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I want to make moussaka!!!  Anyone have a delicious and authentic recipe?  I will post it here and credit you, of course!

Also, please check out my family blog and see new photos of our baby boy!

Shrimp and scallop stir-fry

Lillian is getting over a little tummy bug.  One thing she will eat anytime is rice.. white rice, yellow rice, fried rice.. any type of rice.  Since her little tummy is sensitive right now I figured this would be good tonight.  It took me a little under an hour to make this but I did not prep the veggies first and that usually will cut down on some time, that and getting shrimp that is already de-veined and peeled.  When I make stir fry, I use whatever veggies I have or grab first. 

Here is the list of ingredients I used tonight:
2 cups white rice (dry)
1 lb bay scallops
1 lb shrimp
1 med onion
1 crown broccoli
1-2 carrots
1 zucchini
mushrooms
vegetable oil
soy sauce or teriyaki
sweet chili sauce
Adobo seasoning
ground ginger
garlic powder
white pepper
minced garlic

Prepare rice of your choice.  I used white rice.  Rinse several times .. equal parts rice to water and made in rice cooker.

Rinse your bay scallops to get rid of any debris

Add 1-2 tablespoons ground ginger

Add 1-2 tablespoons garlic powder

Sprinkle a dash of white pepper

(basically coat in ground ginger and garlic powder)

2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce or teriyaki

2-3 tablespoons Sweet chili sauce

(or more to taste, if you like it spicy add red pepper flakes)

1 teaspoon of cornstarch to thicken while cooking

Toss/stir with spoon and marinate in fridge for 1/2 hour

Meanwhile, heat up pan or wok on med- med/hi heat..

De-vein and peel shrimp - I like to do this while running

the cold water.  It seems easier this way..

After pan is hot, add enough vegetable oil to coat bottom of pan.

Carefully add the scallop mixture. Heat till bubbly and slightly thickened.

I guess the best way to describe the cooked scallops is they will not be

translucent anymore..

I had rinsed the bowl they were marinating in and moved the cooked 

scallops back to it while I prepared the rest of this dish.  Also, 

wash the pan really good and let it re-heat.  Be careful, it may be hot!

After the pan re-heats on medium, add some more oil to coat.

I chopped up a medium onion and added it to the pan.

After a few minutes, start adding the other veggies.

I added a large chopped up broccoli crown..

then a heaping tablespoon of minced garlic.

I also added sliced carrots and mushrooms.

I turned the heat up to med-high/high.. 

Then some of out neighbors stopped by to say hi!

Add some more soy sauce, seasoned salt (I use Adobo)..

The pan will steam and continue to cook the veggies.

Next pour the scallop mixture back in, add the shrimp..

Cook until heated thoroughly and shrimp is pink.

Serve over white rice..

Enjoy!

My husband will add a little Sriracha, he likes it hot and says that is why he married me (heehee) .. I like to add a little more of the sauce and tad bit more soy sauce.  Happy cooking..off to bed - goodnight!

Momma's deviled eggs..

So, I remember eating these for the first time and thinking I could eat the entire platter full.  I do not know to this day what all was in the mix but have tried many recipes since then and we we are talking 20+ years.  I made these for a Ladies Night Out event last night and ended up not making it but luckily was going to meet our mommy friends today so I would not have to eat deviled eggs for the next 3-4 days!  (My husband doesn't eat them because his mom always makes the relish tray and deviled eggs for every family occasion - that is another story).  But anyway, here is what I put together for the gals.. and they requested that I post the recipe.

By the way, I got the deviled egg holder/transporter from Wal-mart for $5.67.  It hold 18 halves or 9 eggs total but I always make a few extra to "test" my eggs and just in case peeling doesn't happen as smoothly as I like it, too.

Ingredients:
dozen boiled eggs
4 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon of sour cream
1 tablespoon of cream cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil (estimate)
2-3 tablespoons sweet relish
1 celery stalk finely diced
1/2 small yellow onion finely diced
sprinkle of garlic powder (or adobo seasoning)
few dashes of pepper

I put the eggs in to a large pot and cover with water.. Bring it to a boil for two minutes, reduce heat and cover, simmer for 10 minutes.  Then pour hot water out and cover with cool water.  Let eggs cool.
Peel eggs in running cool water to remove all shells.  I usually crack and light roll on the cutting board.. there is nothing like getting a good peel and it comes off easily but that doesn't always happen.  Let whole eggs sit in cold water while finishing the peeling of the rest of the eggs.. This will also help with any shell/skin you might have missed. 

After peeling is complete, rinse off your cutting board (if you have any pieces of shell on there, etc.)  Cut in half and place yolks in a mixing bowl.  I use my handy dandy little food processor to finely dice the onion and celery.  Mix in with remaining above ingredients and whip it good.. I like my creamy.  Then I use a fork to put the mix into the egg halves scooping it down with a spoon.. oh and top with paprika (optional).

