This Week In...

Bman is doing an excellent job with her cooking!  We did a joint cooking venture this week and she has learned so much over the past months!!  Way to go Bman...so proud of you!!

Both my daughters have stress fractures and are currently wearing a boot.  Neither has any idea how it happened.  Feeling so bad for both of them....hope the healing happens quickly!!

Getting ready for a Casino Night this weekend.  Sure hope everyone has fun!

I had fun during Read Across America Day.  The Second Graders were great!!  So glad I was invited to read to them last Friday!!

Feeling a little "out of whack" this week so trying to get my "mojo" back up and running. I won't go into any details...let's just say it's been a little trying this week for a number of reasons!

Eat More Shrimp!!

When my family goes to the beach we take turns cooking an evening meal (cook's choice) for all to enjoy.  We've found over the years eating out in restaurants at the beach can be expensive and we are usually disappointed in the quality of the meal!  So a new tradition was born and we love it!!  This year Bman made Spaghetti for all of us; I made Chicken and Rice Casserole; Harley Man did Shrimp and Crab Legs and Prissy made Meatloaf.  Yummmmm!!!  Of course we had other things to go along with the meal...these were the main entrees and not a drop was left by the end of the week.

The evening we had Harley Man's shrimp (I think he bought 10 pounds!!!) there were leftovers.  So Prissy and I searched for a very easy Shrimp Salad recipe (we were trying to use only ingredients we had on hand since we didn't want to bring lots of food back with us) to make use of the leftovers.  We found a delicious, easy recipe...just what we needed to tempt everyone to "Eat More Shrimp"!!  Lol!  Needless to say...it was gone in a heartbeat the next day!!

Shrimp Salad                                                     

Serve this shrimp salad on romaine lettuce with tomato slices or avocado slices.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked shrimp, halved lengthwise and chilled
• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 tablespoon finely minced onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• Romaine lettuce or mixed greens
• thinly sliced tomatoes
• avocado slices, optional
• cherry tomato slices, optional

Preparation:

In a medium bowl, mix shrimp with celery, onion, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for several hours.  Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce and thinly sliced tomatoes or mixed greens. Garnish with avocado slices or cherry tomato.

Do you have a favorite shrimp recipe??

What's "Cookin" In Blogger Land?

Okay, I know I haven't posted any new recipes in a few weeks....so to make it up to everyone, I want to share some blogs you need to check out!!!  There are some really great cooks on quite a few blogs sharing some amazing recipes.  If you have some time, click on the buttons or links below and check out all the yummy recipes.













  

http://tastykitchen.com/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Whooo Hooo...It's Here!!!

I accidentally stumbled upon a blog I absolutely love because of the variety of topics the blog author covers!!  One of those topics is cooking and I've copied some of her recipes for you at times as I've tried them here at home and had Harley Man (my own personal food critic and hubby) offer his opinion!!!

Now... I'm not a cookbook collector by nature....however; when I discovered this blog author had written a cookbook, I decided to purchase a copy!  It is finally here!!!!!!!  Talk about a unique cookbook...you see, the author lives on a cattle ranch and not only did she include step by step photographs for each recipe, she also included photos of her family, the cattle ranch and much more.  It is truly a unique cookbook!!!!  So.. if you are a cookbook collector, you may want to check this one out.  It is a "down home" cookbook filled with recipes such as:  French Breakfast Puffs, Cowboy Calzone, Simple, Perfect Enchiladas, Sangria (one of my favorite beverages), Mocha Brownies...and more!  It is a beautiful cookbook!

