Low Country Boil

In no way can I claim this recipe, it came straight off of the Old Bay website, but it was good and I thought I would share.  We made this at the lake on Saturday for a group of 7 and had leftovers.  The only things we did differently were to use more shrimp and sausage and Old Bay than the recipe called for.

Ingredients

1 can beer

3/4 C Old Bay

2 T salt

8 large red potatoes cut into chunks

2 large onions cut into wedges

2-3 lbs smoked sausage, cut into 2 inch pieces

8 ears of corn, shucked and halved

4-5 lbs shrimp

Fill large pot 1/3 to 1/2 way full of water.  Add in beer, salt and Old Bay and bring mixture to a boil.

Add potatoes and onions and cook for 8 minutes.

Add sausage and cook for 5 minutes.

Add corn and cook for 7 minutes.

Add shrimp and cook for 4 minutes.

Strain out liquid and pour mixture onto a platter for serving.

Shrimp and Andouille Jambalaya

 

A few weeks ago I made jambalaya for Fat Tuesday.  Eric said it was the best I had ever made.  It was definitely really good, partly because the andouille was so good.  This recipe originally came from Zatarains several years ago.

Ingredients

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1 pkg Zatarain's jambalaya mix

1 C water 

1 lb shrimp

1 lb andouille sausage, browned and cut into slices - if you live in Culpeper or nearby the andouille sausage from Croftburn Market is THE BEST!

Add olive oil, peppers and onions to dutch oven and allow to cook 5-7 minutes until softened.

Stir in tomatoes (with liquid from can), water and jambalaya mix.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add shrimp and sausage.  Cover and cook for approximately 10 more minutes until shrimp are pink..

Shrimp Stir Fry with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Ya'll know I like quick and easy meals and this was one of them.  I found this recipe on the blog Iowa Girl Eats.  She called it a 20 minute meal and I would say that it was pretty accurate.  I followed her recipe fairly closely although I did do a quick cooking rice so it wouldn't take as long and made a couple other small changes.  If you actually cook rice according to the recipe it would not be a 20 minute meal.  Regardless, even with making your own teriyaki sauce this was a simple recipe.  If you preferred to go even quicker, you could use store bought teriyaki sauce.  Eric & I both really liked this meal and when something is quick, easy, and we both like it, it is likely to be made many times.  We have been in somewhat of a cooking funk lately so this was a nice change of pace.  It's nice when we are able to cook in the kitchen together, it cuts down cooking time even more when you can double team a recipe.

Ingredients

1 bag Uncle Ben's Boil in Bag Whole Grain Brown Rice

4 C Chicken Broth

2 tsp sesame oil (divided)

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

Garlic Salt & Pepper for seasoning

1 C corn kernels (I used frozen)

1/2 C peas (again I used frozen)

2 green onions, chopped

Homeamade Teriyaki Sauce

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 T water

2 T sugar

1 T mirin

2 tsp. brown sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp corn starch

First prepare rice according to package instructions.  I boiled mine in chicken broth instead of water but you don't have to.  Set aside.

Second, prepare sauce.  Mix all ingredients except corn starch together and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved into mixture.  This should only take a couple minutes.  Set aside.

Sprinkle shrimp with garlic salt and pepper.

In a wok, heat 1 tsp of sesame oil. 

Cook shrimp a few minutes until starting to turn pink.

Set aside.

In wok, add last tsp of sesame oil.  Cook peas, corn and onion 3-4 minutes until tender.  Add rice, shrimp, and sauce back to wok.  Mix together well.

Enjoy!!

Most Popular Recipes of 2013

I thought I would recap some of the most popular recipes on the blog for 2013.   These are the top recipes by page views and pins on pinterest.   Far & away this was the most popular post...   Beef & Broccoli  

  Followed by my Crockpot Buffalo Chicken  

  Pesto  

  Pizza Rolls  

  Pumpkin Dip  

  Baked Ziti  

Pasta Primavera   

      NOW FOR SOME OF OUR FAVORITE DISCOVERIES OF THE YEAR... Strawberry Rhubarb Pie  

   Grilled Pizzas  

Shrimp & Grits

 Oven Roasted Butternut Squash  

Christmas brunch

We hosted brunch at our house Christmas morning for both our families and a few friends. We had 9 people to serve. I wish I could show you pretty table pictures but I can't. We don't even have matching plates or silverware enough for 9.  These items will definitely be finding their way onto our wedding registry. Ha! We used this floral arrangement that some friends sent us as a centerpiece though.

