To February, 2012. I'd been blogging for a very short time, less than a year. The hubby and I had been living in Kentucky for almost a year and a half, in our run-down rental in Ashland. The hubs had been working a new job for all of 3 months, and we'd begun to house-hunt. The hubby is required to live within 30 miles of the office, so Ashland wasn't cutting it. We'd been house-hunting for months, and finding zilch. Houses that needed to be gutted. Houses at the base of hills, that very obviously needed thousands of dollars of mold abatement. Houses on busy roads. Houses where you could reach out and touch your neighbors house. It was soul-sucking, to say the least.
The dish I made to share on the blog was made one day after the hubby and I had looked at 5 or 6 houses. We were feeling disappointed and bitter. One of the houses was on the perfect piece of property and looked great from the outside. The inside was one that needed to be gutted. And when I say it needed to be gutted, it needed to be gutted with a capital G. Dirty, discolored linoleum in the kitchen, with orange counters and a green fridge. The same nasty linoleum was in all the bathrooms. Dirty, once-tan carpet pulling up in areas to reveal filthy carpet pad. Wallpaper everywhere, sometimes 2 to 3 different patterns in 1 room. It was a disaster, and immediately was crossed off the list.
The next house was on a great piece of property too. A couple of acres, with a fully stocked gorgeous pond out front. The inside was another story. The upstairs was poorly divided into tiny rooms, the house was covered in carpet (even in the kitchen!), and it smelled like dog. Badly. The one positive was the newly renovated downstairs. Another money pit.
Next up, was the hilly mold house. The house was gorgeous on the outside, and inside. The only problem was the hubby and I were already having trouble breathing after being in the house for 20 minutes. I can't image having to live there.
Then a smoker's house. Then a house with teeny, tiny rooms and a moldy, water-damaged basement that was completely overpriced. Then another teeny tiny house that had been compartmentalized into a dozen tiny rooms and hadn't been updated since 1950. Honestly, sometimes I don't what people are thinking. The area was full of houses that seemed to be badly compartmentalized by the owners after the fact. It was mystifying.
All my experienced chefs out there, say it with me-
Overcooked, rubbery, disgusting shrimp.
I made pans, and pans of it. All because I was too scared to cook over high heat. Well, no more! Now, I put the pan on the highest setting it will go and I sear each side of the shrimp for 30 seconds. Seriously, they cook that fast. And yes, they are completely done after 1 minute.
While I've edited all the photos from the baby shower and my niece's party, I still have 300 food photos to edit today. Whew! Gonna be a busy day folks!
Have a great day friends!
1 tbsp canola oil (or your preferred oil that has a high smoke point)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1 (14.5) oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5) oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
hot cooked rice (for serving)
Directions:
1. Heat canola oil over high heat. When the pan is extremely hot, add 6-7 shrimp. Sear for 30 seconds, then flip shrimp. Cook for another 30 seconds. Remove shrimp from pan, placing on a plate covered with a paper towel. Repeat process until all shrimp are cooked. Set aside.
2. Wipe pan out with a paper towel. Add olive oil, heat over medium heat. When warm, add crushed red pepper. Sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic, sauté for 30 seconds. Add paprika, salt, tomatoes, and artichokes to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add cooked shrimp and fresh parsley. Stir to incorporate. Remove from heat.
4. Spoon mixture from pan over rice. Serve immediately!
Printable Recipe
Recipe adapted from Cooking Light. |
Linked to: Treasure Box Tuesday, Create It Thursday, Thank Goodness It's Thursday, Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party, Snickerdoodle Sunday
I am drooling here! Shrimp and artichokes combined...I think I have died and gone to heaven!
ReplyDeleteThanks Debbie! I agree, shrimps and artichokes make a PERFECT combo :-) Have a great day!
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