For the love of Lansbury and the Righteousness of Shrimp

YOYOYO, this is my new favorite font. It's called Lansbury,as in Angela Lansbury. I had forgotten how much I love Murder, She Wrote. I started watching it the other day, and remembered fondly how much Merce loved that show. I am not sure what it is about the show that I like so much. It may be the memory of watching the show with Merce, or it could be the fact that Angela Lansbury is downright precious. My only complaint is that no one seems to take any issue with the fact that this old lady detective has no experience in criminology. One more complaint; none of the actors take into account that every time Jessica Fletcher shows up, someone dies. If I knew she was going to be in the vicinity, i'd say, “Yeah........so, I am going to have to go. Because every time that old bird comes around, somebody has to drop dead". No thanks. 

Shrimp and Asparagus Saute

Ingredients 

1 medium red onion

7 garlic cloves

1 bunch of asparagus

1 red bell pepper

1 pound large, pealed shrimp

1/2 tbsp Mrs. Dash Spicy blend

1 tbsp butter

Olive oil 

Salt & pepper to taste

1 cup uncooked quinoa 

2 cups chicken stock 

Salt & pepper to taste

1- Finely dice onion 

2- Using a large sauce pan, heat two tbsp of olive over medium heat, and sauté onion, 8 minutes.

3- Using a garlic press, crush 2 cloves of garlic, add to onion, sauté one minute

4- Chop asparagus & red bell pepper, add to pan. Sauté 5-7 minutes, until tender.

5- Place the vegetables in a separate bowl

At this point, in a small pot, combine quinoa, chicken stock, salt and pepper. Boil over medium heat until liquid is completely absorbed. Fluff quinoa with fork.

6- Return pan to heat, add butter & one tbsp olive oil and the rest of the garlic, sauté one minute.

7- Add shrimp to the pan, and cook until shrimp is completely pink. 

8- Add the veggies back to the pan, stir well. Allow to cook for one or two minutes. 

9- Serve over the quinoa. 

Bonne Chance!

Fist fight with a Noble Fir and giving Weight Watchers a hand

                   Oye vey. We are only 7 days away from Christmas, and I am not feeling the Christmas Spirit at all. It could be any number of things. It's 57˚ outside, with no hint of white Christmas or even chilly weather. Another big factor, this is the first holiday season I will spend away from both the Stewarts and the Robersons. But I've got a special stick in my craw today, the Christmas tree died early.
                   In an effort to get the tree replaced as quickly as possible, I agreed to strip the tree of it's decorations by myself. I am not one to jump into a situation that involves manual labor, in case you didn't know. But I do try to be helpful, so I signed on and it started out fine! The glittering tree bulbs came off easy enough, and I felt like I was making great time. But then it came time to take the lights off the tree. While Donnell & I decorated the tree the first time, I remember thinking "Really? Do we really need six strands of lights?". Again, that comes from my aversion to physical work, but I soldiered on anyway. And when only two strands were left, the lights became tangled in the tree. I pulled this way and that, but nothing. I continued to struggle, and the sweat began to drip from my head. Sweat dripping from my head makes me irrational, so naturally the dogs decided to go ape ****, barking at little children passing by. Between the barking, the sweating, and the tangled lights, I lost my cool and plunged my fist into the tree and tangled wires. If you're wondering what it feels like to a dead evergreen, I can assure you that it is quite unpleasant. As I type this, the flexing action of my hand aggravates the sore spots and reminds me of my bad judgement.
                    Rather than feeling sorry for myself, I am taking time to remind myself to chill out and be grateful. We spend so much time trying to prepare for this time of year, we can allow the distractions to take our focus off the reason for the season. So let's take time to count our blessings, and reflect on all the goodness that is bestowed upon us daily. Oh, and don't punch Christmas trees, it is not a wise thing
to do.

Weight Watchers Chimichanga Recipe 

-Jake Style

This recipe follows the original recipe fairly closely, but I omit the cheese and change up the spices. It's easy, fast and very good. Enjoy!

Ingredients 

1 medium onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 pound ground turkey 

1 packet of lower sodium taco seasoning 

1 can refried black beans

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tbsp ground black pepper 

1 tbsp sea salt

1 can of refried black beans

1/2 cup of hot salsa

8 whole wheat tortillas 

Sour cream & salsa to add on top when cooked (about a tbsp of each per chimichanga)

Preheat oven to 350˚ 

1- Finely chop onion

2- Using a large sauce pan, coat with 3 tbsp of Olive Oil, and sauté onion, 8 minutes.

3- Using a garlic press, crush garlic. Add to onion, sauté one minute. 

4- Add ground turkey to pan, and break apart with a spatula. 

5- Continue to loosen meat as it cooks, add spices. Cook until browned.

6- Add black beans and salsa, and stir well. Salt & pepper to taste 

7- Open tortillas bag, place in microwave and cook for 45 seconds. 

8- Lay the first tortilla onto plate, ladle 1/8th bean/meat mixture on tortilla, fold in sides and roll up.

9- In 9"x 13" pan place each chimichanga seam down, line up evenly. 

10- Bake for 20- -30 minutes, until edges are browned. 

11- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa on each chimichanga.  

                 

Confessions from the kitchen.....

              My name is Jake Stewart, and I have a confession to make; I love casseroles. And furthermore, I don't care who knows it. There is something magical about a very long list of ingredients coming together in a 9" x 13" Pyrex pan. My mom didn't make many casseroles, but two of my aunts never met a casserole recipes that they didn't dominate. Casseroles remind me of potlucks at church. It's not spoken out loud, but having at least one good cook per family is almost prerequisite for being a member of the Church of Christ. This recipe is delicious and very easy to adjust to your own personal tastes. That said, I wouldn't change it because i already made it perfect. Enjoy y'all!

Baked Chicken Rotini Casserole

Ingredients 

1 pound chicken breast 

Italian blend seasoning 

Salt 

Pepper 

8 cloves of garlic 

1/2 yellow pepper

1 small onion 

1 cup chopped portobello mushroom 

1 can diced tomatoes 

1/2 can of tomato paste

1 teaspoon of Sriracha hot sauce   -  If you don't like heat, feel free to omit. (Panty waste)

1 jar Newman's Own Sockarooni Spaghetti sauce

1 box (13.25 oz) Barilla whole grain rotini

1 & 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 380˚

1 - Place chicken in a plastic bag, and use meat mallet to tenderize chicken

2- Coat chicken in italian seasoning, salt and pepper evenly on both sides

3- Using a garlic press, crush 4 cloves of garlic 

4- In a large sauce pan, coat pan with two - three tbsp of olive oil, add garlic and allow to simmer for one minute over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté on each side until lightly browned. 

5- Turn off heat and set chicken aside to drop temperature. Once cooled, chop chicken into small pieces.

6- Dice Onion, mushroom and pepper 

7- In a separate sauce pan, add two tbsp olive oil and set burner to medium. Sauté the onion, mushroom bell pepper until tender, about 10 minutes.

8- Crush remaining garlic cloves and add to the pan, sauté for about 1 minute. 

9- Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste and sriracha. Stir well. 

10- Add jar of spaghetti sauce, then add salt & pepper to taste, turn off heat. 

11- Boil 6 cups of water in a large pot, add two tbsp of salt to water. Once at a rolling boil, add pasta and boil for 7 and 1/2 minutes. Drain water and set aside. 

12- In a 9"x13" pan, add pasta, chicken, sauce and 3/4 cups of mozzarella and mix well. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cups on top.

13- Bake for 20 minutes at 380˚. Then switch oven to broil and set to 400˚, broil until cheese is melted. Allow to stand for 5 minutes and enjoy!