Where Are Those Food Fairies?

Once again, I had a day where I just wasn't feeling the menu plan.  I wanted something quick and easy that I really didn't have to think much about.  Actually, I wanted the food fairies to come and prepare the meal for me, but unfortunately food fairies were not part of my resolution...I'll remember that for next year.  After consulting with cookbooks, many different websites, I finally found something that sounded good.  Most importantly, this dish was quick and easy and did not require too much thinking.

Tuscan Shrimp

1 10 oz package frozen shrimp peeled and deveined (thawed)
2 cups frozen normandy style vegetables (thawed)
1 cup Lawry's Tuscan Sun-Dried Tomato marinad with minced Garlic and Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place shrimp and vegetables in 2 separate large resealable plastic bags.  Pour 1/2 of the marinade into each bag. Turn to coat well. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Remove shrimp from refrigerator and arrange marinade and shrimp in a shallow baking dish. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

Put vegetables and marinade in a microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 5 minutes.

Place the marinaded vegetables on the plate and top with the marinaded shrimp, and there you have it.  Quick and easy - exactly the dish I was looking for.

Until tomorrow...

Caribbean...It's not the Mediterranean But It's Still a Sea

So, my son bought DH a Caribbean Kabob Kit for Christmas -don't you just love the Santa Shops at the schools? Some of the sweetest gifts are the ones that our kids pick out all by themselves - at least I think so.

Anyway, the Caribbean Kabob Kit was the inspiration for tonight's dinner. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah - I know it's not Mediterranean, but the Caribbean is a sea too - so that's close enough.  Besides, I didn't break any Mediterranean rules - just used some different  other sea inspired spices.

In the land of unknown cooking knowledge, I also learned that kabobs don't have to be grilled.  They cook just fine in the oven - good news for winter weather kabobery. Just put those food swords in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes on each side and voila!

Tonight's dinner special at the Table 4 Five is..

• Caribbean Shrimp Kabobs
• Rainbow Rotini
• Merlot (milk and water for those whose ages are still single digits or 2 digits beginning with a 1)

This was a very yummy meal, if I do say so myself.  The kabobs had shrimp, mushrooms, red bell peppers, and green bell peppers.  The Caribbean Kabob Kit marinade consisted of coriander seeds, salt, onion flakes, and sugar mixed with the favorite oil of the Mediterranean people - that which comes from the olive.  There was a little bit of the marinade left over, so I mixed it with the rainbow rotini to give this colorful pasta a little bit of zing.

Who knew this food bloggery would be so much fun?

Until tomorrow...

Regina Culina