Shrimp Scampi and Crunchy Herbed Breadsticks

 I made shrimp scampi for supper tonight using some techniques that I recently saw on a cooking show. Instead of using peeled shrimp, I bought large shrimp in their shells, with tails. After peeling the shrimp, I sautéed the shells, some chopped onion and celery in a little olive oil for a few minutes, until the shells were pink and fragrant and the veggies were wilted. Then I covered them with water, added a bay leaf and some peppercorns and salt, and brought it all to a boil. I simmered the broth for about 20-30 minutes, then strained it and set it aside to use for poaching my shrimp scampi. I've made shrimp scampi many times before, but this batch was the most flavorful I've ever made!

Shrimp Scampi Recipe

12 oz. large shrimp
2-3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
about 2 cups shrimp stock
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups cooked spaghetti

Melt butter in skillet and add garlic and basil. Cook 1 minute. Add broth, shrimp, parsley and season to taste. Cover and cook until shrimp is opaque, about 5 minutes. Stir cornstarch into lemon juice and add to skillet. Cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Add drained spaghetti and stir until well coated.

***

I also had some leftover sourdough bread, so I decided to make some crunchy breadsticks to go with the scampi. I sliced the bread about 1" thick, then sliced it into 1/2" strips. I melted a half stick of butter in a large skillet and sautéed about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, about 1 teaspoon of dried basil and salt (to taste). I added the bread to the skillet and turned each strip until all sides were coated in the herbed butter. I then placed the strips on a baking sheet and baked in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, turning the breadsticks every few minutes, until golden brown. They were SO tasty and crunchy...like fresh herbed croutons, only bigger. 

It's amazing what you can do with leftovers and scraps!

Easy Salad Idea

I love salad! However…I do not particularly like to make salad.

I recently had a jar of leftover Giardiniera veggies from a recipe that I had tried. I wanted a salad with my meal, but didn’t feel like chopping and dicing. So I pulled out a handful of baby spinach (my go-to for salads) and topped it with some of the pickled veggies. It was great! I have used them with my salad every since. I decided to look online to see if I could find a recipe to make my own and came across this one. Since I have a sweet tooth, I made the sweet variety. I’ll have to try to hot one another time. They also make a tasty and healthy snack or side dish.

Basic Giardiniera Vegetables (from Food.com)

·        1 pound Italian green olives, crushed (I didn’t add this to mine)

·        1 large yellow onion, sliced (or 1 cup tiny pearl onions, peeled)

·        1 garlic clove, sliced thin

·        2 carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally

·        1 stalk celery, sliced diagonally

·        2 cups cauliflower, chopped into chunks

·        1 cup broccoli florets, (omit in hot version)

·        1 red bell pepper, cut in chunks

·        ¼ cup hot pepper (or to taste for hot version) – I diced 1 mild jalapeno and put it in mine

Sweet Variation

·        ½ cup white vinegar or dry white wine

·        ½ cup water

·        ¼ cup sugar

·        2 tsp. salt

·        6 peppercorns

·        1 Tbsp. dried dill weed

Hot Variation

·        1 cup water

·        1 cup white vinegar

·        1 Tbsp. salt

Directions for Sweet:

·        Combine all ingredients and refrigerate in a clean, tightly closed glass container for 2 days.

Directions for Hot:

·        Combine water, vinegar and salt and boil for about a minute.

·        Pour hot liquid over vegetables, leaving ¼” head space and cover.

·        Allow to pickle in a cool place for 2-3 weeks before using.

 

 

Soup Time!

 One of the things I love about fall (and winter) is that the weather is perfect for making soups/stews/chilis! I am not a fan of canned soup, but I LOVE a good homemade soup! Add some freshly baked crusty bread, and I’m one happy lady!

Since the weather finally turned off chilly this weekend, my meal plan for this week is filled with various soups. This afternoon, I pulled my veggie scraps out of the freezer and have been simmering some broth all afternoon to make a healthy chicken/veggie/noodle soup for supper. (It smells SO good!) I started working on some bagels yesterday, and after letting them rise in the frig for about 24 hours, I boiled and baked them this afternoon. They will make a great accompaniment to our soup tonight. For my soup recipe, use this link: https://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/healthy-vegetable-chicken-soup/

I’m planning to make a pot of venison chili for lunch Tuesday. We got our recipe from some forestry clients of Dennis’ back in the late 70’s. I have tweaked it a little over the years, but it is still our favorite chili. We like to serve it over some kind of starchy grain, such a rice, brown rice, barley or quinoa. (It tends to sit better in tender tummies than eating just chili by itself.) Sprinkle some grated cheddar over the top and serve with saltines, and we have a hearty meal that is sure to please.

Wednesday, I plan to try a new recipe for a dish that I’ve never ever eaten before: posole. I have a recipe modified for an Instant Pot that sounds quite yummy. It is made with chicken, instead of pork, which is better suited to Dennis. Dennis is one of the few people I know who loves hominy, so it ought to be a winner. I can’t wait to try it! Here’s a link to the recipe, in case you’d also like to try it: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-easy-posole/

I’m trying another new dish on Friday, Italian Wedding Soup. It is another Instant Pot variation, made with Italian meatballs and orzo pasta. I have a yummy meatball recipe that I plan to use rather than buying frozen. I pretty much love anything Italian, so I know that I’ll like it! Here’s the link for the soup recipe: https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/instant-pot-italian-wedding-soup/#tasty-recipes-14660

With all of these savory soups being simmered, our house will smell scrumptious all week! (Sorry about that, but I love alliteration!) What are some of your favorite soups?

Freezing guacamole...why did I wait so long to try this?!

 I have tried a lot of kitchen "hacks". Some have worked...others, not. When I find one that is really helpful, I like to pass it along. This is one of those.

