June, 2017 ~ What's for dinner?

Chicken thighs, cooked through on a foil pie pan (to control the rendered fat) and then browned on the grill, cauliflower seasoned with evoo, s&p & red pepper flakes ~ cooked on one of those flat grill pans with the holes so the stuff doesn't fall through the grates.....it got away from me when the flame was higher than I anticipated and got BLACK....but Mr. Amazing said he LIKES it that way, so I guess it was OK.  We do like most of our foods from the grill blackened....WELL DONE, so to speak.  Except steaks.  Steaks we like medium rare.  And some fried green beans, corn & onion to finish out my meal.



I had intended to put the cauliflower on my new grill mats until Dane asked why I never used the vegetable/seafood grill pan he came across when he was cleaning out the cabinets in the garage. Well, Geeze Louise, I forgot all about it, THAT'S WHY. I also forgot about the cast iron fajiata pans with the wooden trivet bases. Gotta try them out one of these days. If it's behind closed doors, it doesn't exist, I guess. Hahahahaha!

bethk wrote:Looks like Michelle and Brian are getting hammered with storms again....let's pray the generator works without problems and they weather the storm (named Cindy.....gee, why does that name sound familiar??) without incident.

It hasn't been too bad except for the rain. We'd already had rain about 13 days in a row with about three days of sun afterwards before the rain began again last week, just days and days of rain on and off. People here are spoiled by the sun and everyone complains when it's gray for several days in a row -- we're just not used to it. I always worry about the crops grown here as rain will just do them in.

I called the lady who cleans for us on Monday and told her to just run by and pick up her check (she's really short of money so I wanted to pay her on time) on Tuesday but that we should put off the house cleaning (she comes every other Tuesday). I told her Brian would be bringing in some of the plants and putting them on newspaper in the dining room (tile floors) so there was no use for her to come to clean, as we'd be messing things up. I told him not to worry about most of the plants, as I figure they're on borrowed time given all the wet weather we've had; he only moved in my succulents and the desert rose plant I love. The wind was only supposed to get up to around 40 mph so he just took down anything hanging or precariously perched out there and put it on solid ground. We're just too old and our backs are just too bad to move things like we used to do. My housekeeper offered to help us but I didn't feel like paying for it, as I've already resigned myself to plants losses due to the rain...

Last night, the wind only bashed the rain around a couple of times all night. We lost power here and there and the generator would kick in -- thank God 'cause I'm always hot and really depend on the television when my pain is intense, as it distracts me a bit more than reading does. Y'all would laugh as every time the power went out and the generator kicked in, the doorbell would ring (I have a doorbell speaker in our bedroom upstairs)! And we saw on the news where thousands of people in Orleans Parish had lost power but it was down to only a couple thousand this morning.

We did have some water coming in the front windows downstairs (the repair work hasn't started due to rain holding up the man's last job and he also went into the hospital for a day last week and came home with IV antibiotics so our work start date has been pushed back) but not as much as we expected, as the wind was coming from the east and the rain wasn't being pushed against the front of the house. We had to put out towels but not the big guns (pots!). Supposed to be a bit worse tonight but today was a work day for most people -- just rain on and off, more on than off. We were glad we're retired and didn't have to go to work, as flash flooding is a problem. Not where we live but going to and from work can be a problem when it's raining so hard after all the land is already waterlogged from weeks of rain -- underpasses fill up with water and streets that can flood DO flood. Lucky, we're high and dry right next to the Mississippi River!

Thanks for thinking of us, Beth!

cookingirl wrote:

bethk wrote:Looks like Michelle and Brian are getting hammered with storms again....let's pray the generator works without problems and they weather the storm (named Cindy.....gee, why does that name sound familiar??) without incident.

Funny!!  I know.. Yesterday afternoon, I was wondering which "C" name it would be this year. When I heard the storm's name, I started laughing!

But it is a lot of wind & Rain, and not much clout!! like me....

True about the storm, Cindy, but you did indeed crack me up with your "like me" comment!

Michelle, thanks for all the nice comments.  This recipe from my mom for dill pickles is super easy and very very good.  Paddy once told me that it was not a correct way to make pickles but I never had a problem with, nor did mom.

