Figs are absolutely wonderful.

I was raised on  Fig Newtons and they were what I thought figs were…and in 1965 that was good enough. I could eat them by the case and never tire of the magic sweetness, and complex heady flavor of the fig.

It took me until I was in my 20s to actually try a real, dried fig…. and it was years after that before I tried a fresh one.

Dang. There was no turning back. Thing is that figs have a flavor that reminds me of dark chocolate, velvet, and long summer nights… it is just so deep and unending. Hard to explain. How do you explain the flavor of a fig?

Thing is that figs are more versatile than most people give them credit for. Yep. There IS life after Fig Newtons. You have to be careful that the flavors you put with the figs complement them and are not overwhelmed. That is the key..and it isn’t easy to do.

The Balsamic in these figs adds sweet tang and depth that balances the sweetness of the figs. The pepper adds another layer of flavor that leaves your tongue dancing. Once you put the fig mixture on a bed of cream cheese, and top with a little more cheese…well dang.

So you have these heavenly flavors but no texture contrasts. Think about this..all of that figgy goodness on a crunchy croustade. Now your talkin’. How easy is this appetizer? Very easy… and you can easily make this ahead and just spread it on the croustades a before serving time.

Elegant, easy, delicious. This is a recipe that you will use in so many ways it isn’t funny. Have fun with it…and try not to eat all the fig spread before you have the croustades made.

Balsamic and Black Pepper Figs

• 1 lb dried figs, chopped
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBS. brown sugar
• 2 tsp cracked black pepper, or more to taste

1. Place figs in a pan with the balsamic, sugar, water, and black pepper.
2. Simmer until figs are soft and liquid is absorbed.
3. Taste and check for flavor.
4. Cool

Serious? Is that it? It sure is. Just spread baguette toasts with cream cheese, then a dollop of fig, and sprinkle with feta. It is absolutely amazing. Sweet and sour and tangy and  peppery; rich and creamy, and crunchy.

Great for those holiday appetizer buffets you will be attending before you know it. Great for parties. Great for snacks… Just do it.

images: Marye Audet

Thanks for all of you that took the poll. The results were about what I expected.

The first question was how much time do you spend cooking per week and the answers were pretty close between

• 6 hours or more
• 3-6 hours

To me this says a lot. You are willing to put a little time into the kitchen. Like me, I imagine your time is limited, and as much as you might want to create menus that take an afternoon - well that just isn’t gonna happen most days.

The next question was whether you were concerned about things like additives and HFCS. Over all the vast majority said you were, with a few people saying that, while additives concerned them convenience foods helped manage time and budget.

I guess what we are looking for then are menus with recipes that are quick, easy, budget friendly and healthy…locally sourced if at all possible.

Is that even feasible?

Sure it is. The problem is that for most of us we are creatures of habit…. and habits are hard to break. We see Cream of Whatever soup as being a quick ingredient in tuna casserole. Truly it would take us less than five minutes to make a homemade mushroom sauce that would serve the same purpose but our perception is that the can is quicker, easier, and more affordable.

We might not think that way if we had to factor in our health care costs to our grocery budget!

When I was writing on Baking Delights I tended to concentrate on desserts and baked goods. They are my first love, for sure. Then I was not a single mom…and my time was not so stretched.

Today I woke up late because I was up half the night writing. Quality time with Princess Kyrie was her snuggling with me in my bed as I wrote. I am all ready behind schedule but 3 hours as I write this. What does that tell you about suppertime?

Exactly.

I would like to extend an invitation to all food bloggers to join me in coming up with Real Food….. Real Quick. Once a week, on Wednesdays I want to publish a round up. This will allow us to help each other as well as our readers to realize that we can eat real food without spending hours that we don’t have in the kitchen.

Here are the rules:

1. Recipes must be real foods…if convenience foods are used they must be organic or not contain GMOs, HFCS, etc…
2. Fresh ingredients should be used as much as possible
3. Recipe should not take more than 45 minutes from start to table. If it is a slow cooker type meal then prep time should be very minimal, 15 minutes or less.
4. Post your recipe any day but send me the link and image (450px wide) no later than Tuesday night at midnight. If it comes in later I will just save it for the next week. Send it to maudet8816(AT)aol(DOT)com  just do the @ and .
5. In your recipe link to this post and explain what we are trying to accomplish.
6. If possible list your whole menu for that meal.

That’s it. On Wednesdays I will post the links that were sent  to me. If no one participates I will just post my own Real Food…Real Quick recipe.

If you could spread the word about this roundup I would appreciate it!

Image: Marye Audet

The warm flavors of the Southeastern French coast come together in this pasta to create nothing less than a miracle.  van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Cezanne, and many other artists have been inspired by the beauty, the climate, and no doubt, the food of this magical place.

I wanted to capture that flavor in a pasta dish.  Something bold and bright, intense and flavorful seemed to be calling to me like the Sirens but I was not sure how I wanted to put it all together until I went to the grocer and found large shrimp on sale.  Perfect!

This dish almost screams for a good baguette to soak up all the sauce, and a crisp romaine salad to add crunch to the meal.

This is my entry for This week’s Presto Pasta is hosted by Katie at  One Little Corner of the World. If you want to participate in Presto Pasta Night 109 then follow these   guidelines .  Many thanks to Ruth, of Once Upon A Feast, who created PPN and keeps it going smoothly.

Shrimp and Pasta Provencal

• 1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
• Olive oil
• 1 large can Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
• 1 jar pitted Kalamata olives, drained and brine set aside
• 1 /4 cup red wine
• 1 1/2 lbs large or jumbo shrimp, deveined but shells on
• 1 lb whole wheat fettuccine

Saute the garlic, onion, pepper, and celery in the olive oil until vegetables are tender and onion is transparent.  Remove from pan and set aside. Add the shrimp and saute until the shrimp begins to turn color.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Deglaze the pan with the wine and add the tomatoes, red pepper, and olives.  Bring to a simmer and cover.

Bring pot of salted  water to a boil and add fettucine.  Cook until a la dente.  Drain.

Remove the shells from the shrimp and add to the sauce.  Continue to simmer until shrimp is done, just a few more minutes.  Stir in the basil.  Serve over the fettucine, garnished with shaved parmesan cheese.

Serves 6 or so

Rosemary is easy to grow and the taste is always incredible. You can put sprigs of it in the bottom of your smoker, use the stems as skewers on the grill, anything to get that great rosemary flavor into your food. Potatoes take rosemary extremely well. The flavor ends up full and rich, perfect with all kinds of meats. Normally you will see recipes for roast rosemary potatoes, and they are delicious but they take time.

These potatoes are delicious and fast. Always a nice combination, right?

Easy Rosemary Potatoes

• 1/4-cup organic extra virgin olive oil
• 3 elephant garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 6 large yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, or more. Remove leaves and reserve stems. You will use both.
• Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes in salted water with the rosemary stems until almost done.  Drain.  Throw away stems.

In a frying pan heat the olive oil, garlic, onion, and rosemary.  Saute carefully until the onion is soft. Do not let it brown.  Add the potatoes and saute until the potatoes are done, about five minutes.

Season to taste and serve.

Serves 6

image:(c)RestlessChipotle.com, all rights reserved