Shrimp and Broccoli Packets

I really don't have anything to blog about today. Absolutely nothing. I live a boring life, I guess. Haha, I wish! I wish I didn't have anything to do all the time. But, today...today, I'm trying to heal. Have I mentioned that I like indoor rock climbing? Well, you see...I went rock climbing last night with my fellow rock climber friend and...I hurt myself. You know...it hurts a lot when you go for a hold and bang your knee into a lower hold...on accident. I literally had to come down and sit on the floor for a minute to recover. I saw stars. And today my knee has a HUGE cherry on it. You can even see it through my black hosiery. And did I mention it hurts? Bad. So today, instead of thinking really hard about something to blog about, I am simply going to share with you a favorite recipe. This is a recipe I stole from my mother a while back when I was attempting to organize her recipes. That was futile. Actually, I was just trying to organize them so that I could steal a few. Maybe more than a few. Maybe a lot. My mom's recipes look a lot better now, though. I think she has around 5 binders FULL of recipes. I wonder if she's adding to the pile the way we organized them...or just throwing them in the front flap of the binders like she was before. My money is on the latter. Not that there's anything wrong with that...whatever floats your boat. It's just that I'm extremely organized and anal about stuff like that. Maybe one of these days I'll share my recipe book so you can see exactly what I'm talking about. But today, I'm just going to share this recipe. It's a Dave's Faves. Very easy and very, very, very, very good. Homerun every time. Try it soon.

Shrimp and Broccoli Packets (from Reynolds Wrap)

2 sheets (12x18-inches each) Reynolds Wrap® Release® Non-Stick Foil
1/2 pound medium raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1 cup instant rice
2 teaspoons seafood seasoning ***
2 cloves garlic, minced, divided (I always use 3-5 cloves, but I love garlic)
2 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces
8 ice cubes
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 450°F or grill to medium-high.

Center one-half of shrimp on each sheet of Reynolds Wrap Release Non-Stick Foil with non-stick (dull) side toward food. Arrange rice around shrimp; sprinkle shrimp and rice with seafood seasoning and half of garlic. Place broccoli over shrimp; sprinkle with remaining garlic and top with butter. Place ice cubes on top.

Bring up foil sides. Double fold top and one end. Through open end, pour in water. Double fold remaining end to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Repeat to make two packets.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes on a cookie sheet in oven or grill 9 to 13 minutes in covered grill. Stir rice before serving.

Serving suggestion: Squeeze fresh lemon juice over shrimp before serving. (I never do this, it doesn't need it-plenty of flavor from seasoning and garlic already!)

Reynolds Kitchens Tip: To pour liquids into packets, hold packets at a slight angle. After folding ends to seal, turn folded ends up to prevent leaking.

Number of Servings: 2

Nutrition Information:(Per Serving)
calories 410
grams fat 14
% calories from fat 30
milligrams cholesterol 254
milligrams sodium 1204
grams carbohydrates 44
grams protein 31

***Another recommendation: I use this seasoning as my "seafood seasoning" in this recipe. It's also pretty much my "go to" seasoning. Any time I'm in a rush and just want to quickly grill some chicken on my George Foreman grill or any other quick meal in which I want to add some extra spice-this is the seasoning I grab. I will say that a little bit of this goes a long way. While I don't recommend being sparse with it, just don't load the meal down with it either...it gets to be quite much and very salty if you do.

*Yet Another recommendation: Be sure to drain the foil packets before you stir and plop them on your plate. This way, if you happened to add too much water/ice cubes, you don't get a puddle of lukewarm water on your plate (Yuuuuuk!).

I hope everyone is having a Terrific Tuesday and that your knees are bruise-free!

Pre-Merry Christmas!

