Be My Guest

I'm really not a big fan of the term Sister in Law. That's probably because I am really close with my sister in laws and I've always felt that the "in law" part of that description makes them sound like forced family rather than chosen friends. I was actually good friends with all three of my sister in laws before I even got to know my husband. Because of that, they usually take my side in domestic squabbles :)

My SIL, or rather, my dear friend, Kate had us over last week to celebrate her dad's birthday. I was curious about what she was going to prepare that was going to be easy to make since I knew they had plans all day. I was wondering if it would be something that would please both the kids and the adults. I thought she might go crock-pot but it was a pretty hot and sticky day so I didn't know if that was an option, and they recently had a deck built so I wasn't sure if the grill had made its way up to its new home. Yes, I think this deeply about what is for dinner.

She totally surprised me with this one and it was AWESOME! It came together in 15 minutes and there was something in it that everyone could eat. I totally loved this idea for entertaining, so I made a batch last night for my fam to try it out. I wouldn't add this into my weekly rotation ONLY because EZ peel shrimp is a bit on the expensive side, but I would serve it to guests for sure. Non-shellfish-allergic guests that is.

However I totally lucked out because when I went to Teeter to shop for ingredients, the EZ peel shrimp, corn, AND kielbasa were all on sale so the dish ended up being affordable as well. Cheap, easy and yummy... gotta love it.

Kate's Super Simple Shrimp Boil

(I looked up a few recipes that all had too many ingredients. The more straightforward, the better, in my opinion)

3 potatoes

4 ears of corn

2 onions

2 Turkey Kielbasa Links

1 bag of Frozen EZ Peel Shrimp, thawed (I think it was a 2 lb bag)

3/4 CUP, yup a cup, of Old Bay

1 lemon

First and foremost, get your biggest pot and fill it with water about 2/3 full. Wait for it to get to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, shuck your corn.

And break it in half. First I tried cutting the corn in half with my big knife but who knew? It is WAY easier to just break these in half with your hands.
Quarter the onions
Skin and quarter the potatoes
and the Kilebasa
When the water is boiling, add the potatoes. Boil for 5 minutes then add the corn and onions.
Add allll the Old Bay
Stir it up and let it come back up to a boil. About 5 minutes. Then add your kielbasa... I was looking around for one but couldn't find any :)
A few minutes later add the bag of shrimpies
After about 5 minutes you will want to drain the pot. My drainer is flat and I love it, but I had to use two hands so I couldn't really photograph it.
Just dump onto one of those huge oversized platters you got for your wedding that you never use, and throw lemon slices all over it!
I had a ton leftover, but since all the ingredients are pretty straightforward it will be easy for me to reuse the ingredients in other recipes this week. PLUS there's nothing bad about having some finger food for the babe ready to go.

April or August?

Sunday night I set my alarm forward from 5:22 am to 5:32 am. That's what hot weather means to this runner. 10 more glorious minutes of sleep since I can trade in the long spandex, 2 layers of shirts, neck warmer, ear warmer, gloves and headlamp for simply a t-shirt and shorts. When I head out there in the early morning, the streets are already packed with other runners and walkers squeezing in some fitness before work. The nice weather brings them out in droves and I love it.

The funny thing about the weather in Virginia is that although we get 4 seasons, Spring and Fall are BRIEF. Before you know it "Spring" has turned into humid 90 degree days, and "Fall" has turned into 2 feet of snow. And April is the most manic month of all with Mother Nature vascillating between cold and wet to hot and humid.

It was hard to believe that yesterday was just another day in April and not August.


I even pretended it was August at dinner time. In a few months, most of these ingredients will be in peak season and might even be growing in your own backyard. This is an easy recipe I've made many times. It's simple enough that I could throw it together while the boys played out on the slip n side, then I just stuck it into the oven while we went out for a (hot and sticky) walk.

Basil Shrimp and Feta with Orzo

(from Cooking Light magazine like three years ago)

3 cups of uncooked orzo
1 pound of raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1 bunch of basil
3 medium sized tomatoes
1 lemon
1 cup of crumbled fat free feta
salt, pepper, and garlic powder
olive oil

First things first, bring water to a boil and cook the orzo for about 5 minutes. This step probably takes the longest of the whole process.

