Thursday, March 11, 2010

Cravings—the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

RileyAdamsFoodBlogPostpic_thumb_thumb So…it’s Monday. And I’m really in the mood for a shrimp po’ boy.

Instead of going to any number of restaurants in the greater-Charlotte, NC, area and getting a po’ boy to go, I decided to make one myself. For lunch. Because I sort of have the ingredients.

Shrimp—check. It’s frozen, not fresh, but they’re tiger shrimp and absolutely wonderful. Not like fresh, but still really good.

A hoagie roll? –Um…uncheck. But we did have barbeque a couple of nights ago and I still have a couple of hamburger buns. They’d do in a pinch.

The rest of the ingredients? I had them. I had the lettuce, the tomato.

What didn’t I take into account? It was a Monday. That’s the day when all Hades breaks loose on a semi-regular basis. I was sassy. That was the problem!

Before I continue I want to let y’all know that this po’boy was delish! The breading was what made it so satisfying. I loved it!

But I ran into a few problems.

002 First of all, I had to defrost that shrimp, y’all. And I wanted that po’boy right then, so I wasn’t about to let it just defrost in the fridge..no way. So I ran it under the cold water to defrost it. Because (and this is a con for giving into a craving) cravings can’t wait.

But while the shrimp were defrosting, I decided to go and heat up the oil for the frying. This was a mistake. The defrosting definitely took some time and I shouldn’t have gotten the oil started. See….cravings make you greedy.

So…the smoke detector doesn’t like that oil cooking. And, t007o my surprise, my whole downstairs went smoky! But nothing was burning. Except, I guess, the frying oil.

So the corgi starts going WILD! She is completely fired up. What I can’t understand, though? Why she thinks I can’t hear the smoke detector (which is about as loud as a pneumatic drill) but I can hear her hysterical barking. So she’s determined to rescue me, but I’m more worried about whether the shrimp are defrosting in the sink.

008Finally, I put the corgi outside. Enough! Enough with the barking! By this time, the corgi believes I’ve completely lost my mind and am about to be consumed by the non-existent flames. She throws her body at the door and whimpers…then barks. I’m pretty convinced by now that the neighbors will be calling the fire department, between the dog and the alarm (and, yes, all my windows are open to let that smoke out.)

006The smoke detector is still going off, but I whip up my breading of breadcrumbs and Old Bay.

I mix. I dip the finally-defrosted shrimp in the milk/egg mixture. I fry the shrimp.

I put it all together in my sandwich.

The smoke detector has finally stopped. The air is clearing. The corgi is snoozing in the sun and the 65 degree temps.

014 I take a bite of that sandwich, and it’s the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth! Then…the phone rings. It’s the elementary school. The nurse—reproachful. My daughter has a fever of 102…would I please come get her?

Thankfully, the sandwich was just as good heated up.

Simple Shrimp Po’Boy

011

  • Frying oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 2-3 T Old Bay
  • Sliced tomato
  • Lettuce
  • Mustard (regular or spicy, your preference)
  • Tabasco sauce

Directions

Preheat 1-inch of oil in a deep pan over medium-med-high heat. Don’t overheat it! :)

Beat the egg and milk together and put the peeled shrimp in to soak. Mix the breadcrumbs and Old Bay in a Ziplock bag.

Put the shrimp in the Ziplock and shake until coated. Fry the breaded shrimp in the oil until the breading is golden and the parts of the shrimp that you can see through the breading are pink and white (about 5 minutes.)

Put shrimp on a bun with lettuce and tomato, squirt with lemon juice to taste and top with mustard.

Enjoy! :)

Riley/Elizabeth
Delicious and Suspicious (July 6 2010) Riley Adams
Pretty is as Pretty Dies –Elizabeth Spann Craig

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com

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16 comments:

  1. The stories that go with the recipes are as good as the recipes. That's one thing that makes this site such a wonderful place to visit. I feel your pain with the smoke detector. Our smoke detector goes off every time I cook salmons so I've started taking the thing down until after I finish cooking. :) Your recipes sounds great.

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  2. Now I'M craving a shrimp po'boy! See what you've done??

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  3. Love your story, Elizabeth. There are just days like that, aren't there? You had me laughing through the whole thing. But now I'm craving a Po' Boy. I had my first one ever during my trip to NC and although Molly said they weren't all that great, I enjoyed it. Hmm... I wonder if I have any shrimp in the freezer...

    Thanks for the story, E!
    Julie

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  4. Mason--There are times I want to take that smoke detector off the wall! But then I'd surely forget to put it back up...and the house would be on fire. Sigh. :)

    Shel--Cravings are catching! Now you'll have to do it to me...put me in the mood to eat something. It's easy! :)

    Julie--I think it depends on the breading that you choose. I made up a really simple breading, but the Old Bay gives it a nice taste. That shrimp was just calling my name!!

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  5. Well, the end result looks divine! LOL!

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  6. LOL - don't you hate those days. A fun read. Glad your shrimp were yummy. I love 'em, too.

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  7. Days like that? How about weeks like that?! Just kidding. (Okay, maybe not.) But you had me laughing. And the sandwich sounds yummy. Hope your daughter is okay. Best ~ Avery

    AveryAames.com

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  8. Oh, Elizabeth, what a day! Yesterday, I had to take my Golden Retriever somewhere and sure enough, I managed to set off the alarm on my car. Oy! Had no idea how to turn the stupid thing off.

    Your Po' Boy sounds like a perfect outdoor lunch for friends -- when the weather gets a little warmer. I'm looking forward to it!

    ~ Krista

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  9. You have made me hoot! Great story, Elizabeth. I so "get" the whole story about Chloe feeling the need to save you. Harley would have been doing those same crazy things (don't we love 'em?!)
    And now you've got me craving one of these delicious sandwiches!!! YUM!

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  10. LOL! I love your story, E! Your is definitely
    a keeper. And now I desperately want a po'boy!

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  11. HA! That's supposed to be your *corgi* is definitely a keeper! Oiy, more coffee asap.

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  12. Jeanne--Thanks! :)

    Carol--They're SO good. Sometimes I just have these shrimp cravings that MUST be satisfied!

    Avery--I try to forget the weeks I've had like that! Yes, she's okay...now. She had strep throat, but after a couple of days on the antibiotic, she's as good as new!

    Krista--And *that's* embarrassing! Because everyone starts looking at you like you're a car thief. LOL! I've done that before. Was your furry baby barking, too?

    Kaye--Chloe was such a sweetie...a LOUD sweetie! I felt bad for her because she was so convinced I was in trouble. Poor thing. She was absolutely frantic and must have been wondering why I was so stupidly calm!

    Jenn--More coffee for me, too! Wow, I don't know if it's the weather, but I'm falling asleep today!

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  13. This sounds so good right now! When chaos and cravings come calling, you need to indulge in the cravings.

    I hope your daughter is feeling better. We went through that last week!

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  14. Janel--Sometimes we just *have* to give into the craving!

    She's feeling a lot better. Thank goodness for Amoxicillan! :)

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  15. Nah, the corgi was just trying to help you cook, then wanted to be an official taste tester, and if need be rescue you from the fire that wasn't after eating the po'boy (how's that for a run on sentence). OR give you the corgi eye bore if by chance you didn't want to share..(I have two, so know the look). The recipe looks great.

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  16. Ann--Oh, you're right. Because I could teach my corgi to fly a plane if I just offered her little tasty treats every step of the way! She's just a tummy with feet. :) Having 2, you must feel surrounded sometimes! They do love their food...

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