Sesame Noodles with Shrimp

These sesame noodles are so yummy, and the addition of shrimp to the original recipe made it even better!  This meal was a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy and totally beats take-out. 

Luckily, I've been cooking a lot of Asian food lately so I had almost all of the ingredients already.  I was able to quickly throw together this recipe for an easy weeknight meal that didn't take a lot of effort.....the most time consuming part was peeling the shrimp and waiting for the water for the pasta to boil.  All in all, definitely doable after a long, tiring day.

To make this even better next time I make it, I will add in some fresh minced ginger at the same time as the garlic, and I will also add some chopped cilantro when I serve it (I have reflected these changes on the recipe below).

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta (I might try whole wheat next time)
3/4 lb. raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined with the tail removed, and seasoned with salt and pepper
EVOO
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons safflower oil (you can substitute canola oil if you want to, but I like to keep safflower oil on hand for when I make stir-fry)
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sweet Asian chili sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha
6 green onions, sliced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat about a tablespoon of EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink (about a minute per side for medium shrimp and slightly longer for larger shrimp).  Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan and set aside.

Keep the skillet over medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of the safflower oil to the skillet.  Stir in garlic and ginger and sautee for about a minute.  Add sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sweet Asian chili sauce, Sriracha, and the rest of the safflower oil. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves.

Mix the sauce with the cooked linguine and the shrimp, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, and sesame seeds.

Source:  Adapted from allrecipes

Scallops with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce

Alright, I know this photo is not good at all (I wish I could buy a DSLR camera.....but maybe someday), but I still had to post this because these scallops were so freaking good!  If you want to see a great picture of how these scallops should look, check them out at Confections of a Foodie Bride (which is where I found this recipe) because her photo is amazing.

These scallops were originally called carmelized scallops, but I had to change the name because I obviously didn't get a good sear on my scallops.  I'm no scallop expert, but I think mine didn't sear like I had hoped because 1 - I didn't have my pan screaming hot when I put the scallops in, 2 - I used a non-stick pan, and 3 - I just used regular butter, not clarified butter.  I did make sure to dry the scallops, but next time I will make sure I use a really hot pan that isn't a nonstick.

Regardless, these scallops were great and had an amazing flavor.  The lemony, buttery wine sauce goes perfectly with the scallops.  I served these with some gnocchi with a light alfredo sauce, and it was a great meal for two.....I wouldn't have minded a couple of extra scallops :)

Ingredients:

12 large scallops (around a pound)
Pinch of kosher salt (I always use coarse sea salt)
Freshly cracked black pepper
4 Tbsp clarified butter (I admit it....I'm too lazy to make clarified butter....I just used 4 T. of regular, salted butter)
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, zested and squeezed
1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped (I left this out because I didn't have any)
8 chives, chopped (Hooray for my chives which are now coming back after sitting outside all winter!  I didn't even know they did that!)

Directions:

Heat butter on medium high.

Pat scallops dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Spread sugar on a plate and dip one side of each scallop into the sugar before placing it (sugar side down) into the saute pan.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until the scallops are nicely seared (don't overcook or they will be rubbery!). Remove scallops from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice to the pan and reduce the sauce by half.

Serve scallops topped with pan sauce, lemon zest, parsley, and chives. 

Source:  Found on Confections of a Foodie Bride Originally from Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love

Chorizo & Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Although I don't find myself watching the Food Network as much as I used to, I still search a lot on their website to find more recipes that I want to try.  I don't know why I'm constantly looking for new recipes because I already have a giant categorized spreadsheet with about 300 recipes that are in my queue to try, but I am always adding more!

This Guy Fieri recipe caught my eye because (1) I had never made stuffed peppers before, (2) I love chorizo, and (3) I liked the idea to use poblanos instead of the typical bell pepper.  These turned out very tasty, and they look really pretty too! 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 pound Mexican-style chorizo
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup short-grain rice
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste
4 large, fresh poblano chiles
1 pound shrimp, deveined, shelled, and tail removed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3/4 cup Cheddar, shredded
3/4 cup Jack cheese, shredded
sour cream, salsa, and cilantro (for serving, optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place poblano chiles on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, cut top 1/4 of chile off and remove ribs and seeds.