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Woman-Cooks-Recipes-Accidental/dp/0061658197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304000930&sr=8-1

Here's a sample of one of her cookbook recipes:



French Breakfast Puffs

Prep Time: 30 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 25 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 12

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Flour
• 3 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg
• 1 cup Sugar
• ⅔ cups Shortening (Crisco)
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1 cup Milk
• 1-½ cup Sugar
• 3 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 2 sticks Butter

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.
In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a different bowl, cream together 1 cup sugar and shortening. Then add eggs and mix again. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition.
Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden.
In a bowl, melt 2 sticks butter. In a separate bowl combine remaining sugar and cinnamon. Dip baked muffins in butter, coating thoroughly, then coat with cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Wordless Wednesday!!! :)

The Cajun In Me

I love spicy food!  Guess the "cajun" in me is coming out some these days!  Yep, that's right...I was born in Louisiana although my time there was pretty short...we moved when I was 2 years old (I think) to another state.  I did however, spend many summers in Louisiana because most of my relatives lived there throughout my childhood.  On my "must do list" is a trip to New Orleans...I haven't been there yet but I'll get there one of these days.

Anyway, I tried a new recipe this week and the food critic gave it a thumbs up.  Let me tell you, it has a "kick" to it!!!  Not to mention it makes enough for a small army!!! LOL!  So if you like spicy, this is the recipe for you.  (It will put you in "carb heaven" for a day) :)  The only problem I had with this recipe...my sauce didn't thicken up like I wanted so I went back to the reviews of the recipe and others had that problem...so you may need to have some cornstarch on hand to thicken the sauce a little (I didn't have any on hand...oh well, you live and learn)!

By the way, I'll put the link to the recipe at the bottom of the page should you need to see all the prep photos and comments about the recipe. 

 

 

 

Cajun Chicken Pasta

 Ingredients:

• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes
• 3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
• 1 pound Fettuccine
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
• ½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 4 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced
• 2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• ½ cups White Wine
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• Cayenne Pepper To Taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• Salt To Taste
• Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

Preparation Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain when pasta is still al dente; do not overcook!
Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute. Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.
Repeat with remaining chicken. Remove chicken, leaving pan on high heat.
Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Remove all vegetables from the pan.
With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!
Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot. Add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.
Top with chopped fresh parsley and chow down!

Here's the link:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/04/cajun-chicken-pasta/

Laissez les bon temps rouler- Let the good times roll!!!

3 Women And A Kitchen!!!

What happens when three women (a mom and her two daughters) and one kitchen get together???  GIRL TIME!!  Yep...and believe it or not, all survived!!  Yesterday, we all converged at the youngest one's new apartment to shop, cook and eat together!  Three cooks in a small kitchen...now that's a sight to see!  LOL!!

Now everyone knows before you shop it is a "must" to eat some lunch.  So we headed to one of our favorite places, Wasabi, to partake in their delicious sushi lunch specials.  Let me tell you, my group can eat some sushi!!  Wasabi is a quaint restaurant serving delicious food with great service.  If you love Japanese food, check out Wasabi: http://eatwasabisushi.com/default.aspx. 

Next, there was the shopping...Marshall's and TJ Maxx.  The goal was to find at least one baking dish and saucepan for the newest cook, Brooke.  The outcome...success!!  We found some awesome deals and ended up with many new additions for her cookware collection plus a couple of "finds" for my eldest daughter, Bree.  Then it was on to the grocery store for all the supplies we'd need for our "Girl Time" cooking lesson.  Now, this really isn't exciting...unless you leave the grocery list on the counter of the apartment!!  Yep, you guessed it...so here we were, 3 women trying to remember all the items we'd written down.  I have to say...3 brains are better than 1....we actually remembered every item written on that list!!

Finally, we wind up back at the apartment ready to begin our cooking session.  No pressure...just hubby, son-in-law, granddaughter and us girls coming to Brooke's apartment for her first "dinner party"!!  (Poor thing)  I must say...Brooke was a champ and Bree did an excellent job as "guest cooking instructor" for the day.  Me...I was the "bottle washer"!!  What a wonderful sight to see...two young women working together in the kitchen whipping up Parmesan Pork Chops, Broccoli and Cheese Casserole and Mushroom Rice.  It was DELICIOUS.  Again, success!!

Girl Time...it was the best!!!