We are getting together with the family at a great Cajun restaurant, they have giant boiled shrimp which might be my choice but everything is awesome there. It's raining and chilly tonight.

Sounds like you might have a hard time making a decision Raven!!!
You must be in your glory.....gumbo, shrimp, crab, and everything else wonderful that New Orleans has to offer!! Have you had a Muffuletta yet? :-D

I had some leftover wild rice so with it I made chicken wild rice soup. It was really good.

I'm adding some snips of dandelion greens (that I buy for my pet rabbits) to chicken Top Ramen. Does that mean it's homemade soup?

Close enough, Deeby!!! LOL

Thanks ! I'm craving dumplings but am not driving to the store for Bisquick. It's COLD here !

Well I went with the fried shrimp which were also huge and eggplant fries. I never had those before but my sister said that they were good and I love fried eggplant. Oh yeah they were awesome. Cut into strips, battered and deep fried till very crunchy. I think more places need to sell those. I got a couple of bitter ones but that's the case with eggplant.

Saturday is our big family Christmas lunch together and there will be an abundance of everything. I am making boiled shrimp for the appetizers table.
It's been very enjoyable.

Today was the annual office Christmas party from 2 PM to 6 PM so that served as both lunch and dinner for me. There was the required vegetable tray, shrimp cocktail, phyllo cups with stilton cheese and cranberry, brie, roast beef with horseradish sauce, something I don't remember, couscous, mini smoked sausages wrapped in bacon, mini crab cakes, tiny toast triangles with goat cheese and pesto. The food was all pretty good, but there was a brief disappointment as everyone entered just after 2:00 to see a sign on the bar saying that University Policy prohibited serving alcohol before 4:00 P.M., but there were plentiful non-alcoholic drinks to be had, so it all worked out.

In addition to the above there was a desert table with small brownies, lemon spice cakes, and several others that I didn't try.

FishTacos and a glass of wine!
At a favorite restaurant, with a long-time friend.
Good visit; good food.

Angel hair pasta with Italian link sausage and marinara sauce over it all. Then coconut pecan bars for dessert.

Left overs enough for tonight....

I just did a big breakfast casserole for dinner last night. Biscuits, sausage, cheese, and eggs.

We just had big salads....MINE was big, Robert's less so. It's non-stop gatherings at the university during holiday season with office parties, department open houses, potluck lunches, etc., so he comes home wanting to eat fresh and light.

I used mixed greens with extra baby kale, cukes, marinated mushrooms, tomatoes, sweet pepper slices, hard boiled egg slices, raw zucchini, broccoli, chickpeas, goat cheese crumbles and a homemade tzatziki sauce for dressing.

If anyone reads this, I never buy shrimp. But I like it when you (Angela does often) posts having shrimp and pasta for dinner.

Frozen shrimp is on sale this week for $5 for a 454 gram bag (l lb). 31-45 count. Raw, and cooked. Would it make sense to buy the cooked and toss it in the pasta water the last 30 seconds to heat through? Or should I buy the raw in the shell (already deveined).

jasdip, I wish I could find shrimp of any size at that price!!! I always like to cook my own shrimp, but I think that pre-cooked shrimp would work the way you described... except I'd definitely thaw the shrimp first and my gut instinct would be to allow at least 1 minute for the shrimp to heat through once it's added to anything. :)

This post was edited by party_music50 on Fri, Dec 19, 14 at 12:22

Thanks for chiming in Party! I was hoping it was a good price! This will be a treat for us. I was planning to thaw first and then add to the pasta water the last minute or two.

I'll make sure I pick some up this weekend then :-D

I know Ina Garten makes a popular linguine and shrimp scampi

I get raw shrimp (tail on) and just toss it in the pasta water frozen. It does not take long to turn nice and pink. Probably less than 2 minutes.

