Cravin' Coconut

I made a fabulous dinner last night! We were having Frank's mom over and she had mentioned that she wanted some fried shrimp. I decided on a menu of fresh teriyaki salmon, steamed broccoli, mashed sweet potatoes and fried shrimp and coconut shrimp as the appetizer.

Our favorite place for fresh seafood is the Super H Mart on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road in Suwanee. They have a nice selection of fresh veggies and really nice selection of seafood. We bought 2 pounds of medium shrimp and a nice piece of salmon.

A few weeks ago we had Red Lobster for lunch at work and I ordered the Coconut Shrimp. It was really sweet and delicious. I wanted to make my own and searched the Internet for recipes. I found several methods and put a few ideas together in my mind and this is experiment #1.

Cravin' Coconut #1
1 lb fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on
1/2 to 1 cup panko bread crumbs
equal amount sweetened coconut flakes
2 eggs

Place the 2 eggs in a bowl and whisk well. In a separate bowl mix coconut and panko. Dredge shrimp individually through egg then dip in coconut mixture. Put shrimp on plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
I used my dutch oven to heat oil on stove top. Fill with enough vegetable oil for 2-3 inches in bottom of pan and heat to 350 degrees. The oil is ready when handle of wooden spoon bubbles.
Fry shrimp in small batches until all are golden brown. 3-5 minutes per batch.

Marmalade Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Mix together in bowl and refrigerate. Definitely make this a little in advance so the flavors can come together.
Printable shrimp and sauce recipe HERE

It turned out really yummy, but I'm ready to try again. I want more coconut flavor. Frank really liked the texture that the panko crumbs add and he was really surprised how crunchy and delicious they were. Also, we were really impressed with the sauce. I didn't add the red pepper flakes to my sauce because his mom didn't want the added heat.

Now for the rest of my delicious dinner.......

This is the method I use to cook my salmon in the oven:

The salmon still had the skin, so I put a piece of foil on the bottom of my baking pan so the skin would stick to it and when I served the salmon, I would separate the fish from the skin. Place the oven on 400 degrees, cover the pan with foil, place the salmon in the pan, drizzle a little olive oil and crack some black pepper. Cook in the oven for 14 minutes. Remove the salmon from the oven and this is when I add the flavor.

For teriyaki: The best sauce is Kroger brand teriyaki wing sauce. Drizzle the sauce on the salmon and top with fresh pineapple pieces and pickled jalapenos.  Bake in the oven another 6-7 minutes until the pineapple is warm.

I served the salmon on a bed of butter and herb rice with fresh steamed broccoli and mashed sweet potatoes. It was delicious!

Have someone over to dinner tonight!

Enjoy,
Karey

Zesty Mushrooms!

Don't you just love the recipe that you didn't know existed? That is what happened when I put these ingredients together last night as a topping for our steak.

I'm gonna call em'....... Zesty Mushrooms!

Ingredients:

1 pack of white mushrooms
1 medium sweet onion
3 cloves of peeled garlic
2-3 tablespoons Zesty Italian Dressing
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Fresh ground black pepper
Garlic infused canola oil
Pat of butter

Drizzle the canola oil in the bottom of skillet, just enough to cover bottom. Brush the mushrooms off with a damp cloth and cut in half and add them to the pan and swirl them around in the oil. Slice the onion and add them to the mushrooms. Thinly slice the garlic cloves and add them to the pan. Don't have the heat set too high or the garlic will burn. Keep the mixture tossed around in the pan and add the pat (or 2) of butter to the pan. Let the mushrooms get a little brown and the onions get soft. Add the red pepper flakes and grind some black pepper over the top (add as much or little as you like).

Turn off the heat and add the dressing. Toss the mixture around and serve. 

This is perfect as a side or to top any grilled meat.

Click HERE for printable recipe


ZESTY MUSHROOMS!

Start with Bacon

I was laughing to myself as I started the recipe for Corn & Cheese Chowder. I read the recipe, but it didn't start with the bacon. What? It has to start with bacon, it's chowder. So, I started with the bacon.
I was just checking out the recipe again and JUST realized that her bacon was already cooked ~
I cooked the bacon in the same pot, FIRST, let it get crispy, scooped it out to use as bacon bit topping, then continued with the butter and onions IN the bacon grease. It is only a few pieces of bacon (I used 4-5 thick cut pieces) so it's really not that much, but enough to flavor the bottom of the pan. The recipe also calls for 5 ears Fresh Corn, I used a couple of cups of frozen corn kernels.

One more tip ~ I did not serve mine in bread bowls. I'm sure it is delicious, but I had some Marie Callender's mix for Southwestern Corn bread and added 1 cup of frozen corn to the mix. It was absolutely delicious crumbled in the soup with a dash of Tabasco.

Also, I took my first picture for last nights recipe, but I guess I figured that the battery charges itself. I took one picture and the camera battery died. So, no step by step pictures yet for this recipe.

