New Orleans Shrimp

Baby Charleigh and me

April 23, 2012, was a big weekend for two of Andy and my favorite couples.  First off, as I check Facebook in the morning while grogg-ily laying in bed, I suddenly sat up wide-eyed.  My childhood friend, Chaney, had posted a Facebook status that said, "Prayers for a sfe and wonderful dlivery of sweet baby CHARLEIGH! Your mom and dad are ready to meet you!"  Full-well knowing there was only one Charleigh Marie en route, I quickly sent our friend, Thomas, a text, and asked him if Natalie was in labor.   (Thomas & Natalie are mentioned a lot on the blog, they're kind of awesome).  Thomas told me that, indeed, Natalie had gone in the wee hours of the morning, and their little bundle of joy should be arriving any time.  A baby to play with? Yes, please! I am so so excited for the McDaniels and their new baby girl.  Charleigh Marie came into this world on April 23, 2012 at 4:17pm.  She was 7 lbs 1 oz and 20.5 inches, "and both mommy and Char Char are doing great!!" Thomas' Facebook later pronounced.

Later that night, as I was preparing this New Orleans Shrimp for dinner, I saw another Facebook post.

Keri and me with the Easter Bunny at the Fort Worth Boat Club
She's my oldest friend! We met when we were 4 on our boats, Cracker Jack and Keronca.

In fact, my phone had been going insane with alerts, so I wiped the chili powder from my hands and went to go see what all of the fuss was about.  My other childhood friend, Frances, had posted a status that said, "My best friend is engaged!!"  Fran was talking about yet another one of our childhood friends, Keri, who was currently on vacation with her boyfriend, Bradley.  (Side note: Bradley went to high school with Natalie and Thomas... small world!)  Bradley, Keri, and two of their friends had been spending the last few days lounging around Little Dix Bay with frozen concotions in hand, when Bradley suggested Keri and him "get dressed up and go watch the sunset."  I learned all of this, of course, when I frantically picked up my phone, ignored the fact that she was out of the country, and called my oldest friend to ask her the details about Fran's facebook post.

Bradley, Keri, me, and Andy at The Grove in LA, October 2011

Per Keri, she "threw on a little sundress, no makeup, of course," and told Bradley, wet-hair and all, that she was ready.  "What's the big deal?"  she thought, "We're on vacation in the islands, who cares what I look like!"  To Keri's surprise, once atop the mountain to watch the sunset, Bradley had a ring to put on Keri's finger and a photographer to capture the moment.  "I would've gotten more dressed up if I'd known there'd be pictures!!" Keri exclaimed to me.  Nah, capture the moment.  Even without "getting more dressed up," Keri looked gorgeous in the pics, smling away with a bright and shiny new piece of bling on her left finger.  My oldest friend is engaged!! I am so so excited for Keri & Bradley, and I am even MORE excited because this means my LA-stolen friend is going to be moving back home to good ol' Funkytown!

Bradley, Keri, me, and Andy at Keri's apartment in LA, October 2011

Andy and I talked about the baby and the engagement over our dinner of New Orleans Shrimp that night.  We boasted how proud we are of our friends for their happiness and blessings in their lives, and how happy we are that things have turned out so well for them.  I think we may have even cheers-ed to the four of you, too ;-) ...well, 5 if you count Charleigh! Congratulations to Natalie, Thomas, Keri, and Bradley- two couples and four friends who we are SO glad have had such happiness brought to them!

Bradley, Keri, me, and Andy with the Hollywood Sign in LA, October 2011

New Orleans Shrimp
Pinterest.com
Servings: 4; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 6

• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ancho chili pepper powder *this is different than chili powder!
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp sugar (or sugar subtitute)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 lbs shrimp- peeled & deveined
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (or butter substitute, such as Smart Balance Light)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 scallions (aka little green onions)

1. Mix the paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl
2. Add the shrimp to the spices and toss to coat evenly.  Set aside.
3. Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet
4. Add the garlic & cook, stirring for 1 min -do not brown the garlic!
5. Add shrimp and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently for 3-4 mins
6. Add the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and 2 tbsp water 
7. Cook until shrimp are done (1-2 mins more)
8. Top with scallions

Serve atop rice, we prefer Zatarain's Jambalaya-Style rice.

