Cool as a Cucumber Shrimp Salad Sandwiches

I'm not usually one for cold shrimp. It has a weird texture that just doesn't work with me, but this sandwich was delicious.  For those who follow me on Pinterest, you may have seen I pinned a picture the other day of a shrimp salad sandwich.  It looked beautiful, and I knew it would be perfect for the type of wonderful week we are having.  This is definitely a meal best served on a summer day, or at the very least a sunny one.  Since I used quite a few pans, I opted for paper plates, which I must say were adorable.

How cute are these??? Thank you Meijer for the awesome find, and only $1.50 for a pack of 45!


 

Did I mention it got a 9 on the Blake-O-Meter?!

 INGREDIENTS:
12 Frozen Shrimp - thawed, de-veined, cleaned
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1/3 Cup English Cucumber - diced
2 Tbs. Minced Chives 
1 Tbs. Minced Dill 
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise 
1 Tbs. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice 
Romaine Lettuce Leaves
Sub Rolls
Salt & Pepper to taste


 1.  Once the shrimp are thawed, begin heating a medium pan with 1 Tbs. Olive Oil on Medium Heat.   When hot, add the shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes.  Flip the shrimp over and cook for another 2 minutes.  When the shrimp is finished cooking, remove and allow to cool on a paper towel.  You want the shrimp to cool down so that you can handle them without burning off your fingertips.  

2.  In a bowl, combine the cucumber, chives, and dill.  Once the shrimp are cooled, pull the tails off, and cut them in half long ways.  This can be a bit tedious, especially if you're not confident in your knife skills yet.  BE CAREFUL! Slow and steady wins the race here.  If you mess a few up, who cares!? I'm sure you'd rather keep all 10 of your fingers than worry about whether your shrimp are cut perfectly or not.  

3.  Add the shrimp to the bowl with cucumbers, then the mayonnaise and lemon juice. Stir to combine thoroughly, and then set aside.  

4.  To prepare the rolls, put them into your oven or toaster oven for a minute or two.  Put a roll on each plate with a few romaine leaves.  Pile the shrimp salad on top and enjoy! 


** Smaller versions of this would be so cute for a spring cocktail party too!
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QUESTION #3

Q: Describe your relationship with your parents. 

A: This is not an easy question to answer.  How do you sum up a relationship with two people that have been a part of your life literally for forever?  I can say, that although I'm a pretty awesome daughter, I did have my fair share of snotty moments.  Throughout high school, I'm sure I drove my parents nuts more than a few times, and there were a few times I was grounded and most likely deserved it.  With that said, I'd say my relationship with my parents has grown into something magnificent in the past 5 or 6 years.  I've come to find many things in common with my parents.  For example, cooking.  I absolutely love cooking now and I'm lucky because my mother was/is a fantastic cook.  Just from watching my mother in the kitchen, I've gained more skills than I could have imagined.  We also tend to have the same sense of humor, which could make any three year old blush. I credit her for my quick wit, comedic ways.  My mom and I are also able to talk about anything.  I cherish those moments when my mom shares something with me that allows me to know her even better.  Growing up, your parents know everything about you, they kept you alive for most of your life, but when you come into adulthood, you start to realize there is so much to learn about them.  I love learning about my parents, their views on things, what they like and dislike, what their childhood was like, what I can learn from them, etc.  My mother and I are serious thrifty shoppers, and I love going out with her to score the next big deal, because we are able to spend hours together talking and learning about each other.

 My dad and I are just as close.  I love hanging out with him, and although I'm notorious for my father's day/birthday gifts in the past being the fact that he could take ME to a movie, I'm pretty sure he loved it.  Now, we enjoy doing things outdoors like geocaching and going to flea markets.  I got my love of travel from my father as well, and he knows I'm always ready for a road trip.  I can't wait until I start working, so we can plan our train trip across the United States.  Although I'm daddy's "little girl," we've had more fun doing "boy" things together than girly things.  He would run, practice, and cheer me on at almost every game and every sport I played.  

