Hey there and happy Monday!  I feel I have a little bit of hop in my hands on the keyboard tonight.  I am writing this post and watching the Grammy’s at the same time in preparation for tomorrow.  My calendar tomorrow is jam packed with work stuff as well as a meeting with the folks at OpenSky regarding product sourcing.

As an aside, you will never guess what I had for breakfast Saturday morning!  Another classic rendition of Super Star Toast.  You can never get tired of this.

On Saturday evening I was wandering around the kitchen and pantry trying to figure out what I can make for supper.  I was in a weird mood and totally unsure what to prepare.  We had just finished shoveling for about an hour and we were starving.  I remembered that I had bought some fingerling potatoes a week ago and had yet to crack them open.

Just then the light bulb went off…. some roasted potatoes topped with red pepper flakes, chives and some Parmesan cheese.  What a choice!

Ingredients

• 8 Fingerling Potatoes ( cut in 4)
• 1 Tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/4 Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
• Dash of Garlic powder
• 1 Tsp. Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tsp. Chives ( dried or fresh)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees



2. Slice potatoes and rinse ( hand dry)



3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grab a large bowl.
4. Toss the potatoes in a large bowl and coat with all the ingredients ( preserving half the cheese and chives for the end )



5. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown
6. Top with leftover cheese and chives
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Ensuring the potatoes are dry before starting will ensure they get nice and crispy.  I also like to give them a quick turn in the oven about half way through so they get brown on all sides.

These potatoes were amazing!  The red pepper heat warmed us up from being outside and the Parmesan cheese added a great flavor.  I have also been on a huge sea salt kick as of late. Do you use sea salt when you cook?

I am going to watch a little bit more of the Grammy’s, do a sudoku puzzle and call it a night.  Have a great Monday.

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday to you!

Let’s call the past weekend a somewhat productive weekend around the house.  I was able to get the garage set up and cleaned.  It is looking better all the time and I even got to use the pressure washer on the floor which I love to do.  We finally inked the deal and got a second car.  That was exciting.  We bought a used Mazda Protege 5 and so far are loving it.  We were also successful in sourcing a Nintendo Wii and the Wii Fit plus.  My sides and arms are killing me as we speak from boxing just a little too much and perhaps a little to intensely.  But oh my it is FUN.

Let’s start this week off with a simple shrimp recipe that you can do all year round and really impress your taste buds.  Shrimp is really easy to cook, takes hardly anytime and are good for you.  I chose to flavor them today with really two simple flavors; coconut and lime.

Do note that I did eat a lot more shrimp than in the picture.  I was having problems getting a decent picture so I zoomed in on one lonely shrimp so you could see the grilling detail.  With the coconut milk they will get nice and charred if you are not careful.

The flavors compliment each other with the sweet of the coconut and the sharp burst flavor of the lime.  I paired these shrimp with just a simple green salad and fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 20 shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
• 1 Lime
• Salt
• Pepper
• Coconut Milk

Method

1. Place shrimp in a large seal-able baggie. Add the garlic, coconut milk, lime juice, salt and pepper to the bag.
2. Toss to coat shrimp evenly with marinade ingredients. Place bag in refrigerator to marinate for 1 hour.
3. Preheat grill to high heat 475°F – 500°F (245°C-260°C). Oil grill to prevent sticking.
4. Place shrimp directly on the grill and cook for 1 minute per side or until nicely charred and opaque.
5. Remove shrimp from the grill. Serve hot with a drizzle of fresh lime.
6. Serve over salad
7. ENJOY!
   

Zesty Tip: Be careful not to over cook the shrimp.  I have said this numerous times before but it really is the key to success.  Also for an extra kick you could use a little bit of jalapeno pepper to enhance the flavor and make it a bit spicy.

Zest’s To Do List

Today is a bit of a crazy day but I had a pretty good enough of sleep and are ready to go.  On top of normal everyday events that happen at the office I have a ton of blog stuff to get caught up on.

1. Meet with Open Sky about sourcing
2. Work on finishing up the makeover for Mardi at Eat Live  Travel Write.
3. Multiple Logo designs on the go for numerous foodies including FoodForLa, ANutritionisteats.com and BrainGutsHands just to name a few.
4. Complete the free Makeover for Adi at Oatonomy who was the lucky Giveaway winner.
5. Work on the face lift and relaunch of Caitlin’s Operation Beautiful

A Shot of the New Second Hand Car

So there you have it… pretty much a day in the life of zesty couple with a lot of eating, a lot of water and a whole lot of smiles.  I hope you have a great day and I will talk to you later.  The announcement I spoke about is official and I will be talking about it on Thursday.

Take care

zesty