Shrimpilicious ... Quick and Tasty Sauteed Shrimp

It’s official. My youngest daughter is a shrimp fiend. FIEND, I tell you! Who knew that someone so petite could chow down on so many of the little crustaceans.

Our story begins right before lunchtime. I had some more shrimp in the fridge that were just begging to be cooked. My youngest was just begging to be fed something quick and tasty. Hmm ...what to do, what to do. (Picture me, fingers tapping my cheek, eyes shifting from the shrimp to the child and back again.)Do you remember the blackened seasoning I posted about recently? I thought it might taste good on the shrimp. It did. Now you’ll notice that nothing looks actually, um, blackened, in the photos. I opted to sauté the wee creatures instead of high-heat sear/blackening them. A little bit of butter, some white wine, some shrimp, some seasoning was all it took to give this creation life. (Hey that reminds me of the scene from Young Frankenstein when Gene Wilder cries out, “LIFE ... give my creation LIFE!” Did any of you see that show? Oh man, those old Mel Brooks shows where something else.)Anyway, where were we ... ah yes, I remember now.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Raw Shrimp – medium sized, I used about a lb or so.
Blackened Seasoning – A good tablespoon
Butter – About 3 tablespoons (come on, loose your fear of butter)
White Wine – About a ½ cup
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped fresh chives

Shell, devein, and rinse your shrimp. Let’s talk about that for a second. While it is convenient to purchase already shelled shrimp, I’d discourage you from doing that unless you have no other option. Most shrimp, unless you live near the ocean, has been frozen first and the shells really help protect the flavor of the little guys. Removing the shells and the deveining process only take a few minutes, and believe me, you’ll love the difference in flavor.I shell, devein, and rinse my shrimp right in a colander in the sink. I also remove the entire shell including the tail piece as I don't like to see people sucking on tails and them putting said shells in a pile on their plate for me to dispose of anyway. Ewww. Plus, there's meat in "them thar" tails. Ahem. Let's move on, shall we. Pat the shrimpies dry. Sprinkle the seasoning right on the shrimp and toss to distribute the spices evenly.
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the shrimp, keeping them in a single layer.As soon as they start to look opaque on the bottom, less than 2 minutes, turn them over. Let sauté another 2 minutes, taking care not to over cook the beasties. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a platter. Return the pan to the burner and add the white wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom. Cook until reduced by half, stir in the parsley and chives. Pour the sauce over the shrimp. Garnish with additional parsley and chives if desired.This was really super. Of course, it would pair nicely on top of a crisp salad, or with rice or polenta or even savory style grits. The blackened seasoning worked really well with the shrimp, but the real beauty of this recipe is the cooking process. Truthfully, any type of seasoning would work well here ... salt and pepper ... garlic ... etc.Mmm ... here’s a quick bite for you!See my little fiend at work here? She looks like she's in some sort of shrimp trance. (If you look just over her shoulder, you can see my ripening tomatoes in the backyard. Please ignore the hose that needs put away. Thank you.) The quick cooking process provides you with marvelously textured shrimp. Nice and snappy, if you know what I mean.See how wonderful they are? I just love their curves! So, if you know of any shrimp fiends, or if you are the fiend, give this a try! Your tastebuds will thank you.

Steak Diane with Red Wine Risotto

No need to adjust your monitors, folks. Oh yeah, you’re seeing purple! Or, as Elmer Fudd would say, “poy-pull”.

Today’s recipe is a lovely steak and risotto dish that’s sure to please, including its color serving as a conversation starter. Those steak strips you see are succulent morsels prepared “Steak Diane” fashion. The risotto gets its royal color via red wine. Individually, these two dishes are wonderful. Together, they are outstanding.

