Shrimp Scampi

It's been a while but I'm back with more seafood. After not having it for so long, I'm really enjoying making up for lost time. This one was super easy and really good. You can serve it over pasta or not. We loved it over spaghetti. I didn't exactly follow the recipe, no kidding :) and you have to watch the breadcrumbs under the broiler, it was real close to setting off the smoke alarm. But I was actually paying attention this time. I will definitely be making this one again. And again.

Sorry for the comment moderation, the spammers seem to be typing overtime these days.

Shrimp Scampi

original recipe by from MarthaStewart.com, courtesy of Patsy's owner, Sal Scognomillo

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Printable Recipe

1 package of spaghetti or linguine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 cloves garlic, minced
18 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup Sauvignon Blanc or other white wine
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 seasoned breadcrumbs, store bought or homemade (I used seasoned panko)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes

Preheat broiler.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.

Melt butter in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it start to get some color, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook until well coated with butter and garlic, about 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, wine, red pepper and broth; bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce heat, and let simmer for another 2 minutes.

Uncover; sprinkle shrimp with paprika. Transfer the skillet to broiler and broil until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 - 6 minutes. Remove skillet from broiler, top with breadcrumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Return skillet to broiler and broil until breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Keep an eye so it doesn't burn. Toss with spaghetti and serve.

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Pan-Roasted Bay Scallops

Finally back after a little break. More than a little break, time really flew. Hoping to get in more blogging, more cooking and more blog visits. It's been a hectic few months,  a long crazy winter and we're really looking forward to some nice Spring weather. At least the kind that brings flowers instead of 60 degrees one day and a blizzard the next.

 We have to replace a lot of our landscaping in the front of our house because of the flooding from the hurricane and it will be really nice to finally see green and some color other than brown grass and crispy leaves this Spring. Today the gardener came to remove some of the trees and shrubs. New sod soon. Sinkholes were filled in. Things are coming along.  We were so lucky, considering.

And I have been making up for lost time with the shellfish allergy. Really making up time. I am still not sick of lobster, shrimp or clams. Although the family probably is by now. 

Tonight was Bay Scallops.  Pan-roasted. And so good.

It's really good to be back posting, and good to be cooking again. Starting to get tired of take-out. 

Hope you all are doing well :)

Pan-Roasted Bay Scallops with Bread Crumbs and Lemon

original recipe by Marcia Kiesel, Food & Wine October 2006

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, preferably from brioche or challah
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds bay scallops
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 small Meyer lemon
1/4 cup white wine, Sauvignon Blanc
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

In a large skillet, melt one tablespoon of butter. Add the bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring so the crumbs don't burn, about 3-4 minutes. When the crumbs are golden brown and crisped, remove them to a plate.

Wipe out the skillet. Add the oil and heat on high until it shimmers. Add half a tablespoon of the butter and let it melt. Add the scallops, season with salt and pepper and brown, about 2 minutes.

Add the shallots and the remaining butter in the skillet.  Add the juice of a small Meyer lemon and the white wine. Cook over moderate heat until the liquid has reduced, about 4 minutes.

Check for seasoning. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Sprinkle the toasted bread crumbs on the plates, add scallops on top of the crumbs and serve.

I'm joining

 Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking.

 

Foodie Friends Friday
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Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Cottage

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A new Lemon Zester!

So the gadget addiction continues. I saw this ZestNest in a magazine and I knew I'd love it. It didn't take me long to add it to the collection.  Easy to hold, the zest doesn't go everywhere and it's easy to clean.

What to do with that lemon zest? Chicken Piccata!

Woodie's World Famous Chicken Piccata
posted by Woodie many times at the Cooking Forum

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook
Printable Recipe

4 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned (I cheat and buy the thin sliced chicken cutlets!)
salt and pepper
flour (enough for coating)
3 tablespoons butter
juice of 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
I like to add a little lemon zest (optional)

Put a piece of waxed paper on the counter and place chicken on top. Use a meat pounder, the side of a saucer, the unsharpened side of a heavy knife or other object to pound the breast into a thin piece that’s uniformly thick (about an inch). Or you can buy cultets already sliced thin. Salt and pepper the chicken generously, then coat with flour. Melt butter in a large skillet and brown chicken on both sides.

