Shrimp and Grits - my own combination!

So the Whole Foods Shrimp and Grits didn't satisfy me and the amount of work to accomplish that "bleh" was way too monumental.... soooooo I decided to make my own recipe - or rather combine a few. I ended up making grits (with garlic and butter) and topped them with shrimp scampi and peas. This turned out better than I expected. Kudos for spontaneous thinking!!

I basically made the grits like this:

Southern Grits

2 cups water (I used 4)
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
1/2 cup grits (I used 1 cup)
1 Tbl butter

Added* 2 cloves of chopped garlic

Use small heavy pot with thick bottom and tight fitting lid. Pour water into pot followed by remaining ingredients. Bring to full boil and immediately reduce to simmer. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better it is.

And I made the shrimp like this (although I added an onion to the olive oil sauteing):

Ingredients

Method

• One standard sized bag of Shrimp (I used about 10 large shrimp for two adults)
  
• Half of Garlic bulb (approx 5-6 cloves)
• 4 tbsp of butter (I used about 2.5)
  
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• Few sprigs of freshly chopped Parsley (I omitted this and added a half an onion instead)
  
• Dash of Olive Oil and S+P

*Optional- Dry White Wine (Pinot Grigio- I definitely used this!!)

How to make Easy Shrimp Scampi (Garlic Butter Shrimp)

Method

• First rinse and peel your shrimp.

• Chop the Garlic Cloves and Onions (or Parsley)
  

• Start to fry shrimp in dash of olive oil (I actually sauteed the onions for about 3 minutes first), add Salt and Pepper and lemon juice. Pour 2 ounces of wine if desired, simmer for two minutes

• Add the garlic, butter and Parsley (if using), let fry for 2-3 minutes (or until shrimp are pink and garlic is cooked)

• Remove from heat and dish onto grits (be sure to smother the grits with the butter sauce)!

I also threw a bag of frozen peas onto the burner with a little bit of water (of course in a pan). When these were heated, I put them on the side of the main dish. These turned out to be a great addition to the entire meal because once the shrimp was gone, the extra grits and butter sauce went well with the peas!!

Sorry, we ate this faster than we could take a picture.

Shrimp and Grits with Sweet Peppers

Pretty yummy Shrimp and Grits with Sweet Peppers from start to finish! I cheated and microwaved the bacon though - I used olive oil and butter to compensate for the lost bacon grease. It was still yummy though!!

Creative lens on the grits (thanks hubby)!

Onions, garlic and two bell peppers (red and yellow are my favorites!!)

Mixing in the shrimp, lemon and hot sauce.

Sprinkled bacon on top!

Waalaah! Edible to the nth degree!

Mango Salsa Shrimp -Drool

Holy smoking gun! This combo of curry rice, lime avocado and mango chunky salsa shrimp is definitely something I'll have on my list of last dishes to eat on my death bed. It's always amazing to me how something so good can be so easy to make. I have to give credit to The Scramble once again. Thanks Aviva Goldfarb!

Tropical Shrimp Wednesday

This was such a good recipe. I don't know if it's because hubby made it while I was at soccer practice (and I didn't have to cook for once) or if it was just so darn good! I think it was a little of both... but we'll definitely make this again!!

• 7-10 oz. rice noodles or white rice, (need 3 cups cooked rice noodles or steamed rice)
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, (about 6 cloves)
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 lemon, juice only, about 1 Tbsp.
• 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined or boneless chicken breasts, (if using chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1/4 cup light unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 large juicing orange, juice only, about 1/2 cup
• 1 oz. tequila or rum (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4- 1/2 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper, or to taste

Cook the noodles or rice according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté them for 3-4 minutes until the onions soften and become fragrant.

Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and shrimp (or chicken) to the skillet. Sauté them for about 5 minutes, until the shrimp turn pink (or the chicken is no longer pink in the middle). (Meanwhile, prepare the edamame or peas, if you are serving them.)

Add the coconut milk, orange juice, tequila or rum (optional), and red pepper flakes (optional) to the skillet and stir until it is heated through. Season it with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the shrimp (or chicken) and sauce ladled over the noodles or rice.

Flavor Booster: Use the optional red pepper flakes and tequila or rum.

Chipotle Lime Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Sunday

I found this Chipotle Lime Bacon Shrimp recipe and thought I'd give it a try... after all... I had all of the ingredients on hand and I was getting a little sick of lemon pepper shrimp. It turned out really nicely! I also marinated some mushrooms and onion in some soy sauce and skewered them as well. As you can see in the picture, we also had corn on the cob, but I couldn't get a picture of this meal before it was bit into!! It turned out really yummy.

Monday's Creamy Zucchini Pasta with Shrimp

Hubby nixed the couscous and shrimp idea, so we did what we always do... throw the shrimp on some pasta. At least we actually made up a pasta recipe this time! It was the Creamy Zucchini Pasta we've made before. Tastes really good with the grilled lemon pepper shrimp on top!

Honey Dijon Shrimp and Pasta Monday

Well, the boys had cereal and Mac and Cheese before soccer practice, and dad made this Honey Dijon Shrimp (From The Six O'Clock Scramble). Instead of putting it on rice, he put it on pasta. It turned out really nicely and we had pretty much all the ingredients at the house. We paired this with some garlic bread and fruit.

