April
showers bring May flowers...and the taxman! But don't
despair. If
you didn't get a whopping refund this year, you can still
entertain and eat
for under $25! The following menu will feed four, and the
cost is
approximately $17! Bon apetit!
Menu
BBQ Shrimp with Creamy Corn Sauce
Cheese Grits Soufflés
Spinach, Apple and Pecan salad
Shrimp
24 large shrimp (1 pound), peeled, deveined
and will tail shells intact
1/3 cup spicy barbecue sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
Creamy
Corn Sauce
1 cup corn kernels
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup each, diced onion and red bell pepper
1 plum tomato, seeded and diced
fresh thyme for garnish (optional)
Place the shrimp, bbq sauce and thyme into a bowl. Mix
and let marinate while you are making the corn sauce. In
a small saucepan, bring all the sauce ingredients EXCEPT
the tomato to a boil; cover and simmer 8 minutes. Uncover
and boil 2 minutes; until thickened slightly. Remove from
the heat and add the tomato. Keep covered. Preheat your
stovetop grill, broiler or outdoor grill. Line the shrimp
on on a cutting board in 4 rows of 6 shrimp each. Use two
skewers about 2 inches apart in each row or shrimp (to
prevent shrimp from curling up). Grill for 2 to 3 minutes
per side, until barely opaque in the center. Remove the
skewers before arranging the shrimp on each diner's
plate. Serve with the corn sauce and garnish with fresh
thyme, if desired.
Cheese
Grits Soufflés
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
2 Tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
1 cup each reduced fat milk (2%) and water
1/3 cup old fashioned grits
1 teaspoon each Worcestershire and salt
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce, or to taste
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 large eggs, separated
Butter 4 soufflé dishes (1 cup size) and coat them with
the bread crumbs. Chill. In a saucepan, bring milk and
the water to a boil. Slowly whisk in grits. Reduce heat
to low an cover. Cook 20 minutes, whisking every 5
minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat. Preheat over
to 375ºF. Scrape grits into bowl and whisk in
Worcestershire, salt, and hot pepper sauce. Whisk in the
cheese, then the egg yolks. Let cool for 3 minutes. In a
separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks
form. Fold in the grits and spoon into the prepared
soufflé dishes. Bake for 26 minutes, until risen and
golden brown. let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then
invert onto the serving plates with the shrimp.
Spinach,
Apple and Pecan Salad
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon each mustard and sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 Golden Delicious apple, halved, cored and thinly sliced
1/4 cup thin red onion strips
3/4 pound fresh spinach, washed, tough stems trimmed and
leaves torn
1/3 cup toasted pecans
In a large bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt
and pepper until thick. Add apple and onion. Place
spinach on top, then pecans. Toss just before serving.
Visit The whole
kit'n kaboodle for more great
recipes!
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