Apples

Brown up butter. Add some brown sugar and kosher salt, then toss in a sliced apple. Cook for awhile, till desired apple softness. I added pecans. Then, pour on a nice amount of Southern Comfort, light it on fire. Serve over ice cream.

John's Zesty Shrimp

Johnny made this for me, so I will just post what I think he did.

1 pound of pealed deveined shrimp
2 cloves garlic
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup of orange juice
Feta Cheese

Cook the minced garlic in olive oil for a minute, add tomato sauce and orange juice. Cook for a few minutes on medium. Place the shrimp in the bottom of a baking dish, cover with the sauce, then sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes at 350, until cheese starts to melt.

Fiestaware Stamps

My tangerine Fiesta pitcher has it's very own forever stamp now!

Side note: there are also forever stamps out there staring the loveable Pixar characters. Those sound like they would turn into very expensive stickers in my home!

Marshmallow Apples

These are kind of fun. We went to the apple orchard (twice) this past week, so we have plenty of apples.

I don't have an apple corer. Just the ones that slice and peal, so I tried to use a knife to cut out the core, but it just got crazy. So I had to slice the apple in half, then cut out the core. Replace the core with a marshmallow, sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Put a tiny bit of butter and salt on top, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Jalapeno Poppers

I know, pretty bad pictures. But trust me, they look better than this. Just bad circumstances of photography!

What you are going to need:

• Jalapeno Peppers
• Bacon
• Steak (I use the cheap stuff)
• Italian salad dressing
• toothpicks

Cut the steak up into one inch cubes or chunks or whatever. Marinate in Italian dressing over night. Or as long as possible.

Get your rubber gloves AND goggles on. Trust me, I have gotten burned too many times not to wear BOTH.
Cut the steams off, and slice the jalapenos in half. Scoop out the seeds, get them all, you don't want it to be too hot. Folks complain.

Slice the bacon in half if regular, or thirds if thick cut. Put the steak into half of a jalapeno, wrap it with bacon and secure with a tooth pick. Toss it on the grill, remember to flip them. If you get too many on the grill, like in the top picture, you are going to get flare ups, and will have to just cook it in the oven. Which works well too.

Rib-Eye Steaks and Caprase Salad

John and I were getting all romantic, and ate a dinner all by ourselves. Well, really, he had volleyball and wasn't home till 9, so we had dinner with out the Connor. But I did break out the place mats!

I like my steaks pretty natural, just fresh cracked pepper with kosher salt. Rub in an extra amount, and I let them sit for a few hours in the refrigerator, then on the counter for a half hour or so. I don't like throwing cold meat onto the grill. I grill on preheated medium-high for about 4 minutes on one side, and another 4 on the other. I would recommend more if you like yours more than medium!

Caprase Salad:

• Roma Tomatoes
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Fresh Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Cracked Pepper

Assemble it cutely. Goes very well with the steak. And wine. Of course.

Fried Egg Salad

As I was running out of food last week, I made up these.
Just a basic green salad with cucumbers, red and yellow tomatoes, green peppers, romaine lettuce. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Topped with a fried egg, with I managed NOT to break the yolk. I know, real simple, but sometimes the simple recipes with fresh veggies are the best.