Seafood Bisque

In addition to our First Thanksgiving Mixed Grill we had some wonderful Blaak Cheese from Beekman 1802. It's made close to where I grew up, yay local Upstate NY goodies!

 We also made some delicious seafood bisque. Ours came out very thick because the Mother Unit had a ton of seafood. I think we did a half pound (or was it a pound?!) each of shrimp, lobster, and crabmeat. It was amazing and even better the next day. I also sliced my finger open in this endeavor but then you should never take a girl to a winery and then give her a knife to start de-shelling seafood. Those lobsters were nasty I tell you! Their defeat tasted delicious.

mmmm so creamy and yummy.

Seafood Bisque

(from the Mother Unit)

Ingredients:
7 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound of shrimp, scallops, and crabmeat (or lobster!)
1 tablespoon shallot or 2 tablespoons onions, chopped
10 tablespoons sherry
Salt & Pepper to taste
3 tablespoons flour
1.5 cups milk
Seasoned bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400. In a heavy skillet melt 4 tablespoons of butter and saute the shrimp, scallops, crabmeat, and shallot/onion for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 6 tablespoons of sherry and season with salt/pepper.
2. In another saucepan melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and slowly stir in the flour. Cook several minutes over low heat. Add the milk and remaining 4 tablespoons of sherry, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth.
3. Combine the sauce and seafood in a buttered one quart casserole dish. Cover the top with seasoned bread crumbs and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Birthday Dinner!

Last week two weeks ago (I've been such a slacker with updates, I have 3 more recipes to type up!) was Mr. Lawyer's 29th birthday! Yikes! On his actual birthday we went our for drinks and then to a nice seafood place in Rittonhouse Square. We got a sidewalk table and were able to people watch while we ate dinner. They had Ommegang! *happy dance*

This inspired me to make a seafood birthday dinner at home on Friday. I went for a light seafood Fra Diavolo. I went with shrimp and scallops because why not? It was served with a side salad and some delicious pesto spiral bread. As for the color scheme....I went with "bright summer colors turning to the more muted colors of fall." Mr. Lawyer just laughed at me.

It was delicious and spicy, a big hit! It made a ton but the leftovers were gone in no time.

Shrimp and Scallop Fra Diavolo

(adapted from skinnytaste.com)

Ingredients:
3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
6-7 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 pound raw shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1/2 pound bay scallops
1/4 cup celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
35 oz crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
8 fresh basil leaves, rolled and sliced thin

Parmesan cheese
Desired amount of pasta
Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and cook until golden. Add in the shrimp and cook 2 to 3 minutes until barely cooked. Transfer shrimp to a plate, leaving garlic in the pan, and repeat the process with the bay scallops.

3. Once all the seafood is removed from the pan add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil with the celery and onions, cook for 2 minutes and then add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper. Bring to a simmer.
4. Lower the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Add the seafood and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve over pasta, top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Shrimp Toast!

Mrs. T and I planned an appetizer night for the boys and it was (mostly) a success. I was drawn to this recipe on pinterest because the picture looked amazing. The original recipe was fried in oil which I wasn't a fan of (although I'm sure it tasted 10x better) so I found another recipe that broiled the shrimp toasts and cooked them that way. This recipe has potential. I liked it but I felt that it was lacking a little something....some zip or pop of flavor. I will keep experimenting with shrimp toasts! (that is if the price of shrimp goes down...)

Spicy Shrimp Toast

(Pinterest find! Adapted from forkspoonbacon.com)

Ingredients:
½ inch piece ginger, peeled
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup water chestnuts
1 egg white
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 loaf sourdough bread, cut into 1 inch squares
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Put garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse.
2. Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining shrimp paste ingredient, pulse until you get a paste.
3. Cut up bread and place on cookie sheet. Broil for a couple minutes to toast.

4. Spread 1 tablespoon of shrimp mixture on each toast, sprinkle with sesame seeds and broil for 5 minutes or until toasted.

Bang Bang!

