Mihali Shrimp

I recently visited my sister and her husband in SC over the Labor Day weekend (actually it was about a week). Anyway, the first night that I arrived, we went to a little Greek Italian restaurant called Athens. My sister recommended a dish on the menu called Mihali Shrimp. Ordinarily, I would choose to order something I was sure of, but I went with the flow and ordered it. Well, it was awesome...

So since I've been home, I've wanted to try to re-create that dish. I googled the recipe and came up with several but this is what I finally put together last night. Between the shrimp and feta cheese, it stunk to high heaven, smelled atrocious but if I do say so myself, I cloned it and it was delicious!!!

Mihali Shrimp

1/2 cup olive oil

5 or so scallions, finely chopped, including the green tops

1 bell pepper, finely chopped

Crushed red pepper to taste (you know I like a LOT!)

2 tbsp. parsley

black pepper to taste

oregano to taste

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 can diced tomatoes

8 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

3 tbsp. milk

In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil and saute scallions and green peppers until translucent. Add the parsley, black pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper and continue sauteing another 5 to 6 minutes.

Reduce heat, add shrimp, cook uncovered until shrimp is pink. Add tomatoes and simmer another 5 minutes. Add the feta cheese and milk and simmer uncovered over lowheat for another 20-25 minutes until the feta cheese is melted. Serve hot over brown rice.

I think chopped spinach would make a great side for this dish too!

The vacation was sweet, the food was wonderful and can you tell from the picture how relaxing it was??? More pics to come when I figure out my iPhone and where they are saved! lol (I am seriously challenged)

Catching Up...

A week or so ago, I was in the mood for some spicy food and this is what jumped out of my pantry and refrigerator!




I started with seasoning the chicken strips with chili powder and browning them in a little olive oil. Then I added lots and lots of jalapenos!

Then I mixed in a can of spicy hot FAT-FREE refried beans and a can of Ro-Tel HOT tomatoes and chiles. I dished it out with the Uncle Ben's Spanish Rice (Ready Rice in a microwavable bag - how awesome is that?!) on the side.



It was so good and just what I was craving that I've already made it again since then! This time I mixed the rice right in with rest...so good! I don't have a name for it but if you come up with one, let me know!


Moving on...



Last Sunday on Mother's Day, I spent the afternoon over at Mike and Susan's house along with David, Susan's mom and of course, little (not so little anymore) Mikey.


Susan started a new job probably a month or so ago and her chef asked her if she wanted to borrow his kid's bouncy house for the weekend. Well, there was no twisting of arms going on there...of course she said of course!

How fun is this?


This bouncing thing is fun!

Let me check out this slide!

Oops...gotta remember to hold those feet up...almost did a header!

Do it again...do it again!

(This kid has the strongest toes in the nation!)

Getting set...

And down I go...

Time for bubbles!

In your face Uncle David! ha!

And finally...

I couldn't let this opportunity go by without sending you over to Be Thou a Knight for another Vera Bradley giveaway! Check out this backsack...I can think of so many things I would use this for! And the pattern is gorgeous!

The deadline to enter is Friday, May 22nd, so don't be left out. Click on over and get your entries in!

Ok, it's been over a week and still no Easter recipes posted. I was hoping to get them all and do them all in one post but it's apparent to me now that that's not going to happen. So I'll put a couple on here for now and hopefully my 'good cookin' family will get the others to me before next Easter! Ha!

So let's just start with a few pics of Mikey, the Hawaiian Easter Bunny!

Where am I?

Tell me why!

Let me examine this bunny toy...

Mikey & Aunt Brenna - Easter by the river...

Doink!

Now some food (or what's left of it). Mind you, the food pictures were taken AFTER everyone dug in but that should only tell you how good everything was.

The proverbial honey baked ham ... ala Tim!

