Here at the Breakup Cookbook, we spend a lot of time thinking about food. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have all day to prepare and cook our meals, especially as spring gets warmer and we spend less time at home. This combination is great wherever you are eating inside or outdoors as the shrimp and grains can also be served cool. Start by thawing and marinating the shrimp, then make the salad, and start the couscous just before threading the shrimp.
“Italian” Grilled Shrimp + couscous (or minute rice) + Perfect Picnic Salad
This is not a traditional mediterranean preparation, instead it uses Italian salad dressing for maximum flavor with minimum fuss. But this recipe also has other great ways that it saves time, like using peeled frozen shrimp—an easy addition to many meals with very impressive results. Unlike meat, which is marinated often up to 24 hours, delicate shrimp can be “cooked” in the acid of the salad dressing if marinated for too long (as in ceviche). Whatever you do during the hour of marinating just do not google-stalk your ex. And even if you don’t have a huge backyard with a mega-grill, an indoor grill like a Foreman works great.
Easily Adjustable Recipe: We’ve given the ingredients for just one serving/person, but feel free to multiply for a party! Great accompaniments include rice or couscous and a nice salad.
7-10 frozen shrimp, peeled and raw
1 Tablespoon Italian salad dressing
1 wooden or metal skewer
1. Thaw frozen shrimp.
2. Marinade in salad dressing for about 1 hour (a large ziploc bag works great). If using wooden skewers, soak them in water so they don’t burn.
3. Heat grill. Thread the shrimp with skewers so that each contains one serving.
4. Grill shrimp for 3 minutes, until just pink. Serve warm or chilled.
Like mac ‘n’ cheese, stuffed shells is my go-to recipe—the kind that I’ve made so many times it requires little in the way of thinking. I own this recipe. (Most others own me.) Stuffed shells and I go way back, too—eating it for dinner is one of my earliest memories, and if a 5-year-old could compose an ode, I totally would’ve done it on the spot. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day, Stuffed Shells? Thou art more lovely and more ricotta’d.
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Maybe you are breaking up with the mob . . . or just ending a romantic relationship, but comfort food like Johnnycakes is an uplifting way to start a gray day. These thick cornmeal pancakes have origins in both the South and Rhode Island, and there are many different ways to make them. This recipe from the Joy of Cooking is an easy way to try out their rich flavor. Johnnycakes are equally good with sweet (syrup, jam) or savory (cheese, salsa) toppings.
Combine in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pour over slowly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps:
2 1/4 cups boiling water
Set aside for 10 minutes. Set 2 very large skillets over medium heat. (You can also use a medium-hot griddle, set to about 325′F.) Add to each skillet:
1 tablespoon butter
When the butter begins to color, dip the batter by 1/4 cupfuls. The cakes should be thick (about 3/4 inch) and no more than 3 inches across. Smooth the to lightly with your fingertips if necessary. Let cook at a quiet sizzle, without allowing the butter to become darker than a pale nut brown, until the underside is a very deep golden brown, 6 to 11 minutes. Cut into extremely thin pats:
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Lightly press one pat onto each johnnycake, flip with a spatula, and let cook on the other side until deep golden brown, 6 to 11 minutes more. Keep warm in a 200′F oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Makes Ten 3-inch pancakes; 4 servings.
By Cate Wells
Especially if you are busy picking up the pieces of a relationship, we all appreciate less time cleaning and more time cooking and eating! This one-pot Italian dish gives you a real meal, without dishpan hands. The key is to use one very large pot—like a 5-quart soup pot—so you have room for not only the ingredients but also a genorous amount of water. Breakup Cookbook’s Pesto with Toasted Pine Nuts is just one version of delicious pesto. You can use a jarred version of this colorful sauce, but fresh always tastes best, especially as basil starts to come into season.
1/2 pound new potatoes, cut into rough 1″ cubes
1/2 pound pasta (half a box)
6 oz. green beans, trimmed and halved
1/2 cup Pesto with Toasted Pine Nuts
1. Fill large pot halfway with water; bring to boil. Meanwhile, prepare potatoes, beans, and pesto (if using fresh).
2. Add potatoes to boiling water, cooking for about 10 minutes.
3. Add pasta to pot. Add green beans 5 minutes before estimated done time based on package.
4. When pasta is al dente and vegetables are tender, drain pot but do not rinse. Add pesto and stir to mix. Makes 4 servings.
