It was one of THOSE days. Not enough time to even think about dinner. But, a quick glance in the fridge and pantry and I was able to throw together a plan. Quick fix taco salads it would be. And you know, they turned out great! Crunchy shells, crunchy lettuce, and all of our favorite salad toppings.
Nice And Easy. And Delicious.
I used chopped grilled chicken to top these salads, but any cooked meat (or no meat for that matter) would be great too. Like chilled cooked shrimp. Or warm taco beef crumbles. Just because these taco salads are quick to fix doesn’t mean that they are low on flavor.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.
When I make Cajun slow cooker pot roast I have only one goal in mind: making the perfect pot roast po boy sandwich. Yeah, I could slice it and serve it with mashed potatoes. Or something else. But for me, chop it up fine, pile it up on a crusty roll with some creamy horseradish sauce, chopped lettuce, onion, and tomato and I’m not just sort of happy, I’m in heaven! I like having something crunchy to offset the tenderness of the beef. So, I like to add plenty of lettuce and onion to my sandwiches!
So Tasty And Yet So Easy
As simple as it is to make, this Cajun slow cooker pot roast is crazy full of flavor. And it’s so tender. And juicy. Oh, that juicy goodness. My mouth is watering just thinking back to my po boy. That sure was a mighty good sandwich. And messy. I’ve always said that the messier the sandwich, the better it’s going to be.
I use a nice French bread roll for my sandwiches. The outside has just right crunch, and the inside is nice and pillow-y soft. Not quite as good as the fantastic po boy bread you can find in New Orleans, but it’ll do in a bind!
It was one of those almost-stormy evenings. I was in the mood for grilling, but as a backup, I needed to pick something I could cook inside in case the skies opened up. Well, they didn’t, so I was able to grill the fantastic shrimp for this grilled creamy shrimp and mushroom pasta. If it had stormed, I would’ve roasted the shrimp in the oven and still enjoyed a great dinner. But grilled shrimp, well, that’s just better.
Easy And Fantastic
The cream sauce and mushrooms in this grilled creamy shrimp and mushroom pasta are fantastic. The entire dish is incredibly easy to put together. If you don’t want to fret with the shrimp just use pre-cooked frozen shrimp from your grocery store. Just defrost them ahead of time and you’ll be good-to-go.
No Worries
Don’t be surprised when you start making the sauce that the cream cheese doesn’t melt and get creamy. Once you add the hot water from making the pasta the cream cheese will dissolve and make a fantastic sauce.
Beware Of Flare-Ups
When grilling the shrimp, the butter and oil in the marinade may cause flare-ups on your grill. Be prepared to move the skewered shrimp to another place on the grill until the fire dies down. And by all means, don’t burn yourself!
I recommend that you use a grill basket when making this dish if you don’t have skewers. It makes cooking easier and you don’t have to worry about anything falling through the grates. And cleanup is easier too!
Don’t be surprised when you start making the sauce that the cream cheese doesn’t melt and get creamy. Once you add the hot water from making the pasta the cream cheese will dissolve and make a fantastic sauce.
Only one thing is going to happen when you put a plate of a copycat Applebee’s Peppercorn and Garlic shrimp in front of me. They are going to disappear so fast your head will spin. The coating is amazing. The perfect crunch. With a hint of garlic. And the batter is the best kind, the kind that sticks. No one wants batter holes. You know what I mean. Missing batter. That’s not good.
Great Flavor In A Crunchy Batter
Although I have a big fryer for when I’m cooking for more than two people at a time, or if I am frying something large like fish fillets, my preferred deep fryer is a Presto Fry Daddy. The Fry Daddy is perfect for making a batch of copycat Applebee’s Peppercorn and Garlic shrimp. The shrimp cook up perfectly in no time. The Fry Daddy also doesn’t use much oil so I’m not being as wasteful as when I use my big fryer. It’s the perfect size for the two of us.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
Only one thing is going to happen when you put a plate of a copycat Applebee’s Peppercorn and Garlic shrimp in front of me. They are going to disappear so fast you’re head will spin.Â
You have those cans of tomato soup just sitting there in the pantry. It’s not bad soup. But those cans have been sitting there for a reason. That soups needs a little something. A little help to make it into great soup and not ‘just’ a can of soup. This easy kicked-up tomato soup is just that. Just add a few pantry and fridge ingredients and boom, great tomato soup for a cold day!
Canned Soup Re-Imagined
The diced tomatoes add a nice texture and freshness to this easy kicked-up tomato soup. You can definitely leave them out. At least here in the midwest US good fresh tomatoes are impossible to find this time of year.
I like a little crunch to my soup to give it even more texture, so I added a few homemade croutons. Optional, but yummy.
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this soup and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
You have those cans of tomato soup just sitting there in the pantry. It’s not bad soup. But those cans have been sitting there for a reason. That soups needs a little something.
After making a big ole batch of bell pepper powder using my dehydrator I decided I need to kick things up a bit. Not crazy over-the-top kicked up, but something a bit spicier. I’m a big fan of poblano peppers. They aren’t super hot and they have such great pepper flavor. I love them stuffed, roasted, sliced on a sandwich, however. And now, I love them dried. Poblano pepper powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro is perfect for seasoning my favorite dishes.
Spicier Than You Might Think
Dried poblanos can still pack a punch, so when you go to cutting them up make sure you wash your hands good (or use rubber gloves) when you’re done. And when you grind the dried peppers, watch out for that dust. It’ll wake you up and wake you up quick. Also if you’re really super-sensitive to it you might want to wear eye goggles. I just kept my face back from the grinder. Just be careful when you make Poblano Pepper Powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro!
