A Quick & Easy One Skillet Meal

It's Friday!

This week has been a little off for us.  My oldest is on the downside of having the flu.  He's been home all week, bless his heart.  The book fair has been going on at school this week and he's 12 kinds of sad he didn't get to go.  So we shopped a little on Amazon and found a few books he wanted to add to his collection.  He's currently into Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Whatever keeps him reading!  

Before the flu invaded our house, we spent some QT with our Indiana family and headed to Galveston for a day.  

I pretty much love everything about Galveston, but La King's Confectionery  ice cream is the reason we made the trip in the first place.  Best ice cream around!!!  Just ask these two...

Their choices:  Mint Chocolate Chip and Double Chocolate Chip.  

My choice:  ESPRESSO!!!!!  YUM!

We also celebrated this one turning 7 and the whole family was here to sing him happy birthday :)

And I got some new chairs for my kitchen table!!!

We have a kitchen table and a dining room table, but unless we're hosting guests for dinner, we always eat in our little kitchen nook.  Perfect for just us four.  Just the other night we sat down and enjoyed this delicious meal at this little table.  Personally, I think you should sit down at your table and enjoy this meal, too!!!

SHRIMP AND VEGGIE STIR FRY

1 lb. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bunch of broccoli florets, cut

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1-2 cups of baby bella mushrooms, cut into quarters

3-4 TBSP. butter OR 2 TBSP. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. house seasoning (equal parts garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper)

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 C. cooked rice (white or brown), optional

salt & pepper, to taste

I love a meal I can cook in one pan and this recipe fits the bill perfectly!

First up, let's peel and devein the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Now add 2 TBSP. of the butter to the skillet and heat on medium. 

Add in the broccoli, onion, red pepper, and mushroom and cook for 3-5 minutes or until lightly softened, mildly crunchy.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add in the remaining butter and then the seasoned shrimp.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through (pink).  

Return the veggies back to the skillet and toss with shrimp. 

Add the house seasoning to the mix and give it a good stir to combine.  I also added in the crushed red pepper at this point, too.  We like the addition of a little heat with our milder meals.

If you're adding cooked rice to your dish like we did, go ahead and do that now as well.  Stir to combine and heat on low for about 2-3 minutes...just enough to warm everything up for serving.

How simple is that?! And delicious, too!  My favorite kind of meals!!!

This was great with the rice, but it would've been just as good without.  Mr. Spouse enjoys protein AND carbs, so I typically have to consider adding both into our dinners whether it's all combined together or served separately.  I personally love this dish not only because the flavor and consistency are outstanding, but I was able to cook in all in one skillet.

Wait.

I lied.

I had to cook the rice, too.  Shoo.  Well, two pots/skillets.  

I'll take it!  

A Little Kick To Your Palate

Down here in our little neck of the woods we love our seafood.  I'm not speaking for everyone in this region...just our little family.  And by little family I mean me & Mr. Spouse.  Oh...and my youngest.  We tried to get our youngest to try shrimp about a year ago and he wasn't a huge fan.  My older one gagged at the sight so we didn't push it.  A few months ago my husband tricked our youngest into eating fried fish by telling him it was venison (he LOVES venison).  He ate a few filets with much delight before  Mr. Spouse dropped the bombshell and he excitedly exclaimed, "GET OUTTA HERE!!!  You mean I love fish, too?!?!?!"  Hahahaha.  

I'm always on the hunt for new seafood recipes to incorporate into our weekly menu. Fish, shrimp, crabs, oysters, scallops...you name it and I want to cook it.  Or at least I want to attempt to try :)  Seafood is easy enough to broil/bake/grill/sear/fry, but I love to switch things up and incorporate it into recipes.  This week Mr. Spouse requested shrimp and scallops and I originally intended to sear the scallops in bacon grease and roast the shrimp.  Well..I wasn't feelin' it and I ended up finding a recipe I wanted to tweak that I figured would satisfy my palate a little bit more.  And it did.  OHMIWORD...outta the ballpark delicious!!!

SPICY SHRIMP & SCALLOPS OVER BUTTERED NOODLES

1/2 lb. angel hair pasta, cooked

4 TBSP. butter

2 TBSP. olive oil, divided

2 TBSP. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

1/2 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 lb. sea or bay scallops

1/2 tsp. paprika

4 TBSP. chicken broth

1 large lime, divided

1/2 C. cilantro, chopped

Avocado, chopped (optional)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Before you get started, season the scallops and shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste.  I just placed mine in a large ziplock baggie, poured in a few dashes of salt and pepper, and tossed to coat.  Let that set aside until it's time to bring 'em back in.  ALSO...cook the pasta according to package directions, drain, and return to pot.  