The Christmas get-together for my step-dad's side of the family was this past Saturday. I'm talking aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews...the whole lot! Typically, my mom and step-dad provide the meat and beverages and everyone else brings sides and desserts. This year my parents purchased a honey-baked ham and honey-baked turkey and they were both savory. Between the potatoes, devilled eggs, salads (potato, cranberry, broccoli), broccoli rice casserole and rolls (just to name a few items) the meal turned out fantastic. This year I decided my contribution would be Swedish meatballs and a couple pies. Well, like I had shared last Friday, I had a hot New Moon movie date on Friday night...with my friend, Susan. Haha, that's a fun joke amongst me and my three best friends. We love to go on "dates" with each other. Anyway, I soon realized that my time was going to be limited as far as preparation for each of these items. So! I decided to perhaps just make one pie and bake some cookies? I had purchased some Otis Spunkmeyer frozen cookie dough from a friend's child's fundraiser and I thought that would make it easy. What I ended up taking was the meatballs, two pies AND the cookies. I was also responsible for the wine...but, amongst all the food...I forgot it after making a special trip to Byron's on Friday after work. Sheesh...I'm sure I'll be able to find the wine a purpose eventually though.

My Swedish meatballs are suuuuuuuper easy. One, two, three, four steps and you're done. These are the best meatballs EVER.You can find them (Rosina brand) at Wal-Mart in the freezer section, or in even larger quantities at Sam's. There are a few different flavors; I use the Italian ones for when I make spaghetti. In fact, I had an extra bag of the Italian ones this past Saturday and just used them in this recipe. Yum! Grab a bag of these and empty it into your crockpot/slow-cooker. Pop open a can of cream of mushroom soup, blop that on top. Pour out a half cup of milk into the mixture. Sprinkle a good amount of pepper, then stir the entire set of ingredients. Cover and place your crockpot on high for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the meatballs are hot, you can lower the heat while friends and family make their way through the buffet line of scrumdeliumptious food! These are ALWAYS a hit and easy peasy.

Next on my list of things to make was pie. I tried to get my mom and/or step-dad to choose a flavor, but to no avail. My step-dad's favorite flavor is allllllways apple. It doesn't matter what kind of apple either. Apple crumb or classic. Deep-fried or turnovers. It does NOT matter. So, as I was thumbing through my new Pioneer Woman cookbook I found an interesting recipe. Flat Apple Pie. Very unconventional. I forgot to take a picture, but this is what it looks like.

This recipe makes two pies and they went over EXTREMELY well with the fam. The only recommendation I would make, is to make sure your crust is completely closed/sealed at the bottom. Both of mine had holes/cracks in the bottom and some tasty apple juice goodness came streaming out and bubbled on my jelly roll pans.

Ingredients:
5 peeled & sliced Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp. flour
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust
6 tbsp. butter

1. Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the apples, flour, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt. Set aside.
3. Roll out two pie crusts into large circles. Place the circles on large baking sheets.
4. Place half the apple mixture on one crust and other half on the other crust.
5. Fold over the edge of each crust so that it covers 2-3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better.
6. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of butter.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the filling is golden and bubbly. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.
8. All to cool slightly, then slice.

Of course, after this I just popped some Otis Spunkmeyer frozen dough in the oven to bake while I finished preparing to leave and transport my goodies. They went over well, also. If you get a chance to purchase some of this dough I highly recommend the cranberry oatmeal. Very tasty and holidayish.

I'm sorry that I didn't take any pictures of the goodies this weekend, but between the rushing around for the Christmas party AND preparing for mine and David's short trip to Kansas City (to watch the Chiefs lose to the Denver Broncos) I just plumb forgot. I'll try to do better in the future! Hope everyone had a marvelous weekend and got some Christmas shopping done!

Seriously, It Costs That Much?!

I love shopping. It's literally one of my favorite things to do. I don't know why, but it's calming and enjoyable with a tiny spark of excitement in the anticipation of the item's first wearing, first use or initial display, not to mention the look on one's face if you're giving the item as a gift. There is nothing better than the sparkle in a recipient's eyes when they open a much-anticipated present. That being said, this time of year is an excellent time to partake in the latter. I have a very large internal circle of family in which I exchange presents with. With three parents, four siblings (and spouses), seven nieces and nephews, two grandparents, two like-a-second moms and David...the numbers add up quickly. But, this is also one of my favorite times of year so I greatly enjoy the exchange of gifts and the delightful gleams on everyone's faces. That being said, I have approximately four of these people/couples left to buy for...of course, the last few being the hardest to buy for. But, I came up with this great idea. I first came across this idea a few months back when browsing through an antique/craft shop with David's mom. Then, I saw them again at An Affair of the Heart (my favorite Christmas buying excursion), but no real luck due to the cost. Soooooo...I thought that perhaps I might have more luck just googling the idea on the good old 'net. Wow is all I have to say.