By Cate Wells
Pine nuts, like some certain ex-boyfriends, need to be constantly watched if toasted. Browning the pine nuts helps bring out the delicious pignoli flavor. They can get overdone easily, so use the stove top instead of the toaster and don’t let your eyes wander. Combined with basil, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil, pine nuts are part of a traditional pesto sauce. Pesto is delicious with pasta as part of a hot or cold Italian dish; it also makes a nice spread for sandwiches. Just remember to watch the nuts carefully and you won’t, er they won’t, get burned.
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 cups basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon
salt
1. In small non-stick pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pine nuts and toss regularly until they just begin to brown. Remove from heat and continue to toss; pine nuts will continue to cook until lightly brown.
2. In food processor, combine basil, garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan. Blend together as you add the olive oil through the feeder tube. (You can also chop and combine with a large mortar and pestle for a more chunky sauce.)
3. Taste and add salt as needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 2 days.
Coming soon to the Breakup Cookbook . . . One Pot Wonder: Pasta, Pesto, Green Beans, and Potatoes
Maybe you find yourself singing “Peanut . . . Peanut Butter and JELLY” without realizing it. Or perhaps you prefer videos of dancing bananas. Even if you don’t regularly enjoy one of these tasty sandwiches today, it’s hard to escape the simple appeal of a food that takes you back to your childhood.
In honor of National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, here are some key questions to ask yourself, and potential partners. You can learn a lot about a person by how they like their PB&J. Crunchy vs. creamy isn’t quite grounds for a breakup, but it’s always good to know in advance. Clearly, a grown man who won’t eat the crust needs a mother instead of a lover.
- How do you like your peanut butter? Crunchy, creamy, or maybe that all-natural stuff that tends to separate?
- What type of jelly? Grape, strawberry, or something more out of the ordinary like marmalade?
- How do you cut the bread? Crustless, diagonal, down the middle, or no divisions?
by Cate Wells
Everyone gets in a funk at the end of a relationship, but what better way to boost your energy levels and satisfy your sweet tooth then a fruit smoothie? This light and healthy combination is a great way to start your day, quick to mix together, and easy to enjoy while running around getting ready in the morning. Instead of a briefly satisfying Egg McMuffin, you’re guaranteed to feel better throughout the day with the energy and goodness of bananas, berries, and yogurt. I use frozen fruit as it helps everything keep a nice consistency without adding ice but you could also substitute some sorbet. For an added benefit, you could go nuts with wheat germ and the like, but simply consider some additional positive vibes to feel satisfied in your singlehood.
Berry Good Advice: Blueberries from the freezer are a convenient way to add some fruit to recipes year-round. (You’ll have to wait until late summer for those delicious tiny wild Maine berries, which I personally consider a different species.) I used a combination of frozen blueberries and strawberries to get this great purple color.
1/2 banana
1 cup mixed frozen berries
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup juice
Mix all ingredients in a blender until well combined. Serve in a fun glass and sip away the blues.
Sometimes at the Breakup Cookbook, we tend toward recipes that are a bit, how you say, “hearty.” And while comfort is key when nursing a broken heart, you don’t want to clog it. That would be like adding injury to insult.
So here we have a recipe that has only 5 ingredients AND is heart healthy. We know this because it’s from hearthealthyonline.com
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By Cate Wells
Recently I was in the kitchen trying one of Grandma’s recipes. It called for raisins or currants and I wondered why it didn’t mention craisins, one of my favorite snacks. It made me realize that Craisins probably didn’t even exist when Grandma was writing out the recipe card. In fact, I did some research and it seems like the Ocean Spray version was only introduced in 1993! Now I’m on a mission to include more craisins in my cooking.
Unlike raisins, craisins are more than just dried cranberries and sunshine, because they are sweetened. (But even the innocent Sun-Maid Girl has had her image sweetened in the last year.) The raisins in raisin bran are usually covered in sugar, so I hoped that this alternate wouldn’t be too tart.
Even if mixing fruit into cereal isn’t actually a novel idea, this is about as adventurous as I get on an early weekday morning. I tried the craisins with my bran flakes this morning and it tastes great! It was a fun way to brighten up the morning and try something new. More adventures with craisins coming soon . . .
Here at the Breakup Cookbook, we spend a lot of time thinking about food. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have all day to prepare and cook our meals, especially as spring gets warmer and we spend less time at home. This combination is great wherever you are eating inside or outdoors as the shrimp and grains can also be served cool. Start by thawing and marinating the shrimp, then make the salad, and start the couscous just before threading the shrimp. 
