Wednesday in Numbers: The Zoo Edition

Wow, what a day!

Just an FYI for anyone that may have an objection: this post contains photos of animals in captivity as we spent the day at the zoo. No lectures about how terrible zoos are, just either enjoy or ignore the pictures!

188: Campers in attendance today

17: Campers between the ages of 4.5 and 7 in my group today

5: Wonderfully amazing “junior counselors” that kept me and my group sane today

2: Wonderfully amazing older campers that opted to hang with my group today

96: Degrees Fahrenheit the temperature hit today

106: Heat index in degrees Fahrenheit

1: Baby zebra seen

87.2: Pounds this baby zebra weighed at birth

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11: Songs the older campers made up, beginning with the zebra, about each animal we saw

4: Kangaroos seen jumping happily in the heat

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8: Campers that thought the Spanish word for kangaroo (kangarú) was HILARIOUS

4: Cafe tables occupied by my camp group at the zoo cafe to eat lunch

7: Obnoxious sea gulls that thought their lunches and the campers’ lunches were one and the same

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3: Big cats seen inside the “Big Cat House”

1: Panthers seen sitting inside a cardboard box, just like my cats at home do

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2: Lions seen outside in their habitat area

1: Male lions seen roaring and batting at his mate

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2: Giraffes with purple tongues we saw galavanting

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1: Incredibly funny polar bear that seemed to be mocking us with his “ha ha I’m in the cold water and you’re outside sweating” attitute

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3: Confused-looking meerkats seen as they were all called “Timon” by throngs of campers

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23: Different animals ridden on the Zoo Carousel as a way to cool off

12: Glasses of water generously given to us by a nice girl at the ice cream stand

2: Monkeys seen playing with what looked like a paper grocery bag

1: Monkey seen that seemed to think the paper grocery bag was, indeed, his morning paper

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20: Popsicles purchased after campers were extremely well-behaved all day

20: Hilarious bright green faces that ensued from said popsicles

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44: Minutes spent on the oh-so-hot bus to return to camp

2: Much-needed bottles of water (64 oz nalgenes!) drunk between boarding the bus and leaving for dinner

1: Emilys I met up with for dinner after camp. (Former coworker and Bradley University friend)

1: Pints of Woodchuck Pear Cider consumed (Please excuse lousy phone photos to follow)

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1: Small Caesar salad consumed with Parmesan crispies

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1: Gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato bisque consumed by Emily

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1: Bowls of jambalaya with brown rice, crawfish, sausage, and amazing sauce I consumed

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5: Inappropriate jokes made about the intertwined shrimp atop the rice

3: “Teaser” rainstorms I drove through on the way home

1: Scoops of low fat no sugar added ice cream I stopped for on the way home

4: Couch cushions I’m currently occupying while writing this post

1: Beds calling my name

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Mara @ What's For Dinner?, July 7th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in dinner out, friends

Picked a Winner

I’ve talked a few other times about “recipe trust”.

You know, those people that, when they send you a recipe, you know it must be tried? I’ve got a few people that I trust unconditionally when it comes to recipes.

Well, my mom is one of those people. I don’t know that there’s ever been a recipe that she’s sent or given me that hasn’t been a great one. So, when a recipe from my mom popped up in my inbox the other day, and then she confirmed that it was indeed good, I knew it was going on our menu this week.

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Puerto Vallarta-style shrimp burgers with avocado aioli

From MSNBC/Today

Chef Marcela Valladolid

Yield: 6 servings; prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 6 to 8 minutes


INGREDIENTS

For the shrimp burgers:

• 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded and diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped white onion
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• Bulky Ciabatta rolls, split in half
• 2 plum tomatoes, sliced
• 6 lettuce leaves or a mixture of baby lettuce leaves

For the avocado aioli:

• 1 Haas avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 serrano chile, cut in half and seeded
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

To make the shrimp burgers:
Divide the shrimp in half. Coarsely chop one half and set aside. Put remaining half in a food processor and grind to a coarse puree. Add egg, cilantro and garlic to processor. Process until smooth. Sprinkle mixture with breadcrumbs and process again. Transfer contents of food processor to a large bowl. Add coarsely chopped shrimp, poblano chile and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well. Chill for 15 minutes. Form patties or “burgers” and set aside.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet. When very hot, fry the shrimp burgers until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on thickness. Drain on paper towels.
To make the avocado aioli:
Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic cloves, serrano chile, cilantro, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. Check and adjust seasoning.
 To assemble:
Serve shrimp burgers on buns, topped with a dollop of avocado aioli, sliced tomato and lettuce.


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Circle the calendar, folks… I followed a recipe to the letter! Now, my suggestions: Cut the garlic in the aoli down to about half a clove. There’s a serious burn there with the garlic and serrano chile! If you don’t have a poblano handy, just use a drained small can of roasted green chiles. I only got 5 burgers out of the recipe, but I think my “rough estimate” of half a 2-lb bag of frozen shrimp was a bit under. I’d also increase the cilantro (if you like it) in the burgers as well. The oil content seems a bit high, but just know, of the 3 Tbsp. oil I used, about 2 Tbsp. were left in the pan. Just make sure to cook them at high enough heat.
Now, you know me fairly well, or at least, you know my cooking style fairly well. You know that the bread up there wasn’t just any old bread… I made it! It was another episode of “knowing basic bread ingredients” and then “throwing them into a bowl until they resemble dough”. These were light, fluffy, doughy, and slightly sweet. I can’t wait to make a turkey sandwich on one!
Speedy “Ciabatta” Rolls
Ingredients
* 2 tsp. dry active yeast
* 2 cups plus 1 cup warm water
* 3 cups (plus more, if needed)
* 1.5 Tbsp. sugar
* 2 tsp. salt
* 1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for oiling the bowl
Directions
Add 1 c. warm water to a mixing bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to proof about 10 minutes. Then, add sugar, salt, olive oil, and slowly mix in the bread flour until the dough comes together. Add some of the water, then more flour until the dough is very soft but not too sticky. Allow to rise about an hour, then punch down, divide into 8 equal sections, and form into round buns. Pre-heat the oven to 425* while the buns rise another half hour. Then, place a pie plate of water in the bottom of the oven, and put the pan of buns in the oven with the water and bake 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the water pan (CAREFULLY!) and bake another 15-20 minutes until the crust is browned.
I have a busy few days of cupcake baking coming up, so I need to get my rest! I’m enjoying my time off this week though, that’s for sure!

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20 Comments

Mara @ What's For Dinner?, June 8th 2010 | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Baking, family, fish or seafood, simple recipe
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