Spicy Garlic Shrimp

This is a really quick and easy recipe that's great for a last minute meal.  It takes about 10 minutes to cook and all of the ingredients are things that are easily kept on hand. Also, check out my recipe for General Tso Chicken which has similar flavors and is just as easy to make.  Here's how to make it:

General Tso Chicken

Who doesn't love General Tso Chicken?  It's that classic Chinese take out dish that is sweet, tangy and sticky.  It's so easy to make at home and much better for you than take out.  Almost all of the ingredients are things that I always have in my fridge and pantry, so it's great for a last minute meal.  Also, check out my recipe for Spicy Garlic Shrimp which has similar flavors, but no breading! Here's how to make it:

Lobster Risotto with Roasted Asparagus

On Valentine's Day we kind of forgot to make reservations at the restaurant we had picked out... so we ended up at home cooking dinner instead.  That's always fine by me though, it's cheaper and just as fun and delicious.  Making lobster seemed like a very cliche thing to make on Valentine's Day, so off to the store we went.  Lobster Risotto is what we decided on.  I am a huge fan of risotto for several different reasons.  It's relatively cheap to make, it's filling and it can feed a lot of people.   It turned out great!  Here's how to make it:

Creamy Chicken and Veggie Stew

Another lazy Sunday stew!  I've really been enjoying my dutch oven and have been thinking of all kinds of recipes.  The first time I used it I made a Root Vegetable Beef Stew, so this time around I decided to try a chicken stew.  This stew is full of vegetables and packed with flavor.  Here's how to make it:

Root Vegetable Beef Stew

For Christmas my parents gave me a Le Creuset dutch oven.  I've been wanting one for years!  Thanks Mom and Dad!  I wanted to "break it in" with something really special.  I love beef stew and never have been able to make it at home because I didn't have the proper dish to use.  I woke up this Sunday and it was really gloomy and cold outside so I knew a big pot of beef stew would be perfect.  I really enjoy root vegetables like parsnips and celery root but never get to use them often, so I came up with a recipe for a beef stew that includes all of my favorite root vegetables.  I served this with my Mix & Match Herb and Cheese Biscuits.  Perfect for dunking!  Here's how to make it:

Onion Soup

This is a really easy soup with very few ingredients.  It makes a lot and leftovers are great.  Make sure you serve it with some crusty bread!  Here's how to make it:

Jerk Chicken Chili - 3rd Place!

After going out to eat the other night and having some really good jerk chicken nachos, I really wanted to make something with jerk spices.  My apartment complex was having a chili cook-off so I decided to make Jerk Chicken Chili.  I won third place and a set of ceramic mason jars!  How southern, right?  Even though it was a small competition, it was still a lot of fun.  My parents came up to participate and we had a great time.  Here's the recipe!:

Low Country Soup

One of my favorite things ever is a Low Country Boil.  It brings back so many memories of the beach and being with family.  I find myself craving it from time to time but it's not something you would just whip up on any given day.  If you're not familiar with a Low Country Boil, it's just seafood, potatoes, sausage and corn boiled together in a big pot.  When it's done, you lay newspaper on a table and pour everything out.  Everyone stands around and eats.  No utensils required.  It's great!  This is something we would do a lot at our beach house, Windy Point.  It doesn't get much better than digging for your own clams.  We had a really unusually cold first day of November and I wanted to make a big pot of soup.  When I started thinking about what I wanted to make, all of the ingredients from a boil came to mind.  So I thought, why not make a soup with all the things I love about a low country boil?  What could be better! Here's what I came up with:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Cold and flu season is definitely here.  I've been battling a cold the past few days and couldn't think of anything I'd rather eat than chicken noodle soup.  I add a whole rotisserie chicken and lots of lemon juice to give it a nice tang.  It's easy and delicious.  Here's how to make it:

Baked Jambalaya

Jambalaya is up there with my top 5 favorite foods.  I love one pot meals and meals that you can eat for a week.  When I was in culinary school, I would make a huge pot of jambalaya and eat on it for at least 5 days!  I was really in the mood for some kind of casserole, and then I thought about jambalaya.  So I thought, what if I made jambalaya but baked it like a casserole?  The result?  Super creamy and delicious jambalaya.  You can definitely still make this recipe on the stove top, but something about baking it really brings out the starches in the rice and makes it extra creamy.  Put on your fat pants for this one, because there is nothing low calorie about this recipe!  Maybe that's what makes it so good!