Add 1 TBSP. of olive oil to a large pan over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add in the garlic. Stir to coat and cook  over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes or until garlic starts to lightly brown. 

Now remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and set aside.  

Add the other tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and when it's heated toss in the crushed red pepper, scallops, shrimp, and paprika.  Stir to coat.

Now toss the garlic back into the pan and stir until blended.

Cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes and then add in the chicken broth.  

By this time you should see your shrimp starting to get pink and you will notice that your scallops are becoming more translucent (in the middle)...they're almost ready!!!

Cook for about 2-3 additional minutes on medium heat or until shrimp and scallops are cooked through.

Reduce heat and remove the shrimp and scallops with a slotted spoon leaving the liquid in the pan.  Set aside. I placed mine in a bowl and kept them in the microwave (the microwave was off!) until I needed them again.  Does that really help to keep them warm?!  I don't know, but it made me feel like it did :)  

Now cut a lime in half and squeeze half of the lime juice into the pan with the remaining liquid.  

Chop the cilantro and add that to the remaining liquid as well. Stir to combine and cook over low heat.  

You can add salt and pepper to taste as well (if you so desire).

Take the other half of the lime and squeeze it over the shrimp and scallops and mix to evenly coat. 

In a separate pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the cooked pasta to the pan.  Stir to coat noodles in butter.  This will lightly add a bit more flavor to the dish so I would definitely recommend not skipping this little step :)  Remove from heat once coated and set aside.

Now grab a bowl and serve yourself a small bed of noodles.  Remember this isn't a pasta dish so you don't want to be too generous with this serving...the shrimp and scallops are the star of this show!

Pour a generous serving of the shrimp and scallops over the buttered noodles  and top with the chicken broth/cilantro/lime juice leftover in the pan, and sprinkle some chopped avocado on top of that.

YUM!!!!!

Truly a very unexpected delicious dish!  

There won't be a ton of liquid leftover in the pan.  Of course, you can always double the recipe to give you more, but we found that even the small amount we had was plenty.  You can always eat this without the noodles, but we personally loved the added texture to the dish.  

This little recipe definitely brought the heat, so if you aren't a fan of spice, reduce the amount of crushed red pepper or leave it out altogether.  We are HUGE fans of spicy food so this was right up our alley.  It wasn't overpowering by any means, but it did add a nice little kick to the dish.  Mr. Spouse absolutely LOVED it and that says a lot because he's not afraid to tell me when I miss the mark :)  Bless. I'm really working on portion control at the moment, but if I weren't I would've devoured the leftovers in a heartbeat.  Flavor explosion!!!

This will definitely be coming back into the rotation soon. It was light, but really filling at the same time.  I love the meals that leave you feeling satisfied, but not miserably full.  My kind of meal!

Did Somebody Say Zoodle?!

So I got my first Hello Fresh box yesterday....

I was giddy.  Dinner in a box.  All I have to do is cook it.  Yesterday's shipment included Italian Meatloaf, Chinese Black Bean Chicken, and Pan-Seared Salmon. 3 meals for the week, the other two are all me.  We settled on Chinese Black Bean Chicken last night and it was NOT a flavor profile I ever want in my mouth again.  I don't cook with much ginger although I'm not opposed to the taste.  However, that flavor overwhelmed the dish and I ended up with a yuck taste in my mouth and couldn't finish my meal.  All that to be said, I have several friends who LOVE this service, so I won't base my opinion on one little dish.  I didn't choose the meals because it was a free box, but I can choose all that follow and pause shipment at any time so I'm perfectly great with that!  Looking forward to the next two meals!!!

Next up I'll be trying out Home Chef, then Blue Apron, and finally Plated.  Next month I'll do a little comparison with pros and cons of each. 

