Lemon Butter and Garlic Baked Shrimp

It's time for this month's Secret Recipe Club, where a group of food bloggers, choose a recipe from a fellow blogger, then we make and share our results.   It's a lot of fun and a great way to meet new bloggers.

This month I was assigned the blog Little Bit of Everything by Julie.  I absolutely loved perusing Julie's blog.  She has the neatest recipes, but what most intrigued me was her "My 50" list.  It's a list of 50 recipes she hadn't yet made, but wanted to try.  Isn't that a fabulous idea?  I think I need to do something like that too.  I have tons of recipes pinned on my Pinterest boards, but there are literally thousands and thousands - too many to make in a lifetime so coming up with a shorter "must make" list is such a great idea.  

Anyway, I digress.... back to this month's recipe.  I've been craving shrimp lately so I did a quick search and settled on Julie's Lemon Butter Baked Shrimp.  This is a grab a bunch of napkins because you'll have butter dripping down your chin, but it's so good you won't care kind of recipe.  Definitely a keeper. 

Note:  Julie's version called for chopped garlic and a packet of good seasons italian dressing mix.  I was only able to find the "garlic and herb" dressing mix - it's extra garlicky so I omitted the fresh garlic from the recipe.  

Alrighty - let me walk you through this recipe.  It's really easy.

Start with a stick of unsalted butter.  We'll need to melt it and then allow it to cool a bit.  

We're also going to need to slice a couple of lemons.  If you want to be fancy, you can use a channel knife to cut grooves on the side of the lemons like this.  It's completely unnecessary, but in the next photo I'll show you why I like to do it.

See?  Pretty.

After the lemons are sliced, the seeds are very easy to remove.  Nobody wants to bite down on a lemon seed.

Ok, we've got our shrimp, melted the butter, sliced the lemons, and measured the dressing mix, parsley, and black pepper.  Time to preheat the oven.

Lay those sliced lemons in a single layer on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Add the seasoning mix, parsley, and black pepper to the melted, cooled butter.

Whisk, whisk, whisk - I'm totally loving this flat whisk.

Now add all the shrimp - and toss in those strips we removed from the lemons too.  Mix them all together, getting that flavorful butter all over the shrimp.

Pour every bit of that shrimp/butter mix into the baking dish, right on top of the sliced lemons.  Arrange the shrimp so they're in a single layer.  

Pop them in the oven for 15 minutes exactly.  The baking time may be more or less depending on the size shrimp you use.  They're done when they are shaped like a "C".  If you cook them too long, they'll close up tighter and resemble more of an "O".  There's nothing more sad than overcooked shrimp so keep an eye on them.  Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• garlic and herb dressing mix https://amzn.to/3GkWk3W

• flat whisk https://amzn.to/32PAJD5

• 9x13 casserole https://amzn.to/3GmpKin

• channel knife https://amzn.to/3geoq6s

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Lemon Butter and Garlic Baked Shrimp

Makes 1 pound

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (21-25 count)

• 2 lemons, sliced (seeds removed)

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• 1 packet good seasons garlic and herb salad dressing mix (.75oz)

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Place lemon slices in a single layer on the bottom of a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, dressing mix, parsley, and pepper.

4. Add the shrimp and lemon slices; toss well to coat.

5. Pour the shrimp/butter mixture over the lemon slices and arrange so the shrimp are in a single layer.

6. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and serve over pasta or rice, or serve with a loaf of French bread to soak up all the yummy juices.

adapted from Little Bit of Everything

Mother's Day Strawberries and Cream Oats

Mother's day is just around the corner and I can't think of a better way to pamper Mom for all she does than to serve her these amazing STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM OATS.  They're a little bit healthy, a little bit indulgent, and completely over-the-top divine!  I promise, she's going to love every bite!  

Ok, this is going to be really easy.  Start by placing sliced fresh strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Toss them well and set aside until we need them again.

Place the water and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add the old fashioned oats.  Pinhead oats, steel cut oats, and/or groats are also excellent, but they take much longer to cook so be sure to follow the instructions on the package.  

Definitely avoid instant oats - they cook up very mushy and kind of flavorless.  Mom will use them when she bakes.

Bring the water, salt, and oats to a gentle boil, stirring frequently to keep the oats from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  

Stir, stir, stir.... it won't be long... just a few minutes. 

Look, it's only been a few minutes and we're almost there.

Perfection!  Now here's where we take dull, boring oatmeal and turn it into something spectacular!  Remove the oats from the heat and stir in the following:

Brown sugar - mmmmm!

And the very best pure vanilla extract you have - double mmmmm!  

I'm telling you, if you stop right here you'll have the best bowl of oatmeal ever, but we're going to take it over the top.

Give the strawberries you prepared earlier a stir - the sugar we added to them will have turned them a deep ruby color and they should be all nice and juicy.  Spoon a generous portion over Mom's oatmeal and drizzle liberally with heavy cream.  

Now get ready, Mom's going to be amazed.  

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3r9wNGK

• my favorite little trimming knife https://amzn.to/3s4CO6O

• stainless saucepan https://amzn.to/3LdK9tE

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Strawberries and Cream Oats

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced strawberries

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 3 1/2 cups water

• pinch of fine salt

• 2 cups old fashioned oats

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar (light or dark)

• heavy cream for drizzling

Directions

To make the Strawberry Topping:

1. Place sliced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

2. Toss well and set aside until needed.

To make the Oatmeal:

1. In a medium sauce pan, combine the old fashioned oats, water, and salt.

2. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and brown sugar.

4. Serve oatmeal with strawberry topping and drizzle with heavy cream.