Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp, Oven Baked & Homemade Cocktail Sauce

I love shrimp. It's just how it is. I'm sure there are others of you out there who feel the same way. I haven't found a shrimp that I don't like to chomp. Unfortunately, however, I am landlocked and sequestered high up and away in the Rocky Mountain West. My shrimp is generally found frozen. I work with what I have.

I am also a Pinterest aficionado. It would be great if all of the things I pinned would just work themselves out on their own. I pin and I pin, and sometimes, sometimes, I try.

Well tonight, I tried a Pinterest recipe I set aside about a year ago for oven baked shrimp. As I usually do, I made a variety of adjustments to appease my own palate. The shrimp turned out amazing and we are definitely going to put this into the regular rotation.

I also really like to make homemade sauces and the homemade cocktail sauce is an easy winner that we have made on a number of occasions.

So tonight: Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp (oven baked) and Homemade Cocktail Sauce. I served it with crusty rolls as sops for the delicious lemon-butter-herb sauce that was in the bottom of the pan when everything was done cooking.

Happy eating . . . now go have a party in your mouth! :)

Homemade Cocktail Sauce

1.5 C. Ketchup

2 Heaping Tbsp Ground Horseradish, Beaver Brand Extra Hot Prepared Grated

1 tsp. Chili Garlic Sauce, Huey Fong Foods

½ of a small lemon, juiced

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Cracked Pepper

Combine all ingredients and whisk together. You can serve immediately or refrigerate to let the flavors mingle.

Lemon Butter Garlic Shrimp, Oven Baked

2 Lg. Lemons

1 small bouquet of Thyme, Parsley and Dill

1 Stick of Butter, melted

1 pkg. 31-40 Frozen, Raw, Peeled, Deveined, Tails-on Shrimp

2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic

Garlic Powder

Salt

Italian Seasonings

In a 350 degree oven, melt butter in the cooking tray that you will be using.

Slice 1.5 Lemons, fairly thin. Chop the parsley and the dill.

When butter has melted remove from the oven and lay out the sliced lemons. Spread out the chopped parsley and dill. Sprinkle the minced garlic over the herbs and lemon slices. Pour and arrange the shrimp onto the prepared tray, arranging for them to be as flat as possible. Squeeze the remaining ½ lemon over the shrimp, then sprinkle with garlic powder and the Italian seasonings. Top with the thyme.

Place tray back into the oven and cook for 22 minutes. Remove and serve immediately, or you can chill them and serve them cold or over a salad.

If you shrimp are fresh or thawed, not frozen, cook them for 15-17 minutes.

Additional Options:

Firecracker Shrimp: Substitute given herbs for Cilantro and Parsley, substitute Italian seasoning for salt, pepper, cayenne pepper powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the top of the shrimp in addition to the lemon. Bake per the given.

Paprika Onion Garlic Butter Shrimp: Melt butter, layer lemons and thinly sliced onions and minced garlic. Arrange shrimp per the given. Mix together ½ C. of melted butter, garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and paprika. Pour over the shrimp. Bake per the given.

Holiday Hodge Podge: Ham Bone Stone Soup

I’ve been wanting to cook with the post holiday ham bone for quite some time. I have brought bones home. I have put bones in the fridge, all for naught, as they regularly end up disappointingly in the garbage weeks later.

Not this year. This year I was bound and determined to make The Soup. The Ham Bone Holiday Hodge Podge Soup, and so I committed, and I achieved. I was inspired by this particular recipe http://www.thekitchn.com/ham-bone-greens-159337 though I modified it for what I had and what I wanted to do. Don’t skip the cabbage, the splash of vinegar or the hot sauce, those things really add some delightful details to your bowl.

I am really happy with how this turned out. No doubt there will be a little refinement here and there, but this is a new, hearty, holiday winter staple. I decided to call it Stone Soup because as the old story goes, you add what you have, some of this, some of that, and before you know it you have a hearty, steaming pot of deliciousness . . . or at least something like that.

Happy Cooking!

