Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Believe it or not, I managed to actually cook a bona-fide meal!  Wohoo!!  I even set up G-man's bouncy chair in the kitchen (safely out of the way of culinary dangers) so he and I could hang out while I was cooking.  Somewhat unfortunately, though, this leftovers container is the only pic I have of it.  Oh well.  A testament to how tasty it was!

Since my lengthy blogging hiatus, Pinterest seems to have soared in popularity.  I'm not immune; I even have a board linking back to this blog, showcasing my favourite pics.  No harm there!  I bring up Pinterest because Hubs' mom posted this recipe the other day, and it caught my eye.  Stupid-simple?  Spicy?  Tasty-looking?  Using ingredients I usually have around the house?  Winner!

Here's the pic from the recipe at this site.  MUCH better than mine (and looks far more appetizing!)

Of course, I can't leave well enough alone.  I had to muck with both the recipe and the method of preparation (the original involving the use of chicken, which isn't Hubs' favourite, and far too many dishes for my liking.  Ain't nobody got time to wash all that!).  This is my slightly altered version!

 Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Adapted from www.int-recipes.info/2013/11/cajun-chicken-pasta.html

Serves 4, with leftovers

Cajun Blackening Seasoning:

• 2 tsp paprika (smoked or sweet)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregan
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3/4 tsp salt
• freshly cracked pepper (20-25 cranks of a mill)

For the Pasta:

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 2 small cooking onions
• 1 lb frozen raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off (especially if you're Hubs)
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted if you have 'em; I didn't)
• 1 large scoop (maybe 1/4 cup?) cream cheese
• 12 oz (or ~330 g, or ~3/4 of a 1 lb package, or whatever you can estimate) linguine
• 3 green onions

Instructions

1. Combine the herbs and spices for the blackened seasoning in a bowl.
2. Prepare a large pot of water for the pasta. Bring it to a boil over high heat and then add the pasta. Cook the pasta until tender and then drain in a colander.
3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the bell peppers and cooking onion. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot and the butter is melted, add the sliced vegetables, and sauté until they are tender.  Add the shrimp and half of the blackened seasoning.  Cook until shrimp are cooked through (pink, firm, and opaque all the way through). 
4. Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium low. Add the can of tomatoes (with their juice) and the second half of the blackened seasoning. Add the cream cheese. Stir the mixture until the cream cheese has melted and created a creamy sauce.
5. If your skillet is extra large, add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine with the shrimp, vegetables, and sauce. If your skillet is smaller, you can add the drained pasta back to the large pot it was cooked in (with the heat turned off), then add the shrimp, vegetables, and sauce to the pot and stir to combine.
6. Slice the green onions and sprinkle over top before serving.

Tastiness, and took only about a half an hour at best.  Served this to my parents (now known as "the Nonni", Italian for grandparents) as a small token of gratitude for everything they've done for us since G-man arrived.  Of course they insisted that it wasn't necessary (and Nonna even did the dishes), but that's why we love 'em.  Plus, even though I'm a busy new mom, I can't leave behind my tradition of using friends and family members as guinea pigs for all my new recipes!

Looking forward to making some freezer-friendly baked pasta casseroles for her & her friends' new little families,
-Honeybee

Sunday Dinner Series Part V: You'll Roux the Day...

I might be French, but I'm nowhere near Creole or Cajun.  Regardless, when I saw the recipe for gumbo in my new favourite cookbook, I knew I had to give it a try.  Sausage?  Shrimp?  Those are two food things that Hubs loves!  Done!

I knew we were in for a long day of cooking with this one, so I used a lazy Sunday as an excuse to make it.  I was VERY SCARED of the whole dark roux situation, but I managed to make it happen without burning the apartment down.  Pictures for proof!

Gettin' ready.  Is it sad that I didn't know you could buy plain ol' clam juice?

The roux.  I've never made one with oil and flour in the Cajun style... I was kind of surprised at how dark it got!  In retrospect, I think I could've let it go a bit longer for a darker colour, but I was getting nervous.  They don't call it Cajun Napalm for nothing!!

Finished product, with some basmati rice.  Again, I was trying to emulate the picture seen here; I think I succeeded for the most part, but you can see how the roux COULD have been darker.

So, normally I'd post the recipe for my delicious creation... but in all honesty, I followed the book's instructions exactly.  To a T.  And with all the nonsense about SOPA and the Canadian bill C-11 going around these days, I'm feeling a little gun-shy.  Not that I'm expecting the RCMP to come knocking on my door and demand that I shut my blog down... but still, I don't want anyone to think that I'm claiming ownership of someone else's copyrighted intellectual property!!  Instead, I'll direct you to this website, where two of the chefs from America's Test Kitchen demonstrate their version of gumbo via a free video.  It's a bit different from the recipe I followed, but from the same great team.  Worth trying!!

Wondering if she'll ever get to see N'awlins (maybe during Mardi Gras??),
-Honeybee

Recipe Exchange!

Cinnamon-y goodness ahead!

