Eating Dinner With My Family

My husband digs himself some chorizo!  He is also a fan of tacos, so when I saw this on food and wine, I knew I had to pin it for him, and of course it was what he went straight for it when I asked him to pick out a dinner.  It originally called for squid, but that isn't always easy to come by and I am not the biggest fan.  Subsequently, I  am not particularly in a hurry to learn to cook with it, so we substituted small scallops.  The boys loved these, and I really liked them despite some texture issues I had with the shrimp.  Don't skip the avocado, they really add something to the final dish Seafood-Chorizo Tacos   2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 pound fresh chorizo, casings removed and meat crumbled Salt Pepper 1 small red onion, minced 1 garlic clove, minced Pinch of ground cumin 1/2 pound shrimp, shelled, deveined and chopped 1/2 pound bay scallops patted dry 2 tablespoons Mexican lager 2 tablespoons fresh lime jui...

I totally expected this to be too sweet, and while it was, we all still really liked it more that expected.  It wasn't hard and it was a nice way to shake up a dinner rotation.  I added sriracha to the mayo mixture and sprinkled scallions at the end.  I recommend you do too:).   Honey Walnut Shrimp http://damndelicious.net/2013/07/16/honey-walnut-shrimp/  

This is a totally yummy, fast way to approximate Chinese take out!  I would have preferred another protein, shrimp isn't something I usually crave, but it was great!  The boys inhaled it!  If I didn't have to thaw and clean the shrimp, this would have been a snap! Moo Shu Shrimp   12 small flour tortillas 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 pound shelled and deveined medium shrimp 3 large eggs, beaten Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1 large garlic clove, minced 3 ounces sliced mixed wild mushrooms (1 packed cup) 8 ounces shredded coleslaw mix (3 cups) 3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch lengths 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, plus more for serving Cilantro leaves, for serving 1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Stack and wrap the tortillas in foil and heat until warmed through. 2. Heat a large wok or skillet until very hot to the touch. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until smoking. Add the shr...

It was like eating the fires of hell!  And, I only used half the amount of sriracha (that would be 3 tablespoons!) called for here.  I halved the recipe because it just made good sense and because some of the reviews said it was spicy.  One reviewer said she thought it was a typo, but BON APPÉTIT responded it was correct.  I can't see how.  I like spice, we all like spice, but we all were unhappy with the heat level.  I think the reviewer's suggestion to switch the amounts (or at least the proportions) would result in a superior dish.  I didn't have head on shrimp, but unless those shrimp heads had the magical ability to remove capsasin from the dish, I don't see how that significantly altered the dish.  At least it was easy :/.  So this is "fixable" but I doubt I will try. Sriracha-Buttered Shrimp 2 Tbl butter 6 Tbl Sriracha 3 Cloves minced garlic 1 Lb head-on shrimp 1 Tbl lemon zest 2 Tbl minced fresh mint 2 Tbl minced fresh ba...

I love miso, and this miso butter is really wonderful.  If I were using it for anything but seafood, I think I would leave out the lemon.  It was perfect with the shrimp, but it was very strongly lemony for other things.  I did make one mistake, I put the mustard seeds in with the "marinade" and it was still wonderful, but I'm sure they lost their crunch..  I didn't use all the butter, as the recipe seemed to suggest, but I made corn on the cob instead of rice, and maybe with a good bit of rice, all that butter would have been ok.  As it was, using about half on the shrimp and on the corn was plenty.  If you make the butter ahead of time, this recipe is minutes from start to finish. Grilled Shrimp With Miso Butter 1 Stick unsalted butter softened 2 Tbl white miso 1/2 Tsp finely grated lemon zest 1 Tbl fresh lemon juice 1 Tbl thinly sliced scallion plus more for garnish 1 Lb shelled and deveined large shrimp 2 Tbl canola oil 1 large garlic clov...

