Another easy 20 minute dish for you today! This creamy rice is reminiscent of a risotto, only much easier and much healthier too! 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 cup arborio rice

1 cup white wine

salt and pepper

1 pound shrimp, peeled

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

8 springs fresh thyme 

1/4 cup fresh parmesan shavings

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1/2 your oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, cook your onion until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the wine and rice and cook on medium high heat until the wine is absorbed, this should take about 2 minutes. Add your water and 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper to your pan. Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, should take just under 20 minutes. While your rice is cooking, toss your shrimp with oil, salt, pepper, the tomatoes, thyme, and garlic. Roast them on a baking sheet in the oven until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 15 minutes. When your rice is done, mix in a little parm or sprinkle it on top as a garnish, serve your shrimp on top of the rice. 

Lovely, easy, with nice flavor combinations. What more could you want for a great weeknight meal? 

Easy weeknight meals are a must when you make a homemade meal every night. This chicken dish is just that. I love meals that can be made ahead of time and then easily cooked when ready. 

3 chicken breasts 

Juice and zest of 3 limes 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1 tablespoons melted butter 

Place your chicken breasts in a ziplock bag. Add the juice of 3 limes, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic to the bag. Let marinate for at least an hour or more. Place your chicken and marinade in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with melted butter, and salt and pepper lightly. Cook at 425 for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. When cooked, sprinkle with lime zest and serve over quinoa. 

Fresh, easy, low fat, affordable, what more could you want in a dish? Enjoy! 

It's amazing the people I've run into lately who don't like shrimp...what!  Shrimp is food fit for the gods.  It absorbs flavors so well you can marinate them in almost anything.  I found this recipe on the web, and guess what I added to  make it even tastier, yep Lavender.  This recipe can be grilled on a skewer or sautéed in a skillet.  Either way I guarantee you'll love it.  Serve over Some Basmati rice or try the gingered rice featured on this blog previously.    

Bon Appetite,   
Peggy


LAVENDER PINEAPPLE SHRIMP 


Serves 4 as main course, or 6-8 as appetizer


2 lbs. Cleaned Shrimp ( I used the 26-30 )
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbs. lavender honey (or plain honey)
4 Tbs. cilantro ( can leave out if not fond of cilantro)
4 Tbs. chopped green onions
3 cloves garlic minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
11/2 tsp. culinary Lavender crushed in mortar and pestle
salt and pepper to taste


Clean shrimp and set aside.  Combine all the rest of the ingredients for marinade.  Marinate shrimp for at least 30 minutes.   If you are sautéing shrimp, heat 1 Tbs  olive oil and 2 Tbs. butter.  Drain shrimp , reserve marinate.  Saute until shrimp is pink and cooked through.  In the meantime heat marinate and reduce by I/2.  if grilling, grill for about 3 minutes per side.  If using bambo skewers soak in a water a couple of hours before use.   

My lovely friend just completed his first deer hunt. His beautiful wife had no idea what to do with all of that venison, so they gifted a bunch of it to us. While deer and elk love to frequent the lavender apple farm, they don't frequent the kitchen. 

When I looked online for a good venison recipe, all I could find was hunting websites. And no offense to all of my hunter friends, but most of the recipes I found just had you brown the meat with a jar of marinara sauce and call it good. We wanted to try something a little bit gourmet. We also thought simmering the meat for 30 minutes removed the gamey-ness of the meat. By the time we were done you could not have guess this was not a beef sauce! 

1 lb venison
1/2 onion
1/2 bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp Tyme
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp parsley
Salt pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1 stalk celery
3/4 box spaghetti noodles 

Brown your venison in a large saucepan with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and Pepper lightly.  
Once thoroughly browned, remove it from the pan and set aside. Using the left over grease in the pan, cook your onions, celery, and bell pepper until softened. Salt and pepper lightly. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. And 1/2 a cup of white wine and simmer for a few minutes. Add your diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, marinara sauce, oregano, tyme, parsley, and salt and pepper lightly. Simmer for 30 minutes. When you sauce has about 10 minutes left, boil your pasta in salted water. Combine pasta and sauce, top with fresh parmesan. 

This may not be the fancy Parisian dishes you are used to seeing from Peggy, but its the perfect down home farm meal for anyone looking for a great way to utilize your deer meat! 

Enjoy!