Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno-Ranch Sauce

My friend Heather, who doesn't have a food blog but really should, raved about these tacos so much I had to make them to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.


I cooked the shrimp on my indoor grill but next time I'll have SP fire up the charcoal grill instead. I know these would be 100 times better with that charcoal flavor, which is saying a lot since these are pretty awesome all on their own. SP added a few drops of Blair's Original Death Sauce to his tacos and said that made them even better. I tried a bite and have to agree. So if you like some spice, add your favorite hot sauce.

Shrimp Tacos with Jalapeno-Ranch Sauce
Recipe by Heather

1lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
Olive oil
Juice of one lime
Chopped garlic
Chili powder or cayenne pepper
1 jalapeno, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 cup sour cream
Flour tortillas
Shredded lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Your favorite hot sauce

Combine shrimp, olive oil, lime juice, garlic and chili/cayenne in a bowl. Marinate shrimp for up to 30 minutes. Cook shrimp (on a charcoal grill, if possible).

Meanwhile, combine chilies/jalapeno with ranch dressing and sour cream in a food processor and blend until smooth. Warm the tortillas while the shrimp are cooking.

To assemble: smear some sauce on a tortilla, then top with shrimp, shredded lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Drizzle with extra sauce and a few drops of hot sauce.

Greek Feta Pasta

I had some leftover feta leftover from the Asparagus with Tomato and Feta I made for Easter. SP wanted to grill steak for Sunday dinner, so I searched through my recipe binder for something light to have on the side. This Greek Feta Pasta was easy to make and really good for something with so few ingredients.


I also grilled some asparagus to go with our steak and the pasta salad. We both kept going back for second and third helpings of the pasta salad. I can't wait to make this one again.



Greek Feta Pasta
Slightly modified from Adventures in My Freezer

4 cups pasta (bowties, shells, penne, rotini)
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional as needed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled or diced
1 pint quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
1/3 cup sliced olives

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Put oil, garlic and oregano into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds on high to blend flavors.

Drain pasta and and put in a large bowl. Add feta, tomatoes, olives and oil mixture. Toss to combine. Pasta can be served hot, room temperature or cold.

Sushi Feast

My stepdad and I recently went out for sushi. We both ate sparingly all day in preparation for a sushi feast. We ordered, from left to right, the X'mas roll, Incredible roll, spicy rock roll, Godzilla roll, Love roll and spiny tuna roll:


The X'mas roll has salmon, crab, cucumber, avocado, caviar and mayo. The Incredible roll has spicy lobster on the inside and tuna and tobiko on the outside. The spicy rock roll is one of the specials so it isn't on their regular menu, but I know it has tuna, salmon and avocado on the inside (among other things) and it's wrapped in soy paper. Our favorite is the Godzilla roll, which is tuna, salmon, white tuna, avocado, masago and scallion that's fried and topped with a spicy sauce.


The Love roll, which is salmon, tuna, asparagus and masago in a soybean wrap with nuta sauce looked pretty but was our least favorite roll and one we won't order again. And the perennial favorite, spicy tuna. Not only is there spicy tuna inside the roll, they top the pieces with even more spicy tuna. Delicious.

If sushi wasn't so expensive I'd eat it at least once a week.

Recipe Swap Roundup - Easy Weeknight Meals

If you're anything like me, you love cooking but sometimes find yourself pressed for time. Especially during the week. The need for delicious but easy weeknight meals prompted me to choose Easy Weeknight Meals as the theme for the second recipe swap.

Melissa made Bacon, Spinach and Goat Cheese Pasta:


I made Green Chile Cheeseburgers, which we loved and I can't wait to make again:


Lisa thought the Crabmeat Primavera Pasta needed a few tweaks:


Brianna loved her recipe for Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Kalamata Olives & Capers:


Kate enjoyed the flavors and ease of her recipe for Spicy Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps:


Jill and her husband loved her recipe for Balsamic Glazed Chicken (or “Sticky Chicken”) so much they made it three times before the swap results were posted:


Delia had a traditional English dish, Bubble and Squeak:


Christine added some vegetables to her recipe for Pierogi and Kielbasa Bake to make it a complete meal:


Melissa loved her recipe for Beef Au Jus Sandwiches, a perfect way to spice up deli meat:


Heather really enjoyed the fresh taste of her recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup:


Jey's recipe for Roasted Vegetables with Lentils and Crispy Chickpeas was not only delicious, it was beautiful on the plate:


Lisa made a dish called Acapulco Delight, which layered corn tortillas, meat with seasonings and salsa, beans, and sour cream:


Cassie loved the light, fresh flavors of Spaghetti al Limone with Shrimp:


Katie made another perfect spring dish, Chicken Bruschetta:


Carrie had a comfort food classic, Tuna Casserole:

Recipe Swap Roundup - Chicken

The recipe swap blog roundups seem to be popular, so I thought I'd go back and compile them for the previous swaps. The theme for the first swap I did on my cooking board was chicken. I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for new ways to cook chicken. It's such a versatile ingredient but I tend to make it the same way over and over again.

