It' Scampi Time!!

Welcome Guest Chef - Ghetto Girl 2005 (aka Susan)!

She's my blogmate. When I'm out and about, she likes to pop in. Grab your taste buds, and enjoy. Just make sure to wipe the drool off your face, but DO NOT wipe it on the couch!

It' Scampi Time!!

Again, I have to give special thanks to @KBar3 for allowing me to crash at your pad! Kari and I are currently under sublet negotiations! ;)

The holidays always trigger memories of Christmas Eve at my Nana' s apartment where 20+ of 
my closet relatives gathered to yell at eat other gorge on every type of fish imaginable! Some were more appetizing than others. Fried smelts (still not even sure what hell a smelts is?) and squid sauce were some of the less desirable dishes in my opinion! Actually they were "hurl" worthy! But my Nana's Shrimp Scampi, that was kick ass! So in the honor of Mel and Michele, I give you a family treasured recipe for Shrimp Scampi! 
        

Nana's Shrimp Scampi

*1 1/2 pounds large shrimp (about 16 to 24)
*1/3 cup unsalted butter
*3 large garlic cloves, finely minced
*2 tablespoons olive oil
*1/4 cup dry white wine
*2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
*2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
*salt and pepper 
*Fresh lemon wedges to garnish, optional

Rinse and pat dry shrimp. In a large skillet, melt the butter and the olive oil over medium low heat. When butter melts, stir in garlic. Cook the garlic, stirring occasionally. DO NOT LET THE GARLIC TURN BROWN!! (Nana was always yelling).  It should take about 7 minutes for the garlic to cook. Turn up the heat to medium high and add shrimp and wine. Cook the shrimp until they are just pink, turning the shrimp once. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.

*Best served as is with lots of warm and crusty Italian bread to "dunk" into the garlic, butter, lemon sauce! :) But also can be served over linguini or rice.

*Sorry, there were never any Gourmet magazine photo ops at Nana's house! I hope this does not disqualify me! :( I can offer up a picture of me and my sister holding a dead pig under a Christmas tree? It even had an apple in it's mouth!

Happy Holidays!!

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The Rules . . .

‘KETCHUP WITH US’ – Prompt #7

Share a favorite holiday recipe with us. For once, there is no Heinz-inspired word limit. Just don’t go overboard. (God, I HATED that movie.)

Favorite Holiday Recipes

The holidays are in full swing now with Thanksgiving behind us, and we have arrived at the Christmas season. This is a wonderful time to look back on the last twelve months, and appreciate all that we have. It's also a time for family to gather from near, and far. A time for all "those" family members you only see a couple times a year to invade visit, and catch up. So without further ado, I will share one of my favorite recipes to kick off the Christmas celebration with the family gathered around. 

Vodka Tonic

1 bottle of vodka (I prefer Tito's)

1 bottle of tonic (I prefer diet. Save the calories for dessert)

3-4 limes

Ice

Cranberry juice (If you want to make it more festive)

1. Wash off your lime, and cut it into 6 wedges

2. Take a glass or a plastic cup and write your name on it. 

3. Fill it with ice

4. Measure out 2 oz. of vodka (Who are we kidding. Fill that puppy about half way up.)

5. Top off with tonic water

6. Squeeze your lime into your drink

7. Splash a bit of cranberry juice and stir (This will give it a festive taste and color)

8. Sit back and enjoy your holiday

Here's the deal. I am actually not "allowed" to cook. My hubby made me promise him I would never ever cook for him again after I tried to "kill" him with a lovely breakfast I made for him one time. Apparently expiration dates on eggs are there for a reason. As a loving wife, I graciously agreed. I have been out of the kitchen for the last seven years. However, I am allowed to make a brief appearance every so often as requested. Christmas time is one of those times. In Texas, it is a tradition to have tamales at Christmas time. So every Christmas eve we gather with my stepsister and her family and have our tamale dinner. Don't worry. I'm not about to make tamales. We order those. However, this is my time to shine. It would not be Christmas eve dinner without my Holy Guacamole!

Holy Guacamole!

8 ripe avocados

1 bunch of cilantro

1 Jalapeno

1 Garlic bulb

1 Lime

Cumin

Salt and pepper

Food Chopper (This is a necessity for me)

1. Smoosh roughly 8 of the garlic pod thingys with the flat part of a big knife to remove the peel

2. Cut the jalapeno in half (add to taste)

3. Grab a handful of cilantro and jamb these three ingredients into your food chopper and chop away

4. Toss your chopped goods into a bowl and squeeze half of the lime in with the other goodies

5. Eyeball about a teaspoon of cumin and toss it in too

6. Dice up your avocados and dump them in the bowl

7. Use a fork to incorporate the ingredients together 

          (For chunkier guac - less forking. For smoother guac - lots of forking)

8. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste (more lime if needed) 

9. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so the ingredients can do the El Jarabe Tapatio (aka- Mexican Hat Dance)

10. When the favors are intertwined . . . Enjoy!

Come "Ketchup With Us" twice a month with Michele and Mel! 

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #7

SHARE A FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPE. THERE IS NO WORD LIMIT. 

(WELL, LET’S NOT GET CRAZY. HOW ABOUT NOTHING OVER 1000 WORDS?)