Spinach Bars...ala Brenna


Sauteed Green Beans...ala Brenna

Glazed Carrots...ala Kim

Spinach Casserole...ala Me...recipe to follow

Broccoli Rice Casserole...ala Mike

Potato Salad Texas Style...ala Lianna...recipe to follow

Easter Bunny Cake missing one ear...ala Mike!

And now for a couple of recipes...let's start with the Potato Salad Texas Style. Lianna made this with the sage advice of Mr Jim, her Dad who is one of the best in the kitchen!

Potato Salad Texas Style

This is a recipe I use for 8 to 10 people. I like the red potatoes, but Irish or white potatoes are just as good.

Cut in cubes 1 inch by 1 inch, 8 large potatoes.........the size that is as big as your hand. Boil until soft but not mushy. Once soft, drain and let them cool.

Cut up 5 celery stalks into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut up one medium onion, 1/2 the size of the celery. Chop one small bottle of green olives stuffed with pimentos....same size as the onion. Cut up two medium sized dill pickles........could be kosher or plain dill.

Mix all of the ingredients into a large bowl. Add three tablespoons of "real mayonnaise".....not the mayo called salad dressing.

To spice it up, add two teaspoons of "spicy mustard"............. Plain mustard will work too. Add salt and pepper to taste............ a teaspoon of oregano, and a teaspoon of parsley is good for taste and some added color.

If you want to get real fancy with it, fry 6 strips of bacon very crisp or add real bacon bits on top of the mixture...... it's a presentation thing if you want to add some thinly sliced boiled eggs on top and a sprinkle of paprika.......... more color.

Oh, the possibilites are endless...

Now on to my deviled eggs. You'll notice there aren't any pictures of them...all gone! This is a staple as far as my kids, David especially, are concerned and although I always try to make enough to maybe even save a couple, they are always all gone, so I was too late for pictures but here goes...

Deviled Eggs

18 boiled eggs

Mayonnaise (either real or low fat will do)
Real Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

So simple and yet so good! Scoop out the yokes, mash with a fork, mix with mayo, mustard, salt and pepper until you get the desired consistency. Spoon mixture into eggs and sprinkle with paprika for color. Then hide them! Especially if David is anywhere in the vicinity!

The next one I got from Weight Watchers' so I'll give them the credit but it went over great! I varied the 'put together' a little but you'll get the gist!

Spinach Casserole (Alias Tuscan Casserole)

1 can Cannellini Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 10 oz. package frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup regular egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic
8 oz. mushrooms (sliced)
3 slices Pepperidge Farm thin sliced bread (torn into small pieces)
2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Combine the beans, spinach, ricotta cheese, egg substitute, salt and pepper. Saute the onions, garlic and mushrooms. Fold into the spinach mixture and put into a 9 x 9 pan. Top with bread pieces and Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until bread is toasted and let stand for 10 minutes.

And now for a couple of updates.

Check out the PERFECT PACKAGE GIVEAWAY over at Be Thou a Knight! You won't be sorry!

My friend Tammy's nephew got wonderful results. He had surgery and the supposed tumor turned out to be an old hematoma and he is expected to make a full recovery!

The big one...hit your knees...Stellan will have surgery tomorrow morning at 8:30 am EST. He has been such a trooper and this surgery just has to be his ticket home to his family...please pray like you've never prayed before!

And last but not least...Happy Birthday to my son Brian...Happy 30th! That is so scary for me!!!!!

Until next time...

Chicken & Bacon Wraps...

Back in January, my daughter-in-love, Lianna, sent me a couple of pictures and a recipe for Chicken & Bacon Wraps. Finally, I tried it out last night and am now wondering why I waited so long! It was SOOOOOOOO good!

Chicken & Bacon Wraps

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast cutlets (thinly sliced)
Any kind of Cajun type seasoning
Sliced Jalapenos
Bacon

Cut the chicken into strips. Season generously. I didn't have any Cajun seasoning on hand so I used garlic pepper, crushed red pepper and minced onions. Put a couple of slices of jalapenos on chicken and roll up with bacon. Secure with toothpicks. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. I placed it under the broiler for a few more minutes to crisp up the bacon. I served it with Uncle Ben's Mushroom Recipe rice and green beans. A perfect meal!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to remind you about the GIGANTIC Giveaway going on over at Be Thou A Knight.

