad consisted of iceberg lettuce, arugula, Hubby’s salad greens, tuna, scampi, avocado, cherry tomatoes, bacon chunks, basil, parsley, oregano, lemon juice, white pepper, ared bell pepper topped with a creamy French dressing. To accompany the salad, we had assorted cheese wraps.

When we grill, I usually help with the food prep. Hubby decided to give me a day off and did all the prep and cooking on this dish, Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Sausage-Liver Penne:

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The pasta was precooked on the stove. Then topped with spicy sausage, smoked liver, mushrooms, and rosemary that had been grilled in a foil wrap on the BBQ pit. He added a simple salad made with homegrown greens from his first patio garden boxes. The greens were mixed with iceberg lettuce and cherry tomatoes and dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette.

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We finally had a few good days of weather and a break in our schedules. So we decided to give a try to a new outdoor dish, Papa’s Grilled Almost-Seafoodless Paella:

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For this version Hubby used rice, olive oil, Italian sausage, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, clams, onion, chicken, garlic slices, oregano, parsley, white pepper, saffron, chicken broth, thyme, bay leaves, and lemon slices.

Hubby’s in the mood for local food again, Papa’s Eggless Fried Rice:

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Hubby used sesame oil, spam, mushrooms, garlic slices, bacon, and spring onions for this version of fried rice. He didn’t use eggs because they tend to upset my stomach on occasion.

Hubby is trying another delicious chicken dish, Papa’s Lemon Chicken with White Wine Sauce Penne Dinner:

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Hubby arrived at the idea by combining two seperate recipes. First he a sautéed the chicken in olive oil, then added garlic, butter, lemon, oregano, and white wine. After plating the penne, he topped it with the chicken and then sprinkled with some parmesan cheese. To accompany the dish, hubby made a small salad of iceberg lettuce, arugula, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and bacon bits with creamy dressing.

This is a scrumptous fish dinner hubby came up with, Papa’s Sautéed Inubaa with Bleu Cheese Sauce Dinner:

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For the meal hubby sautéed the inubaa fillet (a local fish usually reserved for sashimi) in olive oil and fresh rosemary. The asparugus was steamed and then quickly sautéed in olive oil. Both were plated with rice topped with cracked toasted sesame seeds; the fish fillet was topped with fresh basil and then covered with a milk-bleu cheese sauce. To accompany the meal, he added a simple salad of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, red bell pepper, bacon bits, and cherry tomatoes with a creamy cheese dressing.

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Sometimes springtime can get humid enough to make it a little uncomfortable in the kitchen. Here’s a simple solution that requires very little heat, Papa’s Spring Salad:

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Hubby used iceberg lettuce, arugula, bacon, shrimp, red onion, avocado, and cherry tomatoes topped with a creamy cheese dressing. To accompany the salad, he made garlic toast strips.

Hubby decided to try his hand at a Tex-Mex flavor meal, Papa’s Salsa Sauce Dinner:

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This simple, but tasty, meal consisted of steak cubes sautéed in olive oil, boiled carrots and potaotes sautéed in olive oil, and blanched handama (Okinawan spinach). The items were plated and then smoothered in a salsa sauce recipe he found on this Japanese foodie site.

Here is a quickie dish I came-up with that makes use of hubby’s leftover sauce, Shrimp and Mushrooms in Tuna-Lemon Sauce Pasta:

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Bow-tie pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
25 frozen shrimp (partially defrosted)
1/4 medium red onion (diced)
1 teaspoon minced garlic paste
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger paste
1 samll can sliced button mushrooms (drained)
1 cup Tuna-Lemon sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Grated parmesan cheese
Fresh parsley sprigs

Prepare pasta according to directions on package.

Meanwhile, cook shrimp in olive oil in skillet on medium heat. Once slightly pink, stir in onion, garlic, pepper, soy sauce, ginger, and mushrooms to the shrimp and liquid from remaining from defrosting. Continue to cook until most of the liquid has boiled down. Add tuna-lemon sauce to the mixture and bring to a light boil. Stir in cornstarch to thicken.

Once cooked, strain pasta and return to pot. Add shrimp mixture and chopped parsley to the pasta and toss lightly. Place in serving dishes, sprinkle with parmesan, and garnish with parsley sprigs.

Since we were having a busy day, hubby threw together a quick salad – Papa’s Okinawan Spinach Salad:

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For this salad, he used iceberg lettuce, handama (Okinawan spinach), spring onions, cherry tomatoes, and bacon bits topping it all with a bottled Japanese creamy cheese dressing.

Hubby was in the mood to cook something a little less complicated, Papa’s Yakisoba:

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Stir-fried spam, carrot, onion, bell pepper, and soba noodles in sesame oil with ketchup, white pepper, and soy sauce added for seasoning.