Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimpys

Mmmm, spicy orange garlicy goodness….

Want to know how cool this meal is? So much so that I made it for Christmas Eve 2008, that’s how cool. I mean, it’s no Braums ( Flashback Christmas Eve 2007- sorry, husby…I’ll never do it again) but it’ll do. Also, so cool that it warranted getting a new plate just to enhance its awesomeness (stay with me, you'll see it in the photo...a bit.)

Seriously now, shrimp is one of those things that used to frighten me. I mean, it was up there in my list of scary things to cook like a whole chicken, ribs, a souffle, flan, or just about anything baked, in general. Anyway, shrimp has officially made a departure from that list. Not ready to open the world of seafood up in this kitchen beyond shrimp and salmon, but I’m making progress.

Something that makes a recipe decidedly NOT scary is pure simplicity. Give me a few ingredients and a skillet and I’m good to go.

Spicy Orange Garlic Shrimp (Adapted recipe from The Pioneer Woman contributor, Pastor Ryan…you rule, man.)

Ingredients

1 lb frozen, raw “shell on, tail on, deveined” shrimp 26-30 per pound size ( “” means…yeah, right. I bought them ready to go.)
¾ cup Orange juice
2-4 gloves of minced garlic ( psst, don’t tell…this became 2 tbsp. of jarred minced stuff.)
3 Tbsp. SALTED butter
½ tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning ( I had to buy a can just for this. I told you I don’t do seafood…)

1. Prep, thaw and dry your shrimp. If you’re cool like me, this shouldn’t take long. If you go the shell on stuff, guess what? You have to take it off. Sorry ‘bout that.
2. Thinly slice the garlic if you used whole cloves and add to orange juice. I actually think you should do what he says here... the minced stuff makes for awkward deglazing. 3. Add seasonings to garlic/juice. Stir and let it hang out for a bit.
4. Meanwhile, heat up 2 tbsp. of the butter on high heat in a frying pan until it’s melted but just before it starts burning.
5. Quickly add shrimp one at a time so they all have a full side down. Wait 30-60 seconds from the time you put the last one in to flip the first one you put in. Tongs are ideal for this. Pastor Ryan says so, too.
6. Once the last shrimpy is flipped, wait another 30-60 seconds and they should be cooked through with a nice caramelized exterior. Remove shrimp to a plate or bowl and LEAVE THOSE BROWNED BITS. Leave the heat on until it starts to smoke a bit. This is important. I don’t know why, but it is. Look at all that poorly lit naked shrimp...

For some reason, a doctors office comes to mind when I look at this... yeah, anyway...

7. Add garlic juice mix to the pan and deglaze. Scrape up all that browned goodness and let it boil. 8. Add the final Tbsp. of butter and simmer the sauce down until thickened. You can leave it more saucy if you like (which I do because I like to pour it over rice.)
9. Turn off heat, toss in the shrimp and coat. Serve all on their own or over rice. It’s yum. So, stop looking at pictures of shrimp and go eat some.

Whip Me Up Some Pizza!

I've been super excited about getting into the swing of things in the kitchen now that my schedule has settled down a bit. I even went grocery shopping at a real live grocery store this Sunday on our way back from Porter, OK. The only problem is that my excitement as of late has got me as far as theory and shopping lists but no further. When it comes time to crack open a little sumthin' sumthin', I go blank. No inspiration. Only hunger. This happened to me tonight. I had grand plans of making a spicy orange shrimp dish ( which will hopefully make an appearance tomorrow) but instead I almost made a Taco Bell run.


As luck would have it, I did get some semblance of inspiration and made pizza (inspiration came in the form of an extremely low bank account...no eating out for us for a while.)
Fortunately, pizza is the easiest thing in the world to make, especially if you have a premade crust. I had been buying a premade thin crust but I find them cumbersome to store and not so tasty, anyway. Then, I discovered the wonders of Naan. It's a traditional Indian bread and goes great with currys and masala. It also makes an excellent pizza crust. It could probably also make a good one way boomerang.

I have no recipe to share other than what I threw on the Naan tonight. It turned out pretty amazing. So, when following a recipe starts to feel like a chore, whip out your intuition and go crazy ( as long as it doesn't get you into making a Turkey Burger.) Aubrey says he doesn't quite trust me yet but he doesn't NOT trust me anymore after the burger fiasco. Redemption!

