Chicken and Oranges

So you may have clicked on this blog to try and understand where I’m going with “chicken and oranges.” A few years ago I decided to get creative with a recipe I had been wanting to try out on my family. The online reviews were good and I thought the fam would enjoy something “out of the ordinary.” I made some of their favorite side dishes in anticipation of a special, almost “gourmet like” dinner. If I remember correctly, I even went the extra mile to finish it all off with homemade fruit cobbler!

The table was set. I was so proud of myself! Thoughts like “I should have been a chef”, “My family doesn’t know how lucky they are” and “Maybe I should be trying out for the Food Network Show, Chopped” came to mind.

I explained to my husband it was a new recipe and that was a smashing success online. As he took his first bite his face was not what I anticipated. His expression reminded me of every time I’ve ever received a gift from someone on a special occasion that was not my taste. You know, when the gift giver is so excited to see your expression when you open the box and at lightning speed you put your academy award winning skills to test. My husband doesn’t possess this talent. It was so obvious it was a food flavor failure.

So to make a very long story shorter, I write this blog for therapy. Confessions of a wife and mother with severe “creative recipe food fatigue.” After that disappointing night may years ago, I have chosen to avoid any recipe that mixes animal with fruit. My dreams of being a master chef are over and its back to the drawing board everyday to find something new and exciting. All that said, we vacationed at the beach this past weekend. As I left Matt’s Fish Camp in Rehobeth, I noticed a lot of people ordering a Lobster Roll. Something I was afraid to waste money trying. I found the following recipe online for Sriracha Shrimp rolls. It is delicious. DISCLAIMER: It does mix animal with lime juice.

Buttering and toasting the rolls adds tons of rich flavor; don’t be tempted to skip that step.

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s)
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chile sauce, such as Huy Fong)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/4 cup finely chopped English cucumber
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 4 New England–style top-split hot dog rolls
• 5 teaspoons butter, melted

Mix everything up in a bowl and serve on buttered/toasted rolls.

These are my thoughts today…

1. Food can be exhilarating and exhausting at the same time.
2. Blogs are therapeutic and confessions of sort
3. Every choose joy!