Louisiana Creole-Sicilian Shrimp

More blog posts coming soon.  sorry for not writing. if i even have any followers ;-)
Just going to post some pictures from tonight's dinner, with the recipe.


This dish is a "barbeque shrimp" recipe without actually BBQing the shrimp or using BBQ sauce.  It came out quite delicious, but next time I would eat it as an appetizer since eating JUST shrimp seems a little off for some reason.

Instead of having the French Bread that the recipe calls for, I made some garlic broccoli for a side to make it a little healthier.  Please notice the steam coming off the shrimp.  Right off the stove!

1/2 C fat free Ceaser Dressing (I'm a sucker for Ceaser Dressing, so I used Brianna's - yes it's full fat)

1/3 C Worcestershire sauce

2 TBL butter (I used Smart Balance Light)

1 TBL dried Oregano

1 TBL Paprika

1 TBL dried rosemary

1 TBL dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Sriracha, of course)
5 bay leaves
3 - 4 garlic cloves, minced NOT crushed.  Its nice to have some chunkers of garlic mixed in with the shrimp.
2 pounds large shrimp (I actuality used 31-40 count, shelled, deveined, keep the tails on)
1/3 C dry white wine
10 chunky slices of crusty baguette (I didn't use this - watching my carb intake a little)
10 lemon wedges


Combine first 11 ingredients in a large non-stick skillet, bring to a boil.  Add shrimp, cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add wine, and cook 1 minute until shrimp are done.
Serve with baguette and lemon slices.


Enjoy!

Crap.

I already did it.  Haven't posted anything in a while.  I think I'll use the busy excuse, which is true.  I have been very busy. Working a lot saving up for my new move.

So, throughout High School and College I excelled more in the classes that gave you a little more creativity to your answers.  For example, I took Honors Calculus in High School, and did "okay".  Granted, most of my friends never even made it to Calculus, I have a little bit of a math-brain, but I did not enjoy it.  Psychology and Economics, and "uncertainty" of results have always interested me.  Physics? No fucking way. It was over my head, and I'd rather just know that when I drop a feather and a lead brick, that they will hit the ground. I don't need to know how fast they get there.
With this background story, I lead you to my definition of baking and cooking. Technically, baking is a type of cooking, as well as grilling, frying, sauteing, steaming...etc.  But the definition that  I am looking for is more along the lines of:
Baking:  Using science, precalculated measurements, and dry heat.
Cooking: Whatever you want.

So with that said, I have not really entered the baking field until this year, at my Human Services Job.  We even have a designated day where I bake with the clients (severely mentally ill), and they say things like, "Claire, you're so good at baking!" And that's when I really know their mentally ill. (joke). We have baked everything from those old fashioned Jiffy Corn Muffins to Whole Wheat Honey Bran Fiber Muffins (my own recipe that I tweaked!) to Ghiredelli Chocolate Brownie Mix in a Box.

Today, I baked with some Clients, and we made a Double Layer Lemon Cream Cake.

Fluffy white frosting, lemon cake, lemon zest and sprinkles on top of the icing with sugared lemon slices.
Deeeelicious.

Easter Sunday

Resurrection Weekend held a lot of fun.  First of all, it was about 75 degrees. J’s family came up to Stowe for the weekend.  He went snowboarding on the mountain, then swimming in the pool.  It was one of those bizarre-O end-of-winter-in-Vermont kind of days.  Although I had to trek it back to Burlington twice to go to work, I had a wonderful and relaxing weekend full of family, great food, good wine, in a tranquil Vermont vacation home setting.  This Easter I experienced a couple new things...all welcomed with open arms.  I enjoyed every single one of them.

New Things I Never Did:

Made pierogies without my Family

Ate spiraled ham

Went to Church on Sunday. (okay, I just haven’t done this on Easter in over a decade.)
Dyed and painted eggs with severely mentally ill (primarily schizophrenic) clients.

Woke up in Stowe

I want to do all of these things again.  Except, I think I still need a few pointers from my Polish ancestors on how to master the art of the ‘rogi.
Painting the eggs was a wonderful experience.  I haven't painted Easter Eggs since probably the last time I went to Church on Easter, but it was great.  We dedicated eggs to Jesus, pet cats, and other residents where I work, then made a bunch of egg salad sandwiches. Good times.

The UN-appetizing side of food.

Have you ever been to www.thisiswhyyourefat.com? If not, going there and looking at the monstrous food people have cooked and created may work as a diet plan due to loss of appetite.  Depending on your mood of course.  If you're having one of those shitty days where a big greasy triple 5 pound cheeseburger sounds good, then this website may backfire.  I thought of this website because today on a small news site, I saw that someone has cooked the largest meatball.

32 hours of cooking
327 pounds of beef
Weighing in at a finished total of 400 pounds.
This said weigh in was overseen by the Guinness Book of World Records staff.  The first 250 pounds were donated to Meals on Wheels, and the rest was donated to the 400 something people watching this whole ordeal go down.
Yuck.

Food Inc.

So I finally watched Food Inc.  It took me a while because I am overly sensitive to factory farming footage. Ever since I read about it right when Fast Food Nation came out, I quit eating meat and that was only reading descriptive words.  I was veggie for just under 10 years, and now I eat chicken and turkey again.  I have not yet started to eat Red Meat, and this documentary didn't really help.  Overall, I thought it was informative, well filmed, and they brought up GREAT points, but I will say I fast forward through some parts (yeah, I know I'm a wuss).  Here is the trailer of the movie, don't be scared to watch this documentary!

Organic v. Conventional

Eating organic is pretty damn easy where I currently live.  In fact, in the downtown grocery store/co-op it's hard to find conventional vegetables which is bothersome on my penny pinching days.  My personal view is that eating locally is more important than eating organic.  Support the local community.  I always do all my big food shopping at a giant grocery store chain then run to the downtown co-op to buy a gallon of local milk, because in this state, the cows are plentiful and the dairy is good. 

So, local vs. organic eating aside, I found this "Shopper's Guide" on foodnews.com, and it helps you understand which fruits and vegetables absorb the most pesticides.  

Take a peek:

I asked a couple of my own questions, and researched for answers, all which are found from the Environmental Working Group

Why Should I even care about pesticides?

Scientific evidence shows that even small doses of pesticides and other chemicals can adversely affect people, especially during crucial times of fetal development and childhood - where the effects are long lasting.  It is wise to minimize exposure to these chemicals because the outcomes can be quite worrisome.

Okay, well what about washing or peeling them?

While washing and peeling your fruits and veggies will reduce the chemicals and toxins found in food, it will not entirely eliminate them. The best option is to eat a varied diet, thoroughly wash fresh produce, and buy organic when able. $$ :(

Does Organic taste better?

No scientific data, but taste is a varied individual preference.  Many chefs across the world are choosing to cook with organic veggies not only because it is hip and trendy, but because they feel they have superior taste and quality.

Is organic healthier?

No significant studies have been done other than the fact that your not getting a bunch of chemicals in your body.  The only thing people have found is that organic tomatoes have higher levels of Vitamin C and phytochemicals. 

Should I eat only Organic?

Personally, I can't. ABSO-freaking-LUTLY cant.  It's waaaay too expensive, but with this little guide posted above, you can pick and choose your pesticide battles.  I would much prefer to spend money on an organic peach then buy some stupid organic granola bar.  (No offense)

So, take all the organic mumbo-jumbo with a grain of salt, and think about the fragile and toxin absorbing produce when you're deciding between the two at the store.

Song of the Day

beautiful.