NOLA Shrimp and Rice

I woke up, looked in my pantry, and saw two things....Shrimp and Rice.

 I wanted something easy to make with those items, but it needed to be delicious and flavorful. I contemplated going to the grocery store but after typing in shrimp and rice in Google.....I found a Yummy dish!

This dish did not disappoint. I followed Martha Stewart's recipe for her New Orleans Shrimp and Rice. Of course I had to stop and taste through each step and make sure that it was seasoned the way my family likes it. I suggest you do the same. I didn't have to deter much from her recipe though. I omitted the hot sauce and added a few different colored bell peppers. I wanted the colors of the peppers to shine through. It worked!

This makes enough to feed 3 people...2 big, 1 little, for 2 nights.

I served this dish over Jasmine rice for the hubby and little. For me, I sautéed a zucchini I spiraled and put the shrimp over that. I added a few drops of Tabasco to give mine a little kick.

NOLA Shrimp and Rice

1 stick of butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and stem removed. Diced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and stem removed. Diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and stem removed. Diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
1-28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
1- 14 oz. can of chicken stock
2 lbs. Shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 1/1 tsp. Cajun Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 c. Jasmine Rice (or any other rice you like)

In a large Dutch Oven, melt the stick of butter. Add flour and stir until lightly brown, about 3 minutes. Add bell peppers, onions, and celery. Sauté until veggies are tender. Add tomatoes, parsley, and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Add shrimp and stir so sauce covers the shrimp. Simmer for 15 minutes or until all shrimp are pink. Serve over rice or spiraled zucchini like me!

Shrimp Fried Rice

I made a yummy chicken fried rice with lots of vegetables hidden within. It was so flavorful and could be a side dish or main dish. 

I chopped up red and green cabbage, yellow, red and orange bell peppers, purple onions, green onions, and heated up some frozen peas. 

Shrimp Fried Rice

1 lb. Shrimp, no tail, peeled and deveined

2 c. cooked rice

1 c. chopped red cabbage

1 c. chopped green cabbage

1/4 c. each chopped red, orange, yellow bell pepper

1.2 c. chopped red onion

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 c. frozen peas thawed

1 egg scrambled

1/4 c. soy sauce (will separate throughout recipe)

1/4 c. honey (will separate throughout recipe)

4 tbsp. rice vinegar  (will separate throughout recipe)

4 tbsp. olive oil  (will separate throughout recipe)

In large dutch oven heat 2 tbsp. olive oil. Cook garlic and onion until onion is translucent. Add in Shrimp with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp. honey, 2 tbsp. rice vinegar. Let cook until shrimp are cooked through. Carefully put mixture with sauce into a bowl and put aside for later. Heat remaining olive oil in pan and add cabbage and bell pepper, cook until cabbage is wilted. Add in peas, rice, egg, and shrimp mixture. Add in remaining sauces slowly, stirring to coat rice. 

Shrimp Tacos

I made these shrimp tacos out of shear desperation for something quick and easy. It's hot here in Texas and I some days when the temperature is 100+ degrees, I don't feel like turning on the oven or slaving over the stove. These shrimp tacos are fresh and easy to do. I used a cast iron skillet to heat the tortillas. They taste much better than just putting them in the microwave or eating them straight out of the package. 

Ingredients:

Your favorite taco seasoning (I used Penzy's Fajita Seasoning)

1 lb. shrimp

3 tbsp. olive oil

8-10 yellow corn tortillas

2 c. shredded cabbage

1/4 c. chopped cilantro

Salsa

Limes

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Coat shrimp in taco seasoning. I like it spicy so I add about 3 tbsp. of the Penzy's seasoning. Cook shrimp in skillet until pink and cooked through. In a black cast iron skillet, warm tortillas. Put 4-5 shrimp in one tortilla. Top with cabbage, salsa, and lime juice. Enjoy! 

NOLA- My Love Pt. 3

Our conference was over on Saturday and our flight did not leave until late Sunday afternoon, so we again had a lot of time to sight see.

After the conference we walked around the French Market. I've been told that this is a great place to get the famous muffaletta. I am not a big fan of deli meat so I did not have one. They look amazing and are huge. If you are a deli meat with olive sandwich fan then you should definitely try one.

French Market

Muffaletta: Wikipedia

On my last post in pt. 2 I forgot to mention the most amazing experience. That night we went to Preservation Hall. The highlight of the sightseeing part of the trip. This is an amazing jazz experience that truly encompases New Orleans. There is a small stage with 5-6 members of a small jazz band. Each night there may be different performers. There are 3-4 small, old school church pews and pillows on the floor for guests to sit. The rest of the area is standing room only. We had to stand but I was grateful. I was able to dance and move to the music. Afterward we took a picture with the singer/trumpet player. We found out that he was a retired Math teacher. Go figure! It was an AMAZING experience and if you are in New Orleans this place should definitely be number one to visit.

