The loss of the favorite chapstick

I am having a major problem right now.  It is bad, it is really bad.

Starting last November, I went to resupply myself with my favorite chapstick (I use a lot of chapstick because it is so dry in Fairbanks).  I hopped over to the cosmetic section for my favorite chapstick and they were out.  That happens sometimes so I made a note to check next time I went grocery shopping.  Well, they never got any in stock and I just kept checking.

We went to Seattle to see Gman and his people a couple weeks ago and I checked at the store there.  There was a sign - DISCONTINUED-

What? So I googled it.  Yep, Dr. Pepper Lipsmakers are no longer manufactured in the U.S.  The company sold and Dr. Pepper is not available, except on Amazon for $14.00 a tube.

Well, I'm too cheap to pay that so I have to find a different chapstick to use. I don't want to, I like the Dr. Pepper chapstick and it has color to it so I can pretend it looks good enough to replace lipstick.  I always feel dressed when I throw on some mascara and slap on a little Dr. Pepper chapstick.  Now what am I going to do?

So I need some advice on chapstick substitutes.  And while I wait to hear from you I'm going to make these oven fried shrimp.

Dave loves deep fried shrimp. He can eat them, but I feel left out.  So I made some Toni safe oven fried shrimp, and I think they are better than the ones Dave eats.  He even agreed that these were good, and not just "good for a substitute kind of thing."  Now, shrimp isn't my favorite, but people look at you weird if you eat the spicy cocktail sauce by the spoonful, so I make these to eat the cocktail sauce!

Keto Oven Fried Shrimp

1/2 pound shrimp
1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon on water
1/4 cup finely ground pork rinds
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/8-1/4 tsp. chili powder or several drops of your favorite hot sauce (like Tabasco)
cooking spray, I use avocado oil spray

Preheat oven to 400°F

Using cooking spray, coat a wire rack that has been placed on a baking sheet.

Place beaten egg in a bowl and mix pork rinds, parmesan and chili powder and place in a bowl.

Butterfly shrimp, cut along the back, remove the vein and continue cutting almost all the way through.  Open and slightly flatten with your hand.  Dry with a paper towel. 

Dip shrimp in egg, turn over to coat both sides, let extra drain off them dredge in pork rind-cheese mixture.  Place on prepared wire rack.

Bake until golden brown, 6-10 minutes, turning once about 4 minutes into cooking.

Serve with lots of cocktail sauce.

1 year ago:    Keto Chocolate Chip Cookies and the Fake Boob
3 years ago:  Beef Pot Pies and Getting Ready for Travel Season
5 years ago:  Avoiding Late Dinners and Pork Chops with Chick Pea Mash

February 6, 2019  Sunrise 9:20 am  Sunset 4:50 pm  Temp. H 14/ L 5°F

Keto Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

Spring is really here.  The days are sunny and it is getting warm by the afternoon (60's are warm here this time of year).  The last couple of days my car has been hot when I get in it to go home.  I decided I would crack the sun roof, just enough to vent the hot air out.  Sometimes I am so smart I surprise myself.

I've been walking at lunch and doing a good job of getting my steps in.  I usually do a quick 10 minute walk about 10:00, then a 30 minute walk at noon, and, if I'm not too busy, another 10 minutes around 4:00.  So yesterday, I did my quick walk in the morning, it was bright sunny and in the 60's.  It was glorious.  At noon, I popped on my earphones for some tunes and headed out into the sunshine.  I got about 20 minutes into my walk and it started to rain.  There were big black clouds moving our way but nothing above me.  I had to walk up the hill to my office, so I hoofed it as fast as I could (because my fake straight hair does not like to get damp).  By the time I got to the parking lot it had started to hail along with the rain.  I just ducked in the building and the sky opened up and dumped.  It rained so hard you couldn't see the mountain range out our office windows, and it rained for about 20 minutes, hard.  I was hoping it was raining at my house so I wouldn't have to water my grass tonight.

