National Oatmeal Cookie Day - April 30

Jennifer at Savor the Thyme is hosting an Oatmeal Cookie Challenge in honor of National Oatmeal Cookie Day, April 30. I've been on a slight Oatmeal Cookie kick, unfortunately for me, Jennifer's call was for a healthy cookie....after some soul searching (ok now I'm just being dramatic), I came up with a healthy recipe that I'm entering for the challenge. Now, as many of you know, I reside and work in Austin, Texas, which means I spend a lot of time around many green, veggie friendly, health-loving, tree-hugging types...many I count among my friends! The image of those people, the fact that Earth Day just passed and the contents of my pantry inspired my Hippie Oatmeal Cookies.

Hippie Oatmeal Cookies
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Honey
1 Egg
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cup Oats
1 Cup Diced Dried Apricots
1/2 Cup Diced Dried Plums
1/2 Cup Cherry-flavored (or regular) Dried Cranberries
4 Tbsp Apple Butter
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cookie sheet or use a silpat.
2. Cream egg, apple butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar and honey.
3. In a separate bowl, mix cinnamon, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda.
4. Slowly mix dry with wet ingredients. After they have been thoroughly combined, mix in fruit and oats.
5. Drop well rounded tablespoons of the dough onto prepared cookie sheet, bake 15-16 minutes.
6. Remove from sheet and cool on racks. Cookies should be chewy and moist.

Tri-Colored Warm Pasta Salad and an Award!

So similar to many of my Foodbuzz friends I received a box last week with a special treat, Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti, funny thing is the day before I received it I had purchased a box of the exact same pasta to try out! So, tonight I pulled together a few of my favorite veggies, some fresh basil, cheese and the pasta and whipped up a tasty and healthy dish!

Tri-Colored Warm Pasta Salad
1 Package Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti
2 Medium Zucchini, halved, then chopped
2 Large Yellow Bell Peppers, chopped
1 Pint Grape Tomatoes
2 Smashed Cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
1/4 Cup Grated Parmesan
1/4 Cup Shredded Romano
2 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Basil

1. Salt a pot of water for the pasta, set it to boil on the stove.
2. Oil a large skillet, heat on high until skillet is hot.
3. Drop garlic, zucchini and bell peppers into skillet, season liberally with salt and pepper. Saute five minutes.
4. As veggies are sauteing, cook pasta. Once it is tender, drain and set aside.
5. After zucchini and bell peppers are tender, drop tomatoes in, allow to cook two minutes.
6. Remove garlic from skillet, set aside.
7. Drop pasta, cheese and basil into skillet, mix well. Serve hot!




Gloria at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio, my Tex-Mex Sister awarded me the Premio Meme Award, seven questions about me. It's one of those things you fill out and share, so here are my answers (and those I'm passing it on to!):

Here goes nothing...seven traits that best describe me

1. An addict - well not in the substance-abuse kind of way, it's my way of saying I become addicted to things, hobbies, activities and causes. Once I am involved with something I will keep it up and give it my all, passionate, dedicated, all the same to me as being addicted to things that are important to me.

2. An introverted extrovert - I'm outgoing and yet can be a very quiet, wallflower kind of person. A strange combination, but one that makes me a good listener and a good do-er too! I like to take charge and make things happen but as my mother can attest, in unfamiliar situations (more when I was younger than now) I'm bad about watching from the sidelines before jumping in.

3. Soft-hearted - Friends and loved ones will tell you that I pretend that things don't bother me and/or that I don't care but that it's a farce...I will help anyone, listen to anything and do whatever I can to help others who need help (even those who won't necessarily speak up).

4. Punctual - To a fault I can't stand to be late, which is kind of an issues since my best friend, boyfriend and sister (the three people I spend the most time with) all seem to run on their own timezones, not criticising them, just telling the truth....one of those things that makes me nuts! I'm trying to be more flexible but the OCD part of me makes it really tough!

5. Organized Chaos - A great description of my mind and office space (both home and work), I know where all of it is, you just have to give me time to recall/find it! Now where did I put traits 6 and 7....

6. A Modern Southern Girl - I was raised with Southern mannerisms, southern cooking and southern zip codes but I am fiercely independent and want to make my own way in the world. I do not want to depend on anyone to get ahead but myself, I was raised by a strong southern woman and come from a long line of them so I'd better keep up the tradition!