Enjoy!  (If I left something out just comment or shoot me a message .. trying to type this up quickly with a toddler HAHA and one more on the way!!!)

If you are scared of drying out your baked chicken, try the beer-in-the-butt chicken! It is for those of us without a rotisserie, didn't marinate the chicken, and want something juicy and delicious tonight - don't get me wrong you can definitely marinate it if you like.

I always buy my (meat, in general, but especially) chicken when it is on sale for under $1.00 per pound. Most times, it is a meal tonight and leftovers for something yummy tomorrow.

Here is momma's beer-in-the-butt chicken recipe:

Ingredients:

Whole chicken
Olive oil (or any you have on hand)
Salt
Pepper

Your favorite seasonings
I get a little spice crazy with it..
Brown sugar
Garlic powder
Chachere's
Cayenne pepper
Paprika
rosemary
thyme
basil
onion powder



Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Start with a whole chicken. Rinse out the cavity and all over the bird. Lay the chicken in a roasting pan, glass dish, or any baking pan. Rub with olive oil and then season with your rub (or just salt and pepper works just fine! Have a couple sips of the beer.. or get rid of half the beer anyway you like ;) ... Today I poured it into the baking dish.. should have saved it for my hubby! (No beer for me for at least six months!).









Here is another photo (less spices, but added fresh time in the cavity and under the skin) on a different night that we had the beer in the butt chicken - it is a great "go - to" and you can make more than one bird in the oven if you have guests... depending on the size it should not be longer than 1 hour and a half. Make some pasta or rice and serve with your favorite veggies.



Be sure to let the chicken rest for at least ten minutes before carving into it.

Enjoy!

Momma's Very Veggie Meatloaf

Ingredients

* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 stalk of celery
* 1/2 medium onion
* 1 small zucchini or squash
* 1/2 red bell pepper
* 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
* Sea salt and ground black pepper
* Sprinkle of Adobo (or your favorite seasoned salt)
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 tablespoon dried thyme
* 1 tablespoon dried parsley
* 1 1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef
* 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
* Dash hot sauce
* Dash Worcestershire sauce
* Dash Soy Sauce
* 1/2 cup ketchup
* 1/4 cup plus dash balsamic vinegar



Directions

Finely dice the vegetables, I like to use our food processor . Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the veggies for 2 minutes and then the minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool (or put in the fridge to cool faster). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk the egg in large bowl and add herbs, bread crumbs, grated cheese, 1/4 cup ketchup, dash of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and hot sauce (optional) and mix thoroughly. Finally add the beef and cooled vegetables; gently mix (with your hands) until just combined.

Form a loaf in a pan or use cookie sheet with at least 1/2 inch sides because there will be grease. Whisk the remaining ketchup and balsamic vinegar and pour the mixture over the entire loaf.

From cooking

Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. I like to serve with homemade mashed potatoes and corn.. or what I like to call grown-up shepherd's pie.

From cooking

Please enjoy!

Fried rice

The Bachelorette finale was last night and my friend, Susan, hosted a mommies' night in party (so much fun!!!). Jillian Harris made her final selection in Hawaii between Kiptyn Locke and Ed Swiderski (final choice). I decided to make fried rice because in Hawaii, Spam is sometimes dubbed "The Hawaiian Steak".
So, here is my method for some delicious fried rice.

Ingredients:

3 cups (dry) jasmine rice
4 eggs
1 can of SPAM (low sodium or lite)
1 pound small to medium shrimp
2 celery stalks
2 carrots
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (or few dashes powdered)
1 teaspoon garlic ((or few dashes powdered)
3 teaspoons butter (you may omit butter)
Olive oil (or any you have on hand)
Sesame oil
Soy sauce (low sodium or any kind is fine/we use Kikoman)
pepper

Prepare rice and refrigerate at least 2-4 hours, or overnight.

Whisk/scramble eggs and add pepper.
Dice SPAM into little square pieces.
Peel and rinse shrimp.
Chop veggies finely (I like to use our processor to make pieces very fine).

Turn large wok, or large pan on MED-HI heat. After pan is heated, put one teaspoon butter in pan and a dash of sesame oil. Coat pan with the mixture.
Fry the SPAM until crispy and put in large bowl.

Next, put one teaspoon butter in pan and a dash of olive oil.
Fry the shrimp till just pink and put in the bowl.

Fry the eggs and put in the bowl.
(Sometimes, I do the eggs first)

Now, fry the veggie mix. After 2-3 minutes add 1 teaspoon butter and the garlic and ginger. Mix frequently.

Put rice on top and break it up. Add soy sauce (will steam) and continue mixing the rice and veggies. (I am not sure of the amount of soy sauce... never measured it - sorry! but you want a consistent light brown color throughout)

Add contents of bowl and keep mixing ... Serve hot and with soy sauce on side - Yum-Yum!

I have got to remember to take pictures before I pack up the food! =)

Here are two shots.. one with flash and one without.

Butter chicken (Murgh makhani)





Maybe I will get a better camera for Christmas!