I do not like shrimp, but Brent loves it! So when he was traveling for work a couple of weeks ago, he brought home 15 pounds of fresh shrimp frozen into 5 pound blocks. We gave 10 pounds away, but today I am attempting to cook my first ever shrimp recipe.
Bang Bang Shrimp (adapted from the Bonefish Grill recipe)
1 pound shrimp, deveined and peeled
1/2-3/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Thai sweet pepper sauce (Asian pepper sauce)
10-12 drops hot sauce
2 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
Mix mayo, pepper sauce, hot sauce, and wing sauce in a medium sized bowl. Coat shrimp in corn starch. Heat oil in deep fryer until very hot (about 350 degrees). Drop shrimp in, cook 3 minutes. Do not overcook (I learned my lesson the hard way!), literally cook them 3 minutes in very hot oil. Remove from oil (they should be very, very light beige in color), place on paper towel. Drop into sauce, coat. Serve immediately.
So, earlier on the blog I posted a delicious beef enchilada recipe. I wanted to try something a little new tonight though, so I attempted chicken enchiladas. I used the Philadelphia cooking creme again, but this time it was the Santa Fe flavor. I've also kind of been on a Southwestern/Mexican kick, so you may have seen a theme lately!
Chicken Enchiladas
3 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 tsp garlic
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 small can chopped green chiles
6 enchilada sized tortillas (soft taco)
1 container Philadelphia Santa Fe cooking creme, separated
1 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese, separated
Saute diced onion and garlic until slightly browned. Add green chiles, saute another 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes, chicken, 3/4 cup cooking creme, 1/2 cup cheese; heat and stir until cheese is melted. Scoop chicken mixture onto tortilla, making a line down the middle. Roll tortilla up, place in greased 9x13 baking dish, seam side down. Continue with 5 tortillas. Top with remaining cooking creme and cheese. Bake covered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then uncover for 5 additional minutes.
Brent has named this dish "Mile High Salsa Pie" and rightly so, that's basically what it is! This is a great dish to play around with, add different ingredients or make it as spicy as you want. It's also just an easy Mexican dish to throw together. It makes great leftovers!
Mile High Salsa Pie
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 jar medium salsa
2 cups cheddar
4 soft taco tortillas
(You can use a soft taco kit to make this. It comes with the tortillas, the seasoning, and usually a spicy cheese mixture which makes a great addition to the meat mixture.)
Add taco seasoning to drained ground beef. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add beans and cheese mixture (if using kit) to meat mixture. Heat for 3-4 more minutes. In a round 2 qt baking dish, layer tortilla, salsa, meat mixture, then cheese. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and dish is bubbly.
Have you tried the new Philadelphia Cooking Creme? I had read a lot about it, so when I was in the store this week I picked up the Savory Garlic flavor. Tonight, I kind of created my own dish using it and it turned out really good!
Savory Garlic Chicken
3 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
Montreal chicken seasoning
Northwoods seasoning
broccoli florets
sun dried tomatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp pepper
1 container Savory Garlic Philadelphia Cooking Creme
2 cups rice
Heat oil in skillet. Cook chicken with seasonings until no longer pink. Remove from heat and add broccoli, cover to steam. After 3-4 minutes, add sun dried tomatoes, milk, pepper. Return to medium heat. Add cooking creme, stir and heat thoroughly (about 4-5 minutes). Serve over rice.
I do not have a good relationship with soy sauce. I've tried to eat Asian food, and I just can't do it. Brent really likes it though, so this recipe is kind of a compromise. It has a little bit of an Asian flavor to it, but without the soy sauce. I have to credit this recipe to my former roommate, Meredith!
Apricot Chicken
6 chicken drumsticks, skinless
8 oz Catalina dressing
8 oz apricot preserves
1 pkg Lipton onion soup
Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour uncovered. Serve over rice.
If you have never tried macaroni and cheese in the slow cooker, you are missing out! This is my absolute favorite macaroni and cheese! My parents have been making this for years.
Slow Cooker Macaroni and Cheese
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 lg can evaporated milk
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c butter, melted
2 tsp oil
1 tsp salt
8 oz macaroni, cooked and drained
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Grease crockpot with butter. Pour mixture into crockpot, cover with extra cheese. Cook on low 4 hours. Can be made 1 day in advance and refrigerated, cook 5 hours.
I've always liked chicken salad, but not enough to ever really order it anywhere. I guess because I'm not a big fan of celery. So, I attempted to create my own and it turned out really good!
Chicken Salad
3 chicken breasts
1 granny smith apple
1 cup slivered almonds
12-15 red grapes
pinch onion and garlic
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Chop all ingredients and mix. Add mayo a little at a time, stirring to determine consistency. Add more mayo as desired. Serve on croissants.
