Pan-Seared Shrimp with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

As I have said before, I am not a shrimp eater. I have gotten so much better and even look for shrimp recipes. I have had this marked to try for a long time, but the hoisin sauce was throwing me and I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy a special ingredient that I may not use again. I am so glad I finally made it. This is the best shrimp dish I have ever made. In fact, we have had it twice in the past two weeks which is unheard of for us! It has a wonderful asian flare to it. I am not worried about being able to use all of the hoisin sauce. It will get used!!

I served this with a faux fried rice, which works wonderfully with the shrimp. Enjoy!

Pan-Seared Shrimp with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze
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Source: Elly Says Opa!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1.5 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. water
2 scallions, sliced thin
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. sugar

Directions:

Stir together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, water, and scallions in small bowl. Set aside

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet with a lid over high heat until smoking. Meanwhile, toss shrimp, salt, red pepper flakes, and sugar in medium bowl. Add shrimp to pan in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; using tongs, flip each shrimp and let stand until all but very center is opaque, about 30 seconds.

Add the hoisin mixture and toss to combine. Cover skillet and let stand until shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp

I have said it many times this summer that we love grilling. I especially love grilling quick and easy meals. I have been craving shrimp even though I am not the biggest fan. I wanted a little spiciness to the shrimp and this was packed full of flavor. This dish comes together fast and is a great weekday meal. What's not to love.

I served the shrimp with grilled corn which was a wonderful combination together. Enjoy!!

The wonderful Erin at Milk & Honey tagged me with a getting to know you challenge. My answers appear below. Thanks for thinking of me Erin!

1) What was on your To-Do list today:

-Laundry. Vacation is coming up!!
-Packing! Which I really do hate.
-Feed and play with Nicole, our puppy
-Submit applications to become a substitute teacher this fall.
-Pick up and clean the house. I love coming home to a clean house.

2) 5 Snacks you enjoy:

-Apples
-Peanut butter
-String Cheese
-Soy nuts
-Yogurt

3) 5 Places you have lived:

- At home with my momma!!
- In the wonderful dorm during the school year.
- In several apartments with friends during summer school.
- A townhouse when Michael and I started dating.
- Michael and I's current house.

4) What were you doing 5 years ago:

Five years ago, Michael and I were dating. I was working as a real estate closing agent and loving it! I went to Disney World with my mom and sister who was pregnant with my wonderful nephew. Michael was deployed to Iraq for the summer. We went on a cruise to Mexico when he returned. It was a great year!!


5) 5 things you would do if you were a Billionaire:
- Travel! We love to go to new places and traveling together would definitely be something we would do.
- I would donate money to humane societies and educational funds to help those in need.
-I would buy my wonderful husband the RV I hear so much about!
-Make sure our families are taken care of.
-Again, donate some to non profit organizations.

Passing on this little challenge to a few other awesome bloggers I follow:

Angie at Telly's Tasty Tidbits
Kelsey at Apple a Day
Page at From My Teeny Tiny Kitchen
Patricia at ButterYum
Pup at A Happy Girl and Loving Life

Cajun Grilled Shrimp
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Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1-2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions:

Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Thread onto metal skewers. Brush with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix remaining spices in a small bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture onto shrimp and pat lightly to help it stick.

Grill the skewers, covered, until the shrimp are barely charred and bright pink, about 6 minutes.

Pan Roasted Scallops with Sweet Corn and Peppers

As I have said before, I am not a seafood person. I am growing in my experimenting of cooking and eating foods though. Michael asked for scallops for dinner this week. I have only had them once and was not impressed with them. Michael even agreed that the ones I tried were not good. The texture was horrible and rubbery. So I was nervous going into this cooking experience.

After watching many cooks get yelled at in Hell's Kitchen for rubbery scallops, we did research to make sure we had a better handle on cooking times, we delved into our adventure. Scallops do no take long to cook at all. This recipe is wonderful and I may be a converter. The sweet corn and peppers pair wonderfully with the scallops. They literally melt in your mouth.

This dish serves two. You can easily divide the sweet corn and pepper in half with 4 scallops to serve as a great appetizer. Enjoy!!

Pan Roasted Scallops with Sweet Corn and Peppers
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Source: Adapted from Monkey See

Ingredients:

6 scallops

4 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 cup red onion, minced

1 cup sweet corn (I used sweet corn from a can)

4 tablespoons green onion, chopped

4 tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons basil, chopped

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the red onion, sweet corn, green onions, red bell pepper and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a skillet on medium heat. After the oil has gotten hot, add the vegetables. Cook until the pepper are tender.