Remove chicken from skillet. Add lemon juice, chicken broth and wine. Boil down until it’s about one-half cup. Place chicken back in skillet, add zest, cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove cover and serve.

I'm joining

 Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking. 

It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! 

 

Foodie Friends Friday
hosted by 
Walking on Sunshine  

Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Cottage

 

 

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Spatchcocked again...

I love this technique. I was a little skeptical that it would take a lot less time to cook, but it worked. Definitely cut the cooking time down a lot, and it was perfectly juicy and cooked through. My normal my roast chicken is iffy. Even with the silly popup timer and an instant read, my roast chicken most of the time comes in two styles, overcooked and undercooked. But not any more. Perfectly done.

Decided to be somewhat adventurous this time and took out the breast bone and the ribs. Pounded it a little, too. Flat chicken. Perfectly roasted. Easy to serve and slice. This recipe from Food52 had fantastic flavor. I adapted it a little, using lemon juice, leeks and a pinch of crushed red pepper in the compound butter, and roasted teeny potatoes in the pan to soak up the flavors.

And on the bright side, yesterday's dinner is today's pulled chicken sandwich.

Spatchcocked Roast Chicken with Lemon and Leek Compound Butter

Source: Food52

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Printable Recipe

4 tablespoons softened butter
zest and juice of one lemon

1 leek, sliced, white part only
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, roughly chopped (I used dried)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

big pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large chicken

For the compound butter: 

In a food processor, combine the butter, lemon zest, juice, garlic, thyme, mustard, leek, slat and pepper.

For the chicken:
Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Remove the gizzards from the chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and set it on a cutting board. Flip it onto its breast and using kitchen shears, remove the backbone by cutting carefully down each side of the bone. The entire inside of the chicken will be exposed when you’re finished. You can also pull out the breast bone, if you want to, or flip the chicken over and press down hard to crack it, the chicken will lay flatter this way.

Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper, and then flip the chicken over so that it lies flat. Trim any excess deposits of fat from around the cavity and tail end. Gently slide your fingers under the skin and ease it away from the meat, around both sides of the breast and both thighs and legs. Carefully smear the compound butter, underneath the skin, being careful not to tear, if you can. Reserve about a tablespoon of the butter, and then spread the reserved butter evenly over the skin, followed by a sprinkle of more salt and pepper.

Lay the chicken flat in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to accommodate it.

 Roast for about 30 minutes, then baste. Decrease the heat to 375°. Put potatoes or whatever vegetables you like around the chicken to roast. Cook for another 30 minutes, basting once again in the middle, and continue to roast until the chicken is done. Let the chicken sit for a few minutes before carving; serve with the pan juices, the potatoes and some crusty bread for sopping up the juices.

Joining 

Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

AND

 Mosaic Monday  at the Little Red House.

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Chicken Piccata

One of our all-time favorites is Chicken Piccata. I make it often, usually when I can't think of what else to make. My Miss Picky loves it and even made it herself a few years back for a class assignment. You can read about that here on this post. That was the beginning of High School, now she's applying to colleges. That went fast. But she still loves that Piccata, even when it isn't for a grade. On the side was zucchini spaghetti!  Julienne zucchini with sauce and Parmesan and garlic. Lots of garlic.

Woodie's World Famous Chicken Piccata
posted by Woodie many times at the Cooking Forum
Printable Recipe

4 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned (I cheat and buy the thin sliced chicken cutlets!)
salt and pepper
flour (enough for coating)
3 tablespoons butter
juice of 1 lemon
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine

Put a piece of waxed paper on the counter and place chicken on top. Use a meat pounder, the side of a saucer, the unsharpened side of a heavy knife or other object to pound the breast into a thin piece that’s uniformly thick (about an inch). Salt and pepper the chicken generously, then coat with flour. Melt butter in a large skillet and brown chicken on both sides.

