Shrimp Madness!

Whole Foods was having a shrimp skewer special; five Shrimps on a skewer for a buck. I capitalized on this offer and with my new found love/tolerance of shrimp I planned a dinner. I bought 10 shrimp that were already marinated with a tequila lime sauce and then marinated the other 10 with my own blend of lime juice, lime zest, garlic and cilantro (fresh!). I sautéed the little guys up in some olive oil and made cilantro-lime brown rice and green beans as side dishes. As a light dipping sauce I put together Greek Yogurt with lemon juice and zest. Delicious sounding, I know, and everything thing sans the tequila shrimp (Jeff wanted these) and the CasCal soda are great to eat on a Candida diet. If you would like a more savory version of shrimp and rice idea, go check out this recipe at Savor the Sweet.

Candida Safe: Shrimp, Lime, Garlic, Cilantro, Brown Rice, Green Beans, Olive Oil, Lemon, Greek Yogurt
More information to come on CasCal soda...

Guest Recipes!

Chili-Lime Meatballs - Penny (prepared at a Pampered Chef Party)


Cinnamon Crisps - Penny (prepared for a Pampered Chef Party)


Hot Fudge - Jenny


Bannana Cake - Jenny


Lasagna - Jenny (I had two large helpings!)


Quinoa, Blackbean, Cilantro Mix - Jennifer Tree (talk about healthy)


Tandori Spiced Tofu Wrap with Cilantro Yogurt (SPICY!)


Red Velvet Cake - Made by Debbie and Bob (favorite birthday dessert of Jenny)


Sante Fe Chicken - Bob and Debbie


Baked Mac and Cheese with Truffle Oil and Nutmeg - My beautiful cheese creation!


Turkey Wrap - Penny (it was too easy of a recipe for me to screw up and write about)


Oyster Crackers - 'J' Family recipe, made this day by Josh


Tequila Sunrise

Shrimp Ball, Spinach Dip, Tequila Lime Chicken, Cheddar Cheese Soup, Chocolate Mocha Trifle

Shrimp Ball, Spinach Dip, Tequila Lime Chicken, Cheddar Cheese Soup, Chocolate Mocha Trifle

I think I put too much on my plate for this night of cooking (pun intended). I am going to Ali and Rob’s house on Friday and wanted to bring them as much food as possible. Those mountain folk need some good eats after a full day of tipping cows and sitting in their overalls. But instead of getting right down to it, I went to a Happy Hour with some ladies from work. We had so much fun, good drinks and good food; but when 7:30 rolled around I was just leaving to grocery shop. I spent a long time trying to find canned shrimp and felt disgusted that canned shrimp even existed and even more disgusted that I was purchasing canned shrimp. Turns out it’s in the canned food aisle…tricky. I then picked up a package of chicken breasts which apparently was not sealed very well and I had no idea you were suppose to bag them up. GROSS! I had chicken juices all over my hand and nothing to wipe it off with. I choose my pants, and forgot about the leaky chicken in my cart. As I checked out, the poor bagger guy got the short end of the chicken stick and was covered as well in chicken juices. I apologized for forgetting to tell him but he was not amused. I got home after 8 and was discouraged by all the cooking I had to do. The Shrimp ball was from Gretchen, the Tequila Lime Chicken was from Penny and the rest were from my mom. I was cooking quick and dirty, trying to get done with the whole ordeal. I broke down and just touched the chicken. I tried not to think about it. The recipe calls for tequila as stated in the name, and my cooking frustrations got the best of me. I sloppily took a few swigs straight out of the bottle; maybe this is why the chicken cutting was easier?
In my drunken haste I used my special technique for juicing limes and oranges. I cut them in half and squeezed as much of the juice out as I could, then I bit into the rind with my teeth to help get the rest of the juice out. It really doesn’t spread my germs because I never bite all the way through the rind. It is an effective technique, but tastes like crap and something in the rind made my lips burn like crazy. I finished the limes and oranges with sore lips and took another swig of tequila to help the pain. OUCH! The alcohol just made my lips burn even more. I HATE COOKING!
I made a cheddar soup which had a heavenly cheese sauce added to it. The Spinach dip and Shrimp ball were easy enough (except for Max’s obsession with the shrimp). The Chocolate Mocha Trifle was a little bit more work but will taste amazing. I tried to buy toffee bars to crumble in this dish, but accidentally bought chocolate bars with soft toffee in the middle. At the beginning of this whole process I may have worried about it, but at this point, it will have to do. Dessert is dessert! I only made it through 5 of the 6 recipes I had planned on making but I couldn’t cook any longer. I stood defeated in the kitchen wearing sweatpants, a Lockheed Martin Pluto shirt, my apron covered in citrus juices and bright red lips. What a sight I was!

