10 things I learned on my almost summer vacation

Shrimp and chorizo in tomato broth

I’ve been MIA from my blog for about a month now, and no – that’s not because I went on a month-long vacation. I wish I actually had a good reason why I’ve been such a slacker…sadly, I do not.

At any rate, I learned a few things on our trip to Key Largo…

1. $7 for a bloody mary on a plane is worth every penny when traveling with small children.
2. Some people are not as conservative or judicious as I might like when choosing their “beach-wear”.
3. Orange crayon does in fact wipe off a kindle screen.
4. Brett and I can go through 3 cans of sunscreen in 6 days and I’ll still burn!
5. You can NEVER have enough anti-bacterial handwipes when traveling through an airport.
6. Sitting outside for meals with kids makes dining 1,000 times easier.
7. Hannaford seafood does not hold a candle to the fresh, out of the water stuff.
8. A key lime mojito is even better than a regular mojito.
9. Giraffes actually have purple tongues! (random…I know)
10. I have the most amazing husband and kids…and vacations are priceless!

To sum it all up – we had the best time…lots of sun, sand, great food and lots and lots of family time!! And now back to the cooking…

I’ve definitely been craving seafood since we got back. Not only did we eat a ton of it on vacation, but it’s light and healthy and quick…perfect for summer!

Where this recipe came from

When shopping for groceries this particular week (yes, I made this over two weeks ago), I wasn’t impressed with the offerings are the seafood counter. So I decided to pick up a bag of frozen shrimp…just so happened that a pound of extra jumbos were on sale for $8.99 (SCORE!) As I was sauntering through the meat department, a package of chorizo sausage caught my eye and I decided to blend the two together!

Making the recipe

This was a super easy one. I added some canned tomato sauce since (as I’ve mentioned 1,000 times) Brett doesn’t like chunks of tomato. If that weren't a problem I would have added some fresh diced or even a can of diced tomato drained.

The results

Brett and I loved this! We soaked up all of the broth with some toasty garlic bread…delicious! The chorizo as a bit too spicy for the kids – but they loved the garlic bread!

The recipe

½ lb raw shrimp, shelled and deveined

½ pkg chorizo sausage, chunked

2 cloves garlic

½ cup tomato sauce (or fresh tomatos if you prefer)

¾ - 1 cup chicken broth

juice of 1/2 a lemon

3 scallions, chopped

1 handful of parsely, chopped

Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil over med heat and add chorizo. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it starts to brown. Add garlic, shrimp and scallions and cook another few minutes until the shrimp get pink. Add the tomato sauce, broth and lemon juice, stirring. Season with salt and pepper and top with parsley.

Serve in shallow bowls with bread for dipping.