7. Creative - I wouldn't really describe myself this way typically, I like symmetry and order and don't feel like that's terribly creative but I also recognize that my love of cooking, photography, knitting, art (even though I'm an extremely bad artist) and beading makes me some how/some way and some form of creative.



So now, drumroll please...I'm passing this on to the following:

Grace of A Southern Grace
Karen at DomesticMuse
Kimmie at Full Circle
Katherine at Smoky Mountain Cafe
Tangled Noodle at Tangled Noodle
Chef E at The Behind the Wheel Chef
Donna FFW at My Tasty Treasures

Slow Cooked Sunday

I wanted to post this on Monday but ran out of time, oh well here goes my slow cooked Sunday on a Tuesday :) This past weekend I was lucky because my boyfriend was around to eat and hang out with me, he's a cop, he works nights and every other weekend he has to work, this weekend he was off! Knowing that I wouldn't want to spend all evening cooking I searched for something that I could drop in the crockpot. Lucky me, Cooking Light's March 09 issue has a section on slow cooking!

Curried Beef Short Ribs

Yield

6 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces ribs, 2/3 cup rice, and about 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/3 cup minced shallots
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated lime rind
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 4 cups hot cooked basmati rice

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle ribs with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add half of ribs to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Place ribs in an electric slow cooker. Repeat procedure with remaining ribs.

2. Add shallots, garlic, and ginger to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup water and curry paste; cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Add coconut milk mixture to cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 6 hours.

3. Remove ribs from cooker; keep warm. Strain cooking liquid through a colander over a bowl; discard solids. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour cooking liquid into bag; let stand 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top). Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain drippings into a small bowl, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Stir in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper, rind, and juice. Shred rib meat with 2 forks; discard bones. Serve sauce over ribs and rice.

These were a huge hit, when I say huge I should point out that Chris was texting me yesterday asking how to make these because he wants to make them next week!

I served these over a Green Chili & Garlic Jasmine Rice mix (Thai Kitchen brand), it's got a little spice to it but is a perfect mix with the ribs. They also were alongside soy-sauteed Asparagus.

Soy-Sauteed Asparagus

1 LB Asparagus
2 TBSP Soy Sauce
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP Sesame Seeds

1. Cut ends off asparagus, throw away the ends (or compost them), then cut asparagus in half.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Once skillet is hot, drop asparagus, soy sauce and sesame seeds into it. Saute until asparagus is tender.
4. Garnish with additional sesame seeds.

Yes, I've been on a big asparagus kick lately, but like the strawberries, they've been cheap and delicious! Enjoy!

Just a few of the reasons I love Spring...

1. Everything is blooming.



2. Herbs can be found fresh in the backyard.











3. 80 Degrees and not a cloud in the sky!

4. Strawberries!











5. Did I mention 80 Degrees?

Spring in Texas is a neat thing, it's short, beautiful, fleeting and what you wish summer felt like. In Central Texas the high is typically 75-85 degrees, it's breezy and cool and perfect weather to enjoy a cool glass of iced tea on the porch. In July you wish for that 85 degree high, and then you step out into the sauna that is 90 degrees at 7AM and wish for winter...it's funny, our weather is very schizophrenic during certain seasons (spring included) but it's pretty much a certainty that summer is hot as hell and that it lasts from mid-May through mid-October (that's right almost 5 months!). Don't get me wrong, I love it here, wouldn't trade it for the world but it's important not to delude people, it's hot here!

In honor of spring (and the fact that strawberries have been delicious and dirt cheap for the last few weeks), I picked up strawberries and then searched three grocery-stores for fresh rhubarb (which I was not lucky enough to find, had to settle for frozen)! I came home, poured a glass of tea and sat on the patio contemplating how to use my red ingredients and settled on Strawberry-Lemon Glazed Strawberry Rhubarb Bread.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Bread
1 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/4 Tsp Salt
1/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Zest
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Halved Strawberries
3/4 Cup Frozen Rhubarb
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan (or two 3x8 pans).
2. Heat frozen rhubarb in a microwave safe bowl for a minute in the microwave, allow it to cool for a minute, then place in blender with strawberry halves and puree.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, soda, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon zest, eggs, strawberries/rhubarb puree, and vegetable oil. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, whisking until well blended.
4. Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 55-60 minutes for 9x5 pan or 40-45 minutes for 3x8 pans, until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Strawberry-Lemon Glaze
8oz Frozen Strawberries
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Lemon (Zest and Juice will be used)
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
3 Tbsp Water

While the bread is baking, make the strawberry glaze.

1. Combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, lemon zest and strawberries in a saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sugar into the liquid while bringing it up to a boil.
2. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about ten minutes. When the strawberries get soft enough, break them in half with a spoon to help release more flavor from the strawberries.
3. Remove from then heat and strain the liquid from the strawberries. Press on the solids to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Return the liquid (not strawberries) to the pan.
4. Bring the liquid back up to a simmer. Whisk 3 tablespoons of water into the cornstarch and then pour it into the simmering liquid.
5. Increase heat and whisk until the glaze comes to boil. Continue to whisk while the glaze boils and thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.
6. Once glaze has cooled, pour over tops of bread loaf/loaves.


First go round on this was pretty successful, I like it, my boyfriend (the self-professed strawberry addict) liked it, next time, I'm thinking lime instead of lemon and maybe muffins?

Cookie Disaster and the final semi-homemade dinner of the week

So I spent most of today swapping my winter clothing out of my closets, putting my spring/summer things in (yea in Texas you really only need two types of clothing, cold weather and hot weather) and cleaning up. So this afternoon after I finished I decided to mess around in the kitchen. I had coconut and some chocolate chips that needed to be used and have been toying with the idea of mixing some things in with a chocolate based cookie...so there may be more cookies to come until I get that bug out of my system!

First off, my cookie fiesta.....in keeping with the need to use up the coconut and chocolate chips I mixed up a batch of Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies.

Double Chocolate Coconut Cookies
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
2 Sticks (1 Cup) Softened Unsalted Butter
1 Egg
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/3 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 3/4 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Cups Sweetend Coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream softened butter and the sugars.
3. Add egg and vanillas to creamed butter/sugar, mix.
4. Mix all dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Slowly add mixture to butter/sugar mix.
5. Add coconut and chocolate chips to the batter.
6. 1 Heaping tablespoon is approximately one big old cookie - bake 10-12 minutes, until cooked but not burned.
7. Cool - Enjoy!




So the second recipe, not quite as successful, really it didn't become much of a cookie at all....thank God for the silpat!



As you can see, the Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies weren't quite successful as cookies......so I ended up pouring the remaining batter into a greased/floured 8x8 pan and baking it as a bar. It isn't terribly pretty but it's tasty.

So, we'll call these the not- cookie:

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip NOT Cookies
1 Cup Melted Butter
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
2 Cups Oatmeal
2 1/4 Cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cream butter and sugars.
3. Add egg, peanut butter and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture, mix well.
4. Mix in salt, baking soda and baking powder.
5. Add oatmeal and chocolate chips, mix well.
6. Pour into a greased and floured 8x8 pan.
7. Let cook 30-35 minutes, until firm in center.


After my cookie fiesta/fiasco I reverted to a slightly less involved bit of cooking....to round out the semi-homemade week that I've had, pizza!

Two pizzas, one a BBQ Chicken Pizza with red onions, smoked gouda and red onions and the second, a margharita pizza with fresh mozzarella and tomato!

Semi-homemade pasta for the time crunched...

Some weeknights just don't lend themselves to serious cooking, yup this entire week has really been like that for me...some semi-homemade dinner on Monday (same tonight), sandwiches and leftovers in between...truth be told tomorrows shaping up for a semi-homemade dinner so why not make this a trifecta of easy semi-homemade dinners....tonight, Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with homemade sauce. Ok for those of you who frequent the Food Network I feel that I should go ahead and acknowledge the reference of semi-homemade, it's a Sandra Brown reference, she's not my favorite (yea I'm sure someone just got upset with me for saying that) but since I'm throwing her phrase around here I need to give her credit!

Two Steps to my semi-homemade pasta dinner...

Step one - buy some pasta :)

*Funny side note here, literally the day after I posted this recipe a substantial sized box appeared on my front porch from Foodbuzz (oh, how I love Foodbuzz), inside my box....dry ice and Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti! Foodbuzz and Buitoni have either started reading my mind or just have very fortuitous timing...needless to say you might see another sauce for these delicious little pastas soon!



