Kevin and Amanda's Recipes

kevinandamanda.com

Shrimp and Grits

Oh, good heavens, how I love shrimp and grits. They’re a revelation. They’re packed with an unbelievably delicious combination of completely fantastic flavors. Spicy. Cheesy. Bacon. Wow. To put it simply, shrimp and grits are just plain awesome. It’s one of our favorites!

You’ll need grits.

And a chicken bouillon cube, to flavor the grits. Or these chicken bouillon granules, which I prefer, because I don’t have to unwrap a cube.

Some cajun seasoning for the shrimp. Don’t be shy with the seasoning here. The spiciness of the shrimp goes wonderfully with the coolness of the cheesy grits.

Bacon. We are loving this thick-sliced bacon from Wright. Pick some up if you see it at the store next time, let me know how you like it! Here’s the quick and easy way I cook my bacon (in the oven, about 15 minutes each side).

You’ll need some scallions.

And garlic. And some lemon juice, too.

And after you cook the bacon, be sure to reserve a few tablespoons of the bacon grease to fry the shrimp in. You’ll be glad you did.

Shrimp and Grits

2 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes or 2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup quick grits
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, without tails
cajun seasoning
4 slices thick cut bacon
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 garlic clove, minced

Arrange bacon on a cooling rack (like for cookies) and set the rack on a sheet pan (something with a lip all the way around). Place the bacon in a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 400 degrees F. Cook the bacon for 15 mins on each side, or until done. Chop into 4 slices into bite-sized pieces and reserve the bacon grease from the bottom of the pan.

In a medium saucepan, bring water, bouillon, butter and grits to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 7 mins, until grits and thickened and tender. Remove from heat and stir in cheese.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of the bacon grease to a medium skillet over medium high heat. Season the shrimp with plenty of cajun seasoning. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute per side. Lower the heat to medium and add the bacon scallions, garlic, and squeeze in some lemon juice. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic and scallions are softened and the shrimp are done.

Serve the grits in bowl and top with the shrimp. Enjoy!

Makes 2 servings.

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Jersey Bracelet Tutorial from JuJuB

http://jujubstash.blogspot.com/

Jersey Bracelet Tutorial

These are jersey bracelets! They are super comfortable and perfect for summer. And since we are so so excited about summer, we figured it would be cool of us to show you how to make one of your very own!

If you have to have one, but don't want to make one. Check out our Etsy shop and purchase onehere and here. We are also happy to do custom orders of any color you would like!!

Supplies

an old T-shirt or some knit

soft and flexible sticky backed felt

scissors

hot glue gun

lobster clasp and growth chain

ribbon

needle and thread

Step #1. So these are some old T-shirts I had. One had a hole in it, the others were worn out and a little too small now... sigh ;) But I really loved the colors and knew they would make rockin' awesome bracelets. So go dig through your closet, your kids closet or your even husbands!

You can also use knit. These awesome brights were scored at Hobby Lobby.

Step #2. Cut your fabric into strips. I thought it was easiest to use my mat and rotary cutter, but you can definitely use scissors. I cut them into 2 or 3 inch strips. The great thing about these is that it doesn't have to be exact. The skinnier your fabric strip is, the thinner and tighter your rosette will be. The thicker your fabric is the chunkier and thicker your rosette will be.

If you are using an old shirt you can cut out the back, but the fabric won't be as stretchy. Becky had the brilliant idea to cut a strip all the way around your shirt in a circle to get a longer strip. Now your fabric will have more stretch. This piece was too thick so I cut a smaller piece. You'll want your piece to be roughly 2- 3 inches thick. You might have to play with your fabric and make a few rosettes to see what you like best.

See how it's rough cut? That's ok, when you're done with your rosette you wont even be able to tell.

You'll then want to cut it so you have a long a strip. I cut it at the seam and cut that part off.

Step #3. Get your sticky back felt and cut out 4 circles. I always just grab whatever is closest to trace a circle. Today it was an outlet cover! You can also use, the bottom of a spool of thread, the bottom of a spice container, anything that's a circle! You will want 2 circles that are a little bigger and 2 circles that are a little smaller. I started with the outlet cover and then cut my second 2 circles smaller.

We can never make just one!!! You'll only need 4 circles for one bracelet.

Step #4. Create a rosette. If you already have a tutorial you like you can do it your way. If you're not familiar with making a rosette you can follow the tutorial below. When using knit you'll want to pull your fabric tight while twisting it.And make sure you glue on the felt side of the sticky back felt.

Ok, so start by folding your fabric in half with the right side of the fabric on the outside. Tie a knot on one end of your fabric and try to hide the tail, or just cut it off. Then hot glue the knot to the middle of your circle on the felt side.