Here's my gift idea...





...only the idea is to pick the letters of the recipient's last name. I would LOVE to have one of these for my house and even David's. I've actually considering buying one for David's house, but it seems kind of silly to buy a grown man decorations for his house when he'd rather receive Legos. Yes, Legos. Don't ask.

Another reason why I liked this gift idea is that it seems like something that one would never buy for themselves. One year my stepdad's parents went with an idea similar and it went over extremely well. Only, the premise of their last name hanging was a crocheted doily matted in a frame. They're gorgeous. My parents still have theirs. Regardless, the cheapest ones of the above pictured idea that I could find on the internet was around $100. Really?? Seriously?? It's a few pictures...framed...and that's it. I can understand if you pick an expensive/ornate frame, a detailed matting, an extra large (20x24) version OR if your name was 16 letters. But, for just a plane jane black frame, white matting with a 5-10 letter name??? Reeeeeediculous. About as ridiculous as the pet rock. Just my personal opinion.

Phew...glad my first "mud" blog is out of the way. Now I can get into the good stuff. For the past couple weeks I've had ideas, but they all have involved bathrooms. And I didn't want my first "mud" labeled blog to be about bathrooms. Especially when every other blog is about food. However, one of my ideas/inquiries was why women will breeze into a public restroom, try to push open a locked stall door, then get embarrassed and wait for that person to finish and leave rather than simply squat and check to see if there are feet under the other stalls. Then there's that awkward look exchanged between women when the occupier is exiting the stall. This happened to me last week and mine was the only occupied stall in the entire bathroom. ::sigh:: I wish I could say this was the first and only time this has ever occurred...but, it's not and I doubt it'll be my last.

I hope everyone has a fun-filled weekend. Tonight I'll be viewing New Moon in the balcony of the Warren Theater with one of my best friends. Then, Saturday I'll be participating in a potluck pre-Christmas dinner with my stepdad's family. I love getting to see all my aunts, uncles and cousins even if it only might be this one time per year. Next week I'm sure I'll detail what I bring...but, I'm not going to tell you what it is just yet. You can just live in the anticipation. Then, I'll be headed for a football game on Sunday...in the bitter cold. We'll see if I live through it.

Plain and Simple Baked Potato Soup

David was out of town over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, so when I stopped eating and was no longer filled to the brim with turkey, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, devilled eggs, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, rolls, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, ambrosia, etc....I actually thought about food. This was, of course, a couple days later. I thought about what to make for a meal by myself, but nothing too terribly heavy. After all, I had just consumed the heaviest meal of the entire year a day or so prior. Soooo, I skipped through my soup recipes and tried to figure out what ingredients I had and perhaps what I might want to experiment with.

Like I said in a previous post, David isn't too terribly thrilled about my recipe experimentations. Therefore, I try to get as many experiments done while he is out of town.

While thumbing through the soup section of my recipe book I found this simple and easy recipe for potato soup. One of my favorite types of soup! If you were to ask me where I got this recipe I would have to say that I have absolutely no idea. There were no notations and it was simply typed up on a sheet of paper. I have a feeling it was just one I found in one of my mom's many recipe folders. I modified it to fit the amount of ingredients I either had or wanted to use-my changes are in red. Feel free to experiment either way. Regardless, here it is (unfortunately I didn't not take a picture). Quite tasty!

Baked Potato Soup

4 medium baking potatoes
3 slices of bacon (3 slices)
1/2 cup celery (3/4 cup)
3/4 cup green onion thinly sliced (white onion, chopped)
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups of milk
1 clove of garlic, chopped (3 cloves, minced) ***I "heart" garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup light sour cream (1/2 cup half and half, 1/2 cup cream cheese)
2 oz. (1/2 cup) shredded cheddar cheese

Remove skins from potatoes. Coarsely chop potatoes.

In 4 qt. sauce pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to paper towel to drain. Crumble and set aside. Discard all but 1/2 tsp of bacon drippings from pan.

Meanwhile, chop celery. Thinly slice onions. Add chicken broth, milk, potatoes, celery, onions, garlic, salt and pepper to drippings in pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in sour cream and reserved bacon. Heat for 5 more minutes. Ladle soup into four bowls and sprinkle with cheese.

