Shrimp & Grits & Washington D.C.

My goal in D.C. was to go to as many DDD places that I could. I only made it to 2 but that's ok because I found my new favorite meal. Most of the places we went to there were what some would call Ghetto or Scary. But I think those Dives of a place can sometimes have the BEST food. I found this first place on YELP, Capitol City Diner. It sounded great, and everyone said their Chicken & Waffles were awesome, any place with waffles I can do. When we drove up I could tell most of my family didn't even want to get out of the car, since their may have been a crack house next door. But they followed me blindly believing that I knew what I was talking about. When we got inside it wasn't much better, a small diner car with one cook and no customers. But by the end of the meal everyone was eating their words!





Next up was our first Triple D place. Oohs & Aahs Cafe. This place was in an even scarier neighborhood but so worth it. When we walked up it was this tiny little place with a kitchen downstairs and a couple of table upstairs. The only thing that kept my family from leaving was all the pictures of "famous" people that had eaten there littering the walls.

But they were sooo glad they stayed, this was truly some of the best food I have EVER had. They gave us a sampler platter of all their side dishes to try and they were incredible. The cabbage was to die for, I have truly never had better cabbage, and I WILL find out how to duplicate.

I got the Shrimp & Grits, which one of the items they featured on the show. I was in complete and utter amazement at how absolutely wonderful this meal was. The grits were sweet, smooth, and melt in your mouth good. With spicy shrimp atop of it that went so perfect together. I couldn't have been happier with my meal. I loved it so much I took the leftovers home and ate them for breakfast, and the were still just as good.

I also tried the peach cobbler and for someone who isn't usually a fan, I could have eaten the whole thing!

So if you are ever in D.C and you don't go I will pity you!
Remember awhile back when I recreated the Arepas I saw on Triple D. Well I got a chance to go the restaurant that I first saw it on. But I gotta say I actually liked mine better. Which usually doesn't happen but everyone agreed with me as well. This is actually a good thing, since I can make it anytime I want.
Onto my meal. As soon as I had the Shrimp & Grits in D.C. I knew that I wouldn't not stop until I could recreate them. When I got home I got the recipe from the restaurant off food network and went about acquiring ingredients. You would think that would be easy, but apparently there is not ONE single store in AZ that sells OLD Fashioned grits. My husband told me to just give the quick cooking ones a try and if they didn't work then order online.

I am so glad I listened because they turned out perfect, and just like I remember.

Now if you are not a fan of grits please still try this recipe because these grits unlike any I have ever tried and when I saw the recipe I understood why. One word "Heavy Cream", really it can make any meal better. So please I am begging you to try this meal and you will not be disappointed.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp and Grits

adapted from Food Network

• Ingredients

Grits:

• 1 cup old fashioned grits/ or quick cooking grits
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or freshly minced

Grilled Shrimp:

• 1T chili powder
• Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1T seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1T garlic powder
• 1T onion powder
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• 3 T butter or olive oil
• 2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Grits: Boil 2 cups of water in medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients in consecutive order while stirring slowly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Slowly stir in the grits. Allow to simmer, stirring every 5 minutes until reaching the desired consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the grits to a serving bowl and keep warm.

Shrimp: Mix all of the dry ingredients thoroughly in bowl until well blended. Melt the butter or olive oil in a large grill pan over high heat. Generously coat the shrimp in the seasoning mixture. Add them to the grill pan and cook until caramelized on both sides. Remove them from the pan to a serving bowl and serve with the grits.

Suggestion: Adding cheese and/or gravy with fried onions, to taste, will elevate the dish considerably

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A Heart Healthy Meal

While watching television one day I saw an advertisement for Filippo Berio Olive Oil in which they featured this recipe. So I quickly got on my computer and looked it up.

I made it and Loved it! It was easy, light, fresh and the best part, Healthy! Score!

This was also the first time I had ever made Orzo- which has since become one of my new favorite types of pasta. It is a lot like rice in size and shape but is actually a type of pasta.

I am always trying to make life into a movie.

I always think it is so "cool" when people will go to the butcher and get some meat all wrapped up. So when I picked up this shrimp from the Butcher counter, I felt like I was in NY picking up my food from the Delicatessen. I know super Nerdy- what can I say that is just me!

Orzo Pasta with Shrimp

• 8 ounces uncooked orzo pasta

• 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon Filippo Berio Olive Oil, divided

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1-1/4 pounds raw small shrimp, shelled and deveined

• 1-1/2 medium tomatoes, chopped

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (tender but still firm). Drain.

2. Toss with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil; set aside.

3. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until golden.

4. Add shrimp; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are opaque (do not overcook).

5. Stir in pasta. Add tomatoes, cilantro, parsley and lemon juice. Sprinkle with feta cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Red Hook Ceviche with fried Plantains

So while watching Food Network I encountered this recipe. It looked so good and the Husband has been into Ceviche ever since the guy he works with would bring it in to share. There are lots of ways to make Ceviche and this one was said to be practically Famous in the "Red Hook" district of Brooklyn, NY. So I thought perfect I will try this one. I also saw an episode of "DDD" (this is Diner's Drive In's & Dives- which I will probably reference a lot!) where they served ceviche with fried plantains. So here my journey began.

Red Hook Ceviche

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 pound sea scallops, muscle removed and finely chopped in 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook until they just turn pink, about 1 1/2 minutes, then transfer to an ice bath. When cool enough to handle, chop roughly and put in a large plastic bag with scallops. In a small bowl, whisk lime juice, lemon juice, sugar and salt together until the salt is dissolved. Stir in jalapenos, cilantro, and red onion to combine, then add the mixture to the bag with the scallops and shrimp. Put the bag in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 2 hours before serving.

DeVeining the Shrimp. EWW

Boiling till they turn pink about 1 to 2 min.

Then throwing it into an ice bath

Removing the muscle from the scallops

Then dicing them super small

Chop the cilantro, jalapeno (seeded for me) and red onion

Here is a trick I learned from Rachel Ray, to pop the lemons/limes in the microwave for 10 sec. to get the "juices flowing" and boy did it work.

Everything Combined

Diced plantains before they hit the oil. Make sure you get them super thin so they fry up nice and crispy like a chip. My first batch below was kind of thick and didn't turn out as well.

Here it ended and the verdict is......

I don't really like Red Hook Ceviche. :(

It had way too much acid in it for me, too much sour not enough sweet. I think I am going to drain of the juice and add some tomatoes, avocados and put it in some tacos. The fried plantains are a fun alternative to chips ( but waste a whole lot of oil, which I am saving to make some donuts)

Last night I got a text from my poor mother. She has been working a weeks worth of mandatory O.T. 12 hr. shifts. She was wondering if I could make some "Sweet Chex Mix" to take to work with her to make the day more bearable.

How can I say no to that.

So after a long day of kids, mutual and a failed attempt at a fantastic dinner I quickly made a batch of one of the best snacks EVER! I got this recipe off of Becoming Betty ( a super great food blog) and have been bringing it to occasions ever since. Everyone loves it and nobody can stop eating it. It is super fast and super easy to make, the only thing it is not, is super cheap ( so try buying the stuff when it goes on sale and storing it)

Once you take this somewhere people will be asking you to bring it back again and again.

8 cups Rice Chex

8 cups Golden Grahms
1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup coconut

*Mix in big bowl. Then bring to a boil for 2 minutes in a saucepan:

1 cup sugar

1 cup light Karo

3/4 cup butter

*Pour over cereal mixture and mix well.