Today is Ash Wednesday or the first day of Lent.  The Lenten season is the 40 days before Easter.  During this time millions of Catholics, Anglicans, and observers of other faiths abstain from eating meat as an expression of their faith.  Because of this, Lent is known as a “fasting” holiday.  But, since not everyone gives up meat for religious reasons, I like to think of Lent as a “feasting” season, too, and a great time to start a healthy seafood habit. 

Plenty of restaurants and even fast food chains make fish and shrimp more accessible during the 40 days of Lent, which is wonderful for religious observers (or anyone interested in eating more seafood!).  But, don’t think you have to be limited to fast food fish sandwiches for the next 6 Fridays.  You can make your own deliciously easy seafood meals at home.

So, every Thursday during Lent I’ll be giving you an easy-to-prepare seafood meal to help you through your meatless Fridays.  My hope is it will help get you in the habit of eating more seafood even after Lent is over!  After all, seafood is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and protein.  I think the flavor of seafood makes it perfect for a variety of recipes, too, so we can eat more and not get tired of eating the same old thing!

So tune in tomorrow for our Lenten season seafood meal series!  And definitely let me know what your favorite seafood recipes you like to prepare during this season.  I love to hear from you!

I remember my Grandmother always saying that “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Personally, I would amend the saying to “the way to anyone’s heart is through their stomach” but still the idea is still true enough. There is just something about sharing a delicious meal that makes you want to linger at the table and savor the company and the meal slowly.   And if someone has taken the time to actually prepare that meal for you, then it is even more special and warms your heart just that much more.

With Valentine’s Day approaching you are probably contemplating a special meal with your beloved.  Instead of immediately reaching for the phone to make a reservation, consider making a meal at home together.  Often it is more affordable and more intimate, and best of all, with a few simple tips a homemade meal can be just a delicious as if you went out.

Below is my suggestion for your Valentine’s Day dinner.  The meal starts with Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta for Two.  I love this recipe because it is so incredibly easy and you make it in about 15 minutes from start to finish.  The recipe calls for a little wine.  I like to use a good bottle of chardonnay so I can serve the remaining bottle with the meal.  If you and your valentine don’t drink or just don’t like wine, you could easily use 1/4 cup of the pasta water (from when you were cooking the orzo) in the place of the wine in the recipe.

Speaking of that orzo, this may be a pasta that is new to some of you.  It is a small pasta that looks almost like oversized rice.  I like it because it cooks so quickly and it is just fun to eat.  If you don’t have any orzo pasta you could substitute a different pasta like small elbow, small bowties or whatever you have on hand.

Finally, no Valentine’s Day meal would be complete without some dessert. So, I have included that too – Maple Baked Bananas.  It takes only a couple of minutes to assemble.  You can pop it in the oven when you sit down to eat dinner and it will be ready and waiting for you when you are done with dinner.  I like this recipe as is, but it is also pretty tasty poured over vanilla ice cream.  You can decide which way you like it best.

So there you have it – a gourmet meal that you can make with your sweetheart that is simple and memorable.  Give it a try and let me know if Grandmother was right.

Mediterranean Shrimp and Pasta for Two

Prep time 5 minutes  Cook Time: 15 minutes  Makes: 2-3 servings

•  1 (12 oz.) package of SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, frozen
• 1 cup orzo
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leave parsley
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta
• 1 green onion, sliced (optional)

COOK orzo pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain then pour into a medium size casserole dish.

PREHEAT large skillet on medium high for 2 minutes.

PLACE frozen shrimp in skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.  Add red pepper flakes and stir.  Continue sautéing for 1 minute.

ADD tomatoes and white wine to the skillet with shrimp.  Sauté mixture for 5-8 minutes until shrimp are fully cooked. Turnon the oven broiler to preheat. Remove skillet from heat.  Stir in oregano and parsley.  

POUR shrimp mixture into casserole dish over pasta.  Stir the shrimp mixture and pasta together.  Sprinkle feta crumbles over the shrimp and pasta.

PLACE casserole dish under the broiler for 2-4 minutes until mixture is bubbly and the cheese gets a touch of brown on top.  (Keep a close eye on the casserole while it is under the broiler.) Remove casserole dish from the oven.  Spoon into serving dishes.  Garnish with green onions if desired.  Serve hot.

Maple Baked Bananas

Prep Time: 3 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes

• 2 bananas
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon pecan chips

 
PREHEAT oven 350 degrees.

SLICE bananas into a small baking dish.

PUT maple syrup and butter in a small microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 35 seconds or until butter is melted.  Stir the mixture to combine.

POUR maple mixture over the bananas.  Sprinkle pecan chips over the bananas.

BAKE bananas for 20 minutes.  Serve warm.

Doesn’t it feel like there is one appetizer event after another these days? Last week was my Grammy’s party with my girlfriends and this week it is the Super Bowl party with all my crazy sports friends.  Now I think I have mentioned in past posts that sporting events aren’t really my thing….well in terms of actually watching the game.   I am much more interested in what is on the buffet table than who is on the field.

But, not to worry – you don’t need to be sports fanatic to enjoy a good super bowl party!  Look at game day as time to hang out with friends, eat yummy football foods and watch all the entertaining, super-expensive commercials that people will be talking about on Monday at the office.

This year my contribution to the buffet bounty will be my Sassy Saucy Buffalo Shrimp.  This is a fun appetizer is a good choice when you don’t mind getting your fingers messy.  It also happens to pair well with the typical game day drink of choice – ice cold beer.  I like to serve it with some good thick cut potato chips because they are oh so good when dipped in the remaining sauce after the shrimp are gone.  Oh, and don’t forget the napkins because, as I said, this appetizer can get a little messy, but it is totally worth it!  So give it a try and let me know what you think.

Sassy Saucy Butterfly Shrimp

Prep time: 6 minutes  Cook time: 10 minutes  Makes 8 appetizer servings

• 1 (16 oz) package SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, or half a (32 oz) club package of SeaPak® Shrimp Scampi, frozen
• 1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce)
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 c sour cream
• 5 oz crumbled blue cheese (about ½ cup)
• Dash of garlic salt
• 2 Tablespoons milk, plus extra if desired

SAUTÉ shrimp scampi in a large skillet for 7 minutes.

While shrimp are cooking MIX cream cheese, sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, a dash of garlic salt and milk together in a bowl to make blue cheese dipping sauce. If desired add a little extra milk to make a thinner dipping sauce.

PLACE blue cheese dip in refrigerator until ready to serve.

ADD red hot pepper sauce to skillet with shrimp and stir well to incorporate.  SAUTE for another 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are fully cooked.

SERVE buffalo shrimp hot with blue cheese dipping sauce on the side.