I don't plan on using a food delivery service every week because I still love my tried and true meals and trying out recipes from some of my favorite cookbooks, but I LOVE that it takes the guesswork out of meal planning.  I love that I don't have to think about what I'm cooking and it encourages me to try new things I wouldn't normally attempt to cook.  I'm anxious to see how these other food delivery services pan out :) 

When I'm not having food delivered to my doorstep, I'm leaning on the tried and true flavors I know and love.  We're big fans of seafood here in this house...and by we I mean me and my husband...so when I found this recipe I knew it had to go on the menu.  Shrimp is definitely my favorite seafood flavor and when it's paired with the right amount of spice, a little lemon, and one of my favorite veggies??!?!  Forget about it.  Too good to pass up!

SPICY SHRIMP AND ZOODLES

via Just a Taste

2 TBSP. olive oil

1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 TBSP. minced garlic

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 C. chicken broth

Juice from 1 large lemon

2-3 medium zucchinis, julienned

salt & pepper, to taste

***Prior to cooking this dish, you will need to cut your zucchini into noodles.  I used my mandoline for this simple task, but you could also use a spiralizer.  Just make sure you have one of these in your arsenal of kitchen gadgets to make this go faster :)***

Heat oil in a large skillet and add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook for a minute(ish) and be sure to stir constantly to avoid burnt and sticky garlic/red pepper.

Toss the peeled/deveined shrimp into the skillet and stir to coat with the oil/garlic/red pepper flakes already in the skilled.  Cook until shrimp are pink and heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste, and give it a good stir before removing from the skillet.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer shrimp to a bowl and set aside.  

Add the chicken broth and lemon juice to the same skillet.  As the liquid heats, scrape the pan with a wooden spoon.  After two minutes, add the zucchini noodles...aka: ZOODLES...to the skillet and stir for about 3-5 minutes.

Toss shrimp back into the skillet of zoodles, stir, and season with a little more salt and pepper.  And maybe another sprinkling of red pepper flakes if you like it hot (we did ).  Serve warm and enjoy!

I can't say enough good things about this dish!!!  If you like shrimp like we do, you MUST try this SOON!  It was just the right amount of kick.  The shrimp were seasoned to perfection and the sauce with the zoodles was outstanding.  I used two zucchini in mine, but next time I'll up it to three.  Of course, this would've been amazing served with angel hair pasta as opposed to the zucchini, but this was pretty outstanding as is.  It filled me without leaving me stuffed and I love that kind of meal.  The flavor of the zoodles paired with the sauce couldn't have been better.  This is a pretty guilt free meal that I can foresee serving a lot more in the months to come!!!  

Winner, winner spicy shrimp dinner!!!!

Monday Mash Up

It's Monday and I have a confession....

Before I get started, I need to wish Mr. Spouse the happiest of birthdays.  Today's the big 4-0 and we've been celebrating his 4th decade of life all weekend long.  Those are the best kind of celebrations.  My parents kept the boys this weekend and I took Adam downtown for a little surprise party. We stayed at one of our favorite hotels and some of our favorite friends surprised him at a great little sports bar & grill, Tejas, before we hit the town.  The Astros & the Texans were playing that night, so it turned out to be the perfect set-up.  #winning  We woke up yesterday and went to brunch at Danton's with our friends and then headed back to mom & dad's for Sunday Funday with the family (cake & ice cream included).  Now we're getting this ready around the house to celebrate our favorite 40-year-old when he gets home from work tonight.  Mercy!

I haven't quite decided what's on the menu this evening, but I can guarantee that cake will make an appearance.  I'm thinking of something along the lines of seafood.  It's definitely one of our favorite fares.  This summer we ate tons of it.  Lots of fish and shrimp and our favorite bottom feeders, crawfish :)  This salmon dish right here was one of our FAVORITES.  So full of flavor and easy to prep!  We paired it with roasted asparagus and a little lemon juice and we were in seafood heaven.  If you like salmon, you would LOVE this dish!

BAKED LEMON GARLIC HERB CRUSTED SALMON

slightly altered via My Natural Family

3 oz. butter

1 tsp. salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 TBSP. dried parsley

1 tsp. dried dill

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 salmon filets

As I said earlier, this is a really simple meal to prep and bake!  And y'all...SO full of flavor!!!

First up, go ahead and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Combine butter, salt, lemon zest, parsley, dill, and garlic in a small microwaveable bowl.  Heat in the microwave until the butter is melted, stir, and brush on the top of each salmon filet with a pastry brush. 

Bake at 400 for about 12ish minutes or until the salmon is cooked through.  

DELISH!!!

This was, by far, one of our most favorite recipes of the summer and now that I'm looking at these pictures I'm thinking this would be perfect for tonight's birthday dinner.  As for my two little boys, they'll have to settle for chicken nuggets and broccoli.