Keep on cooking'!

-Katherine

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

They are the words that every child dreads- "You're going to need braces."  Cue the appointments. The NEVER ending, early morning, before school, after school, often lengthy appointments with the orthodontist.  Then there are the spacers that make your mouth feel like it is stuck in a vice with shooting pain up through your earlobes.  Then they poke and prod and pull and glue until your mouth looks like a grill on a Chevy truck.  Then there's the repeated appointments for tightening wires and changing out the rubber bands.  And, of course let's not forget, the absolute necessity of changing your rubber bands to match whatever holiday is approaching.

Okay, so I never had holiday colored rubber bands on my braces.  In fact, I only had silver bands because I tried so desperately to hide the fact that I had braces.  I was a late braces-getter, not getting them until freshman year of high school.  Luckily, I only had to wear them for a year and a half, but it seemed like I would never be metal-free again.  For a solid year and a half, I refused to smile showing my teeth.  Every picture of me at ages 14 and 15 is crazy awkward and close-mouthed.  I also thought blonde highlights and Sun-In were good decisions during all of this, so those really added a little something special to my looks, too.  Hey, every kid has her awkward years- don't judge.

When I got my braces on, Dr. Sorokolit gave me an extensive list of things I wasn't supposed to eat.  Hard foods, sticky foods, foods high in sugar, foods high in acidity... more specifically? Ice, nuts, popcorn, beef jerky, taffy, caramel, and corn on the cob.  Being a huge Chili's fan when I was in high school, that last one hit me hard.  The corn on the cob was essential to the Chicken Crispers plate- what was a gal to do?!  "No corn on the cob?! That was one of the two vegetables I eat- don't cut me down to just potatoes!"  I could eat corn, I just had to cut it off of the cob- no biting into the juicy, crunchy, buttered deliciousness.   Side note: corn ON the cob should probably never eat on a first date... seriously, is there a messier food in existence?

Harvest Rice, Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob, and Mahi Mahi

Andy and I usually grill corn in the summer, like with my Chili Lime Corn recipe, found here.  This winter, however, it was a frigid 30 degrees, and I, being a wuss, was not about to go stand over the grill just to eat some corn on the cob.  I found a recipe for corn on the cob in the oven, and it turned out to be just a great as from the grill!  Thank goodness, I no longer have to cut my corn off of the cob before I eat it.  Although those braces were a pain at the time, I do have a bright and shining STRAIGHT smile to show off now.  So, I suppose I'll admit it... in hindsight, a year and a half of lame corn off of the cob was well-worth it.  But you still don't get any pictures with this post of brace-face Kate.


Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob
Servings: 2; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 2

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

• 2 ears of corn

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Peel back husk from the corn cob, leaving half of the husk attached
3. Wash corn cob
4. Fold the half of the attached husk back under the cob (as shown above)
5. Bake corn for 30 mins

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Barbeque Grilled Asparagus

My Second Birthday- June 10, 1988

Remember when you were little, and your parents would ask you, "What do you want for your birthday this year?"   A Barbie Corvette, an Easy Bake Oven, Beanie Babies, Cupcake Dolls, a mountain bike, Nike Roller Blades... oh, the possibilities!  Well, you know you're growing up when, instead of Gak or a Super Soaker, your mind goes straight to things like a clothes dryer, hardwood floors, or a grill.


My 2nd Birthday, "Big Bird" Themed- June 10, 1988
Thanks to my big bro, Geoff, for dressing up like Big Bird, even though it scared me to death!

For my 2nd birthday, I got baby doll clothes for my doll, Ashlea.... For my 22nd birthday, I bought myself a washing machine for my own clothes (but couldn't afford a dryer yet).  When my Lowe's delivery arrived, a dryer was also delivered with a note that said, "Happy Birthday! Love, Mom and Dad."  Yipee! No line drying for me. 

Last Christmas, instead of Lion King sheets and stuffed animals to update my room, I asked Santa for hardwood floors- to update my house.  Well, Santa, I believe.  Those hardwood floors were just as exciting to me as the silver bell from the Santa's sleigh (and I didn't have to worry about them falling through the hole in my pocket!)

