bbq shrimp pasta

Pretty much everyone knows what BBQ shrimp is nowadays.  Worcestershire, butter, lemon oh my.  Even if you have never been to NOLA, you have probably tasted some version of this recipe.  Not too many years ago, however, it wasn't such common knowledge.  I am from Louisiana, and have lived on the outskirts of New Orleans all my life.  My husband....not so much.  One of our first dates was spent in a well known New Orleans restaurant arguing over BBQ shrimp.  I fell in love with him when he ordered BBQ shrimp, assuming that it would be slathered in a pile of rib-stickin tomatoey goop.  Further, I knew he was for me when he dumped the garlicky sauce on his pants and put up with me calling him "garlic crotch" for over 15 years and counting.

Here's a great BBQ shrimp recipe that I serve over pasta. You can sop up the extra sauce with a biscuit.  Just don't spill it and risk immature name calling.

BBQ Shrimp over linguini

1 onion quartered
2 bay leaves
3 cups shrimp stock (boil the shells with water)
2 cloves garlic
1tsp Zatarains liquid shrimp & crab boil
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 lbs. shrimp
1/2 cup heavy cream
s&p to taste
herbs to taste
boiled linguini

boil onion, bay leaves, shrimp stock, garlic, Zatarains, Worcestershire, 1/2 cup of butter in heavy sauce pan.  let reduce until it's 1/2 cup of thick liquid (30 minutes).  Strain sauce.  Add shrimp, heavy cream , and 1/4 of butter.  Cook shrimp until tender (10 minutes).  Season with s&p and herbs of choice (chopped basil, oregano) of linguini.

Here are some pics of the progession of the meal.

                                         before the boil

after the boil

 

finished product

sloppy joe 2.0

Last night, I decided to go all retro at it, sloppy joe style.  The difference between my joes and your local school cafeteria (unfortunately)?  Grass fed beef, organic tomatoes, homemade rolls.  Yeah, the cheese is regular old kraft american cheese.  There are some things that must remain the same.  I won't hand over my fries recipe just yet.  Let's just say that my 9 year old could barely breathe from shoving them in his mouth so fast.  Love that child. 


Sloppy Joe 2.0

1 lb of grass fed beef (I get it from http://www.rockymtncuts.com/)

8 oz organic tomato sauce

1 clove garlic minced

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

1 TB dijon mustard

s&p to taste

heat a little olive oil in a skillet.  throw in the beef and cook until no longer pink.  add next 5 ingredients.  cook 10 more minutes, or until thickened and liquid is reduced.  serve on a bun or eat over cornbread (best with leftovers)             



garden lovelies

Yes, there is the word "grow" in my blog title.  I'm not talking about growing around the middle either.  I don't really have a lot of space to grow much.  In fact, most of my gardening is done in pots.  Why?  Well, there's the pool that just about takes up the entire backyard.  There's also Bella, the dog.  You'll learn lots about Bella...be patient.  To sum it up, lack of space + digging dog = pots.


Right now my garden of pots is full of blooming tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs.  By summer, there will be some good eatin' going on.  Here are a few pics I took this morning.  No, I don't eat Louisiana Irises.  They were too pretty not to include.

just call me herb

This was my breakfast.  Jealous?  Don't be.  This is a healthy and easy recipe that you can make fresh every morning.  Better yet, double the batch to save for another busy morning in your week.  Let's get the recipe out of the way so I can do a proper introduction.  Shall we?


Eggs and Zucchini


1/4 cup onions
1/2 of a zucchini
2 eggs
chopped basil
s&p to taste


heat up a skillet and throw a little olive oil in.  swirl it around.  saute your onions until light brown. throw in the zucchini. cook for a couple more minutes.  dump the veggies out in a plate.  cook the eggs in the same skillet to your liking (scrambled, sunny side up, etc).  place the eggs over the veggies.  sprinkle with fresh basil. 

OK, enough about my breakfast.  I am starting this little blog to pass some time while I wait for a teaching position to open up in the fall.  I live in south Louisiana, where I love to garden, cook, and eat.  I have a partner/husband and two young boys.  We try to eat fresh, local, and healthy every day.