Has this ever happened to you - you are in the middle of a recipe and forget what you are making? I'm sure this happens to everyone, right? ::crickets chirping:: Well, as you can probably guess, this happened to me when I was making this recipe. I was defrosting the shrimp and chatting away with Justin about my day. Before I realized it, I had taken all the tails off the shrimp. (I'm pretty sure I've never seen a shrimp cocktail like that.) I considered drawing tiny tails on the above picture, but thought you might notice. So instead, we laughed about it, and ate our appetizer with forks instead. If you prefer to eat your shrimp cocktail the old fashioned way, feel free to leave the tails on. :)

Shrimp cocktail has never been easier... or tastier! I will never go back to boiling shrimp again. And the homemade cocktail sauce is vastly better than the store-bought version. I definitely recommend this for your next party or just a night home.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

For the shrimp:
2 lbs. (12 to 15-count) shrimp
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

For the sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce (recommended: Heinz)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
2 tsp.freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place them on a sheet pan with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and spread them in 1 layer. Roast for 8 to10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool.

For the sauce, combine the chili sauce, ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Serve as a dip with the shrimp.

Source: adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics

This was the perfect starter for the Ladies' Luncheon I hosted last weekend. I was able to prepare the mousse the day before and pipe the mixture onto the crackers just before the party began. I served the leftovers on fresh cucumber, which was equally delicious (as well as refreshing for a gorgeous day). I definitely recommend making these for your next get together!

Salmon Mousse

8 oz. smoked salmon, flaked with a fork
8 oz. cream cheese
2 tsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, finely minced

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse repeatedly until all the ingredients are blended and smooth. Transfer to a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour. (Alternatively, pipe the mixture onto crackers and garnish with fresh herbs.)

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats

When making my meal plan for the week, I try to plan less involved meals for weeknights. Why? Because if I try to plan some elaborate feast for a Wednesday night, something inevitably will come up. You don't believe me? Two weeks ago, I was in the kitchen preparing dinner and I looked back and noticed a squirrel in my living room. Not in a tree, not outside the window, but in.the living.room. After putting on my rain boots and grabbing a canvas bag and a bottle of Windex (it solves everything, right?) to open the front door. Unfortunately, my threatening window cleaner spooked the squirrel and it ran through our fireplace and back into the walls where from where it came. Quite obviously, everything went back into the fridge and Animal Control and the neighborhood pizza place were called immediately. The moral of this story? Plan a meal that can still be made when you find wild animals running through your house something unexpected comes up.

Long story - well, long, this dish fits the bill of a quick (and healthy) weeknight meal. It took fifteen minutes from start to finish. The shrimp was a little on the spicy side for me (but perfect for Justin), so you may want to reduce the amount of red pepper flakes if you want a little less of a kick.

Pan-Seared Shrimp with Ginger-Hoisin Glaze

2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger
2 tsp. water
3 scallions, sliced thin, divided
1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. sugar

Stir together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, water, and 2 scallions in small bowl. Set aside.

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet with a lid over high heat until smoking. Meanwhile, toss shrimp, salt, red pepper flakes, and sugar in medium bowl. Add shrimp to pan in single layer and cook until spotty brown and edges turn pink, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; using tongs, flip each shrimp and let stand until all but very center is opaque, about 30 seconds.

Add the hoisin mixture and toss to combine. Cover skillet and let stand until shrimp are cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately with remaining scallion on top for garnish.

Source: adapted from elly says opa!, originally Cook's Illustrated

This is definitely not a typical summer meal, but Justin was craving something spicy, and the nearby Fresh Market (love) accidentally ordered Andouille sausage. This was a quick meal for a weeknight, and obviously very filling. Justin loved it and said the seasoning was spot-on. Bookmark this one for the winter, or better yet, crank up the AC, make this dish, and pretend it isn't 159 million degrees outside.