MOMS DILL PICKLES  From Dorothy Hiler from Francia Adams, 1991  

Boil together:   1 qt. CIDER VINEGAR
3/4 C. PICKLING SALT
3 qt.  WATER
1/2 C. SUGAR
Follow directions of sealing lids for preparing jars.  To each jar add
CHUNKED CUCUMBERS
1 t. ACCENT
1 ONION, small, chunked
2 HEADS FRESH DILL

Pour boiling liquid over cucumbers and seal tight.  Place in 270 degree oven for 20
minutes.  Remove.  Good in 2- 3 weeks.
OR
Put in hot water to cover for 5 minutes- near boiling and turn off oven.

bethk wrote:Chicken thighs, cooked through on a foil pie pan (to control the rendered fat) and then browned on the grill, cauliflower seasoned with evoo, s&p & red pepper flakes ~ cooked on one of those flat grill pans with the holes so the stuff doesn't fall through the grates.....it got away from me when the flame was higher than I anticipated and got BLACK....but Mr. Amazing said he LIKES it that way, so I guess it was OK.  We do like most of our foods from the grill blackened....WELL DONE, so to speak.  Except steaks.  Steaks we like medium rare.  And some fried green beans, corn & onion to finish out my meal.

I'd like that char on the cauliflower, too, Beth.  And Brian would select the chicken piece with the blackened piece first for sure.  Steaks -- I like mine medium rare and he likes his medium -- but he has no problem snacking on my leftover cold medium rare steak.  Especially if I slice it up and put it on a pretty tray with a little dish of horseradish sauce!  Sometimes I make a roasted red bell pepper sauce, too, if we have lots of leftover steak.  Both sauces are really good on roast beef sandwiches as well.

Speaking of roast beef, last time I went to the grocery and went to the deli to get some ham to cut up in chunks for pasta salad, they had some "house made roast beef" sitting there that looked like you did it at home -- it had big chunks of visible garlic in it.  It wasn't cheap but I bought a pound of it sliced a bit thicker than I would normally buy.  Last week I made some roast beef gravy that I started with a butter roux, and added some chopped pancetta, onions I'd already caramelized on my stove's useful simmer burner, low sodium chicken broth, Better Than Bouillon roasted beef flavoring, and some Cabernet Sauvignon.  I had leftover rice for Brian and I made some INSTANT mashed potatoes for me.  I hadn't had those in years but saw a woman grabbing some in the store and I decided to get some for me, since he's not wild about mashed potatoes (the REAL ones).  I followed the directions but added more potato flakes than called for so they were nice and tight and boy, were they good.  They hit the spot!

The next night we had stuffed peppers so I used the leftover mashed potatoes by mixing them up with freshly ground Manchego cheese I had on hand I needed to use along with some shredded fontina.  I filled up a couple of small white soufflé dishes I have (I think they hold 12 oz. each) and then sprinkled some more fontina on top.  Heated them up in the oven and then browned them under the broiler and even Brian enjoyed them.  Next time I'd add more cheese and cheese that's a little more assertive.  

The following night we had leftover bell peppers and I spent most of the day in bed as my back was giving me mega problems.  Near dinner time, Brian told me he'd made macaroni and cheese.  I gulped as the last time he tried making them when I was out of the house, he put so much cheese in them that they were like glue.  When I hesitated, he told me he'd taken out one of my cookbooks ("The Best Recipe"  by Cook's Illustrated) and followed it.  They were really delicious and I was thrilled to have them, as nothing goes better with stuffed peppers in my opinion than old 'roni and cheese!  

bethk wrote:I had intended to put the cauliflower on my new grill mats until Dane asked why I never used the vegetable/seafood grill pan he came across when he was cleaning out the cabinets in the garage.  Well, Geeze Louise, I forgot all about it, THAT'S WHY. I also forgot about the cast iron fajiata pans with the wooden trivet bases.  Gotta try them out one of these days.  If it's behind closed doors, it doesn't exist, I guess.   Hahahahaha!

I'm editing this as I forgot to mention I bought Brian one of those grill baskets last Sunday that I saw on QVC -- what I liked about it was it was a decent size and the handle was removable. That way he could use the handle to get the basket off once it was hot, and it will also fit better in the smoker if he uses it there.

Beth, those cast iron fajita pans with the wooden bases sound wonderful for fajitas! I've seen those in cooking magazines before and they're just perfect for serving fajitas at the table! Get those puppies out of the cabinet!

