Mexican Shrimp Bisque

(What an amateur photo, gee...I wonder who took it!? hehehe ;))

When I was nine years old my mom let me invite a boy over for dinner for the first time.  His name was Michael.  We were neighbors and we were in the same fourth grade class.  I can still remember that he wore a button-up shirt with a collar.  He arrived to my house late and he brought with him two pink carnations.  One for me, and the other for my mom.  (Impressive!)

That night, Michael had his first encounter with Rice-a-Roni.  I was completely shocked that he had never before tasted the San Francisco treat!  He raved about how much he loved it and told us how he was going to ask his mom to make it for him at home. I can still remember us standing in the kitchen while I sang the Rice-a-Roni jingle to him.  It wasn't too long before Michael became my very first boyfriend. 

So there you have it...the best kept secret and the key to a mans heart is simply through a box of Rice-a-Roni!  Who knew?! ;)


Aside from the poor photo provided, this bisque was AMAZING!  Would you believe me if I told you that it only took thirty minutes from start to finish!? Now that's my kind of fast food!

 

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

1 small onion, chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 C water

1/2 C heavy whipping cream

2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1 TBSP chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 C plain Greek yogurt

fresh cilantro, chopped

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

In a small saucepan, sauté the onion in the oil until tender.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer.  Stir in the flour until well blended.  Stir in the water, cream, bouillon and seasonings; bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cover, simmer for 5 minutes.  Cut half of the shrimp into small pieces.  Add the shrimp to the soup.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes longer or until all of the shrimp turn pink.  Place the Greek yogurt in a small bowl and gradually stir in 1/2 C of the hot soup.  Return the Greek yogurt mixture to the pan while stirring it constantly.  Heat through, but do not boil.  Top with cilantro.  Enjoy!

 

 

Kitchen Tip: Storing Ginger

How often is it that I go to the grocery store, buy a piece of ginger root to use in a recipe and actually use the whole piece? N.e.v.e.r.

This is the method that I use to store unused ginger.

1) using a potato peeler, I completely peel the outer skin off of the ginger.

 

2) Then I slice into 1-2in. pieces.

3) I wrap the individual pieces tightly in plastic wrap.  (I hate plastic wrap with a passion, but sometimes, its just necessary.)

4) Then once I have each piece securely wrapped, I place them into a baggie.  I store them in the freezer.  Frozen pieces of ginger root grate very easily! And they can last for several weeks.  :)

Crab and Pea Salad

Crab and pea salad, simply known as "Crab Salad" in our home, has been a long time favorite of ours. Its quick and easy, and makes a great lunch or a perfect summertime dinner.  Ok,  I do realize that its January and we are in the middle of winter, but I really miss summer and I also really missed this salad!! So that's why I decided to make it for dinner last week and boy, did it hit the spot! Now if we could just get our warm weather back...I'd be a really happy camper. :)

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices bacon                                                                     

1 10oz. package frozen green peas, thawed    

1 pound imitation crab meat, flaked or chopped (I chop, it makes the job quick and easy)

1/4 C mayo

1/4 ranch dressing

1/4 tsp. onion powder

lettuce of your choice (I like butter leaf)

Fresh Ground Pepper

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Cut the bacon slices into small pieces.  In a frying pan, over Med/High heat, cook the bacon until evenly browned.  Remove the cook pieces from the pan and allow them to drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Once drained, in a medium sized bowl, combine the bacon pieces, peas, imitation crab, mayo, ranch dressing, and onion powder.  Mix until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve over a bed of lettuce and top with freshly ground pepper.

 

 

 

 

                                                

 

 

Clean Eating Granola

In high school, I lived off of McDonalds fruit and yogurt parfaits.  I ate one almost everyday for lunch my senior year.  Fast forward a year or two (or twelve!) and here I am, still eating fruit and yogurt parfaits, only a much healthier version! My version!

If your looking for a McDonalds granola knock off, this recipe is not it.  This is a clean eating granola recipe that tastes very healthy.  Its sweet without being overpoweringly sweet.  The granola goes great in a bowl with milk for breakfast or to use for any of your snacking needs! :)

INGREDIENTS: (for granola only)

3 C rolled oats
1/2 C chopped walnuts
1/2 C natural, unsweetened applesauce
1/4 C honey
2 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the oats and walnuts.  In a small bowl whisk together the applesauce, honey and cinnamon.  Add the wet mixture to the oat mixture and stir together until well incorporated.  Spread the granola mixture evenly over the prepared cookie sheet and bake for approx. 40-60 min. Stir every 10 minutes to avoid burning.  The granola is done when it feels dry and appears to be golden brown.  Cool completely before serving.  Store in an air tight container.  ENJOY!

