New Orleans BBQ Style Shrimp

So I've taken quite a hiatus from blog posts. At first it was because I found out I was pregnant and suffered from morning, afternoon, and evening sickness so the thought alone of cooking turned my stomach. Once that passed our summer got crazy with showers, weddings, and trips so I didn't get time to post all the things I was cooking. Things are finally starting to slow down a bit and I can finally post something on here!

A friend of mine recently visited New Orleans and that inspired me to make this DELICIOUS shrimp dish. I love Cajun food, but it can be a bit spicy for me and baby these days. I toned the spice down in this recipe, but feel free to kick it up a notch.

The original recipe came from my buddy Emeril Lagasse. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/new-orleans-bbq-shrimp-recipe.html

I changed several things to fit my palette better, but feel free to look his up!

Disclaimer: this is a little more time consuming that I anticipated, but well worth it! Don't cut any steps or shorten time because it may not turn out the same.

New Orleans BBQ Style Shrimp
1 1/2 lbs of raw, skin and tail on shrimp
2-3 tbsp of Cajun creole seasoning (see recipe below for homemade Cajun creole seasoning)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 lemons, peeled and sectioned
1-2 bay leaves
1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of dry white wine
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of milk
2 tbsp of butter

Cajun Creole Seasoning

2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp dried thyme

Mix together in a bowl and set aside. Any extra from this recipe can be stored in pantry for up to a year!

1. Peel the shrimp, but KEEP THE SHELLS.  (sounds strange...but you need them for the sauce later on).
2. Sprinkle the peeled shrimp with 1 1/2 tbsp of the creole seasoning you made and put in the fridge

3. Heat oil in a large pot on the high heat.
4. Saute garlic for about a minute
5. Peel and section 1 1/2 lemons.
5. Add the shrimp shells, 1 1/2 tbsp of creole seasoning, bay leaves, lemons, water, Worcestershire, wine, salt and pepper. Bring this mixture to a boil and stir well.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

6. Remove from heat and strain into a smaller sauce pan. Let cool for about 15 minutes.
7. Heat over high heat and bring to a boil.  Stir consistently until the mixture is thick and syrupy.  This should take about 10 minutes (this is your BBQ base)...set aside when done.

8. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the seasoned shrimp from the fridge.
9. After about 2-3 minutes add the BBQ base and cream.  Simmer for about 5 minutes with shrimp in it.

10. Remove shrimp and place in a bowl or platter.
11.  Add butter to the sauce left in pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.  When melted, pour sauce over shrimp.  Serve with a french baguette to soak up all that delicious sauce!

Although it may take a while to prep, this is a delicious recipe and is great for feeding a crowd!

Pasta Carbonara

I think I've mentioned before that I am a sucker for Italian food.  Especially a rich, creamy, pasta.  As much as I love it...the calorie intake is a little daunting.  So, I decided to take a traditional carbonara recipe and lighten it up!  Awesome food without the guilt...what can be better?! This pasta dish is all about timing, so make sure when you're cooking it, you can be uninterrupted.

You need a little crisp bacon...

I promise, it gets healthier :)

The sauce mixture consists of eggs, skim milk, greek yogurt, and parmesan cheese.

Some sauteed onions and garlic

Then you will drain the pasta, slowly pour in the egg mixture while constantly stirring pasta.  Stop halfway through to add the bacon, peas, and onions.  

Finish tossing in the rest of the sauce and viola!!  Italiano for those of us who can't afford the extra calories :)  I promise it tastes like its unhealthy!