 My favorite part of our relationship? I would say that our family is not overly "emotional." We don't always hug, and we're not those people running towards each other after a long separation. In the same respect, we don't fight very often, and when we do we are able to talk about it and move past it.  My favorite part of our relationship though would be that we always say I love you, and because it's not just thrown around all the time, you know it is more than the truth.   

No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Last night I was craving something chocolaty, and of course we had nothing in the house.  What's wonderful about these cookies is that they take no more than 20 minutes, and you most likely have everything you need already.  These are nothing new, I'm sure most of you have already had one of these, made one, or at least heard of them.  I'm not inventing anything new here, just wanted to make something easy and delicious.

This was my first time making these cookies, even though I'm pretty sure they were a staple at all my elementary birthday parties.  I stuck with the standard flavors, but you could most definitely adapt this recipe and get creative with it.

INGREDIENTS: 
1 Stick Butter
2 Cups Sugar
4 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
2 Tsp. Vanilla
3-3 1/2 Cups Oats

1.  Melt the butter in a medium sized pot.  Add in the milk, sugar, and cocoa powder and bring to a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes.

2.  Turn the heat off and add the peanut butter.  Stir until melted, and then add in the vanilla and oatmeal.  Stir until well coated and spoon heaping spoonfuls onto parchment paper or aluminum foil until cooled completely.

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QUESTION #2

Q: List three legitimate fears you have and how they became a fear. 

1.  Tornadoes - With spring on its way, this seemed perfect.  I'm not sure if it's a "fear," but the idea that I live in the top floor of an apartment with no place to hide, is.  I'm not even sure that I'm afraid for myself, but more so my cat.  I already have my plan all set to go.  Grab pillow case.  Grab cat.  Put cat in pillowcase.  Hide under staircase.  Cry. 

2.  Airplanes - I probably need to just fly more to know that airplanes are pretty safe, but right now, I'm not a fan.  I'm not sure about the rest of you, but the thought of a very heavy airplane floating thousands of miles above the Earth, scares the S&%# out of me.  When I was younger, flying on airplanes was fun.  That was because I had no concept of life and death.  Now, I understand how much I could lose if something went wrong.  

3.  Spiders - This is not exciting, and I know everyone in the world is afraid of spiders.  I think those devilish little bugs are horrifying.  They sneak up on you when you least expect it, or fall from the ceiling like acrobats performing a show.  I dislike the fact that some of them have fur, and that some are the size of my hand.  The thought of spiders makes my skin crawl and I could do without any of them. 

Pecan Bars

I adapted this recipe from one I found online.  However, I cannot seem to find that recipe now, so I'll be sure to post a link after I find it.  I wanted to make this recipe a) because I was craving something sweet, and b) I wanted to use the pre-made pie dough I had in the freezer.  This recipe was so easy, and the pre-made pie crust made it even easier! These bars taste like pecan pie, with the added bonus of raisins and chocolate... MMMmmmmmm.  I would definitely recommend this to anyone in a pinch and needing something quick to make.

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp. Baking Powder
2 Tbs. Flour
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Raisins
1/2 Cup Chopped Pecans
1/4 Cup Chocolate Chips

1.  Mix together the brown sugar, baking powder, flour, vanilla and eggs until well combined.  This should take only a minute or two.  You can use your mixer, but why make more work for yourself.  I just used a spoon and some elbow grease.  Then mix in the pecans and raisins. 

2. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Un-roll the pie crust, and place in the bottom of a 9x9 pan.  Cut off any excess pie crust so that it is in a nice neat sheet on the bottom of the pan.  Bake the pie crust for 10-12 minutes or until it begins turning golden brown.

3. Once the pie crust is ready, pour the mixture over top and turn down the oven to 325 degrees.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and bake for 18-22 minutes.

4.  Let cool completely before cutting.  (THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!)
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QUESTION #1 

Don't forget about the fun new 30 questions game I'm adding to the blog.  Please feel free to comment on what your answer would be or if you think mine is ridiculous/crazy/hilarious/sad/great/etc.  I want to hear from you too! 

Q1:  List 20 random facts about you.

