Bridget's Corn Chowder

    Nothing says end of summer like a good corn chowda! It's definitely one of my top ten favorite foods! I like to add ham to my recipe, it gives it a little something extra. This has been a great meal while camping! It makes a lot too. It could easily be frozen and defrosted later. You're going to love this decadent soup!

Bridget's Corn Chowder

 Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 medium onion, chopped

- 3 tablespoons of butter

- 3 tablespoons of flour

- 4 cups of chicken broth

- 1 cup water

- 2 bay leaves

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

- 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic

- 2 large potatoes, cut into cubes

- 2 (15 ounce) cans of whole kernel corn, drained

- 1 and 1/2 cup of diced fully cooked ham

- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream

    In a large heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Remove the onions from the pot and add the butter.  Once the butter has melted, whisk in the flour to create a roux. Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes, letting it cook. Once it starts to smell nutty, slowly pour in the chicken broth and water while whisking. Next, add the cooked onions, bay leaves, salt, pepper, white pepper, garlic, and potatoes. Bring to a simmer and let the potatoes cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the ham, corn, and whipping cream. Bring back to a simmer while stirring. Let cool for a few minutes, top with extra black pepper and serve.

I added oyster crackers!!

Honey Ginger Shrimp

    We totally loved these shrimp! It's late summer in Florida and fall is right around the corner! (I can't wait!!) It was just nice enough last week that we actually sat outside Tuesday evening and enjoyed dinner and the sunset. I've been on a ginger kick. I've been enjoying ginger chews by The Ginger People everyday, they are amazing. I steeped some fresh ginger with some lemon and fresh basil and I made homemade ginger tea! It's good for your digestion! The grated ginger in this shrimp recipe adds to the spicy sweet taste that I was going for, it was so yummy! I paired it with some easy coconut rice and sautéed Brussel sprouts!

Honey Ginger Shrimp

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of large raw deveined shrimp

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- 1/3 cup of honey

- 1/4 cup of reduced sodium soy sauce

- 1 tablespoon of garlic

- 2 teaspoons of fresh grated ginger

- salt and pepper to taste

    Whisk together the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Marinate the raw shrimp in the honey mixture for 30 minutes (or up to 5 hours). In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, place the shrimp into the skillet, salt and pepper them, and spoon a couple tablespoons of the marinade on top of them. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden. Flip the shrimp and cook on the other side until golden. Serve immediately and enjoy.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Figs

    These chicken thighs were fabulous! Figs are so delicious and so good for you. They're a good source of potassium and dietary fiber! This was the perfect recipe for me to try out my beautiful cast iron frying pan! I absolutely loved how crispy the skin was! You have to take a bite of the chicken with a bite of roasted fig, they are so sweet and perfectly compliment the dish.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Figs

Ingredients:

- 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/2 cup of chopped onion

- 2 teaspoons of minced garlic

- 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh oregano

- 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch

- 1/4 cup of honey

- 8 large fresh figs, cut in half

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large oven safe frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken thighs liberally with salt and pepper and then place the chicken thighs skin side down in the frying pan. Cook until skin is golden brown and crispy. Flip the thighs and cook for another few minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup water, honey, and cornstarch. Once it is mostly cooked, remove chicken from the pan, set aside, and drain all but 2 tablespoons of liquid from the pan. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Then, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the honey mixture to the pan and whisk in oregano. Cook for another minute or two and add some salt and pepper. Once the sauce starts to thicken, add the figs and toss to coat. Place the chicken thighs skin side up back into the sauce. Place the whole pan into the oven for 15-20 minutes. Once chicken is cooked through, serve with figs and sauce!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

    Still on my quest to make and eat healthy food, I whipped up some healthy shrimp for dinner last week with baked tostones and green beans! The secret to the sauce is plain Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt has a creaminess that I love when making sauce. You could pretty much substitute it in any recipe that calls for sour cream or mayo! I used Trader Joe's brand of chili sauce and sriracha, it was fabulous!

Skinny Bang Bang Shrimp

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil

- 1 pound of deveined shrimp

- 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt

- 1 and 1/2 tablespoon of sweet chili sauce

- 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce

- salt and pepper to taste

    In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sweet chili sauce, sriracha, and salt/ pepper.  Heat olive oil in a skillet and add shrimp. Cook for a few minutes until shrimp are cooked. Add the yogurt sauce to the shrimp and heat for another minute. Once hot, serve and enjoy!