One time for a semi-fancy date in the 'Cuse, Mr. Lawyer took me out to Bonefish Grill. I fell madly in love with the Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos. There are two copy cat recipes floating around the net. I went the the more simple one (that doesn't involve milk and panko). It was good, had a nice bit of crunch, but could have used some more spice. 

In other words: Wicket and I got down and dirty with the frying.

Wicket did a much better job at containing the splatter than The General did. Respect. 

In other news: peanut oil is a smokeless gift from the gods. My apartment is not smokey or smelly. Props.

The shrimp was delicious. I would be curious in trying the more intense recipe but this was a nice imitation. My special talent for making salads unhealthy shined tonight.

Fake Bang Bang Shrimp

(inspired by Bonefish Grill)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce (or to taste)
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Dry cornstarch
oil for frying
lettuce
chopped scallions
Directions:
1. Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste. 

2. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. 

3. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

Roasted Shrimp Awesomeness!

I'm a sucker for shrimp cocktail. Especially when there are other things to slather in cocktail sauce like cheese, crackers and bread. Since this has been one of the longest and most hellacious weeks ever I decided we needed a little treat. Plus I had leftover horseradish and another shrimp recipe I wanted to try. Normally I just buy the precooked shrimp and adjust my recipes for that but this roasted shrimp recipe seemed like fun and uncooked shrimp is a whole two dollars cheaper at WF.

Behold the heavenly platter of awesomeness!

I liked this recipe, it was fun to roast the shrimp. I felt that there was a little bit of a texture difference if you knew to pay attention....they weren't as soft as precooked frozen shrimp. I loved the fact that they were seasoned and you could see that. The sauce was pretty good, had some depth to it but I'm just more of a straight up horseradish and ketchup girl. If it doesn't make you tear up then it's not hot enough!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

(adapted from Ina Garten)

Ingredients
For the shrimp:
2 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.
3. For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

Spicy Shrimp Awesomeness!

Things you always double: Mushrooms, Red Pepper Flakes and now Shrimp. I did double the red pepper and it was the perfect amount. What I did not do was increase the amount of shrimp (or decrease the amount of pasta). Other than wishing for a little bit more shrimp this dish was spot on! I did not put in the fennel fronds because it taste like grass but the basil was pretty clutch. It does make a ton so be prepared for leftover or adjust the amount.

FYI: Orecchiette is just the shape of the pasta, sort of a semi-formed shell. Any type of pasta that is good at "grabbing" sauce would be fine. But saying "spicy shrimp orecchiette" sounds super fancy!
2nd FYI: Just had some for breakfast and it was even more amazing since soaking up the sauce and flavor overnight. Delicious.

Spicy Shrimp Orecchiette

(adapted from Food Network Magazine)

Ingredients:
Kosher salt
12 ounces orecchiette pasta

1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small bulb fennel, chopped, plus 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I doubled to 1/2 teaspoon)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped 

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup torn fresh basil
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1 1/2 cups cooking water, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped fennel bulb and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, 2 more minutes (add a splash of water if the mixture is sticking).

4. Stir in the tomato, shrimp, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 cup of the reserved cooking water. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are saucy, about 8 more minutes.
5. Add the pasta and cheese to the sauce and toss to coat. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and add more of the reserved pasta water to loosen, if necessary. Stir in the basil leaves and fennel fronds.

Some like it Spicy!

You need to make this dish. It's hard to have a favorite but this might be a favorite. I use to make huge batches all the time in Syracuse and then eat it all week. It's delicious. I had Mr. Lawyer over one time and he ate it politely and then told me that he wasn't a huge fan of peanut sauces so I had held off on making it on Philly....which is why I had Amanda over tonight because she appreciates peanut sauces! (and brings me crescent rolls and cookies) Then lo and behold Mr. Lawyer marches through the door, grabs a plate and devours it! He has now decided that this batch wasn't as peanut-y or that he might now like peanut sauces. Silly boys. Anyway, peanut sauce, spiciness, and shrimp! All on noodles! What's not to be in love with?
Recipe notes: I always double the sauce because if you save some, the noodles so it all up. I also keep the sauce and noodles separate for leftover purposes so I don't run into that soaked up all the sauce noodle problem. Watch your jalapenos! The first time I made this it was hot hot hot! Which is good because I'm kind of a glutton for punishment when it comes to things like this but not everyone likes having to take a drink or bite of roll in between ever forkful. Speaking of which Pillsbury Crescent Rolls go amazingly well with this dish. It must be the texture but I highly recommend them. I also like to use pre-cooked shrimp (medium size) because it's less gross than raw shrimp and I normally just add the whole bag of frozen shrimp because life is more fun with shrimp.

