Sunday, January 12, 2014

Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp

 With Christmas falling midweek this year, Tim and I were home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  We haven't enjoyed Christmas at home in at least 4 years.  We missed being with friends and family but it was nice to have a quiet day to enjoy each others company.

Since we're rarely home for Christmas, we don't have a traditional Christmas Eve meal.  I wanted to have something special that didn't require hours in the kitchen.  We both love shrimp but almost always grill it.  Grilling and Omaha winters don't mix.  I did a quick search and found this recipe.   I read it several times and read the reviews.  Although it almost seemed too simple and easy, I was sold.  Well simple or easy would not be the first word I would use to describe this recipe, delicious would be!

We will be having these again and this recipe could easily be served at a dinner party.  Be sure to have some crusty bread to soak up the delicious sauce!!





 Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp
  • 1 lb. raw shrimp, cleaned, peeled and deveined
  • 8 Tbs. butter (1 stick), melted
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (my addition)
  • 1 packet of Good Seasons Italian all natural seasoning
  • 1 1/2 lemon, sliced into circles
  • 1 Tbs. dried parsley leaves
  • 1 tsp. black pepper, ground

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter with minced garlic, and pour into a 9×111 inch glass casserole dish, spreading it all over the bottom of the dish.
  3. Arrange the lemon slices on top of butter, forming a single layer.
  4. Arrange the cleaned and deveined shrimp on top of the lemon slices.
  5. Sprinkle the Italian Seasoning over the shrimp.
  6. Sprinkle the parsley flakes and pepper on top of that.
  7. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Oven Tacos

Happy New Year!!

Tim says we never have tacos. I stopped to think about it and realized he is right.  I think maybe because we never have all the ingredients on hand to make them.  I was intrigued when I saw this recipe for oven tacos.  We really liked these.  It's nice they're already assembled and baking them in the oven adds a nice crispness to the shells.  Maybe now we'll have tacos more often, Tim!



Oven Tacos
Recipe Courtesy of Mommy I'm Hungry

2 lbs ground beef (or turkey/chicken)
1 small onion diced
1 small can diced green chilies
1 recipe for Homemade taco seasoning (below)
1 (8 ounce) can low sodium tomato sauce
1 (16 ounce) can fat free refried beans
2 cups shredded reduced fat Colby-jack cheese
18-20 hard taco shells

Optional Condiments-
Lettuce (shredded)
Tomato (diced)
Salsa
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Olives, sliced 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

In a large skillet brown ground beef and onion over medium-high heat. Drain off any excess liquid. Return to pan, add chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce, and taco seasoning. Mix well and cook for a few minutes if mixture seems runny.

Spoon the taco meat mixture into the taco shells and place into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish standing up. Sprinkle cheese over the top of the taco meat in each shell. Place into the oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tacos are heated through.
Remove from the oven and top with any optional condiments for serving.

Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a small bowl, mix all together. Store in an airtight container.
I used all of this on 2 lbs of ground meat with a little water mixed in.