I love avocados...especially in guacamole! But it is so hard to find ripe avocados at just the time that you need them. They are either too green or too far gone. Especially now that I'm using Walmart's pick-up service to buy all of my groceries, it is really difficult. I had seen tips for freezing avocados in the past but never got around to trying it. I was planning Mexican food for Stephen's family's visit this past week and knew I'd need several good avocados. When I picked them up several days prior to their visit, they were at the perfect ripeness. I knew they would be rotten by the time I needed them, so it was a good time to give freezing a try.

There were several methods of freezing avocados that I found when I googled it. I decided the one that would work best for me was going ahead and making up my guacamole (minus the fresh onions and tomatoes). I mashed the avocados, squeezed in my lemon (or lime) juice, seasoned it to taste, and then vacuum sealed it and stuck it in the freezer. Then the night before I needed it, I put the frozen pouch in the refrigerator to thaw. When it was time to serve, I just squeezed the now thawed guacamole into a bowl and stirred in my onions and tomatoes. It tasted like it always does, and the avocados were still a bright green color.

I am definitely going to use this tip on a regular basis! I can order my avocados ahead of time, let them ripen to just the right stage, mix it up and freeze it in meal-sized portions. Fresh guacamole available whenever I want it!

Sourdough Biscuits

 As I was preparing dinner today, I decided to go ahead and feed my sourdough starter. I hate to throw away the discard, so I made a last minute decision to bake some sourdough biscuits. This recipe is so quick and easy and tastes delicious...Dennis says it is his favorite sourdough recipe of all time! I substituted self-rising flour, since Dennis accidentally bought a sack of it back when flour was almost impossible to get. Within 30 minutes, I had some hot, made from scratch biscuits to go with our meatloaf and potatoes. This recipe can easily be reduced. I made 3/4 recipe, but could have gotten by making only 1/2. The biscuits are large and filling!

BUTTERY SOURDOUGH BISCUITS

Ingredients:

1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (or use 1 cup self-rising flour and omit salt and baking powder)

2 teaspoons baking powder 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter 

1 cup sourdough starter, unfed/discard* 

*See "tips," below.

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 425°F, with a rack in the upper third. Grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment. 

2.Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly. (I normally do this by hand with a pastry cutter. To save time, I just mixed it with my KitchenAid and the paddle attachment and it did just as well!)

3.Add the starter, mixing gently until the dough is cohesive. 

4.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (a piece of parchment works well), and gently pat it into a 1"-thick round. 

5.Use a sharp 2 3/8" biscuit cutter to cut rounds, cutting them as close to one another as possible. Pat any scraps together, and cut additional biscuits. (Also to save time, I just patted the dough into a rectangle and used a scraper to cut into squares.)

6.Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2" between them; they'll spread as they bake. 

7.Bake the biscuits in the upper third of your oven for 20 to 23 minutes, until they're golden brown. 

8.Remove the biscuits from the oven, and serve warm. Or cool completely, wrap in plastic, and store at room temperature for several days. Freeze, well-wrapped, for longer storage. 

9.Yield: 6 large (3") biscuits. 

Tips:

Sourdough starters can vary in how liquid they are. If your biscuit dough seems very dry, dribble in a bit of milk or buttermilk until it comes together.

Feel free to make smaller biscuits, if desired; they'll need slightly less time in the oven than the larger biscuits.

A Quick and Easy Dinner Idea

Dennis and I have discovered a good low-carb supper that we really enjoy…a charcuterie board. Of course, they have long been a staple at parties, but I never thought to do one for just the two of us until I read about someone doing it with their family. Since Dennis has to really limit his carbs in the evening, I have struggled with good light dinner ideas. I like variety! And there are just so many ways to fix meat and vegetables without using potatoes, pasta or rice. So we’ve started doing this about once a week and love it! Of course, Dennis is predictable: smoked turkey and cheddar cheese and olives. I also include raw veggies, which we are eating a LOT of these days. (I am SO thankful for baby carrots and sugar snap peas!) I try to include a couple of different kind of cheeses for myself, plus some good sliced ham and maybe some turkey pepperoni. I’m happy with a little honey mustard to dip it all in. (Dennis prefers his plain. Surprise, surprise!) Another bonus is that the clean-up is quick and easy!

What different kinds of meals are you serving since we are spending more time in the kitchen?

Never too late to learn!

After literally years of ignoring the kitchen tip of saving vegetable scraps for making broth, I finally decided to try it a couple of months ago. After filling a gallon ziploc bag that I kept in the freezer, I boiled the scraps (adding some extra onion and garlic) and used the broth to make my Italian Chicken and Veggie Soup. The soup is super flavorful already, but it was even better using the homemade broth!

After another few weeks of saving my scraps, I took them out this morning and boiled them with just an added clove of garlic. After about an hour, I added some frozen chicken thighs and continued cooking until the chicken was tender. I strained the broth, cut up the chicken and added it back in, then chopped some yellow squash, green onions and spinach to add to the broth. I seasoned it with salt, pepper, cumin and green chili powder and cooked about 20-30 minutes. It made a wonderful chicken tortilla soup! I will definitely keep up with this handy tip. The broth is better than store-bought and doesn't cost a thing!

If you want to try my Italian Chicken and Veggie Soup, here is the link to the recipe:
https://strivingtobeatitus2woman.blogspot.com/2013/02/ninth-place-on-my-most-prepared-meal.html

For my Chicken Tortilla Soup:
https://strivingtobeatitus2woman.blogspot.com/2018/05/a-light-healthy-lunch-idea.html

I vary both recipes according to what I have on hand and what mood I'm in. Sometimes I don't want anything tomato based, and the Chicken Tortilla Soup is delicious without the tomatoes. The squash is the star of the show in this recipe!

Happy Cooking!