Check out The Pioneer Woman ~ Corn & Cheese Chowder


Ingredients

• 4 Tablespoons 1/2 Stick Butter
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 3 slices Bacon, Cut Into Pieces
• 3 whole Bell Peppers, Finely Diced (red, Yellow, Orange)
• 5 ears Corn, Kernels Sliced Off
• ¼ cups All-purpose Flour
• 3 cups Chicken Stock Or Broth
• 2 cups Half-and-half
• 1 cup (heaping) Grated Monterrey Jack
• 1 cup (heaping) Pepper Jack
• ⅓ cups Sliced Green Onions
• Bread Bowls

Preparation Instructions

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add diced bell peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Finally, add corn and cook for a minute.
Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3 or 4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes or so.
Stir in cheeses and green onions. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Nothin' Like Naked

Alright, I know this is crazy talk, but I'm posting a low fat brownie for all the people trying to count weight watcher points out there. Yes, these are made from a brownie mix, but please don't compare them to the Knock You Naked Brownies I have been raving about.

This is what you'll need:

One can of Pumpkin (plain) and one box of  brownie mix

Mix these 2 ingredients (add a teeny amount of water if necessary)



I used a Mini Muffin Pan and this made 48 brownies

Pan #1 - I brushed each one with canola oil then scooped each on 3/4 full

Cook for 20 mins (watch carefully, these are very small and it will depend on how much water you added)
Cool and ENJOY!

These little brownie snacks are VERY low in fat and you can easily calculate your WW points.
You don't even need a special occasion or special ingredients for these. You can also make this recipe with any flavor cake mix. I suggest making them on a Sunday afternoon and you can pack a couple for lunch everyday.
Make sure you buy 100 % pumpkin and not the pumpkin pie mix. The mix is higher in calories and has added spices.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Karery

My New Kitchen Toy

I decided I NEEDED a Dutch Oven. Oh yes, I said need. I don't even know why ~ I don't have anywhere to store it. Does anyone really have extra space to store all their kitchen gadgets? Noooooooooo.

Here it is my beautiful Lodge Dutch Oven. I christened it with my New England Clam Chowder recipe.

Ingredients
4 cups (32oz.) Kitchen Basics® Original Seafood Stock
1 medium onion, minced
4 Tbsp. butter or margarine
5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 can (6.5 oz.) minced clams with juice (I used 2 cans)
3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced medium
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
1 ½ cups half &half
Salt and white pepper to taste

4-5 slices bacon (not included on original recipe)

DirectionsIn a heavy bottom pot, (cook bacon until crisp, remove bacon), sauté onions in bacon grease and butter until clear. Add flour and cook until all butter is absorbed. Add stock slowly, stirring to incorporate. Add clams with juice and potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 6 minutes. Add half & half; stir until thickness you desire. Season to taste.

I used 2 cans of minced clams and fat free half & half

Everything is better with BACON

Remove crispy bacon ~ add onion and butter

Add flour ~ let it absorb butter and cook a few minutes

Use small cubes of potatoes so they will cook faster ~ Add seafood stock then potatoes

Simmer and allow potatoes to cook before adding half and half

Add half and half ~ be patient and allow chowder to thicken!

 That is it. I like mine topped with bacon crumbles, oyster crackers and Tabasco. No, not hot sauce, TABASCO. It is a very distinct flavor and adds the right amount of spice.

Printable version
ENJOY!!
Karey

Hi, My name is Karey and I'm a Foodie.

I'm a foodie.
I like to eat food, talk about food, cook food. It's pretty simple actually.
Mostly I like to try new recipes and relax in the kitchen. It's my hobby. It's what I like to do after a long day at work and I've been sitting at a desk all day looking at numbers. It makes me feel good, I'm a natural. I can come up with something good with stuff I alrealy have in my pantry. I like to make up my own recipes now and then but if I don't write it down while I'm doing it, I won't be able to re-create it. I have a few to share and others I still need to per-fect.

I'm married to my very best friend Frank. He encourages new creations and recognizes my passion in the kitchen. We have 4 "babies". Sally Mally, Pinto Bean, Butter Bean and Jelly Bean. They give me support by helping me type and nudge my hand while blogging.

Let's get this started ~

I am currently in LOVE with recipes from The Pioneer Woman.  A few weeks ago her Food Network show featured Knock You Naked Brownies and I have made 5 batches since! My mom and Frank can't get enough of them! They are pretty amazing ~ I mean, how can you go wrong with chocolate and caramel. I took a quick pic as these 2 batches were cooling.

Just yesterday I made another recipe from The Pioneer Woman ~ Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork. It was AMAZING! The recipe calls for Pork Shoulder "Butt", but I used a whole Pork Loin instead. It wasn't dry at all. I have a new toy ~ a Lodge Dutch Oven. It was perfect for this recipe and I have used it several times lately for great stews and soups. I highly recommend trying the pork and when it was time to shredd it I removed the peppers so it wouldn't be quite as spicy.
Frank worked all day yesterday so it was a great day to relax and stay home while the pork slow cooked in the oven for 6 hours. The end result was Spicy Pork Tacos with homemade pico and avacado. I snapped this pic with my phone right before we ate ~ picture quality was not on the menu. Ha! My dad said it would have been a better pic if you could have seen the pork. Sorry about that!