Day 9: Shrimp En Sauce!

I've been craving shrimp for weeks. I think it all started back around our anniversary in December when I wanted to go to Red Lobster, but we never really had the money to do so.

Those who can't... make it themselves. Deliciously.

Shrimp En Sauce

Sounds fancy, right? Really, it's not. But it was mighty delicious.

So we started off with the following:
* Raw shrimp
*Creamy tomato sauce
*Piccolini Farfalle
*TJ's Veggie blend (peas, carrots, green beans, & corn)
*(not pictured) Crumbled Bacon
*(not pictured) Baby Bella mushrooms
*(not pictured) Butter
*(not pictured) Cajun blend spices

I'm not gonna lie. The bacon and mushrooms were later additions, done on the fly when Dragon decided there needed to be something else in there. For the record? The mushrooms were my idea.

First things first, you put some butter in the pan and dump the thawed shrimp in to saute. Now, if you end up with a seething, boiling shrimp-water mess, don't feel at all bad about pulling out the shrimp, dumping the water, adding new butter, and slipping those tasty morsels back in for a quick crusty saute.

And while you're add it, throw some Cajun spices on those bad boys for color and heat. I certainly did.

When they're done, pull 'em out and let them rest. Overcooked shrimp is definitely a bad thing. Can we say... rubber?

In the empty pan dump ye olde veggies. Also for a quick saute.

By the by, you should probably put on a pot of water to boil while you're doing all of this. Because you've got some pasta that needs boiling.

Back to the saute pan: cook it all down. Those 'shrooms are amazing. Seriously. You can hit all of this with more seasoning if you wish, and a touch more butter, if that floats your boat. Feel free to experiment.

Side note: That's why you don't see me doing measurements for these. I believe that cooking is a creative endeavor, an alchemy, and recipes are merely guidelines. I'd much rather give you a bunch of pictures and the ingredients and let you do with them as you will (if anything at all).

About now, you should be popping the pasta in for a quick cook according to the package directions.

Into the pan goes the shrimp, the sauce, and the bacon bits. Because everything is better with bacon (according to Dragon).

Verily, it is the candy of meat.

Let that get warmed through, stirring as you go. I generally time it with the pasta, so it ends up being about 10 minutes all told that it'll be simmering away.

When the pasta is done, just drain it, add it to the sauce and mix.

Or flip it, if you're fancy like that.

Into a bowl, and devour like a starving T-Rex at an all-you-can-eat Brontosaurus buffet.

Enjoy!

~Snarkstress

Day 5: Fish In A Flash!

Tonight, I went simple and pulled out our go-to *mostly* healthy fish-based meal.

Fish In A Flash (aka What Snarkstress Makes When Hungry Yet Too Tired To Really Whip Something Up)!

I think this is where I need to mention that I said at the beginning of this blog that I would cook once a day in the kitchen. I did *not* say it would be from scratch. Just putting that out there before I begin tonight. Because sometimes, it really does only take a few minutes to throw something together that satisfies.

As you can see, the ingredients are very, very simple:
Gorton's lemon pepper grilled fish fillets
French style canned green beans
Trader Joe's Rice Medley (seriously, this stuff is amazingly good, and super healthy. Best of all? 3 minutes in the microwave and you've got grains.)

Not pictured: butter and bacon bits. For the beans.

I'm sure you've already figured out that I'm not pic spamming this post because, really, there's no need to. This is a simple, healthy go-to meal that we have, I'd guesstimate at least once a week. And it's damned tasty.

20 minutes in the preheated 400-degree oven (as per box instructions) on a foil lined cookie sheet. Tip: if you are not baking your fish on foil lined sheets, you are making your life much more difficult than it has to be.

3 minutes for the rice. 3 minutes for the beans. Put it all in a bowl and voila! A healthy dinner that's ready to go in no time at all. I suppose you could make it healthier by, say, getting your own fish and seasoning it, baking it the same way. Fresh green beans, sans butter and bacon. Freshly cooked brown rice (quinoa, barley, whatever floats your grainy boat). I've been known to do that myself. But tonight? Tonight I wanted convenient, tasty, and quick.

What recipes do you consider go-to faves? I'd love to hear about 'em.

Enjoy!

~Snarkstress

Day 3: Grown Up Grilled Cheese!

There's nothing quite as deliciously lunch-worthy as a grilled cheese sandwich and soup. Around here? We jazz it up a bit, because that's how we roll.

Grown Up Grilled Cheese

You'll have to forgive me. This was a somewhat celebratory, impromptu lunch and I was under a slight time crunch, so I didn't get to take pictures of all the ingredients. 

They're rather easy though: bread, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, butter.

First things first, please note the temperature at the right. Again, your mileage may vary, but if you want the perfect golden crust, you aren't going to want to go much higher than this. Medium, maybe medium-high.

If you've never made grilled cheese before, it's ridiculously easy. Butter a slice of bread. Place it, butter side down, in a preheated skillet. Add 1 slice of cheddar (or cheese of your preference... I happen to find swiss amazing in these!) on unbuttered side of bread. 

Add some bacon bits, and put another 1 - 2 slices of cheddar on top of that. Butter up another slice of bread and put it atop the whole shebang, keeping the butter side up. 

Depending how quickly you move, by the time you get everything layered, you should be ready to flip the sandwich over, to gain a golden buttery crust on the other side. 

Now for a little secret: Growing up, I used to make these with margarine, mostly because it was easier to spread. We don't use margarine in this house anymore (way too many trans fats and badness in there) and regular ol' softened butter can work, IF it's soft enough.

But I've found that the *best* way to butter my GC bread? Melt the butter and brush it on with a silicone basting brush. It evenly distributes it, keeps it from being too heavy handed, avoids torn-bread syndrome, and just generally makes life much easier in the kitchen.  

Now you know. And knowing is, as they say, half the battle. 

Pair it with your favorite soup (in this case, Bean n' Bacon) and you've got a hearty, warm, delicious lunch to fill that belly and leave you satisfied. 

Let me know if you give it a try and any tweaks, tips, etc, that make your culinary experience one to brag about!

Enjoy!

~Snarkstress