Shrimp Fritters

CAN YOU SAY SHRIMP FRITTERS?!?!? OH YES YOU CAN!!!!!!

                                                       While cooking....

                                                     After cooked...🥰

Several months ago I came across this recipe and I am so happy that I found it. This has been one of my go to recipes as of late. It’s easy and is a quick meal. Every time Jonathan asks what for dinner and I  tell him its shrimp fritters I get a “YES!” While this recipe suggests a Lemon Aioli, I like to put it up with a spicy mayo dressing. What can I say besides, my family likes a kick of heat. But if you’re looking for somethings little lighter check out Natasha’s Kitchen for this recipe and also the her Aioli recipe.

Recipe source https://natashaskitchen.com/shrimp-cakes-recipe-video/

WHAT YOU’LL NEED;

• 1 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined ***note size of shrimp does not matter as it will be chopped up small. 
• 1.5 cups of mozzarella cheese 
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 4 Tbsp parsley finely chopped, plus more to garnish
• 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
• 1/8 tsp black pepper 
• 1/4 cup AP flour
• 2 Tbsp light olive oil or high heat cooking oil of choice 
• *I cook my fritters on a flattop griddle, so I spray the surface with PAM

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO;

Pat dry shrimp with paper towels then dice into small pieces.

Transfer chopped shrimp to a large mixing bowl. 

Add 4 oz shredded mozzarella, 1 egg, 1/4 cup mayo, parsley, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. 

Stir together then add 1/4 cup flour and mix until batter is creamy and well combined. 

Heat a large non-stick pan (Or electric griddle) to  medium heat and add 1 Tbsp olive oil. 

Add 1 Large heaping Tablespoon of shrimp mixture at a time and flatten out the tops. Fritters so be about 1/2" thick patties. 

Cook for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown on the edges and cooked through.

Transfer to a plate and serve hot. 

Green bean soup (Sopa de feijao verde)

Looking back at my blog, it's been a long time.  So my Resolution this year is to document my family, and document the food that we all love.  I have to admit, after working full time and then coming home to 3 children that are asking "what's for dinner" the last thing I'm thinking is plate it nicely and take a picture.  I don't know about anyone else's kids, but I can tell you that my 5 year old can go from princess to pain in the butt when the hunger sets in.  And of course she always goes from being full to being starving in 3.6 seconds.  LOL! 



With all kidding aside, I always felt that blogging was a outlite for me, and most of all a way to track the recipes that were major wins.  There have been times when I find myself taking pictures of food, but never seem to find the time to come back and write up a post for it. like in the case of this soup.  I made it back in November and I finally got around to posting about it.  I promised myself that I would start being better about.  I think the fact that I started a Facebook page called Portuguese Cuisine I found some motivation.  Time will tell. 




The goal is to share at least 2 new recipes a month.  I think that's doable.what better way to start than to share one of my favorite childhood soups.  As a kid I can remember my parents having a garden and growing their own veggies.  One of the many things that they grew was green beans.  I can still remember my parents being outside every other day filling a plastic grocery bags of green beans.

 They grew so much that our extended family and neighbors would come over and pick green beans for themselves.  With the abundance of green beans there is only so much that you were able to eat, so my mom would chop it into small pieces and freeze it so she could make soup thought-out the year.  While it' a very  simple soup to make it's also a soup that is packed with flavor.  Definitely a must try.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as my brother and I did when we were little. 

Source: My Mother



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 large chopped onion
3 large chopped carrots
1 stalk celery
1 large clove garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2-2 cups of green beans cut into small peices
8 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cups small pastina 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a large soup pan, saute the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil until translucent.

Add the chicken broth, garlic, water, and seasonings.

Bring to boil and cook on medium until vegetables are tender.

Remove pan from heat. Puree the soup with an immersion blender to desired consistency.  

Place the soup back on the stove on medium heat. When it comes back up to a boil, add the pasta, green beans. 

Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Add more seasoning if desired.

Enjoy with some delicious home made bread, and like always, HAPPY COOKING!

Old Fashioned Pancakes

What for breakfast at your house on Sunday Funday?  In our home, we like to start the day with old fashioned Pancakes.  I will admit that the kids are big fans because they get to be creative with all the fixing and they get to top then with whatever they want. 


The key to having a great Sunday, is having a great pancake recipe...oh and having lots of coffee.  I love this recipe because its very simple, quick and very tasty.  Hands down this is a true winning recipe. 


Like always, Happy Cooking!




WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
3 1/2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 Teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon white sugar
1 1/4 Cups milk
1 Eggs
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 Tablespoon for Vanilla




WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO;

•  In  a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar to combine.
•  Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter;
• Mix until smooth. 
• Heat a lightly sprayed/oiled  griddle over medium high heat.
• Use your 1/4 measuring cup to scoop batter onto the griddle.
• Allow pancake raise and flip.
• Ensure that pancake is brown on both sides and serve hot.

Keto Chocolate Frosty

Wow, its a blast from the past, it's been a while and I keep telling myself I need to get back into blogging but of course working full time, having three kids, and all their activities I feel like there is never enough time.  But I need to get better about that. 