Meanwhile, heat oil and chorizo in a large saucepan and cook for 3 minutes. Add bell pepper, jalapeno, onions and garlic. Cook until translucent, then add rice and cook until all the grains of the rice are coated with oil. Add all liquids and stir over high heat for 3 minutes, cover and reduce heat to low. Check rice for doneness after 20 minutes.

When rice has finished cooking, season to taste with salt and pepper (Taste the stuff and season it until it tastes good....you don't want this to be bland!).  Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in shrimp. Stuff chiles evenly with the rice mixture. Place all the chiles on a baking sheet and place into oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven, mix cheeses together and cover each pepper with cheese. Broil for 3 minutes to melt and brown the cheese.  I served these topped with a little bit of sour cream, salsa, and cilantro.

Source:  Guy Fieri

Tilapia with Mango Salsa

If you have looked at a decent amount of recipes on my blog, you know that I don't always cook things that are super healthy because....well, I like things to taste good!  I always get really disappointed when I try a new healthy recipe that looks really good, but ends up just being okay. 

Unfortunately, as I'm getting older, my metabolism just isn't what is used to be.  I used to be able to eat whatever unhealthy food I wanted without gaining a pound.....but I'm coming to terms with the fact that I can't do that anymore.  Don't get me wrong, I will never be a health freak when it comes to eating because I love good food too much, but I am definitely learning to eat those not-so-healthy dishes in moderation.

Recently, I finished my student teaching in a 2nd grade classroom.  After I finished, I noticed that my clothes seemed a little bit looser so I got on the scale to see if I had lost any weight.....I was stunned to see that I actually lost close to 15 pounds!  Being on my feet all day and cutting back on the snack foods definitely was a good thing for me.  I decided that this was the jump start I needed to stay in shape :)  If I lose just 10 more pounds I'll be back at my end-of-high-school weight, but I'll be happy with just losing 5 more pounds and maintaining it.

That being said, I decided to seek out a few more healthy recipes.  Even though I love shellfish, I'm not much of a fish person.  I will definitely eat it, but it's not like I would ever order fish over shellfish at a seafood restaurant.  I decided to give this recipe a try, and I'm really glad I did!  We loved it, and it was super light.  I absolutely love mango, and the mango salsa paired great with the tilapia.  We added a salad, and this was definitely a pretty healthy weekday meal.  I actually made only 2 tilapia fillets, but I kept everything else in the recipe the same.

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
salt and pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

Salsa:
1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
2 roma tomatoes - seeded and chopped
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I used coarse sea salt...that's all I keep in the house these days)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C.)

2. In a shallow baking dish, combine the olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Rinse the fish fillets and pat them dry. Place them into the baking dish and turn to coat with the seasonings.  Let marinate for about 15-20 minutes.

3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish can be flaked with a fork.

4. While the fish cooks, combine the mango, onion, avocado, tomatoes, lime zest and juice, jalapeno, ginger, cilantro and 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a glass bowl. Stir to blend and set aside at room temperature until fish has finished cooking. Place fillets on a platter and spoon the salsa over them to serve.

Source:  Adapted from allrecipes

Thai Mussels

If you love mussels like I do, you need to try this recipe now!  I love making mussels mariniere, but this time I wanted to find a recipe with a more unique flavor.  I found a recipe for thai mussels on allrecipes so I decided to give it a shot.  I had never cooked with thai red curry paste before so I was crossing my fingers that we would actually like the flavor of this....and we loved it!  Next time I buy mussels, I'm going to use this recipe again because I've been craving it for awhile.

When Kevin and I have mussels for a main course, I usually try to buy about 2 pounds of mussels....but since my grocery store still wasn't selling mussels, I had 2 options:  1 - Buy 2 pounds of mussels from Whole Foods for about $12....or 2 - Buy a 5 pound bag of mussels from Costco for around $10.  Well, I decided to go with the Costco option so we had way more mussels than we could eat, but we certainly ate as much as we could!  The recipe calls for 5 pounds, but you can definitely cut it down.  I would probably just cut the mussels down and keep the broth the same so that you have a ton of dipping sauce to soak up with some bread.