This is huge and for a truly worthy cause. There will be 4 lucky winners...yes, that's right...4! The deadline to enter is March 30th...so mark your calendars and don't be left out!

Another Friday the 13th Bunco...

What are the odds...two Friday the 13th's back to back...and they just happened to fall on the second Friday of the month, our Bunco night!

This past Friday we actually played Bunco for the first time in months. I didn't realize how much I missed it...we had so much fun!

The pictures are definitely lacking in the quality department but I think you'll get the idea. (hint, hint...if anyone wants to buy me a present, a new camera would be sweet!)
Tammy and her brown bag! ha!
Babs with green clover shades on!
Break time - Melody on the phone!
Brenna & Litsa-mother/daughter night out!
Prima ballerinas...
Yay for me...bunco!
Brenna - the Biggest Loser!
Katie - a lucky winner!
Sue - won her money back!
Jill - another lucky winner!
Cindy - not the Biggest Loser...

Unfortunately, this picture had the worst quality of all but Rhonda was our hostess and I didn't want to leave her out!
Rhonda and her daughter Olivia...

In honor of St. Patrick's Day coming up, Rhonda made a Mexican Chicken Rice Casserole...ha! As you can see, though, there was very little leftover!


Tex-Mex Chicken 'n' Rice Casserole

1 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp. margarine, butter or olive oil
1 6.6-oz. package regular chicken-flavored rice-vermicelli mix (Rice-a-Roni)
1 cup long grain rice
2 14-oz. cans chicken broth
2 1/2 cups water
4 cups cooked chicken or turkey
4 medium tomatoes (I probably used canned)
1 4-oz. can diced green chili peppers, drained
2 tbsp. snipped fresh basil or 2 tsp. dried basil, crushed
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin seed, crushed or 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.)

In a 3-quart saucepan cook onion in hot margarine, butter or oil until tender. Stir in rice-vermicelli mix, including seasoning package, and uncooked rice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in broth and water. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20 minutes (liquid will be be full absorbed).

Transfer the mixture in a very large mixing bowl. Stir in chicken or turkey, tomato, chili peppers, basil, chili powder, cumin and pepper. Transfer to a 3-quart casserole.

Bake, covered, in a 425 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 5 minutes more. Makes 12 servings.

Tip: you can make this ahead and bake for 30 minutes instead of 20.

When An Uncreative Mind Creates...You Get...

You probably know by now that I love hot stuff...the hotter, the better. Well, tonight I came up with the following concoction and I, for one, was not disappointed. I hope you'll try it and not be disappointed either!

Cheesy Chicken and Spinach

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 16 oz. package frozen spinach
1 cup 2% shredded cheddar cheese (mild or sharp)
1-2 tbsp. black olives, sliced
Frank's Red Hot Sauce
Garlic Pepper
Pam Olive Oil spray
Fresh lemon
Heat skillet sprayed with PAM. Brown chicken breasts seasoned with garlic pepper and lemon juice. While chicken is browning, cook spinach in microwave on high for 4 minutes.
Now pour Frank's Red Hot Sauce on chicken breasts and arrange on top of spinach...
Top with cheddar cheese and sliced olives.
Bake covered in a 325 degree oven for 20 minutes...remove cover and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

And there's more...

Check out my sidebar...Greeting Cards for Our Garden is now an official website! Just click on the button and you're there...

Or if you'd rather, just go to Lianna's Etsy Store and choose from the collection there.

And last but not least, you can't pass up the GIGANTIC Giveaway...deadline to enter is March 30th and there are 4, yes 4 packages to be had! Don't be left out of this one!