Step two - pasta sauce!

Ingredients
2 28oz cans diced tomatoes
1 medium chopped onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp fresh oregano
salt/pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 1/2 cup parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 strips chopped raw bacon

Directions
1. Cook bacon in a large pot at medium-high.
2. When bacon is nearly cooked, saute onion, garlic and for five minutes (or until tender), season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add tomatoes, oregano, thyme, basil and bay leaves to pot. Bring to a boil, season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, stir in tomato paste. Allow sauce to reduce, approximately 30-45 minutes.
4. Serve topped with fresh chopped basil.

Spring is here and asparagus are near!

After a weekend of delicious seafood and wonderful beach fun coming back to reality can be tough....boy working after spending my time in the sun is a rough way to come back. Alas, the beach was wonderful, even when it was raining (yes unfortunately it rained Saturday) it was relaxing and great time with my family. I hope you and yours had a wonderful weekend and holiday.


Since I was traveling home on Easter afternoon I have no feast to post about, just a simple Monday night dinner. To tell the truth there wasn't much effort that had to be put forth for Monday night dinner, my grillmaster (a.k.a. my boyfriend) cooked a delicious pre-seasoned pork tenderloin from Central Market, it was a rosemary, garlic, pesto seasoned pork tenderloin, I mixed up a packed of mushroom risotto and roasted some fresh asparagus. Other than bragging about the tastiness of the tenderloin, there's not much to share there, the whole pre-seasoned from the store thing kind of takes the wind out of my sails there, but the asparagus, oh the asparagus!

Lemon Roasted Asparagus

1LB Asparagus
1 Lemon
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil
2 Large Shallots, Sliced

1. Preheat oven to 500 F.
2. Chop woody portion of stem off of asparagus. Place in 13x9 baking dish, drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Lay shallot slices over asparagus. Zest lemon over the asparagus. Then slice it and juice it over the asparagus as well.
3. Once oven has reached 500 F, place asparagus into it, stir every two minutes until asparagus are tender (appx 8 minutes).

These were really the only homemade portion of my meal but they were so good that between just me and my boyfriend the entire batch was gone!

Beach Daze...

Headed off today to the Beach...super excited as I've got a ridiculous tan line on my arms from a boating trip last Friday that I need to have go away (see!), needless to say I'm not sure of the status of an internet connection so I'll be MIA or a few days.

The dogs don't yet know we're planning to relive their last family beach trip, yea, they don't love water or lengthy car rides but they get in the spirit eventually : )
Molly, Jack and I wish everyone a Happy Easter, enjoy the holiday and spend time with your loved ones!

Pantry Raid: Singapore Noodles

Ever have one of those nights where you don't really have a plan but you don't really have a clear idea of what you can make with the random contents of your pantry/fridge/freezer? I'm starting to feel like that is almost every day for me! Tonight I opened up the freezer, saw a bit of raw frozen shrimp, saw some chicken in the fridge and a handful of veggies I thought could be tossed together for some kind of Asian noodle dish...mainly because I keep a pretty good stock of Asian accouterments in my pantry (one of the perks of having a great Asian market close by). So some chopping, mincing and julienne-ing later and Singapore Noodles here I come!

Singapore Noodles:
1/2 LB Rice Stick Noodles
2 Tbsp Veggie Oil
3/4 Lb Shimp, Peeled and Devined
2 Chicken Breasts, Diced
1 Clove Minced Garlic
3 Ribs Chopped Celery
1 Large Red Bell Pepper, Julienned
1 Cup Chopped Tomatoes
3/4 Cup Chopped Green Onions (just the green part)
1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar
2 Tsp Curry
1/4 Cup Light Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
1 Tsp Sriarcha
1 Tbsp Catsup

1. Mix together rice vinegar, curry, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sriarcha, and catsup, set aside.
2. Boil four cups water, once it's boiling, drop in rice stick noodles, let sit for up to three minutes in hot water, then drain and add 1 tsp oil so noodles don't stick together.
3. Heat veggie oil in a large skillet or wok, add minced garlic. Add chicken and shrimp, let chicken get white and shrimp get pink.
4. After protein has cooked, add in red bell pepper, tomato and celery, mix well and let it cook two minutes.
5. Pour noodles into protein and veggie mix, stir, then add sauce and mix well.
6. Mix in green onions, serve.