Ingredients:

5 pounds fresh mussels, scrubbed and debearded (rinse the mussels to clean, but don't soak in water or they might die before you cook them....I learned this the hard way awhile ago)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (use real limes - much better than bottled juice!)
1 (13.5 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/3 cup dry white wine (I use savignon blanc, but use what you have on hand)
1 1/2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (I probably used about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 cups chopped fresh cilantro (1 used 1 small bunch....about a cup or a cup and a half)
loaf of crusty bread for dipping :)

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, combine the lime juice, coconut milk, wine, curry paste, garlic, fish sauce and sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar and curry paste and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 2 minutes then add mussels. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until mussels are opened, 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and discard any unopened mussels. Pour mussels and liquid into a serving dish and toss with cilantro.

Source:  Allrecipes

Clam Chowder - Remembering Our Seattle Trip

Kevin and I visited Seattle earlier this summer, and while we were there we ate clam chowder at three different places.  One of the clam chowders was pretty bad, one was very good, and one was amazing (according to Kevin, it was the best clam chowder he has ever had).  The amazing clam chowder came from Pike Place Chowder which is located in the famous Pike Place Market, and I would definitely recommend trying it out if you visit Seattle!

While we were in Seattle, we hit up some of the usual tourist spots downtown, but we also spent a couple of days driving to some places outside of Seattle.  On one of the days, we drove up to Anacortes where we went on a whale watching tour through the San Juan Islands to see the orca whales.  We ended up seeing 7 or 8 different whales, and it was incredible watching them play and jump out of the water! 

On another day, we made the long drive (and ferry ride) over to the Olympic Penninsula to visit Olympic National Park, and I think we hiked about 10 miles that day!  Although we didn't quite make it to Forks, Washington, to see the Twilight sites (Kevin would have never gone for that!), we had an amazing experience at Rialto Beach seeing the Pacific Ocean and hiking to see the tide pools.  Afterwards, we went on a short hike to see a waterfall.  Our last stop before heading back to Seattle was to Hurricane Ridge to get a good view of the mountains.  Everything we saw was beautiful, and we had a great trip.  We will definitely be back sometime in the future!  Here are a couple pictures we got while visiting the Olympic Penninsula:

First up, a couple pictures that I took while exploring the tide pools at Rialto Beach....this beach was totally different than any beach I've ever visited before. 

Even though we didn't quite make it to Forks to see the Cullens, I saw these signs when we were around the outskirts of LaPush so I had to pull over and take a couple pictures (haha yes I know I am a dork)

We saw some wildlife on our hike up Hurricane Hill.

Here's a picture I took during our last hike of the day up Hurricane Hill.  Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy that day so we didn't get the million dollar view we were hoping for, but it was still an amazing experience.  The pictures just don't do it justice....it is truly beautiful.

Okay, now back to food!  I wanted to make some clam chowder to remind us of our trip to the Pacific Northwest.  I adapted this recipe from allrecipes, and I was very happy with how it turned out!  I asked the clam chowder expert (my husband, Kevin) what he thought, and he said it was better than the very good clam chowder that we had in Seattle, but not quite as good as the Pike Place Chowder that he thought was the best he's ever had.  I can live with that :)

Ingredients:

3 (6.5 ounce) cans minced clams
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cups cubed potatoes (make sure they are bite-sized pieces - you don't want to leave them too big)
2 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
EVOO
1 jar clam juice
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart half-and-half cream
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Chopped Chives and saltine crackers (or oyster crackers), for serving
 
Directions:
 
Saute the onions, celery, carrots and garlic over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes in a large stockpot.  Add potatoes to the stockpot, and drain the juice from the minced clams over the onions, celery, potatoes, garlic, and carrots. Add the jar of clam juice plus just enough water to cover everything, and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender.
 
Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth. Whisk in cream and stir constantly until thick and smooth. Add this mixture to the stockpot with the vegetables and clam juice. Heat through, but do not boil.

Stir in clams just before serving. If they cook too much they get tough. When clams are heated through, stir in vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve with chopped chives and saltine crackers.

Island Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers with a Rum Butter Sauce

My favorite tropical place to visit on vacation is probably anywhere in the Caribbean.  I've visited various Caribbean islands quite a few times in my life, but something about the islands makes me want to come back over and over.  This meal definitely made me wish that I was sitting on a beach in the Caribbean eating these shrimp and pineapple skewers while watching the waves crash in and listening to a calypso band.  Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be able to go on a tropical vacation in 2010, but eating this meal by the lake (of the Ozarks) while sipping on a pina colada wasn't half bad.

My mom made this great meal for us (my dad did the grilling part), and I was very impressed with how it turned out.  I loved the combination of the shrimp, prosciutto, pineapple, and rum butter sauce.  It was a little time consuming to make, but I will definitely be making this recipe sometime this summer on a weekend night so that we can enjoy it out on our patio with a tropical drink and pretend we're in the Caribbean.

This is an Emeril recipe.  We served the skewers over some coconut rice (that went perfectly with the skewers), and we had fruit salad on the side.  What a great summer meal!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot, plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
16 large raw shrimp, shelled and deveined (we grilled up a few extra shrimp)
1/3 pound sliced prosciutto
1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 cup dark rum (we used Meyer's)
6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
 
Directions:
 
Preheat a grill to medium heat.
 
In a bowl, combine the lime juice, oil, 2 teaspoons of the ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and pineapple chunks, toss to combine, and let marinate while the grill heats, about 15 minutes. Remove from the marinade.

Wrap the shrimp with the prosciutto. Alternately, thread the pineapple chunks and the wrapped shrimp onto metal or bamboo skewers. Grill until the shrimp are cooked through and the pineapple chunks are marked, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill. (Alternately, the skewers can be cooked under the broiler, turning as necessary to cook evenly and avoid burning.)

Make the sauce in a medium saucepan by combining the rum, shallots, and remaining 2 teaspoons of minced ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons in volume, 3 to 4 minutes. With the heat on medium-low, whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each piece before the previous one has been completely incorporated. Continue until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce coats the back of a spoon, removing the pan from the heat periodically to prevent the sauce from getting too hot and breaking. Season with the salt and cayenne, and stir. Remove from the heat and transfer to a decorative bowl.

To serve, transfer the wrapped shrimp and pineapple chunks from the skewers to a platter. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with the rum butter sauce (we actually served the skewers on top of some coconut rice and then sprinkled everything with the rum butter sauce and cilantro).

Crabbies

I've had my eye on Paula Deen's "crabbies" recipe for awhile.  I love both crab and cheese, and I saw her make these on one of her shows and I knew I wanted to try these out sometime.  Luckily, I had some frozen leftover king crab meat that I wanted to use up.  I had been planning on making seafood enchiladas with these leftovers, but then I remembered these crabbies, and they seemed really easy to make so I decided to make these instead for us to eat on the 4th of July as an appetizer to go with our smoked ribs.

Did I mention that king crab legs are probably my favorite food?  Yes, I like crab legs much better than lobster (although I definitely won't turn down a lobster dinner either!).  I love the sweetness and flavor of the crab meat, and I like the texture better than lobster or shrimp.  Whenever I buy king crab to make at home, I buy a pound and a half per person and make steamed crab legs with some garlic butter for dipping (I'm getting hungry just thinking about this right now).  Then, if we have any leftovers, I will get all of the meat out of the shells and freeze for later.

So I had the crab meat already, plus I had most of the other ingredients on hand, but when I went to the grocery store I needed to get a jar of Kraft Old English Cheese Spread that the recipe calls for.  I actually worked at Kraft Foods for over two and a half years (I used to work in finance and accounting), and I still remember exactly where they kept the Old English in the company store that I visited at least once each day to break up the work day, but I couldn't find it at my grocery store so instead I bought an 8 ounce container of Kaukauna cheese spread (I bought the sharp cheddar lite flavor) which worked out great. 

