Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

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 So...I bought shrimp. A lot of shrimp. I don’t know about you, but during this past year I went a little crazy buying things. I fell victim to one online ad after another. That’s not to say that it was a bad thing, I’m pleased with everything that I’ve gotten, it’s just that there’s a lot of it. The shrimp alone takes up an entire shelf in my freezer. I love shrimp, but it was the late Mr. O-P who handled fish and seafood in the kitchen.

What all of this means is that I need to educate myself in the ways of cooking with shrimp. I have spent the past week digging through family cookbooks, seafood cookbooks, magazines, you name it, compiling as many shrimp recipes as I possibly could. Here’s the first, and it’s a winner. If a rookie like me I can make something that’s delicious, so can you. You can put these together ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them. If you prefer not to bake them, you can cook them on the grill. Makes a great starter, or entrée. More to come; I know you’re excited about this.

 Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Slightly adapted from Delicious.com

1 lb. shrimp (about 20 pieces), peeled and deveined, tails on
6 slices bacon, cut in thirds
4 T. butter, melted
2 T. maple syrup
1 t. chili powder

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Wrap each shrimp with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.* Place shrimp on prepared pan.

In a small bowl, mix together butter, maple syrup, and chili powder.

Brush shrimp with about half of the maple butter. Bake for 15 minutes or until bacon is crispy and shrimp is cooked. Brush with remaining maple butter and broil 3 minutes.

 *I used bamboo skewers.

 

 

Trader Joe’s Maple Mustard Chicken

I make good use of our local library. I don't know about you, but I find it stunning the amount of resources that the library has available (for free, I might add), from hardcopy to digital streaming to genealogical services, the library, in my opinion, is one of the best places in town. When I visit, I tend to head in one of two directions, the audiobook section (because I am a huge fan of audiobooks) or, no surprise, the cookbook section. 

I try to keep up with new cookbooks that are being released, but some of them manage to slip by me. Apparently the entire series of Trader Joe's cookbooks completely escaped my notice. Once spotting them, naturally, I couldn't resist, and brought home the I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook. 

Like a lot of people, I am a fan of Trader Joe's, so this was a fun cookbook to read. One recipe that I stumbled across, was particularly inviting, because of the relatively few ingredients required, the fact that I had all of them, and that the meal could be on the table without a whole lot of effort. This recipe is a good one. I find the combination of maple syrup and mustard to be quite pleasing with the chicken thighs. I cut the recipe in half and made only two chicken thighs, one of which I ate for dinner, the other I pulled apart and had on a sandwich with additional sauce for lunch the following day. Both were sensational. Here's the recipe, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Trader Joe’s Maple Mustard Chicken

1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, trimmed of fat

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450° F. Spray an 8x8" ovenproof baking dish with Pam; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Place the chicken thighs into the prepared baking dish, and then pour the mustard mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around in the sauce to make sure it is well coated.

Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let chicken rest for 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate, ladle the sauce over, and serve.

PRINT RECIPE

This post is linked to: Inspire Me Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Two Cup Tuesday, Celebrate Your Story, Wow Us Wednesday, Work It Wednesday, Wine’d Down Wednesday, Wake up Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Share Your Style, Coffee and Conversation, and Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Maple Butter

If you’re a Susan Branch fan like I am, and you don’t already have her Autumn from the Heart of the Home book in your collection, buy it now.  I think it is the best of all of her seasonal books, each of which exudes coziness and charm, and features lovely illustrations, stories, decorating tips, thoughtful little gift ideas, and her yummy, unique recipes.  Below is an easy recipe that I make every fall because it seems to complement almost any muffin or quick bread recipe that I bake.  The addition of the hot sauce may surprise you, but it gives it quite a unique “zing” without a hint of hot sauce taste.  I like to mold mine into maple leaf shapes and store them in the freezer until I need them.  Make these ahead for Thanksgiving and dazzle your guests when you serve the bread course!

Maple Butter

From Susan Branch’s Autumn from the Heart of the Home

1 cup (2 sticks) Butter, softened

1/4cup real Maple Syrup

½ teaspoon Mexican Hot Sauce, such as Cholula

Beat the butter, syrup, and hot sauce together until combined. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking. pan and cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Press, using a rolling pin to pack the butter to 1/2-inch-thick slab. Chill for 30 minutes. Remove top sheet of parchment paper and cut butter into pats.

 

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday

On the Menu Monday

Metamorphosis Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Tutorial Tips & Tidbits

Malted Waffles

Father's Day calls for a special breakfast, so today I turned to one of my favorite new cookbooks, Baked Explorations, for ideas.  The Malted Waffles nearly leapt off the page.  It was exactly what I was looking for: tasty, but manly, and unique among the glut of waffle recipes or, heaven forbid, frozen waffles (egad!).  I knew this recipe would never fail me as this book is a wonder from beginning to end.  I try to hold back when it comes to buying cookbooks, since I'm overwhelmed already, but when I find one that has me wanting to try every recipe, well, how can I resist?  I'll share this one recipe with you, and then you'll just have to buy your own!

I cut this recipe in half with great success.  Even so, I had some waffles left over, but in the past I've frozen leftovers (well, the Eggo people do it!), and then reheated them in the toaster oven and find them nearly as fresh tasting as the day they were made.  The malt powder in these makes all the difference, so don't even think about making them without it.  We tried these both ways suggested, i.e. with powdered sugar and a dollop of whipped cream, and with syrup and chocolate chips.  The syrup version won hands down.  Delish!

The winner of the biscuit cutter giveaway is...

Catherine@AGardenerinProgress 

CONGRATULATIONS!

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Sweets for a Saturday

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

These may look like plain, old, unassuming pancakes to you, but don't let the simple appearance fool you.  These are delicious!  It's another winning recipe from Ina Garten, and she certainly knows her pancakes.  These are easy and flavorful, with just the right amount of banana so as to be tasty but not overwhelming.  Add more or less lemon zest to your taste (I added more), or if lemons aren't available, add orange.  Toss in some blueberries if you happen to have them, they go well with the bananas as do strawberries.  But before you get creative, try these just as they are.  Fluffy and satisfying, they are equally good as "silver dollar" pancakes. The perfect Sunday morning breakfast!

I got one of those Cuisinart Griddlers for Christmas and I LOVE it. It has interchangeable plates for either grilling/paninis or using as a griddle and it works just great. The plates come off and go right into the dishwasher for easy clean up. Here are a couple of banana pancakes awaiting flipping.

Banana Sour Cream Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk

2 extra-large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Unsalted butter

2 ripe bananas, diced, plus extra for serving

Pure maple syrup

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing only until combined.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it bubbles. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan to make 3 or 4 pancakes. Distribute a rounded tablespoon of bananas on each pancake. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until bubbles appear on top and the underside is nicely browned. Flip the pancakes and then cook for another minute until browned. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, add more butter to the pan, and continue cooking pancakes until all the batter is used. Serve with sliced bananas, butter and maple syrup.

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