shrimp hoarding contest

Shrimp: My darling daughter, Marissa, made dinner for the family last night. I’m guessing she did this for two reasons. First, she misses making “roomie dinners” for her college roommates now that they’ve all graduated. And second, she feels sorry for me, her sad exhausted mother.

Hoarding: Yes, hoarding is the reason for both my sadness and my complete and utter emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion. No, I am not the hoarder. Someone very close to me, who shall remain nameless, is though. When said person goes out of town for more than a week, (which only happens once, maybe twice, a year) I go over and clean up the disgusting mess that this person calls home.

I won’t go into the gory details, but trust me, it’s awful! During this particular cleaning and tossing session, I went deep, deeper than I have in many years. I began on Saturday and have been working on it every single day, every waking hour, since.

Hence, cooking and taking care of myself, my family, and this blog have been on the back burner (pun intended) and that burner has been turned off! I’ve missed a couple of days of posting and will miss a few more.

Thankfully, the next few days will be due to something much more fun and happy. I’ll be in Laguna Beach this weekend for the wedding of a dear friend’s beautiful daughter. I’ll be back on Monday.

Contest: No, as you’ve probably figured out by now, this is not an actual “Shrimp Hoarding Contest”, although that doesn’t sound all bad. The contest I am referring to is the one that ends at 11:59 PM Mountain Time on August 22, 2010. That is Sunday night, so get on the stick and ENTER HERE! I don’t want any of you to miss out. The winner will be named when I return to blogging on Monday morning, it’ll be here before you know it.

Now for Marissa’s dinner. A wonderful cookbook, for novices and experienced cooks alike, is Homemade in a Hurry by Andrew Schloss. In fact, it is on my list of “must-have cookbooks” which you can view HERE.

Marissa adapted the recipe a bit to match her taste and it was delicious! Thank you, sweetheart, not only did you make dinner – you made my day! xoxox

Hoisin Pesto Shrimp and Veggies over Brown Rice

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tablespoons basil pesto
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 pound extra-large (21-25 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 large red bell pepper; cored, seeded, and julienned
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• Oil for coating grill pan or rack
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• Parsley, basil, or cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat a grill or grill pan to high heat.

In a large bowl, mix together the hoisin, pesto, garlic, soy sauce, and vinegar. Toss in the shrimp, bell pepper, and onion until thoroughly coated.

Grill the shrimp and vegetables until the shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes per side.

Serve immediately over cooked brown rice garnished with herbs.

Serves 4