This recipe is courtesy of Paula Deen, but I did adjust it a bit so below is the recipe I made which turned out really yummy.  I will totally be making these again whenever I have some leftover king crab meat.  These are also great to keep in the freezer because all you have to do is pop them in the oven for 15 minutes and you'll have some great appetizers ready to go!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups chopped crab meat (Paula Deen's recipe says to use 8 ounces good white crabmeat)
1 (8 ounce) jar Kaukauna lite cheddar cheese spread (Paula's recommends a 5 oz. jar of Kraft Old English....I think any cheddar cheese spread would work with this recipe)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 stick of butter, softenened (did you expect any less butter in a Paula Deen recipe?)
Dash hot sauce or cayenne pepper (I used Frank's Red Hot Sauce)
12 english muffin halves, toasted (I just toasted these in my toaster for a few minutes before spreading the crab mixture on top)
Chopped Chives, for garnish (Paula uses Italian Parsley)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine crab, cheese spread, mayonnaise, garlic powder, old bay seasoning, butter and hot sauce. Divide mixture evenly over bread rounds and spread. Stick these in the freezer for about 15 minutes to harden (you don't have to do this, but it makes them easier to cut into wedges).  Cut each round into quarters and place on a greased baking sheet (if freezing, do so at this point and add a few extra minutes when baking later on). Bake until topping is heated through and golden brown on top, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Sprinkle with chives. Serve hot.

Lobster Dinner

Back around Christmas, our grocery store had a great sale on some 5 oz. lobster tails so I decided to pick up a few and stick them in the freezer for another time.  A couple weeks ago, we decided it was time for a "fancy" dinner so I pulled out these lobster tails. 

I think this is the first time I've ever made lobster tails at home, and they turned out pretty good, but I have to say that they weren't quite as good as I had hoped.  They were a little tougher than the lobster I've had at restaurants, but I think that had to do with the quality of the lobster tails.  I liked the way I seasoned and cooked the lobster tail, but I think I'll stick to lobster in restaurants unless I'm going to spend more money and buy some really high quality lobster tails.  These were pretty small lobster tails so I served them with a side of pasta, salad, and breadsticks.

Ingredients:

2 (5 oz.) lobster tails

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon minced garlic

salt, pepper, and old bay seasoning, to taste

Directions:

Place lobster tails on a baking sheet.  Using scissors, but the top side of the lobster shells lengthwise.  Carefully pull  the shells apart lightly to expose the meat.

Melt the butter and garlic together in the microwave.  Season the uncooked lobster meat with salt, pepper, and old bay seasoning.  Pour half of the butter over the seasoned lobster tails.

Broil the lobster tails in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until lobster meat is opaque.  Serve with the remaining melted garlic butter.

Steamed King Crab Legs - Our Christmas Dinner

For Christmas this year, we stayed in Chicago and celebrated with Kevin's mom's side of the family on Christmas Eve (I think there were 30-40 people there and they made tons of beef tenderloin and cold water lobster tails.....so good!).  Kevin's dad's side decided to celebrate in January so we ended up with just the two of us on Christmas day.

We started the morning off with a nice breakfast of bananas foster waffles, and then we headed to Navy Pier to see Avatar in Imax 3-D.  The movie was really cool, and I hope all movies move towards being in 3-D :)  Anyways, after that we just had a relaxing afternoon, and then we had king crab legs for our Christmas dinner.

King crab legs are probably my favorite seafood to eat.  They're a little pricey so we can't have them all of the time, but they are perfect for a special occasion dinner.  King crab legs are super easy to prepare.....trust me, you can't mess these up.  You don't need a recipe for these, but here's how I prepare mine:

Ingredients:

king crab legs, thawed (I think 1 pound to 1 1/2 pounds per person is recommended - we always go on the upper end so that we have a little leftover for crabcakes or crab rangoon so I bought a little over 3 pounds)

a tablespoon or so of Old Bay seasoning

butter, for dipping (I melted a stick of butter)

a lemon (optional - to squeeze over the crab meat)

Directions:

In a large stock pot, bring about 2 inches of water mixed with your old bay seasoning to a boil.

