Mexican Shrimp Bisque

Happy Halloween!! This post has nothing to do with Halloween, but it's a quick, tasty recipe that I think you'll like. Keith loves bisque soups and almost always orders one if it's on the menu at a restaurant. I stumbled upon this recipe from a daily email from Taste of Home and it sounded right up his alley. After reading the reviews, I made a few modifications. It was so yummy!

I served it with a simple greens salad, but cheese quesadillas would be delish, too!

{can you tell I've been busy/in a hurry and my pics are from my iPhone? hey, at least i'm tryin'!!}

Mexican Shrimp Bisque

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Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

3 garlic cloves, minced 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 cup water  

1 cup heavy whipping cream 

4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules 

1 tablespoon chili powder 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (thaw, if frozen)

1 cup sour cream 

Chopped fresh cilantro and sliced avocado

In a small saucepan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in flour until blended. Stir in the water, cream, bouillon and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  

Cut shrimp into bite-size pieces if desired; add shrimp to soup. Simmer 5-10 minutes longer or until shrimp turn pink. Place sour cream in a small bowl; gradually stir in 3/4 cup hot soup. Return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Heat through (do not boil). Top with cilantro and avocado.

Enjoy!!

Life Lately

Life lately has been super busy! I haven't posted to ye ole blog in over a week. I have great excuses, including not being home to cook anything new. In an attempt to catch you up and share a little slice of our random life with you, here is an Instagram/iPhone pic collage of what's been going on for the Joneses:



From top left:
Got to see my girl Alexis from NYC. Heart is happy.
Keith caught a nice trout. His heart is happy!
I get in a weird mood one night and realize my hair resembles Keith's facial hair. I am easily entertained.
Volunteered at a Junior Auxiliary event - I'm joining the local chapter right now!
Keith's dental office participated in a local steak cook off and placed 20/43 - not too bad for first timers.
Fueling up on an iced pumpkin spice chai latte. Love.
Soaking up God's creation.
Shooting an Embassy Suites Bed near DC.
Meanwhile, Keith shoots a nice Elk in New Mexico.
At a fancy seafood restaurant with clients, I ordered Flounder and it comes out whole.
Happy hour is a must after 4 straight days of meetings on our business trip.
Missing my Sonicare, but supporting my clients with their toothbrush holder!
An attempt to eat healthier on the last day of business travel.
Taxi cab ride on the lovely George Washington Parkway. Gorgeous.
5 days in DC, 1 hour at home, un-pack, re-pack and then a 2 hour drive to Little Rock for the weekend. How do I spell my name again?
Hugs, hugs, hugs from family at the tailgate. That's Elizabeth. She's totes adorbs.
Cute pumpkins at my mom's big tailgate party for her office. Arkansas Vs Ole Miss. I won't talk about who lost.
My first time to do a home-cooked meal in 2.5 weeks.
Self soothing with wine and chocolate. Life is good.
Last minute Halloween costume planning.


And that's the last 2 weeks! Hopefully, I'll be back in the action more this week!

Thai Peanut Chicken Quesadillas

Hello, hello! Here's another quick dinner idea if you like a little Thai in your life. This is so easy, it hardly counts as a recipe. I was inspired by an Archer Farms product at Target. I love their stuff!

Thai Peanut Chicken Quesadillas
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Ingredients
2 10-inch flour tortillas
3/4 cup blend of shredded pepperjack and cheddar cheese
1 cup warm, shredded cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
4 Tbsp Thai Peanut Sauce (I used Archer Farms brand from Target)
2 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
Handful of unsalted peanuts
Lime wedges

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place tortilla in pan, top half of the tortilla with half of the cheese, chicken, some peanut sauce, green onion and cilantro.

Fold the tortilla in half to cover the filling and cook until the quesadilla is brown and the cheese is melted, about 2-4 minutes each side.

Transfer to a cutting board and cut into slices. Serve with additional sauce, chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.


Enjoy!!

