Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp over Rice

I modified this from the Greek-Style Garlic Shrimp and Orzo in Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats -- A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners; It is #149 on page 133. I didn't have orzo or enough cherry tomatoes to make the recipe as written, so I improvised with GREAT success.


1 lb shrimp, deveined and peeled, tails removed.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 Tbs dried oregano or 2 Tbs fresh, chopped
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
Cooked rice

Add the 1/4 cup EVOO, onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes to your skillet.  Turn on the heat to medium high and cook until the onions are translucent. 
And the shrimp to the skillet and cook for a minute or so - make sure you stir and coat the shrimp with the mixture.
Add the can of diced tomatoes, olives, and oregano to the skillet.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the shrimp are firm and pink, then turn off the heat.

Serve over cooked rice (I started with about 2 cups of dry rice) and sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese.

This was INCREDIBLE!  And so easy.  I think it's good enough to make without the shrimp.  I think I would let it cook longer, though, to give the juices some time to reduce.

Bento obsession...

Today's lame attempt at bento for dinner.  I see progress, though.  Notice the star-shaped peanut butter sandwich?

I'm not sure if this is going to be enough for her to eat after practice, but I'm thinking we might eat out afterwards and this will be enough to tide her over until we get there.  Or if we have Mexican, it will be her dinner and she'll have dessert while we eat.

Quesadillas de Camarones

Ingredients
• Flour Tortillas
• 12 whole Large Shrimp, Peeled And Deveined
• 8 ounces, fluid Mexican Red Sauce
• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper
• 2 cups Cheese, Grated (Monterey Jack Is Best - I USED QUESO)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• Salt To Taste

Preparation Instructions

1. Pour red sauce over shrimp. Set aside.
2. Chop vegetables into large pieces. Heat skillet over high heat and add olive oil. Cook vegetables over high heat until they start to get brown/black. Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Return skillet to high heat, dump in the shrimp with the sauce. Cook, stirring only occasionally, until shrimp is opaque. Add in a little water if the sauce gets dry. Remove from skillet and chop into bite-size pieces.
4. In a separate skillet, heat butter. Place a tortilla in the skillet, then layer on ingredients: cheese, vegetables, and shrimp. Top with a little more cheese and a second tortilla. Cook on both sides, adding butter before flipping to the other side so the tortilla isn’t overly dry.
5. Remove from skillet and slice into wedges. Serve with rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, guacamole—whatever you’d like!

I will give credit for this scrumptious recipe as soon as I can remember where I found it online! :p

Easy Baked Oatmeal

I came across this recipe on the Sonlight forums.  At the moment, I can't remember who originally posted it but when I have time I'll come back and give credit where credit's due.  I love this oatmeal because it's easy to fix, doesn't have to sit overnight, and has a texture that my oatmeal haters can tolerate.

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar (I use 3/4 cup and it's still good)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried cranberries (or to taste)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350F
In a glass, microwave safe mixing bowl melt butter
Add all ingredients, except oatmeal and cranberries, and mix together
Stir in oatmeal and cranberries
Pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish
Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes

One of these days I'm going to top this with some crushed pecans.  I think that would make it a nearly perfect breakfast.

Peanut Butter Brownies

From Cooking with the Horse & Buggy People II

• 3/4 cup shortening


• 3/4 cup peanut butter


• 2 1/4 cups sugar


• 5 eggs


• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla


• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder


• 3/4 tsp salt


• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips


• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts

Put in a 10x15 pan at 350F for 30 minutes.

Christmas Dinner ~ A First for the Decade

What?  A first?  Yes, this is the first year I have cooked Christmas Dinner all by myself.  I picked the menu, assembled the recipes, bought the ingredients, and managed the workforce.  The end result?  Three buffet dishes for breakfast at the relatives and dinner for my brood and some friends.

BREAKFAST

Cheddar-Sausage Breakfast Quiche
Sweet Ricotta Breakfast Quiche
Baked Brie with Apples & Cranberries

 

DINNER

Baked Ham
Au Gratin Potatoes
Paula Deen's Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Cranberry Orange Salad
Deviled Eggs
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie

Cooking is the area I am best at expressing my creativity.  It was a wonderful gift for me to be able to pour so much of myself into this simple meal.  Why, then, is the the first Christmas Dinner I've cooked this decade?  Simple.  My mother is usually in my kitchen for the holidays and I learned a long time ago to just let her do it her way.  If I want to change my mother's cooking habits all I have to do is tell her how I do it and guaranteed she will do the opposite.  In the interest of family peace, I live with the same, old bland and boring holiday food every year.  (Well, except for the homemade noodles.  My mother makes exceptional noodles!)  This year she and my sisters stayed in Missouri and we stayed in Kentucky.  Really a win-win if you ask me!

Sausage-Cheddar Breakfast Quiche

Ingredients

1 lb bulk breakfast sausage
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 cup milk or half-and-half
1 tsp ground mustard
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 - 8" pie crust

Directions:

• Brown sausage in a skillet and remove with a slotted spoon - you can also let the sausage drain on a paper towel to remove even more fat


• Place crust in pie plate


• Arrange sausage on bottom of crust


• Sprinkle cheese on top of sausage


• Whisk together eggs, milk, ground mustard, and salt & pepper


• Pour egg mixture slowly over cheese and sausage


• Bake uncovered at 350F for 35-40 minutes ~ eggs shouldn't be jiggly when it's finished

This recipe was modified from Paula Deen's Sausage Quiche from the website grandparents.com. I like to add mustard to my sausage quiche and I also wanted more eggs and less milk.

Yummy!

Simple Au Gratin Potatoes

I'm not going to give specific ingredient amounts for this recipe, because it's very easily adapted to however many people you want to serve.

Basic Ingredients:

Potatoes
Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Flour
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Paprika

Directions:

• Choose an oven-safe casserole dish that will accommodate the number of people you'll be serving


• Thinly slice potatoes in a single layer in the bottom of the dish


• Sprinkle lightly with flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg - remember, the seasoning will be in each layer, so don't be too heavy-handed


• Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheddar cheese


• Repeat layers until casserole is filled

• For every 1 1/2 quarts of casserole, make a mixture of 1/4 cup melted butter in 1 1/4 cups milk and pour it over the layers


• Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika

Bake covered at 325F for 1 1/2 hours, or until a nice golden-brown crust forms on top and potatoes are tender.

The more you make, the longer it will take to cook. For Christmas Dinner I made enough casserole to fill a 3 quart dish and I baked it for 2 hours at 350F. I had other dishes in the oven, so 350 was my only choice. :p

This recipe is adapted from Marcia Adam' Old-Fashioned Escalloped Potatoes in Cooking from Quilt Country: Hearty Recipes from Amish and Mennonite Kitchens.

Homemade Bratwurst

Bratwurst made with venison.  Or would it be called bratwurst-seasoned venison since brats are typically made with pork?

Oh, yea!

"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."

~ Fernand Point

mjjj"If the divine creator has taken pains to give us delicious and exquisite things to eat, the least we can do is prepare them well and serve them with ceremony."