Twist your fabric around your knot, pulling it tight and hot gluing it down as you go. Don't use too much hot glue because you don't want it to bleed onto the top of your rosette.

Once you have finished your rosette, simply cut the excess fabric and glue the edge down.

Continue until you have 4 rosettes: 2 larger ones and 2 smaller ones. Aren't the rosettes too cute?

Step #5. Use the sticky back felt to put your bracelet together. So the first thing you do is get another piece of sticky back felt big enough for your bracelet. Now line up your bracelet the way you want it. Remember, once you put the sticky sides of the felt together you will not be able to move it!

Next, peel off the paper back on your strip of sticky back felt and peel off the paper on your rosette.

Now stick the two sticky sides together. When you place your second rosette, push it right up against the other one as tight as you can. The tighter and closer they are the better.

Step #6. Cut away all the excess felt. You will want to use junk scissors when you do this because the sticky back felt will really gum up your scissors. Cut it as close to the bracelet as you can.

As you're cutting you'll notice your rosettes are flopping all over the place. Don't worry, it's cool. Now you'll just want to expose the felt in between the rosettes and hot glue them together. Hold them in place for a few seconds while the glue dries. Repeat in between each rosette.

Step #7. Attach a ribbon down the back. We like using 5/8 in grosgrain ribbon, but you can use whatever you prefer. Cut a strip that's about as long as your bracelet. Next we are going to hot glue the tips on each end to form a pretty little point.

Once that's done, simply hot glue the ribbon to the back of your bracelet. Are you getting excited? We're getting so close now!!

Step #8. Attach your lobster clasp and growth chain to your bracelet. Ok, so get your lobster clasp and wedge it in between the felt and the tip of your ribbon. Then you are going to sew it on.

You don't want your lobster clasp to rip off, so make sure you sew through the ribbon, felt and rosette to give it as much strength as possible. You'll also want to use thick thread that wont break easily. Quilting thread works well, but really any quality thread works!

Next use the same technique to attach the growth chain on the other side of the bracelet.

And just like that. You're done!!! Isn't it so chic?

They are so fun and comfortable to wear, you'll be throwing it on with every outfit! Or just making a million of them to go with every outfit like we have done! Here are just a few that we've made!

Please please send us pics of any that you make! We'd LOVE to see how they have turned out! Happy Rosette Bracelet Making!

Cookies and Cream Cupcakes From The Big Book of Cupcakes presented by Southern Living

Makes: 24 cupcakes
You'll Need:

• 1 recipe Chocolate Cake
• 2 recipes Cookies and Cream Frosting
• 24 cream-filled miniature chocolate sandwich cookies (whole or coarsely crushed)

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup Dutch process cocoa
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups superfine sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose soft-wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. chocolate extract
• Paper baking cups
• Vegetable cooking spray

1. Combine cocoa and 2 cups boiling water in a large heatproof bowl, stirring until blended and smooth; cool completely.
2. Beat butter with a mixer until creamy; gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition.
3. Combine fl our and next 3 ingredients; add to butter mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with fl our mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate extract.
4. Place paper baking cups in 2 (12-cup) muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into cups, filling two-thirds full.
5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely.

Cookies and Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 (16-oz.) package powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup whipping cream1/8 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. clear vanilla extract
• 15 cream-filled miniature chocolate sandwich cookies, finely crushed

1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
2. Gradually add powdered sugar, alternately with cream, beating at low speed until blended. Add salt and vanilla, beating until blended. Stir in crushed cookies until combined. Beat at high speed 2 minutes or until creamy. Makes 4 cups.

Finishing Touches:

1. Fill each cupcake with Cookies and Cream Frosting. How-To Fill: To fill cupcakes, insert the end of a wooden spoon or dowel into the center of the cupcake to make a hole. Fill a zip-top plastic freezer bag with filling or frosting. Use scissors or kitchen shears to snip about ¼ inch from one corner of bag; insert bag into the hole in the cupcake. Squeeze gently until filling comes to the top of each cupcake. Note: If you want to fill and frost 1 recipe of cupcakes with the same frosting, you will need about 6 cups of frosting total.
2. Frost each cupcake with Cookies and Cream Frosting using metal tip no. 12. How-To Frost by Hand: Place a heaping spoonful of frosting in center of cupcake. With an offset spatula, push frosting to edges while turning cupcake. Rotate cupcake, and lift the frosting with the spatula to create peaks.
3. Top each with 1 sandwich cookie or, if desired, crushed cookie pieces.