Katie's recipe was Chicken with Artichokes and Feta:


Lisa went way out of her comfort zone with Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Florentine:


My recipe was Indian Chicken Curry and we absolutely loved it:


Heather was thrilled with her recipe for Chicken Cacciatore:


Rachel's recipe for Honey-Balsamic Chicken had only a handful of ingredients but packed a powerful flavor punch:


Kristin modified her recipe to make Chicken Puttanesca Wrapped in Parchment:


Kylee swapped out a few ingredients to put her own spin on Stuffed Chicken Rollettes:


Melissa had one of my favorite recipes, Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas:


Kimmi's picky eater family loved the French Onion Chicken Casserole:


Jey made Orange Chicken Packets:


Jill put her own spin on another one of my favorite chicken recipes, Crunchy Sesame Chicken Tenders:


Tyler's recipe for Chicken with Green Olives, Black Beans and Saffron Rice was a big hit:

Burger Friday - BBQ Bacon Burger

With the warm weather coming I decided I wasn't thrilled with the idea of cranking my oven to 550 degrees for an hour or more to make pizza for Pizza Fridays. We weren't huge fans of grilled pizza, but I wanted something that was as versatile as pizza. Enter the burger. Not only are there thousands of toppings for burgers, you can switch up the meat as well. Perfect.


My first Burger Friday burger was a BBQ Bacon Burger. I always keep the burger meat simple - just a little salt and pepper - and let the toppings dictate the flavors. I mixed BBQ sauce and mayo together to slather on the bun, cooked some bacon and had SP melt slices of sharp cheddar cheese on my burger during the last few minutes of cooking. Everything was layered on a toasted bun and dinner was served.

Recipe Swap Roundup - Asian

The theme for this week's recipe swap on the cooking board was Asian recipes. They could be from any country in Asia and didn't need to be authentic, just tasty. There were a lot of delicious recipes submitted and I have to admit to some swap envy. I'll definitely be making some of these soon.

Jey took her recipe for Korean Short Ribs and made it into Korean Short Rib Tacos with Quick Pickled Radish and Pear:



MaryEllen is no stranger to Asian cooking and her recipe for Kung Pao Chicken made a quick and tasty weeknight meal:


Caitlin didn't have beef on hand the night she planned to make her recipe, so she subbed chicken thighs to make Orange Teriyaki Chicken with Noodles:


The Cookaholic Wife was very excited to participate in the Asian swap because she isn't able to get good Chinese takeout where she lives. Her recipe for Chicken Fried Rice really hit the spot:


Inna's recipe for Asian Grilled Salmon with Coconut Rice was one of the recipes I was lusting over when it was submitted. Her whole family loved it, which makes me even more anxious to get it on the menu ASAP.


Jaida had another of the recipes I had been hoping to get in the swap - Seared Wasabi-Sesame Tuna with Avocado Cream & Maple Soy Sauce. The name alone had me drooling. She proclaimed it a big hit.


Jill got to try something new with her recipe for Asian Noodles with Chicken and Shrimp:


Heather recreated one of her favorite restaurant appetizers at home with Vegetable Tempura:


Melissa was thrilled to have the chance to make Thai food at home and really enjoyed her recipe for Tom Yum Soup:


Nicole enjoyed her recipe for Chicken Lettuce Wraps so much she made them twice in one week:


Kate made a few changes to the recipe I submitted for Thai Chicken Curry, but the result was just as delicious as the original:


Katie's recipe for Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken was a hit with her family:


My recipe for Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp was easy, delicious and gorgeous to look at:

Fried Oreos

This weekend we went to a street fair. While we were walking around I noticed someone carrying a plate with what looked like fried Oreos. I've always wanted to try them so we went over to the food court and got some to share.


They came six to an order and looked like they were coated in funnel cake batter. Yum!


Unfortunately they weren't fried to order so the batter and Oreos were lukewarm at best. They were good, but I know they would have been better piping hot.