At the end of the work day, I headed out to my car, opened the door and the whole inside is wet.  The seats are wet, the dash is wet, the cup holders have about an inch of water in them.  I forgot the sun roof was cracked all day and the deluge just filled my car.  Nice.  I grabbed some napkins out of the glove box and wiped up as much as I could.  I sat down and my pants got wet, awesome.  I'll never do that again, the weather is too unpredictable.

I needed something good for dinner after all that.  Shrimp is one of Dave's favorite things, me, not so much.  I do enjoy this shrimp with tomatoes and feta and try to make it for dinner once in a while.  Well, I've been cutting the carbs so this needed a bit of a do-over.  

I cut down on the tomatoes and onion and added a little bone broth.  The flavor is still all there and we loved it.  I even took the left-overs to work for lunch, and I don't really like shrimp!

This is great served over cauliflower rice or zoodles.  I eat it just as it is.

Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

2 Tbsp. avocado oil
1/2 cup onion
3 cloves garlic minced
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken bone broth
1/2 tsp. pepper
1.5 pounds of shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled and divided
chopped parsley and cilantro, optional

Preheat oven to 350˚F.
Heat oil in medium, oven-safe pan, add onion and sauté until opaque, 3-5 minutes, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.  Add tomatoes, broth and pepper.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Add shrimp in one layer over the tomatoes.  Top with parmesan and 1/2 the feta.  Place in oven for 12-15 minutes until shrimp is cooked through and cheese is melted.  Top with remaining feta and fresh parsley and cilantro.
Serves 4

331 Calories, 8 g. carbs, 1 g. fiber, 7 g net carbs, 17g fat, 35 g  protein

2 years ago:  Adventures of Bolty and Being Obnoxious to My Husband
4 years ago:  Bacon Wrapped, Cheese Stuffed Hot Dogs
6 years ago:  My Cookbook Illness and Lemon Meringue Pie

May 23, 2018  Sunrise 4:00am  Sunset 11:37pm  Temp. H 63/L 45˚F

Grilled Shrimp Salad with Berries, Avocado, and Grapefruit

Dave went camping last weekend.  I had a quiet weekend at home, rested and read a lot.  It is a good thing I had some quiet time, I think I needed it with all the house projects and traveling for work I've done recently.  I've been a little grumpy and forgetful.

Last week, we were working around the house.  Dave was outside and I was doing something inside.  The phone rang, so I answered it.  It was for Dave.  I looked around the house and he wasn't anywhere to be found.  I looked across the street and there he was, on a ladder in the neighbor's yard, with the neighbor holding the ladder.  I thought to myself, "How nice Dave is helping the neighbor.  Now we will never get our own stuff done because Dave is always helping everyone else and never gets anything done around here." (See, a little grumpy)

I walked all the way across the street, right up to the ladder and said, "Honey."  Then I looked up and IT WASN'T MY HUSBAND!  It was the neighbor (who is 84) with his son holding the ladder.  The both looked at me with a startled expression.

"You're not Dave."  I stated the obvious. And I started to laugh as I walked back across the street.
They just shook their heads at me as I retreated into my house.
Dave had gone to the store to pick something up.  If I had bothered to notice the car was not in the driveway, I might have saved myself some embarrassment.

Over the weekend, the neighbor was washing his truck.  I shouted across the street to him, "If I call you honey again, will you wash my jeep?"
He declined.

To continue our Salad Summer, I made this delicious entree salad.  It has shrimp for the protein, mixed baby greens, berries for the antioxidants, and avocado for a healthy fat.  The shrimp were grilled and brushed with a sweet rum marinade.  I'm sure this is brain food, and obviously, I need it.

Grilled Shrimp Salad

For the Shrimp
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp (I use 26-30 count)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt

For the Rum glaze
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup corn syrup
3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the Salad
Mixed baby greens, depends on how large you want your portions
1 pink grapefruit
1 cup blackberries
1 avocado

For the Dressing
1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup good olive oil
salt
pepper
minced garlic, optional
1 tsp. Dijon mustard

If using wooden skewers, completely submerge in water, soak for 1 hour or longer.