Today's Naan Pizza - Serves Me

1. Preheat oven to 350. Place naan with a little bit of olive oil in the oven on a baking sheet to start heating up.

2. Meanwhile, saute sliced portabello, onion, and minced garlic until soft. Add swiss chard greens and cover with lid about 4 minutes on med/low heat until wilted. I didn't measure anything out...just determine how much topping you want.

3. Pull out bread and smear with a bit of basil pesto. Top with sliced fresh mozzerella, all that stuff you just sauted and sliced tomato. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and fresh basil leaves.

4. Broil and remove when melty but not burned yet like mine. It was still good but a little charred. Like my mind.

Tulsa Mom's Nite Out

I'm currently sitting across from Tasha at her house after joining up with Oklahoma women bloggers for the "Tulsa Mom's Nite Out." I'm occupying her couch tonight since my lovely parents abandoned me this week and moved back to California... but that's another story. I'm occupying her house tomorrow night, too, but she doesn't know it yet. Oh, wait, now she does.

Anyway, even though I'm only the mother of two hairy beasts, I had a pretty good time despite being nervous about tripping and such. I always feel really awkward in crowds and become very self conscious of my nostrils for some reason. So, I made Tasha wear me like underwear 'cause she's pretty good at networking. I think it's because she knows how to loosen up...

Also in tow was chic Sindy of Sindy In Tulsa. She's really helpful to have around when meeting new people, too. You just have to say, "she's from Germany" and conversations explode!

That's how we learned that Christine of Stine Stuff lived in Germany herself for a year. How cool is that? Of course, I already knew Tasha and Sindy. On to the new people! And a lot of new people there were...this was quite the happenin' event.

The crowd was friendly and chatty as we all went around with eyes at breast level to figure out who belonged to what blog. I finally met Holly with Tulsa Art Blog though we've been virtual friends for quite awhile now.

AND, I made a brand new friend...





Alicia of Penny Princess was super cool. She and The Coupon Queen will have me rollin' in dough in no time. The list continues...I met Jill of All Trades who won my guilt driven giveaway, Courtney with Homemaker Hero who helps me get organized with my home maintenance and so many more. Thanks to the lovely hostesses who set this up and I look forward to next year. It was great meeting everyone! And don't think for one second that I made it out without managing to be a total nerd...

It can't be done.

Turkey Burger FAIL

I ate this amazing burger in Detroit on a business trip a couple weeks ago called the California Veggie Burger at Uptown Grille. First of all, I didn’t get the veggie patty…I demanded beef. Second of all, it totally didn’t need ranch dressing. You see, I like ranch dressing on my burgers (as if they weren’t already enough of a caloric splurge) but this burger would have none of that nonsense. It was dressed with pesto, gorgonzola, basil, and avocado on a crusty bun. Yum. I set out to recreate the magic and, as Aubrey so kindly put it to me, “Hmmm, well, you failed.”

My first mistake was trying to make it a turkey burger. I figured somewhere between the intended veggie burger and my all beef substitution was the happy turkey patty. My first clue to the failure is that it started out looking like this…

I thought I’d get creative and actually mixed pesto, garlic, gorgonzola, a bit of Italian bread crumbs, some olive oil, and salt into the meat. Oh, and some parsley for kicks and since I had some. You know what? It made for a pretty moist burger! And, that’s saying something because turkey burgers are notoriously dry. It would have been alright, too, if the gorgonzola I had wasn’t flavor-challenged. It was actually better described as disgusting and WAY too close to aged bleu cheese to do anything for the delicate pesto I used. I literally took my second bite and spit it back out on the plate. I should have known it wasn’t meant to be when I accidentally burned the first set of buns.

Oh, what potential it had. Next time, I’m back to the beef… and ANYTHING but that awful cheese. Pesto, yes. Gorgonzola, no. Pesto, yes. Gorgonzola, no. I think I’ll stick to actual recipes for a while now.

Oklahoma Women Bloggers Meetup- HURRY!