After the french market we went to The Praline Company to get some pralines. New Orleans is famous for their pralines so we definitely wanted to try some. I did not really care for the pralines at The Praline Company. I am not sure if it was the lack of various types of pralines, they only had 3 different kinds, and it was like asking for the waitresses first born to try one. I mean come on...you know people are going to ask to try. When I finally ordered my three she made it a point to give me the ones that I asked for samples from. *Major side eye! They did, however, have a restaurant attached and the food looked pretty good. I am not sure if I would try it though.

The Praline Connection

We ended up going to another amazing praline bakery called Southern Candy Makers. To me these were the best pralines in town and I did not get the one I tried. The sweet lady behind the counter shrink wrapped my package for me to take home. LOVE.

After walking all day we rested for a bit at the hotel, changed, and walked to Dominica at the Roosevelt Hotel. Oh my Lord this restaurant was amazing. The owner is professional Chef John Besh. Light appetizers of various breads, olives, cheeses, meats, and jellies were distributed along the table. The roomie and I ordered the Wild Mushroom pizza which was topped with wild mushrooms, fontina, bacon, and an egg in the middle. Other friends at the table ordered the Margherita and Duck pizzas. I tasted the duck and it was superb. For dessert the waiter brought out small chocolate truffles covered in powdered sugar. I was in a food coma so I could only eat one.
I will definitely go to this restaurant again and again. The atmosphere, service, and prices were great for New Orleans. Our entire pizza was around $14 and we had a ton left over.

The next morning we packed up and headed to the oldest Catholic church for morning mass.

Afterward we met up at Desire Oyster Bar. I had the shrimp and grits. It was HEAVEN! I actually found the recipe online and I am totally recreating it. This dish consists of a creamy red sauce with peppers, onions, garlic, and Tasso ham. HUGE marinated shrimp and extra creamy grits make it complete. Best Meal EVER!

I LOVE this city. Even though I did not get a chance to eat at the restaurant on my bucket list (Emeril's). I know that I will be back again and again to try not just that restaurant but many more. The culture of New Orleans is amazing. Granted we were in the tourist section I feel like the citizens truly love their city. There is no other place like it.

You know I had to do it one last time. So greedy yet so amazing!

Side Note: This was a great conference for us to attend. I am so grateful that my team mates/school mates were able to attend. Though the conference was not at all what I pictured it to be, I did take with me at least three important things. Things that I plan to implement in my classroom and share with the rest of my team that did not get to attend.

1. We, as 1st grade teachers, are the foundation. The way we teach Math and the vocabulary we use are the building blocks for life long learning.

2. Rome was not built in a day. Learning takes time and effort. We cannot expect for our students to come to us already knowing all of the knowledge we "expect." That is why we are TEACHERS!

3. Have fun! Learning should be fun. Use manipulatives, create and play games, and let students use their own minds. Worksheet after worksheet is not fun.

Check out my girl at Simply Swarbrick. She has a great recap on the NCTM conference that we attended. Find out how she became famous while there. 

Sunday Fun Day

I have been sooooooo lazy lately. I get out of bed around 12 after playing all types of apps on my phone for 3 hours. It's BAD!

I had enough today so I decided to go to the Fort Worth Museum with my mom and nephew. I actually got out of bed, brushed my hair....well finger combed it.....put on my fresh to death fit and drove my lazy ass to Fort Worth. I had so much fun!

Note to self: More arm workout....starting now!

They had life size lightbrights!! I totally loved this. My mom had to use her mommy voice to make me get away from this.

Love these 2

After The Museum we went to eat at Zoe's Kitchen. This is my favorite place to eat when I am on that side of Fort Worth. I love Greek food and this place is just right. Their food is always fresh and they grill food right when you order it so it's nice and hot. I wish we had one by my house.

Zoe's Kitchen

They have a thing for runners. There is a special menu dedicated to pre and post running food. Their website is filled with recipes for some really good food. There is also a Zoe Blog. Check this restaurant out.

Ryan had a yummy turkey sandwich with fruit and an organic chocolate milk.

Mom...mid bite.....had shrimp kabobs with Greek salad, rice, and pita.