#notfansoftheseafood #acquiredtaste

Now I need your help.

I've been thinking about trying out some of those deliciously appetizing food box delivery services and I need to know what's the best.  I've been doing my research, but I'd love to hear what you like if you use them, too.  Since Mr. Spouse will only be home for dinner 3 nights a week, these food boxes would be perfect for us.  I love the idea of not having to meal plan.  And I love that the ingredients for each dish are already pre-measured (I have issues cooking for 2.  #Ialwaysovercook #leftoversfordays).  Another draw for me is finding new and different foods. I love the idea of trying things I normally wouldn't venture to try on my own for fear of not being able to find the ingredients at our little grocery store.  So far I've found Plated, Blue Apron, & Hello Fresh.  Am I missing anything???

Shirmp & Stuff

We're currently hunkering down and trying to prep for the tropical depression that's slated to dump buckets of rain in these parts the next few days.  More rain.  Yay.  I'm praying it stays as far away from the families that were affected by the last round of flooding as it possibly can.  They don't need any more devastation.  

My littlest one is laying right beside me watching Chicken Run and nursing a fever.  I hate it when my kids are sick....so helpless!!  However, I do get lots of cuddles and snuggles, so it's not all that terrible ;)  Not exactly a great start to the week.  This is how we spent our one-on-one time yesterday after spending a few hours at Chuck E. Cheese...

The first week of summer is behind us and it was a fun one...basketball camp for the boys and lots of poolside shenanigans for mommy & daddy :) Good times!  

We've also spent the last couple of Thursday nights at our favorite local vineyard.  We take our picnic blankets, lots of cheese and other snacks, and then sit around listening to live music while the kids run around playing, climbing trees, and catching frogs.  Goodness I love this place!  

We've been grilling a lot more these days, too.  I love all kinds of food on the grill, but grilled shrimp and corn are definitely two of my favorites.  This little dish is a combo of both and it is SO good!  I love the kind of meals that are filling, but don't make you feel stuffed after consumption.  This one will be on repeat all season long!  

GRILLED SHRIMP AND CORN SALSA LETTUCE WRAPS

via Chipotle Potato

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1-2 ears of corn

1 medium tomato, diced

1-2 limes

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1/4 C. red onion, chopped

1/4 C. cilantro, chopped

1 TBSP. olive oil

Salt & pepper, to taste

Tony Chachere's seasoning (optional)

Artisan romaine or butter lettuce

To get started, you'll need to do a little advanced preparation.  Soak your skewers in a shallow dish of water for about 10 minutes prior to grilling (this will keep them from burning!)  Peel & devein shrimp and then put them on the skewers.  Season shrimp & corn with Tony Chachere's or your preferred seasoning. That just happens to be our favorite.  

Now go ahead and grill both the corn and the shrimp.

While the shrimp and corn are grilling, prep the salsa.  Chop your tomato, red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro and toss in a bowl.  Squeeze the juice from the lime over the tomato/onion/cilantro and mix well to combine.  Once the corn is grilled, cut off the kernels using a knife and add to the tomato/onion/jalapeno/cilantro mixture.  We used two ears of corn and then added extra lime juice to the mixture.  Now add the olive oil, salt, and pepper and mix well unti combined.  

To serve,  remove the shrimp from the skewers and place on a leaf of lettuce. Top with a serving of the corn salsa, wrap, and eat!  YUM!  This was a definite winner!!!  Mr. Spouse had several servings and I went back for seconds :)  Such a great summer meal and one that would be perfect for entertaining, too!!  

A Summer Salad with a Mexican Flair

We're on the last Friday of the school year and I couldn't be happier.  I'm ready to kick off summer and spend some time with my boys.  I'm sure my tune will change come August, but for now I can't wait to have them home.  The other selfish part of me can't wait to sleep in a little longer.  My internal alarm clock is set for 6:30, but I can usually silence that and sleep a couple of extra hours when I don't have to be awake :)  My boys are finally getting to the age where they sleep a little longer in the mornings, too.  And when they do wake up before us, they're really good about finding something to do...like playing with their "guys" or drawing.  

