January 19, 2016

Garlic Shrimp with Caribbean Style Rice

Tuesday, January 19, 2016 Posted by Mary , , 1 comment


I'm in a cooking phase!

I've always loved cooking, but I never really paid much attention to recipes. I've always been able to come up decent tasting stuff just by using ingredients I already have in my fridge. A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine who's a Beachbody coach started a clean eating group on Facebook. This group made me realize that recipes can be a wonderful way to spice up your kitchen routines. Yes, it's easy to put a few ingredients together, but there's something to say about following an actual list, where you're challenged to find that rare ingredient, or incorporate an herb you've never tasted before to your cooking. I dusted off the Jamie Oliver cookbook that was tucked away in my bookshelf, and bought two more. To date, I have these three:

      

While cookbooks are awesome, it's impossible to deny that the Internet is the best resource when it comes to recipes. I've been scouring Yummly and have been using their app, and have had a ton of fun trying to pick recipes.

A few nights ago, I decided to make a Garlic Shrimp recipe from Skinnytaste.com. It's a very simple that doesn't call for a lot of ingredients. My result, this--


I didn't have the cilantro or parsley that was called for in the recipe so I used rosemary. It's not something I've used many times in the past, but since experimenting with recipes, I've realized how wonderfully this herb elevates your food.



Another thing I have discovered recently is the Caribbean Style Rice from Seeds of Change. Man, oh man, is it ever good! I topped it with my Garlic Shrimp, and needless to say, the result was amazing! 

I've ordered two more cookbooks and I'm super excited for them to arrive. I can't wait to try out more recipes. You'll be hearing more about my kitchen adventures here, soon!

January 4, 2016

Revival

Monday, January 04, 2016 Posted by Mary , , No comments

Wow. I didn't blog at all in 2015. That kinda makes me sad. I've always wanted to keep my blog as active as I can, but sometimes life just gets away from you. Now, it's 2016 and I feel like I have a fresh start.

I officially marked my 3rd year in Canada in December. I love this country. To bits. But I have to admit that moving here has not been without its challenges. To be honest, I didn't even notice that something was wrong, but I think being away from my support system, my amazing friends from back home, took its toll on me. I felt just a tad bit lost.

I think I'm finally finding my way.

Since moving to Red Deer in December of 2013, I have developed friendships with some wonderful ladies. I'm also now part of a kick-ass book club whose meetings I look forward to every month. I now hold a permanent position at work--as a systems analyst for the 911 Dispatch Centre, no less--a position that I am still in awe of every day. I even started a business!

I'm still working on getting my ducks in a row, but hopefully I'll get there soon. My biggest goals this year are to save for a house, work on my fitness, and of course, travel. It's been 3 years since my passport last got stamped. It's time to get on that again!

With that, I'd like to end my post with a photo I took 2 years ago, when I first moved to Red Deer. It was close to Christmas, and Bower Ponds had just opened for skating season. It was magical. The photo reminds me of a scene from a Christmas card, and I think I fell in love with Red Deer that night.