A copycat recipe for a restaurant meal I love!

For our first date, over 8 years ago, my husband took me to Red Lobster. We have both been big Red Lobster fans and we tend to order the same thing every time! One night about a year after that first date, I got on-line to see if I could find a copycat recipe for Red Lobster's Shrimp pasta! I found one, and this weekend, I made it again.

The only things I don't keep on hand are clam juice and heavy cream. I don't use clam juice for anything else, but it's pretty inexpensive to use for this recipe- so I buy it. 

Begin by cooking your shrimp in the olive oil and garlic. Remove from the pan and set aside.

To the hot skillet, add your clam juice and white wine. Cook for about 3 minutes, until reduced.

Stir in the heavy cream and cook over low heat for a few minutes until thickened. Add in your Parmesan Cheese.

Add shrimp back to the sauce and toss with cooked linguine. At the very end, stir in your lemon juice and herbs. Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving so the pasta can soak up some of the sauce.

I also made knock-off Cheddar Bay Biscuits...and they weren't garlicky enough! I love the Cheese and Garlic Bisquick mix, but I thought they would be even better if I made them from scratch. I used my favorite biscuit recipe, J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits, and substituted garlic salt for the regular salt. I also added 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of Italian Seasoning, and 1 cup of Sharp Cheddar Cheese. The trick to a light and flaky biscuit is to notovermix the dough and to fold it a few times before rolling out.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Brush with melted butter mixed with garlic salt.

Robyn played with some of the unused biscuit dough :) These are supposedly snowmen with purses and Humpty Dumpty.

And this was dinner- I was total craving this when I made it...and then my fickle pregnancy appetite decided I don't really enjoy shrimp right now! Oh well, at least my hubby enjoyed it :)

Lovin on Shrimp!

I found a killer deal on raw, frozen shrimp at Target a few weeks back. I needed a fast dinner one night, so I pulled out a bag and thawed them in cold water. I didn't have a recipe in mind, and I didn't have a lot of time...so I winged it!

The key players- Olive Oil, Cajun Seasoning, Garlic Salt and a fresh Lemon.

I combined about 2 TBS each of olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl. Add 1 tsp of Cajun seasoning (or more to taste) and 1/2 tsp of Garlic salt. Toss raw shrimp in this marinade.

I grilled my shrimp on my stove-top grill pan until cooked through...about 5 minutes.

Served with garlic cheese bread, roasted asparagus, and lemon wedges. It was divine and so simple!!

Champagne and Shrimp...instant love!

I was home visiting my parents last week, and my mom made Champagne Shrimp for dinner. I had heard her talk about it several times before, but had never made it myself. One bite and I knew...I was in love. The sauce is rich, almost like a bisque- and it's actually really easy to make!

The recipe calls for mushrooms, but my mom doesn't "do" mushrooms, so I left them out just like she did. I also used Whole Wheat Thin Spaghetti, but think I like it best with Penne.

Since I didn't use the mushrooms, I started by heating the shrimp in the Champagne (use a dry Champagne...not a sweet one) along with 1/4 tsp of Kosher Salt.

While waiting for the Champagne to come to a boil, chop your shallots and tomatoes. I used 1 whole shallot and 2 good sized Roma Tomatoes.

Once liquid is boiling, remove the shrimp and set aside. Add the shallots and tomatoes and cook until liquid is reduced by half...about 8 minutes.

As liquid is reducing-  season with salt, pepper and parsley. I had to use dried because that is all I had on hand. When my large spice jars get low- I always transfer the little bits left into baby food jars. They take up a lot less space!!

Stir in the heavy cream and continue boiling until the sauce starts to thicken. This only took a couple of minutes. I chose to add my pasta to the sauce to soak it up, instead of pouring it over the top. Add the shrimp in at this time as well to heat through.

Top with a sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese and enjoy the indulgence. Restaurant quality at home = perfect!

Two things I love...Shrimp and Potatoes :)

The last of my "Anniversary Series"....two of the items served for dinner :) I went with an old favorite, Twice Baked Potatoes, and one of my newer favorite entrees...Brined Shrimp.