We got to celebrate our oldest yesterday and watch him receive an award for "bookworm of the class" during his award ceremony at school.  He was SO excited.  He's my extremely tender-hearted one and when he found us after the ceremony he had tears in his eyes.  I asked him if he was upset about his award and his response was, "No.  I'm half happy crying/half sad crying.  I'm excited about my award, but sad first grade is almost over."  Bless him.

I took him out for a little one-on-one time after his awards ceremony.  Dad had to go back to work and I thought it would be a great afternoon for some ice cream and some fun at the park.  He was beside himself.  He loves our date days.  So do I.   I was really proud of myself for resisting a DQ vanilla waffle cone when I had the chance to indulge.  That's a rareity. I came home and whipped this dish up instead.  And the best part was the lack of guilt I felt after eating :)  Win/win....but I'm still thinking about that waffle cone.  

CHOPPED SPINACH SALAD WITH MEXICAN SHRIMP and CILANTRO AVOCADO DRESSING

Mexcian Shrimp via  Healthy Feels Happy

1 lb. raw (peeled & deveined) shrimp

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. onion powder

3/4 tsp. salt

pinch of dried oregano

2 tsp. coconut oil

2 TBSP. low sodium chicken broth

2 cups baby spinach, chopped

1/2 cup corn, drained

1 cup black beans, rinsed & drained

1-2 avocados, chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

First up, let's prep the shrimp.  This will take no time once you get it going.  Love these kind of meals!

There was no one at the counter when I tried to order my shrimp, so I opted for a bag of frozen raw shrimp instead.  Once they were thawed out, I peeled and deveined them.  That took the longest.  

Now mix together all the spices in a large bowl (cumin, coriander, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano) and then add the peeled shrimp.  Toss to coat shrimp thoroughly.  

Add the coconut oil to a large pan and heat on medium high.  When the oil is heated, add the shrimp to the pan.  Be sure that each of the shrimp are sitting in the pan and not on top of each other so that they all cook evenly.  Heat until shrimp are cooked through (pink on the outside, white on the inside), transfer to a plate/dish, and set aside.  

Pour the chicken broth into the same pan and heat on low.  As the broth heats up, start scraping the spices from the pan and mix to combine with the liquid.  Continue to mix the liquid with the spices until the broth thickens.  Turn off the heat and return the shrimp to the pan.  Mix the shrimp with the broth mixture until coated.  

Now go ahead and chop your spinach then transfer to a large bowl.  Add the drained/rinsed beans & corn, chopped cilantro, avocado,  and then toss in the shrimp.  Mix together until combined.  I went ahead and added about 2 tablespoons of dressing to the salad.  Instead of making my own dressing, I phoned it in.  This is one of our favorites.....

I'm not typically a huge fan of bottled dressings, but we absolutely love the flavor of this!!  

I also think THIS DRESSING would be amazing with this salad.  

The shrimp would definitely be delicious on their own if you aren't a fan of salads.  I *almost* served it with a side of roasted asparagus, but Mr. Spouse was REALLY hungry and I knew I needed something that would fill us up a little more.  

As you can see, quick and easy!  And the flavor was outstanding.  We'll definitely be revisiting this salad in the warm summer months to come!!!

I'm also planning on trying out some of these mouthwatering salads I've been pinning...223 of them to be exact.

  If I can get to even 5 of them, I'd be ecstatic ;)  We all know how that works!!  

Monday Mash-Up With a Cajun Flair

It's Monday, y'all.   As if you needed a reminder.  I really can't complain.  I started out my morning outside with this view.  

Our outdoor living area is currently undergoing a makeover.   Nothing like the pressure of entertaining and hosting guests to get our rear in gear!  I *think* we finally have an idea of what we want to do out there.  Of course, I'm a huge fan of the farmhouse look for interior decor.  Mr. Spouse loves the style as well, but for the outdoors...his "man cave"... he wants something a little more apropos to his stylistic preference (aka: any and everything Jimmy Buffett-esque).  Needless to say, I have my work cut out.

We had a great little weekend.  A baseball game for my husband and our oldest while I took the littlest to a birthday party.  While we were enjoying all the cake and ice cream, I decided it would be the perfect day for a long overdue date night with the spouse.  I love our "us" time and we need MORE of it!!!  I planned a *surprise* night of fun (meaning I planned dinner & drinks) and mom and dad kept the kids.  Best babysitters ever!!!

If you're in the Houston area, I HIGHLY recommend Holley's Seafood Restaurant & Oyster Bar!  SO AMAZING!!!!  Right next to pasta, any and all seafood is my most favorite fare.  