Here goes nothing.... 

1.  I have a genetically crooked toe ... it is very crooked. 

2.  I love watching Judge Judy even though I'm embarrassed about it.

3.  I had my tongue pierced when I was 18... sorry mom. 

4.  I treat my cat better than most children 

5.  I love to read 

6.  My fiance is my high school sweetheart 

7.  I have a great aunt who is 94!!!!!!! 

8.  I hate anything with tentacles... blah 

9.  I play pool with my left hand

10.  Salad is my favorite food 

11.  I learned how to drive a manual this summer

12.  I hate drinking water 

13.  I had my first coffee last year 

14.  I hate scary movies... I slept with my mom after seeing The Ring.  I was 20. 

15.  I inherited my mothers "green thumb" 

16.  I could have gotten a Religion Minor in undergrad, but I never claimed it.  

17.  "Quiet Talkers" drive me crazy! 

18.  I've never had a speeding ticket

19.  I don't like Reeses

20.  I am horrible at spelling, and never was never directly taught phonics in school. 

30 Questions

This is definitely a departure from the recipes I normally post, but I thought this would add a nice twist to the traditional food posts.  Today I saw a post on Pinterest, and decided to adapt it for my blog.  Hopes and Dreams blog had a post from January where she decided to answer 30 questions, one on each post.  Go check her blog out, it's pretty cool.  I figured I could do the same thing, for the same reason she did it.  I would love to get to know about each of you, and in return you will get to know more about me.  I might even surprise myself as well, and learn something about myself (which is ultimately the goal).

Every post I make, I will also have a new question to answer.  I would love to hear what you have to say about the question, or how you would answer it about yourself.  I've included the list below so you can get prepared for what's coming! Don't forget to let me know what you think about that food though too!!! :)

Also, I'm thinking about changing the blog name? Any ideas?

THE LIST:


1.  List 20 RANDOM facts about you.
2. List 3 Legitimate fears you have, and how they became a fear.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year old self, if you could.
5. What are 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. What's the hardest thing you've ever experienced?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9.  List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10.  Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11.  Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12.  Describe a current day in your life.
13  Describe 5 Strengths you have.
14.  Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
15.  If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
16.  What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17.  What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18.  What has been the most difficult thing you've had to forgive?
19.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
20.  Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21.  If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
22.  Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23.  List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
24.  Describe your family dynamic from your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
25.  If you could have dinner with anyone from history who would it be and what would you eat?
26.  What popular notion do you believe the world has all wrong?
27.  What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28.  What is your love language?
29.  What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
30.  List 10 things you'd hope to be remembered for.

Ideas for Leftover Roasted Chicken

After cooking the full chicken the other night, Blake and I had plenty of leftovers.  I am usually not a fan of leftovers unless it's pizza or Chinese food.  However, we had lots of chicken, and although Izzy was willing to eat most of it, I couldn't allow that to happen.  So, instead of wasting it, I decided to make a few salads with it for lunch for the past couple of days.  Salads are not only delicious but also very easy to make. The two salad ideas I came up with is a Cobb salad and a BBQ chicken salad. 

First, we have the Cobb salad.  This type of salad usually consists of egg, bacon, tomatoes, onion, chicken and blue cheese dressing.  I didn't have any tomatoes, so I subbed yellow and red peppers instead.  I also like to put blue cheese crumbles and use a vinaigrette dressing instead.  It seems a bit lighter than using heavy blue cheese dressing, but you get that great flavor from the crumbles still.  If you don't like something, leave it off or sub it for something else.  That's what is great about making your own food, you can add or           subtract anything you want.  That's also why I make my own salad dressings, because I know exactly what I'm putting into it.

The second salad I made was a BBQ chicken salad.  Back in the day, when I first starting working, I had a job at Bob Evans.  Yep, we allllll have to start at the bottom! When I worked there they had just come out with the Wildfire Chicken Salad.  I thought it sounded disgusting.  BBQ sauce on salad???? BLAH!