Reading Lolita in Tehran

I think it's extremely important to read books about different regions of the world. This helps give insight to how people live in different cultures and can be extremely interesting. Within the past six months to a year I have read the Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Three Cups of Tea and this book, Reading Lolita in Tehran. All of these are great books, though I will say this one is probably my least favorite of those mentioned. I was in the wonderful bookstore utopia, also known as the Half Price Bookstore, one day looking for Three Cups of Tea. The cashier was a very bookish sort and highly recommended Reading Lolita in Tehran if I enjoyed Three Cups of Tea. So, a few days later when I returned I purchased the audiobook version of said novel. After I had acquired the book I happened to mention it to Donna, David's mom, to see if she had read it. Of course she had. But, she told me to be prepared to be saddened while reading. Greaaaaat. But, I thought it couldn't be sadder than Khaled Hosseini's stories in the above mentioned novels. So, I set about listening to the novel in my car, like I always do.

The purpose of this novel is to serve as a memoir for an Iranian female professor, Azar Nafisi, including her time as a literature professor at the University of Tehran as well as at the University of Allameh Tabatabei. More importantly the memoir details the relationships she develops with different women in her classes, the secret class she conducts after being expelled and the way all of the women cope and manage with the changing society and day-to-day life around them. Nafisi is extremely intelligent and grew up in a time when Iranian women were allowed to become educated and display freedom in their ideas and dress. However, during the course of this book the Iranian Revolution begins and you learn from the author about the oppression, newly appointed revolutionary guards as well as new rules imposed on society.

There were a couple scenes that were hard for me to get through. Virginity tests executed on one of Nafisi's students (while with other female friends) was one scene that bothered me. Another excerpt that disturbed me regarded a friend of one of the student's fingernails being clipped so short that her cuticles bled...this a punishment for nails that were too long and "westernized-looking." Does that turn anyone else's stomach? Another sad detail of this book was that all the students' names were changed. This was because Nafisi wanted to protect the students these stories entailed. Nafisi even mentions how she cross-referenced some of the stories amongst different girls. Why? To throw off anyone reading her book trying to figure out who these girls were so they could be brought in and "punished" for whatever reason. There was one exception though-the students that are now dead. How sad that she could only share their names because there was no way for them to be punished for their actions. All of these instances within the book make me grateful to live in the society I do and realize how small and petty some everyday frustrations. Why be irritated about being cut off in traffic when at least you can paint your fingernails? I go for a pedicure once a month with my mom. When she fell and broke her hip a couple winters ago she wasn't able to reach her feet...this became a fun tradition born from her ill luck. This would not have been possible in the Iran that Nafisi describes in her memoir.

While there are many disturbing entries within the memoir, there is a lot of "good stuff" in it too. The camaraderie felt among the girls is heart-warming and despite the restrictions, many of the girls find ways around these morality regulations. One girl always paints her fingernails bright red, but to keep from being jailed, flogged or otherwise punished she wears black gloves in public, even when it's hot outside. Also, while reading you can very much tell that Nafisi is a great professor. There are times when she appears to go off on tangents about different books and explain her thought process about how she interprets and teaches them. In fact, it makes me want to read the ones I hadn't before. Obviously, I read The Great Gatsby and Pride and Prejudice in high school. But, although it appears sick and twisted the book, Lolita (by Vladimir Nabokov) that encompasses part of the title of this book intrigues me a little, perhaps enough to read it. There are a few others, but I won't get too deep into my thoughts over what I want to read next as stimulated by this book. I only have about 20 or so other books to read first.

If someone were to ask me if I would recommend this book for reading...I would say yes. BUT, I would tell them to be prepared and get in to the right mindset before they start. While I was reading this book I spoke with a friend that had just completed Push. Both of us were having problems getting through our books without being disturbed. Like I said before though, it is important to read such writings. Why again? Because it brings a little bit of perspective into your own life and helps you realize the blessings you do have...and let's you know that perhaps instead of squandering time on the negatives in life, it's better to truly enjoy the positives.

All that being said, it will be a little while before I read another female-oppressed novel...after reading this novel and The 19th Wife at the same time, phew! I was welcoming New Moon with wide open arms!