Put your crab legs in the pot, cover with a lid, and steam for 8 to 10 minutes (until warmed through), then drain the water out of the bottom of the pot.

Serve crab legs with melted butter and lemon wedges, and make sure you have a few pairs of scissors to cut the shells off.

These crab legs were really good, and we served them with Lana's salad (which I substituted some feta cheese instead of cottage cheese and added some chopped apples) and some baked goat cheese (served with breadsticks).  I hope everyone had a great holiday season!

Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Angel Hair Pasta

I absolutely love shrimp and pasta together, and this is one of the healthiest pasta dishes that I make.  I found this recipe a couple of years ago and have been making it ever since.  It's spicy and very flavorful, and I usually make this at least once a month.  It's also pretty quick to pull together (less than 30 minutes) so it makes a great weeknight meal, but it's also good enough that I would serve this when we had company over.  I got this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, and have changed it just a little bit.

Ingredients:

1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined (I also take the tails off, but that's just my preference)

1 teaspoon salt, plus additional as needed
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes (this makes it pretty spicy so I wouldn't add more than this)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
2 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes (if you like your pasta really saucy you could even use 3 cans)
1 cup dry white wine (I use Savignon Blanc)
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
3 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup of grated parmesan cheese
fresh cracked pepper
1 pound angel hair pasta

Directions:

Toss the shrimp in a medium bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and red pepper flakes. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute for about a minute, toss, and continue cooking until just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a large plate; set aside.

Add the onion to the same skillet, adding extra olive oil to the pan, if necessary, and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices, wine, garlic, and italian seasoning. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10-15 minutes.  Taste the sauce, and add any additional seasonings needed.

Meanwhile, cook the angel hair pasta in a large stockpot according to the package directions, drain, and return to the large pot.  Add the the shrimp and any accumulated juices to the large pot.  Add the tomato sauce mixture, the parsley, and the parmesan cheese, and stir together.  Serve immediately with some fresh cracked pepper and parmesan cheese if desired.

Hot Crab Dip

It's taken me a little bit to get these next few recipes posted because I've been way too obsessed with reading the Twilight Saga over the past few days, but we had Kevin's parents over for dinner last weekend, and I must say it turned out really good!  I wanted to try a few recipes that I thought would be "company worthy," and I'm happy to say that the recipes from this dinner are definitely keepers :)  To start out with, I made a hot crab dip for an appetizer.  I hate it when I try a crab dip and it has that canned crab fishy taste, so I decided to get a couple of king crab legs to use in this dip.  King crab is my favorite because it's so sweet and doesn't taste "fishy" at all, and it tasted really good in this dip.  I used this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  This is a good appetizer for company because you can prepare the dip in the morning and then pop it in the oven right before you company is arriving.

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
garlic powder to taste (I used about a teaspoon)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3/4 pound fresh crabmeat (I used king crab - don't use canned!)
3 dashes hot sauce
Old Bay Seasoning to taste (I probably used about a tablespoon or maybe a little more)
crackers or toasted bread to serve

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1 quart baking dish.

2.In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice and zest, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, garlic powder and cheddar cheese. Fold in crabmeat, hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning to taste.

3.Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until bubbly.  Serve the dip with toasted bread or crackers.

Mussels Mariniere

Ever since my mom and I made Cioppino about a month ago, I've been wanting to do something similiar but just with mussels.  That broth was just soooo good that I thought it would be a good weeknight meal to do with just mussels so that I don't have to buy a ton of different seafood.  For some reason my grocery store hasn't been carrying mussels lately.....I asked the seafood guy and he said they've been having trouble with all of their mussel orders coming in because half of them are already dead by the time they get there.  I decided that I would have to make a run to Whole Foods.  I think Whole Foods has some amazing stuff, but it's just too expensive to do too much shopping there.  I ended up getting some really good mussels, but they cost more than double what my grocery store usually charges for them.....oh well, this dish was worth it! 