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

Happy Sunday, folks! Last week, we did a great job of cooking at home every night and didn't get a single take-out meal. That is an accomplishment! Even though I like to cook, I definitely don't do it every night. What made it easy to do this time were the very quick, simple meals that I chose when planning our menu. I stuck to things with only a few ingredients and that came together within 20 minutes. Even the best laid plans for a week of cooking can easily change after a long day at work. Who wants to spend 40 minutes to an hour cooking when you're not even starting until 8:00? Not this working gal!

I think I have avoided 'simple' recipes in the past because I like a challenge in the kitchen and felt like the quick stuff wasn't going to be as good, or 'blog-worthy'. But, that's just nuts. Simple is good, and just as tasty! So, I have about 4 new recipes to share as a result of my new-found approach to fast cooking. Here's the first one! It's a Food Network recipe that is also low in calories; I made a few slight adjustments. It was so good! Keith LOVED it.

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits
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Ingredients:
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup quick-cooking grits
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 pounds raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intact
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Juice of one lemon, plus wedges for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

Bring 3 cups chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. 

Stir in the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, and cook, tossing, until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.


Enjoy!

Chicken and Cheese Taquitos

Lately, we've been having a thing for Mexican food at the house. I love any excuse to squeeze fresh lime over my food and add a spoonful of salsa. We are officially addicted to Kroger's Private Selection Peppery Sweet Corn Salsa - OMG. If you live near Kroger stores, check that salsa out. Trust me!

Last week I made these delicious taquitos, a recipe courtesy of the lovely Baked Bree. I love her blog! These were so good that we had them for leftovers for 2 or 3 nights, which is completely unheard of for us. I really enjoyed topping these with some fresh guac, salsa and a small dollop of sour cream. YUM!

Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
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Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup green enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
4 green onions, sliced (green and white parts)
3 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or a mix of Mexican cheeses
1 large package flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mash together the cream cheese, lime juice, spices, garlic and green onions. Stir in enchilada sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the cheese, cilantro and shredded chicken. If mixture is still too wet, add a bit more cheese. I'll confess that I didn't measure my chicken or cheese, I just added whatever looked good!

Warm your tortillas a bit in the microwave so they are more pliable. Spoon some of the mixture on to the tortilla and roll up.

Place on the baking sheet seam side down. Once all are prepped and ready, spray with more cooking spray.

Bake for about 10 minutes or until the tortillas are brown and crispy.



Enjoy!! I'm linking this up to Tasty Tuesday's at 33 Shades of Green! Click on over to find lots of other DELISH recipes!

Fall At Home

Fall is here! Fall is here! I love the cooler weather that has finally arrived. And I'm so excited to have a house decked out for the season now, too. Autumn is my favorite time of year. Here at the pictures! 
 

My pumpkin yard sign is still holding up! The vendor that I get these from still doesn't have a website, but when she does, I'll be the first to tell ya!

My friend, Jessica, and I recently had a craft day and made pumpkins. We bought 'funkins' from Michael's and painted them a couple of times. For the quilt pattern, I printed a template from Country Living, cut a few out and used matte Mod Podge to adhere to the pumpkin. For the state, I printed a large shape, cut out and traced on the pumpkin. I free-handed the little star to show where we live...right on the Mississippi River by Memphis!

My fall pillows could use a little refresh, maybe I'll get my craft on again soon and whip something up!

This wreath I made last year has held up pretty well!

Here is the buffet table in our entryway. I love using the same things year after year, but switching up the way it's displayed all the time.

 

I need to put a personal picture in my new blue frame. Those girls are sweet, but I don't know them! :)

I layered a local pottery plate with faux leaves and a white pumpkin from Pottery Barn.

In the dining room, I layered a couple of runners from Pottery Barn and added a mixture of pumpkins. I really like the muted green colors I found this year!

I've had the wire pumpkin candle holders for several years. I think they are from Garden Ridge.

On a wall in the dining room, I added a wall-hanging basket that my mom helped me fill with some fall flowers. I wrapped a piece of plaid burlap ribbon around and added a simple J. I like that I can easily change it for other seasons.

We recently added a new painting to the living room!

I really liked the muted colors and natural scene. It reminds me of where we live!

For my birthday, my mom gave me these plaid pillows from PB. I love them!!

