Shrimp Tacos & My New Cornbread Creation

Ever since I tried the Shrimp Taco's at Chili's I've been working on recreating it, and trying to make it healthier in the process! I think I finally got it! I let the peeled shrimp soak in a marinade of buttermilk, some taco seasonings and then added in a bit of garlic for about 15 minutes or so. Then I gently sauteed until it was just pink. Perfection! I also tweaked my slaw recipe - no exact measurements to share but I used shredded cabbage and carrots, tossed in some diced jalapeno, sliced some tomatoes thinly, and coarsely chopped a bit of avocado. I tossed it in a bit of light ranch dressing and with a dash of cumin, salt, pepper and garlic powder and it was just right. I layered the slaw on top of the shrimp on a white corn tortilla and it was heavenly!! All of the flavors just popped in my mouth and I am just hoping I can recreate it the next time!

But the real showstopper tonight was the mini cornbread muffins I made...I had some time on my hands while my husband, Troy, was in the garage tinkering with his Jeep and thought I'd like to make some cornbread to accompany the tacos on tap for the evening.

And here is what I made...aren't they adorable? And yummy too! It's a basic cornbread recipe but with sugar in the raw instead of sugar, and just a touch more of it, buttermilk replacing the milk, and then on half of them I put a slice of jalapeno with just a pinch or two of cheese on top. The other half just got cheese because honestly, I'm a wimp when it comes to spices but my husband thinks the hotter the better! So, this is my compromise. Enjoy!!

Baking Mood

I don't know what it is about rainy days but they always make want to bake! So, with the daycare kids settled in having a movie morning - Princess and the Frog is a big hit! So this morning I decided to make a Blueberry Cream Cheese Tart.

First, I made a basic cookie tart with:
1 1/2 cups flour (I used whole wheat but any kind would work)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup softened butter
1 egg

I pressed it into a 9 inch pie plate and then baked it at 400F for about 10 minutes.


Then I softened 3 oz of cream cheese and mixed 2 T of sugar. I folded in about 1/4 cup of whipped cream into the mix.

After the crust cooled, I poured the cream cheese mixture into the crust and put in the refrigerator.






While it was cooling, I made the blueberry pie filling:

4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c. sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 c. water

Mix dry ingredients in saucepan. Add water gradually. Bring to a boil, add blueberries and cook 3 or 4 minutes until clear and thickened, stirring constantly but carefully to prevent berries from crushing. Remove from heat, cool (Recipe adapted from Cooks.com)

After the blueberry pie filling cooled, I poured it on top of the cream cheese inthe crust. Doesn't that look yummy!!

Bread, and more Bread

Today was bread making day for the week and of course my first batch of whole wheat just fell flat. I have been struggling with the freshly milled wheat flour and today was not an exception. I tried a new recipe and was so excited when I saw the first rise really rise. But, my excitement was short lived as it fell flat. I think it overproofed, but it still smelled heavenly!
Either way, we still needed bread for the week and I had to make another batch. This worked out better but it was a mix of whole wheat and bread flour and I used a tried and true Betty Crocker recipe to ensure we had bread to eat!! It was a perfectly browned loaf so I had to snap a pic.

My goal this week is to make some artisan bread - just need to find the right recipe. Enjoy the bread pic!

New Burger Bun Recipe

Hamburger buns have been my nemesis since I started making all of our bread from scratch. Yesterday, I tried yet another recipe and I was pleasantly surprised to find the texture good, not chewy and the browning was just about perfect! Here is the recipe I found, Burger Buns Recipe and I am so thankful!

I wish I had taken a picture but I've been under the weather a bit and the effort to make the buns was about all I could muster! Next time, I promise.

The buns were a perfect complement to our green chile turkey burgers and fiesta salad. Almost made me feel better!

Enjoy the day everyone!