Asian Shrimp, Snow Peas, and Rice

This was my very first attempt to cook Asian food and it wasn't hard at all!  It has such a great flavor to it.  My only complaint is about the snow peas.  I've never cooked with these before so I didn't know there were "strings" involved.  I found some in the produce department so I put those in my buggy and continued on getting my other groceries.  I did find some prepackaged Asian snow peas, after I had the others, that stated it was without strings.  I had no clue what that meant so I continued on b/c I didn't feel like putting the others back.  Bad decision!!!!  Jon and I ended up taking the peas out of the dish b/c you can't chew those strings.  I decided to still share the recipe b/c it truly is good.....with or without snow peas.

1 1/4 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 TBSP cornstarch
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cups snow peas....WITHOUT STRINGS!!!!
2 TBSPS reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tsps Asian (dark) sesame oil
1 1/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
3 cups hot cooked long grain rice (we only used about 1 cup)

1. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the broth and the cornstarch; stir until the cornstarch dissolves.  Set aside.
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, heat the vegetable oil;  add the garlic and saute about 1 minute.  Add the carrots and 1/3 cup of the remaining broth; cook 2 minutes, then stir in the snow peas, 1/3 cup of the remaining broth, the soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the snow peas are tender crisp, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the shrimp and the remaining 1/3 cup of broth; cook, stirring occasionally, just until the shrimp turn pink, 3-4 minutes.  Increase the heat and bring to a boil.  Stir in the dissolved corn starch and add the red pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Serve over the rice.

Louisiana Shrimp Creole

Here's another recipe I found on All Recipes.com.  Super easy and quick!!!  It really doesn't make a lot though so I suggest to double it if more than 2 of you are eating from it.  It was just the right amount for Jon and I.  Taylor wasn't complaining at all b/c she got to eat fish sticks for supper. LOL

1/2 cup finely diced onion (approx 1/2 onion)
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper (approx 1/2 bell pepper)
1/2 cup chopped celery (approx 2 stalks)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP butter (I only put 1 1/2 tbsp to cut down on the fat and it worked fine.)
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1 dash hot sauce
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1. In a 2 qt saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic; cook until tender.
2. Mix in cornstarch.  Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and hot sauce.  Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  Stir in shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes.

Linguine with Shrimp and Lemon Oil

This is such an easy and delicious recipe!  Its a Giada de Laurentiis that my neighbor discovered.  The lemon oil gives the shrimp a wonderful flavor.  I feel like I've rediscovered shrimp again.  You would think that being from South LA I'd be in love with shrimp but thats just not the case.  It's almost as if I had too much growing up that I've gotten tired of it.  In other words, it's not like me to order shrimp in a restuarant.  Well, after eating this recipe I realized how much I do love shrimp and can't wait to have it again!  In fact, after eating it with her I made it the same week for Jon. 

Ingredients

For the lemon oil:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested

For the pasta:
1 pound linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, diced (I used 1)
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces frozen shrimp (I used extra jumbo shrimp.  Next time I may use more extra jumbo or smaller shrimp so we'll have more.)
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 ounces arugula (about 3 packed cups) (omitted. couldn't find in the grocery store.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

For the lemon oil:
Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve.

For the pasta:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Add the cooked linguine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Toss to combine.  Add the remaining cooking liquid. Turn off the heat and add the arugula. Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta. The zest can be discarded. Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Yummy Apps and Punch

Friday night me and 2 other friends hosted a baby shower where we served nothing but appetizers.  Here are my dips I made and as soon as I get the recipes of my friend's apps I'll post those too.  We had such yummy food here!!!

Crab Dip
1 lb lump crabmeat
1/2 cup butter
1 (8 oz) cream cheese
2 tsp minced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
10 drops Tabasco

Melt cream cheese and butter in microwave. (It will be seperated.)  Fold in crabmeat.  Add onion, garlic, and Tabasco sauce.  Serve hot.  Good in slow cooker.

Seven Layer Tex-Mex Dip
1 can refried beans
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) Monterey Jack cheese
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 avocado, seeded, peeled and diced
1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 TBSP chopped ripe olives

In a medium bowl, stir together the refried beans and salsa.  Spread the bean mixture on a 9 inche platter or pie plate.  Spread the sour cream on top of the bean layer.  Then layer the cheese, tomatoes, avocados, green onions, and olives on top.  If desired, cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Baked Cheese ****SO YUMMY!!!****

2 (8 oz) cream cheese
1 small sour cream
1 cup smoked ham, chopped
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1 can chopped green chilies

Mix all ingredients and bake at 350 until hot and bubbly.  Serve with Ritz chips. 
I can't remember exactly how long I stuck it in the oven.  At least 20-30 minutes I'm sure.  I just watched the top and as soon as it was bubbly I took it out.  This is amazing and so addicting!!!

Vodka Fruit Punch
12 oz can frozen lemonade concentrate
12 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 large can unfrozen pineapple juice
6 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/5 vodka
2 liter ginger ale

You can make this punch 1 of 2 ways.  I make it like #2 b/c its really slushy.

1) Mix lemonade, OJ, pineapple juice, water, and sugar and freeze well.  Defrost about 5 hours before use.  Put into a punch bowl and break it up with a fork.  Add vodka and gingerale.