While you are waiting, line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil

Spray it with cooking spray

Rough chop basil or "chiffonade" which basically just means roll it up and then cut it into strips

Mix it with the bowl of raw shrimp

Dice the tomatoes

Orzo is done! I used a strainer to move it over to a bowl (separate bowl than the shrimp/basil)

Give the orzo a turn of olive oil. I dont know maybe 3 tablespoons or so? You just don't want it to stick together.

Zest one lemon... If you don't have a little zester no worries just skip this step. It will still be yummy :)

Then add the juice from half of them lemon. And by the way taking this picture with my right hand while juicing with my left hand was very akward.

Then add the cup of feta. Yummmm feta, I love you

And then the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, generously!!

Mix it all together

Then dump it out on the cookie sheet lined with aluminum

Add the bowl of basil and shrimp to the top. Then I sprinkled some more salt pepper and garlic powder on the top.

Put another sheet of aluminum foil and top and fold around the edges so that it's all sealed up

When you're ready, pop it into a 425 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. My tummy is seriously rumbling while I relive this and its only 10 am.

Now very important, grab that other half of the lemon you havent yet used and squeeze fresh lemon juice alllllll over it. This will really brighten it up! However, make sure you don't drop a seed in, because them lemon seeds look a lot like orzo and I definitely had the unfortunate experience of biting into a lemon seed last night.

Seriously if youre mouth isnt watering right now something is wrong with you

My only gripe about this is that orzo is quite possibly the worst food to clean up off the floor when your baby throws it all off her high chair. It's like the perfectly rotton combination of rice and pasta that makes it both small and sticky. Times like those I wish I had a dog!

Also, I did give Sage the shrimp because we have no allergies on either side of the family and she is very close to 1, but check with your doctor before you feed it to your babe.

Asian Wraps

This post will be easy and quick because I have about 10 minutes before little people wake up!

Luckily this dinner was easy and quick... and perfect for the unbearably HOT, humid weather we have been having!

Asian Wraps
compliments of Ms. Jacqueline Gray :)

shrimp (or tofu) optional*
lime juice
soy sauce
assorted veggies (I did red cabbage, spinach, and shredded carrots)
fresh basil or mint if you got it
Flat Rice Wraps (apparently my grocery store is the only one on earth that doesn't carry them)
Rice Vermicelli

For the dipping sauce:
Hoison Sauce
Peanuts

Sauteed some shrimp in a bit of olive oil with lime juice, and fresh jalapeno. I cut the shrimp into little bit sized pieces.


While that was going I cut up the veggies and cooked the rice vermicelli! That stuff is awesome, it literally takes 2 minutes! Next time I'm just going to boil water in the microwave and then add in the noodles, just to make it super easy.

That was actually way too much rice vermicelli so I threw out about half of that and then mixed it together. It was kind of sticky, had to really work it in.



Then I threw the shrimp in, straight from the pan, so the hot olive oil wilted down the spinach a little. Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce and mix her up.

I LOVE THE COLORS! Eating colors makes me so happy. I just feel like I'm eating straight nutrients.



These were the only wraps I could find at Harris Teeter, but apparently you shold be able to find thin flat rice wraps in the Asian section at Shoppers, Safeway, Giant, and Wegmans... so like I said everywhere but where I went. Oh well, I made it work with these guys:



Put a few spoonfuls on your wrap and roll it up! I had no idea what I was doing, so don't worry if you don't either! I just did mine like a burrito.


For the dipping sauce, crush the peanuts with the flat side of your knife, and then mix them in with some hoisin sauce. Don't know why I put the rice vermicelli in this picture, but thats what it looks like if you were curious!!

Beautiful! And easy, and surprisingly really filling! I loved the red cabbage, it gave it the perfect crunch.

A close up...

Two other things I liked about this:

1. If your kids like dipping, or burrito type foods, these work. My younger one loooves to dip so he gave these a shot

2. This is one of those recipes that you can let sit. I hate things that have to be served immediately to taste good because I usually make dinner a couple hours before my husband gets home. This is actually even better after a few hours in the fridge!