NormM wrote:Michelle, thanks for all the nice comments.  This recipe from my mom for dill pickles is super easy and very very good.  Paddy once told me that it was not a correct way to make pickles but I never had a problem with, nor did mom.

MOMS DILL PICKLES  From Dorothy Hiler from Francia Adams, 1991  

Boil together:   1 qt. CIDER VINEGAR
3/4 C. PICKLING SALT
3 qt.  WATER
1/2 C. SUGAR
Follow directions of sealing lids for preparing jars.  To each jar add
CHUNKED CUCUMBERS
1 t. ACCENT
1 ONION, small, chunked
2 HEADS FRESH DILL

Pour boiling liquid over cucumbers and seal tight.  Place in 270 degree oven for 20
minutes.  Remove.  Good in 2- 3 weeks.
OR
Put in hot water to cover for 5 minutes- near boiling and turn off oven.

Thanks SO much, Norm! It looks pretty fast and easy too -- love that I can do it in the oven. I've already copied the recipe into my Word recipe files but I do have a question about the second method once in the jars:

Do you mean to cover it with near boiling water, let it rest for 5 minutes and then put it in the 270 degree oven which you then turn off? Just want to get it right, though I would probably do the first method for 20 minutes.

Can't thank you enough, as this recipe gives me the courage to try again. I'll put some cut up crookneck yellow squash in there too in your honor!

Jimmy, I was so sorry to hear about your DIL Sherrie's mom -- I hope she's doing better today. Poor Tina -- as many bad days as she herself has, people sure call on her for help. I guess it's 'cause she helps everyone who asks. She's truly a kind person to go out of her way to help someone even when she herself is suffering.

What ended up being wrong with Sherrie's mom's leg anyway? It sounded terribly painful and dangerous, too.

Going to the hospital is no fun. It's really a crap shoot as to how you get treated. Often you luck out and get tended to by really sweet people, but you're just as likely to get someone who seems to have no sympathy for people at all. It's worse if you're trying to get care for someone other than yourself, too, as that's what really gets to you. If I'm really ill or in pain, I don't put up much of a fight for myself. I think that's true of most of us...

I don't recall exactly what that second method is, but I think the intention was to treat is as a regular water bath treatment as for pickles.

NormM wrote:I don't recall exactly what that second method is, but I think the intention was to treat is as a regular water bath treatment as for pickles.

Thanks, Norm. Like I said, I will probably use the first method anyway, as it sounds soooo easy compared to the other ritual using that huge canning pot full of water. It takes a lonnnnngggg time even for the water to heat up in the canning pot, so that oven method sounds right up my alley.

We didn't plant cukes this year but really planned to, as they grow so easily from seed. Now with all the rain we've not only HAD, but the rain that is predicted -- each day next week a 40 to 50% chance of rain is currently predicted -- we might not end up doing it. But when I drive down to Belle Chasse, LA (about a 13 mile trip) to get my nails done and where the PX is located, there's a super farmer's market where I can pick up some freshly picked cukes to make these.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this recipe, Norm. Thanks so much for posting it for me. The farmer's market usually has some yellow crooked neck squash as well, and I'm definitely going to put some of those in it, too.
I'm smiling right now as once I show this to Brian, I'll bet he'll start bugging me for us to go get the cukes!

I hope you enjoy the shrimp recipe I'm going to post in a bit! It's for a large amount but could easily be cut down...

NormM wrote:I don't recall exactly what that second method is, but I think the intention was to treat is as a regular water bath treatment as for pickles.

I just read it again and think I figured it out, Norm. It says, "OR
Put in hot water to cover for 5 minutes- near boiling and turn off oven."

I think it means put the finished jars into a pot of almost boiling water, stick that whole pot into the preheated oven and then turn the oven off.

Really not important as I plan on using the first method -- too easy to avoid!

Thanks again. I'm really tickled to try this out especially knowing you've had success with it. I can't lose!

Hope you enjoy it.

bethk wrote:Michelle - got the news on now.  How's the storm affecting your area?  I'm assuming everything is fine since you're just posting regular stuff........(intuitive of me, huh?)