That was until I took my first bite.  We've been in love ever since.  It is now one of my favorite salads, and I see it adapted at many different restaruants (never as good).  This is basically a "what do I have in my fridge salad?" I literally make this when I know I need to get rid of veggies.  In the one I made for lunch today, I used the rest of a yellow pepper, onion, egg, and bacon.  I like to heat the chicken up in the microwave with the BBQ sauce.  Heating up the BBQ sauce too makes it easy to pour and stir in the salad.  I like this salad, and only this salad, with ranch dressing.

This salad goes against everything I just stated in the Cobb salad.  I use pre-made BBQ and pre-made ranch dressing.  It's just easier and I really can't make any BBQ that is as good as Sweet Baby Rays.  I promise a BBQ salad will change your life, so get on cooking and try it!   

Honey Mustard Oven Baked Chicken

While watching Food Network the other week I saw a recipe on "Ten Dollar Dinners" that looked pretty cool.  I've never attempted to cook an entire chicken, but it is definitely a good deal.  The entire chicken only cost around $4.00!

WARNING!!!!! You will have to pull the gizzards out (they're luckily in a bag), you will also have to cut the back bone out with scissors, and finally you will break A LOT of bones. If you're okay with this, proceed.

I'm very proud of myself for cooking this particular meal.  Not only did I tackle something as gross as breaking chicken bones with my bare hands, but I also managed to make a sauce to go along with it that tasted fantastic! One more heads up, this took a long time, so if you don't have a day to devote to this, pick something else to cook.

The cooking process toke me 50 minutes, not to mention the hour it took to brine too.  Here's the link to the original recipe. It discusses how to cut the back bone out and how to brine it as well.  Do not skip this step, this was the juiciest chicken I've ever had. 


1.  Follow the directions and the recipe and brine the chicken for an hour.  I substituted rosemary for tarragon just because I already had it.  Use whatever you have on hand, or whatever herb you like best.

2.  For the sauce, combine 1/2 cup syrup, 1/4 cup Dijon, 1/2 cup chicken stock, 5 cloves garlic diced, 1/2 onion diced, and 2 sprigs rosemary diced in a bowl. Be careful about your salt and pepper if you are using a chicken stock that has sodium in it already.  Continue following the cooking directions from the previous recipe.  When you are ready to bake the chicken, pour the mixture over the chicken.

3.  The recipe said to bake the chicken at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, but mine actually took about 50 minutes to be fully cooked.  I took it out around 30 minutes to check, and I would recommend doing the same depending on how large your chicken is.  Mine was closer to five pounds then four, and this may have been the reason it took longer.

Blake - O - Meter 

This particular meal has received two ratings.  Lucky you.

In regards to the flavor, this chicken most definitely gets an 8

In regards to the time it took this got a rating of a 3

Apple Fennel Salad with Dill Vinaigrette

Tonight, I decided to try something new.  I've never had fennel, but I see it used a lot in salads.  I saw a spring salad on Pinterest that had fennel in it, so I thought it would be something fun to try out.  I googled what would be good with it, and found that it needs a bit of sweetness to contrast it's flavor and also that dill goes great with it as well.  I was worried at first, because when I began cutting it it smelled like licorice.  Fennel by itself was not the greatest, but when you got a bite of apple and fennel together it was really delicious.  I'd actually be willing to make this salad again, and Blake said he enjoyed it too.  The vinaigrette has some sweetness in it too which also helps compliment that bitter anise flavor of the fennel.

Blake - O - Meter

 This recipe received a 7!!!!! (I'm impressed by this rating, because although Blake enjoys salads, he doesn't love them the way I do, and I would have most likely given this the same rating)


INGREDIENTS:
1 Gala Apple - sliced
1/4 Small Sweet Onion - sliced
1/4 Fennel - sliced
2 Sprigs Dill - diced
2 Tbs. Lemon Juice
2 Tbs. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbs. Honey
2 Tbs. Olive Oil

1.  In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour the vinaigrette over the sliced apple, fennel, and onion and serve immediately.

How easy is this?? I think everyone should at least give fennel a chance if you haven't had it yet.  You can't knock it 'till you try it!