Throw Some Shrimp On The Barbie!

Before we left for Australia, we were told the following phrase would be used regularly, "Throw some shrimp on the barbie!"

Two things are funny about this:

1. Aussies say prawn instead of shrimp.

2. After almost 5 months of living here, I have never heard this phrase.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups water

1 cup white rice

2 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (add more if you want it spicy)

700 g/1.5 lbs raw prawn/shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on

1 cup Lager beer

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 cups broccoli, cut into small florets

3 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 lemon, halved

Directions:

Before I started the prawns and broccoli, I started the rice using my rice cooker (not ashamed of this handy device). Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute or until the garlic has softened and the butter has browned.

Add the prawns to the pan and toss well to coat. Cook for 2 minutes then add the beer and Worcestershire sauce and bring to the simmer. Add the remaining butter, parsley, oregano, thyme and rosemary. Add the broccoli and let simmer until the prawns are just cooked through and the broccoli is tender, about 2 minutes. Squeeze the halved lemon over the prawns and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked rice.

Here's the Cole's recipe online: Spicy Garlic & Parsley Prawns

The link offers a video tutorial by Curtis Stone. I secretly wish this Aussie would come cook in my kitchen. It's worth watching to hear the Aussie accent while paying attention to the pronunciation of some words (oregano, herbs). Cheers, mate.

E: 8

A: 7 - My own herb garden would be nice for this recipe.

T: 9 - Dinner will be ready quick.

HH: 9

Ritz Cracker Chicken

I love church cookbooks. My mom gave me a few when I got married and I've caught myself sifting through the pages wishing I could sit in the presence of these ladies and watch them skirt around the kitchen. I wonder if they wore an apron all day long while effortlessly making home-cooked meals, pastries, and other goodies. Each entry has a story to tell. This one came from my hometown - First Baptist Church of Burleson, Texas. Feel free to share your favorite church cookbook recipe!

Pearl's Ritz Cracker Chicken

2 pkgs. Ritz Crackers

4 chicken breasts, cooked

1 can cream of mushroom

1-12 oz. container of sour cream (340 grams)

1 cup chicken broth

2 sticks margarine

Melt 1 stick of margarine and mix together with 1 package of crumbled up Ritz crackers (I use my meat tenderizer on the sleeve of crackers). Pat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Cut cooked chicken into bite size pieces and put on top of the cracker mixture. Mix and heat mushroom soup, sour cream, and chicken broth. Pour over chicken. Melt and mix 1 stick of margarine and 1 package Ritz crackers (crumbled up again) together and put over top. Cook at 350 (177 celsius) for 40 minutes or until lightly brown. Serve over rice or eat by itself. Enjoy!

E: 8 - multitasking opportunity = boil the chicken while preparing the rest of the dish

A: 8 - used lots of cabinet staples, so all I bought was fresh chicken

T: 9

HH: 9

Chicken Tenders

Justin Qualls is a huge fan of chicken tenders. Emily will probably post about making these too. Before they were married, our small group gave them a "Kitchen Utensil & Recipe Shower". I gave this one to the future Qualls' because of Justin's adoration of the perfectly baked slivers of chicken. Emily, being the great friend she is, gave the recipe back to me when I asked her to email it all the way to Sydney. When we moved across the world, the non-essential things got shoved in storage, which means I didn't have my recipes, and you know I didn't memorize them. I couldn't find it on the world wide web, so I'm thankful Emily was kind enough to share it with me. I'm excited to compare pictures and see how hers turned out. This is what Foodie Freddies is all about! Eliott and I have decided this is one of our favorite dishes; we serve it over a bed of lettuce topped with our favorite salad additions. My preference is a light honey mustard dressing.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup flour

3/4 tsp seasoned salt

1-1/4 cups crushed cornflakes

1/3 cup butter, melted

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips

honey

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, combine flour and seasoned salt. Place cornflakes and butter in separate shallow bowls. Coat chicken with flour mixture, then dip in butter and coat with cornflakes. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until juices run clear. And my favorite part: drizzle with honey.

E: 9

A: 9

T: 9

HH: 10

Rice, Rice, Baby

The title is lame. I apologize.

You have to admit that singing a little Vanilla Ice is nostalgic and humorous. We love rice. And easy meals. This recipe, provided by the fabulous Jess Followell, combines these two things and puts dinner on the table.

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1 cream of broccoli soup

2 cream of chicken soup

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups Minute rice

1 lb. chicken cut into strips

Directions:

Spray inside of Crock-Pot really well with cooking spray. Mix soups together and put in Crock-Pot. Pour broth on top but don't mix. Pour rice on top and squish, not mix, into broth. Put chicken on top. Add salt and pepper. Cook 2.5-3 hours on high.

Here's an honest disaster from the Vines kitchen. I couldn't find Cream of Broccoli soup at the grocery store, so I bought another green vegetable... Cream of Asparagus soup. I knew it would taste different, but it was worth the chance. This substitution in the recipe was not good; I wished I could have found Cream of Broccoli. I'm holding my nose as I eat the leftovers. And I've renamed asparagus - asparaGROSS.

After a little Google research, I discovered that Australia does not carry Campbell's Cream of Broccoli soup. Well, shucks.

What other substitutions have you tried and regretted?

E: 10

A: 2 - MIA Cream of Broccoli soup

T: 9

HHusband: 4 - Eliott likes asparagus, but not this recipe

HWife: 2 - Heather does not like asparaGROSS

Michelle's Soup

Our friend, Michelle Leach, made this soup. It is so delicious! Thanks to Michelle for her impeccable hospitality and friendship. I emailed her for the recipe as soon as we arrived in Sydney because of the winter season we experienced. This hearty soup is perfect for cold nights. In Australia, we're cheering for spring as the Americans are eager for fall weather.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb of ground beef or turkey browned

2 cans of Progresso minestrone soup

1 can of Rotel tomatoes

1 can of pinto beans or kidney beans

1 can of corn

1/2 lb of Velveeta cheese

DIRECTIONS

Brown the ground beef or turkey. In a big sauce pan, mix the Rotel tomatoes and Velveeta to melt. Add remaining ingredients to sauce pan. Let it boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes. You can add chicken broth or tomato juice to make it more soupy. We like to serve it over Fritos, but we couldn't find Fritos in Australia, so we used tortilla chips. Freeze any leftovers.

The bowl is dirty because this is the second helping of the soup!

Optional toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapenos

E: 10 - it doesn't get any easier than this

A: 9 - don't take Velveeta for granted

T: 9

HH: 10