Shrimp in a Blanket

This started out as a sweet and sour shrimp puff recipe....but ended up as shrimp in a blanket.

Recipe:

Crack open a can of Pillsbury butter crescent rolls and cut each triangle in half lengthwise. Pat dry raw peeled and deveined shrimp - one for each piece of dough = 16. Mix up 4 tablespoons of softened cream cheese, a clove of minced garlic, a touch of grated ginger and about a teaspoon of soy sauce. Spread a half teaspoon of the mixture on the dough. Position the shrimp at the large end of the triangle and roll it up. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes, be sure to coat the pan with cooking spray or parchment. Remove from over and brush with slightly melted apricot preserves. The reason I can't call this a shrimp puff is because the canned pastry didn't really puff like I wanted it too. I might try this recipe again with a puff pastry.

Pinto Bean Dip

A bag of pinto beans on its way to becoming bean dip. The beans were soaked overnight and rinsed, then added to a crock pot without enough water to cover. Cook on high for 6 hours, throw in 6 cloves of garlic and return to high for 2 more hours. Mash beans and garlic with a potato masher and season to taste with salt and red pepper flakes. Before serving, stir in a small spoon of sour cream. We enjoy this bean dip with chips, and I used it for bean burritos last night. Beans, cheese, salsa, lettuce and tortilla chips rolled in a flour tortilla.

Homemade Corned Beef

I did a baked version corned beef yesterday, and I felt brave. It was the first time I attempted a corned beef. It turned out good. Four hours of baking at 325 degrees. (recipe added)

Recipe:

1 corned beef, 3-4 pounds - soaked in cold water for about 10 minutes, rinsed and patted dry.

This corned beef came with spices/peppercorns. Line shallow baking dish with enough foil to seal the beef. Sprinkle half the spices on the foil, add one sliced orange, 3-4 cloves of garlic and a couple of stalks of celery. Place beef on top and top off with the other half of the spices, another sliced orange, more garlic and celery.

Seal beef and spices and bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours. Internal temp 160 degrees means it's done. Let it cool slighlty and trim the fat. Slice and serve, or slice for sandwiches later.

Salad Night Sans Tomatoes

Chicken garlic Caesar salad with no tomatoes. I didn't think it could be done, but a pretty red bell pepper saved dinner plans.

Marbled Rye Made My Day

Wednesday night is often a dashboard dinner night, while my daughter attends music lessons downtown Boise. I picked this pretty egg salad sandwich up at Gandolfo's on 8th Street.

Santa Fe Burger a.k.a. How Much Can be Stuffed in a Bun?

Lettuce, pepper jack cheese, guacamole, fire-roasted Poblano peppers, sauteed onions and chipotle mayo. This was the burger my husband tried last night at Red Robin. I tasted it and it was good with all those competing flavors mixed together.

Tortilla Encrusted Tilapia

This sounded so much better than it tasted. I don't think it was the fault of the recipe, it's just that I've never been a fan of tilapia. The texture is all wrong to my palate - too mushy. I'd rather have halibut or cod, although tilapia is far more budget-friendly.