Jen's Now Famous Almost BBQ Shrimp

Not long ago we raided our friend Jen's recipe book for one that drives both husbands crazy during the non pumpkin season and last weekend decided that one good dish deserves another. Now this one wasn't nearly as famous as the pumpkin pie bars were but when you've got a hankering for shrimp, butter and a big delicious mess this is the one to turn to. If you can think of something better than a buttery shrimpy mess to top off a wildly busy and productive weekend we'd like to know about it! Why was our weekend wild, busy and productive you ask? We're glad that you did! If you remember waaaay back when we started, we go super excited about finally putting grass in the front yard (and no longer looking like the biggest hillbillies on the block). Well now we're only a few days away from being that excited about the back yard! We finally dug in (literally) and executed our plans for the yard. Grass, garden, garden fence, new BBQ, place to put outside stuff. Super excited. Also tired and sore, but excited none the less. We were actually completely wiped out on Sunday from Saturday when it came to chow down with Dan and Jen and our friends Brooke and Scott. Saturday Dan came over and we spent the day building our garden fence, then ran to Charisse's grandmother's 85th birthday party, then hustled off to Eric's hockey game which started at 11pm.

This is him playing on the left, and a tip for all the parents and spouses of hockey players: garage. Outdoor storage. Attic. All are good places to store hockey gear. Living room. Bedroom. Kitchen. All lousy places to store hockey gear because that hockey smell is considered by scientists to be among the worst smells every made by human beings. Eric got re-educated about this once, when after a late game he left his bag infront of the heater in the living room, intending to put it away in the morning. Que morning, wake up, turn on heater, turn on coffee, wash face, gag over awful smell permeating the house. Yuck. Anyways, Saturday was a long busy day and we did more work on Sunday (with slightly less limberness). On Monday it was very, very hard to wake up, but the thought of leftover buttery shrimp for lunch was a big motivator.

BBQ shrimp skewers with peppers and plums

Last month Eric's parents went on vacation, right around the time their fruit trees ripened. They left about a day or two before the first fruits came into their own. Actually, this happens every year, why vacations in this family have always happened around the time the fruit ripens we'll never know, but you can plan a harvest by his parents vacation calender. This year they went chasing an eclipse in the South Pacific, (something Eric's dad Pat has always dreamed of seeing with his own eyes and finally saw one this time, after getting rained on twice before) and we raided the back yard with buckets and fruit pickers. Later, when we were hearing all about the trip Pat mentioned that it was really peculiar that all the fruit was gone. We told them that it was delicious. Charisse ate some straight up, we tossed some into this dish or that dish, and the last of the plums we ran though with a stick. Why you ask? Simple, Grilled shrimp skewers!

Theres something about making any kind of skewered meet dish like Shish Kabob or Kakori that is just primordial in its creation. Something about running a piece of meat through with a pointy piece of wood and throwing it on a big fire makes Eric really excited. Maybe it draws him back to the caveman hunter roots of ancient humans or maybe he just likes having another reason to fire up the Weber. Actually, growing up Eric's parents had a square rust red grill, like the Meco 4100 which cooks differently than a normal Weber, thought it still makes a great grill. Growing up, the grilled skewer was always a good way to cook through some leftover meat and veggies or spread what you have across more people without making it look like your skimping on servings. It took Eric a while to really enjoy the flavors of a good grilled skewer, he was always a picky eater as a kid. Actually, that hasn't changed much, Eric is still a bit of a picky eater, but he's gotten over that when it comes to grilled food, which is a good thing because this is not a dish to skip. The plums and the marinade give the shrimp a nice sweet flavor and the peppers add just enough zing (without the seeds, its all flavor no heat). Try it out, let us know what you think!

Shrimp With Green Sauce and Zucchini Ribbons

This was probably the most beautiful pasta we have made so far. With amazingly fresh vegetables in the stores right now we want to incorporate them into every dish we make. Zucchini is Charisse's absolute favorite vegetable and pasta is her favorite food, so any time we can combine the two, Charisse is a happy happy girl. The only problem with having a favorite food that is healthy for your, inexpensive and easy to cook is that you end up cooking it a couple of times a week and after awhile sauteed zucchini gets boring. This is where a couple of kitchen gadgets come in handy. Somehow, cutting your veggies differently (julienne for example) creates an entirely new texture and gives the same old veggies a new kick. We decided on some beautiful thick zucchini ribbons to serve with our shrimp and pasta. If you have a potato peeler in your drawer you can create zucchini, squash, or carrots ribbons, peeling the veggie lengthwise and presto, veggie ribbons! This dish is very light and healthy and we were surprised by how flavorful this dish was considering there weren't too many ingredients involved, but honestly, sometimes those "simple" dishes are the best. This is a perfect summertime dish served with a fruity, chilled white wine.

Pictures and Recipe after the break

Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta

Last Saturday was Charisse's day to cook us a date night dinner. In our plan, we had all afternoon to chop, mince, slice and create a romantic three course meal for two.Unfortunately, that didn't work out so well. Our good friend had a baby shower that morning and after all the fun and games Charisse didn't get home until 6:30pm and was completely exhausted and coming off a sugar high from all the cake and baby shaped jello (yes, a baby shaped jello mold....it was a bit scary!). So instead of mincing, chopping, and slicing, Charisse ended up horizontal on the couch debating whether or not to order a pizza for dinner. Unfortunately we can't  blog about Pizza Guys (our favorite pizza place in San Jose, and no, its not a paid link!) so she gathered all her strength and dragged herself to the kitchen. We diced and sliced going with a lovely Garlic Shrimp Bruschetta as the first course, saving room for two perfect filets that had been bought that day. By the end of the first course we ate so much bruschetta we were faced with a choice, go for the main course or go for dessert. Since we were so full and there was no room left for steak, we went for the dessert. Charisse was surprised when she asked her meat loving husband if he wanted more shrimp on toast or a nice juicy filet, and he asked for the shrimp! That's when you know a dish must be good.  This bruschetta isn't your typical recipe. With the addition of shrimp, white wine and cream, it is much hardier and filling than a normal first course, but you can use a smaller baguette as a base and still serve it as a first course. We will definitely make this recipe again. 

Pictures and Recipe after the break