Start by baking one medium sized potato per person at 400 degrees for about 1 hour, or until soft.

Once cooked, slice potatoes in half and scoop the centers into a bowl.

Place the peels on a foil lined baking sheet.

Mix in your favorite additions and enough milk and butter to make them creamy. I used cheddar cheese and green onions in mine...I often add bacon as well. Season with garlic salt and black pepper.

Load the peels with the potato mixture and top with a little shredded cheddar cheese. The possibilities are endless for these...you could use ranch dressing instead of the milk and butter, or mix in Parmesan Cheese and Chives. 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and potatoes are warmed through. I made the in advance and refrigerated after stuffing. I baked them straight from the refrigerator. They also freeze well at that stage!

For the Shrimp, I use this recipe with a few modifications....Grilled Brined Shrimp with Garlic Oil. You start by preparing the brine. I combine 1 cup of cold water with a few regular bay leaves, about 12 whole peppercorns, and 1/3 cup Kosher Salt. Heat over Medium until salt dissolves.

While waiting for the salt to dissolve, chop one lemon into small wedges.

I then turn off the heat and add 6 cups of cold water and 1 cup of ice, plus the lemon. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and add the shrimp. I actually peeled my shrimp and just left the tails on. Refrigerate for no more than 30 minutes.

Cooking for a large crowd, I took Ina Garten's advice and decided to roast the shrimp. I placed all 2 lbs on a foil lined baking sheet and cooked at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes. EASY way to do a lot of shrimp for a crowd!

While the shrimp were cooking, I grated 3 cloves of garlic into 1/2 cup of olive oil. I poured this over the shrimp half way through the cooking process. Serve with lemon wedges...YUM!

French Bread Rolls for Shrimp Po'Boys- for a Lovely Friday night with my Family!

I went home to see my family for a long weekend. A wonderful visit filled with good food, good wine, and lots of family time....plus, a little shopping :)
Friday, I cooked for my whole family. We had Shrimp Po'Boys on French Bread Rolls to Die For, with roasted asparagus and my own recipe for oven fries! This was my first time making the French Bread rolls and they were quite tasty. Here is the process:

First- gather your ingredients. A very simple recipe, unless you are visiting your parents and the first two stores (one a grocery store) that you go to, don't carry yeast! Hello? Isn't Active Dry Yeast a fairly common grocery item? Anyway- this recipe requires Bread Flour, Salt, Yeast, Water, Sugar and Oil (I used Olive Oil).

Combine water, yeast and sugar and allow to proof for about 10 minutes. When it's ready, it should look like this:
Carefully add in flour and mix until dough forms. I made this recipe times 1 and 1/2 and only used 4 cups of flour. Knead 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Should look like this:

Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise for about 1 hour, until the dough looks like this (double in size):
Form into the number of rolls you desire. This recipe says it makes 16 dinner rolls. I made the recipe times 1 and 1/2 and formed 12 sandwich size rolls. Allow the rolls to rise for another 40-60 minutes, until they look like this (not perfect, but that's how you know they are homemade!): Bake for 18-20 minutes at 400 degrees until golden brown. They should look something like this (other pictures for this recipe are much more beautiful!):
They were really good and perfect for my Po'Boys. In the rush of entertaining on Friday night, the sandwiches didn't get a picture, but here is my recipe!

Shrimp Po'Boys with Lemon and Jalapeno Mayonnaise

Po'Boys

6-8 medium size shrimp per person
Wondra Gravy Flour
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil

Mix together flour, salt and pepper. Toss in raw shrimp to coat. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil. Fry shrimp until they are crispy and opaque.

Lemon and Jalapeno Mayonnaise

1 cup mayo (regular or low-fat)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 large clove of garlic finely minced or grated
1-2 TBS of chopped, pickled jalapenos

Chop garlic and jalapenos. Add to mayo. Zest one lemon and then juice it. Add both to mayo, stir and refrigerate. Best if made at least 2 hours before serving. Also delicious with the oven fries!

Slice rolls, top with hot shrimp, mayo and shredded lettuce. DELICIOUS!!!