Grilled Citrus Shrimp

I LOVE shrimp!  This recipe is a great way to make shrimp in the summertime.  Marinating the shrimp in the citrus juice gives them a great flavor and the spice from the cayenne gives just enough heat without being overly spicy.  Serve with grilled vegetables and a cold glass of white wine.

INGREDIENTS
16 ounces uncooked shell-on medium to large shrimp (wild caught are worth the extra money vs farm raised)
2 lemons
2 limes
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley (or 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley)
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper/cayenne

DIRECTIONS

1.  Peel and devein shrimp, leaving tails on.
2.  Using a juicer, juice lemons to measure 1/4 cup juice.  Juice limes to measure 1/4 cup juice.  Pour juices into a small bowl.  Add orange marmalade, oil, garlic and red pepper.  Mix until well blended.
3.  Place shrimp in the citrus marinade and press down so they are completely covered by the citrus juices.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 45 minutes to 1 hour.  Do NOT marinate longer than 1 hour or your shrimp will start to cook in the citrus juice (aka ceviche).
4.  Prepare grill for cooking over medium heat.  Place shrimp on skewers and place on grill for 5-6 minutes, turning once.  Brush with extra marinade while cooking.

Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef "Casual Cooking" Citrus Shrimp Skewers

Grandma Tatem's Peanut Butter Fudge

"Tatem" is my daughter's middle name which came from my mom's maiden name. My Grandma Tatem, quite possibly the kindest woman ever, had EIGHT children.  Can you imagine??  Sometimes I need a glass of wine at the end of the day and I only have ONE child ... I really can't imagine eight children!!  Needless to say I have A LOT of cousins & relatives on my mom's side of the family and this recipe post happened to be requested by one of my cousins.  I hope I do it justice!

I've had this recipe since March and I FINALLY made it yesterday.  The ingredient list concerned me a little with the amounts ... 2 lbs of sugar, 1 lb of butter ... it just sounded like it was going to make a TON of peanut butter fudge!  Then I got to thinking that perhaps this recipe was doubled??  I mean with such a large family to share with I would imagine all of Grandma Tatem's recipes were doubled or even tripled.  So, I'm going to list the original recipe but you could always choose to make half of it or even a quarter of it (1/4 of it was perfect for my family of 3).

This is a super simple method to make fudge ... no candy thermometer necessary, no stove, no microwave.  Just mix it and refrigerate.  If you're a peanut butter lover like I am you will LOVE it!  Its creamy & delicious!!!

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs powdered sugar
1 lb butter or margarine
2 cups peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla (I recommend increasing this to 1 tsp)
1/2 cup cocoa powder (8 tablespoons)

DIRECTIONS
Blend all the ingredients using a mixer or by hand.  Press into a 9 x 13 pan and refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.  Store in an airtight container (I kept mine refrigerated to remain firm).  If making half the recipe use a 8 x 8 pan.  I recommend lining the pan with wax paper for easy removal.

My small batch version (because there is NO WAY this girl is having 8 kids)...
2 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 tsp vanilla
2 tablespoons cocoa

I used a 6 x 6 tupperware container and it worked perfectly.

here's me with my Grandma Tatem.
I bet she would have loved my sweet Caroline Tatem!

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Cookies

I'm a complete failure today at low carb.  I saw these cookies posted on Facebook a few weeks ago.  I wanted to make them the second I saw the recipe (I have a weak spot for chocolate & peanut butter) but I have been trying to be "good" and eat healthy, low calorie, low carb foods to get ready for summer.  My daughter had a playdate today and of course I used that as an excuse to finally try this cookie recipe.  They taste like little clusters of peanut butter fudge goodness and I can't stop eating them!  This is a perfect cookie recipe for the summer because you don't even have to turn on your oven ...that's right, no baking required!

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups quick cooking oats

Add the first five ingredients to a 4 quart sauce pan.  Bring to a rapid boil.  Let boil for one minute.  Remove from heat.  Stir in peanut butter, vanilla and oats.  Drop by spoonful onto a wax paper or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  (I sprinkled a little sea salt on mine)  Allow to cool for 30 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes 36-48 cookies depending on what size you make them (1-2 tablespoons per cookie).  I made half a batch and used a 1 tablespoon sized scoop and it made 24 cookies. Also, I didn't have quick cooking oats and substituted old fashioned oats and they worked fine.

Recipe from http://www.browneyedbaker.com

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Are you celebrating tonight with some yummy Mexican food and margaritas??  I'm making Salsa Chicken for dinner.  I thought I would re-share this recipe and a few others with Mexican flavors.  Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken
Tamale Corn Cakes with Rajas Topping
Blackened Fish Tacos
Empanadas
Black Bean Soup
Jalapeno Poppers
Salsa
Shrimp Ceviche Cups