The menu was simple.  I made shrimp & grits and sausage balls. Eric's mom made French toast casserole and fruit salad and my parents brought stuff for mimosas.  We also had 3 kinds of cheesecake! 

You can find the recipes here:

Sausage balls

Shrimp and Grits

Everything was really good and it was so nice to all get together and not have to rush around to several places.  Maybe we will have to make this a tradition. 

Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp (& Bacon)

I originally planned to make only chili for our football party on Sunday but then decided it wouldn't be enough so I made this corn chowder too.   As far as a soup goes this one is pretty quick to make and full of flavor so it tastes like it's been simmering all day.  I found and adapted this recipe.   This chowder was gone very quickly and everyone really liked it.  I actually only had a few spoonfuls myself but I love shrimp & bacon so I was sold immediately.

Ingredients: 4 slices bacon 1/2 lb shrimp 1/2 large yellow onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 3 ears worth of fresh corn kernels 1 T smoked paprika A few shakes of cayenne 1 C chicken stock 1 C chicken broth (you could use 2 cups of either instead) 1/2 C half and half S&P     Start by frying the bacon in a dutch oven.  Remove and set to the side, reserving grease. Add shrimp to bacon grease and cook a few minutes then set aside with bacon. Add diced onion to bacon grease and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add corn and cook another minute. Add paprika and cayenne and stir together. Add chicken stock, chicken broth, and half and half mix well together and bring to a boil Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender. Add shrimp, bacon & salt & pepper to taste.


 

Shrimp & Chorizo Pasta

As with most of my new recipes, I found this one on Pinterest and  I had everything on hand except for the chorizo.  If you live nearby I highly recommend you try Croftburn Market for different kind of sausages or any meat really.  So I ran by there and picked up some chorizo.  I love both shrimp & sausage so I have been meaning to try this recipe for a while.  Here's my version...

Ingredients

 1/2 lb penne pasta

2 T olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 links chorizo (or 2 or 4!)

1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 C chicken broth

1 tsp cornstarch

1. Prepare pasta according to package instructions.

2. Cook chorizo, if it is not already cooked when you purchase it.  I ground mine up because it was easier.  But you could also cut it in slices as is done in the original recipe.  I just browned it up in the same pan and set it aside on a plate while I did the next step.

3. Place olive oil in skillet.  When warm, add garlic and cook a minute or so until golden.  

4. Add chorizo and cook for additional 5 minutes.

5. Add shrimp and cook until slightly pink.

6. Add chicken broth and simmer for a few minutes.

7. Add cornstarch to thicken the liquid slightly.

8. Mix shrimp mixture with pasta in a bowl and serve.

Sunday Social

I'm linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup today for the Sunday Social.  

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Probably shrimp.  I love shrimp all kinds of ways - steamed/spiced, fried, in pasta, in tacos, etc.  Here are few of my favorite shrimp recipes.   

 Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos

 

 Shrimp & Grits

Shrimp & Asparagus with Whole Wheat Pasta

2. What’s your guilty pleasure/comfort food?

Chips and Salsa.  I love basically any and all kinds of salsa.  Here are a few of my favorite recipes.

Pioneer Woman's Restaurant Style Salsa

 

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Pico de Gallo 

3. What’s the weirdest/craziest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am not an adventurous eater.  I am the person that goes to a restaurant and tries one thing and if I like it, I will order that same thing every time I go to the restaurant.  I can't really even think of anything adventurous I have eaten unless you count ordering things off of a menu in Germany when I don't know any German and had no idea what I was going to get.  That was a failure by the way.

4. What foods do you avoid at all costs?

Raw fish.  Eric swears up and down that I would like tuna steak but I just can't bring myself to eat it because of how raw it is in the center.  I also won't eat any sushi with raw fish in it.  I always get crab or shrimp type rolls.

