Shrimp Scandal

I love to eat dishes with shrimp, but hate hate hate to peel shrimp.  Luckily I have a very willing shrimp peeler in my home.  Forrest always steps up to the plate without complaint when it is time to peel shrimp.  And EVERY single time he is peeling shrimp for us he reminds me why he really doesn't mind peeling shrimp.  As the story goes, he used to peel shrimp during P.E. class in high school.  His P.E. teacher would pay Forrest and his friend $5 for every 5 gallon bucket of shrimp they would peel for him during their regularly scheduled P.E. class.

Now.....there are so many things wrong with this story I don't even know where to begin.  First off, that is highway robbery.  Five bucks for the labor that would go into peeling a five gallon bucket of shrimp is nearly slave wages.  Then there is the whole "teacher paying their student" factor in addition to letting them miss their regular P.E. class for his own benefit!  Those are all of the more serious issues associated with the tale.  Then the practical side of me kicks in and I start thinking about the minor logistical details, like where did he refrigerate 5 gallon buckets of shrimp before and after they were done.  Or what was he doing with 5 gallon buckets worth of shrimp, did he own a restaurant? Cook for a shelter?

Regardless of the wackiness of this memory, I am just glad it didn't turn my husband off of his shrimp peeling ways.  And I am happy it worked in my favor, because my going rate isn't even $5 bucks..... all I can offer in the end is a really delicious meal!

Shrimp, Corn & Chorizo Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light July 2013

 

Ingredients

• 12 ounces large shrimp, peeled
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 3/4 ounces sliced fresh Mexican chorizo sausage
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, divided
• 12 red grape tomatoes, halved and divided
• 12 yellow teardrop tomatoes, halved and divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

 

Preparation

1. Combine green onions, garlic, corn and tomatoes in one bowl.



Combine Shrimp, Chorizo, Sriracha, and salt in another bowl.



Stir to distribute Sriracha.  Combine both bowls of the two mixtures.  Add 1/4 cup minus 1 Tbs chopped basil; toss shrimp mixture gently to combine.




2. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shrimp mixture to pan, and cook for 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink and sausage is cooked, stirring frequently. Place about 1 1/2 cups shrimp mixture in each of 4 shallow bowls, and sprinkle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, 6 tomato halves, and a sprinkle of the remaining chopped basil.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Wild Ingredient Chase

When I lived in DC and first started this blog I would run all over town looking for special ingredients.  DC was a great place for hunting for unique recipe components. There was a great variety of markets I could visit to find almost anything I needed.  Beside the fact that I had a multitude of shopping choices, the biggest contributor to these ingredient chases was that I had the time.  It was in my pre-mommy/pre-homeowner days and I had all the time in the world to cook and track down every single specific ingredient.  These days I just don't have the time to go to four different stores looking for something specific and so I substitute much more than I ever had to before.

When I first read through the ingredient list on this recipe, I planned on substituting the potato starch for corn starch.  I had never heard of potato starch and since it was such a small amount I planned to use what I already had.   But for some reason I decided to Google the difference between potato starch and corn starch as I sat down to make my grocery list.  As it turns out, thickeners behave differently at different temperatures and potato starch is able to tolerate higher temperatures than corn starch.  I decided to put faith in the author of this recipe and stick with potato starch since it is used to thicken baked goods.  Luckily I only had to visit one additional store (Whole Foods) to find the potato starch.

 

Shrimp Stuffed Shells
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2012

 

Ingredients

• 20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (about 8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese 
• 1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and coarsely chopped 
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups lower-sodium marinara sauce (such as McCutcheon's), divided 
• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Cook pasta 7 minutes or until almost al dente, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.



Add cream cheese, milk, and pepper; cook until cheese melts, stirring until smooth.



Remove from heat. Stir in basil.



Place shrimp in a bowl. Sprinkle with potato starch; toss well to coat.



Add cream cheese mixture to shrimp; toss well.



4. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among pasta shells.



Coat a 11 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray; spread 1 cup marinara over bottom of dish. Arrange shells in prepared dish;



top with remaining 2 cups marinara. Sprinkle shells evenly with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.



Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until shrimp is done.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

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

Bun Bust

One of my favorite things to get while dining out casually when I lived on the East Coast was Shrimp or Lobster Rolls.  I didn't live in Maine so the quality of lobster was never really the star of the show.  My favorite part was the New England Style hot dog bun with the split top.  When I saw this shrimp salad roll in the latest edition of Cooking Light I was so excited to see it served on that type of bun.  I had my hopes set high that I would be able to find that specific delivery method here in the south.  I searched several supermarkets in my area all to no avail.  But I shouldn't have been surprised, because I think the reason I love those buns so much is because I had never seen them while living in New Orleans and they were a novelty to me.  I would have been thrilled to have been able to serve these on the perfectly grilled split top bun to stay authentic, but I had to make a regular old hot dog bun do.  And by time I took my first bite I had forgotten my ingredient substitution because the shrimp salad was so yummy that it didn't matter.

Shrimp Salad Rolls
Adapted from Cooking Light August 2012

 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 pound)
• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 4 (1 1/2-ounce) hot dog buns
• 8 Boston lettuce leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add shrimp to pan; season with salt and pepper to taste (not the salt and pepper called out in the ingredient list, that is for later); sauté 4 minutes or until done.



Place shrimp on a large plate; chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes. Coarsely chop shrimp.



Combine mayonnaise, and next 6 ingredients (through cayenne pepper) in a large bowl.



Add Shrimp to the mayonnaise mixture,



and mix to combine.



