Aisle Twelve

I'm BAAAAAACK!  I know I've been absent in the blogging department lately, but I actually have been cooking on occasion.  I just haven't had the time to blog about it.  I'm sure you've missed me dearly...well now you can dry your eyes. This dinner reminds me of a tropical summer retreat.  It's a fiesta on your plate.  The flavors are big, spicy, bold...in a word, fun.  This would make a great party meal for entertaining; you can make a lot easily and relatively quickly. Of note, Joe and I found these stuffed jalapenos packed quite a lot of heat.  I can take a little, he likes heat, but for whatever reason these jalapenos were firey! Perhaps they were super fresh because I did take out the ribs and seeds.   Or maybe it was because I stuffed them ahead of time and kept them in the fridge which probably caused the heat to infuse the cream cheese.  You probably shouldn't do that.  Learn from my mistakes. These recipes...

If you have followed this blog for awhile, you’ll notice that I have a little love affair with peas (see Lemon Spaghetti with Pea Pesto). Not only do I enjoy their clean, bright taste, but I just love the vibrant, crisp green pearls on your plate. It’s like an accessory for your food, they dress up anything! Take this dish for example. Between the green pearly peas and the adorable farfalle it’s almost too pretty to eat. On a practical level (boo) they are cost effective and keep well in the freezer so you can always have them on hand. Peas are a healthy addition to any meal. Other vegetables must be so envious of the pea. This dish is a take on a recipe from my Everyday Food Cookbook. It was supposed to be Salmon Farfalle with Mint and Peas. A very spring dish. I, however, did not have salmon but decided shrimp would be a good substitute. I know there are cultures, the Mediterranean for example, that use mint in savory dishes but I have to say, I am not a big fan of it in my savory...