Skinny Pasta Carbonara

Serves 6-8

12 ounces of whole wheat pasta of your choice
10 pieces of bacon cooked crisp (if you really want to lighten it up, use turkey bacon)
1 and 1/2 cups of peas
1/2 a medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic
3 whole eggs
3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup skim milk
1/4 cup of plain nonfat greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste

1.Chop up onions and garlic and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta according to directions on box.
3. While the pasta is cooking, fry up the bacon and crumble it.  Set aside.
4. Remove the bacon grease from pan, but do not rinse pan.  The leftover grease will serve as flavor for sauteing onions and garlic.
5. Add onions and garlic to pan and saute for a few minutes until brown.
5. Whisk together eggs, milk, greek yogurt, and cheese until smooth.
6. Drain pasta and reserve a cup of the pasta water.
7.  Put pasta in a bowl while still very hot.
8. Slowly add the egg mixture while constantly stirring the pasta.  The hot pasta will cook the eggs and create a nice, creamy texture.
9. Halfway through, add peas and bacon.
10.  Finish adding egg mixture until desired consistency.  If it is not creamy enough, add some of the pasta water.
11. Serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese!

I decided to calculate out the calories using MyFitnessPal and here is the breakdown for those who care...
Per serving: 269 calories 43 carbs 11 grams of fat 21 grams of protein
Not too shabby for a filling meal like this!

Banana Wontons

Sound a little strange to you?  Be not afraid...these babies are AMAZING. And very easy to make.  My aunt made these one night and now they are one of my go-to desserts.

Banana Wontons
2 bananas
1 package of wonton wrappers (I usually only use about half of the package)
oil for frying
toppings/sides of your choice
-I've used vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, powdered sugar, etc.  You name, it is awesome with this dessert!

1. Heat about 1 inch of oil in medium sized skillet.
2. While the oil is heating up, slice the bananas up and start wrapping them in the wonton wrappers.  There is no special way to do this, I just wing it.  Put a little bit of water on it to seal them up.

3. Place the wrapped up wontons into the hot oil.  Cooking for about 1-2 minutes or until browned on the bottom, then flip over and cook 1-2 more minutes on the other side.

Top them with whatever sounds good to you and enjoy!

 How good do those look?!

Chicken Parmesan

Italian food is one of those genres of cuisine that I rarely make, simply because I eat WAY TOO MUCH of it.  Anything that comes from the wonderful country of Italy is an A+ in my book.  Below is my own rendition of Chicken Parmesan.  It may not be perfect traditional chicken Parmesan, but man is it delicious. I made my own sauce to go with it...that recipe is first.  Then go ahead and follow the chicken parmesan directions.  Feel free to alter it however you want.  That's the beauty about cooking vs. baking.  You can wing it!

Maggie's Homemade Spaghetti/Marinara Sauce

1 can of crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp of "pasta magic"
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil

saute the chopped onion, minced garlic, and olive oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium high heat.  Do this until the onions and garlic are soft (about 5-8 mins)

Next, pour the can of crushed tomatoes in with the onions and reduce heat to medium.

Add spices and sugar to the sauce.

Let the sauce simmer for about 25 minutes until things look nicely blended together.

Now, time to move on the preparing the chicken!  

1.5 pounds if boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 c of italian bread crumbs

1 c of flour

3 eggs

canola oil for frying

sauce from above recipe

1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese

1 lb of spaghetti noodles

The chicken breasts that I bought were very think, so I cut them in half.  Then add a layer of plastic wrap over the chicken and evenly thin with a meat pounder. 

Pour about a half inch of canola oil in a large skilled and heat over medium heat.  While the oil is heating up, put the flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs in 3 separate bowls.  Beat the eggs.

Dip each breast in the flour, then eggs, then the bread crumbs and place in the hot oil.  Cook the chicken about 4 minutes on each side or until the outside is brown and crispy.

After you place the chicken in a large glass pan, cover it with sauce and then cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, cook the pasta according to directions on box.  Serve the chicken over the pasta and enjoy!!  My husband added extra cheese (cheddar was all we had) that's why it looks the way it is :)

I also wanted to share a few other things that I've recently made and tried at some amazing restaurants!

I had this awesome dish at a place called Palette Bisto in Petoskey, MI.  It is a curry peanut butter, chipotle strawberry jam, bacon, and pear quesedilla.  Unbelievable!

A few weeks ago, I spend an entire Sunday baking!  Below is a loaf of whole wheat bread, 3 cheese garlic bread, and my gandmother in-law's crescent rolls.  

