Showing posts with label Recipes 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Recipes 2015. Show all posts

7.07.2015

A Savory, Shrimpy Summer Soup


Two things:

1) This is not becoming a cooking blog. Cooking, however, is one of the "approved" physical activities that I'm cleared to do right now, so lately, I've been making more messes than Julia Child.

2) I triple dog dare you to read this post title out loud in a Daffy Duck voice. Go ahead. Do it. 

Looney Tunes characters and lisps aside, I found a recipe on Sunday for Shrimp Corn Chowder that sounded deeeeelish. The only problem was, said recipe was friggin' loaded with salt. And, as we health conscious folks know, SALT OVERLOAD = NO BUENO.

So, what's a girl to do when she wants her some shrimp reeeeeal bad? She overhauls the recipe and makes it her own.

And do you know what?

The end result was pretty tasty. Pretty tasty, indeed.

Did I mention that very soon I'm starting a business in food photography? Just kidding. I promise it tastes better than this photo looks.

Shrimp and Roasted Corn Summer Soup
Serves: 4-6
Spice level: 2 out of 10

Ingredients:
-4 cups unsalted or low sodium vegetable stock, (I used unsalted.)
-2 cups whole kernel corn
-2 cups Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
-2 large carrots, peeled and diced
-1 or 2 stalks celery, diced
-1 small zucchini, diced
-One 14 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes
-1 tsp. onion powder
-1 tsp. paprika
-1 tsp. chili powder
-1 cup sour cream
-1/2 cup real bacon bits
-1/2 cup half and half
-1 can condensed Campbell's Healthy Request Cheddar Cheese Soup
-1 Tbsp. olive oil
-1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp, tails cut off
-1/4 tsp. garlic powder
-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Salt to taste at the very end.


Directions:

1. Wash and prepare all fresh veggies, rinse and drain corn, and drain juice from can of tomatoes.

2. In a stock pot, combine vegetable stock, sour cream, half and half, and Cheddar Cheese Soup. Whisk together until smooth.

3. Add in onion powder, paprika and chili powder. Stir well.

4. Now, add in all your veggies: corn, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, and tomatoes. Cook this on high until it starts to boil. Immediately reduce to medium heat and continue cooking.

5. In a grill pan or non-stick skillet, add your olive oil and warm it on medium. Now, throw in your shrimp! (Because I am a mom, I feel the need to give you an annoying mom-like warning: watch out for oil splash back.)

6. Toss the garlic powder, red pepper flakes and bacon bits into your shrimp and stir well to coat them all nicely.

7. Once the shrimp are golden and pretty, drop them into the stock pot with the soup mixture.

8. Cook on medium-medium low heat for 30 minutes, or until all veggies are tender.

9. Top with a small dollop of sour cream, parsley, bell peppers, freshly grated cheddar - whatever your little heart desires. Or all of it. Or none of it. It's your world. I just provide the recipes.

10. And...serve!

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It's a deceivingly healthy recipe that even your toddler will enjoy. Okay, well my toddler enjoyed it. Caroline ate two servings, then proceeded to put down her spoon and lick the bowl.

She's weird and awesome and eats anything, though.



6.19.2015

Summer Salad Shakedown Link-Up

I wanted to ease us all back into the Confessional Friday weekly link-up with something fun, easy and delicious: a recipe link-up! (We'll return to regular Confessional Friday next week, so don't fret if kale and cucumbers aren't your thing.) I'll go ahead and keep this link-up active until Sunday night if any of you girls want to link up over the weekend.



I'm a salad addict during the hotter months. When the dog days of summer in the south arrive, I crave fruits and veggies like woah. I've got a solid stash of recipes in the ol' rotation, but here are three of my top picks.



Zesty Italian Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 box Barilla tricolor rotini pasta
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (I love to do a mix of red and golden cherry toms!)
1/4 cup whole black olives, halved
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 cup Wishbone Zesty Italian Dressing
cracked pepper to taste

Optional ingredients:
-pepperoni
-grilled chicken or shrimp
-fresh mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Cook pasta until al dente or slightly firm. While pasta cooks, chop cherry tomatoes in half, drain black olives and slice, chop bell pepper and prep any additional ingredients you plan to add, (chicken, cheese, etc.) Then...mix it all up!

I usually combine everything while the pasta is still warm -- it blends the flavors better -- then put it right in the fridge to start chilling. 


