Old Bay Shrimp Fest

My husband's grandparents live right on the beach in North Carolina near the boarder of South Carolina, so whenever we go we eat good Southern food. Well we are heading there at the end of Summer and I'm looking forward to the fresh shrimp and crab! To get us ready I made this shrimp fest, just like good ol' Southern cookin. It was delicious. I was originally going to make hush puppies to go with, but I didn't find the corn meal and I didn't have time to shop around so instead I grab a box of Trader Joe's cornbread. Best decision! If you haven't tried it I highly recommend that! And in place of vegetable oil use applesauce, in fact do that with any cornbread recipe. But if you are in the mood for some Southern style cooking, try this, you will be satisfied! You can usually find Old Bay seasoning and the meat and seafood counter in the grocery store and I eliminated the beer.

1/2 C Old Bay Seasoning
2 T salt
4 quarts water
1 can beer
8 red potatoes, quartered
8 ears fresh corn, broken in half
4 pounds large shrimp in shells

In a large pot, bring Old Bay, salt, water and beer to boil. Add potatoes and cook for 8 minutes. Add corn and boil for 7 minutes. Add shrimp for about 4 minutes. Drain cooking liquid and pour contents into a large bowl. Serves 8.

For a real fun way of eating it. Dump contents onto a new paper covered table and just eat off the table.

Special K Cookies

Once a month at my husband's work they have a Friday Birthday treat day. Every other month my husband brings treats. Well at about 9:00 at night the night before he tells me he needs to so he throws some frozen cookie dough in the oven, forgets to set the timer and burns them. It's now 9:30 and we still need to whip something up and all I can think about it taking a shower and going to bed. Then I remembered I had a box of Special K cereal in storage and some peanut butter. My Mom would always make these cookies. They are delicious and incredibly easy to make.


1/2 c sugar
1 c corn syrup
1 c brown sugar
pinch of salt
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 c peanut butter
5 c Special K cereal

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt and bring to a boil. Add vanilla and peanut butter and blend together until smooth. In a large mixing bowl mix the peanut butter mixture with the cereal until cereal is covered. Lay out wax paper and drop scoops of peanut butter cereal in tablespoon sizes. Let cool and they will become firm. Enjoy!

Angel's Pasta

It's getting to be a challenge to find vegetarian meals that I know my husband will eat. I try to focus on a lot of vegetables and usually pasta because those are pretty basic and enjoyable. This one turned out really good. I had some left over sliced olives in the fridge so I added that to the mix and it was great. Instead of mozzarella I would try feta cheese. I really enjoy cooking without meat some times because the meals take very little time to make.

8 oz angel hair pasta (I used thin spaghetti)
1 T crushed garlic
1 T olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tomatoes, chopped
12 leaves fresh basil
4 oz shredded mozzarella

Bring a larger pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in oil and saute garlic until golden. Stir in zucchini, salt and pepper. Saute 2 minutes, then mix in tomatoes and cook a few minutes more. Chop basil and add to vegetables right before mixing with pasta. Combine pasta and vegetables. Serve topped with mozzarella. Serves 6.

Cupcake Bites

A while back I was talking with my sister in law and she was telling me about these cupcake bites her friend gave as wedding favors. She was there to help and told me about how you do it. Well I was intrigued by this concept. Cake rolled into balls and coated with candy? That must be good. And how hard could it be? So I set out for the challenge and I found the exact recipe. Since it's July 4th and we have a BBQ to attend I'll break them out there and impress. Let me tell you it's pretty easy, except when it comes to the dipping the cake in a candy coating and getting it to look seamless. Needless they turned out pretty good. I used vanilla flavored candy melts, but I'm sure chocolate flavored would taste yummy.1 box cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13x9 cake)
1 16 oz can frosting
1-3 pkg candy melts (Micheal's or any craft store carries this, it's by Wilton), it's for the cupcake bottoms and coating
Candy Cup mold


After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into a large bowl. (The texture should be fine/fluffy).
Using a spoon mix thoroughly with frosting. Roll mixture into quarter size balls (make sure they are smaller in diameter than that of your candy molds) and lay on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Chill in freezer for a few minutes, until slightly firm, but NOT frozen. Melt one color of candy melts in microwave, according to package directions.


Using a frosting bag squeeze each mold cavity about half way. Place one of rolled balls into it until the force causes the candy to push up and fill around the sides of the ball. Stop pushing once the chocolate reaches the top edge.


Place the mold tray filled with cupcakes in the freezer for a few minutes to let the candy set. Remove and then gently pull on the cake ball top to release from candy mold. Holding the bottom of the cupcake, dip the top into another color of melted candy. Decorate if you want. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

My Mom made this meal frequently when I was growing up and now it's become a favorite in my household. It's the prefect mixture of sweet and sour. I've had many different type of sweet and sour chicken and this is by far my favorite. Make sure you cover the chicken well with the cornstarch and that it gets crispy when cooking in the wok. Also make sure you using a glass baking dish.

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 egg
cornstarch
vegetable oil

Cut chicken in to 1 inch strips. In a wok or a frying pan pour enough oil that will cover chicken. Dip chicken in beaten egg then cornstarch. Cook in wok, until golden crispy. Remove and place on a paper towels to absorb excess oil. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a glass baking pan pour chicken and sauce* in pan. Cook for 1 hour turning every 15 minutes.

*Sauce

3/4 c sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 C white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1/2 t garlic powder
(I often double the sauce)

In a saucepan over heat mix all ingredients together until sugar is dissolved.

Part Time Vegetarians

I discovered this website when searching for reusable swim diapers for my four month old. I love this website and just the other day there was an article on part time vegetarians. Before I had even read this I established it into our weekly menu. It really does cut cost and we are eating way more fresh produce then we ever have. Following this allows us to eat fish, shrimp and red meat more regularly. I also feel better not always eating meat. I've now upped it to two nights a week. And my husband doesn't complain, too much. I'll get him converted eventually. I encourage everyone to become par time vegetarians as well. You'll notice the difference, especially in your grocery bill.

Soy and Ginger Ribeye

Sunday dinners have always been a "special" meal for the week. Growing up it was usually a roast. This Sunday I decided to do a special dinner and made this soy and ginger ribeye recipe. Again this is probably so much better on the grill, but seeing as we don't have a grill I opted for the stove instead. It really didn't take any time, except preparing the marinade ahead of time so that the meat could, well you know, marinade. I paired it with some sweet potato fries, which I declared on Sunday that I enjoy so much more than regular fries. It was a delicious meal. The meat was very tender, but that also depends on where you buy your meat. I'm a huge fan of Trader Joe's, inexpensive and great selection. (If you have one near by seriously shop there you won't go into a chain grocery store again.) And don't forget to add corn since it's that time of the season!



1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup real maple syrup
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 cup Sprite
4 (10 ounce) beef rib eye steaks

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, ginger root, sesame oil, and hot sauce; mix well to blend. Now add Sprite, and stir lightly to mix. Place steaks in a casserole dish, and pour marinade over. Using a fork, punch holes in steaks so that the marinade penetrates into the steaks. Turn steaks over, and repeat punching holes. Cover with clear wrap or foil, and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or longer. You can also refrigerate and marinate overnight. Grilling: Prepare and preheat barbecue to high heat. Place steaks directly on grill and sear one side for about 15 seconds. Turn steaks over and cook for about 5 minutes, then turn over and cook for another 5 minutes for medium-rare, depending on thickness. Stove: Add a little olive oil to pan and let heat up on medium heat. Place meat in pan and good for about 5 minutes on each side. Test for doneness by cutting into the middle of the steak.