Spicy Shrimp

We had football practice tonight, so I needed something super easy to make for dinner tonight! I made these Spicy Shrimp and Steamed Artichokes and had dinner on the table within 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs of unpeeled, uncooked shrimp, 21-26 ct or larger (I got the shrimp that was already deveined...BIG time saver! However, if your grocery store doesn't sell them already deveined, click on this link to see how.)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

juice of three lemons

1/3 cup worchestershire sauce

Tabasco sauce

1/2 - 3/4 of a stick of butter (using REAL butter will make this dish so much better!)


Directions:

Thoroughly rinse shrimp with shells still on. Place the shrimp on a large baking pan in a single layer. Drizzle the olive oil over the shrimp. Sprinkle pepper and salt generously over the shrimp. DON'T skimp on the pepper. I should have used more!



2. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top of the shrimp. (Ok, I cheated this time and used lemon juice...not as good, but works when you need a quick fix!) Drizzle the worchestershire sauce over the shrimp. Drizzle the tabasco sauce over the shrimp. I did 10 - 12 shakes and could have done more! But, I like mine spicy! Just adjust according to your desired hotness!


3. Cut the butter into pats and place the pats on top of the shrimp, spaced out evenly.



4. Place pan under broiler for about 10 minutes, until shrimp is no longer translucent. Don't overcook, as shrimp will get rubbery!

5. Peel shrimp and eat. I like to pour some of the sauce over them, but if you like to sop, you can stick a piece of bread in the juice and eat the sauce like that!

Cowpokes

I've gotten behind on my blog, so I am forgoing the menu plans and posting some of the recipes that I have cooked the past couple of weeks. Since it has been so long, I decided to post something that was quick and easy and one of my husband's favorites: Cowpokes!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz pepper jack cheese, freshly grated (see my Note About Cheese)
8 slices bacon


Steps:

1. Take your chicken breasts


and flatten them

and salt and pepper them

2. Take the cream cheese

and soften it in the microwave for about 10 seconds


3. Shred the pepperjack cheese

and mix it in with the cream cheese
4. Form 4 equal logs and place the logs in the center of the chicken breasts.

5. Wrap the chicken around the cheese log and wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast and secure with toothpicks.

6. Cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees.

7. Turn on broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown bacon.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Oh my goodness, this is some good stuff! It is rich and cheesy and makes a yummy side dish to any pasta! I cut the recipe in half, but will provide the full recipe for a full loaf of french bread.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups freshly grated cheddar cheese (see my note about cheese)
¾ cups fresh grated monterey jack cheese
½ cups grated parmesan cheese
½ cups mayonnaise
4 whole green onions
1 dash salt
1 loaf french bread
1/2 stick butter (4 Tbsp)
4 cloves garlic, pressed

Steps:

1. Grate the cheeses.

2. Cut up green onions.

3. Mix mayo, cheeses and green onions. Add a dash of salt.

4. Melt garlic and butter together.

5. Cut loaf of bread in half and then cut each half into half lengthwise. Brush each half with melted butter and garlic. Spread cheese mixture onto bread.

6. Bake at 425 until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Spaghetti and Cheesy Garlic Bread

I'll be honest with you...I cheat on my spaghetti...A LOT!!! I don't make it from scratch and have found a combination that I like well enough, so I don't feel like I need to put in the extra time and effort to make it from scratch! I can have my spaghetti ready in less than 30 minutes! However, I do a few things different from the norm, so I thought I would share those with you!


Ingredients:


8 oz thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 pkg McCormick's Thick & Zesty Spaghetti Sauce mix
1 cup water
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 - 1 lb ground beef
Parmesan cheese (optional)



1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.



2. While noodles are cooking, brown ground beef. I use my micro cooker from Pampered Chef. I can cook a pound of ground beef in 5-6 minutes, without changing the taste or texture of it! When beef is brown, drain grease.


3. Stir together sauce mix, water, tomato sauce and butter.


4. Add ground beef and bring mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occassionally.
5. Serve over cooked noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Find recipe for Cheesy Garlic Bread here!

Steamed Artichokes

Artichokes are misunderstood...mostly because people don't know what to do with them! They are easy to cook and easy to eat and have TONS of health benefits! Give 'em a try!

Ingredients:

2 whole artichokes (1 per person...if you are feeding more, adjust accordingly!)
water
butter
salt

Steps:

1. I use a stock pot with a steamer insert. Fill the pan with just enough water to cover the bottom. Bring to a full boil over high heat.

2. While water is heating, trim and discard the stems and tough outer leaves of artichokes. Some people also trim the thorns, but it is not necessary. They will soften as the artichoke cooks and pose no threat to the person eating the artichoke.

3. When water is boiling, place steamer insert into pot and set artichokes in steamer, stem-side down. Cover pot with lid and allow artichokes to steam for approximately 20 minutes, until tender. They are tender when a knife is inserted easily into the stem.

How to eat the artichoke:

Pull off petals one at a time and dip into melted butter. Sprinkle a little salt on it, if desired. Place in mouth, fleshy side down and pull through teeth to remove flesh. Discard petal. I usually keep a bowl on the table for petals to be discarded in.

Continue until you get to the fuzzy part, which is called the "choke"...I stop here, but you can scrape out and discard the choke (don't eat it!) and underneath is the "heart", which can be cut into pieces and also dipped into the butter.

