Shrimp With White Beans and Toast

Needed for Consumption:
4 slices country bread
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound frozen peeled and deveined medium shrimp, thawed
salt and black pepper
1 15 oz. can white beans, rinsed
4 cups baby arugula

How To:

Spread the bread on both sides with 2 tablespoons of the butter and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side; remove. Wipe out the skillet and melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp, season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and simmer until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes. Fold in the beans and arugula and cook just until the beans are heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve over the bread.

Chicken Paprikash - Paprikash - Paprikash!

I can't think of chicken paprikash without thinking of Billy Crystal in the movie, When Harry Met Sally. For that reason alone, it was a fun thing to try!

Needed for Consumption:
2 tablespoon olive oil

2 pounds chicken breast
Salt and black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 28 oz. can stewed tomatoes
2 tablespoon paprika
12 ounces wide egg noodles
1/4 cup light sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

How To:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Cook until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side; remove from the pot. Add the remaining olive oil, the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (crush them as you add them), paprika, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken in the mixture and simmer, partially covered, until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions. Top egg noodles with the chicken and sauce, sour cream, and fresh dill.

Lao Tzu Chuan - Chinatown, Chicago

Hao chi, indeed, a restaurant not to be messed with, or missed. Cheng Du dumplings - some of the more amazing dumplings I have eaten - incredible. The boiled beef dish - not something I would usually choose (boiled beef?) but the chili's seemed too copious to pass up, turned out to be a good decision. Do you love Chinese food? Do you yearn for spice that literally takes your breath away? Do you love trying to identify ten different flavors in your mouth at once? Needless to say, I have plans to return later this week.

Perfect Food, Perfect Location

Pineapple mango and cherry coconut shaved ice. Wow.

Kauai, Hawaii