Assembling a great meal.....

while cleaning out the kitchen.

As previously mentioned, the past few weeks we have been cleaning out our freezer/ fridge/ pantry/ and porch-farm in an effort to save money, get creative, and clear out food before we leave for the beach. Here is tonight's creation. By the way, please excuse the bad lighting, we are redoing our kitchen lighting, and right now we have one light bulb.....the joys of home ownership.

Fisherman's Wharf Rub: My fantastic mother-in-law buys this for us at a store in Maine. It is essentially oregano, lemon, parsley, garlic, and salt. It is the perfect rub for fish.

+ Frozen Easy Peel Shrimp: We buy this when it is BOGO at Harris Teeter. It is good for making meals in a jam.

+ Tomatoes/Basil: from our porch farm, sprinkle a little salt, perfection.

+ Brown Rice Pilaf= Voila! Assembled.

Something really exciting happened last night....

and it wasn't my Pad Thai. However, for a brief moment, since this is a food blog let me share how I made the best Pad Thai yet.

Pad Thai
I started with cooking a cup of Jasmine rice. Next, I sauteed some East Carolina shrimp in cayenne pepper infused olive oil, with a chopped white onion, chopped green pepper, bean sprouts, chopped carrots, and those little corn things from the movie Big. This happened for only about 5 to 10 minutes, then I squeezed fresh lemon juice on top. I served the rice with the shrimp mixture on top, and then drizzled with a little peanut sauce. It was fresh and excellent. In the past, I cooked the food with the peanut sauce, and the flavors were always too drenched and overpowering. This was a fantastically fresh way to cook it. Of course, add chopped peanuts or scrambled egg if you would like, but it didn't really need it.

Ok, but the really exciting thing is that Serafina slept through the night. Now, the definition provided in the baby books, which I no longer read due to their raging psychotic guilt-ridden approach to parenting, says midnight to six am is sleeping through the night and it happens around three months. Last night Serafina slept from 11:30 to 6:15, her three month birthday. However, I wasn't in the least bit surprised that is just how Serafina rolls. What I have learned about my baby in the last three months is that she is a calming influence on all around her. She tranquilly observes the world, smiles at the unexpected, and rarely cries. When in the first weeks she appeared to suffer from gas attacks, her doctor diagnosed her with colic. AAM and I insisted that she didn't have colic, I mean she never cried, just fussed in the early evening for three hours or so. She would turn bright red and give a bit of an alarming noise, and then calm down, then repeat. My doctor explained, "That is just her way of dealing with the discomfort, every baby is different." Serafina was too calm for colic. I don't mean to brag, but because of her content and happy nature, she surprises and impresses everyone she meets. She just IS. In all the anxieties of first time parenting, she is the baby I need, and seems to be aware that she is leading us on this journey and I am taking her cues. I am not sure where this approach to life comes from because her father and I tend to take the world by storm.

A book I recently finished Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood, talks about observing your child for who they are and freeing yourself of your contrived goals and motivations. I actually found it to be a fantastic, well-thought out, quick read, which puts parenting into perspective with a sense of honesty and humor. I highly recommend it to new parents, and not so new ones. The book reminded me that Serafina teaches me how to slow down and appreciate the quiet changes in our day and scenery. No goals, no future, no past, just be. Yesterday, we spent a good twenty minutes staring at the variety of beans in the canned goods aisle at Harris Teeter. I talked to her about my favorite beans and which ones had more protein; she cooed. We looked at labels and talked recipes. I explained how some beans are called peas, but I wasn't sure why. Hanging out in her sling, she looked up at me and back at the peas and seemed to say "Lady, get over what they are called, let the beans be peas, who cares."

A twist on Bean and Corn Tacos

I adapted this recipe from Vegetarian Times. It is still in the spirit of the original, but with adaptations for ease and optional pescetarian additions. I added shrimp, swapped green onions for vidalia onion, switched red pepper for avocado, and used canned corn instead of frozen because it is better for you. I also turned into a one pan meal- less cleanup. AAM says these taste similar to the tacos at Oyamel

Bean and Corn Tacos

• 1 tb of olive oil (try oil infused with hot pepper)
  
• 1/2 lb of shrimp deshelled and cut in fourths
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 can of corn
• 2 tb of cumin
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
  
• Pepper
  
• corn tortillas

Toppings:

• chopped avocado
• 1/3 vidalia onion chopped
• 1/3 cup of cilantro topped
• feta cheese

1. Turn on the oven to 200 degrees, put the corn tortillas on a baking sheet, and let warm.
2. In a large saute pan, add oil, garlic, shrimp, black beans, corn, cumin, pepper. Cook at medium heat, until the shrimp turn pink.
3. Assemble tacos with mixture, then onion and avocado, and top with a sprinkle of feta and cilantro.
   

Tonight we feasted on...

