Shrimp and Scallop Fried Rice
Friday August 22nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm
After making a trip out during a tropical storm for pork fried rice other day I decided I really wanted to make some fresh seafood fried rice. I have yet to find a good shrimp and scallop fried rice at the restaurants near us, but I usually end up burning fried rice when I’ve made it in the past. This time I was determined to do it right.
No Comments | Add a CommentThe verdict is in …
Wednesday July 23rd, 2008 at 7:30 pmDefrosted frozen cupcakes taste just like fresh baked cupcakes!!! You heard me right, bake up a batch tonight!! The top was perfect, not sticky at all, just like the one I ate on Monday night (fresh baked).
Updating [this post] I did not flash freeze them, all I did was let them cool completely, then wrapped them in 2 layers of plastic wrap, then put a bunch of them in a gallon freezer bag. So simple, and soooooo worth it!
No Comments | Add a CommentOn this day: In it for the long haul ..
Cupcakes On Demand
Monday July 21st, 2008 at 5:31 pm
There’s been a box of cake mix on my counter that has been taunting me since Ella’s birthday party. I hardly ever bake for myself, since I usually end up eating the whole thing myself. So yesterday while I was having serious cupcake cravings I realized that some of the make-ahead cookbooks I have say you can freeze muffins and other baked goods. So I did a little search on the internet and low and behold, there are people out there who have frozen cupcakes, and said they were fantastic. This afternoon I whipped up the batch of dark chocolate Betty Crocker mix, and now my little goodies are cooling off.
Some tips I read about freezing cupcakes:
- allow to cool completely (duh)
- do not frost them
- keep the paper wrap on
- double wrap them in plastic wrap
- unwrap before defrosting (apparently this helps minimize the sticky gooey tops)
So .. that’s how I’m going to do it. I’m going to see if my tops are sticky before wrapping them. If they are, then I will be flash freezing them first, then wrapping them up. I’ll let you know in the future how they do with defrosting. I read you could stick them on your counter for 5 - 6 hours to warm up, or stick them in your fridge to get the job done. I’m sure I’ll experiment both ways 
Cooking and Cleaning
Saturday June 14th, 2008 at 12:51 pmWell I haven’t gotten to the cleaning part, but in less than an hour and half I’ve marinated 3 steaks (Sesame-Soy Sirloin from Fix, Freeze, Feast), put ingredients for cinnamon rolls in my breadmaker, and that’s working away and made a pizza which is now baking in the oven (dough from Publix bakery & fresh mozzarella). Still to come, Tortilla Chicken Soup and Best Big, Fat, Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies to flash freeze. I can’t wait!
I read an article in the paper today (and by reading the paper, I mean checking out the RSS feed from Florida Today, technology rocks!) that its time to start planning your fall gardens. I’ve had my garden planned since last fall! So hopefully I can start marking out my plan in the grass and start planning what I want to grow in the fall!
No Comments | Add a CommentSmitten Kitchen Night!
Wednesday June 11th, 2008 at 10:38 amA few weeks ago while surfing Pioneer Woman Cooks and Smitten Kitchen Nik and I decided there were so many beautiful recipes that we should get together and try them out. Last night was our first of hopefully many more get together dinner nights. Everything that was made was FANTASTIC!! Try them yourselves! As an awesome bonus, since Nikki’s mom was in town and could watch Halle, we went out to catch a late night show of Iron Man.
On the menu, Alex’s Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
Nikki’s salad (spring mix, strawberries, parmesean cheese, pecans and a honey mustard balsamic dressing)
Justin’s wild rice (which I forgot to get a picture of).
And Icebox Cake.
My family has been making a variation of this cake forever, its in the shape of a log, but this was so much more fun! And so easy too! All the details are on the Smitten Kitchen site, but here’s a shot of the chocolate wafter box so you can find them. Publix stocks them with the ice cream cones.
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Sneak Peek
Tuesday June 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pmMore food photos & recipes coming tomorrow … including this:
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Shanghai Stir-Fry
Tuesday June 10th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Another recipe from Fix, Freeze, Feast .. this one caught my eye because it uses cranberry juice. I just thought that was unique, so I had to try it!
No Comments | Add a CommentTequila Lime Chicken
Tuesday June 10th, 2008 at 9:39 am
I have some catching up to do. A few weeks ago I made a few make-ahead meals, stuck them in my freezer, and forgot about them. Well .. I didn’t really forget about them, I made them, I photographed them, and then I never blogged about it. Which is a shame because they’re pretty good. So I have a few recipes to share with you today, and not much else Hope you enjoy!
(Keep reading …)
Shrimp, shrimp and more shrimps ..
Friday June 6th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Ever wonder how to make shrimp cocktail? I found some really fancy recipes online, especially Alton Browns. But we just wanted to make the simple kind .. you know boiled shrimp.
I had no idea how to boil shrimp .. well I know you could stick it in a pot of water .. but for how long, and are you supposed to add stuff .. like seasoning? Searching through the internet came up with a bunch of recipes for ’shrimp boils’ .. louisiana style, with Old Bay Seasoning. I hate Old Bay Seasoning. Anyways I finally found a forum that said to dump them in boiling water for 3-5 min, then stick in an ice bath .. perfectly simple.
First I cleaned and de-shelled the shrimp. Usually I’d use my deveiner/shelling poker tool .. but I wanted to keep the tail shell on here .. so I held them down (see pic below) and used my serrated knife to cut the shell. The serrated knife was sooooo much easier then my super sharp paring knife that kept slipping 
Then I plopped them into boiling water, I added some salt .. because .. well they’re salt water shrimp, and everything tastes better salty right? Well I was willing to risk it (I wasn’t going to eat them anyway)
After 3 min they were all opaque and pink
So into the ice bath they went
And then I just put them on a martini glass with store bought cocktail sauce in it.. beautiful huh?
On top of that .. I picked up a pound of medium sized shrimp while at the fish market and decided to finally give Pioneer Woman’s Penne a la Betsy a try. And it was damn good
Simply Delicious Chicken & Risotto!
Friday May 30th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
I had 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts left over from my make-ahead night that needed to be used today. So I pulled out one of my many crock pot books and found this oh so simple recipe.
(Keep reading …)
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