Mix canola oil, lemon juice pepper, salt and garlic in a large ziplock bag.  Add shrimp.  Seal and chill for 15 minutes.  Thread shrimp on skewers.

Combine brown sugar, rum, corn syrup, mustard, vinegar, butter, salt, cinnamon, and pepper in a saucepan.  Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes until syrupy.

Mix mustard, salt, pepper, and vinegar together in small bowl.  Whisking constantly, drizzle olive oil into vinegar mixture.  Set aside.

Rinse greens and dry, I love my salad spinner for this.  Divide among 4 plates.

Cut grapefruit segments, and divide between plates.  Rinse berries and divide between plates.  Cut avocado and divide between four plates.

Grill shrimp skewers, 3 minutes each side, over medium-low heat.  Brushing with rum glaze several times. (Because of the sugar content, it tends to burn easily, so I brush the glaze on after each side gets cooked).

Remove shrimp from skewers and divide among salads.  Pass dressing separately.
Serves 4


June 17, 2013   Sunrise 2:59 am  Sunset 12:45 am  Temp. H 88/ L 59 ºF

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi with Bacon

Since the season of eating is upon us, and I am taking full advantage of it, I decided I needed to kick up my work-outs a little.  I began walking/running on my quilt-hanger treadmill the mornings I don't go to the gym.

I do feel a little bad about it since I am a morning person and get up about 5:00, and Dave goes to bed about 1:00 a.m., and the treadmill is in the family room right next to our bedroom.  I kinda sound like a herd of elephants running on the noisy treadmill, early in the morning.  I try to be considerate and I don't turn the t.v. on, I listen to my iPod and I don't sing out-loud (I know, thoughtful on a couple of counts there.

So, there I was about 15 minutes into a good walk/run, I had peeled off my sweatshirt and hung it over the banister, was running at a good pace and a new song came on my iPod.  Suddenly I hear this voice in my left ear, I turned slightly to the left and caught sight of my sweatshirt and thought someone was coming up the stairs!  At 5:00 in the morning!  I literally jumped and tripped a little.  I realized what happened, harmony in the song and the sweatshirt and I laughed quietly to myself at how foolish I had been.  I finished up my run and started to walk to cool down.  About that time, Dave came out of the bedroom.  I pulled out an ear bud, and asked if the treadmill woke him up.

"The treadmill didn't wake me up, you did, when you yelled, Oh sh**."
"I yelled, Oh sh**?" I asked in amazement.
"Yep, and I can't get back to sleep now."

I had no idea I yelled when I startled myself, I never heard it (I was listening to Christian Rock at the time, with ear buds in, over a loud treadmill).  I told Dave we should move the treadmill downstairs so I wouldn't wake him up.  He just grunted and went back to bed.

I felt I needed to make it up to him a little.  I am going to get back on that treadmill Thursday for another round, and I did wake him up after about 4 hours of sleep for him.  He isn't a sweet eater but he loves shrimp, butter, bacon and pasta.  I decided to put them all together for dinner and see if I could make up a little for the early wake up. (I do want to comment he said he heard me stumble and laid in bed to see if I fell off the treadmill or if I was o.k., sweet until you realize HE LAID IN BED, I could have been in a pile on the floor).  If you need a make-up dinner, this one is wonderful.  The best part about it is, you also get to eat it.  Yum!

Lemon Pepper Shrimp Scampi with Bacon
adapted from (and apologies to) Cooking Light Magazine, November 2012

• 8 oz. fettuccine noodles
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 4 slices thick cut bacon 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
•  7 teaspoons unsalted butter, divided 
• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined jumbo shrimp
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
• juice of one whole fresh lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. 1. Cook fettuccine according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Place fettuccine in a medium bowl. Stir in parsley and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and keep warm.
2. While fettuccine cooks fry 4 pieces of bacon until very crisp.  Drain on paper towel.  Cool and coarsely chop.   Discard bacon fat and wipe out pan.
3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add half of shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer shrimp to a plate. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in pan. Add remaining shrimp to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until almost done. Transfer to plate.
4. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in pan. Add garlic to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in shrimp, juice, and pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are done.
5. Plate fettuccine, top with shrimp and pan sauce, top with chopped bacon.