Remove chicken from skillet. Add lemon juice, chicken broth and wine. Boil down until it’s about one-half cup. Place chicken back in skillet, cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove cover and serve.

Joining 

Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

 and

Suzy's Kitchen Bouquet for Flashback Fridays

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Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Lemon Garlic Sauce

We're on a spaghetti squash kick! We like it a lot, so I've been trying to find new recipes instead of the same old with it.  So when Joanne @ Eats Well With Others posted a Spaghetti Squash with Spaghetti recipe, I knew it would be on our table!  Not to mention it had fresh lemon, garlic and ricotta. We're in!

Thanks, Joanne, this one's a keeper. Check out Joanne's blog, Eats Well with Others, so many fantastic recipes and her writing will bring a smile to your face, she's very funny! So thanks Joanne, we loved this one!

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti with Lemon Garlic Sauce and Ricotta
Source: Joanne @ Eats Well with Others
Adapted by There's Always Thyme to CookPrintable Recipe

1 spaghetti squash, about 4 lb
half box of spaghetti, whole wheat, enriched or whatever you like
4 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (more or less to taste)
1 cup ricotta (I used part-skim)
Parmesan, for serving

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Slice the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Fill halfway with water.  Roast for 45 minutes to an hour or until squash is fork tender.  Set aside and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Or you can also microwave it. Just cut squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place squash cut sides up in a microwave dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on high for about 15 minutes, more or less, depending on size of squash. Add more cooking time if necessary. Let stand covered, for 5 minutes. It will be very hot, be careful!  Let cool a bit. With a fork pull out and separate the strands.

Set a pot of water to boil for the spaghetti.

Saute the garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat until tender and fragrant.  Add the lemon peel and saute for a minute or two.  Add olive oil, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Whisk and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Add butter and bring back up to a simmer.  Remove from heat.  Whisk in basil.  Season to taste.

When the squash is done, turn it cut side up on a cutting board and run a fork through its flesh to create spaghetti strands.  Use a spoon to scoop out the strands into a large bowl.  Cook the spaghetti.  Toss with the spaghetti squash.  Pour the lemon sauce over the spaghetti/squash mixture and toss to coat.  Mix in about 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.  Check seasoning and add, if necessary.

Scoop into four plates and top each with 1/4 cup dollop of ricotta.

Joining Debbie from Dining with Debbie for What's On the Menu Wednesday!

and joining the April edition of Whip Up Something New at Michelle's blog, My Favorite Time of Day!

Be sure to check out It's All About Me to find out who's hosting the next "Whip Up Something New!"

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Sweets for a Saturday: Lemon Brownies

If you like lemon, you'll like these. They are nice and dense. Glaze them or or not. If you want the glaze to soak in, then glaze them while they're warm. You can dust with powdered sugar instead but I guarantee if you like lemony cakes and cookies, you'll love these lemony brownies. I got the original recipe a while back from Marilyn on a cooking forum, she got it from a Paula Deen recipe and adapted it to lemons, and that was that. Paula Deen made Orange Brownies. No orange for me. Lemon all the way! A really tasty non-chocolate brownie! But I could be persuaded into making chocolate brownies, too!

Lemon Brownies
Source: Marilyn (DanaIN, Cooking Forum)
Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter; room temperature
4 eggs
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Additional lemon zest for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line the bottom only of a 9X13X2-inch baking dish with Parchment paper and spray with Pam. In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar and salt; add butter. Stir together eggs, juice from 1/2 lemon and zest from 1 lemon; stir into batter and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until set, use a toothpick to check. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. When brownies are cool prepare glaze by stirring together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoon lemon juice; drizzle over brownies and sprinkle with additional lemon zest.

Joining in on the fun at Sweet as Sugar Cookies for Sweets for a Saturday!

and joining Sweet Tooth Friday hosted by Alli n Son!

and a Themed Bakers Sunday at Cupcake Apothecary. The theme this week is lemons!

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

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