Roasted Shrimp with Feta

(Cait...I hope this post is normal enough. I tried hard for you. It really is me:)

I suppose I should apologize for my post inactivity as of late! Brian and I traveled back to Bakersfield for a quick weekend to see friends and family. Unfortunately, I came down with the flu, saw no one, and remained under the weather even after our return. I think it's the time of year! I hope that you are feeling healthy as the holidays are approaching! Only 3 days until Thanksgiving!! On Tuesday evening I will be posting SEVERAL T-day recipes for inspiration. (Corn Bread Stuffing, Shrimp Salad, Cream Corn...just to name a few:) After Thanksgiving, I'll post a few leftover ideas too!!

Okay, so on to what I've been cooking the past few days. If you can't tell from previous posts, I have been totally obsessed with Ina lately, especially her brand new book, How Easy Is That? I swear phenomenal food just keeps getting more and more simple because of that woman! I came across the following recipe, and I knew it would make a great, easy din. I started thawing my shrimp and chopping my veggies when Brian said he was going out to the field to work. I didn't wan't to make this giant meal to eat alone while he worked, so I put it in the fridge and we ate it the next night! This is a great meal for company, as the flavor combo is impressive. Serve it with crusty bread and a glass of wine.

You can link directly to Ina's recipe here.

Chardonnay Rice with Walnuts, Rosemary and Garlic

I made this super great rice to accompany lemon chicken breasts. The pan juices pair nicely with the winey flavor of the rice. The rosemary and chopped walnuts add just the right crunch to this dish! No longer will you be heating Uncle Ben's in the microwave. Rice needs substance and flavor!!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup long grain rice

1 cup Chardonnay, Chateau Ste. Michelle

Drizzle of Olive Oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 garlic cloves, softened in 1 tablespoon olive oil over low heat

2 teaspoons chopped, fresh rosemary

A few pinches of kosher salt

1 handful walnuts, chopped

In a saucepan bring water, chardonnay, drizzle of olive oil, butter, and garlic to a boil. When water is at a high boil, add rice and cover and cook according to package directions. Don't take the lid off until rice is cooked. Once cooked, remove lid and add walnuts and rosemary. Remove from heat. Add several spoonfuls of pan juices from Lemon Chicken Breasts. If you don't cook the rice with the chicken, simply squeeze fresh lemon juice over the rice.

Lemon Chicken Breasts

Brian and I have been so busy these past few weeks that there has been a lack of food in our fridge. I was dreading going to the store after a long day at work and trying to come up with something when I came across this recipe in Ina's new book, How Easy Is That? And, let me tell you it certainly is EASY! I had everything in my fridge and pantry and dinner was ready in a snap!!

You can find this recipe on page 120 of her new book. I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because that is what I had, but you could use boneless with the skin on for more flavor. I also added a tad bit of rosemary.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

at least 1/4 c Olive Oil

9 gloves minced garlic

1/3 cup dry white wine. I used Chateau Ste. Michelle's Chardonnay

zest from 2 lemons

1/4 cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Sprinkle of dried oregano

Leaves from 8 sprigs of thyme

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped

Kosher salt and Freshly ground pepper

4 chicken breasts

1 lemon

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan, heat over low heat the olive oil and garlic. Just for about a minute or so. Don't burn the garlic! Burnt garlic is soo pukey! Remove the pan from heat and add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and rosemary.

Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and salt and pepper them on both sides. Drizzle some wine straight from the bottle over the chicken. Pour the olive oil mixture over the breasts. Cut a lemon into 8 wedges and tuck in with the chicken. Garnish with extra sprigs of thyme. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Once finished cooking, cover with foil and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with crusty white bread and rice. Drizzle pan juices over chicken on plate.

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

I hope that you have figured out by now that you never need to buy another bottle of salad dressing ever again! What a giant waste of money! They are so high in fat, salt and sugar! (although this dressing is made with syrup...so it's not much better!) Making your own dressing will save you loads of cash and you never have to throw out another Hidden Valley Ranch from 1996 again! The dressing on this particular salad is one to keep around for other rich fall dishes!

This is a great salad for the fall and winter! I love butternut squash in almost everything, but this is a simple way to serve the autumn fav. The dressing is so good, you'll want to lick the whisk!