I was super excited to have callaloo in this weeks FPP basket. I have seen it going out in the local basket, but it hasn't been in my basket on my weeks. Callaloo is a green. It can be one of several greens used to make a dish of the same name. (and I have no idea which particular one I got.  It can be used like spinach. However, as it is my first time with it, I wanted to use it in one of its traditional forms. What could fit the bill better the aforementioned soup named for the green?  Now, I was a little worried the boy wouldn't adore dinner. (He isn't a fan of greens in general and as a growing tween, he needed some extra calories!). Great call on my part. He really didn't care much for the soup. My husband and I (even the baby girl) really liked the soup. It was a bit spicy by itself, but served with the recommended rice mixed in to the soup it was perfect. (In fact we even added some hot sauce:).   It was a full meal even without the shrimp.  It ...

My son requested shrimp tonight.  I like shrimp well enough, but I hate peeling them.  And even though I buy 'deveined' I always need to get rid of that little bit by the tail that they never seem to get rid of.   So I was poised to be annoyed and not very impressed with the dish. I gotta admit, they were really good and it was super fast to make. (OCD peeling of the shrimp aside)  I got a baguette and quickly made a green salad and dinner was done in about 15-20 minutes.  Sizzled Shrimp Provençal   1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 Lb jumbo shrimp peeled and deveined Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 large garlic cloves very finely chopped 2 Tbl small capers drained 1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice 2 Tbl finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 1.In a very large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Season the shrimp generously with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook over high heat until they...

Another recipe from pinterest and fellow blogger.  We hadn't had any seafood this week and I happened to have some potatoes left over so it was perfect.  I'm not a baker, but the biscuits were super easy, and I liked them even though they do violate my no processed foods as they are make from Bisquick. My son adored the soup and ate 2 huge bowls. My husband liked it too. I thought it was quite good despite the fact that I'm not the hugest fan of chowders. It really is that I'm not a fan of chunky soups, so I did alter the recipe a bit because of that and used the immersion blender and gave the soup a quick pulse or two before I added the shrimp.   Everything came together pretty quick and my only complaint was there was tons of leftovers.  The boy was happy but, I don't think shrimp reheat well.    New England Shrimp Chowder onions Olive oil fish or chicken stock potatoes salt pepper fresh shrimp milk cheddar cheese minced pars...

First of all I have a bit of a dilemma.  Problem one, I did make a couple changes, the biggest of which was the red sauce.  So, I want to note the changes in the recipe, but since they are from a blogger, I want to put the link.  Problem two, the original pin seems to be from a blog that copies other blog posts but they talk about the Saucy Gourmet , a blog I love, but this doesn't seem to be her recipe but I want to link to that original post to not only give her a well deserved plug, but that was my original source for the recipe .  However, I felt I should look up the original blog post and put a link to them, right.  Well I found what I believe was the original, and it seems idenicle.  So in the most cowardly way, since it is really a Bobby Flay recipe, I am including the recipe, as I cooked it, and links to the two posts and the Saucey Gourmet.  Make me feel better and click on them all ok?  At least tell me you did;). ON TO THE RECIPE: I...

I kind if have mixed reviews for this one. It was very tasty, but the tough tomato skins were an unpleasant texture. On the plus side, it was fast and easy except for peeling the shrimp and cutting them in half.  My son said 4 and 1/2 stars and tore through it. My 3 year old happily ate a bowlful too.  My dad liked it and, despite my issue with the skins, I liked it a lot.  I am not saying don't make it, its good, but I think I have hit that point where it hard for me to be excited about any dish that wasn't a wow.  Another good thing about this recipe, is that it illustrates why I want to cook a new recipe every day.  (besides my obsessive nature:)  I have roasted tomatoes before,  (The thing that comes to mind is a pizza topping) but not for a pasta sauce.  (although that isn't unheard of)  I have made made seafood with cream sauce, but always sauteed the seafood first.  This recipe has the shrimp cook quickly in the cream an...

