The Garlic Harlot (Contessa's Shrimp Scampi)

I guess this is my Summer of Shrimp. I’m not really sure why, because I’m not normally a huge shrimp fan. Yes, I like it; but normally I eat it a couple of times a year, not several times in the course of one summer. Perhaps, here in Phoenix, where it has been even more sweltering than usual, the idea of shrimp is particularly appealing due to its ease of preparation. Of course, dishes I don’t have to prepare are even more attractive, and I’ve found another one from Contessa that deserves mention.

I’d seen Contessa’s boxes of Shrimp Scampi (they have 12-ounce and 32-ounce sizes) in the freezer section and the frozen seafood section of my local groceries, but had not tried one until this past week. I was rushed at the store, getting ready to go out of town the following morning, when I spotted the tasty-looking picture on the front of Contessa’s box, and decided to give it a try. Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting much, but I’ve had pretty good luck with Contessa’s convenience meals, so I was willing to risk a test-drive.

The preparation was simplicity itself; open the plastic bag-type container inside the box; add the shrimp to a pre-heated skillet; sauté 3-4 minutes on each side, and serve. I made plain white rice to accompany the dish (more on this choice later). Inside the bag were 25-30 medium-sized shrimp, which initially started out with a frozen coating that melted during the cooking and became the buttery garlic sauce.


I’ll save you the suspense – this dish wasn’t just okay; it wasn’t just pretty good for frozen – it was fantastic. I was completely shocked. I’ve been making scampi from scratch forever; and I’m pretty sure that if the Hubster hadn’t seen the box, he would have cheerfully devoured this Scampi and never thought for a moment that it wasn’t homemade.

The sauce was perfectly seasoned, buttery and garlicky with a slight hint of herbs; the sauce was neither too thin nor too thick. The shrimp, although a smidgen on the small side for my taste, were cooked to the right degree of doneness, not overcooked to the rubbery brink of death, as is so often the case with convenience meals.

And the damage to your waistline? Per 4 oz serving (see my criticism of the serving size estimation, below), 290 calories; 27 grams of total fat, including 7 grams of saturated fat and 4 grams of Trans Fat; 4 grams of carbohydrate (so lo-carb friendly), 2 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. If you split the box between the two of you, it would be a little under 450 calories each. It's not a Budget Gourmet item at $8.49+/- for the box, but I am absolutely going to buy some more of these and keep them on hand. In fact, I liked this so much, I'm going to see if my grocer will carry some of their other speciality seafood/shrimp items, like Coconut Shrimp and "Ragin' Cajun Shrimp." After the Scampi experience, I'm game to try these out.

My only criticism of the meal is that Contessa claims this serves “about 3;” the Hubster and I are not large eaters, and although we had about 4 shrimp left over, that hardly constitutes a third portion – realistically, I’d say the 12-ounce size serves two, and that’s with a side dish of starch and a vegetable. If you’re going to eat this without rice or pasta and a vegetable, assume one 12-oz. serving per person. I would, in the future, make pasta with this, instead of rice – the garlicky butter sauce would suit angel hair better than the rice as a side. Definitely include a loaf of Italian bread, to sop up the sauce, so you don’t miss one delicious bite.

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Sinful No-Sweat Summer Sweets (Banquet Dessert Bakes, Edwards Oreo Cream Pie, and others)

Okay, having tortured some of you, apparently, with recipes for desserts last week, I thought I’d pick some of the Diner’s quick-serve desserts or treats – that is, desserts you either serve right from the freezer or make from a mix. Luscious, sinful, make-you-moan chocolate sins that you can have near-instantly, to satisfy your summer sugar cravings...cold from the freezer, to add to the joy.


For those who love chocolate cream pie: not counting various pints of ice-cream (Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk is the top-rated ice cream of all time at the Diner, by the way), the best-rated dessert was, surprisingly, from Banquet, in a line called “Banquet Dessert Bakes.” This is a dessert-in-a-box to which you add water, stir, and refrigerate. Okay…you have to make the crust and the filling separately, but, really, it’s that simple. The winning dessert is called Chocolate Silk Cream Pie, and gets rave reviews – one reviewer, tiamsea, said “Tastes scrumptious too, I even had someone ask me to make it for them because they thought it was a secret recipe haha.” Three different reviewers ranked this dessert 5 stars, not only for taste but for ease of preparation; you may want to stock up on the whipped cream when you make this!