For my 23rd birthday, instead of a Little Tykes Kitchen set, I asked for a grill.  

Geoff, me, and my mom at my parents' house for my 3rd Birthday- June 10, 1989

Of course, being a fan of both a good product and a better bargain, my dad dragged me to Lowe's, Home Depot, Sam's, and Costco to see their grill selections.  This was a far cry from my Toys 'r' Us days.  I remember thinking, 'Well, does it heat up?  Does it cook food?  Good, then it'll do the job.' but not my dad.  Nooo way.  He was asking all kinds of questions about temperature, maintenance, electric v. propane v. charcoal, built-in v. stand-alone... all of the "important" questions.  Hey, as long as it cooked food, I didn't really care. 


My 4th Birthday at Chuck-E-Cheese, June 10, 1990

All of our birthdays are right in a row- June 9th, 10th, and 11th, so we don't just have a birthday in my family, we have birthday week.  Well, birthday week arrived, and I was opening presents to a sunset at the cabana, hoping that I would walk outside to find a grill with a bow on it.  No such luck.  I opened a bag full of grilling utensils.  "Ha, good one, Dad," I said.  "Well, since you didn't find a grill you liked ('I liked them all, I don't care about which one! Just pick one!), I thought you'd like your own set of stuff to use on this grill here at the lakehouse."  Disappointed, I threw on a fake smile and said, "Yeah, no, that's great- thanks a lot!  I appreciate it."

My 4th Birthday at my parents' house- June 10, 1990

Well, pouty me shouldn't have been so quick to disappoint.  Thirty minutes later, I pulled into my driveway and opened the garage door.  The beam of my lights hit something and reflected back, practically blinding me.  After I recovered from my temporary sight loss, I squinted and realized that the shiny thing standing in the way of my parking place was a new grill! I was ecstatic.  I actually thought to myself, "Gosh, I know I already ate dinner and all, but I could probably manage to grill up and eat a little chicken breast or something!"  My fat-kid id was quickly tackled by my rationalizing super-ego, which assured me that I did NOT need to grill at 11:00pm, so I decided to wait.

I have used this grill for the past three years, time and time again.  In fact, many of my friends who have used my Char-Broil Infrared grill have gone on to buy one for their own homes.  That Char-Broil has blessed me with chicken, steaks, burgers, pork chops, veggies, and fruit galore... until last week when the propane ran out.  I had convinced myself that I had somehow landed a-hold of a never-ending propane tank, until our attempt to heat it up one night for steaks was a failure.


At the Jimmy Buffett concert in Frisco, Texas, for our 25th, 63rd, & 68th birthdays in June 2011-
My dad's birthday is June 9th, mine is June 10th, and my  mom's is June 11th!

Last night, Andy, being the always helpful boyfriend and grill-master that he is, took my empty propane tank to Kroger and came home with a new full propane.tank- or so we thought.  I had the Honey Mustard Salmon ready to grill up and the Barbecue Grilled Asparagus ready to barbecue... but no grill.  No barbecue.  No heat.  No luck.  We weren't sure what was going on with the propane tank, but 8:30pm was not the time to try to figure it out.  Luckily, I still have my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine (seriously, that's the full name of it) from before I got my grill.  I was nervous about cooking fish and veggies on the George Foreman, but they turned out absolutely delicious.  Although it is much more difficult to clean, the George Foreman cooked our meal in under 10 minutes total, and made for one frustrating, but healthy and memorial night!

Barbeque Grilled Asparagus
Kate Strickland
Servings: 4, Weight Watchers Points Plus Value: 1





Honey Mustard Salmon and Barbeque Grilled Asparagus


• 1 c water
• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 c barbecue sauce
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning

1. Bring water to a boil
2. Place asparagus in water, cover, blanch for 2 minutes
3. Drain asparagus & let cool a bit
4. Sprinkle with seasoning
5. Place asparagus on grill
6. Brush on barbecue sauce
7. Grill for 3 mins

Keep on cookin'!
-Katherine