Try them and let me know how you like them! Feel free to comment me if you have any questions!

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Don't be afraid...scallops can be a little intimidating, but they are yummy! This meal is TOO EASY to not at least try! This recipe feeds two people, so adjust accordingly!

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon (I prefer Wright's ~ it is thick and doesn't shrink up!)

12 sea scallops

garlic salt, to taste

juice of one large lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Cut bacon slices in half and place a scallop on a half of a slice of bacon.

3. Sprinkle scallop with garlic salt.

4. Wrap bacon around the scallop and secure with a toothpick.

5. Repeat with remaining scallops and place on metal cookie sheet.


6. Roll lemon back and forth with your hand a few times. This gets the juices flowing and makes it easier to juice. Cut lemon in half and squeeze both halves over scallops.

7. Bake 15-20 minutes and then turn broiler on until bacon is cooked.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is my new recipe of the week and I got it from another blog, but, I changed some stuff up. I'm still working on perfecting it, but it was tasty and very quick and easy!


Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
4 carrots, julienned (I normally just buy a bag of matchstick carrots and do about 1 small handful per carrot)
1 medium sweet onion, julienned (see my note on How to Cut an Onion Without Crying)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Hot, cooked rice (I use Boil in a Bag)
sesame seeds (optional)
green onions (optional)

Steps:

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in 2 tablespoons oil for 6-8 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and set aside.



















In the same skillet, stir-fry carrots in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add onion; stir-fry about 2-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

Combine soy sauce and brown sugar; add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet. Boil for 5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions if desired.

Fall Salad

This has become my very favorite salad! I came up with it based on other salads that I had seen with similar ingredients, but made it my own! Try it!

Ingredients:

Lettuce of your choice...I like to use pre-washed bagged or boxed lettuce and I like to try different types...shakes it up a little bit!

Dried cranberries

Glazed almond and pecan pieces

Cheese...I prefer blue cheese crumbles, but will shred some cheddar cheese, if that's all I have on hand, like this time (see my Note About Cheese.)

Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Steps:

In a bowl, put lettuce, a handful of cranberries, a handful of nut pieces, a handful of cheese and top with dressing. Voila! A quick and easy side dish!

French Dips with Au Jus

I got this recipe out of the Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (that's right, the red and white checked one that is in EVERY kitchen!), but I made adjustments and made it my own!

For simplicity, I cook mine in the crockpot, but you don't have to! Either way is quick and easy! I'll provide steps for both. Oh, and no pictures yet on this one...you'll just have to make it to see it!

Ingredients:

1 clove garlic, pressed
1 Tbsp butter
32 oz box beef broth
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 lb thinly sliced roast beef (I buy it from my grocery store's deli counter...don't ask for it shaved, or they will give you a dirty look! Roast beef is messy to slice, but it is EXTREMELY messy to shave!)
6 deli rolls, split
6 slices provolone cheese

Crockpot directions:

In crockpot, add all ingredients except rolls and cheese. Cook on low for 4 hours. Proceed to Assembling Rolls.

Stove Top directions:

Melt butter and add garlic. Stir in broth and seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. Add beef. Return to boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 more minutes or until hot.


Assembling Rolls:

Butter top and bottom of rolls and place under broiler until brown. Arrange beef on bottom rolls. Slice cheese in half and arrange both halves on top of beef. Place bottom rolls, with beef and cheese, back under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Remove from broiler and place the top roll on top of the cheese. Cut in half at an angle.

Ladle broth into individual bowls. Dip sandwich into broth and enjoy!

A few notes:

* If you like, you can add a small onion, sliced and separated into rings. If you are using the crockpot, add it in with the rest of the ingredients. If you are using the stove top, add it in with the butter and garlic and saute them until they are tender.

* There is ALWAYS more broth than beef, so I usually buy some extra beef and use it for leftovers.

* Side ideas: fried potatoes, fried okra, fried squash (I see a theme developing here), your favorite potato chip, salad.

Barbeque Beef Sandwiches

My goodness...I'm already falling behind on this blog! I will try to be more diligent!

My very first recipe! Yeah! This recipe is Quick & Easy!!! Can be made in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped onion

1 cup your favorite barbecue sauce (we use Head Country)

1/3 cup yellow mustard

2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

6 hamburger buns

Steps:

In a large skillet, cook beef and onion together on Med-Hi heat, until browned. Drain fat. [To

drain fat, I usually lay out some paper towels on a paper plate and scoop all my meat onto the towels, then wrap the meat in the paper towels and press the grease out. I take a separate paper towel and wipe the grease out of the pan. Then I add the meat back to the pan.]

Add barbecue sauce, mustard and worcestershire sauce and mix together. Simmer about 5
minutes.

Here's what it looks like when it's done:

I like to butter up my buns and put them under the broiler:

Spoon meat mixture onto buns.

I KNOW I took a picture of the final product, but darned if I know where it disappeared to!

A couple of variations:

*It grosses out my husband, but I usually add a slice of provolone cheese to my sandwich!

*If meat mixture is too tart, you can add a little sugar to sweeten it up.

*If you don't have barbecue sauce on hand, you can use ketchup. Add the mustard and worcestershire sauce as called for and then taste and adjust as needed.