2) Mix lemonade, OJ, pineapple juice, water, and sugar and place in large bowl in the freezer. (approx 24 hours before serving.)  Stir occasionally so it doesn't freeze in a block. (that's how it stays slushy.)  Before serving, place in punch bowl and add vodka and gingerale.

Not So Sure About This One

Back when I was pretty faithful to my Mommy....Football Widow blog, I posted a Lobster Dip recipe that someone gave me at a 4th of July party.  At the party it was amazing!  I'm serious....my friend Monica and I would not get up from our seats because we didn't want to leave the dip.  So of course I asked for the recipe before I left.  Now that was 2008.....

Fast forward to NYE 2009.....My neighbors were coming over so I decided to make the dip.  I was so excited about it and bragged on it all day.  Once they arrived I took it out of the oven and we all dug in.  My first bite I thought to myself....Self, this doesn't taste as I remember.  So I took another bite and sure enough it wasn't too tasty.  In the meantime I see Chris, my neighbor, taking a bite and slowly eating it.  I started cracking up laughing b/c I knew what she was thinking.  We both came into agreement that the dip wasn't too good.

I'm thinking that the "1 cup of mayo" isn't correct.  That's my guessing b/c it tasted a little too creamy.  So, until I talk to my friend to get the correct recipe.....DON'T MAKE IT!!!!!  If you already had, you have my apologizes. LOL

Aunt Harriet's "Cheating" Jambalaya

If you don't know me personally then you don't know I'm a born and raised South Louisiana Cajun girl. :-) I miss my roots and love to cook as if I'm still on the bayou. This recipe came from my "Aunt" Harriet and is delicious!

5 lbs of chopped onions (yes, I said 5 lbs....get your glasses ready b/c you will cry!)
2 cups chopped celery
2 bellpeppers, chopped
1 piece saltmeat (I can never find this so I omit it or add bacon)
1 can rotel
(my mom also adds 1 can stew tomatoes but not called for in recipe)
2 cans tomato sauce
5-6 cups cooked rice
salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs shrimp or 1 lb sausage or BOTH (I like both! You can also do chicken)


Place onions, celery, bellpepper and saltmeat in a pan along with oil. Cook down until caramelized. This can take 45 minutes or up to 2 hours. It all depends on how high your heat is. Add rotel and tomato sauce. (This is where I add my bacon too.) Cook down more....about 30 minutes. Add shrimp and sausage. Cook down for another 15 minutes. Lastly add cooked rice.

Comfort food week

One of the things I love about moving up here is the fact that I feel like a "semi" normal wife. When Jon travels so much I rarely cook b/c it's just Tay and I. It's such an awful excuse b/c I need to be cooking for the both of us. I blame myself for Tay being such a picky eater. I'm praying to break the pickiness with lots of home cooked meals! Now that Jon is home for dinner every night I've been cooking a lot more. At the beginning of the week, since it was kind of chilly, I cooked a White Chicken Chili from a low-fat cookbook called "Body for God". Good thing I've been trying to cook low fat b/c the meal I made today is nothing but fat....but boy is it delicious!!! (isn't everything fattening delicious!!!) This was a Shrimp Pasta...or "cheesy noodles" as Meredith calls them....that came from Mandi's family of WONDERFUL cooks. You can put shrimp, crawfish or chicken in it so I put chicken. WOW...it's good!!!!

So here are my two new recipes of the week....

White Bean Chili

1 lb dried large white beans soaked overnight in water, drained
6 cups chicken broth (you'll need more to add while beans are cooking)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium onions, chopped (divided)
1 TBSP olive oil
2 cans (4 oz) chopped green chilies
2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
3 cups low fat cheese (cheddar or Monterrey jack)

Combine beans, chicken broth, garlic and 1/2 the onion in a large soup pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very soft, 3 hours or more. Add more chicken broth if necessary. In a skillet, saute remaining onion in oil until tender/ Add chilies, cumin, oregano and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add to bean mixture. Add chicken and continue simmering 1 hour. Serve topped with grated cheese.

For buffet, serve with these condiments: chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley, chopped scallions, fat free sour cream, salsa.

Serves 8-10


Shrimp Pasta

3 lbs shrimp (peeled)
1 lb tri-color spiral noodles (cooked)
16 oz Velveeta
1 cup Margarine (yes, I said 1 cup!)
1 TBSP Worcestershire
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1 TBSP salt & pepper

Melt margarine and mix in all herbs, Worcestershire, lemon juice & BBQ sauce. Pour over the shrimp in casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Melt the cheese with a little milk. Mix melted cheese, cooked pasta with the shrimp and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Lobster Dip

*** READ THIS POST......DON'T MAKE UNTIL I GET THE RECIPE CORRECT!!!***

Last night we went to a friend's house for a 4th celebration and there was the best dip EVER there! Her cousin made it and I had to immediatly get it from him. It's a lobster dip but I can just imagine some nice crab in there from those crabs we are getting in two weeks when I'm down the bayou. Right mom!!!! :-) No pressure.....

12 oz lobster
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup mayo (or miracle whip)
dash of garlic (2 TBS ranch dressing mix)
Paprika

1. Chop lobster
2. Mix together
3. Sprinkle Paprika on top
4. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes

As Racheal Ray would say.........YUMMO!!!!!!!!!!!