Spicy and Saucy Shrimp

I love shrimp...any size, shape, or form. One of my favorite memories is of going with my family to a family style restaurant when I was about 15 and living in South Carolina. This restaurant served its food in bowls and platters, and you helped yourself. The meal started with all you could eat shrimp cocktails, but these weren't the cocktails served in dainty little glasses with the shrimp perched precariously on the sides. Oh, no. There were small bowls of shrimp scattered about the table along with bowls of sauce, and you just helped yourself. And the servers obligingly kept the bowls filled. Well, I was in shrimp heaven! Then my dad, always the competitor, challenged me to a shrimp eating contest. And the game was on. I had permission to make a pig of myself, which I did. The problem was there was no way I would ever outeat my dad. Instead, I just made myself sick. But it was so worth it! And I still love shrimp. So I look for opportunities to cook shrimp.

The local Safeway had large shrimp (such an oxymoron) on sale a couple of weeks ago and I purchased a 2 lb. bag of the of the 21/25 shrimp per pound size. I had seen a recipe on A Year of Crockpotting for spicy shrimp. And she freely admitted that she took it from The Pioneer Woman's recipe. So, now, I am putting my own spin on it. This is really, really addicting! Who knows, I may serve this for the main entree for Christmas dinner.

The Ingredients

2 lbs. fresh or thawed rinsed shrimp unpeeled
1 stick butter
1/4 cup olive oil (I use extra virgin)
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 TBS. Frank's Hot Sauce
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
juice from 3 lemons
1 TBS. Old Bay Seasoning

This is so easy it's almost shameful. I did this in my new Dutch oven and it took no time at all. Put the shrimp in a 5-6 qt. pot.

Slice the butter top and throw everything else in the pot. Give it a toss, put the lid on the pot, and turn the heat on medium. When it starts to gently boil, turn down the heat and check it often. When the shrimp is pink it's done. I think it took about 10 minutes.
Now what makes this especially yummy is this...and you must do this. You get a loaf of crusty bread and dip pieces of it into the sauce from the shrimp. OH MY GOSH! You will think you have died and gone to heaven. I served the shrimp with oven roasted broccoli, a semolina bread and the sauce in custard dishes for dipping. This was truly a delectable meal, definitely to be repeated. Enjoy.

P.S. You might want to put a bowl out for the discarded peels of the shrimp. And we basically ate the entire meal with our fingers. How good is that?!

Fall Comfort Food Chicken and Noodles

With yesterday being the first day of fall I really needed something warm and soothing. Can food be soothing? And I wanted to show off my new Dutch oven. Isn't it pretty? I love red. My mom had a Dutch oven when I was growing up, and I remember some pretty tasty pot roasts coming out of that sucker. I have always wanted one, just hadn't ever gotten around to getting one. And I did it on the cheap, getting it at Walmart. I am in love.

Anyway, one of my favorite fall and winter dishes is "Chicken and Noodles." There is nothing that says "love" and "home" better. This is my mom's recipe that I have tweaked a bit.

Ingredients

1 4-5 lb. chicken
1 medium onion cut in eighths
2 or 3 stalks celery with leaves cut in thirds
2 or 3 springs of fresh thyme
4 cloves mashed garlic

Later you will need
2 TBS. olive oil
1/2 onion chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
3 cloves garlic minced, grated or pressed
1 cup sliced baby carrots you can add more if you like
1/2 cup white wine
2 cans cream of something soup...mushroom, chicken, celery whatever you have will work
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 lb. egg noodles...I found a brand at Walmart called Country Pasta that is outstanding for this recipe
2 cups cream
salt and pepper to taste

Wash chicken, remove innards, and place chicken, not innards, in pot. You can do whatever you deem necessary to the innards. Me, well, I throw them away. Add onions, celery, garlic and water to almost cover the chicken. My Dutch oven is 6 qts., and the water was about an inch from the rim. Cover, bring to a boil, reduced to simmer and let her cook. I can't really give you a time on this. I think mine cooked about 4 1/2 to 5 hours. I just let it go while I was doing other stuff. When the meat starts falling off the bones, you know she's done.

Remove the chicken to a bowl and let cool for awhile. You are going to remove the meat from the bones, and you don't want to acquire 2nd degree burns doing it. Strain the broth into another bowl and also let cool. Throw away the veggies. After everything has cooled enough to handle, remove meat from the bones and skim grease from the broth.

In the bottom of the pot heat the oil and saute the new veggies until all but the carrots are tender. Use the wine (broth will also work) to deglaze the pot. Add the broth, chicken, and cans of soup. Heat to a gentle rolling boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente. Add thyme, cream, and salt and pepper. Stir until everything is well mixed and heated through. Voila, a great one dish dinner for the weekend that just warms the belly through and through. You can definitely leave out the cream. I added that to boost the fat and calories for my son. It is just as good without. Warm crusty bread and you are good to go. Enjoy!