Shrimp Salad

I made this shrimp salad for dinner last night and it turned out really good. I liked the dinner portion but this would probably be better as a side. Would be great at a picnic or potluck and it tastes really good on a hot day. For the life of me I couldn't get this picture to load right.. Is a bit sideways but you get what it looks like.

Shrimp Salad

Dressing:
1/4 c sour cream
1/4 c may0
2 Tbs rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbs chives, chopped
1 Tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
1-1.5 lb easy peel shrimp
1 lemon, quartered
2 Tbs seasoned salt (I used Traeger salmon shake)
1 rib of celery, chopped
1/2 of a hothouse cucumber, chopped
1 avocado, coarsely chopped
2/3 c tomato, roughly chopped
1 small carrot shredded


In a salad bowl combine the ingredients for the dressing and blend well. Set aside.
In a large saucepan 2/3 filled with water add the lemon and seasoning to the water. Bring to a boil and then add the shrimp. Allow to cook 3 or 4 minutes if frozen, 2 if fresh until they are pink and slightly firm. drain in a colander and shock with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Allow to cool completely and then peel.
Add shrimp and all of your vegetables to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat completely. Refrigerate for an hour to chill through or longer if you have the time.
I served it for dinner on a bed of lettuce or you can eat it alone as a side.

Mason Jar Pies

A while back Jake brought home a idea sheet for using half pint mason jars and I saw this and had to try it. The site it was from was www.ourbestbites.com.

All I did was make my favorite pie crust recipe and cut it into strips. I then lined the clean half pint jars with the dough. I made up a simple filling of raspberries, blueberries, 1/2 c sugar, 1 Tbs flour and 1 Tbs cinnamon. Fill each jar with the filling and then I cut strips of dough and did a little lattice top. I brushed with milk and then baked at 375 for 45 minutes. Once they are cool put the lids on and give away to friends or keep for yourself.

It said if you don't want to bake them right then you can make them up, put the lids on and then freeze! I thought it would be fun just as a serving idea to do little cream pies for a party too. Lots of options, what a fun idea.

Shrimp Scampi

I thought I would post a recipe I did to use the compound butter I posted about. We had this for dinner on Friday night and it was really good. I served it over rice but traditionally this kind of sauce would be served over pasta like angel hair or spaghetti. Enjoy!

• 3 Tbs compound butter
• 3/4 pound medium shrimp, more or less depending on what size you buy
• 1 c roughly chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 c dry white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• white rice or pasta for serving

In a large skillet melt the compound butter over medium heat. Once it is hot add the bell pepper and saute until tender.
Add the shrimp and saute until they turn pink, add the tomato let cook for about 30 seconds. Add in the wine and cook until reduced slightly and the sauce in the pan is glossy and the flavors have melded a bit, about 2 minutes. Taste and season then serve over the rice or pasta.

Compound Butter

A friend works for 4B Farms near us and they raise garlic. They had a surplus this year and Nate brought a couple boxes to us at the office I work at. Thank you Nate! I decided I would make some compound butter to put in the freezer and use some of it up. It works great for garlic bread, sauteed veggies or melted on a steak. All kinds of great options! You can also change it up and add in whatever flavors you like. Here is the base recipe I use and then just use what you have to change it up.

Compound Butter

• 1 lb unsalted butter, room temperature
  
• 1 head elephant garlic, skins removed and cut into chunks
• 4 Tbs fresh herbs
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt

In a food processor place the garlic in the bowl and chop finely. Add the herbs and salt and pepper and mix until diced and well combined. Add in the butter and pulse until things mix together well and it pulls away from the side of the bowl. This can also be done by hand if you like.

Lay out 4 pieces of plastic wrap on the counter and divide the butter mixture evenly between them. Roll into a log shape and twist the ends to seal the air out. Label if you like and place in the freezer or refrigerator to store.

Lemon Pistachio Cake

This is one of my favorites and I think I can say it is a favorite of Jake's as well. It is a super moist cake and is a lighter version to a chocolate cake. I normally do it in a bundt cake pan but I decided to do a 13X9 this time and it worked really well. You get more coverage of the glaze so that is a plus!

Lemon Pistachio Cake

• Lemon Cake Mix
• 1 1/4 c water
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 small box pistachio pudding mix
• 1/4 tsp lemon extract
• 2 drops green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your baking pan well with non stick spray. In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients and beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until well combined and not lumpy. Spread in prepared pan and cook for 35 minutes for 9X13 or 45 for a bundt pan or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool slightly and in the mean time combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 Tbs lemon juice in a small bowl. Mix until well blended and then spread over slightly warm cake. Let cool from this point and then enjoy. Keeps well for several days.

Steak and Pear Salad

Jake and I really like this salad. It is part of the rotation of dinners in our house and it is a great lighter dinner but still has a lot of substance. We had a salad similar to this at a restaurant that had no meat in it and we have since tweaked it a bit and made it a dinner salad. This recipe can be multiplied easily to accommodate more servings. I use Girard's raspberry vinaigrette on this salad and it is really well balanced with the other ingredients.

Steak and Pear Salad

• 1 rib eye or New York strip steak
• 2 Tbs soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 Tbs olive oil
  
• 1/2 lb spring salad mix
• 1 ripe pear, cored and sliced
• 1/2 c pecan pieces
• 1/2 c blue cheese crumbles
• 3 Tbs Raspberry vinaigrette

In a shallow dish marinate the steak in the soy sauce and black pepper for 30 minutes at room temperature. The meat should be close to room temp when you cook it.
Once your steak is marinated, preheat a grill pan or skillet to medium high heat. Remove the steak from the marinade to dry a bit and drizzle with the olive oil. Put in the pan and cook to your desired doneness. While the steak is cooking toast your pecan pieces in a dry skillet over medium low heat. Make sure you keep them moving in the pan so that you don't burn them, the fat in them makes them burn very quickly! You will know when they are toasted because the smell of them changes. Once they smell toasted remove to cool on a saucer. It takes around 5 minutes to toast them but can take less depending on your pan and stove. While the steak is cooking prepare the other ingredients. In a salad bowl place the greens, blue cheese, cooled pecans and slice pear. Right before you are going to serve, toss with 2 Tbs of the raspberry vinaigrette. Divide between two dinner plates or can be 4 side salads.
Once the steak has finished cooking let it rest for about 10 minutes and then slice in thin strips and drizzle with 1 Tbs of the dressing. Toss to cover and then divide between the servings of salad. You can sprinkle with additional blue cheese if you like and cracked pepper.

Baked Tortilla Chips

So I am kind of in love with these tortilla chips. I am generally not into chips that much or I try not to be I guess I should say. These chips make me feel a lot better about eating them! I have been playing around with a baked tortilla chip for a while because we often want them to go with meals and the ones we have are opened and a bit stale and that is terribly disappointing. Hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Baked Tortilla Chips

• 6-8 medium sized flour tortillas
• salt and pepper to taste
• Canola oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges. Scatter out on a Silpat lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Sprinkle fairly liberally with salt and pepper. Toss around to coat and then spray with a little more spray.

Bake in the oven for about 8-10 minutes until they have started to brown. Turn over and bake for another 5 minutes or until evenly browned. I will generally try and do 2 batches if they are overlapping too much. Remove from oven and eat warm or at room temperature. I love this with Guacamole!