It's funny, Beth, as they initially said last night would be worse than Tuesday night. Though it rained on and off yesterday, it cleared up and got SUNNY about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. It was still windy but not terribly so (we NEVER got any gale force winds throughout the pendency of this thing). Last night was a real shoo-shoo, as if we got rain at all, it wasn't coming down too hard as you couldn't hear it and the winds were lower last night than they were during the day yesterday, when they would normally just be considered a windy day. We definitely lucked out with this storm in the Greater New Orleans area anyway.

The problem with any storm in our locale is the damage it does to our coastline. Years ago when the oil and gas industry was just getting their hooks into Louisiana, they cut all kinds of roads into the low-lying areas close to the water (what is known as "wetlands") to facilitate their trucks, machinery, etc. getting through. Over the years, those "cuts" were really the things that caused the coastal areas to start having HUGE problems. These pieces of land were really the part of our coast that protected us from the big storms and the storm surge those high winds bring -- once they were all torn up and the land around their cuts started disappearing, it allowed wind-driven water to come much closer to bedrock land and areas which had camps, homes and businesses already in place.

I'm not explaining the dire situation LA is in so I searched online to explain it better. Please read the following, which is from factcheck.org:

"According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s most recent analysis in 2011, Louisiana lost an average of 16.6 square miles of land a year from 1985 to 2010, which equates to roughly a football field per hour. In total, the state lost 1,883 square miles of land between 1932 and 2010 — an area over 1.2 times larger than Rhode Island.

"Scientists say Louisiana’s land loss involves at least three main factors — (1) reduced sediment flow from the Mississippi River and its tributaries, (2) subsidence, or the sinking of land, and (3) sea-level rise. These factors come about via natural processes, human interference or both.
However, before human interference, the interaction of natural processes led to a net INCREASE [my emphasis] of land in the region, which has led scientists to conclude that land loss in Louisiana is a human-caused phenomenon.

"The effects of the state’s land loss include decreased flood protection during hurricanes and tropical storms and threats to the state’s commercial fishing and oil and gas industries...."

The problems have also decimated the homes and the lifestyles of people who have lived off the land in those areas for generations, where they made their living and fed their families and lived a life most of us would consider t be too "hard," but what they've always known and actually enjoy, as hard work is all they've ever known in an area they consider to be a small piece of heaven on earth. It's heartbreaking when the media interviews some of the elderly holdouts who have stayed in places long after most everyone else has left -- it's the only life they've ever known and they say they just don't know how to make it if they moved away, in tons of ways the least of which is financial. Very, very sad and don't forget how much seafood our state provides to the nation so the loss of our wetlands really affects all citizens, no matter where you live.

We subscribe to the daily newspaper and several months ago, we switched to the newer paper that originated in Baton Rouge.  The Times-Picayune began about five years ago to only putting out a paper on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday due to shrinking subscriptions and more people reading online news.  I just about died and tried the newer paper, The New Orleans Advocate, which was a N.O. edition of a paper long publishing in Baton Rouge.  When I tried it, it really sucked so we hung on to our 3-day a week subscription as long as we could.  The Advocate often threw free papers to our house and one day, I decided to give it another read.  We immediately canceled our old sub. and got a new one to the 7-day a week Advocate, which was obviously now a N.O. paper and not just a re-tread of the B.R. version.  

After we canceled, the Times-Picayune kept delivering a free copy to our house most days they publish. We pick them up and recycle them and occasionally read the copy.  The other day prior to recycling, I pulled out the food section to read, as there was one columnist who stayed with the TP that I liked (the Advocate hired TONS of laid off employees from the TP).

I was surprised to find out that our local grocery, Rouse's had had a "Win Your Weight in Shrimp" recipe contest. They had teamed up with the TP so I hadn't read about it, even in their weekly ads.  I would have entered a couple of my own recipes if I had known.  Eventually I will post all three of the winning entries (they all sound really good), but was surprised to see the woman who came in second was a woman I was in high school with.  We weren't in the same homeroom and only once shared a class when she was switched into my honors history class but we were friendly at lunch and I'd even been to her house a couple of times.  I'd heard many years ago she worked as an attorney but here she identified herself only as a "retired grandma who has been cooking for my family and friends for over 50 years."  

