Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

Photo by Katie Guymon

Last Friday, Catherine came over for happy hour, and I served roasted shrimp cocktail. We both easily became believers in this twist on a pretty standard appetizer. The shrimp is incredibly easy to prepare (especially if you gather a weird satisfaction during the peeling and deveining process, like I do), but it looks elegant and tastes more special than the norm. Serve these shrimp with your favorite prepared cocktail sauce and a spritz of fresh lemon juice, and there you go.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail [adapted from Barefoot Contessa; serving size: 4]
-1 pound of 16-20 count shrimp
-1 tablespoon of olive oil
-1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper

1. Peel and devein the shrimp, then rinse clean with cold water.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the shrimp in a single layer on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Roast for 6-8 minutes, just until pink, firm, and cooked through. Set aside to cool, or serve warm.

Crab Bisque with Avocado-Tomato-Corn Relish

Photo by Katie Guymon

I saved this recipe from Eating Well, a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away when Pinterest was in its infancy, and its users actually had grand intentions to make use of what they pinned. I rediscovered this soup over the weekend while perusing my recipe boards and decided to dive on in.

Shockingly, this crab bisque is actually healthy, subbing heavy cream for skim milk, and (in my humble opinion) it doesn't lose any flavor.

I'm so happy to have a warm bowl of soup on this weirdly, heavily snowy day in late March.

Crab Bisque with Avocado-Tomato-Corn Relish [adapted from Eating Well]
Relish:
-1 small avocado, finely diced
-1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
-1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced
-juice of 1 lime
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-freshly ground pepper to taste

Bisque:
-1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
-1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
-1 cup chopped onion
-1 cup diced yellow bell pepper
-1 1/2 cups diced peeled russet potato
-3/4 paprika, plus more for garnish
-1 cup cooking sherry
-3 cups seafood stock
-2 cups skim milk
-16 ounces crab meat, drained if necessary
-1/2 teaspoon salt

1. To prepare relish: combine avocado, corn, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature while you prepare the bisque.

2. To prepare bisque: heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add corn, onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until the onion and pepper have softened, about 5 minutes. Add potato and paprika and cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Working in two batches, puree the vegetable mixture in a blender or food processor. Alternately, use an immersion blender. Return the puree to the saucepan; stir in milk, crab and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Serve each portion of bisque with about 1/4 cup relish; sprinkle with additional paprika, if desired.

Honey Mustard Salmon

Whenever I need a quick and healthy dinner, salmon, I turn to you. Paired with a roasted veggie and wild rice, you've got yourself a Zone diet meal that would make Jennifer Aniston proud.

I've been making this fantastic salmon recipe twice a month since we made our obligatory resolutions to eat better after the Christmas holidays. Go 'head...try it.

Honey-Mustard Salmon [adapted from Men's Health]
-1 tablespoon of butter
-1 tablespoon of brown sugar
-2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 tablespoon soy sauce
-1/2 tablespoon olive oil
-4 6 oz. salmon fillets

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the butter and brown sugar in a bowl and microwave for thirty seconds, until the two have melted together. Stir in the mustard, honey, and soy sauce.

2. Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over high heat. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add to the pan flesh-side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until fully browned and flip. Brush with half of the glaze and place the pan in the oven until the salmon is firm and flaky (but before the white fat begins to form on the surface), about 5 minutes. 

3. Remove from oven, brush with more sauce, and serve. 

Cape Cod Dip

Cape Cod Dip
-8 ounces cream cheese, softened
-1 can condensed New England clam chowder
-1 medium clove garlic, minced
-1/2 teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce

1. Combine all ingredients and beat with electric mixer until smooth.

2. Chill, then serve with cracks or chips.

A Southern Dinner Party

Photo by Katie Guymon

Two nights ago, I hosted a southern dinner party for five of my girlfriends. This was an item on my summer vacation to-do list, so I am so thankful that we were all able to get together. The only thing missing was a bell to call them all to dinner. Not to toot my own horn, but toot! toot! The food was delicious, and if my leftover intake is any indication, you will probably like it, too.

Here is the menu (with recipes!) for a southern dinner party.

Hard Lemonade [recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson]
What's more southern than a frosty glass of lemonade spiked with vodka? I doubled the batch and used some Minute Maid lemonade to supplement the freshly squeezed juice. A girl can only juice so many lemons, y'all.

Crab Dip [recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman]
Catherine was kind enough to bring over this delicious crab dip for an appetizer on Wednesday night. And, she kept with the southern theme! But, I'm not surprised. Girl knows how to work a theme.

Barbequed Shrimp [recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse]
The first time I ever tasted these shrimp was at a Viking Cooking School class. Let me tell you, this recipe is not good for you, but it is heavenly. I went to Bob's Seafood for the first time to buy the biggest shrimp I could find. Although I'm not a huge fan of peeling and deveining, it is so worth it to get the 20 count shrimp versus the little guys at your local grocery store.

Goat Cheese Grits
Okay, this recipe isn't really good for you either, but hey, special occasions are always diet-defiant. If you are a grit girl (or boy) like I am, this is dedicated to you. 

-3 cups whole milk
-3/4 cup stone-ground grits
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1 4-5 ounce log fresh chervre
-1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
-salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Heat milk in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat; bring to bil. Whisk in the grits and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the grits are soft and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Stir in cream, goat cheese, thyme, salt and pepper. Add more milk if grits are too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.  

Fresh Corn Salad [recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa]
I've written about this Barefoot Contessa recipe before. It is seriously the stuff that corny dreams are made of. Now that basil is in abundance, it's the perfect time to make this salad.

Marinated Asparagus [recipe courtesy of Paula Deen]
My mom and I discovered this recipe when we were in a "We heart asparagus, but what else can do with it?" phase. This preparation is perfect. It's easy. It's served cold. It's made the night before. And it's really very tasty.

Honey Cornbread Muffins [recipe courtesy of The Neelys]
Cornbread from scratch. Yum, yum, gimme some. And that's all I have to say about that. 

Rhubarb Cobbler [recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman]
I had never made this exact recipe before, but since I've been on such a rhubarb kick this summer, I wanted to try it. The only step I did differently was to swap out the lemon and add freshly squeezed orange juice. As my friend Courtney described it, "It's the perfect combination of sweet and tart." I completely agree. Top it with some homemade whip cream, and it's perfect.