To make a parfait like the one I made, use 1/2 C plain Greek yogurt.  Drizzle 1 TBSP of honey over the top.  Top with frozen berries (thawed of course, I like the Kirkland Signature three berry blend from Costco) and about 1/4 C of the granola.  I like to stir everything together really well before eating. 

Recipe from: thegraciouspantry.com

Breakfast Quiche

My favorite thing to do on a Saturday morning is to wake up early, brew up a cup of coffee and make breakfast for my boys.  Of course they wouldn't care if I made pancakes or waffles every Saturday, but that's so boring!  I need variety in my diet.  I knew I'd be taking a risk with this one since the finished product would have specks of red and green.  It was a pleasant surprise that everyone really enjoyed it, even the baby grubbed!  No complaining during meal time = a good day for mom!  :)

This would make a great dish to bring to a brunch or even for Christmas morning.  You may want to drizzle on some hot sauce too.  Yum!

(pretty!)

INGREDIENTS:

3 C hash browns

3 TBSP melted butter

12 oz. sausage links 

6 beaten eggs 

2 C grated cheddar cheese

1/4 C heavy whipping cream

1/4 C chopped sun dried tomatoes

2 TBSP fresh chopped flat leaf Italian parsley

Salt and Pepper

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl mix together the hash browns and melted butter, season with salt and pepper.  Grease the bottom of a 9-in pie plate with cooking spray.  Press the prepared hash browns onto the bottom and sides of the pie plate.  Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until golden.  Meanwhile, cook the sausage links and cut into small pieces.  In a large bowl combine the eggs, cheddar cheese, whipping cream, sun dried tomatoes, Italian parsley, and the sausage.  Season with salt and pepper.  When the hash brown crust is done, pour the egg mixture on top.  Bake for 25 minutes or until the eggs are completely cooked.  A toothpick test will work fine.  Cut into pie like slices.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Mexican Tortilla Rolls

I am very proud of this photo.  It looks like a true food blogger photo, don't you think?

Appetizers are something I struggle with due to the fact that I don't like to try anything new on people unless I have tried it for myself.  Pretty understandable, right?  Appetizers are not something I typically make at home just because.  So if I don't make appetizers at home but I need one to bring to a party, how am I supposed to know what to make???  I usually end up bringing the same things over and over. So, last weekend I took a leap of faith and I decided to use a recipe that I had never made before to bring to my sisters shindig.  To my surprise, it turned out great!  My version ended up looking much like the one that came with the recipe, which I thought was a good sign.  And it tasted exactly like I expected it to. Yummers!


4 thin-sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can Ro-tel diced tomatoes, drained
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1C Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp. ancho chili powder, divided
1 tsp. cumin, divided
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 C cilantro, chopped
6 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
6 wraps (I used the Mission brand Jalapeno Cheddar flavor)

In a small bowl mix the salt, half of the cumin, and 1 tsp of the ancho chili powder.  Sprinkle the seasoning mix onto the chicken breasts.  Place the chicken to a skillet and add about 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on med-high until it is cooked through adding more water if necessary. Once the chicken is cooked, cool slightly and chop into small pieces. (You can also shred it with two forks, but I find that chopping it up small works just as well and is a much faster process)

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, drained tomatoes, cheese, remaining spices, garlic, cilantro and green onions. Mix together well. Add cooled chicken and stir together until combined.
Lay out the wraps and divide mixture evenly in the center of each. Spread into a thin layer leaving the edges clean. Roll each wrap tightly leaving the ends free. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1" thick slices.  Place onto a serving dish.  Refrigerate until you are ready to serve. Enjoy!
*The ends of the roll will likely come unraveled, you can discard them or enjoy them for yourself! :)

Recipe adapted from: homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com

Balsamic and Rosemary Salmon

Ignore the dried rosemary.  It doesn't belong there. Had I followed the recipe as it was written instead of trying to use what was already in my cupboard, this recipe would have been flawless. So instead of sharing with you what I did, I am going to share with you what I should have done!

This was a first time recipe for me which worked out nicely as a busy weeknight dinner. The salmon does need a little bit of time to marinate, about thirty minutes before baking.  I'll be making this again, but next time following the recipe exactly.  The original recipe called for fresh rosemary sprigs, but since I only had dried that's what I went with. The flavor was really good, but I don't think the long, dry, crunchy rosemary needles meshed well with the soft, flaky salmon.  I found myself pushing the rosemary off to the side with my fork. Its a texture thing! :)


INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs. fresh salmon
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1 clove of garlic
2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice.  Place a large sheet of aluminum foil into a 13X9 baking dish.  Place the salmon on top of the foil and drizzle the marinade on top. Place the fresh rosemary sprigs on top.  Fold the sides of the foil up and cover the salmon completely.  Place in the fridge and let it sit for at least thirty minutes.  When your ready to bake, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the salmon flakes off easily.  Discard the rosemary sprigs.  Enjoy!

*Note: The recipe for the marinade makes a lot, I didn't use all of it.