Shrimp Po' Boys

You know what happens when you watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives late at night? You start to crave some random meal. At least that is what happened to me after watching some episode where they were making mouth watering Shrimp Po' Boys. My first thought is, OMG! I have to make Shrimp Po' boys NOW. I don't care if it is 12:00 in the morning. For me the key to a good Shrimp Po' Boy is having fresh shrimp (I try to only purchase shrimp when it is in season. Why yes, I am a food snob). You also have to have amazing fresh, soft bread and top it off with some homegrown tomatoes. Cajun tarter sauce is also a requirement in my book. 

Shrimp Po' Boys:

1 small container Buttermilk

1 Tablespoon Tabasco  

1 pound fresh Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

Cajun seasonings

1/4 cup canola oil for frying

french bread

iceberg lettuce, shredded

tomatoes, sliced

Cajun tarter sauce

Directions:

Peel and devein shrimp. In a large bowl, combine buttermilk and Tabasco. Add in shrimp. Place in fridge for 2 hours. 

Place a large frying skillet on medium high heat on the stove. Add in Canola oil. Combine cornmeal and flour.  Dredge shrimp and add them to the skillet. Cook about 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown. If all the shrimp do not fit into your skillet, then fry in batches. 

After the shrimp have finished cooking, remove them from the skillet and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Dust them with Cajun seasonings. 

Cajun Tater Sauce:

1 1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tablespoons Wickles or pickle relish

1 Tablespoon grainy mustard

1 tablespoon green onion
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper 

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

To prepare the Shrimp Po' boys, cut the french bread into 4 pieces. Spread Cajun tarter sauce onto bread, add shredded lettuce, shrimp and tomatoes.

Enjoy!

Organic Gardening and Growing your own food

We are fortunate to have a huge backyard at our new home. When we moved in we decided to dedicate one side yard for a garden. I've always wanted to grow veggies and herbs. Our plants are planted in raised beds in a compost blend (New Earth) and are watered by a drip line irrigation system that my husband installed. If you are gardening in Texas, raised beds are a must. Our soil is mostly caliche, which basically means you are digging in rock. Watering is definitely a must here as well. We can go for days with 100 degree temperatures.  

Here are some pros and cons to growing your own food:

Cons-  

*Bugs* If you are planning on a Organic garden you must realize that there are lots of little creatures that will find your garden tasty. We have not used any chemicals on our garden at all and just let nature take its course. I'm sure your local garden center has many organic products that are available and would be happy to advise you. After squash bugs almost demolished all our squash, I realized I'm probably going to have to cover my new plants next year. 

*Weather* Luckily, we have not had a huge hail storm this year...knock on wood. I have seen what one of these storms will do to tomato plants and it is not pretty.

Pros-

*Convenience* There is nothing better than being able to walk outside and pick fresh herbs for a dish I'm going to making. 

*It is Economical* Have you seen the price of herbs? I usually pay $3.99 for a fresh herbs and end up throwing half of them away since I just need a few. 

*Bragging Rights* I'm picturing a conversation along the lines of.....

YOUR Friends or Family: WOW, _______________(insert your name here) This is the best salad I've ever had.

YOU: Thanks. I just made it with some fresh herbs and lettuce I picked from my garden. 

YOUR Friends or Family. WOW, _________________(insert your name here) You are such a food snob! 


As you can see the pros way out number the cons. I promise this blog will not turn into a gardening blog, however if you would like to see more of my garden, please visit my gardening blog at Rambling Wren.

Happy Fourth of July