Shrimp and Grits

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
6 slices bacon, chopped
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
6 green onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Preparation

Bring chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat; stir in grits. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in salt and next 3 ingredients. Set aside, and keep warm.
Cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until crisp; remove bacon from pan.
Cook shrimp in same pan over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until almost pink, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice and next 4 ingredients, and cook 3 minutes. Stir in bacon.
Spoon grits onto individual plates or into shallow bowls; top with shrimp mixture. Serve immediately.

Jambalya

Emeril's Chicken, Andouille, and Shrimp Jambalaya

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 (3-1/2 to 4 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 1/2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning, plus more for seasoning chicken and shrimp

1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 moons

2 large onions, finely chopped

4 medium ribs celery, finely chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 bunch scallions, tops separated from bottoms, both chopped

6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained

1 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce, or to taste

5 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

3 cups long grain rice

1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a very large, heavy Dutch oven or stovetop casserole, heat the oil over high heat. Season the chicken with the Creole Seasoning on all sides. Add the chicken pieces to the hot pan, in batches if necessary, and sauté until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a large bowl and set aside. Add the sausage to the drippings in the pan, reduce the heat to medium high, and sauté, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the chicken. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, chopped scallion bottoms, and garlic and sauté over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan, along with the 1 1/2 teaspoons Creole Seasoning, tomato paste, canned chiles, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, hot sauce, stock and tomatoes and bring to a simmer, stirring well to mix. Cover pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender and the broth has absorbed the flavors of the sausage and seasonings.



Increase the heat to high and add the rice and chopped green onion tops. Stir well and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes, until the rice is cooked and has absorbed all the liquid.



Season the shrimp with Creole Seasoning. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Remove the bay leaves and gently stir in the seasoned shrimp and parsley. Let stand for 15 minutes, covered, before serving.

SHRIMP BOIL

YUM! Nothing like sitting over a huge pile of Boiled Shrimp, Peeling, and Eating!!! It isn't a clean, tidy meal--but soo worth the mess!

Hubby bought 2 lbs of FRESH Shrimp from our local market. They run about $4.99-$7.99 a lb here. There are a few options when buying. We opted for deveined, top split, farm raised. These are not the freshest you can get--but a little cheaper.

I got my big pot of water boiling when he called to say he was on his way home with the shrimp.

I used the a bag of "Zatarain's crab boil", threw in a lemon quartered, and a a few TBSP of Vinegar.

Once the water was boiling, I added a bag of small, red potatoes (whole)and let them boil for about 10 min.

Then I added the shrimp.

The shrimp only has to boil hard for a couple of minutes! But then just turn your fire off and leave shrimp sitting in the water for 15-20 more minutes. The longer they soak up the seasoned water--the more the spice.

Okay, if your bag breaks or if you want to open it and pour the spices in the water--it is an option. It does make the shrimp more seasoned. (I still didn't think they were hot.) But I rinsed them afterwards to get the excess seasoning off--to avoid this step just throw your bag in there unopened!

Peel and Enjoy. You can eat them warm or chill them over ice--however you like them.

Get ready to peel (have a plate in the middle for every one's shells)--and devour!

One bag of seasoning is good for about 5 lbs of Shrimp---I used the whole bag for 2 lbs though!

You can also add other veggies--corn is another favorite!

Baked Crab Cakes

Baked Crab Cakes

cooking spray
1 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Dash of hot sauce (I use Texas Pete)
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 scallion, finely chopped (use the white and green parts)
1 pound lump crabmeat
3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, mustard, Worcestershire sauce,lemon juice, hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning.

Stir in the diced red bell pepper and scallions.

Pick over the crabmeat and discard any shells or cartilage.

Gently fold in the "clean" crabmeat, 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, salt and pepper into the previous mixture.

Stir until well combined.

Put the remaining 1/2 cup of dry breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.

Divide the crab mixture into 8 even portions. Shape each of the portions into a round and roll in the dry breadcrumbs to coat evenly.

Transfer the 8 crab cakes to the prepared baking sheet and flatten each cake to form a patty about 1 inch in thickness. Spray each cake with a little cooking spray.

Bake until golden brown on the bottom, approximately 10 minutes. Gently flip the cakes over and cook until the second side is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Serve hot with Tartar Sauce or Cocktail Sauce, whichever you prefer.

These were soooo yummy. The recipe comes from my favorite food blog - Mimi's Making Meals.

Check out MIMI's Blog for details and pictures!

What's For Dinner?

Tonight from the Kitchen of JMBMOMMY:


Shrimp Alfredo
(You can use Chicken!)

I didn't have a recipe or a plan...but this is what I did and it turned out yummy!

Rigatoni -- I used Barilla brand -- boiled for 10 min and rinsed in cold water.

I used Wild Gulf Brown Shrimp Peeled and Deveined - Raw - Ready to cook. 16 oz

Heated a Wok for 3-4 min (until pan begins to smoke) then added 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Stir fried the shrimp for 2-3 min and seasoned with salt and pepper. Okay, I like my shrimp reallllly done --so I continued to cook it longer--I want them to be browned a little-weird I know. I also love a buttery taste--so I add a little country crock lite at the end. Not healthy I know.

Then I added the rigatoni to the wok and 16 oz jar of Alfredo Cream Sauce -- I used Archer Farm brand. Remember, I don't love cooking....so you can of course make your own sauce....but for me this is easy, yummy, and only 80 calories--and NOT heavy like homemade sauces!

Once it was all mixed together and steaming hot...I sprinkled Italian Seasoning VERY generously. Stir again.....

Hubby topped his with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Served with Crescent Rolls.

Fish Cakes

From the Kitchen of Wendy:

What she had to say: "The following is a recipe that's been a bi-monthly fare, at least, sometimes weekly, at our home. I tried it with my finicky nephew this summer and he loved it!"

Take 1 pkg. (6oz) of your favorite flavor Stove Top Stuffing Mix (I use a cheap off brand instead of Stove Top) and 1/3 cup Mayo and mix & match your recipe from these options:



fish options add-in choices vegetable possibilites


12 oz salmon, 1 Tbsp. lemon chopped
drained, skin and juice, 1 cup shredded green onion
bones discarded mozzarella cheese



2 cans (6oz each) 2 Tbsp. sweet pickle shredded
tuna, drained and relish, 1 cup shredded carrots
flaked cheddar cheese




Then follow the 3 simple steps:

1. Mix together stuffing mix with 3/4 cup water, mayo, fish, add-ins and 1/2 cup vegetables. Cover and refrigerate 10 minutes.
2. Heat large non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray (or oiled with 1 tsp. veg oil) on medium heat. Shape 1/3 cupfuls of the stuffing mixture into patties. Add to skillet in batches.
3. Cook 3 min. on each side or until golden brown on both sides, turning over carefully.

Makes 6 servings, 2 fish cakes each.
I serve with ketchup, or you could use tartar or cocktail sauce.

"Using the web to help wives and moms with tried & true recipes-what a good idea!"

Thanks Wendy!!! Can't wait to try it!!! This sounds like it could be a fav of ours!!!