Tuesday's Shrimp and Potato Dinner

We had no clue what to do with a huge bag of Costco shrimp, so hubby marinated them in soy sauce and ginger. They need to be part of a bigger dish (like pasta or stir fry) so maybe we'll use the left overs Wed. night for something like that. We also had lots of potatoes, so we mashed some and ate them.

Creamy Pesto Shrimp Saturday

This was a very good Creamy Pesto Shrimp recipe. Hubby made this while I put the boys in the bath. He didn't use heavy whipping cream (used 1/2 and 1/2 instead), cut the butter in half, and it turned out really yummy. The boys even ate it all up.

Thursday's Sage and Shrimp Pasta

This was really yummy! I always love butter fried sage on any pasta!!

Grilled Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta Monday

This non-recipe turned out quite nicely! We sprinkled lemon pepper seasoning on them and grilled up the last 7 shrimp we had on Sunday night (at the same time we grilled our salmon burgers) and saved them for Monday's pasta. I got some mushrooms, sliced them, sauteed them in butter and a little bit of soy sauce, then added the whole wheat pasta (and a little olive oil). We heated up the shrimp in a pan and threw them on top of the pasta with some parsley. This recipe was so simple but it tasted really good!!

Sage and Shrimp Pasta with Zucchini Wednesday

Yum!! I forgot to put the corn in here... and I forgot to serve a salad, but it came out quite nice for such a fly by non-recipe!

3/4 box Cappelini Pasta
1 medium zucchini
7 sage leaves (2 chopped, 5 crisped in hot butter- yes!!)
10 medium shrimp (sauteed in more butter with lemon pepper spice)
1 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth and salt)
Lots of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) on the noodles while they sat waiting for hubby to get home.

Once everything was cooked or sauteed, I threw it all together. It was quite yummy! The boys also had bacon.

Green Thai Curry with Zucchini and Shrimp Monday

This is one of my favorites (and easy to make!!). I learned how to make this when I was cooking with Jam from Thai Fresh. This is such a yummy dish, and you can really make it as spicy as you'd like (ours was super spicy tonight!!).

I hate to give out Jam's secret recipes, but if you really can't live without it, please comment to let me know and you can probably twist my arm!

Pesto Shrimp Salad Monday

I found this Target website (of all places) where you can type your "on-hand" ingredients in and come up with a recipe. I came up with Pesto Shrimp Salad. It really wasn't horrible, although we didn't have fresh tomatoes (used a can) nor did we have olives (that weren't martini olives), so I used capers instead. It turned out pretty good. I think our gulf shrimp was a little too fishy AND we had marinated it in lemon pepper for the meal the night before. We paired it with a nice salad and some jalapeno bread.

Shrimp Tacos Tuesday

I'm changing the menu up for Tuesday as we have a lot of large leftover shrimp from Monday night. I'll cut up cabbage, make a spicy sauce, chop the shrimp up into smaller pieces, and put a taco together. I will throw in some black beans and rice as well.



Here's Chaz's lunch for Tuesday too (done the night before when I'm planning correctly!!):

Broiled Squash Pasta with Grilled Shrimp Monday

I made the pasta early so the boys and I could eat some dinner before 8pm. I pretty much made the recipe similar to the Whole Foods ravioli and squash recipe (see my post from a few nights ago). It turned out really well. I love sage butter!!

Once Jeremy got home, he grilled up some jumbo shrimp in garlic and sage... yummy!!



For lunch, this is what Chaz had. He continues to ask me to pack a lunch for him. I guess the cafeteria food isn't all that spectacular.

Sesame Shrimp, Rice, and Edamame Tuesday

I loved this dish. Unfortunately, dad didn't like the rice... not enough flavor I guess. Here is what we made from Allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash lemon-pepper seasoning
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Hot cooked rice
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

DIRECTIONS

1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, lemon juice, garlic powder and lemon-pepper; add shrimp. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Drain and discard marinade. In a skillet, saute shrimp in remaining sesame oil until shrimp turn pink, about 3 minutes. Serve with rice if desired. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

The boys ate the rice and edamame- but needed extra fruit on the side!

Grilled Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta Friday

We had some East Side Pies Pizza for lunch (pesto sauce and black olives- yum!!).

For dinner, we grilled up some farmer's market shrimp and threw it on a bed of angel hair pasta with garlic powder, olive oil, and parmesan cheese!

Shrimp, Steak, Vege Kebabs, Corn, Peaches Saturday

For my sister in law's birthday, she and her boyfriend grilled up some yummy shrimp, steak, vegetable kebabs, some corn on the cob, and then some peaches! We had some Mexican Wedding Chocolate cake (Yum!!) for dessert too.

The boys loved the corn and the special hotdogs made for them!

Shrimp, Pineapple, and Asparagus Thursday

Dad grilled some shrimp and pineapple on kebabs and then some asparagus too!! It was really yummy! I had purchased a few slices of cheese pizza to tide the boys over, but Chaz ended up eating half of my shrimp and pineapple and Cooper ate at least 15 asparagus spears!

Very good meal for all involved! Sorry, no pics! We couldn't wait to eat it and it didn't sit very long on any of our plates!! There is a piece and a half of cheese pizza in the fridge though!! That's what I like- kids refusing pizza and eating asparagus, shrimp, and pineapple instead!! Woo hoo!!