Again, this recipe comes straight from the queen of simple cooking, Ina Garten. The salad isn't changed much, but I make the dressing a bit differently.

For 4 salads.

Ingredients:

1/2 Costco container butternut squash, already cubed for you!!

Good Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

4 tablespoons dried cranberries

1/2 cup walnut halves

Arugula or Costco Artisan Lettuce: Purple and Green

Shaved Parmesan

1 sandwich baguette, cubed, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and baked into croutons

For the Dressing:

1 shallot or equal part of red onion, minced

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Splash of olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place butternut squash on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Toss the squash to coat. Roast for 15 mins, and add cranberries for the last 5 mins or so. For a total of 20 mins.

While that is roasting, combine the shallot, cider vinegar, and maple syrup in a small saucepan. Cook until boiling until dressing starts to reduce. Heat walnuts in a skillet over med-hi heat for just a few minutes.Once squash is finished roasting, add to bowls containing arugula or lettuce. Divide the squash and cranberries between the bowls. Using a knife, shave parmesan over the salads and add the croutons. Pour reduced dressing over salads along with a small splash of olive oil. Sprinkle with walnuts and toss.

Crab Sandwich with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Great treat for summer, although I have been enjoying this sandwich during the fall. If you are not a fan of seafood, I beg you to give crab a chance. When I was little my brothers and I would go fishing with my Dad on my grandpa's yacht in the Northwest. Fish, crab, shrimp, mussels, oysters have all been a part of my food favorites from such a young age. One summer, my family took our boat out for a week and traveled around the San Juan Islands, crabbing all the while. How yummy! I am not talking about fake carb, faux crab, imitation crab....whatever you want to call it. That crap doesn't count as crab. Real crab, pulled from the sea. That's the good stuff! You can buy lump crab meat at specialty seafood stores and I recently found it at my Costco! How convenient. This is a fab sandwich served with a great homemade cocktail sauce, that literally takes less than a minute to whip up and impress your friends with. Pair this sauce with roasted shrimp, crab, or cocktail shrimp.

For the Sauce:

1 cup Ketchup

1/2 cup Homade Chile Sauce

1/4 cup Beaver Horseradish

1 tablespoon Worcestershire

Squeeze of lemon

Combine in bowl. I tend to add more Beaver horseradish and chile sauce. I also add a dash of Chipotle Tabasco to taste.

For the Sandwich:

2 slices good, crusty white bread toasted. (I eat it open-faced with only 1 slice)

2 leaves of Bibb lettuce

Lump Crab meat, a few tablespoons

Squeeze of Lemon

Salt

Pepper

1/2 tablespoon Homemade cocktail sauce

Schmear of good mayo

Layer the sandwich and drink with a glass of iced-tea!

Easy French Bread, Dressed Up

A slice of crusty, hot french bread is essential for a nice comforting winter meal. I add a few herbs, oil, salt and grated parmesan to a good loaf of french bread. The flavor is fantastic, without being to buttery, oily or garlicky. Serve with a big salad, poultry, soup, steak, or roasted chicken! Really goes with almost anything!

Ingredients:

1 loaf French Bread. (you can also use Ciabatta, or anything par-baked with garlic cloves)

Good Extra Virgin Olive OIl

A few springs Fresh Thyme, chopped

Rosemary leaves, chopped

1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated with zester or microplane

Kosher Salt

Cut the french bread in half (hot-dog style). Drizzle with olive oil, salt the bread, add the thyme and rosemary and sprinkle with the cheese. (Don't use too much salt or your bread will start to remind you of play-doh) Place top and bottom together and wrap in foil. Place in oven and bake at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Cut in slices and serve with a drizzle of balsamic if you want.