And finally...his and hers homemade pizza night!  Mine is on the left and it is Mango BBQ sauce from American Spoon Foods, shredded chicken, ham, and pineapple.  The hubby's on the right with sauteed onions, jalapenos and tomatoes.  Thanks for checking things out!  Happy cooking!

Momma Hackman's Zucchini Bread

When it comes to cooking and baking, my mom is awesome.  I learned most everything in the kitchen from her.  One thing that she can't be beat at is her zucchini bread.  This year, I had friends with a surplus of zucchini from their garden, so I got those extras and turned them into this delicious bread.  Thanks mom!

Momma Hackman's Zucchini Bread:
yield: 2 loaves
preheat oven to 350 degrees

3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c oil
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 c flour
2 c grated zucchini

1. Beat the eggs in a mixer

2. add sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla

3. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Then slowly add to the wet ingredients.

4. Grate your zucchini...takes forever...I know.  I usually end up using more than 2 cups of zucchini, which is totally fine! Then add that to you mix.

5. Prepare you loaf pans by coating them with butter, then dusting them with flour.  Pour the batter evenly between the 2 pans.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool on a rack for at least an hour before serving.

This bread is great fresh and can easily be frozen as well.  I like to make a few loaves at once and freeze some by wrapping it in aluminum foil, then placing in a sealed freezer bag.  Enjoy :)

Granola of all Granola

If you are familiar with Northern Michigan, then you are probably familiar with "Addictive Granola," made at Breadworks (one of my all time favorite bakeries).  This is many attempt...well really it took many attempts...at their crack granola.  You can really add anything you want to the oats.  In this version, I went with dried cherries, pecans, and almonds.  Other times I have added dried blueberries, raisins, walnuts, etc.  Be creative!!

Granola of all Granola Recipe:

1/2 c of butter
1/3 c of honey
1/3 c of brown sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon
2 c of oats (I just buy them in bulk at a hippie store, but Quaker oats work just fine as well)
3/4 c dried cherries
about 1 c coarsely chopped pecans
1/2 c almonds (mine are whole, but any variety works)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the brown sugar, honey, and cinnamon.  Stir until smooth.  Let sit until mixture starts boiling.  Stir one more time and remove from heat.

3. Add oats and stir until they are fully coated with mixture.
4. Add your "toppings" until everything is nice and covered in the yumminess.

5. Grease a large jelly roll pan (aka-the biggest cookie sheet you have).
6. Evenly spread the granola mixture over it.

7. Pop in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Depending on how crunchy you like it and how much granola is on the sheet in can take upwards to 35 minutes.  Use your best judgement :)  Enjoy!!

Carrot Cupcakes

To start things off, let me confess...I do not like cake. I know what you're thinking...I'm crazy. But having said that, I loooove carrot cake. This recipe comes from Southern Living, so you know it's good! I made my tweaks to it and you can too. The frosting is my own recipe, and can also be adjusted according to how sweet you like it. These were fun to make and decorate, hopefully you give it a try!!

Carrot Cupcake Recipe
Yield: 24 cupcakes

2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup of canola oil
3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup of skim milk
3 tsp vanilla
2 cup of grated carrots
1/2 cup of golden raisins
1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 finely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
2 sticks of butter at room temp
8 oz of cream cheese, softened
4 cups of powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a bowl and set aside

2. Best eggs in mixer until blended.

3. Add sugar and oil.
4. Mix the greek yogurt and milk together in a separate bowl until blended well. Then add 3/4 cup of the yogurt/milk mixture to your egg/sugar/oil blend.

5. Mix well and then start slowly adding dry mix. This is what it will look like before the dry ingredients are added.

6. Once blended, fold in carrots, raisins, coconuts, and walnuts.

7. Pour into muffin tins with liners.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they are brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean after inserted into cupcake.

Frosting Steps
1. Cream the butter and cream cheese together.
2. Slowly add powdered sugar
3. Mix in vanilla
4. Frost your cupcakes!
5. I like to too some f mine with toasted walnuts as well :)

If you want to reference the original recipe, here it is....

http://www.southernliving.com/food/entertaining/top-ten-five-star-layer-cakes-00400000040180/page5.html