Recipe Review from 8/1/2016

Thursday morning we woke up to this.  Well...not exactly when we woke up, but when I was going to head out for work.  SURPRISE!  The Husband wielded the chainsaw as I hauled branches aside and he had the driveway open in a very short time. 

It's been a rather exiting summer for storms here in the Northland...

Saturday I went for a little bike ride:  Great River Energy Mesabi Trail Ride 2016.  I rode from Chisholm, MN to Grand Rapids, MN.  48 miles according to their map, 50 miles according to my bike speedometer and Track feature on my phone.  I believe my speedometer and phone...  It was a fabulous day for a fantastic ride and I can't wait to do it again next year! 

love this site;
photo from the web,

Sunday found us the other direction: Northeast to Gooseberry Falls State Park, where we met up with the Husband's sister who was up visiting from the Cities.  We did a picnic lunch, walked around the Lakeshore, then up to the Lower Falls.  After parting, the Husband and I proceeded to sit in perhaps the worst traffic we have ever encountered going south (west) through Two Harbors.  I knew it was going to be bad - it's weekend traffic heading back south to the Cities - but a three mile back-up was unprecedented for us. 

Note to selves, don't do that again...

Lakeshore (photo from the internet...I left the phone/camera in the car)

Lower Falls (photo from the internet...I left the phone/camera in the car)

The Meal Plan:
Sat (L)  out    (S) grilled wienie wraps  (my guilty pleasure
Sun (L) Shrimp Cobb Salad   (S) Goo Goo Dolls and Collective Soul Concert
Mon (yoga)  leftover salad
Tues - Grilled Vegetable Tortellini Salad
Wed - leftovers
Thurs (yoga) Chef Salad
Fri - leftovers  Pizza

Lunches - bagel sandwiches and wraps, fruit, etc.

Shrimp Cobb Salad (Damn Delicious via Pinterest)  gluten free
The recipe above is what I intended to make.  Final dish was a wee bit different (see below).  I forgot the bacon, I forgot the goat cheese, the avocado's weren't ripe, and I ended up skipping the corn and using summer squash instead. Now, mind, this was still a really good salad, but still not what I had in mind.  So you might see a repeat of this down the road.

The abbreviated/alternate salad came together very quickly, with the eggs taking the longest.  I do recommend pre-hard boiling your eggs so you can just cook the shrimp, assemble and eat.  This also demonstrates how versatile this salad is.  Check out the original, then have some fun with ingredients!

• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp Penzey's Northwoods Seasoning
• 2 large eggs
• 5 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup summer squash, cut into bit sized rounds
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• Vinaigrette dressing of choice 

Instructions

• To make vinaigrette if using.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place eggs in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Cover eggs with a tight-fitting lid and remove from heat; set aside for 8-10 minutes. Drain well and let cool before peeling and dicing. 
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp and seasoning.  Cook until done. 
• To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowls; top with above ingredients.   Serve

Grilled Vegetables and Tortellini Salad  (Garden of Earthly Delights by Shea McKenzie)  vegetarian
I bought this cook book years ago and made a handful of things out of it over the years.  This salad is perhaps a favorite of mine, and one I don't make nearly enough during the height of summer.  This takes advantage of fresh vegetables from the garden or farmers market.   Veggies are grilled, pasta boiled, everything tossed together.  Option to serve with a side salad or some crusty bread.

1 16oz pkg tortellini (cheese for vegetarian, other options for our carnivores)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper, seeded and cut in half
1 green pepper, seeded and cut in half
3 small-medium summer squash, cut in half length wise
6 green onions, trimmed (but left whole)

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tbsp wine vinegar (I used red)
3 tbsp dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh, minced basil
salt and pepper to taste

1) Preheat grill to 350*.
2) Prepare tortellini according to directions on package.  Rinse under cool water and set aside.
2) Place cut vegetables into a glass bowl. 
3) Prepare vinaigrette, stirring to combine.  Pour 1/2 of the vinaigrette over vegetables and toss to combine.  Place vegetables on prepared grill (set bowl aside).  Cook 6 minutes, turn, baste with vinaigrette left in bowl, cook another 6 minutes.  My notes - you may want to remove scallions at this point to prevent burning).
4) Cut cooked vegetables into bit sized pieces and combine with pasta.  Toss with remaining vinaigrette.  Serve with grated Parmesan
cheese.