 To be completely honest, I usually despise forwarded email "games" and chain letters.  If I don't know who my true friends are just by my interaction with them, I sincerely doubt that asking them to send me back a picture of a kitten professing undying friendship will clarify the matter.  Having said that, there are a few that I enjoy (usually when attempting to procrastinate, as I am now).  One of them is the recipe exchange.

This sounded like fantastic fun to me, and came from one of my coworkers.  ALMOST everyone I sent this to, however, declined to participate.  Most excused themselves on the grounds that they don't use recipes.  My dad sent my coworker his recipe for Kraft Dinner (at least she got a laugh!).  Only a few people gave it a go, but I still got a few yummy new ideas.  One, coming via my dear friend Andrea's mom, was for quick cinnamon buns.  Having spent quite a bit of time on some failure-to-rise sticky buns a few months ago, I appreciated this recipe using more of a baking-soda-leavened biscuit dough base:

Jiffy Cinnamon Rolls

From Barb Hoath (not sure of her original source)

Makes 12 buns 

• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• Dash salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1 cup milk

For Filling:

• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. "Crumble" butter into the dry ingredients (easier to accomplish with a pastry blender; I had to stick to the two knives technique.  You could try freezing and grating the butter, too)
3. Add milk and mix all ingredients with a fork. 
4. Roll out on a floured counter to a rectangle shape about 12" long by 8" width.
5. Mix softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon for filling. Spread this mixture over the dough.
6. Roll up dough from the 12" side and pinch 'seams'. Cut the rolled dough into 12 individual pieces. Place each piece in a greased muffin tin.  Bake at 400ºF for 20 minutes.
7. Optional: glaze with 2 tbsp icing sugar mixed with 1 tbsp milk (I opted out of this; they're great on their own!)

Pre-oven... the dough was a bit sticky, but the end result was worth it!

Somewhat surprisingly, I actually received a number of other recipes.  I have yet to try these, so there are no pictures, but I'm happy to share them with you:

Cream Cheese Brownies

Sent by Sheri Moore, originally from 'Cookies and Brownies' by Alice Medrich

Makes about 16 - 2 inch squares.

Brownie Layer:

• 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 ounces (115 grams) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (65 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 

Cream Cheese Layer:

• 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated white sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF (160ºC) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Have ready a 9 x 9 inch (23 x 23 cm) square baking pan that has been lined with aluminum foil across the bottom and up two opposite sides of the pan.
2. In a stainless steel (heatproof) bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (with a wooden spoon) after each addition. 
3. Stir in the flour and salt and beat, with a wooden spoon, until the batter is smooth and glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan (about one minute). 
4. Remove 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set it aside. Place the remainder of the brownie batter evenly onto the bottom of the prepared pan.
5. Then, in the bowl of your food processor (or with a hand mixer), process the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and egg and process just until creamy and smooth. 
6. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the brownie layer. Spoon small dollops of the reserved brownie batter evenly on top of the cream cheese filling. Then with a table knife or wooden skewer, swirl the two batters without fully mixing them.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the pan and the edges of the brownies are just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. 
8. Refrigerate the brownies until they are firm enough to cut into squares (at least two hours). Once chilled, remove the brownies from the pan by lifting with the ends of the foil and transfer to a cutting board. With a sharp knife, cut into 16 squares. It is a good idea to have a damp cloth nearby to wipe your knife between cuts. 
9. These brownies can be stored in the refrigerator for several days.

Apple or Rhubarb Cake

From Grandma Mary of the Morris Family

Makes about 9 pieces, judging by how I cut a 9"x9" cake

• ½  cup butter
• 1½ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 1 cup sour milk or buttermilk (add a tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a cup of milk if you don't have buttermilk)
• 2 cups diced rhubarb or apples (blueberries also work well!)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Mix as you would any cake; wet ingredients first, then mix in dry ingredients.  
3. Fold in apples or rhubarb and place in buttered 9X9 pan.  
4. Mix ⅓ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.  Sprinkle on top of cake before baking at 350ºF for 25-30 minutes. 

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Baguette

From the McCormacks (not sure of original source, but I really want to try this!!)

Makes 1 loaf

• 1 loaf of French bread
• Goat cheese or Feta (enough to spread over the insides of the loaf on both sides)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow pepper
• Fresh basil leaves ( 1 package should be good)
• Olive oil

1. Split bread lengthwise into two long halves.
2. Cover both sides with cheese and lay basil leaves on top of cheese
3. Thinly slice peppers and cook the in a skillet with olive oil until tender
4. Spread sliced peppers inside the loaf
5. Close loaf and compress; wrap tightly in foil if taking to a party
6. Slice 1 inch pieces with bread knife and serve!

Ed. note: This sounds delicious; when I make it, though, it'll probably be comprised of actual charred roasted peppers, mixed with sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil.  I would also probably pop the foil wrapped loaf in a 350ºF oven for about 20 min. to heat through before slicing.  But that's just me!

So despite my distaste for email "games", I think I really benefited from this one.  It was a bit strange to be getting emails from people I'd never met before, but I think that just lends more evidence to my belief that food is a universal unifier.

Hoping to share another community food event with you before the weekend is out,
-Honeybee