Jambalaya- brought to you by Comfortable in my Skin

Today's recipe comes to you courtesy of Erin at Comfortable in my Skin
She has a wonderful blog with a nice mix of recipes, nail art and related posts, and hair and makeup reviews and tutorials. All round excellent blog.

I saw her recipe for Jambalaya, and I knew right away I would have to make it. It's the perfect fall comfort food. And deceptively easy to make.

All photos used are directly from Erin's blog, and used with permission.

Jambalaya

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (I used green but I'll be red would be lovely too)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
6 oz sausage andouille preferred, I used Hot Italian
1 c uncooked, long grain rice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1 bay leaf
2 c chicken broth (one box o' stock)
3/4 c water
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, juices too
1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
2 Tbsp chopped parsley

In a large pot saute sausage until almost done. Add in onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes over medium heat, until veg is softened. Add rice and the next 7 ingredients (through bay leaf), cook about two minutes. Add tomato paste and warm through, get it a nice brownish color. Then add your chicken broth, water, hot sauce, and tomatoes. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 20 minutes. Stir a few times, to make sure your rice isn't sticking too much. Add shrimp and cook about 5 minutes until they're nice and pink. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Browning the sausage

Add the vegetable to the pot

Saute about 5 mins, or until staring to soften

Add the rice and the spices. 

Saute about 2 mins

Add the tomato paste and warm it up.

Add all the liquid.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley, and there you have it. Super yummilicious Jambalaya!

MMmmmm thanks Erin!!

Please be sure and check out her blog by clicking here.

Happy cooking!

Fettuccine with Scallops

This is my go-to scallop recipe. Yes there are others, but I usually have all these ingredients on hand and I can whip it up in a jiffy.

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
14 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
1 pound scallops 
1 small shallot, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons dry thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook fettuccine until al dente; drain well.
2. In a large frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons butter; saute shallot and most of the garlic ( save some for the scallops) until tender. Add wine and chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add cream and lemon juice and bring to boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add pasta to sauce; toss well.
4. In a skillet melt the remaining butter. Add scallops, remaining ( or additional) garlic  and thyme. Sauté scallops, 2-3 minutes either side, or until lightly browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Put fettuccine on serving dishes and place scallops over pasta. Serve.

The Soprawnos

Here is another recipe from my beloved Eat Shrink and be Merry cookbook.
Ultra delish shrimp with tomatoes, zucchini and feta. 


2 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped red onions
1 medium zucchini, chopped ( I actually use 2 or 3)
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups chopped plum tomatoes ( I use 4 cups)
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup crumbled feta with herbs (plain is fine, and I use the light feta)
1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

Heat olive oil over medium high in a 10 inch non stick skillet. Add onion zucchini and garlic. Cook and stir until veggies are softened about 5 minutes. Add oregano and cook 30 more seconds. Add wine, tomatoes, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered for about 8 minutes, until most of the wine has evaporated and the tomatoes have broken up.
Stir in basil and shrimp. Cook and stir until shrimp is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the shrimp or they will be rubbery. Remove from heat and sprinkle with feta cheese and parsley.

I serve this over basmati or jasmine rice.

Makes 4 servings ( unless you eat like me, then it makes about 2 1/2 servings)
Nutritional info per serving without the rice:

Cal: 253
total fat: 7.8 g
saturated fat: 2.9 g
protein: 27 g
Carbs: 14 g
fiber: 2.9 g
cholesterol: 185 mg
sodium: 488 mg

Grilled Rosemary Garlic Shrimp

MMmm I love BBQ season, and I love shrimp. What better way to marry two of my loves than with a grilled shrimp recipe... nom nom nom

1/4 cup finely chopped garlic, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon coarse
salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves plus sprigs for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil plus oil for brushing shrimp
16 jumbo shrimp (about 10 per pound)
four 12-inch bamboo skewers
lemon wedges as an accompaniment

In a large bowl stir together garlic, minced rosemary, and 3 tablespoons oil and add shrimp. Marinate shrimp, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours or overnight.
In a shallow dish soak skewers in water to cover 30 minutes and prepare grill.
To grill, thread 4 shrimp on each skewer and brush with additional oil. Grill shrimp on an oiled rack, set about 5 inches over glowing coals, 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through.
Alternatively, brush shrimp with additional oil and grill in a hot well-season ridged grill pan, covered, over moderately high heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through.
Garnish shrimp with rosemary sprigs and serve with lemon wedges.

Basil Shrimp Skewers

Quick and easy shrimp skewers to toss on the BBQ. These always go over well at  our gatherings.
Shrimp
2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 lemons, juiced
3 Tablespoons brown mustard
1/2 cup minced fresh basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper

Mix everything together, and marinate the shrimp for one hour (no more than one hour or it will be mushy). Skewer and BBQ for about 3 minutes