roasted shrimp

Umb. I'm dumb. Where has this been? I'm sure I own the Ina Garten cookbook that it's in. As in, for the last three years this recipe {or rather this simple 8 minute interaction between a hot oven and four household staples} has been sitting in my kitchen, in painfully close proximity to the freezer which houses an old, colossal and overly ambitions, never ending bag of frozen shrimp.

Le Sigh. Despite the time it took, I'm so glad cute Little Kitchen could bring it to the forefront of my Google Reader so that at least, albeit feeling like an idiot, I could at least come out of the cave I've been living in, begin to enjoy this and make some more room in my freezer. Or maybe not since I'll probably go to Costco for an elephant sized bag later today.

This. Is. So. Good. So versatile. So stinkingfrikinannoyingly simple. Be generous with your oil, salt and pepper and use good olive oil. Eat these babies alone, chopped up on salads, thrown into summer pastas, make little ceviches.

Roasted Shrimp

via The Little Kitchen that Could {to whom the pic belongs} from Ina Garten

{Ingredients}
2 lbs. large shrimp (15-20 count), peeled and deveined with tails left on

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon coarse kosher or sea salt
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon Old Bay blackening seasoning is also good if you have it
{Directions}

If your shrimp were frozen, as mine were, easily thaw them by running them under lukewarm water in a colander or setting them in a bowl of lukewarm water for 5 minutes or so. They are then easy to peel if they aren't already.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Toss shrimp with olive oil, salt and pepper and spread in one layer.  Roast for 8 minutes or just until pink and cooked through.  Set aside to cool.  Serve warm or at room temperature, on top of salads, mixed in pasta, or even in warmed corn tortillas with some fresh pico de gallo, cilantro, maybe some chopped mango, cabbage, and a little chipotle mayo.

steel cut oats

It has been unseasonably cold (at least in my opinion) the last couple days. Monday's high was only about 58 and it's been in the 40s in the mornings. I wore gloves at my workout this morning! 

Feeling cold and also a little blah with my typical breakfast, I thought something warm sounded lovely alongside my eggs, rather than cold cereal. Perfect time to try steel cut oats. I found that a little bit goes a long way; they are hearty, and they can be creamier yet still have a crunch to them --I like that texture --unlike regular oatmeal.

They do take longer to cook; many recipes call for soaking them first. I found a recipe where it can be done in a larger batch and cooked more quickly in smaller quantities in the morning. You make the amount you want each morning and store the remainder in the refrigerator.

steel cut oats breakfast

adapted from the bitten word and the ny times. pic belongs to the bitten word 

{Ingredients}

water

milk or almond milk

1 cup steel cut oats

wheat bran

flax seeds

honey, agave nectar or sugar

fruit

{Directions}

bring 2 cups water to a boil. pour boiling water over 1 cup steel cut oats into a heat safe (such as glass) storage container. stir and let sit covered overnight. 

In the morning, stir the mixture. Into a large microwave safe bowl, {or you can do this over the stove, but I prefer to get less vessels dirty}  combine 1/3 cup soaked oats, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup milk or almond milk. I also add 2 teaspoons wheat bran and 2 teaspoons flax seeds.

Microwave a total of about 4 minutes, stirring once or twice.

You want it to come to a boil and ideally simmer for most of this time, but I typically have to stop and stir it initially once or twice to keep it from boiling out of my bowl. {Which is why simmering the mixture stovetop would be better. Especially if you don't have my ridiculously oversized Pottery Barn cereal bowls. But also more effort.}

Once the liquid has lessened and it's looking like oatmeal, you're good. Add more milk for desired creaminess, or to help it cool faster.

As for toppings, I like about a teaspoon of agave nectar, half a banana and some raisins. Though the pic below via here, looks like a great variation I may need to try!

By the way, thanks Liz! I think "Bird's Nests" is a much cuter name than Egg In a Hole!