CUTE COOKIES AT DOUGH RAYE MI BAKERY

 Recently, I came across an old friend and neighbor on Facebook and discovered that she started her own cookie baking business, "Dough Raye Mi  Bakery."  The cookies are so delicious and so adorably decorated, I just had to share some of the picture with you.

If you  are interested in ordering some cookies for your next party or just for fun, you can contact Marsha at: mccarronc@bellsouth.net or check out some more of her great cookie masterpieces on Instagram at: doughrayemibakery

ON THE MENU: CAMARONES ENCHILADOS (Cuban-Style)

I remember growing up, that delicious smell on a Saturday afternoon when my mom & dad would cook  Cuban-style creole shrimp (camarones enchilados, if you are Cuban!) And yes, my parents cooked together, although the enchilado part was kind of my dad's specialty!  I remember how he use to put me to work by peeling the shrimp that we purchased from a guy on a truck selling seafood.  When I think about that today, I would never buy seafood from a guy in a truck, but back in the day, growing up in Hialeah, we knew the guy and we knew he was a fisherman and all his seafood was fresh.

I figured this would be a great recipe to make my kids since they love shrimp. Now, all I have to do is convince my husband to get involved and he will give it the "creole" part since he loves cooking with spice.

I found a Shrimp Creole recipe that comes slightly close to my dad's recipe!

Camarones enchilados recipe
1 1/2 lb shrimp (21-25 per pound size), peeled, de-veined, peels reserved
1/2 tsp salt
1 T plus 1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 8-oz can low sodium tomato sauce
1 cup jarred red pimentos, and their liquid
1 T white wine vinegar 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup fresh peas
1/4 cup fresh parsely, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a small saucepan, saute the the shrimp peels in heated olive oil over medium high heat for about (5) minutes. Add 3/4 cups of water, 1/2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain the broth into a bowl and discard the shells. Set broth aside.
2. In a caldero or 4-inch deep large saute pan, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, green bell peppers, oregano, cumin and bay leaf. Saute, stirring frequently, for 12 to 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender but not caramelized.

3. Stir in wine and let reduce for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and the shrimp shell stock, the peppers and their liquid, vinegar, and Tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Add the peeled shrimp and fresh peas, cover and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes, until shrimp turns pink and curls slightly. (Be careful not to overcook them; they can turn rubbery if overdone.)

5. Stir in the parsley and let cook for another minute or 2. 

Serve over a bed of white or brown rice. I of course, prefer white rice!  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Camarones a la Criollo is a tasty mix of shrimp and sweet tomato sofrito sauce served over rice. It is a quick and fail safe recipe. One of the things I like about typical Cuban foods like this recipe is that you don’t have to use a lot of seasonings or spices, because every thing is simple and made with ingredients that grow naturally.

Read more at http://www.ifood.tv/recipe/shrimp-creole-3#yoDerewhs0cgYiUA.99

WEIRD STUFF GOING ON

Okay so we've been through a lot lately and I'm thinking, things should just smooth out for a while and let us catch our breath. You know, with this whole health thing we went through but no! Of course, life doesn't work that way! It's always something! When one thing goes wrong, it seems everything follows. I've been quietly job-hunting because so far this blog is not bringing in any money unless of course, you are an advertiser who wants to promote something here??? Wishful thinking, I know. But anyway,luckily, I don't have any major gripes or life threatening problems - had enough of that. But lately I'm starting to think, perhaps it's time go for a little cleansing?

Hmmm? I never believed in that kinda crap but may just maybe it's not such a bad idea.

I mean what do you think? It's all materialistic of course, but nonetheless it makes me wonder if there is some type of negative energy roaming around my house, or if this kind of s*@! happens to everybody after while.

Let me explain. In a matter of just a few weeks we have had almost every major appliance or electronic gadget go on the fritz. For starters, my MAC computer (with my 7,ooo + picture collection) blew up, just like that. Decided to stop working. They tell me the power supply is no good and the computer is too old to salvage, so I wait patiently until I can get another one. Then one week later, our family's big screen tv decides it no longer wants to turn on. Zilch. Nada. Kaput. Then on the same week, my cell phone no longer works. Four days later, I'm in the kitchen and smell something burning and I know it's not me, because I'm not cooking! I check and it's the microwave. It too, decided to go on hiatus - permanently! Wait, I know there's more, let me think. This one is a small one but huge to my kids - the Wii remote decided to stop working one fine Saturday morning. Oh, yeah, and wait,this morning, I go to use the house phone - dead. We have no outside lines. Not broken but still weird. Then three hours later, we have a guest over the house and she goes to pour herself a glass of water from our fridge. (I know there are two things wrong there: one, why wasn't I kind enough to serve her a glass of water and two: why in the world would she drink water from the fridge?) But screw that, those answers are irrelevant.

So, she places the cup underneath the water receptacle and bam!! The water comes out. And comes out and out and won't stop!!!! Now you tell me, should I be concerned or what?

In the meantime, while you ponder all these little mishaps and give me that answer, I'm going to play it on the superstitious safe-side and resolve with a visit back home to the "homeland in the "Big H and get some remedies!