Her recipe sounds really good (the judges' comments said so too) though I found her directions kind of vague but not difficult to follow, that's for sure.  She made her entry, which she was photographed with, in one of those large rectangular aluminum pans that most people would purchase to make lasagna in.  She obviously cooked this on the stove but with 3 lbs. of shrimp used, it makes a lot and that large aluminum pan was full.  Sounds really simple, and easy to cut down and make to your liking.  I'd definitely use more parsley than called for and cut it down but otherwise, it sounds yummy.  Brian is not a grits fan but I'll bet he would like those crunchy grits cakes and they would also make a nice base for a lot of other appetizers.

Creamy Shrimp and Grits Cakes
Serves 6 to 8 / Barbara Cruthirds’ 2nd place winner in Rouse’s "Win Your Weight in Shrimp" cook-off

4 strips bacon, fried crisp (remove and reserve all but 2 teaspoons drippings)
3 pounds Louisiana shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 Tablespoon reserved for garnish
1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
1 Tablespoon Creole seasoning
1/3 cup white wine
2 cloves minced garlic
Dash of cayenne pepper
Hot sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
Fried Grits Cakes for serving (see recipe below)

     Add all ingredients to pan except heavy cream.  Cook until shrimp are just turning pink. Remove shrimp from pan and add heavy cream.
     Cook until sauce thickens, then return shrimp and heat through.
     Serve on top of fried grits cake and sprinkle with chopped bacon.

Grits Cakes
Makes about 8 cakes

2 cups water
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter
1 cup quick-cooking grits
3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese bend
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 stick butter
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings (reserved from shrimp)

     Add water, milk, salt, butter and grits to medium saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender. Add cheese and stir to blend. Pour grits into a buttered 9-by-9 dish and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
     When chilled, cut grits into squares. Dip squares into beaten eggs and dredge in seasoned breadcrumbs. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in frying pan with 2 Tablespoons bacon drippings. Fry cakes until brown and heated through.

Note: In a newspaper interview with Barbara, she said she sometimes cuts down the recipe to make appetizer portions, though she noted her family prefers it made as an entrée.  She also mentioned that you can use round cookie cutters to cut the grits cakes into circles, which I think would be pretty, too!

Oh, man, that sounds good. I've already deleted the cheese blend from the recipe because I'll make MINE sans any cheese, 'cept for maybe some freshly grated parmesan.

The best shrimp & grits I've had (and I've only had it a couple times because everyone seems to insist grits are ONLY good with the dreaded CHEESE).....was at a little place in Savannah called J. Christopher's...or was it J. Matthews???? Oh, well, doesn't matter. They must have made INSTANT grits (which, of course, I wouldn't know the difference between regular, quick or instant...). The gravy was a taso ham gravy with some mushrooms....AMAZING with the shrimps.

Thanks, Michelle, for posting this. I've got it copied and saved in my files.

bethk wrote:Oh, man, that sounds good.  I've already deleted the cheese blend from the recipe because I'll make MINE sans any cheese, 'cept for maybe some freshly grated parmesan.  

The best shrimp & grits I've had (and I've only had it a couple times because everyone seems to insist grits are ONLY good with the dreaded CHEESE).....was at a little place in Savannah called J. Christopher's...or was it J. Matthews????  Oh, well, doesn't matter.  They must have made INSTANT grits (which, of course, I wouldn't know the difference between regular, quick or instant...).  The gravy was a taso ham gravy with some mushrooms....AMAZING with the shrimps.

Thanks, Michelle, for posting this.  I've got it copied and saved in my files.

That's a lot of BS, Beth, and I'm a grits lover. I love plain grits with butter! The regular grits are the best but I've had the other grits and they're better than no grits at all!

And those grits cakes would be super with just the Parmesan, Beth. You go girl!

I pulled some vegetables from the refrigerator (I wanted to use up the snow peas I had) and made a pasta salad with a simple bottled Italian dressing. Burgers on the grill with a brioche bun.

Every once in a while we get KFC, too. Last time I ordered the 'Hot Wings' for him....always have to wait for them to cook them fresh (they never seem to have any made) and then they forgot his potato wedges to go with them. I should have checked BEFORE I left the store, but after waiting on the order to be cooked, all I wanted to do was get them home to eat.