Spare me the Barney jokes, please! Truth be told, I was a little owl-eyed at the color of the risotto at first. I mean, I knew that it wouldn't actually be the same shade of red that the wine was, but still I wasn't expecting it to turn quite so lavender looking. I tentatively took a bite, and all my color fears were laid to rest. It's so good, I couldn't care what color it sported.
Steak Diane is traditionally served using tenderloin steaks. I’m, however, serving five people including a teenage son that carries around a bottomless pit for a stomach. Tenderloin, while incrediably yummy, isn’t really a viable option for a weeknight dinner. I substituted the more affordable sirloin, but you use whatever floats your boat, trips your trigger, colors your rainbow, rocks your world, etc. I also opted to cut the steak into THIN strips. I get more servings out of one steak that way. In addition, I like the texture of steak strips that are moderately seared on all sides. *drool*

The important thing about my modified version of this elegant dish is that the tang in the sauce really and truly pairs beautifully with the rich, creaminess of the risotto. I love things that pair together. Chocolate and peanut butter, for example. Scones and tea. Biscotti and coffee. Cookies and milk. Diamonds and my fingers. (I threw that in there just in case Mr. It’s All Gouda sneaks in a read here. My birthday is coming up, hubbyman. hehe)Back to the recipe ...

It’s really easy to make, including the risotto. I actually made the purple people eater first, and then the steak afterward. Have all your ingredients ready to go before you begin. I found the risotto recipe on the Boston Globe website. The original recipe calls for Merlot (I used Pinot Noir as this is Oregon, and Pinot Noir is what helped successfully launch the Oregon Wine Industry!)

Red Wine Risotto (from the Boston Globe)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped (I used onion)
2 cups Arborio rice
2 cups merlot or other dry red wine (I used Pinot Noir)
4 ½ cups chicken stock, heated
½ cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parley
Salt and Pepper to tasteIn a heavy 4-quart saucepan, non stick it you’ve got it, over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and the oil. Add the shallots or onions and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften. Take care not to brown them. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute to coat the grains with the butter mixture.

Add the wine 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When all the wine has been added, add the hot broth 1/2 cup at a time. Wait until the rice has absorbed each addition before adding more. Reserve 1/4 cup of the broth.
After about 20 minutes of stirring, when the rice is tender but firm, add the remaining 1/4 cup broth, the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir well. This made double of what I actually needed.

Steak Diane (modified from Barbara Swain’s Cookery for One or Two)

1-1/2 lb steak, ½ inch thick,
Salt and Pepper
2 generous tablespoons clarified butter
½ generous teaspoons dry mustard
2 generous tablespoons minced onions or shallots
2 more generous tablespoons butter
1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 generous tablespoon fresh lemon juice (yep, lemon juice)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh chivesPound steak to tenderize and flatten slightly. Cut into thin strips. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat evenly. In your largest skillet, combine 2 generous tablespoons of clarified butter and the dry mustard. Cook over medium heat until sizzling. Add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes or until just starting to look translucent. Add the steak strips and fry to your desired doneness. Quickly add 2 more tablespoons of butter (come on people, don’t be afraid of butter. It’s the fake stuff you should avoid!), Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice to the pan. Stir and cook for about a minute or so. Stir in the parsley and chives. Serve immediately over the risotto.MMMmmm ... this was really good. Just look at that steak (if you aren't blinded by the risotto!) This is my favorite level of "done-ness" on a steak. What do you call this level? Medium? Medium-Well? The risotto is, in a lovely way, VERY creamy and the wine flavor is actually subtle. It is very rich and comforting. As soon as you put it in your mouth, the yummy noises start. The steak, as I mentioned, was cooked to perfection, and the lemon in the sauce really balanced out the richness of the risotto. Oh, and like most things here at It's All Gouda, this is gluten-free, all the way, baby!

So, would you care for some poypull goodness? What are some of the colors you’ve seen on your plate lately?

Campy Shrimp Scampi

Okay, I combined two titles into one that rhymes. Hey ... we resumed homeschooling in my neck of the woods today, so it’s back to rummy rhymes and amplified alliteration.

Today’s post is actually about my son’s camping trip (you'll notice that my blog title does actually mention "a little about life and family in the Pacific Northwest") as well as that succulent gift from the sea .. shrimp scampi.

Ah, shrimp scampi. How I love you. This, my blogging friends, is the dish that could quite possibly bring about world peace. It’s so wonderful, so fragrant, sooo utterly delicious that I think it ranks as one of the natural wonders of the world. Who could be grumpy eating scampi? It’s not possible, I tell you! I never get tired of eating scampi no matter where I am ...at home or when traveling.

