Rosemary Skewered Grilled Shrimp and Pasta

I think the title says it all, but if that wasn't enough to sell you how about, "It's Seafood Sale Season!"  Which is where the inspiration for this dish came from, in case you couldn't guess.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did-- And everyone I served it too!

Ingredients:                                                                                                               12 jumbo shrimp,     1 jar pasta sauce,     1 bag pasta,    4 rosemary springs,    seasonings to taste: I strongly recommend basil, black pepper, and garlic salt

Time: 35 min

Serves: 4, (With left over pasta and sauce...)

Directions: 

1) Shell and rinse the raw shrimp.  For the pretty final effect, leave just the tail on the shrimp, although this isn't necessary.

2) As pictured in series above, once you have shelled and washed your shrimpies, you must devain them.  Please actually do this step!  Turns out the toxins from eating shrimp are almost exclusively in their shit-- Literally.  By devaining the shrimp you get rid of any possible DDT contamination.  ALL shrimp are at risk of DDT contamination, no matter where you buy them or how much you pay.  Shrimp just like to grow in DDT dump sites ;P The "vain" is on the back side, so the opposite of where the legs were.  You will have to cut along the back of the shrimp to find the vain.

3) Skewer the shrimp onto the rosemary springs.  Season as desired-- and pop them in the oiled pan!  If you are grilling, you should oil the shrimp themselves before putting them on the fire. :)

4) Turn the shrimp over after 5-10 minutes.  During this time you should also be boiling your water for the pasta!  You will know when the shrimp are thoroughly cooked because the split you cut into the shrimp to devain them will become very apparent as the meat seems to expand!  Cooked shrimp will look opaque and the outside will have the classic pink look.

5)  Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add the pasta sauce directly to the pot with the pasta in it.  I am a fan of less dishes.  This will heat the pasta sauce quickly too!  Then just plate up, and serve hot!  Bon Appetite!!

Cost:
Shrimp            $6
pasta sauce     $2
pasta               $1
rosemary         hopefully free :)
Total               $9
Per serving    $2.25

Almond Stirr Fry

So the beauty of stir fry is its versatility.  Hence the million and one recipes on the internet... This is the ONLY recipe I know of that includes whole almonds as the major source or protein.  

(Broccoli is also a source of protein as well, and I did add one small chicken tender to make my husband happy :) )

Ingredients:

1/2c   chopped broccoli

1/4c   chopped carrots

1/2c   chopped celery 

3/4c   whole roasted almonds

2 tbs  sesame seeds

1 tbs  Sriracha

1 tsp  garlic powder

4tbs   oil

3-4c  cooked white rice

1/4c  flour (OR "flat" Bisquick! See prior post)

Serves: 3-4 people

Time: 15 min

Directions:

1) Add 2 tbs of the oil, (vegetable oil works best for most Asian food, at least in my opinion), to a large skillet and heat until the oil just starts to crackle. This should take about 2 min.

2) Add your chopped veggies and seasoning to hot pan.  Cover to let the veggies steam a little-- Like 5 min.

3) Add the almonds and keep the skillet uncovered from here forward to keep the almonds from getting too soft.

4) Turn over the ingredients on medium heat for another 5 minutes or so.

5) Make a roux, pronounce "rue," from the flour and about 1/2c of warm water.  You do this by mixing the flour with the warm water vigorously, so that when you add the flour to the dish it doesn't clump. (You could also do this with old Bisquick, as mentioned earlier... although add less rather than more, as you don't want to undercut the Asian flavors.)

6) Add this roux to the veggie mix to thicken the stir fry texture.

7) Once the veggies look just under cooked, (so the carrots can have a fork almost stuck in them with ease), add the rice and the rest of the oil.

8) Work the rice into the dish until each gain of rice looks like it has delicious flavors on it!  You definitely don't want any clumps of rice.

 9) Serve HOT!



Cost:
Veggies         $0.75
Almonds       $1.00
Rice              $0.30
Oil                $0.50
Seasonings    $0.30      
Total             $2.85
Per serving   $0.72

Waste not Want not: The Old Bisquick Addition

So this will be another of those post that I will add to with time :)  Feel free to check back.  

Basically, buying in bulk, on sale, or being gifted food is GREAT... Until the food goes bad.  In the case of Bisquick, the Costco size container is great, but hard to go through unless you really love pancakes.  This blog is about alternative uses for "flat" Bisquick.  In other words, the baking soda is no longer rising.

Option 1

Makeshift Flap Jacks

These denser cakes will fall someplace between the British and the american style.  If you really want to confuse people, add rolled oats and honey to the mix-- Literally.

Option 2

Better-Than-Mom's Chicken Soup

Make your mom's-- And then add about 3 tbs of "flat" Bisquick to the broth.  This works best if you first whisk the Bisquick about 3/4 cup of hot water before adding the liquid mix to the actual soup.  Make sure to sure as you add, so you don't get clumps! The Bisquick will give the soup and extra hearty taste! (And look!)

Option 3

Extra American Shepard's Pie

Little known fact: Shepard's pie was coined in America.  Newly coined fact:  If you cut the potato flake crust with "flat" Bisquick, you get a more bakery style crust on this casual dish.  

Option 4

American Style Stirr Fry!

For full details: See Almond Stirr Fry details, but I'm sure you get the picture ;)

Quick, easy, cheap and beautiful: Roasted Cauliflower!!

Looking for an easy, cheap, and spectacular side dish: Roasted Cauliflower!!! 

No joke, this was the first time I made this, and it turned out fantastic!

Ingredients:

1      head of cauliflower

2tbs olive oil

That's it!!

Time: 45 min total

Serves: 2 as dinner, 6 for a side only

Directions:

1) Wash the head of cauliflower and remove excess steam so that the head will sit up on the baking sheet.

2) Place the head on the backing sheet and lightly coat the top with the olive oil.

3) Place in the oven at 425 degrees!  It's really this easy! Note: do not adjust the temperature for altitude.  

4) Place roasted head on a pretty plate and serve hot!  That's all there is to it!

Cost:

cauliflower     $1

olive oil          $.030           

Total               $1.30

Served as a side: 21 cents!

Shown here served with grilled Tri-Tip and oven roasted potatoes!