Quick and Easy Garlic Shrimp

Quick and Easy Garlic Shrimp

Shrimp are perhaps the original fast food. A few years ago while visiting the Low Country I stopped at the pier in Mount Pleasant, SC to pick up some shrimp. The man in front of me asked the young dockhand how to boil them. Before he could answer a lady with a slow Southern drawl interrupted, ” Bring seasoned watah to a boil and add ya shrimp. Take two sips ‘a wine. Stir thuh pot. Thay are done.” This recipe isn’t for boiled shrimp, but it’s nearly just that quick so get your skillet — and your wine glass ready.

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Sheet Pan Supper: Panko Crusted Fish Filet with Asparagus and Tomatoes

Sheet Pan Supper: Panko Crusted Fish Filet with Asparagus and Tomatoes

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Who doesn’t love a sheet pan supper? One pan and you’re good to go. It’s an easy and healthy meal that your family is certain to love! I know I am all about simple suppers right now and I bet you are, too! Between all-day zoom calls, juggling schedules, and what I lovingly refer to as “quicksand,” supper has to be ultra manageable. This flexible recipe fits the bill. (more…)

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Cooking with Virginia: Crunchy Creole Ranch Salmon

Cooking with Virginia: Crunchy Creole Ranch Salmon

Creole Ranch Salmon on virginiawillis.com

Ranch dressing is as American as apple pie and baseball. Americans love ranch dressing. Everyone loves ranch dressing. Even snooty chefs and foodies that look down their nose at bottled dressing love ranch dressing! Ranch dressing is the culinary equivalent to Pigs in a Blanket. Pigs in a Blanket are the first dish that disappears on a buffet a party. It’s the same with ranch dressing. Put out some ranch and something will take a dip in it. Ranch dressing is easy to love. (more…)

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Weeknight Supper: Smoky Shrimp Etoufee

Weeknight Supper: Smoky Shrimp Etoufee

A healthy shrimp recipe ready in only 30 minutes!

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Shrimp have a season. We’ll get to that quick and easy weeknight recipe in just a sec, but first, I want to chat a bit about how shrimp gets to on your plate — and a little moonlight magic. We’re used to always seeing shrimp in the case at the grocery store, but shrimp, like pretty much everything else on Earth, have a season. (more…)

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What’s in Season: Poached Salmon

What’s in Season: Poached Salmon

Sustainable Seafood and Seafood Watch!

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Isn’t that photo mesmerizing? Ethereal. Beautiful. No, don’t worry. I’m not about to tell you how to cook jellyfish — although there are “jelly balls”  caught off the coast of Georgia and sent to Asia, where they are preserved and served in all manner of ways. But, salmon is in my recipe box today, not jelly balls!

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Quick Weeknight Dinner: “NY Times Salmon”

Quick Weeknight Dinner: “NY Times Salmon”

Sustainable Seafood and Wild Alaskan Salmon


The handwritten recipe in the photo is one of my favorite dishes. We’ve been buying Copper River Sockeye Salmon at the local fishmonger and I’ve asked for it 2 times in less than 2 weeks. I love it. I love the dish, it’s so tasty. I love it’s a family dish with a well-loved, spattered recipe. (I also love it’s being made for me instead of the other way round!)

See the note in the corner under the splotch? Where it says “NY Times” and directly underneath it the word “superb?”  I adore that the descriptive is the word “superb” not “good” or a star or checkmark. Considering my beloved cookery wordsmith, of course it is. ❤️

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Big Game: Shrimp Nachos with Creole Queso

Big Game: Shrimp Nachos with Creole Queso

 

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Nachos started as a Mexican snack, have become an American staple — and are absolutely mandatory for The Big Game Day menu. Chips and salsa are one thing, but nachos are on a whole other level. The best part is that nachos are quick and easy – a few vegetables and a bit of protein tossed in a hot skillet, scattered on top of crispy corn tortilla chips, topped with a bit of cheese, and you’re good to go. Who doesn’t like nachos!!? They’re positively craveable.  (more…)

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Weeknight Cooking: Creole Shrimp Nachos with Creamy Queso

 

Creole Shrimp Nachos with Creamy Queso on www.virginiawillis.com

Nachos are a go-to weeknight dinner in our home when the day has been a bit more crazy than usual. What’s not to like? Nachos are quick and easy – a few vegetables and perhaps a bit of protein tossed in a hot skillet, all topped with a bit of cheese, and you’re good to go. They’re positively craveable. The trouble is that nachos can tip into unhealthy territory pretty quick. And, if you’re on a low-sodium diet, that can be even more challenging. What’s the trick into keeping them out of the junk food category? Flavor! (more…)

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