Shrimp and Orzo

I made a shrimp & Orzo salad once for Kirk's birthday picnic (almost 3 years ago when we were little college sweethearts) and it was delicious.  When he passed the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam I  ran to the store in a speedy attempt to make a special dinner before he got home (I had like 45 minutes prep time including a grocery run), I decided shrimp and orzo would be fast and special.

I served it with a tasty rotisserie chicken, dutch crust french bread (so good), fresh pineapple and Henry Weinhard's root beer (one of Kirk's favorites).  This meal was super duper fast and delicious.  I think it surprised Kirk that I was able throw it together so quickly because it was on the table ready when he walked in the door.

Shrimp & Orzo Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 box of Orzo
• 10-12 fully cooked Shrimp - (mine were frozen so I thawed them)
  
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 yellow squash, cubed
• 1 zucchini, cubed
• 1/2 cup cherry/grape tomatoes
  
• 1 tablespoons of pesto sauce
  
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. Cook orzo according to package directions.  Drain and place in serving bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix to coat.
   
2.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat and add the vegetables.  Add the thyme and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook, stirring frequently.  When the squash is cooked (it'll he browned a bit and tender but still firm) add the shrimp.  Remove from heat, remove the thyme sprigs.
   
3. Add the vegetables and shrimp to the orzo.  Add pesto, then salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to mix.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Serve warm.

Like I said, this was really easy.  I'm sure I could have looked up a fancy, labor intensive recipe like I did 3 years ago but I was short on time.  Kirk thought it was tasty enough for lunches later and claimed that he loved it.

For dessert, we had a smorgasbord of delectable treats for Raley's and Martinelli's.  I can't remember what all the names were (chocolate decadence and key lime cheese cake were 2 of the 4 I splurged on) but seriously, if you have a Raley's near you you have to try their single serving desserts.  Incredible!
 

Cobbler

Last night I decided to make use of all our frozen fruit and I made a yummy cobbler and some vanilla ice cream for the top.  Then, Kirk told me he needed to bring something to work to make up for the lack of doing dish duty this week (how cute, they gave him a little "chore").  So, I made the same thing for them.  Kirk tells me they ate it all up and LOVED it. 

It was really easy and there wasn't really a recipe (I just tossed some things together) but I'll give you as close as I can to the actual measurements I used!

Cobbler (9x13 pan):

Ingredients:

Filling:

• 6-8 cups of frozen fruit
• I used 2 16 oz. bags of Mixed berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries) and 1 bag of frozen peaches
•  1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup flour
• Zest and juice from one lemon

 Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup oats
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup cold butter cut into cubes

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350*.  In a large mixing bowl, toss the frozen fruit with sugar, flour, lemon zest and juice.  You may need to add a bit of room temperature water.  I left my fruit frozen but used enough water to make the berries defrost a bit and break up slightly.  They mixture wasn't super wet but it was moist.
2. Place filling into the greased baking dish (I used a 9x13 inch pan) and spread to cover the bottom of the pan evenly.  
3. Mix together all the dry topping ingredients.  Add the butter and mix with an electric or standing mixer until crumbly.  Pour the topping on top of the fruit and spread evenly.  You should be able to completely cover the top of the fruit.
4. Bake for 45-50 minutes.  The filling should be bubbly and seep through the topping around the edges.

Best served warm with ice cream.

One of Kirk's coworker's sent this email to him: "Tell your wife it was AMAZING! And thank you!"  I guess it wasn't a bad way to start a cold, wet Friday.

Chocolate Crinkles

Pretty sure these are typically a Christmas cookie but they are so easy I have to share the recipe.  They take no time at all!

Ingredients:

• 1 box devil's food cake mix with pudding
• 1/2 cup vegtable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

• Heat oven to 350*.  In a large bowl, mix the cake mix, oil, eggs and vanilla with spoon until well blended.
• Scoop dough and shape into 1-inch balls (I used a cookie scoop and didn't even have to shape into balls!).  Roll balls in powdered sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake 10-12 minutes or until cookies are set.  Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute then transfer to a wire rack.  Cool completely.

Enjoy!

Suzie Burger

Get ready guys, I'm about to sound like a chubby girl that hasn't eaten in 4 hours...


Every time I pass the sign for Suzie Burger I want to stop in and check it out. Well, Kirk and I decided that we would do just that on Friday night. Holy cow was it amazing!

I'm not even kidding or exaggerating at all when I say it was the best cheeseburger and fries I've ever eaten. The meat was delicious (and never frozen I might add), the pickles were unbelievably crispy, the tomatoes were fresh, the sauce was perfect and the bun was straight from Heaven. No joke here people. I can't even begin to tell you how good the fries were. Oh, and I got a shake. Don't get me started. You all know I love Ghirardelli chocolate and this shake was made with it!