3. In another skillet, add 2 tablespoons canola oil on medium high heat. After the oil has warmed, turn it down to medium and add the scallops making sure there is oil under each one. Salt and pepper the scallops. Allow to cook for 2 minutes. Do not move or flip before this time. After the 2 minutes, flip each scallop. They should have have a nice carmel color from the sear. Allow to cook an additional 2 minutes. Turn the heat to low and allow to finish cooking.

4. Serve the scallops on top of the sweet corn and peppers.

Shrimp Tetrazzini

I have a few bags of shrimp in my freezer and was looking for a different way to cook them. After reading lots of reviews on Allrecipes, this recipe popped out at me. I am so glad that I tried it. The shrimp is prepared then added to a wonderful creamy sauce and pasta, baked, then topped with Parmesan cheese. It takes time to prepare because it has to bake in the oven after everything has been cooked, but it is so creamy and wonderful!

A few notes concerning this recipe. Next time I prepare this dish, I will add fresh parsley to the pasta mixture before it is cooked and I will also mix the Parmesan cheese with about a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs for the topping of the dish. Enjoy!

Shrimp Tetrazzini

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Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter (I used a tablespoon of olive oil)
1 onion, chopped
8 ounces shrimp, shelled and deveined
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sherry (I used white wine)
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti (I used penne pasta)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

I also added a few red pepper flakes and a minced clove of garlic to the shrimp while they were cooking.

Directions

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain well.

Over a medium-low heat melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion to melted butter and stir until onion is soft. Add shrimp and mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes stirring often. Remove shrimp mixture from saucepan, place in a medium size bowl and set aside.

Remove saucepan from heat. Combine flour, mayonnaise, salt, milk, and sherry in the saucepan. Mix well. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook until sauce thickens. Pour sauce into the bowl containing the shrimp mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and mix well.

Place all ingredients in a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish (baking pan). Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets

I have said before that I am not a huge seafood fan, but I am trying to incorporate more fish into our diet. Salmon is a fish that I do like so that tends to get used more often than others. The balsamic glaze is a wonderful compliment to the salmon. I love this dish and it will be on the rotation again. An added bonus is that this is supper fast for a weeknight meal. Enjoy!

(Sorry about the picture, I know it looks like chocolate sauce!)

Balsamic-Glazed Salmon Fillets
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Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients:

6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.

Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with oregano.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.

Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon

We love to grill, as you can tell from previous post, and salmon on the grill is wonderful! This is a recipe that we have made many times. The catch is, there is no exact recipe. The flavors of this recipe are done to your liking. The spicy mustard and sweetness of the brown sugar are exciting flavors together are wonderful with the salmon. Enjoy!

Brown Sugar and Mustard Salmon

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Ingredients:

Salmon (1-6 oz portion per person)

Spicy Mustard

Brown Sugar

Cedar Grilling Planks (soaked for at least 30 minutes)

Place the salmon on a plate and top generously with spicy mustard. Next, sprinkle brown sugar over the mustard. This is where the to taste comes into play. If you would like more of a sugar sauce, put more brown sugar on, but if you would prefer more of a spicy taste, use less brown sugar. Let the salmon sit for a bit to allow the flavors time to get to know each other better. Place the salmon on cedar planks and put them on a preheated grill. They are cooked through when the salmon is flaky.

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi

I am learning to be a seafood eater! I am not a huge fan of shrimp and have only been eating it since I have met Michael. I was first told that I would not be accepted as a member of his family because I did not like shrimp! That's a way to scare a girl the first she is being introduced to the to the family which was taking place at a shrimp boil. I have made this dish several times and absolutely love it. The shrimp are cooked in a garlic and butter sauce and are wonderful!



Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi
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Source: Cooking Light

4 servings

1 cup uncooked orzo
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
2 teaspoons bottled minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place orzo in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.

2. While orzo cooks, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.

3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.

Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan

This is a great recipe for tilapia. Michael is not a huge fan of tilapia, but he really liked the way this turned out. It has a great flavor and I will definitely make this again soon. I found this recipe on Allrecipes. I made a few changes that other reviewers suggested. I have shown my modifications in the recipe below. Next time, I plan on adding more breadcrumbs to help the topping brown better. I truly hope you give this one a try. It is wonderful and on top of that it is really fast.



Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan
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Source: Adapted from Allrecipes

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt (I used celery seed)
2 pounds tilapia fillets
I added 1/4 cup of Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.