Asian Rice Salad with Shrimp

From the Food TV magazine with my modifications as noted.

2 cloves garlic, minced (I just use the fine chopped stuff we always prepare and keep in fridge)

1 2 inch piece ginger, grated (again, this came from a tube of the stuff I try to keep in fridge)

3 tbs sesame oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tbs soy sauce (I use this real thick stuff)

pinch of sugar

3/4 lb large shrimp, peeled and devined (used a little over 1 lb)

1 large carrot, shredded

2 celery stalks, finely diced

2 cups snow peas, sliced thin (I had 2 small handfuls)

1 tbs veggie oil (really, it will be 3 tsps of canola oil)

2 cups cooked rice

1 bunch scallions, sliced thin (again, I grabbed 4 of them babies as they were thin looking)

1/4 head iceburg lettuce, sliced thin (used bagged cabbage, 3/4 of a bag)

1 cup mung bean sprouts (eliminated, didn't have any in fridge or freezer)

1/2 cup chow mein noodles or peanuts (I used no salt, dry roasted peanuts as that's what I had)

Whisk garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar in LARGE bowl, Transfer 2 tbs of the sauce to a medium size bowl and add the shrimp to this medium bowl. Toss to coat shrimp, set aside. Add the carrot, celery and snow peas to the large bowl with sauce. Toss to coat.

Heat large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tsp oil when hot and add shrimp. NOTE: I dumped the shrimp in, liquid and all ... DO NOT DO THIS! It will flare up and smell like a chinese restaurant, not in a good way either :) ... stir fry shrimp til cooked, 4 minutes or so. Transfer shrimp to bowl with the veggies. Add 3 tbs water to the pan and scrape up bits on bottom (I didn't have any) and add this to the bowl of veggies (and shrimp) too.

Heat remaining 1 tsp of oil in skillet and dump in the rice. Stir fry til golden. Remove from heat, allow to cool and then add this to the bowl of veggies (and shrimp!). Add scallions too at this time.

Divide the mix between 4 serving bowls and then top with lettuce (cabbage) and noodles (peanuts). Serve it up ...

A Feast for Dad

We pretty much celebrated Father's Day with a nice dinnner on Saturday night because I wasn't sure what Hubby's plans were with working on the boat with all the progress he had made so far ... we are an odd family, I know.
So I had picked these up on Friday night at Winn Dixie. They were on sale, and marked down on top ... I keep forgetting that the mark down price does not include the additional discount for the sale price too (so it takes off xx more per lb.) ... The toally for the 4 porterhouse steaks WITH my 3 $2 off steak coupons? $6.03. I'm happy!


I simply drizzled a little olive oil over them, a little fresh salt & pepper, garlic and a twist of the montreal steak season. Rub it in, and let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes (while the shrooms cooked). Yummm.

Marinated Shrooms

I used to totally dispise mushrooms, as in, OMG I'm going to toss my cookies that I ate one. But then when I quit smoking, my taste buds changed and now I really do like mushrooms, but still only in a certain way ...
Here's what you need and it's no big deal!


Mushrooms (I use white button most of the time, cheapest to get, these were marked down to 99 cents per 8 oz package AND I like to leave them whole but you can slice ... they will cook faster)


Cesear dressing (I use Kens Steakhouse Lite ... been the tastiest so far)


Toss shrooms in a ziptop. Add dressing, don't make them swim, but enough to coat. Let them marinate for 30 minutes to a few hours. Obviously, the longer they marinate, the more concentrated the flavor becomes so use a little caution.

When ready to cook, tear a big sheet of foil, fold up edges to make a "pan" like shape to keep the shrooms (and dressing) together, dump out the ziploc into center. Gather up edges to form a ball shape with a little opening at the top for steam. I normally double up the foil again just to be sure as the grill can (and does!) tear the foil.

Grill over a low heat spot on grill while you cook the rest of your food. These don't require a long period of cooking, generally about 20 minutes or so is good to me. Enjoy with a nice steak like we did last night ... yumm!

Wine Spritzers

It's funny, I used to think I was sooo sophisticated all those years ago when I ordered a white wine spritzer (please) ... I've started to sip on these again once in awhile as a refreshing way to use up some of this wine I got dirt cheap (for the case, it was $24, that's $2 a bottle, but it's real sweet stuff)

So the original spritzer is simply half wine half 7up or sprite. But these look much better to me:

Fill tall old-fashion glass with ice. Add wine to 3/4 full. Top with ginger ale and a squeeze of lime. Serve.

Sangria

I've not really made sangria on my own completely but think I will this summer ...

1 bottle of dry red wine
1 cup oj
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup sugar
slices of orange and lime, lemons.

Pour all into large glass or plastic pitcher and stir til sugar dissolves. Chill up to 24 hours.


Serve over ice in tumblers with garnishes of orange and lime slices Add retro swizzle sticks for fun.

Lobster Roll

Another recipe from the Grape magazine at Publix. I have not tried this yet but it looks close to another variation I've made. Again, as always, my comments are added in.

4 4oz lobster tails (I've got the 10, well 8 now, left in the freezer from my last big sale)
1/3 c finely chopped celery
1/3 cup mayo
1 tbs lemon juice
3 to 4 slices bacon or pancetta (honestly, bacon is more of a staple here so it would be bacon)
4 french burger buns
4 large boston bibb leaves (or romaine, whatever)

Thaw tails, and cook them in boiling water (large saucepan, salted, just enough water to cover)for 6 to 9 minutes til shells turn bright red and meat is tender. Drain. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and drain completely. Once cool, remove from shell. Coarsly chop meat.
Mix meat, celery, mayo & lemon juice in glass bowl. Cover and chill for an hour or so.
Just before serving, cook bacon til brown. Drain on paper towl. To serve, line bottom half of bun with lettuce leav, spoon some meat mix on top. Place bacon strips on top of that. Top with other bun half. Serve immediately

Crab Louis

From the Grape magazine at Publix. I have not made this yet but I've put my proposed changes here.

1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup chili sauce (at last, something to use one of 2 bottles on!)
1 tbs small dice green bell pepper (perfect for the kitchen gadget)
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tbs horseradish
1 tbs minced green onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Worcestershire sauce
6 cups lettuce, torn
12 thin slices french bread, toasted
3 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
1 tbs lemon juice
1 lb crab meat, picked over, rinsed and patted dry (yes, I'm using the fake stuff that I have in the freezer, 6 8oz packages I believe)
cherry tomatoes

Whisk mayo, chili sauce, bell pepper, parsley, horseradish, green onion, salt, cayenne pepper & Worcestershire sauce in medium bowl til smooth.

On each plate, arrange a cup of lettuce next to 2 bread slices. brush avocado slices with lemon juice and arrange on the bread. Divide the crab meat and arrange on top of the avocado, spoon about 2 tbs of dressing over each serving .... garnish with fresh lemon slices if desired.
6 servings