Trust me, if you like mussels you will love this :)  Make sure you have plenty of thick sliced bread to soak up all of the broth because the flavor is so good.  In terms of how many mussels you will need, I read somewhere that if you're serving mussels as the main course to plan for 1 lb per person, and if you're doing mussels for appetizers you should plan for 1/2 lb per person.  This time I made 2 lbs (although the seafood guy told me he threw in a few extra) and it was just a little more than we could eat.  Since mussels won't stay as leftovers, I may just get a pound and a half for the two of us next time....but then again sometimes it's good to play it safe with mussels in case you have to throw a bunch out (I hardly had to throw any out on this batch).  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup shallots, diced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 tablespoons minced garlic
salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to taste
3 cans italian flavored diced tomatoes
1 can beef broth
1 jar of clam juice
1 cup white wine (we used a Savignon Blanc)
2 lbs mussels, scrubbed and debearded (buy them the same day you're going to cook them)
Crusty bread to serve with your mussels

Directions:

Sautee onions, green peppers, shallots, scallions, and garlic until translucent. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning (be generous with your seasoning). Add the white wine and let cook down a bit.

In a large stockpot, heat up italian diced tomatoes, beef broth, and claim juice.  Transfer the sauteed onion and pepper mix to the stockpot and heat over medium heat for about 30 minutes or so. At this time taste the broth and season as needed.
Meanwhile, soak the mussels in cold water for about 20 minutes to remove any sand or dirt.  Throw out any mussels that don't close when you tap their shell.  

Add the mussels to the pot and cook until the shells open (about 10 minutes).  Discard any mussels that don't open and serve the mussels and broth w/ crusty bread.

Coconut Shrimp

This is my last post from my thanksgiving feast :)  About a month ago, my parents made this recipe and recommended it to me so I decided it would be a good thanksgiving appetizer to make.  This recipe is from The Neely's, and it's really good!  The dipping sauce really makes this recipe so definitely make it along with the shrimp.  My grocery store had colossal shrimp on sale this week, and I think this recipe works best with the really big shrimp so that you don't have to do the breading process on way too many shrimp since it can be a little time consuming.  I will only be using this recipe from now on whenever I make coconut shrimp.

Ingredients:

Shrimp-

Peanut oil, for frying

1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups shredded sweetened coconut
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder

Zesty Dipping Sauce-
1 (6-ounce) jar orange marmalade
1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
1 lime, juiced

Directions:

Make your dipping sauce just by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl, and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat.

Preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F (I decided to just pan-fry these so I heated a little oil in a large skillet over medium high heat).

Butterfly shrimp and set aside.

In medium bowl mix together panko and coconut (I first put the coconut in the food processor and pulsed a few times to get the flakes a little smaller so that they would stick better to the shrimp). In another medium bowl beat eggs and dash of salt and pepper. In a third bowl mix flour, onion and garlic powder together. Dredge shrimp in flour, then eggs, then the bread crumbs.

Place in preheated deep-fryer (or in my case, a large skillet) and fry, in batches, until crisp and golden brown; 2 to 3 minutes (my shrimp were huge so they needed 3-5 minutes, but be careful not to overcook the shrimp). Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Serve hot with Zesty Dipping Sauce on the side.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

This year, my sister wanted to bring an appetizer for Thanksgiving dinner.  I don't want her to get mad for me saying this (because she reads this blog), but a couple of years ago, Kristen brought an appetizer to some dinner we had and it tasted not so good....actually it was pretty bad.....BUT....she totally redeemed her appetizer making skills with this one.  Even though I'm not a huge mushroom fan, I was totally impressed with this dish!  It's a great little appetizer to bring to a party because you can make it ahead of time, and just stick it in the oven whenever you are ready to bake it.  The crab filling had a really good flavor.  She used this recipe from Paula Deen and changed it just a little bit.

Ingredients:

1 cup crabmeat (she bought fresh crab and steamed it and used about 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons Parmesan
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
2 portobello mushroom caps, or 10 white mushrooms caps (I think she used maybe 12-15 baby portobellos)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the crabmeat, cream cheese, parsley, green onions, shredded cheddar, lemon zest, and Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Stuff the mushroom caps with the mixture and top with bread crumbs. Spray the tops with nonstick spray to help them brown. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is hot and melted.