The typical recipe for Singapore Noodles uses vermicelli but lacking that I threw in the thinnest noodles I had, a rice stick noodle by name but I really don't believe that's what they are...needless to say, curry + shrimp + chicken = tasty dinner!

Quick and Easy Indian Food ala Box?

So I spent the better part of the evening playing with beads and chain and making a necklace. One of my random hobbies includes pretending to be crafty (it doesn't always work out in my favor!), tonight I actually seem to have made a neat looking necklace (photo below)....














but it didn't leave much time for cooking so I raided my pantry and found a Coconut Curry (with rice and spiced chickpeas) boxed mix and a Butter Chicken mix.














I know what you're thinking, Indian food from a box, you've lost your mind! But really it was pretty tasty, and on top of that a nice quick weeknight meal. Anyway, figured I'd pass along the info on it because it wasn't half bad!

Everything Old is New Again: Dr. Pepper Cake!

A fabulous contest is being held by the DomesticMuse right now, a vintage recipe showdown with really neat aprons up for grabs! Any of you Southerners out there might be familiar with what I choose to make, Dr. Pepper Cake (and some of you Yankees might know it as Coke Cake). A delicious, fudgy, rich and completely decadant chocolate cake that is a throw back to bake sales of yore, the Dr. Pepper cake holds a special place in my heart and in those of my family and friends. My best friend for instance has been known to make special stops in West, Texas to pick up Dr. Pepper cake for her step-daughter, my boyfriend on the other hand acted as though it was Christmas when I told him I'd made the cake (and had one for him)! Needless to say, it's a favorite through and through and is something I highly recommend to any choc-o-holic out there!

Dr. Pepper Cake:

*This makes three 8 inch round cakes

Cake:
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
3 Cups Sugar
4 1/2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 Cups flat Dr. Pepper (none of that diet stuff!)
1 1/2 Cups Butter or Margerine
1 Cup Buttermilk
3 Eggs, Well Beaten
1 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Frosting:
1 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Sticks Butter or Margerine
9 Tbsp Flat Dr. Pepper
4.5 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 Cups Powdered Sugar
1 1/2 Cup Chopped, Toasted Pecans
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

Cakes:
1. Preheat Oven to 350 F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa and baking soda in mixing bowl.
3. Combine Dr. Pepper and butter in saucepan and bring to a boil.
4. Pour over dry ingredients and stir to blend. Mix in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. Batter will be thin.
5. Pour into greased and floured pans. Bake 38-45 minutes, until a toothpick can go into the center and come out clean.
6. Let cool 15 minutes, then spread warm frosting over the cakes.

Frosting:
1. Combine butter, cola, cocoa and sweetened condensed milk in saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Pour chocolate chips into pan (after turning off the heat) and mix well.
3. Pour over powdered sugar and blend until smooth. Stir in pecans.
4. Use while warm.

**For those seeking the nostalgia of a Coke cake, you can swap out a can of Coke for the Dr. Pepper but do not use diet.




I served mine with sliced strawberries and inside the container was this whopper of a berry!

Mexico Part Deux - and Lemon Herbed Shrimp

As some of you may have read on my mom's blog, one of the days of our trip was quite newsworthy, ok so maybe it wasn't but we still hit the news on the day we hit the water. Check out the story on Mom's blog. Here are a few shots from my day on the lake:


In honor of my time spent on the water, I decided to post one of my favorite easy shrimp recipes. This was born out of an evening when I had a bunch of fresh parsley a handful of shrimp and very little else that looked tasty, now it's become an easy go-to!

Lemon Herbed Shrimp
1 LB Shelled/Peeled (I leave the tail on) and Deveined Shrimp
1 Bunch Fresh Flat Parsley, Chopped
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
Fresh Ground Pepper
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
1 Large Fresh Lemon

1. Season shrimp with about 1 tbsp olive oil, the zest of the lemon, all of the minced garlic and salt and pepper to your tastes. Allow it to sit for thirty minutes.
2. Heat a skillet or grill pan with 1 tbsp olive oil, when the oil is hot, drop your shrimp in and let them cook until pink on both sides. Squeeze in the juice from the lemon, and the chopped parsley. Heat another minute or two. Serve immediately.



In this photo the shrimp are served alongside roasted, seasoned sweet potatoes and sauteed green beans.