Shrimp and Tofu Part Two

Last week I made that Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp and Tofu. I mentioned that I like to save half the bag of frozen shrimp (because its relatively expensive) and I purposefully used half of the block of tofu. Keep in mind for dishes like this I'm really only feeding two so I can get away with using less and bulking up the veggies. I wanted to use up the rest of the shrimp and tofu for a meal this week so I made a stir fry that loosely followed this recipe from Runner's World but more to my tastes (spicy). If you're not a spicy person, check out their version.

Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry with Tofu and Green Beans

• preferred oil for stir fry (peanut, pepper, olive, whichever suits you and you have on hand)
• half a yellow or white onion thinly sliced
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped (or try ginger paste in refrigerated part of veg section of supermarket for a quick and easy cheat)
• 3 cloves garlic chopped (try Dorot crushed garlic cubes in freezer section at Trader Joes or Harris Teeter for a quick cheat)
• Red Curry Paste (optional)
• 3 cups frozen or fresh green beans
• 6 oz of tofu, blotted dry and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 oz of raw shrimp
• 1/2 cup veg stock (or chicken)
• 1/4 cup white wine
• Soy Sauce
• Cilantro or scallions for garnish

Heat oil over medium hight heat in a stir fry pan (I used spicy pepper stir fry oil, but use whatever you have on hand).

Add half a thinly sliced white or yellow onion, a 1 inch piece of chopped gingerroot and 3 cloves of chopped garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of Thai Red Curry Paste (sold at all grocery stores in Asian section and can be stored in fridge - this kicked up the spicy flavor a bit and added a nice red color).

Add 2 to 3 cups of green beans. I used frozen and added them straight from the freezer... not ideal but its what I had so I did it, and hey it worked fine.

Let cook through for a bit stirring often. Add desired amount of raw shrimp. Let turn pink.

Add 1/2 cup of vegetable or chicken stock and 1/4 cup of white wine and cook, stirring, until about half evaporates.

During that time heat a small frying pan with a small amount of oil. When hot, fry tofu. (First blot and cut into one inch cubes). Let"brown" on each side. I just liked to do it separate so it didnt soak up too much liquid in stir fry pan and get heavy.

Once stock/wine reduces, add two tablespoons soy sauce and chopped cilantro. Stir in tofu. Serve over brown rice.

YUM! Kevin worked late and went straight to basketball so this sat on the stove for hours before he got home and ate it... I kept picking and picking all night and he's lucky I saved him any at all!! :)

Hot and Sour Soup, Cold and Sweet Day

Yes another Soup Post. And I'm making soup again tonight. I can't help it, have you been outside?! This freezing cold weather basically begs you to make soup. Although today felt like a warm spring morning after the past few mornings. Yesterday was to date, the coldest running morning of the year - make that the past 2 years. I called Kate the night before and asked her if she wanted to go or not because according to weather.com the temp at 5:45 was going to be 12 degrees... feels like 6. BUT no wind.

As soon as we were running it felt fine, like any other morning - I tell you its that wind that really stinks the most. I did however totally WIPE OUT on my run. No not from ice, and not from the dark (I have a headlamp) just from plain old Karen clumsiness. It was the kind of cold morning where the hot shower actually kind of hurts your skin at first but once your body adjusts it takes a lot, A LOT of effort to make yourself turn the shower off and get out. I was 15 minutes late for my 6 month OB check up because I was stuck in the hot hot shower :)

By the way the 6 month check up was the "sweet" part of the day - I brought both boys and it made my heart fill with joy when Batman got to hold the heartbeat monitor wand on my belly. His eyes were wide with amazement and he kept saying, "baby, baby!" Superman, in typical Superman fashion, was more into his trains to notice what was going on on the exam table.

So I was excited to try this recipe last night - it was the perfect Hot Soup for a very Cold Day.

*Recipe is from Cooking Light, with my own adjustments

Hot and Sour Soup with Shrimp

3 cups Chicken Broth

1 tbl White Vinegar

1/2 c. sliced mushrooms

Soy sauce

2 1/2 tbl lemon juice

black pepper

8 oz diced tofu

2 large cloves fresh garlic or 1 tsp powder

1 tbl flour whisked in 2 tbl cold water

6-12 oz frozen raw shrimp

Spinach

1 egg white

green onions

Red Chili flakes or Chili Oil

Combine 3 cups chicken broth, 1 tbl white vinegar, 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms, and 2 to 3 tablespoons os soy sauce (I'm a salt addict... I did 3 or 4. Taste at the end and add more according to your preference).

