Cajun Style Shrimp with Rice

Hello my friends,

So sorry my recipes have not been posting as often as I would like. I do have a crazy schedule with night classes, a day job, and castings, so please forgive me.... Tonight I am in a rush since I have an 8:30 p.m. rehearsal so this meal needs to be quick and delicious. I decided to make this Cajun Style Shrimp dish that is supposed to take only 20 min. I found this great recipe on foodnetwork.com and after a little bit of tweaking of the recipe (shh!..I added shallots), I will cook and post pictures later! The videos take a lot of time to edit and post, so they will not come as often anymore. Needless to say, I will still post recipes with pics every week; and videos at least once a month! Please let me know your thoughts or opinions on the recipes or videos, or the site in general. Hugs and kisses to you all!

Cajun Style Shrimp and Rice

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 2 bunches scallions, chopped
• 3 cups cooked white rice
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallots
  
• Lemon wedges and chopped parsley, for serving on top
  

Directions

Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp begin to curl, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and scallions to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the rice and 1/4 cup water and continue to cook until the rice is warmed through and the shrimp are opaque, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon, if desired.

Food for Thought

I just had a moment of enlightenment today. I realized I am an artist, and that cooking is my stress reliever. Just like an artist paints and draws, or a musician strokes the guitar, I create edible art that appeases almost all the senses! My efforts to create a masterpiece that smells amazing, looks artful, and tastes awesome satisfies the creative aspect of my brain. Not to mention, jamming to old jazz and blues while sipping on a glass of wine, are a perfect marriage. I immediately sail away on vacation to some country like Italy or France...sometimes I feel like I am in a movie. Sounds crazy, but it's amazing when you find something you love to do so much, it just becomes your outlet. In this chaotic world that makes it more difficult for anyone to find their place, I have found mine--the kitchen! The best part of it all is that I get to share this love with everyone!

Attempting to Conquer the Pork Chop!

Hello friends! Guess what I made for dinner? I am still brainstorming about the pork chops because those little guys are the biggest challenge for me. It is so hard to lean pork and keep it tender! I also had this strange orange cauliflower sitting in my fridge since last week! I had to use it today before it goes bad! Not sure about how it will come out until I actually DO cook, since I am always experimenting on the fly! Check this recipe I tried and watch me make it on my video! It was definitely a rush job, but it came out FABULOUS! I am not even kidding! My bf and I were completely stuffed on a meal with virtually no carbs! There was a small blunder in making the Cuban Cauliflower Mash, but it still came out delish. I will remember to leave out the milk next time.
Pork Chop in Blue Cheese Gravy w/ Spicy Cuban Cauliflower Mash Recipe
Ingredients
mojo marinade
adobo seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
4 thick cut pork chops
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced peppers
1 teaspoon fresh chopped scallion
1 & 1/2 teaspoon of blue cheese dressing
Directions
1- Season and marinate chops prior to cooking and refrigerate if possible.
2-First saute onions and peppers with olive oil, then remove and save for later.
3-Then in the same pan melt butter, scallion, and garlic over medium heat. Then fry chops in butter until no longer pink and the juices run clear (about 20 min.). Turn only occasionally to evenly brown.
3-Once chops are thoroughly cooked, add cooked onions and peppers back in. Stir in blue cheese and mix around with the natural juices of the chops and onions. Cook on low heat for about 5 min.
Spicy Cuban Cauliflower Mash
Ingredients
1 large head of cauliflower (yellow preferably)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon butter
fresh chopped garlic
1 teaspoon adobo
black pepper
fresh parsley
Directions
1-Boil cauliflower for 15-20 min. or until very soft.
2-Strain the cauliflower then transfer them into a blender along with all the other ingredients.
3-Garnish with fresh parsley

Emergency Appetizers!

So its Sunday, and my good friends are coming over for some fun in the sun. As we start to crack open some beers I realize that appetizers are a must right now! In emergency cases when I virtually have no food in my fridge, I love making bites on toothpicks. I do carry a pack of toothpicks because they always come in handy. So I decided to make these Turkey Kielbasa bites with sauteed red pepper and queso blanco. It was quick and easy and literally took 5 min.
Turkey Kielbasa Bites Recipe

turkey kielbasa
queso blanco
red pepper
toothpicks

Directions:
Saute red pepper and kielbasa for 5-10 min. in a nonstick pan. Then cut cheese into tiny bite size cubes. Then with toothpick pinch pepper, then cheese, then sausage on the bottom. SUPER EASY!!!