It may be just one bowl of food, but every part of the recipe you are layering in flavour and love and they will shower it right back at you. Plus, I see this appropriatley pink dish, pairing very well with a nice glass of champagne.

Starting from scratch (where scratch is one very much alive Dungeness crab), all the way to two bowls of a hearty crab risotto, takes a smidge over 2 hours. This is because you need to cook the crab, pick the meat from the shells and then make the crab stock before you can even start on the risotto. That said, once you have the crab and crab stock all ready to go the risotto takes less than 45 minutes so if you would like you can do this over two days. This risotto recipe was created from Dungeness crab, but that isn’t native to everywhere, I am sure it would work with other crabs as well.

Crab Risotto made from Homemade Crab Stock

This recipe was designed for Dungeness crab but should work for other kinds of crab as well. It was meant to go hand in hand with the crab risotto recipe. From one cooked crab you can make the stock, the risotto and even have some stock leftovers, perfect for saucing a pasta or forming the base of a bisque!

Wanna lose some of that holiday jiggle? I suggest big rice bowls packed full of whole grains, leafy greens and lean meats. This shrimp and black bean recipe has protein-packed quinoa along with spinach, tomatoes, avocado and peppers. To add fragrance and flavour I used the shrimp shells to make a quick stock which I folded into the quinoa.

Although, this black bean quinoa bowl is full of wholesome, real food, you may be looking to further reduce the calories and fat, if so try swapping the olive oil for a cooking spray. Don’t omit the avocado though, the warm avocado combined with the tomato and shrimp is worth every calorie.

Yes, this recipe does call for topping fried shrimp with a mayonnaise and ketchup mixture. Yes that really is how they make it, and no it isn’t health food. However, this is a fun and easy appetizer recipe that can easily be a conversation piece for your next party. Serve with cold beer.

I can be a stubborn creature. Before culinary school, a beurre blanc wouldn’t have appealed to me at all. I either thought it was too rich, too bland, or just old-people food. (Sidebar: I am not sure I had ever actually had a beurre blanc before.) Though certainly rich, a good beurre blanc is anything but bland. The day we made it at school it was a revelation. What a beautiful butter sauce it is when perfectly smooth and balanced!

This particular beurre blanc recipe is not the classic simple sauce, but rather one aromatized with orange as the citrus — rather than the typically lemon — and chives for a bite. The bright orange colour is a great place to sit some fresh shrimp. Make sure you serve this alongside some crusty bread for dipping and a glass of light Chardonnay.

Am I alone in my cravings for polenta? I just love curling myself under a blanket on the couch with a big bowl to dig into. I relish plunging my fork in to find the nuggets of cheese and meat that are encased inside it’s pillowy depths. Oh my, it sounds like a rather private activity doesn’t it? I swear this can be family friendly, this polenta-thing. Really.

Now, since I’m Italian, this is a shrimp and polenta recipe, but really it is very similar to a shrimp and grits recipe. Ever wondered what the difference is between grits and polenta? Not much. The main difference is that grits have been treated with lye to make them a more nutrient soluble food. Traditionalists will also say that grits are made from hominy whereas polenta is purely cornmeal.

Polenta is also a great way to clean out your fridge. Stir cooked stews, roast vegetables, or grated cheese into your polenta and you will have an easy weeknight meal. Plus, compared to many comfort carbs like potatoes or pasta, cornmeal is a skinny jean friendly choice. It’s even gluten free. For the record, gluten is not somethig I care about, but my jeans fitting can affect me greatly since I would rather cook than shop.

The last time I was hooked I made a rigatoni with sausage and cream, a fusilli with pistachios and cream, and a linguine with mushrooms, ham, and cream. Then last week I made that creamy eggplant linguine and down the rabbit hole I went. Maybe it is because it is rainy, or I have been sick, but comfort food is a requirement in my life right now and Mr. Whipping Cream fills that void.

Should I start apologizing to your hips too? I am sorry if I am bringing you down with me, but it is a soft, velvety, embrace to fall into isn’t it? This roasted red pepper cream sauce may be the end for awhile or it might be just the beginning. What do you think, are cream sauce a cheater’s way to make anything taste good, or simply tasty food?

Cha Gio is a classic Vietnamese dish where pork and vegetables are wrapped inside rice paper and deep fried. In North America Cha Gio goes under many names and you may have seen it on menus as Rolls Dip, Imperial Rolls or Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

This recipe for Vietnamese Spring Rolls was an attempt to replicate one of my all time favorite dishes — and it was quite successful. I tried two different kinds of rice papers one with pure rice flour and one with a partial amount of tapioca. Personally, all my tasters preferrred the pure rice one as it was crispier after it had been fried.

This recipe makes a big helping of rolls, but it usually takes a few tries to get the temperature of the oil correct, and really, who are you kidding you can eat them all. It can be served as an appetizer or more authentically over rice noodles and fresh vegetables with nuco cham for a full meal.

If you enjoy cilantro than having it within reach in the summer is key for many fresh grilling recipes and salads. Unfortunately buying cilantro when at our cabin is a really bad idea. If I am lucky and cilantro is even available it is usually floppy and at least half of it is turning brown and wet at the edges. Frequently it is absent from the market altogether. Considering that the cabin is the location of our barbecue I am thrilled that so far my cilantro plant seems to be thriving.

The important thing to note when you marinate seafood in citrus is that it needs to be brief — unless you want ceviche. In 15 or 20 minutes the shrimp will pick up the lovely acidic flavour of the lime without being cooked itself. If you forget the shrimps are in the fridge for more than 30 minutes, I recommend calling in for pizza as they may have turned into rubbery little worms.

Similar Recipes:
Grilled Shrimp Skewers Recipe with Garlic, Chili, and Parsley
Shrimp in White Wine and Garlic Butter
Prawns with Jalapenos and White Wine

If your shrimp or prawns are already cleaned and shelled you can throw this together in less than ten minutes, serve with crusty bread and a simple salad and you have a delicious easy meal.  For a variation try adding some crushed red chili flakes when you add the garlic. Delicious.

If you want to make it more of a meal, try making a fresh pasta sauce, similar to my shrimp and white wine pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes and leeks.