.bang bang shrimp.

Have you ever had one of those nights when you just don't want to cook? This was one of those nights but I knew my husband would kill me if I suggested take out (again), plus he was working late and would be hungry when he got home.

I didn't want to slave for hours, nor did I have that kind of time, so I checked the pantry, freezers and fridge and found some ingredients I knew would work well together. The wonderful thing about this recipe, is that it is QUICK! You can have this made in 30 minutes - no joke.

Here's the list of ingredients I used:

• Shrimp


• Garlic


• Gingerroot (not dried ginger you use in baking)


• Red bell pepper


• Green onion


• Cilantro


• Chili oil


• Oil


• Red pepper flakes


• Coconut milk


• Fish sauce


• Soy sauce


• Sugar

How to prepare:

While the shrimp are thawing in the water, put 2 cups rice in a medium pot with 3 1/2 cups water. Cover with a lid and put on to boil. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and set the timer for 20 minutes.

Once the shrimp are thawed, drain well and pat dry with paper towels. The shrimp I use are not small but not huge. I also buy deveined shrimp that have the shell on, but for this recipe, I took off all the shells except for the tail because I just like how it looks. ;)

-Mince 2 cloves garlic and grate 1 tsp fresh gingerroot.

-Slice up one red bell pepper

-Slice 1 1/2 bunches of green onion on the diagonal (slicing on the diagonal makes it look fancy!)

-Roughly chop some cilantro

Heat a skillet or a wok. I use a wok but use what you have. When hot, add 2-3 Tbsp oil and a couple shakes of chili oil. I went a little too crazy with the chili oil which resulted in a pretty spicy dish, so I'm warning you, if you don't want this too hot, use just a little oil, or omit it altogether.

Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds to release their fragrance. Add the red bell pepper and saute for a couple minutes. Then add the green onion, shrimp, and a shake or two of red pepper flakes. Saute until the shrimp start going from translucent to opaque. This doesn't take very long and we want to take care not to overcook the shrimp. Overcooked shrimp = tough and chewy = UNDESIRABLE!

When the shrimp are halfway cooked through, add 1/2 can of coconut milk, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Cook for another couple minutes until the shrimp are finished.

By this point, the rice should be done. Spoon rice into a bowl and then scoop shrimp, veggies, and sauce over the rice.

A wonderfully fragrant, sweet and spicy dish that is sure to satisfy any craving for Thai/Indonesian food. And the great thing about this dish is that it's not only delicious, but it's easy and quick to make! You can't beat that. Enjoy!

.creamy risotto.

Have you ever been stuck trying to figure out what kind of side dish to make? Tired of potatoes? You should try making risotto. This isn't a difficult dish to make. It takes care and time, but the results are well worth it. For those of you who were voting for the Valentine Dinner Cook-along, this was one of the items mentioned for menu #1.

Risotto is made using arborio rice, not regular long grain/white rice. Arborio is a short grain that has a lot of starch, giving it a very creamy texture when it's cooked. You can find it down the rice aisle of your grocery store, or if you have those bins where you can measure your own grains/goodies (think trail mix)... I know I can find it there too.

This dish takes about 30 minutes to make so give yourself enough time to prepare it, otherwise you'll have hard, uncooked rice. NOT what we're going for.


Begin by mincing 1-2 shallots. They give a much milder flavor than onion.











Chop up some flat leaf italian parsley.












Put 5-6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock) in a saucepan. Heat over medium and then turn to simmer. We want the liquid to stay warm.

I used one of the chicken stock boxes that you can find in the grocery store. It was the perfect amount.







Heat 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium/medium high heat.











Add the shallots and saute for about a minute. Don't let them burn. If you want to make mushroom risotto, add your mushrooms at this time. You could even add a little minced garlic as well.









Just as the shallots are softening, add 1 cup arborio rice. Stir the rice around so that it gets coated with butter. This will heat up the kernel and get it ready to break open when the liquid is added.