Shrimp and Asparagus Lemony Risotto

Risotto Liquids:

• 3 cups of veggie broth
• 1/2 cup of white whine
• 2 tb of fresh lemon juice

Other Ingredients

• 1/2 Vidalia Onion
• 1/2 cup of Italian/Flat Leaf Parsley
• 1 lb of Shrimp
• 2 tb of fresh lemon juice
• Olive oil
• 1 bundle of asparagus, chopped
• Salt and Pepper
• Romano Cheese

1. Throw 1 tb of olive oil in saucepan, Heat med. Saute Risotto until it slightly darkens.
2. Steadily pour any of the risotto liquids on top. Stir, whenever the risotto looks dry, add a bit more; the order does not matter. When near the end, add chopped parsley, salt and pepper.
   
3. After 8 minutes on the risotto, add 1 tb olive oil in a different pan, saute shrimp, drizzle lemon juice. Cook until pink, remove from heat. The shrimp can sit in lemon oil and heat a little more.
4. Steam asparagus, you can do this in a steamer or in the microwave (put them in enough water to cover and cook for 2.5 minutes).
5. Mix shrimp, asparagus, risotto, add salt/pepper to taste, and sprinkle romano cheese on top.
   

We enjoyed with champagne to celebrate the end of the school/work year, but that might make a sommelier gasp.

AAM's Meal

When I drove to Williamsburg, while AAM attended law school, I often ended up cooking upon arrival, as well as meals for the next week. Throughout those years, AAM worked hard, and I loved learning how to cook, so this was not an odd relationship. However, this became a big focus of time. So, on one visit, he surprised me. AAM called his dear sister, who directed him over the phone on the basics of cooking with this recipe I will always be thankful because she gave us a wonderful weeknight meal, which will always remind me of his triumphant face upon his first creation.

Ingredients

• 1 lb of wild shrimp
• 2 broccoli stalks
• 2 cups of rice (whole or white)
• 1 bag of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tb mesquite seasoning
• salt and pepper
• Gratin Container (Crate and Barrel makes wonderful and affordable gratins, which I use all the time for different dishes)
  

1. Cook the rice.
2. With 5 minutes left, steam the chopped broccoli.
3. When finished, mix the rice with 2 cups of cheddar cheese
4. Peel shrimp, put in bowl, and mix with mesquite/Cajun/or spicy seasoning
5. In a gratin individual container, put 1/2 cup of rice mixture, broccoli, and top with 5 or so raw shrimp. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Cook @375 for 15 minutes. **Be sure to use an oven mitt to remove gratin containers.

Cooks for 5 or 6 .... or for 2, and then lunch for a few days.

A little Southern Charm....

Sometime in high school, I began to adore grits. The textures and flavors are a wonderful home-cooked meal. In college, I settled on microwavable cheese grits, but the flat texture and lack of creaminess meant the meal was just a glorified version of ramen.
A relatively new restaurant on U Street, Creme makes some really, really good Shrimp and Grits. On my friend Dan's suggestion, we sat in the swanky restaurant, soaking up the ambiance and $10 glass of Shiraz. Note: Sometimes the house wine is not so much of a household price.

Last week, after A's panic attack in organic trendster hell, we found some yummy grits/ polenta meal.Of course, in the spirit of the new year and saving money, we jumped on the opportunity for making them at home last week.

Modified Neely's Shrimp and Grits.

• 4 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 half and half
• 1 cup grits
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup Romano Cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 pounds uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes

Directions

1. In a heavy saucepan, simmer the veggie broth and half and half. Then, whisk in the grits and a pinch of salt. Stir constantly and return to a low simmer. Cook until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese.

2. Large saute pan over medium-heat. Melt butter and saute onion, garlic, and green bell pepper. Saute until tender and translucent, then add the shrimp and saute for about 2 minutes. Add white wine and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Quesadillas with a twist....

A. and I stumbled on this meal last year, and soon became obsessed. It is super easy and yummy. Last night, while we enjoyed our quesadillas and Thursday night TV, I was reminded that good tasting food does not need to be complicated. I am sure this would be a favorite with children. You will need tortillas, a pound of shrimp, green onions, monterey jack cheese, and roasted red peppers.

• Preheat oven at 375
• De-shell shrimp, and sprinkle with cayenne pepper (maybe 1/2 tablespoon?). Chop pineapple into inch squares.
• On a grill pan, grill the shrimp and pineapple until cooked. Shrimp can be slightly undercooked.
• Meanwhile, chop 5 green onions and the roasted red peppers, and then the cooked shrimp.
• Assemble 1/2 cup of monterey jack cheese, green onions, and roasted red peppers, chopped shrimp, and pineapple on a tortilla. (Recipe makes 4 separate quesadillas.)
  
• After adding a little more cheese on top, which will make a glue-like seal to keep food inside, place another tortilla on top.
• Bake for 7 minutes, or until the cheese is melted
• Optional flavored sour cream: Mix sour cream, garlic salt (or powder), and juice of half a lemon. Put a dollup of sour cream on top of each quesadilla.

Inspired by Ellie Krieger's Quesadillas