worth the wait...

We ate here

the night before we were married three years ago...
and JB has craved it ever since.

So naturally, it was at the top of our "To Do"
for our vacation last week.

The queso is made with a blend of white cheeses.
Creamy, dreamy... heaven in a bowl.
It pairs nicely with an ice cold rita on the rocks with salt.

JB knew exactly what he was having...
the Crabmeat Enchiladas. Three corn tortillas
stuffed with sauteed lump crabmeat and
avocados, covered with a creamy roasted
poblano sauce... Oh. My.
He savored every bite.

I had the Enchiladas De Camarones... three corn tortillas
stuffed with fresh shrimp and avocado with creamy roasted
poblano sauce, a splash of ranchero, and topped with fresh crab meat.
*faint*

Need I say more?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to try and
recreate these dishes... I don't think we'll
be able to wait another three years.

Lover of La Playa in Port A, Texas,
rolo

summer spaghetti...

It's sweltering here in Dallas.
As a result, I haven't been cooking very much... boo.
I did, however, make this the other night and it was light and delicious.
Shrimp, zucchini, and squash just say summer to me.

Let's make it! Here's what you'll need...

About 2 pounds of jumbo shrimp, peeled and tails removed.


Squash and zucchini, sliced.

Lemon juice and fresh basil.
You'll also need about 1 cup of white wine... that is, if you're a sinner like me.
And, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper.

Spaghetti, cooked.


Saute your veggies for about 2 minutes in a little butter and olive oil.
Generously sprinkle on the your garlic powder, onion powder,
and salt and pepper.

Add the shrimp. Stir.

Squeeze the juice of two lemons, about 2 tablespoons, over.

Pour in the white... yum.

Give it a nice stir.

Continue to cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.


Serve over the spaghetti.
You could also sprinkle over some fresh grated
Parmesan cheese for some extra goodness.

Serve with some fresh, warm bread.

Enjoy and stay cool.
xo
Rolo

shrimp & pasta with roasted red pepper alfredo...

Are you a shrimp lover?
How 'bout a pasta lover?
What about a cream sauce with roasted red peppers lover?
*Raises hand* Oo, Oo, Ooo, Pick me, Pick me! I'm all of the above.
Are you? If yes, then you'll most definitely want to make this.

I made it last week, and let me tell you it was yum, yum, yummy.
It was so good. It was delicious. It was lip smackin'.
And, it was yummy. Did I say that already?
Just looking at the photo is making my mouth water... and my thighs ache.

Oh, and the best part was, it was super-de-duper easy...

because I used a jar sauce.

And now, I'm on a mission to recreate my own homemade version.

Here's all you do for the jar sauce version...

*Shrimp & Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo*

~Saute about 2 pounds of shrimp in a little olive oil, butter
salt and pepper... Right now (in my hood anyway) seafood prices
haven't skyrocketed yet because of the oil spill.
I felt lucky to find these beauties on sale.
~Cook 1 pound of angel hair pasta according to package directions, drain.
~Add 2 jars of Classico Roasted Red Pepper Sauce to the shrimp.
Bring to a simmer over medium to low heat for about 5 minutes...

Serve the shrimp and sauce over the pasta with some
fresh bread and watch it disappear... fast.

Make it soon... you'll be a hero.

Love,
rolo

tilapia & mushrooms in a mustard cream sauce...

I've been on a mustard kick lately.
Dijon Mustard... oh yes!
Have you ever just eaten french bread dipped in Dijon Mustard?
No? Well, then I'm here to tell you you're missing out!
Just try it, that's all I'm saying.

Ok, so, yesterday I was saying to myself, "what's for dinner".
I went searching and came across this delightful recipe
(which I changed up a bit to my likin')... and... OH. MY.
Was it ever delicious.
If you're a tilapia lover, a mushroom lover and a mustard lover
then, you'll love THIS too!

Here's what you'll need...

~4 to 6 Tilapia fillets
~Thyme
~Salt
~Fresh Ground Pepper
~Chicken broth
~White wine (optional)
~8 oz. thinly sliced mushrooms
~Cream
~Dijon Mustard

Start with 4 (if big) to 6 (if on the smaller side) Tilapia.
Coat them generously with Thyme, salt and pepper...


On both sides.


Warm up a little olive oil in your pan.
Check out my pan... I'd say it's been used a time or two wouldn't you?

Cook on both side for about a minute.

Now... pour in about 3/4 cup chicken broth... or about 1 1/4 cup
if you're not using wine.

However, if you're a wine drinker and love to cook with it, like me,
then here's where you'd pour in a generous 3/4 cup of white wine.
OR, you could skip the chicken broth altogether and just use the white wine!
Oh yeah, baby!
Then, bring to a boil.

After it comes to a boil, add the mushrooms.

About 2 to 3 tablespoons cream.

And finally, about 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of Dijon Mustard.
YUM.

Give a little stir so everyone can play nicely together.
Bring back to a boil and simmer a couple of minutes.