Hey, if you’ve ever dreamed of being surrounded by 20-30 amazing blogging women AND if you also happen to be a blogging woman, you’re in luck. As a part of the national “Mom’s Day Out” celebration, a handful of some great okie women bloggers have organized a meet-up for us all to get together and hang and learn from one another. And eat, which is why I’m so there. The good news for me is that you don’t have to be a mom at all. Sweet. Your hostesses for the evening will be TTownMoms.com, Shannon, Christine, Natasha, Trisha, 918Moms.com, and Courtney.

I know it’s late notice but you’ve got to RSVP by tomorrow if you’re going to attend!

When: May 7th at 6:30pm
Where: Hideaway Pizza on South Memorial
Why: Didn’t I just tell you???
How: $10.59 Go HERE for more info and to see a list of who’s gonna be there.
RSVP to melanie.nelson @bloggingbasics101.com .

Hope to see you there!

Mayhem in Miami...I mean, Mayville

Remember I told you I was assistant director for the next Miami Little Theatre play, “Mayhem in Mayville”? Huh? Well, I’m still the assistant, and now an actress in it, oh, and a stand in director since original director has now turned actor as of yesterday at 11:00 pm. Did I mention the play opens TOMORROW??!?!?! Mayhem in Mayville is a fast-paced, murder mystery where YOU have it in your power to determine whodunit. Seriously, you do!

Holy cow, directorship is tough work and I’ve only been a full-fledge one for less than 24 hours. Don’t let the craziness be in vain… come see our show, please. Pretty please. We’ll be ready. Yeah, totally. We’re totally ready. For real.

So, if you happen to be up thisaway, it opens on Thursday, April 30th at 7:30pm with shows on May 1st and 2nd at 7:30 and a matinee at 2:00 on Sunday, the 3rd. All performances are at the NEO Fine Arts Center…just look for the mad crowds and lines, of course. And, for two lucky people, if you respond IMMEDIATELY, I’ll give you free directions on how to get there. What? Sorry, I’ve got nothing to give but an evening of pure entertainment (and here’s hoping that the entertainment is all planned…)

Test Kitchen: Dijon Chicken

I decided to start a new test kitchen series where I will make recipes solely out of cookbooks I already own. You see, I have a vast library of cookbooks because I’m a sucker for food photography and anything food related. Plus, I’m pretty sure my mother-in-law buys them in bulk for my Christmas gifts. No complaints here….just a lack of utilization. No more book neglect from this foodie.
Well, I didn’t get off to a great start using said library…instead, I grabbed a magazine I had saved for some reason from 2002: The Better Homes and Gardens Special Publication for 100 Comfort Cooking Recipes. I probably saved it because that sticky roll was winking at me.

I haven’t exactly set the rules for this Test Kitchen business… I suppose I should have to follow a recipe exactly out of my stash but, rules are made to be broken. So, recipe 25 out of 100 was for Chicken with Pasta Primavera. It called for roast chicken and vegetables over thin spaghetti and all in this mustard sauce. The mustard sauce was appealing and I already had the ingredients on hand. Plus, I really like mustard. And, I really like Dijon. All those people staring into the mustard shop like it, too, but I'm not a dork like that. I drool from across the street.

Anyway, thus was born Dijon Chicken and I think it already has a devout following in my house (which is a testament to it’s yumness since I made it like a day ago.) Basically, I just smothered the chicken in the mustard sauce before roasting. That’s it. A no brainer!

Dijon Chicken ( Adapted from Chicken with Pasta Primavera- Better Homes and Gardens Special Publication, 2002)

Serves 2 ( assuming you eat 2 ½ chicken drumsticks a piece, I’ll probably make 6 next time…awkwardness, ya know?)

5 Chicken drumsticks with skin on
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard ( Pardon me, will you pass the Grey Poupon?)
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ tsp dried oregano, crushed
¼ tsp. celery salt
¼ tsp. dried thyme, crushed
A pinch of kosher salt (or, whatever, I just prefer my salt more coarse for this)
Fresh Ground Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix mustard, oil, oregano, celery salt, and thyme together.
Smear it all over your chicken in a baking dish roomy enough for the legs not to be touching.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 30 minutes.

I like to broil mine for about 2-3 more minutes to get browned, but that’s because browned bits rock my world.