Speaking of chocolate, one of the top-rated desserts is from a brand I’d never heard of before I started the Diner – Edwards. Edwards sells whole, ready-to-eat frozen pies – I’m dying to try the Mocha Mudslide myself – but they also offer the convenience of buying slices of pie, which I think is a boon to those living alone, or, for that matter, couples who just don’t have the oomph to eat a whole pie. Our Regulars at the Diner rate their Oreo Cream Pie a solid 5-stars, with Kwils, our non-dessert eating regular, admitting “…this one I just can't resist and buy it rather often.” She goes on to say that “[t]he crust and filling are both very tasty and this pie doesn't taste "fake" like some frozen desserts do.”

What the heck – let’s make it a Chocolate dessert trifecta: Our third selection for the night is Pepperidge Farm’s Dessert Classics Chocolate Three Layer Cake, which snuck in with a 4.7 out of 5-star rating, earning this enthusiastic review from longtime Diner Regular PattyE: “This is a great chocolate cake. I have to be honest, I am not a chocolate cake fan. I love chocolate, but not chocolate cake. I loved this one! The cake was moist and the icing was very creamy. It is a great cake to have in the freezer for unexpected company.” To be fair, Pepperidge Farm’s Dessert Classics Carrot Cake actually earned a higher ranking – a straight 5-stars from three reviewers – but since chocolate seemed to be the theme of the night, I slighted it in favor of its chocolately three-layer cousin.

And, last but by NO means least - if you love dark chocolate (oooooh, and I do!), want to cut out unnecessary fat and calories, and want a sensuous surprise, run, do not walk, to your local grocer and treat yourself to Haagen-Dazs' new Chocolate Sorbet. Made not with cream, but with Filtered Water, Sugar, Corn Syrup, Egg Whites, Lowfat Cocoa and Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Fruit Pectin, Natural Vanilla, Salt, this sorbet will knock your socks off. Deep, rich, dark and ultimately satsifying, this product is a sleeper that will satsify the hardest of the hardcore chocaholics. It's a perfect summer treat - cool and served without guilt. Enjoy!!

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Berry cool and berry easy summer desserts (Using Frozen Blueberries)

This week, I’m going to give you two different ways to make berry crisps/cobblers – one the “old-fashioned way,” which requires a little mixing and a little blending of the topping; the other is a near-instant dessert recipe which uses only one dish, no mixing, no cooking techniques required, and will fool most people into believing it’s “homemade.” In fact, the preparation for the Berry Cobbler for Dummies Recipe is so fast that you can have it ready to go before your oven preheats to the cooking temperature! A perfect recipe for novice cooks, or just folks pressed for time.


The “Original” Blueberry Crisp Recipe (originally by Master Chef Jim Dodge)

6 cups blueberries (I use frozen wild blueberries, defrosted)
1 tablespoon instant tapioca
1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (see note for substitution options)


1. Preheat the oven to 375º F. Put the berries into a 2½-quart oval baking dish, about 12”x10” (or a 9x13” rectangular dish), about 2 inches deep. In a small bowl, blend the tapioca with 2 tablespoons of the Sugar. Add to the berries and toss to mix.
2. In a medium bowl, blend the flour with the remaining 1½ cups sugar. Add the butter pieces and toss the mixture to coat the butter pieces. Then pinch the butter pieces between your fingers to form thin flakes. Then picking up small handfuls of the flour-sugar-butter topping mixture, gently rub the dough between your hands repeatedly (like rubbing your hands together for warmth, when you’re cold, but more slowly) until it turns golden in color and forms a coarse meal (like cornmeal). Add the lemon zest and toss to mix well. (Note: if you don’t have or don’t know how to make lemon zest, ignore this step, adding 2-3 drops of lemon juice to the fruit mixture instead).
3. Squeeze the topping mixture into clumps with your hands, and crumble the clumps over the blueberries, covering them evenly. Do NOT press the topping into the fruit.
4. Bake at 375º F for about 35 minutes, or until the juices start to bubble and the topping is a scrumptious golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; serve warm. (It is also excellent cold, but warm really is my personal favorite). Serves 6-8.

