Good gracious, I’m amazed at the support I’ve received from my viewers on Douglasnow.com and Facebook and I’m very grateful. When you do what you love, it’s easier to do than most tasks. I looked today and just realized I had not posted any recipes since April 1. How can that be? Time surely gets away from me quickly.
Spring has been beautiful but I can feel the heat coming on quickly. I enjoy getting out and planting flowers, herbs and such but I don’t have much of a yard right now to work in. We moved into my in-law’s home almost two years ago. We pulled up all the old shrubs that had been planted in 1975 and were going to start anew as soon as we finished the inside remodeling, but it’s not finished two years later. The good news is we have only three rooms to go, which is a serious contention between my husband and I. His decorating/design taste and mine are totally different! I try to compromise but I mostly win him over in the end!
My recipes are numerous and scattered in my notebook, not organized for sure, so I started flipping pages to see what to publish this week. I was talking with a friend yesterday about our trip to the Keys so the “Key Lime Pie” recipe came to mind. Well, from there it went to seafood and then to a salad. Doesn’t that sound like a summertime menu? A salad may not appeal to many of you, especially men, but my go-to salad is very simple; romaine lettuce (not bagged) and spring mix. I add cherry tomatoes, shredded red cabbage and carrots. Boxed, premade croutons are out of the question, unless I’m in a bind, and my salad dressing is freshly made. Just the little extras you add in there make a huge difference in taste. I surely hope you enjoy all of these dishes. These are some of my favorites!
Happy Cooking!
Pam
Balsamic Vinaigrette
½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 small shallots, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil.
Whisk together the first seven ingredients until blended. Gradually whisk in olive oil, blending well. Yield: Makes 2 cups.
Croutons
French bread
Olive oil
Seasoning
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut up bread into desired sizes and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle oil over the bread and then season to taste. Bake till crunchy (about 15 minutes).
Creole Barbecue Shrimp
(Pam’s Favorite)
2 pounds unpeeled large to extra large shrimp (I peel mine!)
1 ½ tablespoons Creole seasoning
1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup chicken stock or vegetable broth w/ splash of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
French bread and lemon wedges, to serve
In a large bowl, toss together shrimp, Creole seasoning, garlic powder, pepper and salt.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook, turning frequently until shrimp begin to turn pink (about 2 minutes). Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. To pan add liquid (broth), lemon juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire, cook till boiling and add cold butter, a few pieces at a time, swirling skillet until butter is melted. Add shrimp back to pan. Cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chives. Serve with French bread and lemon wedges.
***Note: I double the liquid portion. If you add more shrimp, may need to triple. Sopping up the liquid with the bread is the best! Also, be careful with the Creole seasoning. I’ve found it sometimes becomes too salty (I use “Slap Ya Mama”)
Key Lime Pie
1 deep-dish graham cracker crust (or make your own )
Crust:
1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cans (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup key lime juice (I use Nellie and Joe’s)
2 large eggs
Cool Whip (or make your own)
Topping:
1 ⅔ cups cold heavy whipping cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Garnish: lime slices
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter until well combined. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. In a large bowl, whisk together condensed milk, lime juice and eggs until well combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Bake until set, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours. Just before serving, in a large bowl, beat cream and confectioners’ sugar with a mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Spread onto the pie. Garnish with lime, if desired.