Tag: shrimp

The Final Rainbow Dinner of 2014

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Now that we have completed 8 successful weeks of Rainbow dinners, I decided change things up before the holidays to see how successful I was in introducing new foods. Rather than having my daughter choose colors, I asked her to choose the main ingredient for dinner.  I made one request  – no pasta.

She chose shrimp. Yes, SHRIMP. The one food that she would not eat for over 3 years. The one food that my husband and I love and has been missing from my kitchen for years. SHRIMP. I smiled.

For the last dinner, I chose green and white for the two other colors. I sauteed up the shrimp with salt, pepper, a little garlic and some ginger. I used bok choy and broccoli for green and then mushrooms for my white.  For me and my husband, I added a great stir fry sauce from Central Market.

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I am proud to report that not only did she eat all of her shrimp and ask for more, but she ate all the broccoli and tried the mushrooms and the bok choy. There was no fighting at the table about taking a “no-thank you” bite.  Her dessert was a special black and white cookie from the local deli near our house.

I guess it is time to come up with another creative game for dinner starting next year….or do I even need one?

Rainbow Dinner – Challenge #4

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The fourth week of Rainbow Dinner and one of the most successful.

The challenge?  Cook a meal with three colors of the rainbow that my five-year old daughter chooses. She gets one food choice that I cannot cook with.
The Goal?  Get her to try new foods regardless of the outcome.  This week the colors are pink, red and white. 

Week One was pink, purple and blue.  
Week Two was red, yellow and orange.
Week Three was green, black and white.

This week I wanted to make something that my husband and I would enjoy and make sure that I re-introduced a food back into our dining experience.  A pink food.  SHRIMP.  I love shrimp.  My husband loves shrimp.  My daughter tried it once, hated it and never tried it again.  This week she said I could not cook with red peppers (a red food) so I figured shrimp was fair game.  

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I started out with an old favorite of mine for red – tomatoes roasted in the oven with garlic, basil, oregano and olive oil.  20 minutes- DONE.  And you can smash the tomatoes to use as a light sauce.  

Next, I needed white.  Cauliflower.  She loved the purple cauliflower so let’s use the same vegetable and change the texture.  Steam the cauliflower, mash it up, add some cream, butter, garlic and salt and pepper, grab the immersion blender and a delicious Cauliflower Puree is ready to go. 

And then my favorite, Shrimp.   Light sprinkle of my new favorite spice mix- Kent Rathbun Steak and Chop Salt and then saute.   

imageFor my husband and I, the plate looked a bit fancier as I took advantage of the wonderful flavors from the tomatoes to use as a light sauce.  As for my daughter, I tried to keep the foods as separated as possible.  I even made a butterfly out of the cauliflower. But, once she saw the shrimp, she immediately said “I’m not eating that“.  Sound familiar??  But, quick thinking led me to the ketchup bottle(sadly excluding the horseradish) and amazingly enough, she asked for seconds.  What, she wanted more shrimp?  Five whole shrimp (completely covered in ketchup) eaten by my five year old … Mission Accomplished!!!

On the Road Eats: Indianapolis

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I just returned from Indianapolis and I must share how happy the airport there makes me.  Everything is just easy.  The security lines are easy(TSA pre-check has its own section), the car rental area is easy, there is finally a gas station with easy access, people movers are where you need them and of course, the dining options are great!  While I was in town, I was able to explore a few new places(new to me) and return to one favorite before I boarded my flight.

Pizzology Craft Pizza & Pub
I visited the location in Carmel and had a nice quiet dinner at the bar.  I normally bring my iPad which doubles as a book with my Kindle app and was able to enjoy a great pizza with my own choice of toppings and a nice glass of wine.  I definitely recommend you try their fennel sausage on your pizza.  For dessert, I took home an order of Zeppole.  Warm with a side of honey, the perfect treat on a rainy night!

The North End Barbecue & Moonshine
I read about this restaurant in the Indianapolis Monthly Magazine and decided I needed to try it.  I live in Texas so I get BBQ pretty often but the mention of pimento cheese and johnnycakes had me interested.  I grabbed my iPhone, clicked my OpenTable app and made a reservation for one.  When I arrived, I sat at the bar, did a little work and was ready to eat.  I wanted to try a few things so I ordered the Pimento Cheese(since that was what caught my attention in the first place) and a smoked turkey sandwich with a side of mac ’n’ cheese garnished with rib jam.  They offered 4 sauces for the turkey, all homemade and the server took the time to share the flavor profiles with me(tangy, sweet, classic and spicy).

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Now I will admit that I did not finish everything l but I ate enough to definitely recommend you visit this spot soon!

Harry & Izzy’s(at the airport)
A few years back during a visit to Indianpolis I was at St. Elmo Steak House and of course I had to try the shrimp cocktail.  It was famous.  And it was fantastic.  Harry & Izzy’s is the sister restaurant and they also serve the famous shrimp cocktail.  AND they have a location in the airport so I am always able to have a small treat before I board my flight.  What makes it famous?  Well, giant shrimp covered in the most spicy cocktail sauce with horseradish that will make you cry.  But it is amazing and now they sell it by the bottle at their locations and online.  I think this is a great holiday gift for those that celebrate spice!

For my next trip to Indianapolis, where do you think I should eat?