tasty #3

today's recipe is so tasty i braved my way to the food store across the street through the crippling noreaster! that turned out to be just a few flurries here and there. K and mom had off from work today, T got home early, and all three already have off tomorrow! T's new company is a non-profit that follows the schedule of the school district and he is just now realizing why his wife used to completely lose her shit, start cruising weather.com and turn her pajamas inside out at the very suggestion of bad weather. i used to love snow days when i was teaching, and he was like a little kid last week when he was waiting to see if he would get a third day off from work. he didn't and went right into aw shucks mode. i am hoping that we at least get the snow they are calling for now, as the districts tend to be stingy about giving out days for real snowstorms after they have called a few duds. ill miss snow days when i start my new job.

i loved teaching. 
i loved teaching preschool dearly. 
i miss teaching. i miss little faces and voices. i miss questions from little brains. i miss the comfort that sets into a classroom after christmas, when i know them and they know me. that place of trust and affection between all of us. that's always when the real fun begins. it's always when the best learning happens. for me and for them. 
i can always go back someday. from what i've heard and what i've seen it's hard to find someone who truly enjoys teaching children in those very early years. there aren't lots of people who feel the way i do about 2, 3 and 4 year olds. but right now i miss the intensity, the never ending questions and chatter. (remember when alanis said 'wear it out the way a three year old would do?' she hit the nail on the head with that one.) so even though some minutes were exasperating, i would have done anything to be back at work and hearing those happy noises. they would have been so welcome in these past few months of quiet, dark and deep silence.
i miss teaching my little ones especially now, as i ready to try a new career doing something completely different. i haven't been ready to talk about it before. losing my job was like losing a little part of myself. i had been with the same people for almost ten years. i had learned from them and hopefully taught them something too. i miss having built-in friends and silly banter at lunchtime.

so here i am! on the brink of a new job and so a new identity. i'm going into it ready to love my job and have it love me right back. it will be different. i will be working in an office with big people. it should be interesting. hopefully it will become a part of my life that i love. i know it has the insurance that i love, so that's a little extra incentive.

ok so back to the issue at hand. today's tasty is adapted from this recipe. 

sweet n spicy shrimp

1 lb raw shrimp

olive oil

honey

hot chili sauce (sriracha)

garlic or garlic powder

black pepper

the first thing to do is mix equal parts of olive oil, honey and chili sauce. i used 4T each. if you aren't a fan of spicy food you could cut down the chili sauce, the heat isn't HOT, it's more like a tangy tingle left after you swallow. we found it quite divine.

next mix in black pepper and garlic to taste. i use garlic powder because i wanted the flavor to be in the sauce, not to be munching on garlic bits.

dump your shelled and cleaned shrimp into the bowl. i get frozen shrimp from whole foods that's already peeled, deveined and frozen. it is the best brand i've tasted but tonight im making it with fresh shrimp for the first time. let it marinate for as long as you can wait. i leave it for about 35 minutes or until i can't take it anymore. you'll understand after you taste it.

now in the original recipe, the shrimp is grilled. i think the sauce is too tasty to waste, so i pour the entire contents of the bowl, shrimp and sauce into a big saute or frying pan. 

simmer over med heat. the shrimp will cook pretty fast, just flip em over after a few minutes so you can make sure they cook on both sides.

the last time i made this, i mixed in some sugar snap peas. they were great because they counteracted the spicy flavor of the sauce. i serve it over this lentil rice pilaf that, as K pointed out, has 33% of your recommended daily fiber intake. healthy is not usually the theme of my dishes, but ill take it! we have been trying to eat fish at least twice a week lately. though we always have shrimp in the house, this is a favorite new recipe. let me know if you try it and what you think!