So let's talk Keto and I will do my PSA while I'm at it.   I am not on the keto diet, but I do at times make some keto recipes because it's basically about cutting carbohydrates which is something that I needed less in my life.  With that being said, I've changed the way my family and I eat.  We increased our veggie and protein intake and decreased our processed foods and carb intake.  While I do feel that Keto does have some advantages, it is not for everyone and before going on it, please consult with your physician and have a complete bloodwork done.  Also Keto is not for long term weight loss and you have to increase your water intake a lot to protect your kidneys.  End of rant/ PSA.  =)


For the people that know me, they know I have a major sweet tooth.  I love everything chocolate and carbs were my best friend.   I came to realize that I was very dependent and on sugar, I dank it, I put it in my coffee, I eat it.  So to ensure that I don't go on a sugar binged I found this recipe on Pinterest and I had to try it.  Glad I did since the net carbs in this whole recipe is only 4 total and the net carbs in a small Wendy's frosty is 56gm.... THAT'S RIGHT 56GM in 1 SMALL FROSTY!   you would have to make this recipe 10 times to get the same amount of carbs.  Think about that while you enjoy this recipe. 


TIP- This doesn't need to be made into a frosty (put in the freezer), you can actually also just eat it as and a chocolate mousse.  I've had it both ways and they are both great. 


Recipe source; https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a22603823/keto-frosty-recipe/





WHAT YOU'LL NEED

• 2 Cups Heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp. Unsweetened cocoa powder      
• 3 tbsp. Keto-friendly powdered sugar sweetener, I use Anthony's Natural Erythritol Sweeter      
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract      
• 1 Pinch kosher salt

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

• In your stand mixer combine all ingredients cream, cocoa, sweetener, vanilla, and salt.
• Using the whisk attachment mix on med speed until stiff peaks form.
• Scoop mixture into a Ziploc bag and freeze 30 to 35 minutes, until just frozen.
• Cut tip off a corner of the Ziploc bag and pipe into serving dish.
• serve chilled      

Coffee Cake Muffins

As a mother of a 10, 5, and 3 year old, I sometimes feel like they are eating me out of house and home.  For example, I spend $30 on yogurt every week. Not much I can do about that, but you would think they bathe in it or something.  Another thing that I buy very frequently is muffins.   I would buy 6 each week and the girls your share 1 each morning and now they each require their own.  To make it through half the week I was buying a 12 pack of muffins and it was costing around $12

Then it dawned on me...Why am I spending that amount on muffins when I could be making them at home for a tenth of cost, especially seeing that they are so easy to make and and take almost no time to bake. 

Muffins has always been one of my go tos for mornings.  In part because it's grab and go item, and because with you have so many different ways that you can modify a basic muffin recipe and not get bored.

What you'll need:

for the MUFFINS

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

CRUMB TOPPING

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. 
3. In stand mixer, whisk milk, butter, eggs and vanilla until smooth. 
4. Then take your dry mixer and start adding 1 cup at a time into the wet mixer.  
5. Keep mixing until you have a thick but smooth batter.
6. For the crumb topping, combine the ingredients in a medium bowl with a fork. Add the melted butter and stir until crumbly.
7. Begin to assemble the batter inside the lined muffin tin by scooping filling the tin 3/4 to the top.
8. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of crumb topping on top of each muffin top, covering the tops.
9. Bake muffins for 15-17 minutes until the crumbly tops are golden and when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 
10. Remove from oven and allow muffins to cool down to room temperature.  
11. Once cool remove from pan and enjoy.

Like always HAPPY BAKING! 

Coffee Caramel Chip Muffins

Wow it's a blast for the past.  It's crazy what having three children, working fulltime, and after school activities we have no free time for anything else.  On a positive note I wouldn't change any of it. 

With my insane schedule the only thing that keeps me going every single day is my BBF coffee!  I don't know about you, but I can not start the day without it.

Over the years we've remained VERY BIG on breakfast.  With three kids, I'm always looking for something to make on Sundays for the following work week. It has to be easy and something that we can eat on the move. Therefore each week it's either a new twist on pancakes, french toast, croissants, and of course this week's breakfast is MUFFINS!

Recipe: Adapted from Cooking Light Jan 2012 issue

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

2/3 Cup of 1% milk
4oz of melted butter
1/4 Cup of black coffee
2 Teaspoons of vanilla
1 Egg
2 1/4 Cups of AP flour
2/3 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup Caramel chips (my go to is Ghirardelli" 
2 Teaspoons of baking powder
1 Teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon of salt

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the first five ingredients in stand mixer.

Add sugar and then spoon in Flour into wet mixture until combined.

Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until combined.

Fold in chocolate chips until just combined.

Spoon batter into greased muffin pan and bake at 400 degrees for about 18-20 minutes, until done.

Remove muffins from pan and let cool on wire rack. 


All that is left to do is enjoy your Coffee Caramel Chip Muffins.  Like always...Happy cooking and baking!



 ***Calories 160, Fat 5.9g Protein 3.6g, Carbs 28g, Fiber 1g,

Still Alive.

Hi everyone!  I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. I guess that's what happens when you have 3 kids.

Anyway, I'll be adding new post over the next few days. Frist post will be my baby back ribs in the crockpot.

Hope everyone is still well.