Monday, July 20, 2009

Dentists and A Perfect Summer Dinner


I don't go to the dentist anymore for a simple cleaning.. oh, I go every six months like the good little patient I am.. but it's never that easy.. 

No, life on the other side of fifty is more complicated than that. Seems every filling I've ever had is now listed on the Smithsonian's Dental Roles as antique and has to be redone.

Redone is code word for Root Canal. 

Now my dentist, bless his heart, always tries his best to avoid the dreaded Root Canal. But my antique mouth resists all manner of dental work. It wants the cadillac of service. 

I swear one tooth looks at the other and says, how come she gets a brand new shiny crown and I have to settle for a standard old filling? 

This tooth bemoans their filling state over the coarse of a few days until BAM - a full blown toothache wakes me in the middle of the night, mouth pounding, jaw screaming... 

So here I am waiting for my dentist, bless his heart, to call me back and send me off to the special root canal dentist. Then I'll go back to my dentist for the crown that will cost me somewhere around a $gazillion dollars. 

I'm glad we had the perfect summer dinner last night. Tonight I'll be sipping soup, and taking motrin. 

Grilled Steak, Shrimp and Pesto Corn: (for two)

Not a pot in the house gets used for this dinner. Pour a nice Rose, make the pesto in advance , then sit back and let the man do the cooking:

2 Rib Eye Steaks (or meat of choice)
1/2 pound Extra Large Shrimp (about 8)
2 ears fresh shucked sweet corn
Pesto (recipe follows)
Olive Oil 
Salt and Pepper

Take steak out of fridge one hour before cooking time. 
Peel and devein shrimp. Thread on skews
Drizzle steaks and shrimp with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper (both sides)

Heat Grill to Medium High

Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or more)
salt and pepper

Place basil in food processor, pulse a few times. Add cheese and pine nuts and process until almost smooth. With motor running, drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse one or more times.

Paint pesto on fresh shucked corn. 

Grill steaks, shrimp and corn until done. 

Slice some watermelon for dessert. 

Mmmm... tastes like summer. 

A Cook's Notes:
The pesto freezes beautifully! I freeze it in little 1/4 cup containers, then use it all winter long on pasta, pizza and chicken. 

11 comments:

  1. I never thought about feezing pesto! That is a fabulous idea!

    Notice how I'm not commenting on the dentistry thing?! blech.

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  2. Kathy B,

    Oh yes - it freezes for up to a year!!

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  3. So next on your list is a cook-book, right? Thanks for motivating me to make all your delicious dishes. My family might be in love with this lady that lives all the way across the country and gives Mom all sorts of great ideas--that is you my dear!

    I have to tell you a little story. You are in New Jersey, yes? When my kids and nephew were little we had a monster problem...they were always hanging around at the worst times. I finally broke down and told him Monsters do not live in Washington, they live all the way across the country in New Jersey. No disrespect to New Jersey, I knew that I could have picked other states but I did not. The words New Jersey were so darn cute coming out of a 2 year old. Will you forgive me-because clearly Angels live in New Jersey.

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  4. and about those teeth--ouch! Take care of yourself. I am sure you have a stockpile of soft goodies to nibble on. Hope TBHITW waits on you hand and foot!

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  5. Tamis,

    Monsters do live in New Jersey - I just feed them and the go away. They are such a bother though. We Pennsylvanians know how to deal with monsters... even the nasty NJ ones!

    Thank you for the kind words - you made my day... mouth is on the road (hopefully) to recovery.. I'm making Olive Oil and Thyme muffins with Lemon Glaze to help with the healing process...

    I'll post the recipe tomorrow!!

    You take care!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ghaaa I can relate to the dentist thing. What is it about the over-fifty mouth??

    The pest on the corn sounds yummy. And my husband's favorite dinner is grilled steak. I grill my corn right in the outer casing, silk and all. It's moist and wonderful.

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  7. Good luck with the teeth and thanks for the recipe!

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  8. Nancy, oh yes! When we camp I always grill the corn that way. I've even buttered it (in the husk), then sprinkled some cayenne on it. Yum!

    Jeve,

    Welcome! thanks for the luck and you are welcome for the recipe. Do stop back!

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  9. Refer to my very first blog post......"Novacaine is my friend"........ I have yet to have the crown done. Now that I have the money that the dentist insisted on up front, I don't have time to go for the dreaded affair. On the other hand I do have fresh basil right outside in my garden... thanks for the freezing tip. I have my mom's old tupperware with those tiny little containers that you never use and now they have a purpose!!

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  10. Sorry about your dentist woes. I spend a small fortune on mine, too. Your recipes look divine! I love the pesto-corn and the idea of freezing it.

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  11. Kathy,

    Ah Novacaine.. do get that tooth finished even though I know it is a small fortune.

    Marguerite,

    I promise I will be over today to pick up that lovely award. Thank you.. it's been quite a week!

    ReplyDelete

Wow. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I love feedback... what with being a cook and all. I will respond to your comments via email (if you do not have a "noreply" address or here, below your comment) As always, Bon Appetite!

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