Better with Bacon

I’m so lucky that Jay is such a great cook!  While I was still working, I had absolutely no motivation to assemble meals.  Once in a while, we would scour our cookbooks to find some inspiration.  Jay was flipping through my Tyler Florence cookbook and spotted his Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Tomato Vinaigrette recipe.  It looked simple and delicious, and with a few tweaks it made our way to our hungry bellies.

IMG_3856Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 10 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled and deveined, tails on
  • 5 bacon slices, halved
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 green onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish
  • Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Tomato Vinaigrette Ingredients

  • 1 ripe tomato, halved, seeds squeezed out
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
For the vinaigrette:  puree the tomato, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a blender until smooth. Pour in the oil and puree again until emulsified and slightly thickened. Refrigerate.

Wrap each shrimp in a piece of bacon, overlapping the ends so they stick together. Place a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle with a 1/2-count of oil, and heat just to the smoking point. Lay the shrimp in the pan (do this in batches if it’s crowded) and sauté until the bacon is crisp, tossing so the shrimp cook evenly. To serve, spoon the tomato vinaigrette on each plate. Garnish with green onion and cilantro leaves.

IMG_3857This recipe was amazing! The rich, bacony shrimp went perfectly with the tomato vinaigrette. I even had some leftover vinaigrette to use with salads later in the week. We will be making this again very soon.  What do you like to wrap in bacon?

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Bring on the Lobster

Last Sunday was a beautiful day in the Bay Area. Jay and I decided we should do some exploring, so we headed south of San Francisco to Half Moon Bay. After walking around the cute town and stopping by the beach to check out some brave surfers it was time to eat. Sam’s Chowder House was packed so I knew it had to be good. We got a perfect seat right by the window.

photoJay and I split a cup of New England clam chowder (no Manhattan for me, bleh). It was the biggest “cup” I’d ever seen! The chowder was tasty, not too rich and had lots of clam.

photo1Sam’s lobster roll was voted one of the Top 5 Sandwiches in America by the Today Show. It was a perfect lobster roll. They piled on rich lobster lightly coated in butter on to a toasted roll. The roll was light, but still held up to the massive amounts of fresh lobster. I hate when lobster rolls are drenched with mayo and other additions. It was simplicity at its finest, definitely worth the $21 price tag.  The chips & coleslaw…barely even touched it.

photo2We also ordered a fried seafood platter. It came with cod, calamari, a crab cake and shrimp. All of them were cooked perfectly. The batter was not greasy at all and very light. The crab cake was the only one that was breaded (not battered). It was crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. The seasoned French fries were outstanding as well, hot and crispy.

photo3I would definitely make a trip to go back to Sam’s Chowder House. It’s a great little getaway from San Fran or anywhere in the Bay Area. On our way back home we stopped at Ocean Beach in San Fran to catch the sunset. Neither of us even remembered the last time we saw the sun setting into the ocean. It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

photo4When is the last time you saw a Sunset?

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El Queso Loco

Jay and I are always on the hunt for new restaurants. When we were driving around after eating breakfast at Bubba’s Diner, I spotted Marinitas, and knew I wanted to try it out. Two weeks later we went there for dinner. We got there around 8:30 and waited for about 15 minutes for a table. I couldn’t believe how packed it was! We started with one of my favorite things I would kill someone for in the world…Queso Dip. It was deeeeelicious! I can never resist oooey gooey melty cheese.

photoOur server recommended a couple of the tacos for us. The first one I ate as the fish taco. The fish was cooked to perfection. The crunch of the slaw and the chipotle crema was a great complement to it.

photo1The steak tacos were incredible as well. The steak wasn’t chewy like a lot of tacos are. The guacamole that was served with it really hit the spot. Is it bad that I kinda wanted more cheese on these? Hehe

photo2Since I can’t drink right now, I always order dessert. I hadn’t had Tres Leches in a very long time so I was very excited to try theirs. The texture and flavor the actual cake was spot on, but there was a little too much cinnamon on top for me. But I guess that’s what I get when I order it in a Mexican restaurant.

photo3We will definitely be going back to Marinitas! The flavors were spot on and the service was very good. My next post will be from the east coast, going back home to Florida for Christmas!  What are you doing for the holidays?

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