 That bacon and shrimp baked macaroni and cheese was life changing and I'm not quite ready to tackle that meal at home but I do have a new appreciation for shrimp after our weekend at Amelia. I decided to whip up a slightly healthier shrimp recipe: Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos. My shrimp doesn't even compare to the shrimp that we ate at the Salty Pelican but I think that's partly due to the environment. Sitting outside, smelling the ocean air and overlooking the harbor is just not something that I can replicate in my kitchen.  Shrimp and Black Bean Tacos 2 teaspoons canola oil 3/4 pound medium shrimp 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin 1/8 teaspoon red pepper 15 ounce can black beans, drained (Reserving liquid) 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas 1 cup cooked brown rice 1/2 cup fresh salsa 2 Tablespoons green onions, sliced 1 ripe avocado, sliced
Sprinkle salsa and onions on top of each taco.  
For those of you who are interested in our beach trip pictures - I put them into a short little slideshow for you. I love this place.
Ciao!
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 If you are intimidated by cooking - I've got you covered. I'm here to help with some simple tips that will make dinnertime less stressful. There are simple things that you can do to make dinnertime easier - starting with the grocery shopping. Did you know that you should be shopping the perimeter of the grocery store to find the healthiest foods? Grocery stores strategically place their fresh foods along the walls of the store and the processed foods in the middle aisles. When I do my grocery shopping, I make a conscious effort to shop the perimeter and fill my shopping cart with as many of the fresh foods from the borders of the store as possible and limit the amount of food that I buy from the inside aisles.  Having an organized grocery list is my second grocery shopping tip. I divide my list into sections based on how my grocery store is organized. When I have a list to shop from, I can get through the grocery store in half the time. When I try and wander up and down the aisles, trying to remember what I need for dinner - I end up with more food that I need and it takes me twice as long to shop. The grocery list for my apple gouda stuffed chicken dinner was easy - chicken breasts, apples, sweet potatoes, broccolini and gouda cheese. (Every one of these ingredients came from the perimeter of the store by the way.)  Apple Gouda Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potatoes 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1.5 ounces gouda cheese, thinly sliced 1/2 large apple, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon olive oil for chicken 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, more as desired for garnish 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 fresh ground pepper Roasted Sweet Potatoes 3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 Tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
Bake at 425 until chicken reaches 165 degrees. (about 30 minutes)
  Apple stuffed chicken breasts with creamy gouda cheese and roasted sweet potatoes sounds much more like a Fall meal than a winter meal but let me tell you - this dinner is delicious ANY time of year. I got so excited about this dinner that I couldn't wait for Fall.
Ciao!  Did you know that you can search through the my recipes in the index and by category? The recipe index is at the top of the blog and the categories selections is in the sidebar on the right side of the blog. If you don't know exactly what kind of recipe your looking for, try clicking on a category to search through Winter Warm Ups, Healthy Choices, Crock Pot Dinners or 30 Minute Meals. You can even look through my own personal favorite recipes. (It will probably come as no surprise to you that there are a LOT recipes of chocolate under the "My Favorites" category.)  The newest recipe to get placed into the "Winter Warm Ups" category is this Loaded Baked Potato Soup. You will also find it on the soup page of my recipe index. Of course, if you want to save it for later, follow my Pinterest boards and pin this recipe for another day.  Loaded Baked Potato Soup 7 russet potatoes, diced 6 cups water 2 chicken boullion cubes 2 onions, diced 6 tbsp butter 6 heaping tbsp flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 tsp ground mustard 5 oz cream cheese, diced 1 1/2 cups milk 2 tbsp crumbled bacon 1/4 cup shredded cheese
Garnish with bacon bits and cheddar cheese. 
I made this soup in the middle of January and it was literally 72 degrees that afternoon. It just never fails. Every time I plan soup for dinner - the temperatures start to skyrocket. It's a good thing that my family is such good sports - they're used to sweating over their soup bowls by now.
Ciao! |