 We started with a round of oysters and their Benne Seed Parkerhouse Rolls (a MUST !!!}  I got the blackened grouper and Adam ordered the Crispy Redfish.  Both excellent.  We finished off our meal with the Apple Pie Bread Pudding and ohmiword...to.die.for!  My mom's most favorite dessert is coconut cream pie or coconut cake, so we ordered her the Down South Coconut Cake as a little surprise "thank you!" for keeping the boys.  I had a few bites when we got back to the house and the reviews were spot on...one of the best coconut cakes I've ever tasted!  

After dinner, we headed to Julep.  We're big bourbon fans in this household and a friend of mine suggested we visit this bar to sample some of their bourbon cocktails.  This was the neatest little dive.  We loved every little bit of it.  I was especially fond of the decor and the bartender's uniforms.  Everything had a Southern flair.    We were hoping to score a seat at the bar or in one of their cozy little booths, but it was slammed so we headed to the patio.  I had my very first Mint Julep (amazing!) and Adam made sure to purchase the cup in which it was poured so that we could commemorate the occasion :) We had to stand as we enjoyed our spirits, but we had the best time.   That is until I realized I wasn't carded.  Every single person walking in was carded...except for me & my husband.  Shoo.  

#imgettingold #imissbeingcarded #istillfeellikeilooklikeim21

Sunday Funday found us at church and then enjoying a little Tex-Mex for lunch followed by a trip to Lowe's.  Family fun at it's finest :)

Now it's Monday and I'm getting things ready for Easter.  I'm hosting again this year and this place is not clean. Not clean at.all.  Before I head off to do some damage control, I want to share one of my favorite pasta recipes with you (have you noticed that all of my pasta recipes are my favorite?!).

We love meals with a cajun flair and this one is so very, very delicious!!!

PASTALAYA

via Plain Chicken

1 lb. of Farfalle/Bow Tie pasta

16 oz. smoked sausage link, sliced

1/2 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 tsp. olive oil

1 Cup heavy whipping cream

2 TBSP. minced garlic

1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped

4 TBSP. tomato sauce

1/2 Cup chicken broth

1 1/2 tsp. cajun seasoning (we always use Tony Chachere's!)

1 1/2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Go ahead and cook the pasta according to package directions.  While your pasta is cooking, let's get everything else ready, shall we?!

Heat the olive oil over medium/high heat and toss in the sausage to brown.  Brown the sausage and add in the onions.  Saute for a couple of minutes and then add the minced garlic. 

Saute until fragrant...about 2 minutes...and then pour in the chicken broth.  Give the broth time to reduce by about half (2 minutes, give or take).   Mix in the tomato sauce, cajun seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper.  

Stir until ingredients are well combined and then add the shrimp and heavy whipping cream. 

 Heat until boiling and then reduce the temp to low heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes and continue to stir the mixture.  When shrimp are cooked through, remove from heat and pour over drained pasta.

Topped with shredded parmesan cheese and enjoy!!!

I love that this dish had a little kick and combined lots of my favorite flavors.  Sausage, shrimp, pasta...you can't go wrong!!!!  This is a great dish to make when company comes over, too.  Ours absolutely LOVED it!!! If you're a fan of cajun style cookin', I highly suggest this delectable dish!  

Spice Girl

I love music.  ALL kinds of music.  Blues, rock, jazz, praise & worship, country, pop, indie, folk...you name it and I pretty much love it.  I would prefer to listen to music than watch TV...unless Sons of Anarchy is on and then it's all about the TV.  My husband would argue that I have poor taste in music because I have playlists that include cheesy boy bands from back in the day and random tunes with ridiculous lyrics.  I guess we can't all have great taste in everything ;)  As ashamed as I should be to admit this, I was once a fan of  the Spice Girls.  I could sing every word to every mainstream song and if I randomly hear them to this day, I can still recite every single lyric.  I lead a very, very exciting life.  

This recipe has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Spice Girls, but whenever I read or hear the word "spicy", something takes me back to 1998 and visions of platform boots and Union Jacks dance around in my mind.  So tell me what'cha want, what'cha really, really want...  You can thank me later for getting this song stuck in your head :)  

SPICY SHRIMP & TOMATO FETTUCCINE

via Budget Bytes

8 oz. fettuccine

2 TBSP. olive oil

1 TBSP. butter

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 {15oz.} can of diced tomatoes

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. salt

pepper, to taste

This recipe is pretty quick and simple, so no prep pictures are included.  

