New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

Stuck indoors. Snow on the ground. Stuck in doors. Husband is work. Stuck in doors. Need something to pass the time.

What do I have in my pantry and fridge? Shrimp. Hot sauce.  Garlic. Half of a lemon. Half a bottle of wine. No chicken. Frozen pork chops will take a while to defrost. Hmmm.

Pinterest should give me ideas. Closet Cooking just did a post on shrimp! Click. Sweet, I have all of the ingredients.

This recipe was so easy and most of the ingredients are things I have on hand. Worchestershire. Hot sauce. Butter. Wine. Spices. It didn’t take long to cook at all with minimal prep work. The blog’s recipe did call for creole seasoning. I don’t have any pre-made, so this was one part I specifically put together based on some recipes I looked for online, what was in my spice drawer, and my own taste palette. A lot of recipes called for a lot of thyme. Thyme is not my favorite spice, so I drastically reduced it.

The sauce was finger licking good. I actually took a spatula around the pan and licked up the rest before I washed the pan. Seriously good. It is so good, that when I make this again, I plan on adding some chicken. Perhaps some sausage. And bread, definitely bread, so I can scoop up the awesome sauce.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Recipe
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons butter
3 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup hot sauce (Franks or Sriracha)
¼ cup Worcestershire
1/3 cup red wine
2 Tbsp lemon juice (1/2 of lemon)
Creole seasoning (see recipe below)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
Ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste

Creole Seasoning
2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp oregano
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp cayenne

Method
1. In a small bowl, make the creole seasoning by mixing the spices together on the ingredients list. Set aside. 

2. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the garlic until it warms. Add the hot cause, Worcestershire sauce, wine, lemon juice, creole seasoning and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is reduced, about six minutes.

3. Add the shrimp and cook until cooked through, about four minutes (depends) on the size of the shrimp). 

4. Reduce the heat to medium-low, stir in pieces of butter until it melts. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Rustic Apple Cinnamon Galette

I have a three day Valentine’s Day weekend and was prepared to spend it mostly without my Valentine. My husband was scheduled to work straight through, but he came home on Saturday night and said he was miraculously able to take Sunday off. What a treat for me!

I wanted to make something special for breakfast Sunday morning. It is so special waking up to something baking in the oven. I had a few apples that were approaching their end of days, so I decided to use those. I also had all the ingredients for a pie crust and my ideas began to take shape. I didn’t want to make a straight up apple pie because it was too much work for a lazy Sunday morning. I decided to make a galette, or a free form rustic tart using the pie dough and apples.

I loved making this tart. There was no time push and no expectations. Tossing the apples with the cinnamon and the nutmeg and breathing in the scent, I felt them slide through my fingers. After adding the sugar, I have to admit that I snatched a few before they made it to the oven. And once it began baking in the oven, my entire space began to smell of apples and cinnamon. Add a cup of coffee, and I was in heaven.

This galette has spiced apples inside a sweet crust. It paired well with coffee for breakfast, but I could see adding whipped cream or a glaze to turn it into a dessert.

Rustic Apple Cinnamon Galette Recipe
Serves 4

Ingredients

Crust
1 cup Flour, plus additional for dusting
½ cup Unsalted Butter, chopped into small pieces
3 Tablespoons Sugar, plus more for dusting
¼ teaspoon Salt
1-3 Tablespoons of cold Water
Crsico, or vegetable shortening, for greasing
1 Egg, beaten 

Filling
3-4 Apples, cored and sliced thin (I used Gala)
¼ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg 
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Juice from ½ of a Lemon
Salt, a pinch

Equipment
Large Food Processor
Parchment Paper
Rolling Pin
Large Baking Pan
Pastry Brush
*Fridge Space for the crust (I’m adding this to make sure I remember to clear it out if I make this again)

Method

1. In a large bowl, toss the apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, lemon juice and salt until they are well coated. Set aside and let them rest and soak up the spice!

