Caramel Crustaceans

After five years of blogging I have finally decided to hire help in order to publish posts here more frequently.  Luckily my new photography assistant lives very near and getting him on staff was relatively cheap, just a couple of Goldfish and some Graham Crackers was all it took to seal the deal.  Meet our newest member of the Elizabeth's Edible Experience team....

Follow me on Instagram; username: eguill3 to see photos like these as they happen

Rex has definitely entered the "let me do it" AND the copy cat stage of toddlerhood.  He has started to establish a fierce independence coupled with the desire to do exactly what everyone around him is doing.  So when he witnessed me photographing this dish had had to try, but not with any help from Mommy or Daddy of course.  So we let him at it, while we stood nearby snapping pics on our iPhone while praying that our destructive toddler would handle our pricey camera gently!

 

Black Pepper Caramel Shrimp
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2013

 

Ingredients

• 1 (3 1/2-ounce) bag boil-in-bag brown rice
• 1 tablespoon water 
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 cups diagonally cut snow peas
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce

 

Preparation

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Keep warm.

2. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk; set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shrimp; sauté 2 minutes or until shrimp begin to turn pink.



Add peas, garlic, pepper, and salt; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat.



3. Combine broth, sugar, and fish sauce in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; stir in cornstarch mixture. Cook 30 seconds or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly.



Add shrimp to sugar mixture. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated; stirring constantly.



Serve over cooked brown rice.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

What's at Steak ?

So I took a little blogging hiatus, hopefully you noticed ;-)  If you did, I hope you are glad that I am back!  Life has gotten in the way and unfortunately this blog here got the back burner.  I can remember a time when this little blog was always front and center.  It was a time in my life when I was newly married, living far away from family, itching to test my skills in the kitchen and impress my new husband.  I worked my day job, and then I came home to cook and then blog.  I spent hours researching recipes, photography tips and blogging how-tos.  I used to blog almost every night and it was most often the dish I had cooked only and few hours prior.  It was my biggest hobby and occupied a lot of my time when I first started. In fact, two days ago marked the five year anniversary of my blog Elizabeth's Edible Experience.  Amazing!  Five years of cooking, photographing, composing stories and blogging. April 15, 2008 was my first post and I had no idea what I was doing - both in the kitchen and on blogger. I can honestly say I never thought my blog would endure the way it has.  Even when I take a two month break like I just did, there are still visitors checking out my recipes while I am away and to this day that is still a very exciting feeling. 

Now my life is filled with so many other things that take precedent.  We are living back in my hometown with family where we always have so many things to do.  We built our first home and I am obsessed with decorating it and making it perfect.  I still work full time in a very fulfilling job.  And most importantly we have a precious little 2 1/2 year old son that occupies all of my time and energy.  And it is so worth it.  Life is super good right now!  But luckily, all of the hard work and time I put into my blog before those new developments afforded me a readership that makes coming back here worth it.  And the good news is, we always have to eat, so as long as I keep my camera close and find a few minutes to steal away to the computer to document it all I think Elizabeth's Edible Experience will remain. 

So how many of you have been around since the beginning?  Please let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from my oldest most loyal readers!

 

Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2013

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsalted beef stock
• Smoky Haricots Verts and Mushrooms

 

Preparation

1. Divide beef into 4 equal portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick patty. Sprinkle patties evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

2.  Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add patties; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned; remove from pan.



3. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add vertically sliced onion; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.



Sprinkle onion with flour; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add stock and remaining salt and pepper; bring to a boil.



4.  Return patties to pan; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and cook 5 minutes or until gravy is slightly thickened.  Remove from pan and server or vegetables and mashed potatoes.  Top with gravy.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe