New Years Resolutions

We all make New Year's resolutions. We try to improve upon the person we were last year. "New year new me." I always aim to be healthier, more organized and in a better place financially. Some years I succeed and some years not so much. To start off my healthy resolution, I made a shrimp and veggie stir fry over quinoa for dinner tonight. It was light and surprisingly, very good. Hope you like it and good luck on your resolutions!

 1 lb of shrimp, peeled

1 diced onion

1 diced red bell pepper

1 diced green bell pepper

1 zucchini, cut into matchstick size pieces

2 minced garlic cloves

1 cup quinoa

Make quinoa according to directions on box. (1 cup quinoa with 2 cups of water. Turn on high. Bring to boil. Simmer, covered for 15 min)

In a large pan, drizzle some EVOO. Turn to medium high heat. Add veggies and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cook about 8 min, stirring regularly. Add shrimp cover for 4 min. Stir and make sure all parts of the shrimp are cooked.

Serve over quinoa! 

Backyard games

It's springtime and summer is right around the corner. Down south that means lots of outdoor entertaining. We have lots of easy outdoor games to keep your guests happy and make lots of memories! 

cornhole! This is a favorite. You just toss the beanbags into the hole! 

Kerplunk! Just like when we were kids, just bigger.

Hopscotch! Make it colorful! Still a favorite among little girls.

This is one for the kids and adults! Golf tees in a wooden block (easy enough right?) place ping pong balls on the tees and use water guns to shoot them off! Hope your get together is a blast!! 

Recipe post to follow! 

Happy Birthday Emma Kate!

Happy Birthday to my Minnie!

Gumbo

It's a little chilly out right now; even in Louisiana. So I'm making gumbo. I'm making seafood gumbo, but you can make gumbo with just about anything. And I'm even going to tell you the "cheat" way my grandmother started using after she "got too old to fuss with it all". Funny thing is, no one knew the difference! I have no idea when she quit making her own roux. So here's the easy way!

Ingredients:

2 boxes of Zatarans Gumbo Base

2 boxes of chicken stock

2 cans diced tomatoes 

1 bag of frozen gumbo mix frozen veggies (onion, celery, bell pepper) thawed.

2 lbs of frozen shrimp

1 container lump crabmeat

1 pack of andouille sausage sliced.

In a large stock pot, mix gumbo base chicken stock and 5 cups of water over medium heat. Add veggies and diced tomatoes. Bring to boil. Add sausage and crabmeat. I like to add 1/3 cup of Zatarans seafood boil for extra spice. Stir regularly to keep from burning on bottom. Add shrimp at the end. Boil 5 minutes. Serve over white rice with french bread and saltine crackers! 

Enjoying the Holidays

I LOVE the Holidays! It's my favorite time of year. I have some great recipes to make and share with family and friends! 

Crab and Corn Soup

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 stick of butter

1/4 cup flour

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups half and half

1 can cream style corn

1 cup frozen corn

1 pound lump crab meat, shells removed

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup sherry

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sauté onion and celery in the butter in a saucepan for 3 minutes or until tender. Add flour and mix well. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the broth gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. (just keep stirring!) Stir in half and half and corn.

Cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fold in the crab meat and green onion. Stir in the sherry, salt and cayenne pepper. Simmer just until heated through and ladle into soup bowls.

Serves 8

Serve with French bread

For my favorite to go containers, shop www.maryandmartha.com

Merry Christmas! Enjoy trimming your tree and singing carols with your loved ones! 

Tropical Summer Day

We're spending the day swimming and enjoying the sunshine. Ethan is practing strokes for swim team practice and Emma is getting braver and paddling around in her floaties!
To keep with the mood of the day we're having fruit salad as a snack and "Hawaiian BBQ Chicken" for dinner.

Tropical fruit Salad
This one is very simple
1 can mandarin oranges drained
1 sliced banana
1 can pineapple chunks ( I found one with coconut in the syrup!)

Pour in bowl and mix together!

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken
4-6 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1 can pineapple chunks drained

Add all the ingredients to crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours.
Serve over rice.

Enjoy& Aloha!!

Sweet Summer Time!

Ahh summer time. A sigh of relief after a long busy year. I have some delicious recipes to celebrate. Time to bring out the shorts, flip flops and sunglasses.

Mint Julep
2 cups Sugar
2 cups Water
6 sprigs fresh mint, plus some for garnish
2 cups bourbon whiskey

Make a simple syrup by dissolving sugar in water and bring to a low boil. Once sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is piping hot, remove from heat .
Pluck mint leaves from stems and add to syrup.
Cool completely.
Pour syrup into a serving pitcher and add bourbon. Stir to mix well.
Fill a high-ball glass with ice and a sprig if mint.
Cover ice with bourbon mixture and serve!



Mango-avocado Salsa
2 ripe Mangoes, peeled and diced
3/4 cup finely chopped red onions
3/4 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives
1 large ripe avocado, peeled pitted and diced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine mangoes, red onions, all bell peppers, olive oil, cilantro and chives.
Toss avocado with lime juice.
Gently add avocado with juice to mango mixture, stirring to combine flavors.
Season with salt and pepper.


Grilled Asparagus

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Drizzle olive oil over asparagus with salt and pepper
Place across hot grill. Grill about 2 minutes. Roll them over and grill another 2 minutes.
Remove and serve immediately.

Grilled Shrimp

1 pound large headless shrimp peeled
1 table spoon olive oil
Creole Seasoning

Toss shrimp with olive oil and creole seasoning.
Skewer kabob style onto metal or wooden skewers.
Place grill on high heat and cook about 2 minutes on each side.