Ed's Scampi Provençal

My father-in-law, Ed, makes the most delicious shrimp appetizers and he recently shared the recipe with me.


Ingredients:
24 medium size jumbo shrimp
6 cloves garlic
butter
olive oil
2 pinches of red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
12 slices of toasted French or Italian bread
1/2 cup white wine
4 tablespoons half and half

This recipe serves six people.

Peel and devein the shrimp. Wash them in cold water and pat dry.  Melt two tablespoons of butter and add two tablespoons olive oil.  Add six minced garlic cloves, one teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, two teaspoons herbes de Provence, and two pinches of red pepper flakes. 

Drizzle the butter mixture over the shrimp and marinade them for at least ten minutes.  Cut bread and toast.

Heat saute pan to medium or medium high heat. Add two teaspoons olive oil and two tablespoons of butter.  Add shrimp and cook both sides until light pink.  Add 1/2 cup of good white wine and drink a little while you're at it.  Heat until liquid has reduced and wine has bubbled off.

Push shrimp to the side of pan, off of the direct heat.  Add a generous splash of more white wine and four tablespoons of half and half.
 

Place shrimp and sauce into a bowl and serve with the toasted bread.  Enjoy!

Thanks for the delicious recipe, Dad!

Yummy Chicken

When Susie, my mother-in-law came into town, she passed on her awesome chicken recipe. When she arrived I was at the end of my pregnancy and exhausted. I had been cooking plain old chicken for Aaron every other night for weeks straight. Her recipe is drop-dead delicious. Here it goes...

Cut up two apples and three small onions and place inside and around a whole chicken. Take around eight cloves of garlic and gently slide them under various parts of the bird's skin. Drizzle with olive oil and cover in salt and pepper. Cook on high (about 400 degrees Fahrenheit) for an hour, flipping the chicken half way through. Cook until juices run clear. This will be one of the easiest meals you have ever made AND it is so tasty. I usually throw in a few potatoes in the oven at the same time, and the dinner practically makes itself.

Bean Soup and Cleaning House

I have been sorting and cleaning all day, making piles of items that I no longer use. It feels good to simplify and organize the house. Aaron is at a coffee shop working away on his thesis. Things are shifting into high gear as he is graduating in October--I still can't believe it! Next on our agenda: find jobs!

I have been trying to use up all of the food in the cupboards lately, and stumbled upon a great Crock Pot soup. You basically use the cans of food on hand or the frozen veggies in the freezer, and throw all the ingredients in a Crock Pot.


1 cup dried great northern beans, picked over and rinsed (or any other beans you have)
1 can diced tomatoes (include the juice)
1 can garbanzo beans
1 can white beans
3/4 cup frozen corn
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (3/4 cup)
3 cloves pressed garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
3 bay leaves (I used the ones on our yard)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon pepper
dash of salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (from yard)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (from yard)
(If you don't have the cilantro or parsley on hand, this might be good with rosemary.)

Throw ingredients in the crock pot and cook for 9 hours, or until beans are cooked. You may need to add more chicken broth, depending on how much liquid is absorbed in the beans. Serve the soup with sour cream and cheese.

Origins of fabulous Crock Pot creation:
This recipe was adapted from Gourmet Magazine December 2004, which was adapted from Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ. I was also inspired by a Crock Pot recipe my friend Melissa created. Thanks, Mel!



Chase playing with Finley.