Amanda is our only niece on Eric’s side of the family. She’s the daughter of Eric’s brother & sister-in-law, Karl & Joanne. Amanda is 3/4 of a year older than Kelly. Amanda & Kelly have always been very close even though we’ve always lived at least 4 hours away from them. Amanda has been there for most of the major events in Kelly’s life. As a special surprise for Kelly’s 21st birthday, we flew Amanda in for the weekend to spend it with us. Not surprisingly, the girls will be standing up for each other at their upcoming weddings. Kelly & Amanda have always been an entertaining pair, never more so than when they were baking together in their younger years.  There are a lot of funny family stories about those experiences!

Amanda & Kelly, October, 1990.

Cooking is a group activity around here and guests as well as family are all part of the action. Trying new things is also part of the plan. The first time Amanda ever had risotto was at our house in Illinois.  Even though she had never had it before, she tried it and thought it was delicious. Amanda requests risotto whenever Eric is going to be cooking for her. We tried this recipe out on her during a recent visit. She enjoyed it even though she is not a coconut fan.

Chili Shrimp and Coconut Risotto (adapted from realsimple.com)

Serves 4   Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chili paste
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 3 ounces (1 cup) bean sprouts
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• zest and juice of one lime
• Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Stir in the jasmine rice. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer the rice for 15 minutes or until the water is all absorbed. Add the lime zest to the rice and set it aside.

We add extra flavor to the rice with lime zest.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, and salt.

Cooking the shrimp with the garlic infuses the shrimp with the flavor.

Cook until the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set it aside.

The shrimp are done.

Add the chili paste and coconut milk to the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it is thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

The coconut milk gives the sauce its creaminess and just a hint of coconut flavor.

Add the cooked rice, bean sprouts, scallion, lime juice and shrimp to the pan with the sauce, cooking until it is all heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Throw it all into the pan together to heat it through and blend the flavors.

Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately.

This was a hit with Amanda!

Happy Birthday, Amanda!  ~Linda

Serves 4   Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chili paste
• 1 14-ounce can coconut milk
• 3 ounces (1 cup) bean sprouts
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced
• zest and juice of one lime
• Fresh basil leaves for garnish

Directions:

Bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Stir in the jasmine rice. Cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer the rice for 15 minutes or until the water is all absorbed. Add the lime zest to the rice and set it aside.

In the meantime, heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shrimp, garlic, and salt and cook until the shrimp is pink and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set it aside.

Add the chili paste and coconut milk to the pan and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it is thickened and reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Add the cooked rice, bean sprouts, scallion, lime juice and shrimp, cooking until it is all heated through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:  Calories 567, Calcium 79mg, Carbohydrate 52g, Cholesterol 168mg, Fat 29g, Fiber 3g, Iron 8mg, Protein 25mg, Sat Fat 20g, Sodium 900mg.