Herb Marinated Pork "Log"

A few years ago my mom regularly starting buying pork tenderloins from Costco. Because of the shape, my brothers called them "Pork Logs." The term stuck and the Johns clan has been lovingly referring to tenderloin as "Pork Log" for quite some time now. While the name sounds pretty disgusting, tenderloin is a great and affordable cut of pork! You can grill and roast this pork a million different ways, but the recipe that follows just happens to be my absolute favorite! Usually, when using a recipe from a cookbook or TV show I change something to make the flavor my own, more unique or more flavorful. This is an exception!! This recipe comes from Ina Garten's Back to Basics book that I believe all home cooks should have! The whole point is that cooking and flavors should be basic and simple. Herb Marinated Pork Tenderloin is the perfect example of basic flavors cooked simply! I have cooked this for friends more then once, and all have been happy and satisfied!! Last week, my friend Judy came to visit from California. I have known Judy since I was in high school, and I used to eat food from her fridge and pantry. One time while visiting, I said I felt like eating a piece of cake. A few days later, when I visited there was confetti cake out on the counter in the kitchen. How great is that??!! This time... I wanted to cook for Judy!!! I knew I wanted to stay in with Judy, because staying in is always more fun...more wine, no tipping, seconds and thirds and a night sitting around the table that never has to end!! Great food is always best when shared with good company, this dinner was a nice reminder of all of our friends back home...whom we love and miss.

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice from 5 lemons

Olive Oil

6 cloves, minced garlic

1.5 tablespoons rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons Dijon

Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Ina says this ensures the pork is surrounded by all the flavor! Let marinate overnight in fridge or for at least 3 hours.

You can cook the tenderloin a few different ways. A favorite of mine is to grill the tenderloins. Y0u can also roast them at 400 degrees until cooked thru about 25 minutes.

A great way to cook them though, is to sear them on all sides in a saute pan with hot olive oil. Once all sides are golden brown, place the saute pan directly in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until meat reaches temp of 137 degrees. Take out to rest and cover with foil. Let sit for 10 mins. Slice diagonally. Salt and pepper just before serving!

White Bean, Shrimp and Bacon Ensalada

Okay, I have a confession. When B and I first moved to Denver we ate take-out for a solid week before we had any real food in our fridge. We ate Chipotle, Little India (fab), Anthony's Pizza, Noodles and Company, and some unmemorable Chinese. After a week of eating totally terrible, I ventured to the neighborhood market and filled my cart with some stables. Tomatoes, Bacon, frozen Wild Caught Shrimp, Arugula, French Bread. Little did I know that my grocery run would make for an exceptional, quick and easy dinner. Insipred by Tyler Florence (yet again) I added white navy beans (you can also use cannellini beans) and threw this simple recipe together for our first home-cooked meal at our new house. The combination is fabulous and the assembling of ingredients is totally effortless. Make this for your hubs. He'll love you even more than he already does!

For 2 entree sized salads.

Ingredients:

6-10 Large Wild Caught Shrimp, Shell and Tail On .

5 slices Thick Cut Bacon

Arugula, or Bibb lettuce, red or green. (really any lettuce will do. Don't you dare use iceberg though~~!!)

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Balsamic

Red Wine Vinegar

Handful of Cherry Tomatoes or three plum tomatoes, slit on tip

1 can navy or cannellini beans

3-5 sprigs fresh thyme

12 sage leaves... half fresh and half crisp in oil/butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a small, sharp knife cut down the back of the shrimp and get all the yuck out! Keeping the shell/peel on keeps so much great flavor in the shrimp! Lay out on sheet pan. Additionally, lay out strips of bacon on THE SAME sheet pan. Drizzle with a TAD amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roughly chop 6 of the sage leaves and sprinkle over shrimp and bacon. Place in oven for about 12-15 mins. On a smaller sheet pan, place tomatoes. If you are using anything other than cherry tomatoes, make an x with a knife in the top of each. Drizzle olive oil, aged balsamic, salt and pepper over tomatoes. Place on top rack until tomatoes burst. If you are using larger tomatoes, you will want to roast for at least 20 mins. if not, 10 mins will do.

While the other items are in the oven, take out a saute pan and add the drained beans to the pan. Salt and pepper the beans and roughly chop the thyme and add to the pan. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 mins. Also, crisp the remaining sage in another pan with butter.

Meanwhile, arrange the lettuce in bowls. When the items in oven are finished cooking, take them all out and let them cool. Start peeling the shrimp and divide between bowls. Chop up bacon slices and divide between bowls. Divide tomatoes between bowls, squeezing the juices out using spoon. Portion the beans among the salads. Add the crisp sage. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and toss. SOOOO good!