Speaking of traveling, we just returned from our annual summer trip to Washington. (Mr. It’s All Gouda and the littlest Gouda Girl having fun on the pier. Uh, no, that's not our boat. We don't have one. I will, however, accept one as a gift. Anyone? Anyone? *sigh*)

Hmmm ... annual summer trip. Doesn’t that sound so, I don’t know, like I’m from some old, old established family that spends its summers abroad. Truth be told, this was only our second annual trip to Washington. My soon to be 14 year old son attends a summer camp for kids with seizures up there in our neighbor state, and the rest of us hang out in Washington while he has fun at camp.(My camper is the one right underneath the plaque, wearing a dark jacket and sporting the mop of hair. Little bit tall, isn't he? Can you believe he's the youngest of that group of boys standing there? He's even taller than the camp counselors!)

Did you attend camp as a kid? I was way toooo shy to even consider hauling out the ol sleeping bag. Luckily, my kid didn't inherit his mother's hermit disposition. This camp is utterly amazing. It is the brainchild of Epilepsy NW, which is part of the National Epilepsy Foundation.

Every summer, kids in the Pacific Northwest partake in an all inclusive summer camp. The camp is staffed by adults well versed with seizures, many of them former campers themselves, plus they have nurses at camp to administer daily medications and take care of any seizure related occurances. My son attended for the first time last year and has looked forward all year long to attending again. Last year, I was so paranoid letting him attend. First of all, it is held out of our home state, about 4 hours away to be exact, in a remote area of Washington. Next, while he’d only be gone for 4 days, I’d not be able to contact him unless it’s an emergency, and even then it would be difficult. Lastly, I didn’t know ANY of the counselors or anyone attending. Still, my son's desire to participate outweighed my fears.

If you recall, this is the boy who defied the odds surviving a horrible illness 2 years ago. Coming that close to real peril changes one's overall outlook on life as well as parenting. Some things you hold onto closer like time together as a family, and other things you are more willing to try and take on. We do not sweat the small stuff any longer. Letting him truly "carpe diem" is paramount in my priority outlook. He really wanted to go to camp, and so off he went. I’ll never forget leaving him there last year. He barely waved goodbye to his “paranoid yet acting happy because she didn’t want him to know she was trying not to freak out” mother as he was already having fun getting to know his fellow campers. That's just how it should be ... that is, him being comfortable, not me trying not to freak out!

The camp really fostered his independence, and drove home what his mother has told him ... he can accomplish anything he sets his mind to. Fast forward to this year, I was not as crazed saying goodbye because his health has dramatically improved (only one small seizure since attending camp last year), I loved the positive impact it had on him, and I knew what to expect. Sure enough, when we arrived, I got a quick hug goodbye and then he pretty much took off to hang out with the other kids, some of whom he had hung out with last year. The four days passed by very quickly, and when we picked him up at camp, he started talking about attending next year. I just about burst with pride when he told me that he’d like to pursue being a volunteer counselor there when he is 18. Ah, the boy matures. Plus, thank God, his health is terrific. For that alone, I'm a very happy camper. Hey ... clever pun!

He's always been a really good kid ... thoughtful, mature, smart. Being at camp reinforces his good qualities ... friendly, good attitude, and positive minded. Plus, where else does he get to go rock climbing, hiking, ride some giant swing thing (I can't think of what that's called), and partake in archery lessons?He didn’t mind the rustic cabins, Spartan bathroom set up, remote location, or the fact that his mother wasn’t there to cater to his culinary likes and dislikes. He ate what was served and cleaned up afterward. Hmm ... let’s keep that theme going at home, shall we!(My oldest Gouda Girl ... twin to the camper and soon to be 14)

In contrast to his accommodations, the girls and I, along with Mr. It’s All Gouda, stayed at a lovely hotel complete with cookies in the lobby and restaurants in town. Granted, it was a small town, but lovely nonetheless. It was right on the harbor, and so we feasted on fresh, local seafood. My littlest gal loves shrimp, and I promised her on the ride home yesterday that I’d make her shrimp scampi for dinner tonight. I always keep my promises.Without further ado, here’s the scampi (loosely based on Ina Garten’s recipe ... love her food!) Oh, and this is gluten-free, too!

