Thai Shrimp

photo by frozenflies

Here I sit, drowning in my poison ivy but thankful, nonetheless, for the great summer we've experienced so far. While a gaggle of girls giggle down in the basement (remnants from a sleepover with overdoses of junkfood) and two sleeping boys from their own late night, I find myself surprisingly relaxed and enjoying the peace of a rainy, Sunday morning. Short-lived, I know. Soon that gaggle of girls will bound up the stairs and destroy my kitchen with the makings of breakfast at noon.

I hope you've all made the most of this summer. It seems so busy and I actually find myself welcoming the routine of fall. I guess us Canadians are forced to squeeze in as much seasonal fun as we can; cramming these months with camping, swimming, concerts in the park, poolside parties and dockside frolicking. As great as this time of year is, I am truly looking forward to fall for the following reasons:

• working from home without constant interuptions and eruptions from my offspring
• having friends all back from holidays so we can catch up with one other
• the sweet scent of changing leaves and the bountiful colours that come with it
• our town's fall fair
  
• mountain bike rides without humidity
• cleaning the house and having it stay clean while the kids are at school
• simmering aromas from roast beef dinners and harvest corn chowder; things I never cook in summer
• hiking in the forest without bugs
• more time for magazine writing
  
• the hibernation of the dreaded poison ivy plant that has plagued me this summer
• wearing my favourite faded jeans and hoodies
• peppermint tea on cool mornings
  

I also look forward to posting more often with the promise of spreading new, great recipes and random thoughts. To all of you, enjoy the last few weeks this beautiful summer brings! Until then, I leave you with my cousin Kathy's (yes, the same Kathy who brought you the ice cream cake) Shrimp dish. She served this up while at the lake and even my husband, who does not eat seafood, loved it.
(my two beautiful cousins, Kathy and Dianne)




Spicy Thai Shrimp

4 lbs. Peeled cooked shrimp, thawed
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 whole lime, finely grate the peel
1 whole lime, juiced
2 Tbsp fresh (or dried) cilantro
2 Tbsp honey
¼ cup finely chopped chili peppers (I used jarred banana peppers)
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons grated ginger (TIP: keep ginger root in the freezer, waaay easier to grate; and I don’t measure this, just grated a bunch, I’m sure more than 2 tsp.)

Pour over shrimp and marinate for 8 hours.

peppermint tea photo by louisahennessyvikinghorns
shrimp photo by jenianddean on flickr