For a quick side, I made some roasted red potatoes which are a cinch. Just quarter some red potatoes into bite size wedges, coat with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, season to taste and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. I seasoned with rosemary, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika (for a color boost…a trick I learned from Kay in the Netherlands.)

In the last 7ish minutes of baking time, I sautéed some asparagus in extra virgin olive oil salt and pepper in a frying pan. Put everything together and you have yourself instant comfort food pretty enough to even be company food! See, I saved that magazine for a reason, after all.

Sushi Conspiracy

Everyone's been on our case lately about trying sushi. You see, we consider ourselves fairly adventurous with food but sushi just hasn't been on my list of things I aspire to try or even enjoy. Well, I do kinda wish I could magically like the stuff...I just don't want to put any effort into it. We had it once and were set for life.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the sushi eaters of the world plot the demise of the non-sushi eating world. They even have quick one-liners to bring you down like, " I'm sure what you had wasn't very good, you really need to go to (insert name here)" or, "you maybe just don't know how to order, perhaps we should go togther ( this is so they can witness you in your misery.)" So, after the meetup with The Tulsa Digital Photography Group last week, we gave in....again... and met up with Tasha and the fam for another trial at Sushi Train in Tulsa.

To all with an affection for or affliliation with Sushi Train, please hear me out...I'm sure your sushi is grand. It was very pretty, fresh, and well-displayed.

It just doesn't get my juices flowing. Oh, and it made me feel a bit like my god-baby looked.

The kind staff at Sushi Train brought the kid some Chips Ahoy so he'd chill out...I sorta wanted to steal one but parents tend to frown on that sorta thing.

Either way, I had to bail. We promptly went to Jason's Deli and I got a good ol' baked potato with all the soft-serve I could eat. Lunch Rescue!

I've since relayed this tale to other sushi eating friends and you'll never guess what they said...

"Oh, well, where you really need to go is In the Raw. Next time you're going, give me a call and we can go together." And, since I'm working against a huge conspiracy here, you can almost guarantee that I'll be going. It's hopeless.

Frijoles Negros De Cubana

So, I have no idea if that actually says "Cuban Black Beans," but let's say for arguement's sake that it does. And let's also say that they're simple and delicious. And while we're at it, we can assume that they're authentic, too, right? Let's not go crazy, I guess.

How I arrived at this recipe was a bit of a rebellion...you see, we eat a lot of beans at this house and I'd grown up with a certain prejudice to black beans. My mom is a pinto loyalist to the core. Black beans were "Tex-Mex" and, as a rule, we don't do that stuff. Tijuana, yes. El Paso, no. So, I was feeling rather liberal and wanted to try these babies out. Granted, I didn't go Tex-Mex( which I'm happy to report, I've had and love) but I did stray far from the bean of my childhood.

Frijoles Negros ( Adapted from a five-star recipe on RecipeZaar found here!)

Serves 6

About 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 (10 ounce) cans black beans with juice (don't hate the cans.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped ( sometimes, if I'm getting lazy, I use 2, 4 oz. cans of green chiles.)
4 cloves garlic, minced ( you know you wanna use the jar stuff...)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar ( oh my gosh, use more...it's amazing.)

1. Saute the pepper ( or chiles) and onion with the oil.
2. Add the garlic.
3. Add a bit of bean juice until everything gets soft.
4. Add the rest of the beans, all the spices, and simmer 30 minutes.
5. Add vinegar just before serving. Add a bunch. Then, add more. Yum.

We eat these over rice as a whole meal now...not the most gourmet thing I've ever done but sometimes it just hits the spot. I've made them as a side to roast chicken and I've actually made them on a camping trip, as well...they're so easy, especially if you pack the other ingredients already prepared. So, go try new things! Am I the only one with random food prejudices?

My Fave Four!

Well, well! I finally came through when I said I'd do something "next." Here are my fave four out of the hundreds of pics I took with the Tulsa Digital Photography Group!

I liked the tentacle things on this one and how they burst out. I call it "Burst."

This was an accident. I call it "Daisies in Black and White."

This reminds me of spiders which should work against it, but I still like it. Behold, "Berry Thing."

This little bee eluded me for twenty minutes. I finally got him. This is, "Bee."

Okay, less plants and more food, NEXT!