3. Open buns without completely splitting; arrange, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Spray with Pam.  Broil 1 minute or until toasted. Place 2 lettuce leaves in each bun; top each serving with 1/2 cup shrimp mixture.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Fried Favorites

Cakes, Cookies and Chocolate are not my thing.  I taste them if they are offered and sometimes indulge in full servings if I am in the mood, but I don't seek them out.  I don't get sweet cravings.  I don't have to keep pieces of chocolate around to satisfy frequent sugar fixes.  Don't be too impressed, don't assume I have an iron will, and don't think for one second that I don't have "bad for you" cravings.  I do!  They are just of the saltier, crunchier variety.  When I am eating healthy and want to divert from that course/cheat, I always want fried food.  That is my ultimate weakness!

Because of this I am always excited when recipes like these appear in my favorite publication, Cooking Light.  It gives me a way to indulge without complete guilt - and I love it!  This recipe was very delicious.  I wasn't as excited about the mayo based dipping sauce (another thing I am not a big fan of is mayo) as my husband, but it was very good and the perfect compliment to the crunchy shrimp.

Pan-Fried Shrimp with Creole Mayo
Adapted from Cooking Light July 2011

 

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Creole seasoning (such as Emeril's Essence), divided
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

 

Preparation

1. Combine flour, 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning, and salt in a shallow dish.



Pour milk into a shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture; dip in milk. Dredge shrimp in breadcrumbs;



shake off excess breading.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of shrimp;



cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and shrimp.




3. Combine mayonnaise, remaining Creole seasoning, Worcestershire, and hot sauce in a small bowl;



 stir with a whisk.



 Serve Creole mayonnaise with shrimp.



Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Better Butter

Happy New Year, Everyone! I hope you all had an amazing Holiday season. This year was great for my little family. Rex is at a fabulous age where he is old enough to enjoy carols, family gathering and new gifts yet still young enough to have some of the perils of the season escape him. Christmas and New Years were packed with fun gatherings, lots of cooking and good cheer. Immediately on the heels of that fun was my 30th birthday celebration, which my husband so kindly managed to stretch out into a full weekend of good times (more details on that excitement later).

I realized while preparing this super easy, exceptionally delicious appetizer for our New Year's Day get together that I have never shared it with my readers. I have been making this recipe for a while. It is a great one to add to the party table as it can be prepared up to 2 days ahead or even immediately before due to its simplicity. I also really enjoy serving it during parties because it is unique and not your typical holiday appetizer. This shrimp butter, regardless of what I spread it on always flies off of the platter.

Shrimp Butter
Adapted from Southern Living 2004 Annual Recipes

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pound peeled cooked shrimp, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons grated onion
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• chopped chives for garnish

Directions:

Beat cream cheese and butter

at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in chipped shrimp and next 5 ingredients;

spread mixture evenly

on toasted bread, crackers or fresh veggies. Garnish with chopped chives.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

How forzo I've Come

I live one block away from my old high school. I also live within walking distance to many amenities so I frequently walk past my old school on the way to the grocery, gym and pharmacy. It is a large school that occupies an entire city block, so I am usually in front of the old buildings for quite some time on these walks. Every now and then I can't help but feel a little nostalgic. I gaze at the brick structures and think what my life used to be like when I spent so much time within their walls.

As I walked back from the gym this morning my mind turned to these types of thoughts and I was reminded of how I felt about the world at the tender age of 16. I thought I had it all figured out and that there was nothing left to learn. I was arrogant and presumably all-knowing. I am sure I felt like that for several more years, but it is now at almost 30 that I completely understand how little I knew back then and what lessons I learned the hard way because of my ignorance. It is a really heavy thought and not necessarily the most light hearted reflection to have before I even started my work day.

In order to try and lighten my mood I turned my wandering thoughts to food - one of my favorite topics. And I started to reflect on how much I have learned about food, cooking and ingredients in the last 15 years as well. When I was a young student in my checkered skirt and monogrammed Peter Pan collar I was so clueless about so much of the culinary world. Sure, I loved food - but my exposure to it was minimal and I had not yet even began to tap the experiences and resources of all things foodie. I was a picky eater from a very non-adventurous food family. As I have mentioned before, my Mom was a fabulous cook but she wasn't experimental and my Dad is a creature of habit. So I liked what I knew and that wasn't that broad.

One ingredient in particular that I don't even think I knew about until college was orzo. I know my Mom didn't use it, but I also can't remember anyone else using it in their cooking or seeing it at restaraunts. I am not sure if it wasn't readily available or because I wasn't familiar with it did it just get overlooked. To me, it seems like orzo is the perfect ingredient for children as the tiny shaped pasta is very versatile and uber delicious.

I finally wrapped up my philosophical merry-go-round of thoughts with the conclusion that I have learned an astronomical amount about food and cooking in the last few years and I can't wait to tackle more!

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi
Adapted from Cooking Light March 2009

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked orzo
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.
2. While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan;

sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.

3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan;

cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in juice,

shrimp and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

To Take-Out or Not To Take-Out?

We eat out or order take-out pretty frequently lately. But one thing we never order is Chinese food. It is just too easy to make at home and it always tastes fresher, lighter and less greasy than if we had it delivered. If you are craving Chinese take-out, there is no reason to ever order another dish known by its corresponding number. This was a super simple solution to chop stick cuisine.

Shrimp and Broccoli Stir Fry

Adapted from Cooking Light January 2008

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 cup vertically sliced sweet onion
  

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic to pan; stir-fry 30 seconds.

Add shrimp to pan, and stir-fry 3 minutes or until done.

Remove shrimp mixture from the pan.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to pan. Add broccoli and onion to pan; stir-fry 6 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender.

Add shrimp mixture and broth mixture to pan;

cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve over brown rice or soba noodles.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe