Riches to Rags Cooks: Mexican Grilled Shrimp Salad

For the second post in my new cooking series, I selected a recipe that appeared simple enough to prepare yet had a promising mix of diverse flavors. I found this Mexican Grilled Shrimp Salad on the Real Simple website at this link.



1/4 cup pepitas
1 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 small head romaine lettuce
1/2 small jicama or 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled Cotija, queso fresco, or Feta (2 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the pepitas on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven, tossing once, until fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Heat grill to medium-high. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp with the cayenne, 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Grill until opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3. In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, Worcestershire, jalapeno, garlic, the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Add the lettuce, jicama, onion, pepitas, and shrimp and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the Cotija.

A few adjustments I made:

- I like spicy. No, I LOVE spicy. If you don't love spicy, I would suggest using only 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne and 86-ing the jalapeno.

- I skipped the jicama and the Granny Smith. I realize either would add crunch as well as tartness to the dish but I wasn't feeling it.

- What the hell is Cotija? I had a hard enough time trying to find queso fresco here in Arm Pit, Illinois - there was NO WAY I was huntin' for Cotija.

Super easy to make and tasted DELICIOUS. I give it four out of five stars. (Mouth hated it, natch. I mean, it had LETTUCE in it, and he is allergic to ALL THINGS GREEN AND/OR LEAFY.)

This is a good dish for starter cooks - quick, easy, and has amazing flavors that will impress the pants off your date!

Buen provecho!

The Difference Between Cats And Dogs

On my To-Do List for today: Brushing the teeth of one cat named Moe and one dog named Ted.

Tonight I learned that as long as I kept yelling "Good boy!!!" every 5 seconds, the dog was game.

Me: "Good boy!!!...........Good boy!!!...........Good boy!!!"
Ted: "Keep doing it! I'm a good boy! So whatever this is, I love it!"

I finished ALL of Ted's teeth.

I also learned that the cat does not respond to such encouragement as favorably as the dog.

Me: "Good boy!!!.............Goo-"
Moe: "Shut the f*ck up. I hate you and every single one of your ancestors on both sides of your sociopathic, dysfunctional and mostly bipolar families. You think because your father was a dentist that you can brush MY teeth? Bitch, please. You need to check yourself because you are TWO SECONDS away from having a set of bloody scratches down your cheek. Not get that toothbrush out of my mouth before I shove it down your esophagus, BITCH."

I finished three of Moe's top teeth.

You think I like this? Thursday nights used to be my drinking night until I became responsible for one kid, two cats, and a dog. NOW my Thursday nights consist of fighting the war against plaque.

Ungrateful little shit. Guess who isn't getting soft food when all of his teeth rot out of his head???

Texting....

A text conversation between Mother and I. Mother took her aunt to the ER because her leg was swollen and red and getting nastier by the day. My four years spent in the ER through volunteering and part-time employment qualifies me as a medical expert. OR SO THINKS MY FAMILY.

* Side note: Cellulitis is a skin infection that can be pretty nasty if left untreated.
* Side note #2: This may only be funny to those who are medically trained.

Mother: I think they're going to admit her for cellulitis. Is the flesh-eating virus called merca?

Me: No, and it's called MRSA. Why? Did they ask if she had a history of it? They ask that of everyone in the ER. It's not a big deal. It's an antibiotic-resistant diarrhea thing.

Mother: Yikes!

Me: They just need to know b/c if she has diarrhea they have to scrub their hands after touching her. It's hard to get rid of b/c of the antibiotic resistance.

Mother: Ah, thanks.

Mother: I'm not going to touch her anymore. Period.

Me: Oh geez. She doesn't have MRSA!!! She would have had diarrhea for like 3 months and be almost DEAD. Calm down.

Mother: .......

Me: They ask everyone who comes into the ER if they've ever been diagnosed with MRSA or C-Diff. It's standard.

Mother: Oh. Okay.

Me: Wait. C-Diff is the diarrhea thing. MRSA is the infected wound thing. GO WASH YOUR HANDS!!!

Mother: What??????

Me: This is what you get for asking me medical questions when I'm drunk on a Saturday night! AND because I'm not a nurse! You'd be better off Googling it.

Mother: You're officially out of the will. And if I die from MRSA, I'm leaving EVERYTHING to your sister.