First things first.  Cook pasta according to package directions.  

While the pasta cooks, mince your garlic & set aside. 

Heat the olive oil & butter in a large skillet over medium heat on the stove top.

While the olive oil & butter are heating, go ahead and peel your shrimp.  Honestly, you might wanna go ahead and do that before anything else because those little suckers take a few minutes to come out of their shells :)

Once the olive oil and butter are heated, add the raw shrimp and garlic.

Saute the shrimp for about 3-5 minutes {or until they're pink}.  

Remove the shrimp from the skilled and leave all the other goodness inside.  

Place the shrimp in a bowl and set them aside.  

Now add the tomatoes {don't drain!!} to the skillet  and toss in the cracked red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste.   Let that simmer for about 5ish minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and then toss in the shrimp and give it a good little mix.  I like my shrimp coated with the yummy tomato mix.

Now pour the tomato sauce & shrimp over the {drained} pasta and toss until it's all combined.

You can garnish your plate with a little chopped parsley and some shaved parmesan, but I opted out on both counts.  It was just perfect on it's own.  

This little dish packed the perfect amount of heat, too.  Not too mild.  Not too spicy.  Perfectly perfect.  The best part about this meal {aside from the outstanding flavor} was the amount of time it took from prep to plate.  I think I was in the kitchen for a total of *maybe* 20 minutes.  Those are the BEST kind of meals, for sure.  

I do think the addition of a little chopped chicken would be really delicious, too.  Shrimp is my personal favorite so I won't be making any adjustments.  If you're a fan of spicy sauces, seafood, and pasta....and quick meal prep...then you should definitely add this to your menu!  It won't disappoint!!

My Love Affair With Shrimp

I have a longstanding love affair with shrimp.  Sauteed, grilled, roasted, baked…or my personal favorite…in a cocktail ;)  I’m kinda like Bubba from Forest Gump when it comes to these little crustaceans.  So it only stands to reason that I was totally intrigued when I found this recipe.  I’m not really sure I’ve ever tried mixing seafood & Mexican.  When I frequent my favorite Mexican restaurants, I’m usually a beef tacos al carbon kinda girl…very predictable and not too adventurous.  But when I’m at home, I like to mix things up in the kitchen and make it exciting ;).  And I’m SO glad I tried this!!!  I know I say this about a lot of things I try, but this is definitely one of my most favorite dishes!{shocker} 

SHRIMP & GUACAMOLE TOSTADAS

via Bev Cooks

Corn tortillas

cooking spray

2 cups shredded cheddar/monterrey jack cheese

2 TBSP. olive oil

1 lb. shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 TBSP. ground cumin

2 TBSP. chili powder

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic salt

1 red bell pepper, cut into small chunks/slices

A couple of limes

GUACAMOLE

2 ripe avocados

1 pkg. McCormick’s guacamole seasoning mix {or use any guacamole recipe you have!}

Once you get started, it will all go pretty quickly, so don’t let this set up scare you too much!  Let’s start first with the shrimp.  Toss them in the cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and the garlic salt and set ‘em aside.

 

Now take the tortillas and lightly coat both sides of each with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 for about 4 minutes on each side. 

Now turn on your broiler and top each tortilla with a generous amount of shredded cheese.  Broil for about 2 minutes or until the cheese is hot & bubbly. 

 

Set these aside and take out a skillet.  Heat the olive oil on medium high heat and add the shrimp.  Sear on one side for a couple of minutes…

…and then flip ‘em all over and sear ‘em for another minute or so.  Remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside.

Now don’t clean out your skillet.  Just add your red bell pepper to the pan and start sauteeing.  You’ll wanna make sure you scrape the pan as the bell peppers sautee so that all the yummy browned residue from the shrimp starts to coat them. 

Now go ahead and whip up your guacamole.  I pressed the EASY button for this one and just used a couple of avocados and a packet of McCormick’s guacamole seasoning mix.  It’s my favorite.  If you have a great recipe for guac…use that. If you have the premade stuff, you can use that, too…but I personally think fresh is best!!!

Now let’s get back to the tostada, shall we?!  Top the cheesy tortilla with a dollop…or five…of guacamole.  You’ll wanna make sure you’re being generous here because this only adds to the the  flavor of this dish.  Then top the guacamole with the shrimp and then add the seasoned peppers to the top.  Then ever so gently shqueeze a lime over the top. 