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer. Add 2 1/2 tbl of fresh lemon juice (don't skimp, this is the "sour" part!), black pepper, chopped fresh garlic, and 8 oz of diced tofu (or more if you like). Stir in your thickening agent (1 tbl of flour whisked with 2 tbl cold water).

Bring back up to a slow boil and add 6 oz of raw shrimp (I put in about half a 12 oz package of frozen raw tail off shrimp - recipe called for a pound and a half but shrimp is expensive - I opted to add more tofu and extra veggies and save the other 6 oz of shrimp for another night).

Whisk one egg white in a bowl. Truth be told I'm actually anti-egg white because I always buy the overpriced organic eggs and it makes me mad to waste half the egg. Anyway slowly stir the whisked egg or egg white in the soup to make an egg drop soup of sorts.

Drop in about a half bag of baby spinach leaves, chopped, and let wilt in hot soup. Reduce to a simmer. From the picture above you can see I added my spinach way too early in the process which made it lose its beautiful bright green color. Stir in chopped green onion for garnish, and 1/2 tbl of chile oil. I didn't have chile oil so I sprinkled Red Chili Flakes. Add as much or as little heat as you can take (a little goes a long way) but I will say the heat + sour really makes the soup.

I served the soup over rice so that my very carnivorous husband wouldn't complain about the lack of red meat or chicken in dinner. Worked like a charm, he didn't. :)

Trying Again in 2010

I realize I've fallen off the wagon in the past month. Ive been a tad discouraged that my camera STINKS and makes the food I create look bland and not so appetizing when in actuality the dishes are much more appealing in person, I swear!! Well, no more excuses in 2010! You either get bland looking pictures, a picture stolen off the Internet, or no pictures at all, but I'll at least post some recipes!

Part of growing your marriage and family is combining each other's family traditions, as well as creating some new ones in the process that your kids will hopefully carry down to their families one day. I was thinking about that last night as I made tea sandwiches for Kevin and I and some friends we had over. My mom always made tea sandwiches and chocolate fondue on New Years Eve, and it seemed totally natural to be making that for my own family and friends now. A couple years ago Kevin and I started having grilled jumbo shrimp on New Years Eve as well. Then on New Years Day Kevin's family always has Pork and Sauerkraut. This dish is a tribute to Kevin's Grandma Fisher, who made this year after year on New Years Day for the Haddon family. I love that we are keeping her memory alive and teaching our kids a little bit about their great grandparents by recreating this dish on New Years Day.

So here is a hodge-podge of very simple recipes for you!

Tea Sandwiches
(a member of our running club made these particular sandwiches for us last week and I thought they were very yummy)

Wheat Bread, Chive and Onion Cream Cheese, Ham or Turkey
What Bread, Chive and Onion Cream Cheese, Sliced Cucumbers, Smoked Salmon

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

2 pounds of raw, tail on, peeled jumbo shrimp
Place in a shallow pan and cover with

• Worcestershire sauce (enough to cover top)
• About half a bottle of "Pick-A-Pepper" sauce (this is key - you can find it in any grocery store)
• One freshly squeezed lemon
• About 2 tbl olive oil
• Freshly grated pepper and Italian seasonings (basil, oregano)
• Chopped garlic
• A dash or more of cayenne pepper

Let marinate for at least one hour, skewer, and grill. We also did Scallops this year, which I think are done the best in the simplest form: toss in olive oil and salt and bake for 12 minutes at 425, then broil for 5 minutes on high. Serve your scallops and shrimp with salad, rice, or whatever accompaniment you like!

Pork and Sauerkraut

And finally, what is currently in my crock pot: People this couldn't be easier!
1.5 pounds of Crown Roast Pork Loin. Place in a crock pot with a half cup of water. Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Throw on a bag of sauerkraut and let it cook all day!


Kate and I are about to head out for a nice long run to kick off 2010. Theres nothing better than getting back home around dinner time to realize that the house smells amazing, someone made dinner and its almost ready to eat! (Oh yeah, I did that hours ago in the crock pot...)

Happy New Year to All!! Do you have any New Years Eve or Day meals that are tradition in your family??