Sauted Shrimp and Zucchini

Marinate one pound of large, peeled and de-veined shrimp for at least 2-3 hours in the following:

Juice and zest of one lemon
3 large garlic cloves, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning (or your favorite paprika based seafood seasoning)

In a large skillet, combine:

2 tsp. olive oil
2 zucchini, diced into bite-sized cubes
2 summer squash, diced into bite sized cubes
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped tomatoes (I like to use grape tomatoes unless I've got peak of the season summer tomatoes)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp oregano

Saute this on medium/high heat until the veggies are still a little firm inside (probably 10 minutes at most) and set them aside in a large serving dish, covered with aluminum foil to keep warm.

In the same skillet, warm 2 tsp. olive oil and saute the shrimp on medium/high heat -- they'll probably only need about 2 minutes on each side tops.

When they're done, put them on top of the zucchini mixture and turn the pan up to high -- cook up the rest of the marinade until it's all boiling rapidly, and serve on the side.

This dish is great served over orzo pasta, and you can also sprinkle some feta cheese over it for an extra kick.

Butterscotch Brickle

Here's one of my mother-in-law's traditional holiday goodies -- again, not something you'd want to make all the time because it's so rich, but it is so good!

For the cookie base mix:

1 stick of softened butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt

Cream the butter and sugar and salt, and then slowly add the flour.   Press it into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.  

As soon as it comes out, sprinkle one bag of butterscotch chips on top so they sink into the dough and start to melt.

Then sprinkle on chopped pecans or walnuts to taste. 

Let it cool for 15 minutes and then put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.

Optional:  when it comes out of the oven, you could drizzle with some melted chocolate and/or sprinkle a little salt on top for some extra tang.

Let it completely cook and then cut into small square -- a little goes a long way!

Buckeye Bark

These aren't for the faint of heart -- there's NOTHING healthy about them -- NOTHING!  But boy are they delicious -- a great treat for the holiday season.

Did your Mom make buckeyes?   Those sugary balls of peanut butter, dipped in chocolate?   We'll here's a recipe that eliminates the messy and time consuming work of rolling and dipping

I hate baking -- I find it boring and unimaginative because you need to follow recipes and get measurements exactly right -- but this recipe is so easy, that I've overcome my dislike of making desserts for this.

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/977283/buckeye-bark-recipe.

Enjoy!