Shrimp Cakes with Tomatoes on Solstice

Solstice, or the longest day of the year, is cause for celebration in Fairbanks.  Everyone celebrates the fact that we all lived through another long winter and we have extra daylight and warm weather.  The town celebrates in force and all week.  There is a street fair all night downtown, the Gold Panners, Fairbanks minor league baseball team, plays a game at night without the need for lights, the Midnight Sun Run will happen this weekend and everyone gets out and celebrates.
We will go to the street fair and eat our way through the vendors.  The antique cars will be on display and music will be playing.  You see old friends, visit and move on to the next treat to eat.  Since there is so many treats I want to start our evening off with something light and healthy.  These corn cakes on spinach salad is the perfect thing.
The cakes are sweet with corn and shrimp.  The tomatoes on top add a nice acidity to counter balance the sweetness and the greens brighten it all up.  I like to eat this with a little lemon juice squeezed over the top, Dave eats it with blue cheese dressing (he eats all salads with blue cheese dressing).  It will be a healthy start to our longest day of the year night.

Shrimp and Corn Cakes with Tomatoes
adapted from Cooking Light, June 2012

• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds mixed heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and minced
• 1 1/2 ounces masa harina (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cups fresh corn kernels, divided (about 4 large ears)
• 1 tablespoon low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 12 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided

Preparation

1. 1. Combine first 8 ingredients; set aside.
2. 2. Weigh or lightly spoon flours into measuring cups. ­Combine flours, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a bowl.
3. 3. Place 1 1/2 cups corn and next 4 ingredients (through egg) in the bowl of a food processor; process until smooth. Combine pureed corn mixture, remaining 1 1/2 cups corn, bell pepper, shrimp, green onions, and garlic in a large bowl. Add flour mixture, stirring gently until moist.
4. 4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add 4 (1/4-cup) batter mounds to pan, pressing each with the back of a spatula to slightly flatten; cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden and thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan; keep warm. Repeat procedure twice with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and batter. Serve with salsa

June 20, 2012     Daylight  21 hours,  50 minutes     Current Temp. 61 ºF

Spinach Salad with warm Bacon and Mushroom dressing and Crispy Shrimp

I try to make a good, entree style salad at least once a week.  It is easy this time of year when the produce is fresh, it is so different than when it is 40 below and all our produce seems a little sad and slightly frost-bit.  Dave really only likes red meat so I try to get extra greens on the table to help counteract all the cholesterol.  I served this with a crusty french loaf.  It was a fresh light dinner for Spring.

 Crispy Shrimp
from Cooking Light March 2012
makes 4 servings, but for us, dinner and some left-overs for Dave's lunch

• 3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), divided
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

 Preparation  Combine 1/4 cup panko, parsley, thyme, and crushed red pepper in a mini food processor; pulse to combine. Combine herb mixture with remaining 1/2 cup panko in a shallow dish. Place cornstarch and egg whites in separate shallow dishes. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and black pepper. Dredge half of shrimp in cornstarch, shaking off excess; dip into egg whites. Dredge shrimp in panko mixture; press to adhere. Repeat procedure with remaining shrimp.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of shrimp to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat with remaining oil and shrimp.  Cover to keep warm while you make the dressing.

If you want to save more oil, preheat the oven to 425ºF, warm a cookie sheet in the oven, prep your shrimp, spray the pan with cooking oil, lay shrimp on pan in a single layer, spray shrimp with cooking spray. Bake 12-15 minutes until shrimp is cooked through.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon and Mushroom Dressing
Makes 2 salads
4 cups fresh spinach
4 strips bacon, chopped
2 cups mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. olive oil, if needed
salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon until crispy, remove to paper towel lined plate.  Discard all but 2 Tbsp. bacon fat.  Add mushrooms to bacon fat and cook 3-5 minutes until tender.  Add 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar and 1/4 cup water, cook until liquid is reduced by half.  Add up to 2 Tbsp. olive oil if needed, taste and add salt and pepper if needed.  Plate 2 cups of spinach on each plate, divide dressing between two plates, top with shrimp, serve immediately.