5. What meal reminds you of your childhood?

Chicken Surprise.  My friend Megan's mom made this for us one time to thank us for letting her stay with us while they were out of town.  It's actually my friend Clay's mom's recipe.  But once we ate it, my mom got the recipe and it just stuck.  She made it all the time and every time we were having guests.  I should mention it was not actually called Chicken Surprise.  Our family named it that after asking my mom what was for dinner so many times and her responding "Chicken, surprise!".  Here is a link to the recipe on Megan's blog. 

6. Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.

This is a new recipe that I made for the first time on Tuesday but oh my goodness, it was so good.  Since then we have been talking about this Grilled Eggplant Pizza ever since.  It was our first time ever grilling a pizza and now we have just been thinking of so many different possibilities.  It really is good and it was a great way to use some of the veggies we grow or get from our CSA.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Pinterest Recipes Made Reality

The topic for Jenna's challenge today is Pinterest.  The idea is to share pins that you have made/cooked/done etc.  I pin all sorts of things but the one thing that I actually follow through with is cooking recipe pins I see.  I find tons of recipes on Pinterest and I have actually made several of them.  I actually keep 2 separate boards on Pinterest - Recipes to Try & Recipes Tried/Keeping.   Below I will share some of the recipes I have pinned and my version of them. 

Crash Hot Potatoes are an easy side.  I found them on Pinterest with the original source being a blog which I now follow.  I also later found they were a Pioneer Woman recipe as well.

Pin: Crash Hot Potatoes
My Version: Roast Chicken Legs, Crash Hot Potatoes, Cabbage

Key West Marinade. This is a really flavorful marinade.  We used it on chicken, but I think it would also be great on a pork tenderloin.  I doubled the recipe in my version.

Pin: Key West Chicken
My Version: Key West Marinade

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos.  These shrimp tacos are my very favorite meal!

Pin: Chipotle Lime Soft Tacos
My Version: Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos

Crockpot Chicken Chili.  This is a really simple crockpot recipe.  I prefer this to beef chili.  It also happens to be a Weight Watcher's Recipe.  My link below was posted last week when I was posting on the topic of freezer meals so it also includes some other freezer meals. (No picture, I'm sorry!)
Pin: Chicken Chili
My Version: Crockpot Chicken Chili & Other Freezer Meals

Peanut Butter Banana Wraps: This is a quick snack/breakfast/dessert idea.  My aunt actually told me that she does this minus the chocolate chips and adds honey.  I think that might be pretty good too!

Pin: Peanut Butter Banana Wraps
My Version: PB Banana Wraps

I hope you enjoy trying some of these recipes.  You can find my Pinterest site with the button to the right if you are looking for more recipes.

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos

This is one of my all time favorite meals.  It's fairly easy to make as it just requires making a chipotle lime marinade for the shrimp and then grilling it.  I found this recipe on the blog My Baking Addiction, found here. 

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced

1 T olive oil

1 T brown sugar

1 tsp cumin

1 lime, juice & zest

2 T cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients but shrimp together to form marinade.

Pat shrimp dry and coat with marinade for 20 minutes.

Put shrimp on skewers.  (soak skewers in water first if using wood)

Grill shrimp a few minutes on each side.

Serve shrimp on soft taco shells with black bean and corn salsa. 

I like to make a side dish with this that is my imitation of the rice found at Chipotle.  In order to do this, I use basmati rice and add lime juice in with the water at the start of cooking.  Once the rice is ready, fluff it and add fresh chopped cilantro.

Shrimp & Asparagus with Whole Wheat Pasta

I got this recipe from my friends Megan & Ryanne's blog Home Grown Hand-Me-Down .  I am not going to repost the recipe because I followed it exactly.  Megan left out the ginger and I did as well, simply because I forgot to buy it at the store.  This dish worked perfectly for this week because we had asparagus from our CSA portion and shrimp leftover from our shrimp and grits on Tuesday.  We already had all the other ingredients in our kitchen which was an added bonus.  I love when I can make a meal without making a trip to the grocery store.