Shrimp Etoufee'

1 tablespoon of paprika

2 tablespoons of basil

1 tablespoon of thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

7 table spoons of cooking oil (I prefer olive oil)

3/4 cup of all purpose flour

3 cups of seafood stock

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of green onions

2 pounds of med sized shrimp



1/4 green bell pepper

1/4 of red bell pepper

1/3 white onion

1/4 cup of celery (2 stalks)

1 tablespoon of paprika

2 tablespoons of basil

1 tablespoon of thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon of white pepper

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Combine all of the seasoning in a bowl and set to the side

Cut all of the vegetables up and place to the side

 

I used a food processor to cut my vegetables up

Add the 7 tablespoons of cooking oil or olive oil to a high heat.

Mix for 3-4 minutes, do not let the roux stick to the bottom of the skillet. This will burn it and destroy your roux. Ensure your roux turns a dark reddish brown.

Once roux reaches its consistency of a gravy, turn the heat off and add the vegetable.

Once the vegetable are added and the mix thickens, add 2 cups of seafood stock and turn heat back o to a low heat

Cut the green onions up and set to the side

Heat one stick of butter in a separate skillet.

Add the peels and deveined shrimp along with 1/4 cup of the green onions

 

Once the butter melts, stir the ingredients

Add one more cup of seafood stalk and the second stick of butter, combine the seasoning to the mix. You will continue to stir until you reach your desired consistency

Serve over rice and garnish with fresh green onions and paprika and Enjoy!

Chicken and Beef Kabobs

 



I took 6 medium sized chicken breast and cut them into 2- 3 inches cubes

                       I used stew meat for the beef kabobs. I purchase 3 packs of beef stew meat

                   I used one full white onion and cut it into fourths

        1 1/2 Large red bell peppers (cut into 2 inch pieces)

                        2 medium sized yellow bell peppers  (cut into 2 inch pieces)

                   2 Large Green bell peppers (cut into 2 inch pieces)

         One green zucchini. (sliced 1/2 inch thick) 

        When doing kabobs, I honestly do not measure the seasonings. I use a dry rub on these, instead of a liquid marinade

            I have two sets of sticks. I have a metal set and the actual wood ones. I recall reading that you  should soak the sticks in water for 30 minutes before adding the food to them. I lay a large piece of wax paper over the counter top. I place the meats and vegetable in my preferred order.  

I evenly spread the seasoning on both sides of the kabobs and let them sit for about an hour. I did not refrigerate or cover the meat after I seasoned it.

I cooked each side for about 7-9 minutes constantly turning and ensuring that they did not end up Cajun style.

Once they are cooked to your desired level of thoroughness, serve and Enjoy!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Cream Cheese- 8 ounces

Mayonnaise-1/4cup

Sour Cream- 1/4 cup

Fresh Parmesan Cheese- 1/4 cup

Italian Mix Cheese- 1/4 cup

Mozzarella Cheese-1/3 cup 

1 bunch of Fresh Spinach

1 Jar of Artichoke Hearts

1 teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt

2 tablespoons of garlic powder (substitute for 2 fresh garlic cloves)

1/2 teaspoon of crush peppers

1 teaspoon of seasoned pepper

1/2 tablespoon olive oil (for cooking spinach)

 

Rinse and cut the stems off the fresh Spinach. Make sure the spinach is thoroughly rinsed and drained before placing it into the skillet. .

Pour the olive oil into a skillet a let it sit for a minute or two. Once the skillet is hot place the spinach into the skillet

 

Turn the spinach over a few times until it becomes soft.

 

Once the spinach is soft, remove from the heat and drain it in a strainer. I cut the spinach in thirds to make it easier to mix.

Remove the hearts from the jar. Personally I normally use fresh artichokes, however I did not have time to prepare a fresh artichoke for this recipe. Pour the artichokes in a bowl with the juice, heat the bowl up for 2 minutes. This softens the artichokes a little more. Remove the hot artichokes from the juice and dispose of the juice. Cut the hearts in half. This make them easier to mix up, when they are ready to add with everything else.