Francie's Sweet-n-Sour Southern Slaw

This is my MIL's recipe and it's heavenly, I tell you!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup granulated, white sugar
1 medium head of purple cabbage, shredded
1 small white onion, chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

Optional ingredients:
-slivered almonds
-water chestnuts
-crunchy wonton strips

Directions:
Shred up the cabbage, chop the onion into small pieces and combine them in a stainless steel saucepan. Sprinkle the white sugar over the top of the cabbage and onion, then set aside. Next, combine the rest of the ingredients with a whisk -- this will be your dressing -- into a small pot and bring it to a boil. While still bubbling, pour over the top of the cabbage/onion mixture, transfer it to a spill-proof container and let it cool overnight.

This makes a delicious relish alternative for hot dogs and brats and is also divine as a side dish for fried or grilled whitefish. We like cod, sea bass and red snapper.




Tomato Cucumber Caprese Remix

Ingredients
2 large cucumbers
4 medium on-the-vine tomatoes (they just taste better!)
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of Olive Garden brand salad dressing (I add gradually since it's a pretty flavorful dressing. I still like to let the veggies carry most of the flavor.)
1 cup freshly shredded or cubed mozzarella
1/4 cup fresh basil sprinkled on top
1/2 cup *Leslie's croutons (recipe below)

Directions:
Chop up your cucumbers and tomatoes, grate your fresh cheese and chop up the basil. Once it's all prepped, combine it in a big bowl and top with dressing very gradually until you achieve your desired flavor. Next, refrigerate for one hour. Add in croutons immediately prior to serving.

*Leslie's Caprese Croutons
Lengthwise, cut in half a loaf of French or Italian bread. Drizzle the bread with olive oil, then top with rosemary before tossing it into the oven at 380 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Once crisp, remove from oven and cube up the toast into croutons.


Tips for perfecting your ensalada:
  • Invest in a good salt and pepper grinder. Fresh cracked pepper and sea salt add a whole other dimension of freshness to the flavor profile.
  • Always have fresh lemon, olive oil and balsamic vinegar on hand for a simple and tasty three-ingredient dressing.
  • Never dress your salad more than five minutes before serving IF it's leaf-based unless you want soggy salad. Slaws and pasta salads taste best if allowed to marinate in their liquid for a half-hour or so. 



  • Invest in a good set of knives. We have and covet these bad boys, (top-most, above), which are really affordable, (under $20!) Two good paring knives, one 6.5 inch chef's knife, (middle), and a dual blade knife sharpener, (directly above), is all you really need to start and build a good collection of veggie/fruit knives.

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*Specific brands of products mentioned in this post are simply the ones my family prefers. We were not compensated in any manner for using them - we just dig 'em!



   
    An InLinkz Link-up
   

1.20.2015

Printables and a Recipe (!!)

Hey there, friends of the interwebs. It's Tuesday, which is always exponentially better than Monday, right? Right. And, in case you didn't gather it by the title, there's no rhyme or reason to today's post. I'm a loose cannon like that...

-Free Printables (!!) 
Am I the only dork who gets really, and I mean really excited when I see the words Free Printables? I saw these come across my inbox from Today's Creative Blog and have already printed out several. Rather than keeping a planner this year, I'm keeping a binder.


With two kids and a million different schedules/appointments/etc, it's a better option for us. Anyway, if you're trying to get organized in 2015 like me, print these off and enjoy!

Weekly cleaning schedule printable
Menu planner printable
Password/login printable

-Chicken Cream Cheese Enchiladas
Ladies, this is not Paleo-friendly, Whole 30-friendly, Weight Watchers-friendly or cholesterol-friendly. If you were looking for one of those recipes, you've come to the wrong girl. BUT. Oh, are these tasty. I made these last night and folks - TO DIE FOR. I'd tell you how many I ate, but that'd be embarrassing. I've seen so many variations of this recipe, but my favorite is my momma's : )



Ingredients

2-3 chicken breasts, shredded up
1 {8 oz.} pkg. cream cheese, (Do NOT use low-fat! It makes the mixture too runny!)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 28 oz. can red enchilada sauce, (We like Old El Paso brand.)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
Flour tortillas
1-2 cups shredded monterrey & colby jack cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cook chicken and shred. Mix the shredded chicken, cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and 2 cups of the red enchilada sauce together.  Pour 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 baking pan. Grab a tortilla and load that puppy full of the chicken mixture and black beans. Roll 'em up and lay them one-by-one into the baking dish in a row, making sure that the enchiladas are seam side down. Top with a thin layer of the remaining enchilada sauce, then pile on the cheese!

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Take them out, remove the foil, put them back in and turn on your broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown the cheese on top. 

Top with sour cream, avocado, green onions, salsa - whatever the heck you want!