Just Call Me Fancy Pants | Tequila Shrimp

Tequila Shrimp | Once Upon a Recipe

Despite the fact that all of the holiday parties are over, it is important to have a few recipes on the ready so that you’re always in a position to entertain your friends. (Happy bellies = happy friends). It’s kind of a shame that we smush all of these wonderful parties/gatherings into the weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s Eve, no? I mean, it makes for a lot of partying and eating and drinking to do in a short amount of time. Forget the Freshman Fifteen. Hello Christmas Fifteen. Why not spread it out a little?

Tequila Shrimp | Once Upon a Recipe

Friends, I propose that we create a new holiday. Something to get us through the rest of the winter. January and February are such dreary months! Post-holiday lows combined with cold, dark days. It’s all a bit depressing if you ask me. What shall we call our new holiday?

…I am drawing a blank, but one thing I can be sure of is that it must involve lots of good food and beverages. Presents can be optional.

Tequila Shrimp | Once Upon a Recipe

And these tequila shrimp will be a must-serve item. I mean, come on – jumbo shrimp combined with tequila, lime, and cilantro? It’s like a shrimp marrying a margarita and having delicious babies. It’s super simple to create too. Sauté your shrimp with some onion, garlic, and tequila – all of which can be done in advance, no less – and then serve with cilantro, lime, and salt. In a jumbo martini glass (optional – see below). I made these tequila shrimp for a holiday party I hosted a few weeks ago and they were completely annihilated. Fancy pants without being finicky or stressful. Winning! Happy…Partymus!

Tequila Shrimp | Once Upon a Recipe

Tequila Shrimp

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and tails on (~40 large shrimp)

1/4 cup tequila

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/8-1/4 tsp. salt (to taste)

2 TBSP. cilantro, chopped

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the tequila and the shrimp. Bring to a boil and cook, uncovered for 3-5 minutes, or until the shrimp are just pink. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or until ready to serve (up to 24 hours).

For the presentation: Combine the shrimp with the lime juice, salt, and cilantro. Toss together and serve over ice, preferably in an over-sized martini glass. Serve with cocktail sauce for dipping, if desired.

PS. While I’ve never tried it, I happen to think that this recipe could be turned into a rather amazing entrée. Add the lime juice, salt, and cilantro while the shrimp are still warm, and serve over freshly cooked angel hair pasta. Throw in some asparagus (or your favorite vegetable) to round out the meal. Does that sound lip-smacking good or what?

Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit | Black Bean and Corn Salad

 It is a miracle that I am able to post this recipe right now. That I can type these words to you on this laptop. You see, the sweet little puppy mentioned a couple of weeks ago continues to wreak havoc on my life. In fact, I think she came into my life to teach me how to be a more patient person. Unfortunately it is a rather difficult and damaging process. Damaging to my material possessions that is. For one thing, the carpet in our condo is going to need to be steam-cleaned about 40 times over in order to remove the invisible stains of approximately 2956 “accidents”. Shoes have been chewed, scarves and mittens have been ripped, tables and chairs have been munched on. Several books are missing parts of covers. My tea towels will never be the same. All of this, I have been able to take in stride. Quite easily I think.

However…there was an incident last night that almost put me over the edge. You see, my parents brought us back a bottle of delicious pineapple wine from a recent trip to Hawaii. Last night, honey and I decided to enjoy it with our dinner. We were feeling rather badass, so we decided to just drink the wine straight from the bottle. We were eating dinner in front of the TV (yes, we do that), and had left the bottle of wine sitting on the kitchen table. A certain little munchkin around here has a tendency to jump up on the coffee table if any food or beverages are within her sight. How tricky we were, leaving it on the kitchen table instead. And then there was a crash. I jumped up and ran the approximately 10 feet from the couch to the kitchen table to find that the aforementioned munchkin had jumped up onto the kitchen table and knocked the bottle of wine over, spilling it all over the table, floor, and…my laptop.

Now, I realize that it is dumb to leave your laptop sitting open on the kitchen table. But I do dumb things, rather often. Anyways, after one meltdown and many failed attempts at getting my laptop to start up again, honey advised me to shut it down, leave it overnight, and hope for the best. I’m happy to report that my laptop is working, although my keys are currently making a nice crunching noise with each keystroke, and my space bar wants to stick down every time I press on it. Small steps, I suppose. *sigh* The other miracle was that the wine bottle managed to stay half full following the catastrophe, as it landed on it’s side. Drinking the remainder of the wine was very helpful indeed. And now that I’ve wasted your time with this pointless story, I give you a delicious, fresh salad recipe, great for curing the winter blues. It has some fantastic colors going on, and is so simple and tasty. The original recipe comes from one of the Best of Bridge cookbooks. Happy eating!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can of corn, drained

1 red pepper, chopped small

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Juice and zest of two limes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 TBSP. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the black beans, corn, red pepper, and cilantro in a large bowl or container. Combine the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, and then pour over the black bean mixture. Toss well. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. This salad tastes great right away, but has even better flavor if you give it a couple of hours to mingle in the fridge.

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