I ended up calling the store and talking to one of the managers...she wanted me to return for the rest of the order and she'd also refund my money. Maybe I'll be back someday, but not soon. LOL

I made pizza quattro formaggio for dinner.

UNCLE JIMMY wrote:The peppers look so good.
I love hot peppers.

Me, too, Jimmy!  Imelda, thanks for letting us know which peppers you grow.  I can imagine how quickly they dry up in your locale.  I tend to leave my jalapenos on the bush longer than I would ideally do, but just 'cause I'm trying to use up the ones I've already picked.  

That's why I made Pepper Jelly recently, to uses up about 6 of the jalapeno peppers.  I don't know if you guys like pepper jelly but we like it on anything you normally use jelly on, plus it's super alongside meat, especially smoked meat!  Yummy...  

Here's the recipe that won first place in the local contest from which I previously posted the 2nd place recipe from my high school friend. Neither one of us are too crazy about too much anise flavor so I would probably keep the brandy in this recipe but eliminate the Herbsaint entirely.

Here's what the judges said about Mr. Falgoust's recipe: "Really well-balanced and deeply Creole flavors. Sweet shrimp and tangy cheese held together by a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce." "Love how he added the Herbsaint. Makes it unique." "Interesting twist on a classic shrimp Creole." Several judges noted that the dish was beautifully presented and that "the shrimp were cooked perfectly."

Shrimp Amelie
Serves 4 to 6
William Falgoust's 1st place in Rouse’s "Win Your Weight in Shrimp" cook-off, June 2017.

6 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons butter
2 pounds wild-caught Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined, cut in half if large
2 Tablespoons brandy
2 Tablespoons Herbsaint
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons green onion tops, chopped
3 cups rice, cooked

1.  Heat 4 Tablespoons olive oil in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Add onions, celery and garlic and sauté until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar and lemon juice.
2.  Cook over medium-low heat until thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in heavy cream and set aside.
3.  Preheat oven to 425⁰F. Melt butter and remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil in heavy skillet. Sauté shrimp just until pink, add brandy and Herbsaint and set aflame carefully, burning off a bit of the liquor. Place shrimp in casserole dish, cover with sauce. Sprinkle feta over sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and green onions.
4.  Bake until bubbly, about 10 minutes. Serve with rice.

Here's the recipe that won third place in the local contest from which I previously posted the 1st and 2nd place recipes.

Here's what the judges said about Mr. Fogarty's recipe:
"The artichokes and the peppers are the star of this dish. This would be great with any protein, a piece of fish or chicken." Several judges said it was refreshing to have a recipe where vegetables were prepared so perfectly. One judge asked if he could serve this dish at his Harahan restaurant.

Sautéed Shrimp with Artichokes and Peppers
Makes 8 servings.
Jack Fogarty’s 3rd place recipe in Rouse’s "Win Your Weight in Shrimp" cook-off, June 2017.

1-1/2 pounds uncooked medium shrimp, headed, peeled and deveined
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons shrimp seasoning
5 Tablespoons salted butter, divided
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons Creole seasoning
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup yellow onions, diced
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and cubed
1 14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, rinsed and cubed
2 cups mixed sweet peppers, red, yellow and orange, sliced
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced, divided
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable stock

1. Place shrimp in large bowl. Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and shrimp seasoning. Toss with wooden spoon until shrimp are coated.
2. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, add 4 Tablespoons salted butter and whisk to melt over medium-high heat. Add Worcestershire sauce and stir for 2 minutes.  Add shrimp in single layers and cook for 2 minutes on one side, then turn over and cook for 1 minute on the other. Remove shrimp and reserve in a large bowl.
3. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, add 3 Tablespoons olive oil and heat for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Add Creole seasoning and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add garlic and stir for 1 minute; add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes until opaque. Stir in 1 Tablespoon parsley.
4. Add artichokes and peppers, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice, wine and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add remaining parsley and butter. Stir in shrimp and simmer for 3 minutes to combine.

Cilantro Rice:
2-1/2 cups water
1-1/4 cup white long-grain rice
1 Tablespoon cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon salted butter

In 6-quart pot add rice, water, salt and cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Fold in butter.

Note: This entrée can be served as an appetizer with crisp toast points or garlic crostini. To give the dish more depth, it can be served over cilantro rice, as the cilantro brings a cool freshness into each bite.