2. Using a large food processor, add the flour, butter, sugar, and salt. Process until there are small clumps uniformly spread throughout the bowl.

3. Add a tablespoon of water to the dough mixture. Process for a few seconds. If it hasn’t formed one large ball, add another teaspoon and process. Repeat as necessary. As a hint, the processor will begin to rumble as it forms one large ball of dough.  

4. Remove the dough ball from the processor and place it on top one large sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a circle that measures approximately 10 inches in diameter. The circle doesn’t need to be perfect as this is a rustic tart.

5. When dough has been rolled, place a second sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough circle. Place the dough in the fridge for about half an hour, or until the butter has hardened at the crust is a disc.

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare the baking pan with grease and a dusting of flour. 

7. After the dough has set, remove from the fridge and peel one sheet of parchment off. Place it dough side down onto the floured baking pan. Peel off the second parchment sheet.

8. Pile the apples in the center of the pie, leaving about three inches from the edge. The pile will seem very high, but they will cook down while baking. If there is extra juice in the bottom of the bowl, reserve it for a glaze (see note below). 

9. Fold the edges of the dough over, overlapping and pinching the ends together as you go. When finished, brush the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle some extra granulated sugar over the tart, concentrating on the crust. 

This is what my galette looked like before entering the oven:

10. Bake for about 30-35 minutes, until crust has a golden glow. 

*Note: If you would like to create a glaze, reserve 1-2 tablespoons of apple juice from the bowl of apples leftover in step 8. Add confectioner’s sugar a tablespoon at a time, and continue to stir until desired consistency is reached. Spoon the glaze over the galette upon serving. 

Mekong

Style: Vietnamese
My rating: 3 stars

Website: http://mekongisforbeerlovers.com/

Likes: Great beer selection, easy parking

Dislikes: Food has gone downhill and bland

We easily found parking in the front of the store, but it was visible that there was parking behind the strip of stores the restaurant resides in. Upon walking in, we were seated easily and the waitress brought us menus. No one brought us a beer menu, so we had to ask for it. The waiter brought us only one, so Brad and I had to try and read its small print sideways. That was a little frustrating and I ended up ordering an Allagash White just because it was easier than scouring the list.

We started with steamed pork dumplings and a pork spring roll. The spring roll was a little bland, but the pork dumplings had a great ginger sauce to pair. 

My husband ordered a soup bowl, with seafood and udon noodles in a chicken broth.  He enjoyed it!

I ordered a rice dish with egg, chicken, pork, and shrimp. I immediately had plate envy of my husband’s soup. The rice looked bland and uneventful. However, the flavors were there when I ate it. 

Overall, I feel that food was all right, but I can get better Vietnamese elsewhere in town. Mekong has become more of a place to order a beer, and they are overlooking their food. It’s sad that the service behind the beer service was so poor.

Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites

This post is so overdue. I made these tasty little treats a few times over the Christmas holiday, as the pictures clearly identify. I needed something quick and easy to supplement the larger desserts and little snack treats to bring to work and share with my student cooking club and teacher book club. I found these Cookie Dough Pretzel Bites on Pinterest and decided to give them a try.

I made them exactly as the original recipe said on my first run. I noticed that they seemed a little bland. They were missing that little zing that made me want to keep eating them. I was looking for that feeling that I couldn’t stop eating them. The second time I made these, I added some extra salt to the warm chocolate, adding that sweet and salty complexity. This time, I kept coming back for more.

The third time I made these, I was running low on time and milk chocolate. First, I purchased a tub of premade cookie dough so that I did not have to make the raw dough and clean dishes from it. I also added a bar of dark chocolate and mixed it with the melting milk chocolate since I was running low on chips. Although it took slightly longer to melt, the dark chocolate added a deep richness to the treat. 

This ended up being the perfect easy holiday treat. People enjoyed them and they were quick in a time crunch. Plus, the ingredients are few and they are easy to purchase, making it an efficient treat, too.

