For the last several weeks, I have been craving coconut shrimp. I've even dreamed about eating it more than once. But shrimp here comes only in frozen, and it's expensive, and me making some just wasn't going to happen. I'm not even sure we have a restaurant that sells it, unless maybe Red Lobster does... but even there is about a 25-minute drive in a direction I never go.
So what did I do? Decided to make cakes. Except I didn't have shrimp. Or crab. I had imitation lobster. I went ahead anyway. That makes sense if you live in my head.
Stir-fry is one of my favourite go-to meals when I've got fresh vegetables and no plan, or I'm in a hurry. This one was born because I had some bell peppers and no idea why I'd bought them, and since Vidalia onions are currently in season I'll take any excuse to use them. Add in some peanut butter and some other stuff for the sauce, and it ended up being a pretty darn fine meal.
I am a huge fan of Alfredo sauce, but I don't dare make it very often because it's usually not remotely healthy for you. However, I played around with some changes to a recipe that (I think) originally came from Betty Crocker, substituting lower fat ingredients where I could and trying not to give up the flavour or texture. I think I've won!
Let me start out by saying if you are a souffle connoisseur, you will be mortally offended by this recipe. I chose to call it a souffle because it got puffy as it baked and stayed that way, but it is by no means the intricate, detailed, multi-step dish more commonly known as a souffle.
You know what it was, though? Tasty as all get-out!
A site I used to frequent introduced me to the term, "C.O.R.N.", which means "Clean Out Refrigerator Night". It's as good a term as any, and everybody does it. Especially after a holiday dinner, when you've bought some things that are not normally in your rotation and most of them come in a quantity or size bigger than what you need for a particular recipe.
You know what's perfect for those nights? Quiche. Stir-fry also works, but I tend to gravitate toward quiche because it's really low in carbs and appeals to my generally lazy nature. I had some debate in my head about what to call this one, and finally settled on the title above.
This is a recipe of mine from so long ago I no longer make it the way I used to. Originally, I used giant shrimp or prawns, and it had hot peppers. Over time, due to dietary and budget constraints, it morphed into what you see here. It's actually even better, if I do say so myself.
What I love is it works with pre-cooked, frozen shrimp (although you can make it with fresh and it'll be even better). Where I live, finding fresh shrimp is a virtual impossibility, and while I understand that shrimp in general are much more costly than they used to be, fresh (or even frozen raw) are through the roof.
Some years ago, I started this tradition where I throw myself a birthday party at my favourite neighbourhood bar, and the last several years I've upped the ante and also make what I've come to call my truly ridiculous birthday cakes. They're completely over the top, decadent, and you're pretty sure you're gonna die (but die happy) while you're still eating them. They tend to weigh in at five or so pounds, and they tend to cost a great deal of money. They also are something you pretty much NEVER want to even think about their nutrition information.
This year's cake was adapted slightly from a recipe originally posted by A Beautiful Bite, and it was not just everything I hoped it would be, but considerably more.
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