Wow, yes, it’s true. I AM still alive!! Sorry I haven’t posted this week, but holiday traveling has kept me quite busy! Hubs and I are still in California. As you can see, I have been taking full advantage of this little break to enjoy some time away from work and school and the blog (if you are a fellow blogger, I promise to get back to my usual reading/commenting after I get back to Florida this weekend!). I had a wonderful Christmas with my in-laws and enjoyed spending time with my cutie little nephew over the past few days. I hope you all also had a great Christmas. Did Santa bring you anything good? Santa brought me so many new food props like fun dishes and bowls. I don’t need to buy any for a very long time!

Last night, my cousin-in-law, Nellie and I headed over to Beverly Hills so that we could go check out Lisa Vanderpump’s (of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills) restaurant, Villa Blanca. Lisa wasn’t there, but her daughter, Pandora, was there and she was also our waitress! Pandora’s new hubby was also there waiting tables. I thought it was super cool that they were actually working at the restaurant. Pandora was really sweet and seems totally down-to-earth. The food was also really tasty! I would definitely go again. And no, I didn’t take a picture because I didn’t want to be a total dork and it was really dark in the restaurant. I know, I suck.

Today, I am bringing you a recipe from good friend, Amanda. Although she doesn’t have her own blog, Amanda also loves to cook and take pictures of her food. And seriously, she makes some really yummy things, like this Spanish Shrimp. Amanda has been so sweet to send me some of her recipes and pictures to share with you all this week while I am still traveling. This shrimp dish would make a great appetizer for your New Year’s Eve parties!

Spanish Shrimp

Serves 4

Ingredients:

– 1 lb. of shrimp (peeled with tails left on)

– 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

– 1 tsp. paprika

– 1 tsp. red pepper flakes

– 2 tbs. of sherry

– 1/4 cup of olive oil

– 1 tbs. of chopped fresh parsley

– 1 lemon, juiced

– salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Heat oil in saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Saute until the garlic begins to brown (garlic burns quickly- keep an eye on it). Turn the heat to high and quickly add shrimp, lemon juice from the lemon, sherry, and paprika. Gently stir until shrimp turns pink and curls (~3-4 minutes). Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to platter.

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