Next chance, I may try using peanut butter cookie dough!

Ingredients
40 oz. tub Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Dough
90-100 mini pretzel twists
2 cups Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips
3-4 oz. 60% Dark Chocolate, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons shortening
Sea Salt to taste

Method
1. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside. Also check to make sure there is enough room in the freezer for it.

2. Roll the desired amount of cookie dough into small balls. The sizes may vary depending on how large you would like the sandwiches. Press the dough balls between two pretzels and place the sandwiches on the baking sheet. Freeze the sandwiches for 20 minutes.

3. While the sandwiches are chilling, melt the milk and dark chocolates with the shortening using a small saucepan over low heat. Stir quickly with a rubber spatula so that the chocolate does not burn.

4. Pour the chocolate into a bowl for dipping. I used a small ramekin. Dip the pretzel bites halfway into the melted chocolate and place the bites back on the baking sheet. Sprinkle desired amount of sea salt over the warm chocolate. Refrigerate the dipped sandwiches for at least 10 minutes to allow the chocolate and salt to set. Once they are completely cooled, have a bite and enjoy!

Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Brownies

Today is a snow day. Well, not actually snow, but freezing rain, which still means that this teacher has the day off. I decided to try and spend some time doing some things that I haven’t had a chance to do in a while. With the holidays having just past and my mother’s birthday, there hasn't been much free time. 

I wanted to bake something for my team of teachers. We have had a rough week back from our holiday break, with deaths in our community and students who aren’t ready for break to end. Plus, our Math teacher has a due date in a few weeks. It’s the perfect time for chocolate.

I pulled up my Pinterest board for all of the tasty looking brownies and bars that I wanted to make and chose to try out the recipe for Red Velvet Truffle Brownies on the Lemon Sugar Blog. I decided to make one change, and that is to the top chocolate layer. The original recipe calls for CandiQuick, but I wanted a "fudgier" feel. I chose to use a different mixture of shortening and melted chocolate chips instead.

I cut them small and brought 30 brownies to work. I came home with zero. The comments I received back was that they were just “so good,” and that they looked so rich, but were surprised that they weren’t overpowering. They were good right out of the oven, a few hours later, and right out of the fridge the next day. 
Success!

Ingredients
1 box Red Velvet cake mix
½ cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 (3.4 ounces) package instant vanilla pudding
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 package Oreos
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into three or four chunks
1 bag Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Chips
2 Tbsp vegetable shortening (I recommend Crisco.)
1 bag mini chocolate chips, for garnish (Use how much you like. I ended up using only half the bag). 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, melted butter, eggs, pudding mix, vegetable oil and mix well until thoroughly combined and there are no large, dusty clumps. 

3. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.

4. Spread the red velvet batter into the pan. Use a rubber spatula to press into corners and even the top.

5. Bake the red velvet layer for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

6. Crush Oreos in the food processor until a fine dust, then add the cream cheese. When well combined, it will form a large ball. 

7. Using a rubber spatula, spread the Oreo truffle mixture on the top of the cooling baked red velvet brownies.

8. Add the milk chocolate chips and Crisco to a large saucepan and melt them together over low heat, stirring frequently so the chocolate doesn’t burn to the bottom of the pan. Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the top of the Oreo truffle layer.

9. Sprinkle the top with desired amount of mini chocolate chips while still warm, pressing them gently with the back of a wooden spoon so they don’t fall out. 

10. Cut into squares once cooled completely.

Deep Run Roadhouse

Style: Barbeque

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Website: http://deeprunroadhouse.vpweb.com/default.html

Likes: Amazingly tasty BBQ, Low-key, Draft and Bottled Craft Beer

Dislikes: I can’t think of any other than what it may do to my waistline

I haven’t posted in some time since I have been working on following my trainer’s diet. The diet has been going well since I have been sticking to it, but I am going to try to start altering it to make it my own.