Linguine with Spicy Shrimp Sauce

(from the Mother Unit)

Ingredients:
8 oz linguine
12 oz shrimp (de-tailed)
2 red peppers
3 scallions
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil (I always use 2)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I always use low sodium)
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Directions:
1. Prepare pasta according to directions.
2. Cut peppers into bite sized pieces (for less spice, seed the jalapeno)
3. Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan, cover and simmer on low heat (stirring occasionally) until shrimp is cooked.

A Kitchen Adventure

Last week Amanda had us over for dinner to break in her untouched stove and oven! I made the hazelnut cream stuffed snickerdoodles and Amanda made an amazing pasta dish with sides (asparagus and rosemary bread, mmmmmm). It was yummy and I plan on making it sometime soon, I especially loved the fresh herbs in it. Amanda thought it could use some more tomatoes (I agree) and the sauce could have been thickened more (I could go either way). Mr. Lawyer liked the lighter sauce because he got to mop it up with the bread. I liked the shrimp, Amanda wasn't too sure,  we were worried about the clam juice being over powering but I couldn't really taste it but Kevin could and liked it. We were like the Three Bears in Goldilock's Kitchen! The one thing we could agree on: It was delicious and a keeper!

Penne with Shrimp and Herbed Cream Sauce

(Giada!)

Ingredients:
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained, roughly chopped (or more!)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup white wine
1/3 cup clam juice
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
2.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until the shrimp turn pink and is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp and set aside.
3. Add the tomatoes, 1/4 cup basil, 1/4 cup parsley, and the red pepper flakes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the wine, clam juice, and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the cooked shrimp, the cooked pasta, and the remaining herbs. Toss together until all ingredients are coated. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
4. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Tasty Thai

So as my Dad always said "It's homemade because I made it in the house!" or something along that lines. This meal was not from scratch but I still loved it. I found some Tasty Thai Noodle Meal Kits by Spaa Natural Foods at Homegoods the other week. They were only a couple bucks but I would consider paying full price if I saw them again. I love Thai food but have always been a little bit scared about making it from scratch so this was a good way to start!

The kit comes with rice noodles and a sauce, you add whatever meat and veggies you want. I purchased Pad Thai Noodles (with delicious sweet sauce and a touch of spice) and Peanut Satay Noodles (with rich and creamy sauce, a savory blend of fresh coconut and roasted peanuts) both were given a "mild" spice rating however the Pad Thai was significantly hotter while the Peanut Satay was not spicy at all. Both were yummy though! I thought the Peanut Satay tasted more like the Pad Thai you would get in a restaurant.
And we had a special kitchen guest! Because of her love of Thai food we had Amanda over for our experiment! She brought over shrimp (yum!), mushrooms and green peppers to stir fry for our dishes. We were also very brave and added egg to our stir fry to make it more traditional. It all came out delicious!

Tasty Thai Pad Thai Noodles and Peanut Satay Noodles

(By Spaa Natural Foods)

Ingredients:
Noodle Kit with Sauce
Your choice of meat and veggies!
2 Eggs
Oil for stir frying
Directions:
1. Bring 4-5 cups of water to a boil. Turn off heat. Soak noodles for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. (Easy enough but our noodles were very al dente. In the future I would cook them a bit more. Completely my fault as I am not familiar with rice noodles and forgot to sample one!)
2. Stir-fry meat and veggies on high heat with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add egg and mix in.
3. Combine Stir Fry, Noodles and Sauce.
4. Done. Eat. Enjoy.