I gave my husband a list of possible dinners and he picked this one. Boy was it good!  The boy and I thought 4+ but the hubby gave it a solid 5!  We have made a Korean pancake before ( Korean Scallion Pancakes) and they were yummy, but my friend, who is Korean, suggested I add some seafood to the pancake next time I made it. I found this recipe from Food & Wine. It has kimchi too. Yay!  I made jasmine rice with this, and Korean Quick Pickled Cucumbers .  The original recipe called for squid, but we opted for scallops. (I love them;).  This was pretty quick & easy too. The hardest part was the frying, and I left that up to the fry daddy (my husband;)  They did require the sauce, which while I liked, I would have liked some more heat in them.  In the notes for the original recipe, they suggested thinly sliced chilies to the sauce, if you wanted more heat.  I think I would have liked some sriracha or Korean Pepper paste)  We did make on...

Another Pinterest recipe tonight. My husband choose it. The kids adored it! I thought the flavors were there but the sauce didn't become the glaze I expected. There was a lot of liquid in the pan, so much so I dumped it in to a pan before it had a chance to boil the shrimp, and boiled the heck out of it to try and make it more of the glaze I expected. It was still pretty liquid but was yummy. Honey Lime Shrimp large shrimp olive oil honey lime, juice and zest garlic, smashed salt black pepper red pepper flakes Recipe and Instructions here

This is a recipe everyone should know.  It is a perfect recipe because: it's economical, easy, doesn't make a mess and can be tailored to any diet, taste preference or ingredients on hand. (for example: I have left out mushrooms out of the boy's packet or no meat and vegetable broth for a vegetarian friend)  I have made this before with a variety if ingredients, but this is how I made it tonight.   If you click on the title and to to the original Alton Brown recipe, you will see the way I made it the first time I cooked it.  I personally really like the addition of the cabbage and would include it always.  We had a pound of shrimp and there were 7 or 8 in each packet, so we ended up with a more than the recipe calls for, but even with the extra, the meal, for 4, was less than $10.  I have made it with just veggies and its really good that way too.  I don't use the "flavor" packets that come in the ramen for the broth, but ...

I have been miserable, unable to move with an extremely painful headache.  I thought perhaps I was finally finding out how terrible a migraine was.  It had gotten steadily worse over a week; it was to the point all I could do was lay down with a cold cloth over my head and no pain medicine made a dent in the pressure and pain.  I tell you this to explain my absence from blogging and to warn you that even if you have only a headache, it could be a sinus infection!  I went to the doctor today and was given an antibiotic.  It has totally made an incredible difference in the first 24 hours!  I also tell you so you can again appreciate my wonderful husband who not only took care of me and the kids, but cooked a new recipe so there would be an entry for tonight.  Needless to say, I wasn't very hungry, but the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen were awakening the beginnings of an appetite.  The only change we made was we used a jalap...

Tonight, my wonderful husband did the cooking.  I had mustard greens from my Front Porch Pickings basket and I had shrimp I needed to use and I had a recipe for Indian spiced both!  We had never had mustard greens before although we have cooked other greens.  I loved that the greens were pureed.  It made them a lovely texture.  I won't lie, the boys weren't the biggest fan of the greens, but I count this recipe as a win.  Why?  Well the first time your eat something, especially something bitter, you are going to have to get used to it before you are going to enjoy it.  An unfamiliar taste, will be perceived as bad most of the time, and almost every time if it's bitter since bitter is nature's way of warning of toxins.  Ironic that these greens are more like medicine for our bodies.  And while it wasn't a huge hit, every one ate all their greens without any complaint.  All I heard were comments as to the unusual flavors.  ...