I don't care how many calories I ate. It was so delicious and worth it. If you are in the Sacramento area, get your booty down to Suzie Burger ASAP. If you're scared and don't want to go alone, don't worry, I'll go with you.

It's on the corner of P Street and 29th Street.

http://www.suzieburger.com/

St. Paddy's day Leprechaun Feast and the day after...

For St. Patrick's day I made Kirk a holiday themed meal Why not? Isn't it true that newly weds are really good at being cutesy? Here's my cutesy dinner that actually wasn't very cutesy at all (kinda gross looking/tasting)...I think I'll stop using that word now.

We had corned beef and cabbage which pretty much tasted exactly what I thought corned beef would taste like. The name says it all. Green mashed potatoes. Irish soda bread and a fake brewski.
Kid Friendly Beer (HA! Should kids be eating this? (I guess it's along the same lines as fake cigarettes?) Make one box of lemon jello and pour it into beer mugs, steins, a pitcher, whatever your heart desires. Let the jello set. Top with CoolWhip to give a frothy appearance. Enjoy! So easy and I thought it was cute for a couple that doesn't drink alcohol but apparently wants to give the appearance we do.


Next day:





Corned Beef Hash

Ok, I know this is probably the worst thing I've ever eaten in terms of calories and fat. However, this was DELICIOUS. My first time making/eating corned beef hash was truly delightful. We used our leftovers and made this fantastic recipe for dinner the next night. I got this from America's Test Kitchen but modified it. I used about half of the potatoes and corned beef, only 2 eggs, no salt, half and half rather than heavy cream and WAY more Tabasco sauce because it took a lot without getting too spicy.

:Ingredients:

2 lb. Potatoes
2 Bay leaves
4oz. Bacon (about 4 slices) chopped fine
1 Onion, chopped
1 lb. Corned beef
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. minced thyme
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
6 Large eggs
Pepper
Salt

:Directions:

1. Bring potatoes, salt bayleaves and 6 cups of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 4 minutes. Drain.

2. Cook the bacon in a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat until the fat is partially rendered, 4 minutes. Add onion and cook until edges are brown. Add corned beef, garlic and thyme. Stir potatoes and lightly press mixture into the pan. Add cream and tabasco sauce. Cook 4 minutes undistirbed. Invert the hash with a spatula one portion at a time and repack it into the pan. Repeat this process every few minutes until hash is partly crisp and potatoes are thouroughly cooked.

3. Make 6 2 inch indentions in the hash and crack an egg into each indention. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to meduim low, cover the pan and cook until the eggs are set. Cut hash into 6 wegdes around the eggs and serve.


Seriously, corned beef hash is delicious. Who knew? Well, Kirk did and he couldn't get enough of it! He loved it. I have to mention this little story:

When Kirk and I were picking out my wedding ring, we went to a diamond importer. The guy fell in love with my hands. He kept holding them and looking at them and telling me I had "perfect hands" and that I could be a hand model if only they were a little bit bigger. I felt like George Costanza. Still he loved them, I mean LOVED them people! He made it really awkward for me because he just couldn't get over my hands . Anyway, Kirk thought it was funny and told me that the guy was a creep with a hand fetish and said, "I'm surprised he didn't ask you to put your hands in a plate of corned beef hash!" I never even knew what corned beef hash was until a couple weeks ago and now that I do I find it more disturbing that Kirk said that.

Chicken Caesar Sandwich: 2 ways

These sandwiches are dang good and really simple. They take no time, like most sandwiches, and they are a perfect meal for the beautiful weather we're experiencing in California right now.


:Panini Style:

:Picnic Style:

:Ingredients:

Rotisserie Chicken
Avocado
Fresh Mozzarella
Spinach
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Bacon (if your heart desires it)
Creamy Caesar Dressing
Bread of your choice

Assemble your sandwiches with a bit of Caesar dressing on each slice of bread. Add avocado, spinach, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, bacon and chicken. Enjoy a fast and delicious meal!

By the way, Kirk wanted me to get pictures of both of these sandwiches. Apparently the boy likes sandwiches (or, sammies as he fondly refers to them).

Couscous and veggies

Kirk has always told me he hates couscous but I bought some anyway and made it for dinner last week hoping to change his mind...and I did! The secret is to add some roasted veggies to it. So simple, so quick and so fabulous! Kirk thinks it's the texture of the vegetables and the couscous that makes this so good. He has already had me make this again (twice in one week) and even then he saved some to take for lunch he liked it so much.

:Couscous:

Cooking couscous is insanely easy. Boil a cup of water and a tablespoon of butter, toss in a cup of couscous. Take off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. You're good to go!

:Veggies:

Slice in half lengthwise a couple zucchini, yellow squash and your favorite tomatoes. Cut a bell pepper up into large pieces (about 1''x1''). Place these all on a wire rack in a cookie sheet. Spray with olive oil spray. Place in the oven under the broiler until everything starts to turn blackish.