Try to resist before you get it on your plate….I DARE YOU!!!!  I snapped this pic after I ate my first two.  I seriously couldn’t handle the wait!  I can’t begin to tell you how amazingly delicious this dish really is.  My love affair with shrimp only intensified after taking my first bite.  Just make sure you have a few napkins on hand and throw your table manners out the window because you’ll undoubtedly dig in with no restraint! 

Tip Your Server

Did I ever tell y’all about the time I waited tables?!  Well…it wasn’t just one time.  I actually waited tables for several years…and LOVED every minute {except for those HIGHLY stressful times when I was in the weeds or forgot to put in an order for a 10 top. NOT fun.}  I’ve got nothin’ but mad respect for servers.  Even the ones that forget to refill my tea when it’s been empty for 20 minutes ;)

My most FAVORITE place to wait tables was Joe’s Crab Shack. I worked there for a long while and loved it.  The food, the people…I loved it all.  Maybe a little bit had to do with the manager letting me perform N*Sync’s “Dirty Pop” all by myself on busy Friday and Saturday nights to a packed house.  {By the way…I’m so NOT ashamed to tell you that I learned every.single.move to N*Sync’s “Dirty Pop” and wasn’t afraid to show off my skills…or lack thereof, for that matter.}  It’s no wonder it took me so long to find a husband.  But I digress…

One of the best things about working at Joe’s was the food…in particular, their crawfish etoufee.  When I graduated from college, I spent about 6 months working full time at Joe’s until I got my first teaching job.  I ate almost every meal…except for breakfast {which was usually 3 Red Bulls}…at Joe’s.  Crawfish etoufee was in my weekly…if not daily…rotation of meals.  Oh, how I LOVED it.  SO, if you know that little tidbit about me, it should come as no surprise that I FLIPPED when I found this recipe for etoufee.  It took me back to the good ol’ days of begging the cooks to make me fried pickles…sneaking bites of ice cream in the freezer between shifts…working doubles on the weekends…and making some of the most fabulous friends.

 

EASY CRAWFISH ETOUFEE

1 stick butter

1 tbsp. flour

3 tbsp. green bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can cream of celery soup

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1 lb. crawfish tails

cooked rice {I used 2 boil in a bags :)}

chicken broth, for preferred consistency

Tony Chachere’s cajun seasoning, to taste

 

Here’s what you’ll need to get started…

You might notice that the chicken broth and Tony’s seasoning are missing from the line-up.  Don’t you worry, friends.  They’ll make an appearance in a little bit.  Until they do, let’s get started.

First up, let’s start by adding the stick of butter.  If you opened up this post hoping to find a recipe low in fat and calories, well…you came to the wrong place.  If you’re not afraid to indulge in a little sinful eating every now and again, then keep on reading. 

Melt the butter in a large pan and add the flour.  Stir until well combined and then toss in the onions, bell pepper, and garlic and mix it all together.  In a separate pot, boil your rice and set to the side until you’re ready to serve it up.

Cook the veggies until they’re soft and tender…probably about 7-10 minutes, give or take.  Now throw in the soup, mix it all up, then throw on the lid, cover, and let it all simmer for about 20{ish} minutes.

When it’s all nice and simmered, toss in the crawfish tails, salt, pepper, and green onions.

Now, here’s where you might {or might not} want to introduce the next two players…

I like a thick, soupy etoufee, so I kept adding chicken broth until it was the consistency I wanted.  Then I added my most FAVORITE spice…Tony Chachere’s.  If you’re not familiar with the amazingness that is Tony’s, then be cautioned.  This little spice packs a BIG punch, so add at your own risk!  {Okay, so that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously…it gets pretty spicy, so be careful!}  mix well until heated through and serve over rice!

Ohmiword, y’all!  AMAZING!!!!!!

Did you hear me?!?!  I said, AMAZING!!  Because it really is!!!  I’m tellin’ y’all, the Tony’s addition definitely added a lot to this dish.  SO flavorful.  And it was definitely reminiscent of Joe’s version.  And for real, could that have been ANY easier?!  I think not.  If you’re as big a fan of crawfish as I am, you must promise me you’ll give it a try!  But make sure you try it on a cheat day because this is definitely NOT on the list of approved meals for your summer slimdown ;)