I keep my dried powders in Mason jars that I vacuum seal using an attachment for my sealer. They keep forever. You just need to remember to re-seal the jars after removing the powder to use in a dish.
Poblano Pepper Powder on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro
I’m a big fan of poblano peppers. They aren’t super hot and they have such great pepper flavor. I love them stuffed, roasted, sliced on a sandwich, however. And now, I love them dried.Â
12Poblano peppersI used a mix of 4 each of green, yellow, orange and red. I was able to fit approximately 2 peppers per Nesco Snackmaster Pro tray
Instructions
Set your dehydrator to 135 F.
Rinse the peppers.
Remove the stems and seeds and cut into chunks. If you are not using screen trays you'll want to cut fairly large pieces so they do not fall between the trays.
Dehydrate for 12-16 hours.
Rotate the trays every 2 hours if possible.
Once all the peppers are dry and a bit crisp remove and let cool.
Process the peppers in the grinder until they form a fine powder. If some pieces of pepper do not grind return them to the dehydrator for another hour or so until crisp.
Keep the powder in an air-tight container.
Notes
I place the powder in a Mason jar, cover it, then use a vacuum-sealer attachment specifically for jars to remove all of the air.
I could probably eat a ton of these blackened fried shrimp. I was already badly addicted to fried shrimp. Then along came these beyond-delicious treats and my addiction somehow got worse. I didn’t even think that was possible. Yummy crunchy batter that has a great light spiciness to it. The batter isn’t too thick. It isn’t too thin. You really just can’t stop eating them.
More Seasoning, More Better!
For a little extra kick, sprinkle the blackened fried shrimp with more of the seasoning just after you remove them from the hot oil. You have to do it when they’re still so hot so that the seasoning adheres.
Sure, You Could Use Store-Bought Seasoning…
Why go thru the trouble of making the blackened seasoning from scratch? That store-bought stuff is just way too salty for me. But you’re certainly free to use it. I bet by now there’s a low-salt store-bought version available somewhere!
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
I could probably eat a ton of these blackened fried shrimp. I was already badly addicted to fried shrimp. Then along came these beyond-delicious treats and my addiction somehow got worse.
Place shrimp into a large bowl. Season with two teaspoons of the blackened seasoning and toss well.
Combine the flour and blackened seasoning. Dip the shrimp into the mixture and coat well. Transfer to a plate and place into the freezer for five minutes. Reserve the flour mixture.
Heat 3-4" of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
Whisk together the egg, milk and hot sauce in a pie plate or shallow dish.
Dip the shrimp into the egg mixture and then return to the flour mixture to coat.
Shake off excess flour and fry 3-4 minutes or until golden brown, turning once.
Notes
Serve with your favorite tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.
Muffuletta sandwiches are what I would have on a deserted island if I could choose only one food. I’d even go through the ‘trouble’ of making my own olive salad. When I first ran across this idea for a Memphis-style muffuletta I made a weird face. Huh? Why are you messing with my favorite? The answer was soon obvious: because this is really, really good. Similar to a muffuletta in many ways, but different too.
A Totally Different Olive Salad
The creamy olive salad in this Memphis-style muffuletta is totally different than a traditional muffuletta mix but it has many of the same flavors. The artichoke hearts are a totally different twist and quite honestly I might find myself adding them to my homemade muffuletta olive salad too.
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
When I first ran across this idea for a Memphis-style muffuletta I made a weird face. Huh? Why are you messing with my favorite? The answer was soon obvious: because this is really, really good.Â
My two biggest food obsessions? Chicken wings and fried shrimp. I could eat either one anytime, anywhere. I’ve never had wings or shrimp that I didn’t absolutely love. Like these Cajun fried shrimp. Lightly crunchy. Stick-to-the-shrimp batter. A little heat. Perfectly cooked. Crazy tasty. And you know, they’re great looking too! You do eat with your eyes first, or so they say! I kinda think I eat with my nose first. I smell the aroma of the food often long before I see it! That’s what gets my mouth watering.
My Kind Of Shrimp
This is shrimp done up right. I served these Cajun fried shrimp with a crazy wonderful remoulade that has ended up being a shrimp-dipping staple in our house. It’s great for fries fish, too.
For that little extra ‘something’ sprinkle the shrimp lightly with Old Bay seasoning just before serving.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
I’ve never had wings or shrimp that I didn’t absolutely love. Like these Cajun fried shrimp. Lightly crunchy. Stick-to-the-shrimp batter. A little heat. Perfectly cooked.
I can eat an embarrassing amount of crispy fried shrimp. My addiction to these little goodies started as a child. Maybe once every few months we would eat out at Sizzler. I would always get the fried shrimp. I would devour them.
That tradition lives on, believe me. That’s why I make them at home. In bigger batches. These crispy fried shrimp are nice and crispy and have a fantastic lightly savory flavor. No overpowering flavors here, you can still taste the wonderful shrimp.
Right-Sized Shrimp For The Perfect Bites
I like to use shrimp that aren’t too big or too small when I make crispy fried shrimp. For me, 21-25 count (that means 21-25 shrimp are in a pound) are the perfect size. If I can get them, I use Louisiana Gulf Shrimp. I believe they have the best flavor but you can use whatever you prefer (or can find).
I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.
You can use pre-shelled and pre-deveined shrimp but give them a once-over before using to make sure that there aren’t any shell pieces or veins left. Just in case.
These crispy fried shrimp are nice and crispy and have a fantastic lightly savory flavor. No overpowering flavors here, you can still taste the wonderful shrimp.
