Fresh Peach Mozzarella Salad

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Stir. Spread. Flip. Repeat: Fresh Peach Mozzarella Salad! Turn an ordinary fruit salad into a peachy pinwheel. It’s like offering sunshine on a plate. Think about it. Glorious peaches have a floral sweetness with a juicy delivery that satisfies any palate. The milky tenderness of the fresh mozzarella compares itself to a luscious layer of cream. Is it any wonder cheese lovers rave about it?

FRESH PEACH MOZZARELLA SALAD

Ingredients:

16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced and cut in halves

3 peaches, pitted and sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Baby spinach leaves

Instructions:

On salad plates, arrange fresh mozzarella halves, peach slices, and baby spinach leaves. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, and white pepper. Drizzle dressing over all. Serve immediately.

Edamame Chicken Breast

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Stir. Spread. Flip. Repeat: Edamame Chicken Breast! If it is time to make a few minor adjustments to your dietary needs, think edamame. These little green cousins of the pea are high in essential vitamins, minerals, and slightly nutty. Their subtle sweet flavor offers a freshness that can add depth to any meal. Anyone looking for a meatless option can double the portion of edamame and skip the chicken. I believe everything is good in moderation.

EDAMAME CHICKEN BREAST

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons garlic wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon za’atar seasoning

1/4 red onion, sliced

1 cup edamame, steamed

1/4 cup radish slices

Green onion curls, for garnish

Instructions:

Place chicken breasts in a single layered shallow dish. Combine olive oil, garlic wine vinegar, and za’atar seasoning. Mix well. Pour over chicken breasts. Cover; Marinate in the refrigerator for one hour. Preheat gas grill to 400°. Oil the grates to keep the chicken from sticking. Place the marinated chicken on the preheated grill. Discard marinade. Close the grill lid. Cook 6-8 minutes, then flip the chicken with grill tongs. Close lid and cook 6-8 minutes longer, or until the internal temperature of the chicken breast is 165°. Transfer chicken to a platter; allow to rest before cutting. Meanwhile, place edamame in a microwave-safe dish with 2 tablespoons water. Cover. Microwave on High for 3 minutes. Drain. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Divide edamame onto two dinner plates. Place a chicken breast over top. Add sliced red onions and sliced radishes. Garnish with green onion curls. Serve.

Double-Shot Espresso Whip

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Stir. Spread. Flip. Repeat: Double-Shot Espresso Whip! Are you tired of the calorie-laden coffee drinks that leave you sluggish from a sugar high instead of energized for your next project? Perhaps it’s time to fall in love with an espresso machine that delivers rich flavor along with a frothy texture thick enough to handle a whipped cream crown. You’ll never find anything better than this. But it’ll cost you in time and money, initially. The challenge lies in finding the right espresso machine for you. The rewards are totally worth it.

DOUBLE-SHOT ESPRESSO WHIP

Ingredients:

2 double shots espresso toast coffee

Whipped cream

Pinch cinnamon

Ingredients:

Fill two demitasse cups with double shots of freshly brewed espresso. Top with swirls of whipped cream. Sprinkle cinnamon powder over all. Serve immediately.

Coctel de Camerones

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Stir. Spread. Flip. Repeat: Coctel de Camerones! Two of my favorite foodstuff cravings time after time lead me to cocktail shrimp and Mexican cuisine. A friend shared his secret recipe, adding clam juice, to enhance the liveliness this dish creates for the taste buds. For now, I put it on pause to use at a later time. The spicy Bloody Mary concoction is bold beyond measure. It is also all-natural, gluten free, and contains no high fructose corn syrup. Treat yourself to the real thing.

COCTEL DE CAMERONES

Ingredients:

2 cups Spicy Bloody Mary mix

1/3 cup medium chunky salsa

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Everything But Bagel seasoning

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 ripe avocado, chopped after skin and pit discarded

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 yellow sweet onion, chopped

12 jumbo precooked shrimp, tails removed

Fresh cilantro, chopped

Tortilla chips

Instructions:

In a large bowl, combine Spicy Bloody Mary mix, medium chunky salsa, Worcestershire sauce, Everything But Bagel seasoning, kosher salt, dried Italian herbs, lime juice, chopped avocado, chopped tomato, and chopped sweet onion. Mix well. Divide “cocktail sauce” equally between four stemmed glasses. Place three jumbo shrimp in each glass. Top with chopped cilantro. Chill for one hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Blackberry Griddle Pancakes

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Stir. Spread. Flip. Repeat: Blackberry Griddle Pancakes! There’s a couple of hard-fast rules for fluffy homemade pancakes. Do not over stir. As much as it comes from habit, don’t do it. Also, always combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately before folding them together. It means more dishes, but it’s worth it. Baking soda and baking powder actually create that wonderful light texture that fills the pancake with air. So, that being said, are you ready to give it a whirl? Remember: a good cook still eats the mistakes.

BLACKBERRY GRIDDLE PANCAKES

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sour cream

2 eggs

Instructions:

Preheat griddle to 375°. For gas stove griddles, set knob at medium-low setting for 10-15 minutes. While griddle is heating, sift flour into a bowl. Add sugar, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well. In another bowl, combine milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, cider vinegar, sour cream, and eggs. Mix well. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently fold together, without over mixing. Allow the batter to rest for 5 minutes. The batter will be thick and bubbly. Lightly oil the heated griddle with butter. Gently pour 1/4 cup pancake batter onto the griddle. Do not overcrowd. Allow the pancakes to cook until bubbles appear around the edges, about 4 minutes. Then flip pancakes and cook 2 minutes longer until done. Remove from griddle and serve warm pancakes with creamy butter, fresh blackberries, and pure maple syrup.