Manga Manga Manga!

Lately, my favorite foods have been as follows....

Hummus - my new favorite recipe is from Ina Garten....love her.  I am hooked on hummus for lunch - either with pita bread or in a veggie wrap.  We also use this to make an appetizer that my turned us onto...spread the hummus on a platter/plate to serve from, and then top with feta crumbles, halved grape tomatoes and sliced black olives.  Yum.

Lemon Fusili with Arugala - another Ina specialty!  I know this may not sound very appealing at first, but trust me, it is delicous!  We add chicken, and enjoy it hot or cold!

from Food Network

Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary and Garlic - Hallie made this for me, and it goes down in history as the best pork tenderloin I have ever had.  It was cooked to perfection.  Because of the kiddos needing to get to bed, it sat for an hour before we ate it...we don't know if that extra time helped lock in all the flavor, or what, but regardless...super simple and absolutely delicious.


Polenta Fries with Parmesan Truffle dip - We had these at 51 Lincoln, and I have been thinking of them ever since.  They were the best part of our meal there.  I could only find the pre-made polenta at the store the other day, so I cut it up into wedges, sprayed with some olive oil, sprinkled some kosher salt on them, and baked for about 25 min at 375 - or until they start to turn golden brown.  They were a hit.  I am sure they would be super tasty if fried, but we just opted for the healthier version this time.

I botched the dip...I can't find the exact recipe I am looking for online, so I attempted one with sour cream, mayo, parm, and black truffle oil.  I think we needed a different oil - maybe white truffle?  I am not sure, but I am going to keep working on it.  Next time, I will try to use a base of creme fraiche, like this recipe, but the store was out of it this time.

Rum Coconut Lime Pie - Sean requested this for his bday - nice and refreshing for the warm weather.  The crust makes this one.  I can't remember where I found this one...but here is the recipe if you are interested...

Rum Coconut Key Lime Pie

1 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

½ cup lime juice

1 tsp. rum (optional)

coconut crust

1 tablespoon sweetened flaked coconut, toasted

-Beat cream cheese and milk with an electric mixer at medium speed, until smooth

-Add lime juice and if desired, rum, stirring to combine

-Pour filling into coconut crust

-Sprinkle evenly with coconut

-Cover and chill at least 12 hours or until set.

Coconut Crust

(makes 1  9 inch crust)

12-14 cream filled vanilla sandwich cookies, finely crushed (about 1.25 cups)

1 cup sweetened flake coconut, toasted

6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Combine all ingredients.  Firmly press on bottom and up sides of a 9 inch pie plate.

Cover and chill 30 minutes.