Easy Shrimp and Vegetables

It's no secret that we love vegetables in our home, but what a great and refreshing 

way to add flavor, color, and texture to a dish by combining shrimp and vegetables. 

Did you know that by placing onions is the refrigerator you can avoid tearing up 

when chopping it?  Good to know for those of us that cook with lots of onions.

NOTE: For this recipe, you'll need to have your shrimp already cooked, so make 

sure you cook them before adding it to this dish.

In a pan add a tablespoon of olive oil,  add chopped garlic and cook until oil is hot.  

Add red onions, zucchini, and baby Bella mushrooms.  Make sure your mushrooms 

are rinsed.  Add salt and pepper to taste. While they cook for a minute, bring a pot of 

water to a boil, add 1/2 Tsp of salt to the water and add small potatoes.  I used 

a mixed bag of potatoes that contained, gold, red and blue/ purple small potatoes. 

Let it boil until tender.  Remove potatoes from heat and drain the water.  Set it aside.

After 2 minutes or so, add cooked shrimp to your vegetable mix.  Cook for another 

2 minutes make sure the vegetables are not overcooked but nice and tender.  

Then add your cooked potatoes to the mix.  Blend and serve.  You may add a side 

of corn on the cob and/ or avocado.

INGREDIENTS: (Serves 3)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic.

1/2 Red onion

1 Zucchini

3 cups Baby Bella Mushrooms

1 Bag of Cooked Shrimp

1 Bag of Small Potato Mix

Salt & Pepper

I hope that you enjoy this tasty meal, it's easy and fast.  

If you don't like mushrooms or other veggies, just replace them 

with your favorite veggies. 

What I love about this, is that you can even put them on a stick and grill them, 

they make great kabobs too.

Happy Cooking!

Linking to:
Sunday's Best#38
BBQ Link Party/Censationalgirl

Fish Tacos

I wanted to try something different other than the ordinary beef or chicken tacos, so my inspiration was to try fish tacos.  It was delicious!  You don't have to be a master chef to cook fish.  If it's prepared and ready to season and cook, you are good to go.

For this dish you will need the following ingredients:

Flour tortillas

For the Tomato Mix
4 cups of diced tomatoes (ripe yet firm)

• 1 red onion, or your onion preference,chopped finely (about 3/4 cup)

• 1-2 small garlic cloves, minced
• Scallions/ green onion chopped
• 1 or 2 lime juice (as per taste)
• optional to add cilantro sprigs
• Salt to taste
• 
  
• Garnish
• 2 cups or so shredded lettuce
• 2 cups of shredded cheese

Fish

• 1 white fish, such as tilapia, snapper, cod, mahi mahi, or catfish
• 2 medium limes, halved
• 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for oiling the grill grates
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

NOTE: You have the option to bake your fish & use less oil!

Instructions:

Place the fish in a baking dish and squeeze a lime half over it. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season with salt and pepper and turn the fish in the marinade until evenly coated. Refrigerate and let marinate at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the tomato mix and warm the tortillas.

Warm the tortillas by heating a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tortilla at a time, flipping to warm both sides, about 5 minutes total. Wrap the warm tortillas in a clean dishcloth and set aside while you prepare the fish.

Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander.  Now place the colander on top of a bowl and let it sit for 20 minutes.  Half way through, add the onions, garlic and scallions and give it a light toss. This is to let the flavors mingle.  After 20 minutes, shake the colander to drain off the excess tomato juice.  You will see the drained juice in the bowl below the colander. Discard it.  Take the same bowl, wipe it dry and toss the contents of the colander to the bowl.  Add salt & lime juice. Give it a toss and taste. You can add more lime juice if needed.

Brush the grates of a grill pan or outdoor grill with oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Remove the fish from the marinade and place on the grill.

Cook without moving until the underside of the fish has grill marks and is white and opaque on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip and grill the other side until white and opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes more. (It’s OK if it breaks apart while you’re flipping.) Transfer the fish to a plate.

To construct a taco, place shredded lettuce and shredded cheese in a warm tortilla, break up some of the cooked fish, place it over the lettuce and cheese, and top it with the tomato mix and any optional garnishes.
xo-
Enjoy!



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Be Carton Smart!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Carton Smart for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine. 

Imagine if everyone made one small, smart decision a day.  How much would it help our planet? As an individual, it may feel like a small task, but as a collective, the small decisions add up.  Tetra Pak applauds the thousands of small acts of smartness that add up to make a big difference in our environment.  

I received a package of Pacific Foods Organic products, and in my package were Pumpkin Puree, Cranberry Sauce and Chicken Stock.  I normally purchase their products because they come in a carton and not in a can, less waste.  I personally prefer the Tetra Pak cartons for several reasons one being that they use 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans, they are space savers in my pantry, and easy to open.  No can opener needed, love that! 

The unique packaging preserves the flavor and nutrients of food without the use of preservatives.  I can re-close the box, so I can use what I need and save the rest for later.  They have all you need to make a great meal for your family.  

I've used pumpkin puree for recipes, cranberry jellied sauce, and chicken stock for soups and other wonderful meals.  Do you remember my White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins?  

There are so many amazing foods you can make with only a few simple ingredients.  With the pumpkin puree you can make cupcakes, muffins, pumpkin pie and more, chicken stock can be used for soups, casseroles and the cranberry sauce  for must have cranberry loaf.  

Become Carton Smart and follow along with Carton Smart's social pages.  How can you be Carton Smart this season?  From small, smart recipes that use ingredients in cartons or "smart" entertaining tips that produce great tasting food with little waste!

  

Become Carton Smart and follow along with Carton Smart's social pages; Tweet @CartonSmart and Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest.  How can you be Carton Smart this season?  From small, smart recipes that use ingredients in cartons or "smart" entertaining tips that produce great tasting food with little waste!

Holiday To Go...

This post brought to you by Piccadilly Restaurants. All opinions are 100% mine.


What are my favorite aspects of family Holiday gatherings?  That is a question I have been pondering for the last hour.  For me, it's more than just gathering, it's more than watching the little ones enjoy themselves with games and gifts, it's more than catching up with loved ones..."it's that moment".

Have you ever sat down with your family and friends at the table and just savor the moment?  
I stop and watch everyone exchange conversation, laughs and share stories and I freeze it in my memory.  Why?  I don't want to miss it, I want to capture an image, a recording if you will, in my mind and I take that moment and savor it.  I give thanks for all my blessings, I have people who love us, who are spending their time with us, and I am so grateful for them all. So back to the original question, I think my favorite aspect is "that moment" well spent with loved ones with good food and joy, because I get so busy preparing and making sure everything is done right, I miss those moments, until I have the opportunity to sit down and enjoy it.

Over the years, I have hosted dinners for friends and family, not always the best in my part because of the stress or hassle of preparing the right meals and hoping that everything will come out right.  The only person I know that does a phenomenal job in preparing for large gatherings is my mom.  She is the queen of entertaining with food.

As for me, if I had an oven like the Jetson's, where I press a button and dinner is served fresh and immediately, that would be heavenly.  I'm still waiting for that invention, ha, ha!   So the next best thing for me is to go to a source I can trust for flavor and good preparation.  This is where Piccadilly's Holiday To-Go Feasts comes in.  Have you heard of them?   Piccadilly Restaurants offer Holiday Feasts To-Go for Thanksgiving and Christmas with your choice of turkey or ham and all the trimmings.  Each feast serves 10-14 guests and for a smaller gathering, Piccadilly's Junior Holiday Feasts can accommodate 4-6 people.  All of Piccadilly's home style favorites and desserts are available a la carte, so whether you want the whole meal, just sides or dessert, they've got you covered.

Holiday Feasts To Go orders must be placed a at least 36 hours in advance of pick up date.  Turkey and Ham Holiday feasts are fully cooked, refrigerated and ready to heat.  Doesn't that sound great?  What a sweet idea to have someone else prepare your feast while you enjoy family and friends and put all the worries aside for once, to enjoy the true meaning of the Season!

To give you an idea of what Piccadilly restaurants are about here's a brief background; Piccadilly Cafeteria first opened in 1932 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Twelve years later, a budding restaurateur by the name of T.H. Hamilton took the reins with hopes of growing the business.  Today, they have more than 60 restaurants and 80 food service locations all across the southeast.
Since day one, their goal has been to serve up home style comfort to every person who walks through their door.  Their restaurants are family friendly and everyone can find something they love to eat.  Some favorites are fried chicken, carrot soufflé  and their desserts.

Piccadilly gift cards are also available tied to a special Holiday savings offer.  For every $50 spent on gift cards now through December 31, 2013 a $10 savings card will be issued which can be used towards a Piccadilly purchase from January - January 31, 2014 at participating restaurants.
Let's be social and follow @EatPiccadilly on Twitter and like Piccadilly Restaurants on Facebook to get specials and more online.  Do you have a Piccadilly in your area?

Spiced Pumpkin Nut Bread

We are still experiencing hot weather in this area with no sign of Fall.  It is still beach weather,

but I am hoping that it will cool down a bit in the following weeks.  There is usually no sign
of cool air until October here and I am already craving all things Autumn.  I decided that
I was not going to wait around for Fall, so I brought Fall into my kitchen.