Holiday Ham Bone Stone Soup

Into the Pot . . .

Ham Bone

Ham chunks trimmed and cubed

1 Bag Black Beans, soaked overnight, or Pinto beans (soaked overnight)

1 large white onion, chopped

2 large stalks of celery, chopped

1 Tbsp Minced Garlic

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 C. Chopped Carrots

1 Can Muir Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes

3 Tbsp Tamed Jalapenos

After Pressure Cooking

1 small Green Cabbage, chopped, 7-8 cups

4-5 C. Fresh Spinach

Additional Personal Seasonings

Louisiana Hot Sauce

Red Wine Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Soak your beans overnight . . . no really . . . do.

In a pressure cooker combine the following: all ingredients except for spinach, cabbage, hot sauce, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add water to just cover the ham bone, do not overfill the pressure cooker. Pressure cook according to directions for the type of bean you are cooking. The ham bone has already been cooked so you do not need to process for raw meat. Once my cooker came to a rollicking boil with a steady head of steam, I set the timer for 10 minutes. Let the pressure cool down on its own or for at least 20-30 minutes before you quick cool it.

Once the cooker is able to be opened, please follow your manufacturer’s instructions for this, put the pot back on medium heat. Bring to a simmer. If you want to thicken your soup a bit, mash some of the beans along the side. Add green cabbage, stirring in, and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Taste the broth to see if it needs additional salt, add the salt and pepper to taste at this point.  You can continue to cook the soup longer if your cabbage is not as tender as you would like it. When your soup is at the finishing point, meaning the cabbage has the texture you want and you are ready to serve, add in the fresh spinach, stirring it in, cooking for 3-5 minutes. Serve the soup.

Each individual can add a splash of vinegar and Louisiana Hot Sauce as their palate may call for it.

Delicious on the first day. Fabulous every day after that.

Serve with crusty bread and butter and a salad if you must.

One Pot: Capellini with Tomatos, Garlic and Clams

Over the Thanksgiving weekend I kept hearing people raving about the "Post Thanksgiving One-Pot Meal." I wondered what all the hype was about, so I Googled which landed me in Martha Stewart-land to which I thought "That figures. Well, let's see it then."

Now don't get me wrong, I do love me some Martha every now and then and use to be an avid follower and fan prior to the whole prison thing  . . .  and even after the whole prison thing, I mean, she knows how to lay out a table and a bazillion things that can be done with gourds, glitter and a glue gun.

Anyway, my interest was piqued, and though I hadn't planned on it, towards the end of the weekend I found myself experimenting with her basic recipe, and like you all know I do, I tampered with it to make my own.

Here's the Martha video, seriously, super simple. http://www.marthastewart.com/978784/one-pan-pasta#One-Pot%20Meals|/275672/one-dish-dinners/@center/854190/comfort-food-recipes|978784

 And my recipe based on her instructions:

• 12 ounces capellini
• 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large 
• 1 6.5 oz. can of chopped clams, drained
• 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 3 C. raw spinach, washed and dried 
• 1 onion, thinly sliced 
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes 
• 1 Tbsp. dried chives
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 C. White Cooking Wine 
• 4 1/2 cups water
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving 

In a deep skillet, add pasta, chopped tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add clams and tomato sauce, bringing back up to a low boil. Turn heat down to medium/medium high and continue to boil mixture, stirring and turning pasta frequently with tongs. 

Capellini cooks in roughly 5-6 minutes so at the 5 minute mark, add in the spinach, chives and white cooking wine, stirring gently into the mixture. Dish is done around the 6 minute mark or whenever your preferred pasta consistency has been achieved.

Plate and top with Parmesan. Serve with crusty bread with butter and a simple salad, or not, just as a delicious one bowl dinner.

The Terrific Tomato Dinner: Cream of Tomato Soup, Cucumber & Tomato Salad, and Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich with Tomatoes

I must have been in a tomato mood the other night because tomatoes ended up in everything I made and that doesn't include the snitching of a fresh piece of tomato here and there with a little salt and sprinkling of some red wine vinegar. I love that. It's making my mouth water as we speak!