Lemon Bars, Larimer Toffee Squares, Lime Manhattan

I was invited to Adam’s house for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. I made the decision to make a dessert every time I visit anybody. This way I am not stuck at the house with 20 desserts to eat. I had some coffee in the morning which was perhaps not the wisest choice. I don’t usually drink caffeine so I was absolutely hyped up! I exercised, made a big breakfast, list-made like a pro, and went to the store. I don’t think I have ever navigated King Soopers that quickly. I then stopped at the liquor store to get some booze…that took a little longer because I was completely undecided on what to make. Once all was purchased I made my way home. My heart was racing and I could barely keep my mind in one direction; from only one cup of coffee! Man, my tolerance is low. So I rampage and cook and feel like I am on Iron Chef, where I only have an hour and an impossible 3 dishes to make. Will she do it? Bobby Flay gives me the thumbs up and I slowly realize I am home in my kitchen and going Mad! Jeff is trying to finish a paper before a deadline at 4, so I try to keep my mouth shut as much as possible. But with the caffeine, I talk to the food…..no don’t do that, yes you are yummy; and the cat….Max, no lemon bars for you! I am keeping a close eye on Max. A few months ago I had made lemon bars, I was cooling them before I added the glaze topping and got distracted. I look over only to find little Max up on the counter munching away at the lemon bars. He ruined a good ¼ of the bars! Cats aren’t even supposed to like citrus. He got a good whack that day and maybe learned his lesson, because he didn’t bother the bars. I cooked them up and let them cool, glazed the top and let them harden. I cut a shamrock template out of a note card and made little powdered sugar shamrocks on top of each lemon bar. The Larimer Toffee Squares were easy and full of butter! A lot of the pecan toppings fell off the squares, so I saved them in a bowl as another sweet snack.
Now the fun part; a lime Manhattan. I poured a generous amount of whisky in a martini glass, added some ginger ale, lime juice and grenadine (you are usually suppose to use a cherry liqueur, but my wallet talked me out of it). I plopped a maraschino cherry in the bottom and garnished with a lime wedge. The whole point in making the martini was to get a picture while it was still light out but I hadn’t thought about what to do with it after that. Since Jeff had to go to work shortly, it fell on my shoulders to drink it….mustn’t waste! I took a shower and sat on the couch for an hour or two sipping my martini. After I had dolled myself up a bit, I went to the party. It took the help of Mike and Amanda to carry all the stuff I brought in. I was determined to get these sweets out of my life and never let them return.
To my dismay, the little powdered sugar Shamrocks I had spent so long on had melted into the glaze. Apparently the glaze has to be absolutely dry and then exposed to no heat. Oh bother! They were still delicious and Adam managed to find the outline of a Shamrock to show to everyone. The Larimer Toffee Squares were a huge hit! Aaron couldn’t stop eating them. The squares ran out by the end of the night but a few lemon bars remained. I abandoned the lemon bars in hope that someone one else would eat them. I spent the night at Mike and Amanda’s with two cats by my side, Max was sure jealous when I got home.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and enjoy some whiskey for me!