Pinterest Challenge Day 2 - Brazilian Shrimp Soup

Hello!  Tonight we're cooking Brazilian Shrimp Soup, which I have pinned here.  It appears to be from Food and Wine Magazine and is promised to be "tested until perfect".  It also gives a suggested wine paring that we did not try...because it's Monday and we have jobs to go to tomorrow.  Here's how we did:

Soup is so unphotogenic...

Our substitutions for tonight:
1) We used red lentils in place of rice because we only had brown rice in the house and it was late and we didn't want to wait the 45 mins for it to cook.
2) Red and Orange peppers in place of green because that's what we had and I was too cheap (are you sensing A trend here?) to buy more.







Here's how we rank this one:
Taste: B-.  This was good but kinda boring.  It needed some jazzing up - I doused mine in siracha and Dawson dipped pepperoni sticks in his.  I think next time I'd use chicken broth in place of water to add more flavour. 
Cost: A-.  Soups go a long way!  We usually get at least 4 or 5 servings out of a pot.  This one loses the tiniest of points because shrimp can get expensive.
Nutrition: A. I love soups because it's so easy to throw a ton of veggies in there. The soup is also kind of awesome since it has 3 food groups all included (assuming you use the rice like you're supposed to) which makes it nicely balanced!  The only downfall is all of the saturated fat from the coconut milk, but really, overall this is pretty good. 
Simplicity:  A.  This is just about as easy as they come.  Chop some stuff, throw it in a pot and voila!
Overall: B.

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Episode 103 - 2 Reasons To Be Sad

1) Summer dies tonight at midnight.
2) Dawson made these amazing shrimp tacos but doesn't remember what he put in them, so I can't give you the recipe.  All together now "bad Dawson".

They were delicious, I promise. 

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Episode 98 - In the Lap of Luxury

Sometimes my life is so hard.  I just got back from a 3 day conference in Toronto where I was forced to swim in the heated saltwater pool, soak in the hot tub and sleep alone in a huge king sized bed with 6 pillows.  I was also forced to eat croissants, fancy cheeses, smoked salmon and omelets made to my exact specifications.  Rough, eh?  I haven't even told you about the wine!  The free wine.  Free!  Wine!  Despite all these luxuries I really couldn't wait to get home to my own bed, my own kitchen and my own man, because sometimes things don't have to be fancy to be perfect.


Grilled Salmon with Dill Sauce

This picture does not do this meal justice.  Some day I promise to
get some kind of actual photography skill...

1 large fillet of salmon
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
salt and pepper, to taste


1 cup couscous
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp capers plus about 1 tsp of the juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste


2 tbsp mayo
1 tsp dijon
1 tbsp chopped dill
salt and pepper, to taste


Start by building yourself a little fish boat (described here) and lay out a bed of lemon slices.  Stick the fish up on top, season it with salt and pepper then grill away - about 15 minutes over medium heat (this can vary depending on how thick your fish is).
While the fish is cooking start the couscous.  To do this you pretty much follow the directions on the box but substituting chicken broth for the water.  When its all nice and fluffy add the capers and juice, oil, mustard, salt and pepper and mix until it's delicious.
Finally, the sauce - this is the easy part.  Just stick everything in a ramekin and stir.  Done!
Serve the salmon over a bed of the couscous with a dollop or two of the dill sauce up on top!  Simple, but delicious!

Now that I'm home the luxury seems to be continuing.  I took today off of work and spent the day shopping and getting a massage and tomorrow Dawson and I are going off to celebrate our anniversary (that we both forgot about this year!) by eating copious amounts of Brazilian food.   We'll also be staying in yet another fancy-dancy hotel, mostly because the dinner comes with far more alcohol than we could possibly drink and still be able to legally drive home - be safe kids, don't drink and drive - stay in fancy hotel beds instead!  Yeah, sometimes my life is so hard.

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Episode 65 - Drunken Clams

Someday I will have a grown-up job.  Someday I will go house hunting and find a perfect little house with a wonderful kitchen and backyard.  Someday I will have actual counter space to cook.  Someday I won't come home to find that someone has left meat out on the counter...all day.  Someday my bathroom will be big enough for both Dawson and I to stand in at the same time.  Someday the only shelf in that bathroom will not be placed directly over the toilet and someday I will not have a daily routine of fishing my possessions out of the toilet while whispering obscenities under my breath. Someday I will buy Dawson and I matching housecoats and we will spend Sunday mornings in said housecoats with big comfy socks with giant mugs of coffee and Baileys.  Oh yes internet, someday things will be wonderful and cozy and perfect.  Now if only someday would hurry up and get here before I lose my freakin' mind...

In other news, here's a recipe!

Spicy Caesar Pasta

Have you ever tried to take a decent picture of your
dinner when you're starving?  Its hard.