I kept it simple on the coffee table with a big bowl of magazines and a few rustic pumpkins. I am such a magazine addict - it's usually overflowing!

The mantel is pretty much the same, with just a few fall touches.

My fall candle smells so good. I feel like I ration out how many times I light it because I don't want it to go away! Silly, I tell ya.

In the entertainment center, I added a few pumpkins and gourds.

On the kitchen table, I added a bowl filled with pumpkins and such. I wanted something I could easily pick up and move out of the way when we are entertaining and I need the table for food.

As you can tell, faux pumpkins are my friend! Michael's sells great variety bags. Mine look great year after year.

In the kitchen, I added an orange towel from Target and the burlap birds were a sweet birthday gift!

That about does it! And now I feel like fall is officially here. The only thing left to buy are a few mums and real pumpkins for carving!

Thanks for stopping by - Have a great week!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies

Cookies are somewhat of an addiction for the Joneses. Not just any cookies, either. We have become homemade cookie snobs, and chocolate chip cookie connoisseurs. I love having a full cookie jar in the kitchen so that we can have dessert at night, but it's in a small, easy-to-eat portions. I adore cakes, pies, tarts and desserts of all other varieties, but there's something so simple and easy about a fresh batch of cookies, and the ingredients are easy to keep on hand.

Around 9:00 on Saturday night, I evaluated the contents of my pantry and decided I could make any cookie I wanted to. I headed to Pinterest and decided to make one of my many pins. This one did not disappoint!! It comes from Love Veggies and Yoga - thanks for the recipe, Averie!

Peanut Butter Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
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Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup peanut butter (creamy)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 and 1/14 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned whole oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips (or butterscotch, chocolate, toffee bits, etc)

Preheat oven to 325

In a medium-sized microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter together.  Power on for 30 seconds, take out, stir.  Repeat.  Should take no more than about 90 seconds.

Add the brown and white sugar to the melted butter & peanut butter mixture and stir.  Set this is the freezer for a couple minutes. You don't want the mixture to be warm when you add the eggs or they will start to cook!

Remove from the freezer, add the vanilla extract, and stir.

Then add the flour, oats, baking soda and stir.  You should have cookie dough consistency dough and if you don’t, either add a touch more flour if it’s too wet or a touch more peanut butter if it’s too dry.
Finally, add the white chocolate chips and peanut butter chips and stir.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or coat with cooking spray. Roll or spoon out golf ball sized balls onto a cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 10-12 minutes. The cookies will look pretty raw even at 12 minutes and that’s ok. Take them out and let the sit and cool well before eating.

There, that's better. Taking pictures of cookies requires a big bite at the end :)

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad

Make this. Trust me.

I recently made this awesome Thai salad (recipe courtesy of How Sweet Eats, a fabulous cooking blog) and we LOVED it. I could drink the dressing with a straw. And the chicken? So tender and tasty. It made a lot so I was delighted to have enough to eat for lunch for a few days. To make it last longer, I didn't toss the chicken, peanuts or dressing with the salad ingredients until ready to serve the individual portions. 
I know a salad is a hit when Keith devours it in less than 5 minutes and asks for more! This is a keeper.

Thai Crunch Chicken Salad
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Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

{dressing/marinade ingredients}
1 cup sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup lite canned coconut milk
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced
2 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoon-sized knobs of ginger, grated
2 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon soy sauce

{salad ingredients}
1 small napa cabbage, chopped
1/2 small red cabbage, chopped
6 green onions, sliced
1 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered
2/3 cup chopped or sliced carrots
2/3 cup torn fresh cilantro
2/3 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then place in the baking dish.

Combine chili sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, sugar, garlic, ginger, peanut butter, soy sauce and lime juice in a saucepan, whisking to combine. Bring to a boil, the reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and pour half of the sauce over the chicken, turing chicken to coat completely. Set remaining sauce aside to dress the salad with.
Bake chicken for 25-30 minutes, or until it is cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, combine all salad ingredients, except for peanuts, in a large bowl and toss. When chicken has finished cooking, let cool for a few minutes then either shred or cut into chunks. Serve salad, top with chicken, top with peanuts, then top with dressing. 

You will love this!