Place the artichokes and spinach in a strainer and drain the remaining juices.

Combine all seasonings together in a large mixing bowl

Add the spinach and artichoke in with the seasonings and stir until all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed

Place the dip in a glass cooking dish. Layer with a 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese and add another layer of Mozzarella cheese (1/4 cup)  to top it off. Sprinkle a handful of crushed peppers (1 tsp.) on the top for color and or presentation. If you want your dip to be a little hotter, add more crushed peppers

So I placed this in a countertop oven at work. It cooked a little more than I preferred, however there were no complaints. Cook for 25-30 minutes on a 350 degrees. Remove and serve with tortilla chips or crackers and Enjoy!

Pineapple Margarita

Pineapple juice- 1/2 cup

Tequila- 1/4 cup

Triple Sec- 1/3 cup

( You can add more or less of each ingredient to appease taste buds)

 5pieces of 2-3 inches fresh pineapple slices 

1 1/2 cup of ice

Combine all ingredients into blender.

Blend until ice is completely crushed and blended and drink is thoroughly mixed.

Take 1/2 a lemon and rub it on the rim of the glass, dip the glass rim in sugar. Add the margarita and garnish with a fresh pineapple and Enjoy! 

Hennessey Side Car

2 ounces of sweet and sour

2 ounces of sparkling cider

3 ounces of Hennessy.

I coated the rim with sugar, for personal preference to lessen the strong blow of the liquor! Pour and Enjoy!

Salsa Verdé

This is a little under 2 pounds of tomatillos

Remove the skin. Once you remove the skin they will be a little sticky. Rinse thoroughly and place in a medium size pan to boil  

Place in pan to boil for 25 minutes 

I used  half of a banana pepper that had changed from its original color of light greenish yellow to orange. I creates a little heat and adds more flavor.  

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

1/2 white onion

3 cloves of peeled garlic.

Once I skin the white onion I place the onion directly on the stove on a high heat to blacken it.

Once the tomatillos are soft, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend for 60 seconds

Let salsa cool down by placing in refrigerator for a couple of hours. You can add 1/4 cup of water to keep the consistency in tack. Serve with chips, over tacos or any other food and Enjoy!

Bake Parmesan Zucchini

Take 3 green zucchinis. Wash them and remove the ends 

Cut the zucchinis into fourths the wide way 

Fresh shredded parmesan 

Thyme- 1 teaspoon

Basil- 1 teaspoon

Sage- 1 teaspoon

Black salt-1/2 teaspoon

Granulated Garlic-1 teaspoon

combine all seasoning together once they are measured out.   

Sprinkle oil olive over sliced zucchini 

 Mixed and spread seasonings after oil olive is directly applied to the zucchini

Bake in a preheated oven on 375 degrees for 20 minutes. You can eat them whole or slice them. Enjoy!

Salmon over broccoli or asparagus wrapped in foil

A really quick, easy prep weekday dinner with lots of flavor

Remove salmon from package and rinse. Let it dry a little and prepare to slice. Slice the salmon into fillets about 3-4 inches wide

Rinse desired vegetables. I used broccoli and asparagus for this recipe 

Take broccoli crowns and place them on a piece of foil. The foil can be 15x12(inches) Sprinkle the vegetables with olive oil and sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder .

(broccoli)

Take your fillet and lay it directly over the vegetables. Add additional seasoning to the fillet.

(Asparagus)

I used sea salt, pepper, and garlic powder for both layers of my seasoning.  Cut a fresh lemon into 6 slices. Place 2 slice on each fillet. Top the lemon slices with dill, sprinkling lightly.

 

Wrap the fish and vegetables into the foil and place on a flat cookie sheet. Make sure no air can get to the fish. Ensure foil is completely covering everything. Preheat oven to 400. Cook for 45 minutes 

Once your fish is cooked thoroughly, remove lemons and Enjoy!