This Evening's Dining Pleasure... Or Not

Let's face it... we're poor. Being in the "Starving Student" stage is rough for the gourmet taste buds. That said, I've been focusing on finding budget friendly recipes. I look at the ingredients: how easily I can get them, how expensive they are, the amount of ingredients... that sort of thing. I also look for the amount of time involved in making whatever dish it may be. I work full time and the LAST thing I want to do at the end of the day is come home and make a big production. By that time I'm starving and grumpy and The Hubby is starving and not so grumpy.

The first time I was introduced to Lobster Bisque was eating out at Ruth's Chris with my wonderful in-laws. I am now going to put a plug in for Ruth's Chris, the BEST steakhouse out there. So delicious! Anyway, back to the bisque. The Hubby has been asking me to find a recipe for this for awhile, and I finally tried it out. Would I say it's Ruth's Chris quality? Uh, no. But it was sorta tasty in it's own way. I followed the recipe exactly and here it is:

Lobster Bisque (Adapted from this website)

1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Medium Slices Onion
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb. cooked and cubed lobster meat
1/2 tsp worcstershire sauce
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

1. In a small frying pan place 1/4 c. chicken broth and the onion. Cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes.

2. In a medium size pot over medium heat melt the butter. Slowly whisk in flour. Whisk until a creamy mixture is created.

3. Gradually poor in broth, whisking constantly. Whisk in milk, salt, onion, lobster meat, Worcestershire sauce and cayenne pepper. Heat until soup is almost boiling. Do not boil the soup as the milk will curdle when boiled.


Tips and Tricks:

• I used frozen shrimp that was already prepped instead of the lobster meat. Way cheaper than lobster plus I didn't have to do any of the work to prepare it.
• Use the spices liberally. This batch had a kick to it and it saved the dinner.
• Next time I make it, I think I'll use half/half or heavy cream to make it, well, creamier. Just the regular milk made it too watery.
• I also think next time I am going to put some celery in it. Doesn't seem like a lot, but basically we had milk, spice and shrimp for dinner. Warmed up. Yum.

DESSERT

I promised The Hubby that I wouldn't make treats for awhile. We're both trying to be healthier and lose a little bit of weight. Well, that promise only lasted three whole days. I've been craving these for awhile, so I decided to satisfy my craving. Better now than later, right? Another cookie recipe, I know. Eventually I'll branch out and try new things! These cookies have many names. Rollo cookies, caramel filled cookies, chocolate surprise cookies and I'm sure many more. Rollos in a chocolate cookie, what's better than that?

All mixed up. The Hubby gave me a Kitchen-Aid mixer for my birthday last year. Best gift ever!

"One for me, one for the bowl!" My super great helper unwrapping the rolo's.

The finished product, cooling.

The gooey, yummy caramel surprise.

Caramel Filled Chocolate Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine

2 1/2 cups flour

2/4 unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

48 Rolo chewy caramels in milk chocolate, unwrapped

Heat oven to 375. In small bowl, combine flour, cocoa and baking soda; blend well. In large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar, brown sugar and margarine until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. Add flour mixture; blend well. For each cookie, with floured hands, shape about 1 tbsp dough around 1 caramel candy, covering completely. Bake at 375 for 7-10 minutes.