Non-Recipes: The Result of Studying and Working Late

The lack of recipes I have posted in recent weeks is a direct result of working late hours and trying to squeeze in studying for the CPA Exam. I don't have time to make anything that takes more than a half hour – total. So that rules out most recipes.

We don't really like eating takeout or fast food, so I have been making “non-recipe” dinners. These meals are basically ideas I want to share in case there are any other CPA EXAM candidates, students or anyone who doesn't have the time to cook but craves something better than a frozen entree (although, I have to admit, some frozen entrees are OK).

I had a craving for seafood one night last week and decided to make something with the frozen shrimp I had on hand. I sautéed the shrimp in sesame oil with garlic salt and frozen sugar snap peas. Served over Uncle Ben's Fried Rice, it was delicious.

Last night, I made my version of the sausage and peppers that they sell at Mets games. I grilled Premio Sweet Italian Sausages on my George Foreman Grill. When they were almost done, I started sautéing half an onion and some frozen sliced bell peppers with salt and pepper. I served the sausages in hot dog buns (hoagie rolls would be better) and topped them with the peppers. They tasted similar to the ones at the game.

What is your favorite “non-recipe” dinner?

Shrimp with Tomato Sauce for a Quick Dinner

 

Friday evening, I came home later than expected (long day of running errands, no job yet) but still wanted to make shrimp for dinner. I had a bag of frozen, cleaned and deveined shrimp in my freezer; so all I had to do was defrost them in cold water for 2 minutes.

I found a recipe online at Epicurious called Greek-Style Shrimp. Being Greek-American, I thought I would try this recipe since the ingredients and preparation were similar to something my mom would make with fish (she would bake it though). I adjusted the ingredients and the preparation for my purposes, but you can check the link above for the original recipe (they use white wine, which I plan to add next time).

We enjoyed this dish and would make it again. Let me know if you liked it!