In round two of my clean out the pantry ala "Chopped" I decided to hit a freezer and 3 pantry items.  I know I have said this before but I really need to stop shopping like I am stocking for Armageddon.  I like fresh food.  I have had 2 of the pantry items since before I started this blog, and they weren't going to get used unless I made a concerted effort to use up all that garbage that I, in a fit of insanity, bought.  Well I was prepared to skip posting a recipe tonight, as I was totally throwing things together like some mad potion maker and praying for the best.  I was sure I was skipping the post when I forgot the order of operations I had planned out.  Well, what's that saying from Star Trek TNG?  "Luck... protects fools, small children and ships named Enterprise"  As I am not a small child, I am hoping that the universe mistook me for a ship because I think the end dish was wonderful and I feel really lucky considering.  I h...

My darling husband took me out to lunch the other day.  We went to a new resturant in town that had it's good points and bad.  It's biggest fault was that everything was overpriced for the quality.  Some parts of the dish would be good, but other aspects would take away from the good points.  That's a problem this price point.  Anyways, I digress.  One of the really good things was their Romesco sauce. (that were over unremarkable meatballs)  So I went and found several recipes for Romesco Sauce and dishes that have Romeso in it.  I chose this one first because it seemed the most basic and I had shrimp.  The sauce was OUTSTANDING! The shrimp with it was good too.  The flatbreads... well lets just say that they were less than sucessful.  I don't know if the yeast was dead, if I made the water a little too warm or what but the dough didn't rise at all. The resulting bread was edible but didn't do anything add to the dish.  Consid...

My friend's husband is a wizard at the grill.  I don't know if it is the sauce or the fact that he stokes this monster fire of different woods to get that amazing smoke flavor, or even that he had just caught the shrimp himself.  All I know is I didn't have enough room for all I ate but I didn't get enough! On the menu tonight was: grilled shrimp, grilled veggies, steak, kielbasa, baked beans, coleslaw, watermelon and mojitos. The Famous Mug!  I was having too much fun to ask for all the recipes, but as I didn't want to neglect the blog completely, I got the recipe for his sauce.  He starts with an old and beloved mug with Garfield on it.  He adds 1/2 c of butter, 1/2 cup of toasted sesame marinade and about 10 drops of lime juice.  He then fills the rest of the mug with some water.  (about a 1/2 cup)  He microwaves it for 30 seconds or so and them brushes them liberally over the shrimp skewers.  He also makes a similar sauce I...

My daughter has a new found love affair with shrimp.  Yes the two year old who turned her nose up at even tasting shrimp for a year now, can't get enough.  Well as I had some in the freezer and I really need to thin out my overflowing pantry/freezer/fridge, so I thought I would play around with the shrimp and the grill.  I also found one small lonely piece of cod in the freezer so I thought I would cook it up too.  I remember my friend once made a very tasty shrimp on the grill and I seem to recall that he said that they were brushed with honey mustard.  Eureka, I have left over "outback" honey mustard from the 30th.  (and I am calling this in my head shrimp on the barbie and giggling.  Could this be fate?)  I brushed half of the skewers with the honey mustard and let them sit for about 15 minutes.  I spooned the dressing that had run off the shrimp and reapplied it half way through.  The rest, I either left plain or brushed with a ...

I figure this dish cost about $14 dollars.  That is a little higher than I figure my cost is because I had several ingredients that I needed to use.  I did use slightly less than a pound of shrimp.  I think our society eats too much meat and I always go a bit light on the amount of meat called for in any recipe. I also try to go heavier on the vegetables.  For instance in this dish I doubled the spinach. This is one that my husband really liked.  The shrimp don't look too pretty because of cooking in the bacon fat, but they taste great. Lemon Barley “risotto” With Shrimp, Bacon & Spinach 6 sl bacon 1 lb large shrimp(21-25 count) peeled and deveined Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 c  chopped shallots or onions 1 1/3 cups quick-cooking barley 1    Tbs. fresh lemon juice 2 1/2 cups homemade or low-salt chicken broth 1/4 lb (4 cups loosely packed) baby spinach,washed and spun dry 1/3 c  freshly grated Pecorino ...