That would work, I generally get the raw peeled frozen shrimp, let them thaw, drain the liquid, then I drop them in a pot of boiling water with plenty of seasoning so that the shrimp are actually seasoned, the pre cooked shrimp have very little flavor to me. I put old Bay seasoning in the water or something similar or Cajun seasoning the shrimp will pick up just a little flavor from it. Shrimp take only a few minutes in boiling water. If they turn nice and pink they are done.
Never buy raw shrimp that already have a pinkish tint that means they are about ready to turn or have turned.
I personally would not cook my shrimp in the pasta water I would use fresh water but that's just me. The starch from the pasta could affect the taste and texture of the shrimps.

Yes that is a good price, kinda small but fine with pasta.

You might also consider cooking them more as a scampi for the pasta, that's what I do when I use them in a pasta dish. Just basically saute them in some butter herbs and seasoning I add sliced garlic and diced chives. Keep stirring frequently till nice and pink and tender when you bite it, if you test one and it's not easy to bite through just let them cook a little more.

Thanks for all of the tips!!! I like the idea of cooking them separately in butter and garlic and I'll put some lemon juice in as well. Yum, can't wait to do it! Dumb question but I wonder what the benefit is to sell raw shrimp in the shell with tails if I'm going to saute them in the butter and garlic? I'll peel them first obviously, so should I just buy the already cooked?

jasdip, shrimp is on sale right now.... 31-40 count is $13.99/lb. :p

Why do "they" sell shrimp with tails on and unpeeled? Cheaper to process, less work for the producer.

I think shrimp (prawns) cooked with shells on taste better, just as 2 or 4 legged animal meat does with bones and (poultry) skin on. But you can't serve it like that with pasta, and some people don't like to see or deal with tails and shells on their plates.

I agree that most precooked shrimp and prawns are bland.

You want peeled with no tails raw. If you buy cooked and try to scampi them they will get too done and tough. I mix just a few drops of olive oil with the butter, and sometimes I add wine at the end. I also like to add hot sauce or wing sauce to kick it up a little. On some cases having just the tail end on is easy to hold the shrimp, like shrimp cocktail, boiled, or as an appetizer etc.

You want peeled with no tails raw. If you buy cooked and try to scampi them they will get too done and tough. I mix just a few drops of olive oil with the butter, and sometimes I add wine at the end. I also like to add hot sauce or wing sauce to kick it up a little. On some cases having just the tail end on is easy to hold the shrimp, like shrimp cocktail, boiled, or as an appetizer etc.

Safeway....in my area....has $5 shrimp today only. It's a $5 Friday deal. 12 oz. I buy raw with the shell and tails on. .

I prefer tempura shrimp. :0)

This post was edited by nicole__ on Fri, Dec 19, 14 at 15:13

Snidely, I wondered why I would buy the shrimp with the shell and tail on if I'm going to saute them. Of course, I realized once Raven said it, that if I bought pre-cooked ones to cook further in a sauce they would get over-cooked. Duh, I'm so dumb sometimes.

F-L-A-V-O-R. That's the number one reason to buy frozen raw shrimp in their shells. Even if I'm going to use them in a salad, I buy them raw, still in the shells.

If I'm making a shrimp boil, they stay in the shells the whole time....the person eating will peel.

Of course, when sauteing shrimp (garlic and butter, yum), they're peeled and dried first.

Whenever I make a seafood chowder, or bisque, or sauce, I cook the shells separately in a broth for SUPER flavor.

I sometimes saute shrimp/prawns with an oil/butter and garlic mix with shells on, they do taste better. With larger ones when I feel enthusiastic, I'll pull off the legs and try to de-vein them by slitting through the back of the shell without removing it completely, using a very sharp or serrated paring knife and trying hard not to slip. Or, sometimes I peel and de-vein, then throw the shells into the pan first to let them contribute their flavor before adding the naked seafood.

Two of my favorite soups, lobster bisque and shrimp bisque have as a base a stock made from the shells and other unused parts. They are full of flavor.