1 package whole wheat spaghetti noodles

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 stalks of celery, diced

3/4 of a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes

1 shot of vodka

1 can baby clams

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp hot sauce 

1 tbsp liquid from a hot pepper jar

salt and pepper to taste

celery salt, dried chili pepper flakes and diced celery leaves for garnish

Parmesan cheese, grated

Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta then cook according to the package directions.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to make noise add the garlic and celery.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until the garlic starts to brown a little.  Add the vodka and cook out the alcohol for a bit. If you're braver than I am you can even try being fancy and lighting it on fire at this point.  Next add the tomatoes, clams, Worcestershire, hot sauce and hot pepper juice and cook for another 5 minutes.  Season with the salt and pepper, toss with the cooked pasta, garnish to your liking and done!  We also added cheese on top of ours because I am a cheese fiend. 

I can't take full credit for this one as it was actually born from a slightly drunken conversation I had a at wedding recently.  We collectively came to the decision that a Caesar (the drink) was really kind of like a meal, which the of course lead to us devising ways to actually make it into a meal.  Genius.  Sheer genius.

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Episode 53 - This is not Diet Food

Know what I did yesterday?  I left my warm and oh-so-comfy bed at approximately 5:15 am (barf).  I then got into my car and drove to Montreal.  Why, dear internet, did I do such a crazy thing?  For a 9 am mandatory orientation for the internship I'm starting next tuesday (double barf).

Do you know how far Montreal is from Carleton Place?  Far. The trip took me approximately 3 hours. 3 hours of valuable sleeping time just transformed before my eyes into traffic jams in both Ottawa and Montreal.  Poof!  Obviously, I was generally a very unhappy camper about the whole experience. Ugh.

Once arriving at this apparently super important orientation I was given a folder full of info I had already read and then subjected to sitting for 3 hours while a guest speaker then re-read the document to me.  Apparently, the school feels I am incapable of reading. Giving important nutrition advice - sure! Why not?  But read?  Absolutely not.  In any case, I then drove home (another 2 hours).  In case your math is as bad as my apparent reading skills let me just clarify that all this means, I drove for 5 hours in order to attend a ~3.5 hour session in redundancy.

Know what I did today? Pretty much the same flippin' thing - except today I had the added bonus of my "check engine" light deciding to make an appearance and my cell phone choosing today as the day it would freeze and become non-functional all day.  The fun just doesn't stop coming!

Can you tell I am tired?  Can you tell I am generally irritated at life?  Can you tell I am in need of some cheese to go with my whine?  Big time.

Cajun Shrimp Pasta

Cheesy, creamy wonderfulness. 

~ half a box of spaghetti noodles
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, diced
10-12 medium sized shrimp, frozen
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt, pepper and dried chili peppers to taste
1 cup table cream (18% m.f.)
1/4 cup grated asiago cheese

Start a pot of water on the stove  for your spaghetti and cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Toss in your onion and peppers and cook until they start to soften slightly - about 5 minutes.  Next, add your shrimp and all of the spices.  Toss around to evenly spread the spices and cook until the shrimp is almost entirely pink - another 5 minutes or so.  Add the cream to the pan, bring to a boil and allow it to thicken and become sauce-like - 2-3 minutes.  Don't go trying to be all virtuous and using milk in place of the cream - it won't work.  You'll end up with a curdled pan of grossness.  This is comfort food, not diet food.  Just go for it and promise your thighs you'll do better tomorrow.  Toss in your cooked spaghetti and do your best to coat evenly with your new deliciously fatty sauce.  Distribute into two bowls and top with the cheese.  Creamy carb coma, here I come.  You should probably eat this dish while wearing an outfit like this...you know, to allow the necessary room for expansion:

This is my personal style. 

I should report that after eating this for dinner tonight I am in a much better mood.  Also, as it turns out, my cell phone is just fine and all it needed was a helpful Roger's employee ( a rarity, I know!) to restart it for me. The car is a whole other issue though.  That's probably good and broked.  Broked is a word.  I'm tired.  Don't mess with me.

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Episode 39 - Summer to the Max!

That's right.  To the max.  If the sudden resurgence of 80's fashion is any indication it's only a matter of time before that saying is cool again.  I am so cool, I'm saying things that aren't even cool yet.  Avant-garde-type cool.  Take that high school.

...In any case, these skewers are super summery, quick and delicious!  The rice was an afterthought but turned out to be pretty tasty too!

6 wooden skewers, soaked in water to prevent bbq camp fires
18 uncooked, peeled shrimp
1/2 cup pre-prepared (or homemade) spicy peanut sauce (President's Choice makes a good one)
1 mango, cut into large cubes
1/2 red pepper, cut into large chunks
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
1/2 cup rice, cooked
~10 asparagus stalks, woody ends chopped off
1 tbsp oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

First, pour your peanut sauce into a bowl and marinate your shrimp for about 30 mins.
Preheat your oven to 425 F and your bbq to medium heat.  Start preparing your skewers - red pepper, shrimp, mango, onion, repeat. Next, put your asparagus onto a baking sheet, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Massage them a little to evenly distribute the seasoning.  The asparagus can roast in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes while you take the skewers out to cook on the bbq for about 5 or 6 minutes per side.
While everything is cooking and getting delicious make your dressing for the rice by mixing the chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl.

To put everything together, chop your asparagus into 1 inch spears and toss with the cooked rice and dressing.  Make a little bed on each place and top each with 3 skewers!  So pretty!  So summery!  So what I ate for dinner tonight!  Mmmmm!

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