May 8, 2012     Daylight  17 hours, 56 minutes, 46 seconds     Current Temp. 42ºF

Cioppino

January has been a cold one.  We hit -50º F for the first time in 6 years.  It's bad enough that it is so dark and cold, but to break cold records is really not anything anyone wants to do.
One of the joys of retirement and my new job is the time and temperature sign across the street.  I see it from my window.  Every day about 11:15 I check the temperature and get so much satisfaction out of the fact that I'm not doing indoor recess duty or if it is -19º or warmer, outside recess duty.  Kids in Fairbanks go outside for their 30 minute recess until -20º.  One of my friends said they have had indoor recess for 24 days now.  I think my co-workers got tired of me announcing the time and temp. every day with the comment "It's 27 below, I don't have to do indoor recess duty." or "It's 18 below, I don't have to do outside recess duty."
My husband complains every evening about the fact that he has to bring wood in for the wood stove. (I guess it is kind of like his recess duty!)  I'm sure it gets old, bundling up, going outside and carrying several armloads of wood.  He usually does it twice a day.  I felt sort of sorry for him, so I planned a nice warm Cioppino.  I don't eat bi-valves and I don't really like shrimp, so I made the soup base, cooked the fish, scallops and clams separately, then put the fish in the bowl and covered with the soup base, then added the scallops and clams to his bowl.  We rounded the meal out with a crisp salad and warm crusty bread from the oven.  It was heaven.  Now that I warmed him up, he can go outside and bring some wood in.

Cioppino
adapted from Cooking Light, January 2012

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup organic vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 (35-ounce) can whole tomatoes with basil, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
• 1 (10-ounce) yellowtail snapper fillet, cut into 8 (1-inch) cubes
• 4 sea scallops (about 6 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 medium peeled and deveined shrimp (about 5 ounces)
• 12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; sauté 1 minute. Add garlic; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine and next 5 ingredients (through tomatoes); cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.
2. Sprinkle snapper and scallops with black pepper. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add snapper and scallops; cook 90 seconds on each side or until golden brown. Add snapper, scallops, shrimp, and clams to broth mixture. Cover and cook 4 minutes or until clams open; discard any unopened shells. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.

Tips:
I used a can of diced tomatoes with basil.  It is what I had in my pantry.  The soup was a little thicker than a traditional Cioppino because of it.  Drain the tomatoes for a more broth-like consistency.

I cooked the fish separately due to food allergies and my aversion to bi-valves.  It was easy to do and would be very doable for a family where kids could build their own bowls with a selection of seafood.

I used Halibut for our fish, you can use any white sustainable fish you like.

February 1, 2012     Daylight  6 hours,  51 minutes,  56 seconds     Current Temp. -25 º F

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

One of the joys of frozen roasted tomatoes and garlic is how easy this dish becomes.  It is warm, satisfying and quick.  You can make it with canned tomatoes, and once my roasted tomatoes from my green house are gone that is what I'll do, but there is something very satisfying to me to pull together a meal with products we grew, caught or hunted ourselves.
This recipe comes from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave, I don't think we have tried anything from that book we didn't like.  I like to serve it with brown rice and a crusty baguette, hot from the oven.  It is truly comfort food at it's finest.

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
adapted from Ellie Krieger The Food You Crave

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
•  One 28 oz. container of roasted tomatoes and garlic (you can substitute 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes and 2 cloves of garlic minced)
• 1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and de-veined
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in an oven proof skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the roasted tomatoes and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken.

Remove from the heat. Stir in the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and cheese melts, about 12 minutes. Top with parsley and serve with brown rice or orzo.
November 12, 2011     Daylight    6 hours,  33 minutes,   39seconds     Current Temp. 7º F