Dave's Faves, Numero Uno

I was speaking with a friend the other day and she gave me a great idea. We were discussing how much I love to cook and she commented on how lucky David is to get to enjoy my cooking/baking experimentations. Well, I let her in on a little secret...David's not exactly thrilled every time I try a new recipe. He's always afraid of the outcome. And trust me, I'll probably only share the ones that end up being successes. Soooo, if I don't like it and he doesn't like it, you probably won't see me post about it. During my conversation with my friend a cute little saying, Dave's Faves, came up. I thought it was great idea and worthy of incorporating into my blog. So, from now on if a dish is one of "Dave's Faves" I will label it as such. Then, if you're looking for a "man-friendly" recipe, you'll be able to find one easily enough.

To start off this Dave's Faves segment I want to begin with a recipe he requests ALL THE TIME. This man cannot make it through the morning without breakfast and he is always asking me to make these muffins, Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins. They're super easy for me to whip up on a Sunday night, plus the batch will last him the whole workweek. I saw this recipe on Barefoot Contessa one day and had to try them. These are deeeeeelish and the batter is perhaps even better. I always sneak a swipe of the bowl once I'm done and David always finishes off the rest. I know it's got raw eggs in it, but hey...doesn't this batter just look appealing?? Make them and just try to not sample the batter, I dare you.

One recommendation I will make, prepare only half the recipe unless you're planning on company. This is the entire batch in the oven...and I only made half the recipe. Just a suggestion. I know the recipe calls for 3 large eggs, but when I make a half batch I simply use 2 medium eggs. And follow Ina's recommendation as far as the ice cream scoop; they really do make a nice sized muffin that way. These are a little on the smaller size, but only because I used a medium cookie scoop on them.

And here is the finished product. I normally use the cupcake papers, but I was out this time. That's OK though, these turned out fine and taste the same as always! However, I would suggest using the papers in the future, otherwise the blueberries can fall out the bottom of the muffin when you get them out of the pan. This happened on a couple in this batch.

Happy muffin baking!

Yea...I'll Admit It

So, I'm a fan. I'll admit it, I've become enraptured by this series. And is it bad that I'm wanting to go ahead and read all my books I already have just so I can get to Eclipse that much faster? ::sigh:: Yea, it kinda is. I know. But, I'll tell you the exact same thing that everyone else has that's read these books. They are addicting and completely and totally suck you in. I started this book on Friday night around 7:30pm. By 1:00am early Sunday morning I was done. It's that good. If you haven't started reading the Twilight series...well, you should. I was like most that were opposed to begin with. I mean, seriously? C'mon, give me a break. Vampires? Scary movies are not my thing and if I'm going to watch a romantic movie I'd much rather watch something like Dirty Dancing, The Notebook, Pretty Woman, How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days or Sweet Home Alabama. Just to name a few. But, I had a friend, who shall remain nameless...OK, so it was more than just one friend. Anyway! I was TOLD to read the books. Yes, told, not asked. In fact, when I didn't comply I was even called names...well, a name. One that is not a historically complimentary name. In fact, one that Dr. Bailey was called throughout the first two seasons of Grey's Anatomy. And yes, I love that show. I don't talk during that show. I used to not answer phone calls during that show. Thank goodness for DVR. My friends and family are much happier now. David thinks it's a game. To try and distract me from Grey's, that is. It doesn't work. Ever. But, I digress...

So! New Moon. It's great. Did I mention I read it in less than a 36 hour period? All 500 pages of it. So, if you haven't read it, or started to read the series...do. I don't think I need to give you background, do I? Teenage girl...in love with a vampire...there's werewolves in this book. Yes, it's very teeny-bopperish, but hey, we all need that kind of thing from time to time. It's why things like SpongeBob exist. I could have said Beavis and Butthead, Wayne's World or Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, but that might have dated me. Eh, oh well. Oh, and for the record, I totally am not into the idea of wearing pale make-up or fake teeth or any of that silly, trendy stuff that people are doing over these books. I simply find it a good story that compels you to read further. Aaaand after watching the first movie, Twilight, I'll be heading to the theater this coming Friday to watch this book transformed onto the silver screen. Can't wait!