Thanks Kristen!  What a great thanksgiving appetizer :)

Shrimp Scampi Linguini

When I first moved to Chicago a little over 5 years ago, I was a pretty picky eater.  So picky, in fact, that I didn't like any seafood whatsoever (I was crazy, I know).  My favorites foods included those of a 12-year-old child (nachos, chicken fingers, grilled cheese, pizza, etc.), but I am happy to say that these 5 years in Chicago have opened my eyes to liking all sorts of different food.  Now, there isn't much that I don't like, and I absolutely love shellfish.  When I hear people tell me now that they don't like seafood, I encourage them to give it a try again because tastes change a lot from the time we're kids!  The first seafood I ever liked was fried calamari, then I moved up to shrimp, then king crab legs (my absolute favorite), then scallops and mussels.  Moral of the story - even if you were a picky eater when you were younger, you should try new things because you could be missing out on finding your new favorite food!

Anyways, this recipe is one that I've been making for a few years when I'm in the mood for some shrimp pasta.  I got the original recipe from Ina Garten, who is one of my favorite Food Network Chefs, and I have adapted the recipe just a bit to fit what we like.  This pasta is delicious, garlicky, and not too heavy at all.  This made a great Sunday meal served with a green salad and some cheesy garlic toast.

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt plus 1 1/2 teaspoons
3/4 pound linguine
4-5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4 tablespoons good olive oil
1/4 of a yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I also went ahead and took the tails off mine before cooking)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 lemon, zest grated
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)
1/4 to 1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese

Directions:

Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.

Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat, and add the onions. Saute about 4 minutes or until onion is softened.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily! Add the shrimp, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Remove shrimp from the pan so that they don't overcook and reserve on the side.  Add in wine into the sauce and let boil for about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot. Immediately add the shrimp, parmesan cheese, and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Cioppino

For dinner Friday night, my mom showed me how she makes her Cioppino, which is basically an Italian seafood stew.  Most recipes I've seen use a variety of different fish and shellfish, but we only used shellfish because I'm not a huge fan of salmon or cod (which is usually the fish my mom adds in I think).  This is definitely a dish for a special occasion since the seafood can make this an expensive meal, but this turned out really good and the broth was to die for!  The broth was just so flavorful that I think next time I decide to make mussels mariniere I'm going to use this broth with it.

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

1 cup shallots, diced

1 bunch scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons minced garlic

salt, pepper, and italian seasoning to taste

3 cans italian flavored diced tomatoes

1 can beef broth

1 jar of clam juice

1 cup white wine (we used a Savignon Blanc)

2 sweet italian sausages

3/4 - 1 lb mussels

3/4 - 1 lb bottleneck clams

3/4 - 1 lb shrimp, peeled with tail removed

3/4 - 1 lb sea scallops

Directions:

1.  Steam and brown the italian sausages until almost cooked through.  Slice up and set aside.

2.  Sautee onions, green peppers, shallots, scallions, and garlic until translucent.  Season to taste with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning (be generous with your seasoning).  Add the white wine and let cook down a bit.

3.  In a large stockpot, heat up italian diced tomatoes, beef broth, claim juice, and slice italian sausage.

4.  Transfer the sauteed onion and pepper mix to the stockpot and heat over medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour.  At this time taste the broth and season as needed.

5.  Sautee the shrimp and scallops (seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic) in a little EVOO.  Be very careful not to overcook.  It's best to pull them off the head when they are just slightly underdone.

6.  When almost ready to eat add the bottleneck clams first, then mussels about 2 minutes later.  After clams and mussels open, stir the shrimp and scallops in the pot for just a minute and serve immediately.

We served the cioppino with crusty toasted bread on the side so we could use it to soak up all the yummy broth!

This was a great meal!  Just make sure the broth is seasoned the way you like it before you add any seafood in and be really careful not to overcook the seafood.