Let's start out with soup!

Cream of Tomato Soup

The base of this soup, the bones of the soup, is called Sherried Tomato Soup and is taken from the Pioneer Woman http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/02/sherried_tomato_soup/.  It is my go-to creamy Tomato Soup base recipe. I change it according to what I have on hand. The recipe below has my variations incorporated into it.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Whole Medium Onion, Diced
1 46 oz. Bottle of Tomato Juice (T: I used Campbell's Brand)
1 28 oz. Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tbsp. Chicken Base (T: I used Better Than Bouillon mixed with some hot water and then poured in to the soup)
2 Tbsp. Sugar.
1 Pinch Salt
Black Pepper to Taste (T: I used 1/2 Tbsp.)
1 C. White Cooking Wine (BTW you can find this in the oil and vinegar aisle at your grocery store. It is salty, so do not add additional salt until you have combined and tasted your soup.)
1 C. Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. dried Chives
1 Tbsp. dried Basil

Additions:
Garnish with fresh Parmesan and croutons.

In a soup/stock pot, Sauté diced onions in butter until translucent. Then add crushed tomatoes, tomato juice, chicken base, sugar, pepper and stir. Bring to a near boil, then turn to a low simmer. Add in the dried chives and basil. Add in cooking wine, let simmer briefly, 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat and add cream, stirring until thoroughly blended. Taste, add additional salt if needed.

Garnish with a hearty handful of the cheese and croutons if desired and serve with crusty bread and butter.

Beginning to end I cranked this out in 20 minutes. It was excellent hot and fresh...and no doubt will be even more so tomorrow.


Cucumber & Tomato Salad with Simple Dressing

1 lg. Cucumber
2 medium sized Roma Tomatoes
Red Wine Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt

Peel the cucumber, slicing it lengthwise down the middle and then width wise in half circles. Wash the tomatoes and slice them in the same fashion as the cucumber. Place them in a dish. Be generous with your salt but not ridiculous, meaning you want to taste some salt but not feel like you need a pitcher of water next to you while you eat. A lot of people fear the salt and because of it they really miss out on some beautiful enhancing of flavors . . . don't miss out. Next drizzle your salad with Olive Oil, probably about 3-4 Tbsp. Next splash liberally, amply, delightfully, tartly, with Red Wine Vinegar. You want to taste the vinegar. Probably about 3 Tbsp. Toss your salad. Taste it. Is it salty enough? Tart enough? Great! Success!

Grilled Cheddar Cheese Sandwich with Sliced Tomatoes

2 pieces of Sliced White Bread (or whatever else you might love) = 1 Sandwich
Sliced Cheddar Cheese, enough to fully cover one piece of bread, likely 2-3 pieces, plus other pieces cut to fit the remaining open spots
Sliced Roma Tomatoes
Butter

On medium heat, heat your frying pan. Butter one side of each piece of bread. Place the bottom piece of the sandwich, butter-side down into the pan. Next add your cheddar cheese so that you do not have empty spots on your bread, then add the slices of tomato, I like to leave space for the cheese to melt between the pieces, then add your top piece of bread, butter side out.

Keep an eye on your sandwich, it takes a while to toast and heat, but it will burn in a snap if you're not careful. With a spatula, flip your sandwich over. If your bread is toasting too quickly and your cheese is not melting quickly enough, turn your heat down just a bit. You want the bread to be a deep gold, toasty - to - dark caramel brown color depending on your preference.

Once your bread is toasted enough and your cheese has completely melted, remove the pan from the heat, serve your sandwich slicing diagonally into triangles.

Warning: your tomatoes on your sandwich will be hot--give it a minute or three to cool down or you will burn your mouth, I did it just the other day . . . again . . . because I didn't want to wait, but you should wait. Your mouth will be happier.

Overall this is a super easy dinner that is fast and homemade. What's not to love about Soup, Salad, Sandwich?

Happy Eating!