Cajun Jambalaya

12 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 can diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
3/4 cup rice
3 cups chicken broth
5 ounces (or 1) Andouille sausage, sliced*

*If you can't find this in stores, you can substitute a different kind of sausage

In a bowl, combine shrimp, chicken and all seasonings and mix well. In a large saucepan, heat oil over high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery, and saute for about three minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

When rice is just tender, add sausage and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chicken and shrimp mixture, and cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.


Source: adapted from Emeril Lagasse

I received this recipe in my email a couple weeks ago and was salivating at the thought of making it. I finally found time and it was just as good as I thought it would be. (It didn't hurt that dinner was on the table in less than 20 minutes!) I'm not a huge salad eater, but I loved the Asian inspired dressing - it reminded Justin and I of the ginger dressing they serve in Japanese restaurants. It was the perfect compliment to a nice piece of tilapia and went perfectly with my Sesame Noodles.

Sauteed Tilapia with Honey-Scallion Dressing

For the Dressing:
2 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. dark sesame oil

For the Fish:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 cups gourmet salad greens

To prepare dressing, combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.

To prepare fish, heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Add fish to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Arrange 1 cup greens on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with 1 fish fillet and drizzle each with 2 Tbsp. dressing.

Source: adapted from Cooking Light, August 2006

As promised, I am finally blogging about my shrimp lasagna rolls! I usually make a ground beef/ground turkey lasagna, so I was so happy to try a different base in these rolls. I added quite a bit of seasoning to the shrimp when I cooked them, and it really added some kick. I will definitely be adding these to our rotation. (If you didn't see my earlier post, check out my prosciutto and spinach lasagna rolls.)

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls

6 lasagna noodles
1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz.) container ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning (plus more for seasoning shrimp)
Pinch of nutmeg
1 3/4 cups marinara sauce, divided
Shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a roaring boil. Boil the noodles until just tender, but still firm to bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp to the skillet, and generously season with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add the garlic to the pan and saute' shrimp, stirring often, until cooked, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a bowl with 1 cup ricotta cheese, the Parmesan, egg, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce with the remaining ricotta cheese. Stir until smooth.

In an 8x8 baking dish, spread the remaining 1/4 cup marinara sauce to cover the bottom. Lay lasagna noodles on a work surface. Divide the shrimp mixture evenly between the noodles and spread over the full length of each. Starting at one end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. (Make sure not to squeeze or the filling will come out the sides.) Lay the filled lasagna noodles seam side down (without touching) in the baking dish. Spoon the creamy marinara sauce over the top and add shredded mozzarella.

Cover tightly with foil. (If you are making these ahead of time, you can put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.) Bake until heated through(about 20 minutes). Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees, uncover lasagna rolls, and bake until cheese on top starts to brown, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Serve with additional marinara sauce.

Source: adapted from Annie's Eats originally from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis.

I have been salivating all day thinking about cooking shrimp fried rice along with sesame chicken for dinner tonight. It was definitely worth the wait. It was really simple to make, used only one skillet (well one skillet and one pot to cook the rice), and tasted just like take out. We loved it! I was planning to use a combination of two recipes (most fried rice recipes have the same ingredients, just different proportions), but I ended up changing a lot to fit our tastes - and was very pleased with the results! I will definitely be making this when I am craving a little Chinese.

Shrimp Fried Rice

1 cup uncooked enriched white rice
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
5 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
2 large eggs, beaten
12-15 shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup uncooked vegetables (I used a mix of peas, carrots and green beans)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Combine rice, water, 1/4 tsp. salt and butter in stock pot. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. (Do not stir or remove lid while cooking; it will make the rice gummy.) Stir and remove from heat.

Heat 1 Tbsp. canola oil in large wok over medium-high heat. Add the eggs, and stir until just cooked. Remove the eggs from the wok, and set aside on a plate.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in the wok, season shrimp with salt and pepper, and cook for 4-5 minutes, flipping frequently until just cooked. Remove shrimp to plate, and cut into small pieces.

Heat the remaining 3 Tbsp. of oil in the wok. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the rice and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the eggs, shrimp and green onions. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil and continue to stir-fry for 1 minute. Serve immediately.

Source: Me! (Loosely adapted from Curtis Stone)