Creative Cooking...

Yet, again I have been doing some cooking, because I have been bored.  As everyone keeps telling me, I am getting old or nesting.  Whateva.  I find peace and joy cooking and sharing food and the relaxation and feeling I get from gardening and watching something I nurture grow is truly priceless.  Yeah, yeah I am getting old.

I mentioned before the Skinny Gina site which has all these weight watcher meals on it and several I can't imagine not trying.  So on this lone Saturday after working out and running errands I baked some pineapple cupcakes and Cilantro Lime Shrimp.

The pineapple cupcakes I was trying out because they seem really simple and they would be easy to make each month to give to my book club members in celebration of their birthdays.  I mean the recipe is absolutely simple.

1 box of Yellow Cake Mix
1 20 oz can of Crushed Pineapples

The icing is a simple cream cheese frosting

1- 8 oz 1/3rd less fat Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1 - 20 oz can of Crushed Pineapples completely drained
1- cup of powdered sugar (variation from original recipe)
2- tablespoons of unsalted butter

The cake you combine the box cake and pineapples in your mixer and mix until smooth.  Then you place 2/3 of the batter into each cupcakes lined section.  Cook according to the directions on the box cake.

Now let me tell you about the damn icing.  I followed the original recipe for the icing, but it was so runny and was horrible looking to me.  It tasted ok, but if you fail to drain the pineapples completely it will break down the cream cheese badly.  So I resorted to powdered sugar and butter, although it may increase the calories it held up better.  Barely. 

                                      Simple as pie, almost.

                                                                   Into the Mixing bowl.

                                                       Well mixed.  Thanks Kitcheaid!

                                                                           Golden

                                            Pineapple Cupcake w/ fresh mint from my garden!

                                                     Another yummy view

Verdict:  The cupcakes were flavorable and moist even without eggs, oil or butter.  The icing isn't as firm as I would like, it is tasty, but a bit too sweet for my taste.  My kids (employees) and the manager on my second job loved them!  I will make them next week for the book club members and see how well they like them.


Cilantro Lime Shrimp

I am not even gonna front these were some of the best tasting shrimp I have had in a long time and I recently made some of my barbecue chipotle shrimp and they were good too.  Want to see a picture that made my sister mad?

                                                These were scrumptious over a garden salad.

The recipe calls for 2 pounds of shrimp cleaned and deveined, 6 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of cilantro, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 lime and salt and pepper.  Well you know I don't follow directions right? 

I had a pound of Jumbo shrimp cleaned and deveined
2 tablespoons of minced garlic
Cilantro from my garden for taste
1 lime and some lime juice
Seasoned with Tony Chachere's

I seasoned my shrimp w/Tony's and let it marinate for an hour.  Then I heated my caste iron skillet w/the olive oil and when the pan was hot I added my shrimp and when I turned it over after 2 minutes, I added the garlic and some black pepper.  Cook until done, do not overcook your shrimp.  When the shrimp was done I added the juice from the lime and lime juice and tossed in my cilantro.  OMG! 

                                  (I had to cook the shrimp in two batches b/c I was too lazy to get a larger pan.)



                                            Lime and my fresh from my garden cilantro

                                                               Finished product!

                                              This is how I ate the finished product.  Yes this is a cup saucer. Portion control.

Verdict:  It is easy and absolutely delicious.  I would make it again and definitely a quick week day meal.  The flavor is unbelievable.

So this is what happens when I am bored.  Oh well, good food, good eats and frankly it ain't fattening.

Enjoy the rest of your week!