3 tablespoons clarified butter (can use regular unsalted butter)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (I removed the tails, too)
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
¼ cup minced fresh Italian parsley (save some for garnish)
½ lemon, zested plus the juice (save some zest for garnish)
½ cup white wine
buttered, cooked linguine
In a large, heavy bottomed pan (I used a dutch oven), heat the clarified butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, and sauté for about 1 minute. Be very careful to not let the garlic burn. Add the shrimp, salt, and black pepper. Saute until the shirpm just turn pink, stirring often. Add the wine and sauté for about 30 seconds longer. Remove from heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Toss to combine. Serve over buttered linguine, polenta, cous cous, etc. Mine is served over gluten free linguine.Sprinkle with extra parsley and zest if you’d like. I like! Make yummy noises. Preparation this way produces shrimp that has that wonderful snappy like crunch when you bite into it. We need to come up with an adjective that adequately defines that feel in your mouth when shrimp is cooked to perfection. Whatever you call it, it's all gouda to me! :-)

One last thing before I leave ...

I barked out laughing when I saw this sign. We were driving along on our trip, enjoying the gorgeous scenery, when I see this sign. Look closely, now.Certainly nothing to laugh at. But wait ... what’s this next one say .... Oh Lord. You’ve got to be kidding ...And there you have it folks ... another reason NOT to pick up hitchhikers! Eat scampi instead! :-) Hmm ... I wonder who made the sign?

Slurpin' Good Blackened Chicken Fettucini! (It's gluten free, too!)

Mmmm ... here you go! Open wide and take a bite! My husband did his ravenous bear impression and chowed down on this recipe. CHOWED DOWN. I can tell when he really likes something because a) he sets a world record at speed consumption of the food, and b) he gets up and serves himself seconds. I suspect he likes to refill his own plate because he can pile on more food than his loving wife who doesn’t want him to overeat. I’ve been instructed to place this recipe on his repeat list.Do you maintain a “repeat” list? You know what I mean ... the lofty list of recipes that the family will actually eat again with gusto. The problem here is that although my husband all but licked his plate clean twice, the children in my life were not so enthusiastic. My girls did eat it without complaint and actually asked for seconds of the chicken. My son, well, he told me he wasn’t very hungry. Yeah, like I’m gonna buy that one. (eye roll) My son is not a fan of sauce. He’s not a fan of food groups that touch. This recipe does both. Despite his displeasure, I have absolutely no leftovers of any aspect of dinner. Therefore, this will get made again ... I’ll just keep the boy’s portion separate.

Credit for this recipe goes to Guy Fierri from Food Network. It’s full flavored, creamy, and delicious. If you like creamy, delicious food, this one’s will make your repeat list, too! Like most of us do, I did modify it just a bit.Plus, I made mine gluten free by using Tinkyada brand rice fettucini. See how lovely the rice pasta cooks up? Of course, if gluten is your friend, you can always use regular fettucini. This recipe is easy to make, comes together really fast (so have everything ready first!), and would also qualify to serve company. YUM!

The ingredients call for Blackening Seasoning. Have you "blackened" anything before? I’ve never made anything blackened before. Truth be told, I don’t even know if this qualifies as blackened because I ended up grilling it. Uh oh, I can hear the sirens from the the seasoning police now. Hey, officer, it was hot inside and outside, so I opted for cooking outside. Perhaps I could bribe them with a bite of this. Back to the seasoning ... I decided to make my own rub! I’m so glad I did; it’s "money" as Guy says.

Ingredients
• 4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I brined mine first)
• 1 tablespoon of canola oil
• 1 cup blackening spice (I made my own and used less than called for)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 baby zucchini, halved, grilled and sliced (my garden addition)
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound cooked fettuccine (I used gluten free fettuccine – awesome!)
• 1/2 cup sliced scallions

Directions
Before you begin, make sure all the ingredients are chopped and ready to go as this recipe comes together rather quickly. Also note that I grilled the zucchini at the same time as the chicken. While preparing your chicken, cook your pasta according to package directions. I used gluten free rice fettuccine and loved it. It needs to boil for about 10 minutes.

Pat the breast dry and dredge them in the blackening spice. Drizzle with most of the canola oil, saving some for the zucchini, and rub it in. Set aside while you heat up the grill. Fire up your grill to medium high heat. Grill chicken for about 4 minutes on each side, place on a plate and cover with foil while you prepare the rest of the recipe.