I baked a Spiced Pumpkin Nut Bread.  The ingredients are at the end of this post.
To make this recipe, follow the directions below and I hope that you enjoy it.
(What is your favorite part of Autumn?)

1. MIX flour, spice, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

2. In another bowl, MIX pumpkin puree, brown sugar, juice, eggs, oil, and extract; mix well.  

3. Stir into the pumpkin puree bowl the flour mixture and 3/4 cup nuts until moistened.

4. SPOON into two (9 x 5-inch) greased loaf pans.  Sprinkle remaining nuts over the top of loaves.

5. BAKE in preheated 350 degrees oven for 60 - 70 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in 

the center comes out clean.  Let the bread cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pans onto the wire rack to cool completely.  Makes two loaves.  

Tip: Make a sweet glaze and drizzle it over the top of the bread to give it sweetness.

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 can (15oz) Pure Pumpkin Puree
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup apple juice
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 cup chopped nuts, divided

Follow directions for this recipe above and I hope that you enjoy it.

Linked to:
This Mind be in You
Jennifer Rizzo
Cherished Bliss
Liz Marie
The 36th Avenue
Salt Tree
So Much Better with Age
The Dedicated House
Uncommon Designs
Line Across
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Craft-O-Maniac

I Should be Mopping the Floor

Create with Joy

Vanilla Swiss Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich: Semi-Homemade

Who does not love a chocolate chip cookie sandwich?
I'm sure you have probably made these time and time again.
This is a no brainer, an easy afternoon fix or quick dessert after dinner.
Since we are busy moms with little time for great desserts, here is
an easy sweet treat that everyone will love, and the best part is that it's
semi-homemade, so go ahead and take some credit.

If you want to make your cookie dough from scratch, by all means go ahead.
But to save time, I managed to get already made cookie dough from the supermarket.

Bake your cookies and let them cool.
Once your cookies are cooled, layer your favorite creamy ice-cream.
In my case I used Vanilla Swiss for the double chocolate and crunch.
Then to make it look pretty, I added sprinkles.  Your kids will love that part!

Make a few for everyone to enjoy.

 Have fun with it and indulge in the wonderful sweetness of this treat.

My family was happy to find these special sweet treats waiting for them after supper.

If you loved dipping your cookies in milk as a child, you will enjoy this.

My son had the Dulce de Leche Ice Cream and it was, oh so good.

Mr. M was thrilled to know that they were not completely store bought, 

even though the ingredients were already made.

He appreciated the effort in making the finishing touches at home, Sandra Lee style.

Hope that you enjoy!

Entertaining Outdoors

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Hey friends, I hope that you are having a wonderful and blessed day, if not,
then I hope these lovely and inspiring outdoor spaces cheer you up a bit.

As you are well aware, I am in the process of
giving our little outdoor space a bit of a make over.  It is a long process due to weather,
but hopefully it will get done before the end of the summer, I hope.

It only needs cleaning up, painting, planting...well you get the idea.
It's not an expensive project, just time consuming, but we'll eventually get there.
In the mean time, I wanted to share these inspiring outdoor entertaining ideas.
Aren't they lovely? 

(via)
This spring and summer open your doors to the backyard or even balcony if 
you have the space, as an extension of your home. The presence of a grand table 
with plenty of chairs transforms an open space into an outdoor dining room.  
Accessorize with what you have on hand, candles, jars, cans, lights,
 banners, tablecloth, runner and flowers.  You'll enjoy it and so will your guests!

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via: littlemissmomma

via:littlemissmomma

via: littlemissmomma
These last three are from Ashley at Little Miss Momma and she creates the loveliest outdoor
entertainment spaces, simple and beautiful for a gathering.

I hope that you enjoy browsing through them as much as I have.

Which one inspires you the most?

Linked to:
Craftberry Bush
Salt Tree
The Dedicated House

Make Heart Shaped Sugar Cubes

Today I will be sharing with you how to make these cute sugar shaped hearts.

These are pretty easy to make and can be done in any shape.

All you need are the items above, but you may opt for a regular square-shaped
mold or other shapes.  I also could have tinted the hearts to make them look extra cute,
but I don't like food dye in my coffee:-)

1.So you start with a cup of sugar.

2. Add three to four teaspoons of water.

3. Mix the sugar with the water to the consistency of wet snow, but not too moist.

4. Put the moist sugar into your mold pressing firmly so you don't leave air bubbles.

5. Place the mold with sugar in the microwave for about 40 seconds.

6. Then place it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool.

7. Once they are cooled, pop them out of the mold and you will have your sugar hearts.

This is truly a great way to impress your guests!

They will wonder where you got the lovely shaped sugar from.

Hope that you enjoy!