After about 2 minutes, add a ladle of chicken stock into the pan. Now you don't want the heat too high. Too high will evaporate the stock too quickly and not cook the rice enough... so be sure at this point to lower your temp to medium heat.

Stir the rice around.






When the liquid reduces down to where the rice is almost dry, it's time to add more. You don't want to add too much stock at a time. It will ruin the desired texture we're going for.

Keep adding one ladle at a time and let reduce down. Your rice will begin to double and triple, and maybe even quadruple in quantity. Make sure you stir often so the rice can cook evenly.




When you get near to adding all the remaining broth, taste it to see how the rice is cooking. When it's done, the grains will be nice and puffy and the texture of your risotto will be creamy. It will almost resemble a rice pudding consistency.








When the rice is fully cooked and isn't hard, add a handful of good quality grated parmesan cheese and the parsley. Taste the rice again. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

There's no reason to be intimidated by this dish. It is simple to make and elegant to serve. Bon Appetit!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_133dp2kc6x8

.curry chicken with rice.

When I was a teenager, my mom got a recipe from my great grandmother for curry chicken with rice. She called it curry chicken.. but that is too undescriptive. It conjurs images of the soupy indian dish, which this isn't. About a year ago, I emailed my mom asking her to get me a copy of it, because I was craving it. I don't like curry normally, but this has very subtle flavor, which paired with the veggies and chicken is perfect!

She told me she had no idea what I was talking about, but checked anyway. She couldn't find it. Well, fast forward to about a month or two ago, I get a card in the mail from my mom and tucked inside was..... THE RECIPE! She really DID have it! HA! (see mom, it WASN'T just my imagination!) Not only did she give me a typed copy of the recipe, but she attached a copy of the original written by my Grandma's own hand! She passed away almost 7 years ago so this is something I'll treasure.

I needed to take a dish to a potluck and thought I would make this. I doubled the recipe so what you see in the photos? Cut in half. :)



Cook 2 chicken breasts.


Chop up when cool to handle.


Cook up some rice. You can use white or brown. You'll need 2 cups (cooked).


Cut up some green bell pepper. 1/2 cup worth.


Dice up 1 cup onion.


Chop 1 cup celery.


Mince 2 cloves garlic.


Slice 1 cup mushrooms. You can take the easy way and buy them presliced like I did.


Heat a little oil in a skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds.


Add the onion, pepper, and celery.


Season with salt and pepper.


When the onions are soft and transparent, add the mushrooms and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Add 2 tsp curry powder. Mix well.


Put the rice in a large bowl.


Add the chicken and sauteed veggies. Mix well.


Add 1 can cream of mushroom soup.


Mix everything together really well. If you want, add 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds. It gives this dish a little crunch.


Dump everything into a casserole dish and bake at 350* for 1/2 hour.

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_99c4j5t7gp

.wok this way - pt 2.

I love fried rice, but that's because I'm a total carbohydrate addict. Whenever I go out for chinese food, the fried rice is always so salty, and dry, and icky! It's like they sucked it through a dehydrator. I can't stand it!


Fresh, homemade fried rice is sooo yummy!

You will want to make your rice ahead of time. It makes it easier to work with and it won't be mushy.

Begin with your prep: Slice up 3 strips of bacon into pieces. Cube up 1 pork chop. Slice up some onion (1/4 cup), chop up bean sprouts (1 cup), slice lengthwise 1 bunch of green onion into 1" pieces.

Heat your wok. Spray with a little PAM. IN a bowl, stir up an egg then pour into the wok and fry. Once it's fried, put on a plate to cool. Once cool, chop it up.

Put a little oil in your wok and fry up the bacon and pork chop.

When it's almost cooked, add your onion and bean sprouts. Cook for about 1 minute.

Add three cups of cooked rice. Fry until hot, turning the temp down if necessary.

Add 1/4 cup soy sauce and the chopped egg. Stir to fry everything together. Add the green onion and some frozen peas.