Suzy Sunshine meets Shrimp Scampi

    I've seriously got to get on the ball here.  One blog a week???  I know y'all need more of my charming personality than that in your life.  ;-)  At the risk of sounding like little Miss Suzy Sunshine, life's been amazing lately.  I know, I know, "gag me", right?  Well if it's any condolence, being Miss Suzy Sunshine comes at a cost.  I've discovered that I'm rather boring when I'm not forced to carry a 175 lb dresser up my stairs by myself and assemble it single-handedly or wrestle with two dogs and a toddler in the parking lot at PetSmart.  Ah, well.  At least there's one thing that never changes: my love of food.  Second to that is my love of sharing good food :-)  That's where you guys come in.




    So since I'm boring, let's get down to business.  The first recipe I want to share is one that I found on Pinterest.  It's a Cinnamon Roll Cake, and it was quite yummy.  Unfortunately one of my two house-gremlins (They're a mix breed of JK Rowling's house elf and Joe Dante's gremlin.  Instead of destroying everything or cleaning everything they attempt to help you only to wind up causing more harm than good.) moved my camera.  That means I didn't get a mouth-watering image for you, but if you click the link above, you'll see one.  Yes, I'm actually requiring a little effort on your part.


Cake:
3 c. flour
1/4 tsp.salt
1 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. milk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. butter, melted

Mix everything together except for the butter. Slowly stir in the melted butter and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.


Topping:
1 c. butter, softened
1 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together until well combined. Drop evenly over the batter and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes.

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
5 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla


After cake has cooked, but is still warm, drizzle glaze over the top.  This is yummy as a dessert or breakfast :-)




The next recipe is something that I've made on several occasions because it's become one of my favorites.  It's Paula Deen's Shrimp Scampi.  It's even in the "lighter side" section of her magazine, so don't feel bad about seconds y'all.

What y'all need:


1 1/2 lbs large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 TBS olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (I buy pre-minced garlic in a jar and use 1 TBS per clove.)
3/4 cups vermouth
3 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (I cheated and used parsley flakes.)
3 cups cooked angel hair pasta


Sprinkle shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp, and cook 5 minutes or until pink and firm.  Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp.  Add garlic to pan.  Cook 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Add vermouth, and simmer 1-2 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice, butter, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and pepper.  In large bowl, combine shrimp, parsley, pasta and vermouth mixture.  Serve immediately.  


*There was one occasion when I couldn't find vermouth, so I used white cooking wine.  It wasn't as strong of a taste, but it was still yummy.*


  As my loving J said when I whipped this dish up "Wow that was fast."   Just because delicious doesn't mean you have to spend all day in the kitchen.  Well my little Monkey is calling for me to read her a nigh-night story, so I'm out.  Until next time, I'll leave y'all with a wonderful quote from one of my co-workers, stated during a conversation about the possible end of the world:


"2012! That crap ain't true.  Now Zombies!  Zombies are real!!!"


You've been warned.....