Usually, when we have dinner parties, we plan it in advance. We come up with a menu after the guest list and weekend night has been determined, then I do the shopping. I spent a few hours the day of the event straightening up the house, doing the prep work for the meal and making the dessert. But sometimes (like a random Thursday night) we just throw something together last minute with things we have on hand. Sometimes, things just fall into place.

Kelly & Gilbert wanted to come by and see us before they were flying out for a wedding. We were on their route to the airport and we hadn’t seen them in a few weeks. They wouldn’t have a lot of time between work & their flight, but there would be enough time to have a quick dinner with us. We also hadn’t gotten together with our good friends Rich & Lisa in a while but had talked to them a few times that day, so we invited them over, too. We had shrimp on hand. I searched my digital recipe file for a new recipe to make with shrimp as the protein. We threw together some light appetizers of aged cheddar cheese and dried fruit to enjoy with our friends and cooked the shrimp dish when Kelly & Gilbert were 10 minutes out, after prepping the meal earlier. It all worked out well for an impromptu dinner party and tasted great! (The dessert was also quick to make with ingredients I had on hand, but that will the the subject for a different blog!)

Mongolian Shrimp & Broccoli

Mongolian Shrimp & Broccoli (adapted from thejudylab.com via delish.com)

Total Time required: 30 minutes, Prep Time: 15 minutes, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1-inch chunk ginger, peeled &grated
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Stir-Fry

• 1 1/2 pound shrimp without tails, peeled and deveined
• kosher salt
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set the sauce aside.

Put together the sauce.

In a medium bowl, season the shrimp with salt. Toss the shrimp in the cornstarch until it is well coated.

Coat the shrimp in cornstarch.

In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and cook the broccoli until it is tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Stir-fry the broccoli.

Remove the cover and add the shrimp to the pan, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through and the broccoli is slightly charred. Add up to 1/2 cup water to thin out the sauce.

Add the shrimp into the wok.

Serve immediately over rice.

Serve the shrimp and broccoli over cooked rice.

Stir-fries are great for impromptu dinners!  ~Linda

Mongolian Shrimp & Broccoli (adapted from thejudylab.com via delish.com)

Total Time required: 30 minutes, Prep Time: 15 minutes, Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1=inch chunk ginger, peeled & grated
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 pound shrimp without tails, peeled and deveined
• kosher salt
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 teaspoon peanut oil
• cooked rice, for serving

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Set the sauce aside.

In a medium bowl, season the shrimp with salt. Toss the shrimp in the cornstarch until it is well coated.

In a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil and cook the broccoli until it is tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture, cover the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the cover and add the shrimp to the pan, stirring, until the shrimp is cooked through and the broccoli is slightly charred. Add up to 1/2 cup water to thin out the sauce. Serve immediately over rice.