In the meantime, I am celebrating my husband Brad’s birthday this weekend. I asked him if there was a restaurant he wanted to eat at. The usuals were turned down. Cheesecake Factory is too busy. We already have decent beer at home so we turned down Capital Ale House. We have already binged on awesome Thai food at our local joint called Pad Thai. It was time to find a new place.

That is when Brad thought back to a few weeks ago when I brought home brisket leftovers from Deep Run Roadhouse, when my grandmother took me a few weeks ago. I had snagged a takeout menu on my way out, and Brad had his eye on a special burrito called The Train Wreck. Well, it turns out that the Train Wreck was destined to be his birthday dinner.

Deep Run Roadhouse is in a small strip mall about ten minutes from Short Pump Mall on Gayton rd. It has a clean, comfortable feel inside with minimal décor. The menu inside is written on a large chalkboard against the wall. All orders are placed at a register. To go orders wait at a bar up against the window until ready We ate at the restaurant and were given a number to take to the table. The meal was brought to us very quickly.

The Train Wreck burrito is epic. It is about the same size as a burrito from Chipotle, but about twice as heavy. That is because this thing is DENSE. Inside of this unassuming flour tortilla is your choice of meat with a smattering of mac and cheese, cowboy beans, cornbread, onions, and jalapenos. Brad had this with brisket. I had three bites and each one screamed EAT MORE.

I had the two meat plate with brisket and pulled chicken. Both meats were barbequed well with plenty of juicy meat and house sauce. I added more sauce at the table because it had a nice sweetness that did not overpower the meat. This is the best brisket I have had in Virginia so far. It has a nice smoky crisped outside and a tender pink inside.

Surprisingly, the side dish drew my attention the most. They have jalapeno mac and cheese. I repeat. Jalapeno. Macaroni. With cheese. It was thick and cream, with that deep gooey cheese taste with the spice of jalapenos to tickle the tongue. I actually took my finger around the rim of my plastic serving dish to lick up the last remains in public. Then I did it again with Brad's.

Jalapeno Mac and Cheese, I will return for more of you. Soon.

Sorry, personal trainer. My diet has now met its own Train Wreck. 

Balsamic Salad with Chicken

Since my trainer has placed me on a diet, I have been eating the same meal every day at 10:30 for the past two weeks. 

The same healthy meal.

Every day.

This really isn’t my style, but since my body has hit a weight loss plateau, I am motivated to do this. I was told that I needed to eat 4 – 5 ounces of chicken with some type of greens, lettuce or spinach, with a light dressing. The dressings couldn’t be thick and white. 

I hate lettuce. And spinach. If I eat salad, I usually drown it in something horrible for my body, like Bacon Ranch, which is why I never eat salad. 

So, I made a challenge to find something that I would like that fulfills my requirements and that I actually like. My balsamic chicken salad was the answer.

It is easiest to start with plain chicken. I had tried rosemary chicken and slow cooking it in balsamic vinegar, but it was really just a waste of ingredients. I take cooked chicken and chop it together with red leaf lettuce and a handful of basil leaves. The basil gives an aromatic smell in addition to providing flavor to the boring lettuce. 

I created a balsamic vinaigrette to soak some flavor into the chicken that plays nice with the basil. I used the recipe that was located at Joy Bauer. However, I felt that the balsamic taste was really the star of the dressing and it did not need the other ingredients. I started using just straight balsamic vinegar.

In good news, since I have been working on this diet plan, I have dropped three and half pounds. Bye bye plateau!


Balsamic Chicken Salad Recipe
Yields: 1

Ingredients

1 chicken breast, 4- 5 oz
4 leaves of red leaf lettuce, chopped I shred mine thin)
5 basil leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground pepper (optional)

Method*

1. Toss the chicken, lettuce, and basil leaves together.

2. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the salad and grind the pepper. 


*Basically, make a salad out of the ingredients.