Serve with rice or risotto and roasted asparagus.

Yum, yum, yum.

So good.
So easy.
So light.

What more could you want?

Enjoy!

Much Love,

Rolo

beer-battered fish...

Got a craving for fish and chips?
Here's an easy and delicious one for ya!

The batter really surprised me... It grabbed onto the fish
and held on, tight, throughout the frying process.
I don't know about you, but I've never had very good luck
with batter, when it comes to frying... it'll fall apart or
become a sticky mess in the pan. And who wants that?

It was crispy without being too heavy.
And the flavor... oh, the flavor was juuuust right!

Here's how you make it... oh, by the way, I didn't
take step by step photos of this dish because it happened
to be one of those rushed evenings trying to get
dinner on the table and I didn't have time to grab my camera.
So sorry.

This is what you'll need...

6 pieces of Haddock, Pollock, Cod, or any white fish... I used cod.
1 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. milk
12 oz. beer, your favorite will work... I used Shiner Bock
1 1/2 c canola oil

~Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
~Add the milk and 1/4 of the beer, stir.
~Stir in more of the beer until you have your desired consistency...
You want it to be like a pancake batter.
~Heat the oil in a skillet while the batter "rests" for a few...
you know the oil is ready when you drop a tiny bit of the
batter in and it sizzles and floats to the top.
~Dredge the fish in the batter and place in the oil.
~Fry until a golden brown on both sides.
~Remove and drain on a paper towel lined plate before serving.

Enjoy!
xo
Rolo

shrimp & photography...

I've had my Canon Rebel camera for a little over a year.
And I'm just now "getting into" photography.
When I say, "getting into" I mean, learning about the ISO,
various lenses, shooting without flash, etc.
And shooting in low light situations without using the flash
totally has me stumped. I'm terrible at it.
In all my free time (now there's a joke for ya... ha ha ha, hee hee, ho ho,
ha ha ha, *clears throat*... ok I'm done... that was funny!),
when I'm not posting here, or... um... chatting with friends on
facebook I'm trying to teach myself photography.

Here is a picture of some Spicy Shrimp I took
a couple of weeks ago... It was SO good!
And yes, I'm gonna share the recipe!

Anyway, this picture was taken with the flash.

And this one was taken without the flash.
There was no natural sunlight streaming in
because it was... well... night time!

See, I'm not only funny, I'm smart too!

Here's another one using the "auto" setting on my
camera dial and it decided for me to use the flash.

I generally prefer "natural light" photography...
but in this case, I like seeing all the color of the food.

See, this picture does nothing for me.
Yeah, I definitely prefer the flash sometimes.

Now add shrimp to your weekend grocery shopping list
and make this this weekend!

*Spicy Shrimp*

Shrimp
Olive Oil
Tabasco
Worcestershire Sauce
Lemons
Salt & Pepper
Butter

1. Rinse and remove the shells and tails from the shrimp.
2. Place shrimp on large baking pan in single layer.
3. Drizzle about 1/2 cup olive oil over the little suckers.
4. Generously sprinkle black pepper over... be very generous!
5. Now for some salt.
6. Squeeze the juice of about 3 to 4 lemons over them.
7. Now generously drizzle Worcestershire sauce all over 'em...
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
8. Now for the Tabasco... some like it hot, so do what you like!
9. Now, grab your stick of butter, cut pats and place all over the shrimp.
10. Place under your broiler for about 10 minutes.

*You could also grill the hot lil' suckers and I'm sure they would be fabulous too!

Serve with rice and veggies... YUM!


Enjoy!
xo
Ralonda

fish tacos...

Earlier this week I made Tilapia fish tacos.

You know those dishes that you just throw together without following
some sort of guidelines and they almost always turn out delicious?
Well, this is one of them.
Tilapia is very versatile.

Now I realize that it's January... it's the time of year
when you're either covered in snow, craving chicken pot pies,
mashed potatoes and homemade soups or, you're on some sort of diet trying
to shed the extra weight you put on during the holidays.
Which in this case, if you're the latter of the two, then this dish may be for you.

Ok remember, I just made this up as I went along...
so, I'll just give it to you step-by-step here.

First, If you happen to be hurrying through Wal Mart,
chewing on the inside of your cheek,
trying to figure out something easy and light for dinner,
just grab a bag of frozen Tilapia and toss in your cart.

Take your fish home and soak them in a cold water bath
for about 30 minutes to let them thaw.

Prep your frying pan over med-high heat with drizzled extra virgin olive oil,
about 2 tablespoons of butter and a splash or two of soy sauce.

Put your fish in.

Oh... and if you happen to be drinking a Shiner Bock give the fishes a nice drink or two.

Salt and Pepper.

And toss a little chopped cilantro on top.


Cook until fish breaks apart and looks fluffy.

Place fish inside a corn (or flour) tortilla with lettuce,
tomato, cheese, avocado, salsa, sour cream... whatever floats your boat.

Serve with Spanish rice and black beans... yum!

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

xo
Ralonda