Halve your baby zucchini, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with the remaining canola oil, and grill about 5 minutes per side. Remove and let sit while the chicken is sitting. Slice into bite sized pieces. I grilled these at the same time as the chicken.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes. Slice your chicken on the bias into medallion sized slices, and add them along with the zucchini to the pan. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta. Garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Here is the recipe for the Blackening Seasoning. I LOVE this spice. It’s not too hot in the heat department, and it smells terrific. This would go great on fish, too. YUM. I found this recipe on About.com and I’m so pleased with it.

Ingredients:
• 2 teaspoons ground paprika (I used smoked paprika)
• 4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste
• 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation:
Combine ingredients. Put in a jar and store in a cool dark place. Shake jar well before each use.I just made a paper cone and spooned it into a recently empty spice jar. I love re-using jars in this way.Do you date your spices? I do. That way if something gets shoved to the back of the drawer, I know at a glance if it’s still palatable!

This mixture was, in my opinion, the star of this recipe. The aroma was so enticing, and the texture just blended right in ... no bits of unwanted texture anywhere. I really enjoyed concocting my own mixture. What’s your favorite spice mixture?

Garden Tuesday - Garden Notebook!

Welcome to Garden Tuesday at It’s All Gouda. Today’s post is about starting and maintaining a garden notebook. Do you keep a gardening notebook? I’d love to hear about any type of gardening “record keeping” that you maintain.

I literally just started a garden notebook this week. In it, year after year, I plan to keep track of what I planted, how many I planted, where I planted them, the varieties that I liked, the ones that bombed, any soil amendments, diagrams of how-to’s, etc. My notebook is not fancy, but it will keep all my thoughts from jumbling around inside my brain. Plus, it will help me out as I slowly but surely become more and more forgetful! Another big bonus, at least I’d like to think it will be, is that I can pass this notebook onto my kids when they are gardening on their own.

I wish I had a gardening notebook from my grandma and mom, both of whom were amazing, amazing, AMAZING gardeners. Alas, I do not. The sad thing is that I know they would have written everything down for me, in deluxe detail, if I had shown interest when I was younger. Plus, in this day and age of electronic everything, I truly relish having things in their actual handwriting. But I digress ....So, all of you out there in garden land, let’s start keeping garden notebooks. To kick off this project, I simply drew a diagram of my garden, noting what I planted and where I planted it. That will help in several ways including planning “crop” rotation (ha, my little garden is hardly a crop, but you know what I mean) and staggered harvests as well as physical stuff like not planting tall bushy stuff in front of short hard to reach stuff.

I’m also just starting to save my own seeds. I openly admit that I don’t know what I’m doing. I am reading up on it, and am keeping notes on what I’ve done. Hopefully, when next spring comes around and I plant these saved seeds, I’ll be “wowed” that it worked. I. Hope.So far, I’ve only saved Bush Lake green bean seeds and curly leaf parsley seed. Oh, I was so excited when I shelled those dried beans. Did you ever see the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks? Do you remember the scene when he starts a fire for the first time, and thumping his chest and then raising his arms shouts out “I have made FIRE!!!”? Well, that’s how I felt when I shelled the beans. I mentally shouted out to all the neighborhood, “I have made beans!!!”I actually felt all warm and fuzzy inside, and my eyes might have teared up a bit. Yeah, I’m “special” that way.My favorite parsley plant took a beating this year when my hubby split it in half while yanking the hose to the other side of the yard. He duly apologized, and I did manage to keep the plant alive, but I knew it took a severe blow. I let it go to seed this summer, and thought I’d replant next spring. I basically just left it alone, letting it flower, and then dry up.Here I simply used my nail to “flick” out the seeds, and this is what I ended up with. I hope I did this correctly. I’ve got way more seeds than shown here.

The garden continues to do well. Many of the plants are now past their prime production days, but they are still producing food. It has been so wonderful to just step outside and gather what I need. I will miss seeing these things ...
Italia Sweet PepperZucchini BabeBusy Bee on BasilBaby Beans Keep on Comin’Year of the Sage