My dog Maverick is in a deep depression.

  His other mom, Katie, decided to leave us for the great north Idaho.  He is so sad, he can barely bark when people leave the house anymore.  Before Katie left, she and Maverick were able to have one last photoshoot.   Here are some of my favorites:

 Twins!

I am not sure what this has to do with pineapple, coconut and shrimp fried rice, but I just really wanted to post this modeling session. 

 Katie, if you are reading this please come back soon.  We miss you very much!

I saw an idea for shrimp fried rice in a cute hollowed out pineapple on Rasa Malaysia and thought I would try to expand on her recipe.  If you haven’t been to Rasa Malayasia and you like Asian food, please go now, you will never look back! She is amazing.  Anyways, I made a few additions (coconut, pecans) and scrapped the shrimp paste, because I think that stuff smells disgusting.  This makes a great side dish or even a meal if you add a salad.  And for all of my seafood phobic friends out there, you can certainly substitute the shrimp with chicken, beef or tofu.

Pineapple, Coconut and Shrimp Fried Rice

Printable recipe here

1 whole pineapple
8 oz of raw shrimp chopped (deveined, tails and shells removed)
8 oz. steamed white rice
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 fresh red chili (seeded and cut into small pieces)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 cup coconut milk (lite or regular)
½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon pineapple juice
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons pecans chopped
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Cut pineapple in half.  Carefully cut around the edges of the pineapple while still keeping the out skin in tact.  Reserve half of the pineapple shape for a serving dish.  Use about 1 cups of chopped pineapple for the rice. 

 Set aside.

Heat oil in large fry pan over medium heat.  A wok is best, but a frying pan will definitely work great.   Saute garlic and red chili until just fragrant.

Add shrimp and stir-fry until shrimp is almost all the way pink. Add rice, pineapple pieces, pineapple juice, coconut milk, coconut and stir.

  Then add fish sauce and dark soy sauce and stir.  Let cook about 5 minutes and then stir in pecans.  Spoon into pineapple half and serve immediately garnished with cilantro.

Yesterday, we celebrated the Super Bowl at the Kimball’s (Adam, Jenni and Dr. Leo Marvin) .  Here is glamour shot of Dr. Leo Marvin.  He is a stud.

The Kimballs lived in New Orleans for a few years and are big Saints fans.  They also made some great New Orleans fare and Adam served his homemade beer!  It was super yummy. 

Cajun Jambalaya and a Craw-fish Boil!

Adam digging in. 

 He said to drink the juices from the head of the craw-fish once you break off the tail. Not sure that I like that a lot, but at least I tried it. 

Crawfish boil in Boise?? I was surprised too.  Apparently you can get Craw-fish at a little fish market in the north end. 

 Our friend Celia is from Alabama and she is the sweetest! 

 To complete the southern feast, she brought sweet tea and fried pickles. She said she tamed down the sweetness of the tea for all of us.  I loved the fried pickles! Her husband Tim fried them.

Here are Tim and Celia together.

Here is the entire spread from yesterday.   The Saints cookies were super cute! 

I had about 10 plates like this.

We also brought our friends Jen and Balaji. 

Of course, John Black and Jav made an appearance

My contribution was Mango Shrimp Ceviche and Caprese Sticks.  The caprese sticks are a specialty of my friend Crissie’s over at www.designeatplay.com.  SO easy and good!

Since it is the middle of winter and I live in Boise I chose shrimp for the ceviche.  I figured nothing good can come out of raw fish this time of year in the b-town.  It isn’t actually cooked all the way by the lime juice, only partially which is faster than typical ceviche.  

 Mango Shrimp Ceviche

1 lb. raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed

2 tomatoes chopped

1 Red onion minced

1 Cucumber peeled and chopped

¼ Head of a Red Cabbage chopped

Couple of handfuls of cilantro chopped

2 Serrano peppers chopped (seeds and veins removed)

1 Cup Fresh lime juice

2 Mangos peeled and chopped

2 Avocados pitted, peeled and chopped

Salt and Pepper to tasted

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Meanwhile, chop shrimp into smaller bits like this.

Boil shrimp for 1-2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and strain, immediately place in ice water to cool. 

Once cool add tomatoes, onions, cucumber, cabbage, peppers, cilantro and lime juice in a large bowl. 

Stir well.  Place covered in fridge for an hour. 

Add mangos and avocados just prior to serving.  Salt and pepper to taste.   Serve with tortilla chips.

Caprese Sticks (by Crissie)

1 Pint Grape Tomatoes halved

4 oz Mozzarella Cheese cut into small squares

Couple of handfuls of basil cut into small pieces

Toothpicks

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Take one grape tomato, one small piece of basil and piece of cheese and place on a toothpick.  Assemble caprese sticks like this:

Serve on a plate drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Enjoy!

Love,

Lindzee

Sunday night, Katie and I had some friends over for din din – Michelle and Regan.  Aren’t they cute?

And Jav and Katie were there too…

After assessing my current food stock, I had some frozen shrimp, cheap vodka, leftover wine, cheese and pasta. Typical. 

 I decided to try a little experiment and make some shrimp stuffed pasta shells with tomato basil vodka sauce.  I love creamy basil vodka tomato goodness and paired with shrimp made it that much better.  They turned out really well!

Shrimp Stuffed Shells with Tomato Basil Vodka Sauce

Filling:

1 Box uncooked large pasta shells

2 Pounds of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed

1 Shallot chopped

1 Garlic cloves chopped

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ Cup Dry White Wine

Salt and Pepper

1.5 Cups Ricotta Cheese Part Skim

1 Tablespoon chopped basil

¼ Cup Shredded Parmesan

Boil pasta shells in salted water until partly tender but still a little firm.  About 7-8 minutes.  Drain and immediately separate shells to a greased baking sheet to prevent sticking together.  Set aside to cool.

Chop shrimp into bite size pieces. 

 Sauté shallot and garlic cloves in the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. 

 Add wine and shrimp. Cook until pink.  Don’t overcook though.

 Drain remaining liquid and combine shrimp, ricotta, basil, parmesan and salt and pepper. 

Set aside.  Make the sauce.

 Vodka Sauce:                              

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Shallot chopped

2 Garlic cloves chopped

½ Cup Vodka (you can use the cheap here. No Grey Goose allowed)

16 oz Whole peeled tomatoes in juice (blended up in blender)

½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

4 Tablespoons basil chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

¼ Shredded Parmesan

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and olive oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan.

Add shallots and garlic and cook about 2 minutes.  Add vodka and cook 1 minute more.

Then add tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes.  Add whipping cream and basil and cook for 1 minute more.  Season to taste.

Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a thin layer of sauce. 

Stuff each shell with about 2 Teaspoons of shrimp filling until full.  Stack in baking dish in a single layer and cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until warm and bubbly.  Sprinkle with any remaining basil.

Love,

Lindzee