Shrimp, Peas and Mushrooms

Shrimp, peas and mushrooms are the tri-fecta of ingredients for my boyfriend. Not necessarily his three favorite ingredients...but three of his favorites.

Like most of my meals, it's borne out of wanting to serve him something he'd enjoy...and also something that would be easy to prepare (generally speaking, this means ingredients that I already have in the kitchen and don't need to run out and buy at the supermarket).

Get started...

1) Prepare the rice.

I like to serve this meal over rice so, since the meal itself is very easy to cook, the first thing to do is start the rice. I prefer brown or long-grain rice. You'll choose whichever you prefer although the brown/long-grain rices have a "nuttier" flavor and crunchier texture that go well with this dish.

The Shrimp...

1) I prefer pre-cleaned shrimp and anyone who eats shrimp knows what I mean. I'm not interested in mucking about and de-veining these fellas. While fresh shrimp are delicious, I buy them cleaned and sometimes even pre-cooked so that all I have to do is rinse them, toss them in the skillet (or wherever) and let them heat up and soak up whatever flavors I've paired them with.

The Veggies...

1) Clean 'em, slice the mushrooms and you can trim off the stringy ends of the peas if you want.

Place the shrimp and the vegetables into a skillet. I use a dash of lemon pepper oil...you can use straight olive oil (or whichever oil you prefer to cook with). This won't take long -- 5 minutes tops -- so make sure you're close to done with regards to cooking the rice.

Constantly move the food around in the skillet so that nothing soaks up too much oil and that everything is evenly coated. As the food cooks, the colors become more vibrant. This is how you'll know the food is almost prepared. Once the colors stand out, let the food heat up a bit more...add about a teaspoon of freshly chopped parsley (or a dash or two of dried parsley). Keep tossing the food around in the skillet, just don't scorch it.

Turn the rice out onto a serving plate and dish the shrimp & vegetables over the rice.

Add a slice of lemon to the plate for added flavor and an extra pop of color. Dig in!

This is another favorite of my guy's...but also one of the frustrating meals I had been serving him. The vegetables would change depending on what was in my kitchen at the time but this is the combination of ingredients he likes the best...and so do I.

Nutty Banana Muffins

It's been a tough winter. Plenty of snow...plenty of days spent indoors (when I'm not outside shoveling)...and plenty of time to think about "days gone by."

My friends and I spent plenty of weekends at brunch in the city. Who hasn't? It's a great way to relax and share some laughs and just enjoy life. One of our favorite places was Good Enough to Eat. The food was fresh...the atmosphere was fun...and even in the winter, it felt sunny there.

So, naturally, I bought their cookbook and everything lives up to their name. Last week, after another 6 inches of snow and the threat of more, I was in the need of some "sun" and this recipe did the trick.

Fortunately, my boyfriend had some leftover bananas that he wasn't going to eat because they'd become tooooo ripe. Perfect! I took them home to make these tasty muffins. Simple, right? Not quite. Many banana muffin recipes require bran, which -- sorry -- I just don't have on hand. But the "Good Enough to Eat" recipe doesn't. What's more...it goes one step further on my list of favorites because it includes maple syrup. Now that's sunshine in a muffin cup.

Here's what you'll need:

6 tbs butter -- melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ripe medium size bananas

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking poder

1/2 cup walnuts -- chopped

Next:

1) Combine all liquid ingredients in a bowl

2) Mash bananas in a separate bowl and add to liquid ingredients

3) Combine all dry ingredients well in another bowl...add the walnuts

4) Pour liquid contents into dry. Fold until just combined

5) Fill muffin cups (using a non-stick pan or else use paper liners)

6) Sprinkle top of muffins w/additional nuts (or chocolate chips)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes*

Yes...there's an asterisk there. Unfortunately, my oven seems to be running hot. I let these cook for 12 and they were DONE. OK...maybe even a little dry but that's the beauty of this recipe. They still tasted great. You'll see.