I had salmon kabobs with Greek salad, pita, and hummus. There is a dressing of olive oil, red wine vinegar, and seasonings that they make in house. I am not a big fan of it so I asked for a lemon vinaigrette that I had before on another type of salad I ordered. My mom was not a fan of either and enjoyed her salad with the abundance of feta cheese and olives as flavoring.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Now that I am off for the summer I can really dive into my passion/hobby....COOKING! My and my friends Porscha and Ashley have been spending our time at the pool discussing our favorite dishes and what we want to put in our bellies.

Mr. Lovely called me the other day while I was basking in the sun with Porscha and wanted to know what was for dinner. Well I did not realize that I had been at the pool for over 4 hours....Hey once you start getting in good girl time you lose track of real time. I hurried home and whipped up this meal. It was tasty for me but I had to make him a side meal....he is a real meat and potatoes kind of guy.

First you scrape out the innards (is the right?) of the mushroom and take off the stem. Discard that crap cause it does not taste great (trust me I know).

Season the inside of the mushroom with salt, pepper, and olive oil and put in the oven at 400 degrees for 8 minutes. I just found this olive oil at Target the other day and I am in love with it. There is not an after taste and it is light enough to put on salad as a dressing.

So this is a really crappy picture of the items I planned to put into the stuffing mixture. I used everything except for the Kalamata olives. The stuffing would have been overly salty so I opted out. Always remember to taste test your foods as you are cooking to know how much seasoning to add.

I sauteed chopped 6 button mushrooms with half of a red onion in olive oil. Which is purple so I am not sure why it is not called a purple onion??

I added about 1/2 cup of frozen spinach. This allowed for the mushrooms and onions to cook down even more because of the water that was in the frozen spinach.

I am obsessed with Adams Garlic Powder. They have really good seasonings. I added about 1/2 tsp. of this to the sauteed mixture.

I took the sauteed mixture out and added 1 tbsp. of butter and sauteed 6 shrimp. I then cut up the shrimp into little pieces and sauteed them even more until all of the butter was absorbed. Yeah arteries!

I added all of the sauteed mixture and shrimp together with 1/2 a block of cream cheese, 1/4 c. of sour cream, and 2 oz. of provolone cheese. Mix very well to incorporate all of it together.

I filled the mushrooms with the mixture and topped with a little Mexican cheese that I had left over from taco night. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes...Long enough to melt all of the cheeses inside and out.

Here is the finished product. I could only eat 1/2 in one sitting so these babies are pretty big and filling. This made 4 meals and I paired it with a small side salad. Pretty amazing.

 I make these every summer because they are easy for me to make and put into the fridge to eat.

Recipe for Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:

2 Portobello Mushrooms

4 oz. cream cheese

1/4 c. sour cream

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tbsp. olive oil

6 shrimp (shelled and deveined)

1/2 c. frozen spinach

1/2 of a red/purple onion

6 button mushrooms

2 oz. provolone cheese

any type of cheese to put on top to brown. 

Shrimp Scampi and Tilapia

I LOVE to cook. I married a southern man and he is used to having home cooked meals every night....Thanks mother-in-law! ;-). He likes that his wife cooks and I love to cook so......Perfect Match.

Tonight I made Shrimp Scampi and Tilapia. It was super easy and took me no more than 20 minutes. I got the recipe for the shrimp scampi from pinterest and the tilapia is just something that I easily make with different seasonings. I added some pasta and Voila! Dinner is served.

Baked Tilapia

4 fresh tilapia fillets
1 tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tbsp. Herbs de Provence
2 tbsp. olive oil (I used Gazebo Room Greek Dressing instead)

Gazebo Room Greek Dressing

If you have never heard of this dressing.....GET IT NOW! It is wonderful and everyone I introduce it to falls in love! Click on the link and it will take you to the website.....turn the volume up 'cause there's a jingle to go along with the dressing!  I couldn't make this stuff up.

Preheat oven to 350. Wash and pat dry tilapia with paper towel. Place in baking dish. In a small bowl combine seasonings and pour over tilapia. Place in oven, uncovered, and bake for 20-30 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.


 Shrimp Scampi:

Melt a stick of butter in the pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter. Put down 1 lb. fresh shrimp, then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning. Put in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 min. Best Shrimp you will EVER taste:)

I boiled some spaghetti noodles and added it to the pan of shrimp once they came out of the oven. I mixed it around and took out the lemons. They can sometimes become overbearing in food. I topped it off with some tomato basal feta cheese on my plate only. 

Athenos Feta Cheese

This was soooooo yummy! Definitely not something for the dieters out there but it's ok to splurge every now and then. Everything in moderation right? Tell that to the Tastykake I ate today.