Kitchen Tricks

Any kind of advice pertaining to cutting down preparation time in the kitchen is welcomed. When I first started cooking, it took a few attempts to grasp multi-tasking in the kitchen. What are some of your tricks in the kitchen? Here's one of my favorite shortcuts.

I was making a Chicken Stroganoff dish for dinner and I needed the mushrooms sliced. If you're like me and slow with cutting, then you'll appreciate this trick. Take the mushroom and slice it with an egg slicer. You've got perfectly sliced mushrooms in no time.

I know you're dying to know what our kitchen looks like too. I've included a picture for your curiosity. The stove is a gas stove and I love it. Check out the Nespresso machine to the right of the refrigerator. That's right ladies and gentleman, I'm a coffee drinker. We love our little city apartment.

Go ahead and share some of your kitchen tips and favorite kitchen appliances. I know I have a lot to learn. I'm always overwhelmed browsing stores such as Bed Bath & Beyond because the kitchen utensil selection is the size of my whole apartment. Outrageous.

Broccoli & Shrimp Pasta

It's summer in Sydney! Aussies love their seafood in the summer. It's super strange to see seafood advertised as the Christmas Dinner when I'm used to ham and turkey during the holidays. I made this dish recently and it renewed my love for pine nuts. They are so simple, but packed with flavor flav.

Ingredients: I realize some of these are in grams. Convert them. It's good for your brain.

400 g pasta bows

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups broccoli florets

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup basil, finely chopped

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

30 g parmesan cheese, grated

shrimp (you decide how much you want)

extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the packet directions until al dente. While the pasta is getting it's boil on, place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter has browned, add the lemon juice, broccoli and shrimp. Cook until tender and done, tossing frequently, for about 4-7 minutes. Drain the pasta from the pot and pour directly into the frying pan. Add the pine nuts and basil. Toss all the ingredients to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Dinner is done!

E: 9

A: 8

T: 9 - I love a quick and easy meal!

HH: 8 - He laughs at me when I say things like "flavor flav" while cooking.

My inspiration came from this Cole's recipe for Brown Butter Broccoli Pine Nut & Basil Pasta, but I took away a few words to simplify the title and added shrimp.