GGMa's Shrimp and The Gift of Giving

I am happy to say that (I think) I have finally finished all the gift wrapping for this season.  The last of my long distance packages are now in the care of the USPS and on their way to family destinations.  Our tree is adorned with big, small, boxes, bags and yes, I stepped up my game and took more time this year on my gift wrapping decorations, so as to not get thrown under Santa's sleigh again.

I love gift giving and learning about people's different collections that they cherish in their lives.  My friend Felicia collects black and white spotted cows, my friend Toni collects bakers rolling pins, I had an aunt that collected tea spoons from different states and I collect candles and labrador retrievers. My husband can attest to the later, since I cannot resist new labrador puppy litters.

"Humphrey" the new team mascot.

This year our girls' new volleyball team and coaches decided to do a secret gift exchange between all of them.  My oldest daughter pulled the coach's name....of course she did, no pressure there at all!! My other daughter pulled a new teammate that she is getting to know.  

It turns out that coach collects of all things...camels.  I have never heard of anyone that collects camels.  So, I set out my hunt (less than a week before Christmas) for a camel of some sort.  Google saved my life once again and I tracked one down at Toys'R Us.  Coach affectionately named him "Humphrey".

Our other gift was for a team member that just got her drivers license and collects elephants.  So, my daughter searched and searched online and we were blessed to find the perfect key chain for her at Icings.  Whew!!  So, the gift exchange was successful and everyone was merry and bright.

I also have realized that I really like to collect shrimp recipes (another thing my husband can attest to), I think I am burning him out on them.  This one my Grandma gave me a few weeks ago over the phone.  She always tells me these incredible ideas that she has in her head and end up being amazingly simple and delicious.

GGMa's Lemon Shrimp

1 pound raw, peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed

1 stick of butter, melted

1 whole lemon, sliced thinly

1 (.7 ounce) packet, Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing (dry) mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pour melted butter into a 9 x 13 glass baking dish.

Place sliced lemons on melted butter.

Place shrimp on lemon slices and butter.

Sprinkle contents of Good Seasons dressing packet,
all over shrimp.

Bake at 350 degrees approximately 20 minutes,
until shrimp are pink and thoroughly cooked.

After plating the shrimp (either on rice or pasta),
spoon the remaining butter from pan over your dish.
Makes an incredible lemon butter sauce.

One Year Ago: Thumbprint Cookies

Sunday Night Pot Roast

Every family has their own Sunday night dinner tradition.  My friend Carole always makes pasta for her family.  When my husband was growing up, his mom always made a roasted chicken (or 2) to feed her large crowd.

My mom faithfully made her wonderful pot roast, potatoes, carrots and homemade gravy with Bisquick drop biscuits.  Sunday night family dinners were always a big deal.  This is when the new boyfriend would come to meet the family for the first time and have dinner...or it would be time for a family discussion meeting....or last minute homework would be completed at the dinner table when all the dishes were cleared.

Me and my mom many years ago.

To this day, I cannot nail down my mom's pot roast.  She would flash sear it in her G.E. electric skillet (which by the way she still has to this day), and weighs more than a small child.  Then, let it simmer for hours, which made the house smell so special and inviting.  She diligently peeled the carrots and potatoes and put them in at just the right time.  When that was all done, then came the gravy.  My mom makes the most amazing gravy...and I haven't been able to duplicate that either.  It has to be the special magic in her electric skillet.

Well fast forward to present day, my family and our traditions.  We still like to do the Sunday night pot roast every now and again.  Since I never got my mom's down, my friend Annie gave me one of her recipes from Kansas.

If you have ever been to Disneyland's Carnation Cafe, I am here to tell you the pot roast on their menu is Annie's.  This pot roast literally melts in your mouth and you can cut it with a spoon.  I love, love, love this recipe, and the best part is it couldn't be easier to make, as it simmers in it's own luscious gravy.

When you mix the ingredients together, you think that this cannot be right.  Trust it though...8 hours later your home will have the same special and inviting smell as my home growing up.  Here's the thing though, I don't recommend putting any vegetables in the crock pot - keep it for the meat only and cook the potatoes and carrots separately.

Sunday Night Pot Roast
Courtesy of Annie

(2) Packages of Brown Gravy Mix
(2) Packages of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing/Dip Mix
(2) Packages of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1 Cup of Water
3-5 Pound Boneless Chuck Roast

Whisk all the packages of mixes into 1 cup of water.  Put roast into a crock pot and set heat to low.  Pour gravy mixture over the roast.  Cover and and enjoy Sunday night pot roast dinner in 8 hours.  The longer you let it simmer in that amazing gravy, the better.

Tonight, we enjoyed Rascal Pinot Noir from Oregon - great pairing!!