The “Berry Cobbler for Dummies” Recipe

(Adapted from Meghan Pembleton’s Easy Berry Cobbler recipe)


1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling (I use Comstock);
1 pint (16 ounces) blueberries, either fresh or defrosted from frozen;
1 box yellow cake mix (Moist Deluxe Duncan Hines works well);
1½ sticks butter, melted (3/4 cup)

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Spread Cherry Pie filling in an ungreased 9x13 baking dish.
3. Top cherry pie filling with blueberries
4. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the top evenly; shake the baking dish back and forth a little if needed to evenly distribute the mix over the fruit filling.
5. Pour the melted butter over the top.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is a light golden brown. Allow to cool in pan 5-10 minutes before serving. The crust will be dry and crumbly.
7. As you serve this, mix the crumb topping into the fruit mixture a little. If you want to be really decadent, top with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.

And that’s all there is to it. Either of these recipes will delight your family or friends or coworkers, and the Berry Cobbler recipe really couldn’t be easier – I timed it, and it took me 3 minutes from start to finish. The Cobbler recipe is also a very handy dish to take to pot luck summer get-togethers!


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French Fry Frenzy (Ore-Ida's Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries)

Can you get good French fries at home?

Boy, there’s a question. For years, I made my own from scratch; I’d select the best potatoes, peel them, slice the potato sticks just so, deep-fry them to a golden crunchy outside and a soft inside, and they were good, but not quite great. “Great” is hard to achieve with any food, but oddly enough, French fries can be tricky. Too greasy, not quite cooked enough or overcooked are all easily achievable, sad to say…and regardless of whether they come out excellent or lousy, the amount of work for homemade fries is the same.

As acknowledged by practically everyone – okay, maybe not Burger King or Wendy’s, but everyone who counts – the gold standard for French fries is McDonald’s® fries. Every other fry, whether homemade, sold by McDonald’s® competitors, or served in a four-star restaurant, is measured against the collective consciousness that agrees that McDonald’s® fries are the zenith of French fried potatoes. (Although in the 1960’s and 70’s, there was a place called the Circle Diner in NJ that served heavenly fries laved in [of all things] gravy, that were the raison d’être for truckers, diners, high-schoolers and party-goers trying to sober up after closing time).


Bearing in mind that McDonald’s® is that gold standard, I have happy news for those of you who love fries, but want to watch your pocketbooks and your waistlines as well. Ore-Ida® has come out with a fairly new line out of the frozen potato empire, called “Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries,” and I’m here to tell you that these really do taste like Fast Food fries, and come very close to the vaunted McDonald’s® benchmark.

Not only do these taste great, and completely satisfy any fast food craving, but they are lower in fat and calories than their McDonald’s® cousins by far. Ore-Ida’s® Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries can be oven-, stovetop- or deep-fryer prepared, so I chose the oven preparation method. Using this method, nine minutes later I had crispy, golden fries with soft fluffy interiors that tasted perfect. And here’s the calorie and fat savings:

McDonald’s® serves its fries in multiple sizes, as well all know – a small order is 2.6 ounces, a medium is 4 ounces. Ore-Ida’s® serving size is 3 ounces, so it compares more accurately to the small size at McDonald’s®, which is four-tenths of an ounce smaller than the Ore-Ida® serving.

Comparing the two, McDonald’s® small fries have 250 calories, 13 grams of fat, 2.5 grams of saturated fat, 3.5 grams of trans fat, 140 milligrams of sodium, 30 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, no sugar and 2 grams of protein. In contrast, the Ore-Ida serving, at 3 ounces, contains 160 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 2.0 grams of trans fat, 270 milligrams of sodium, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, less than 1 gram of sugar and 2 grams of protein. Ounce for ounce, the Ore-Ida fries are simply a better deal; the taste is comparable, they cost a lot less and they’re 90 calories less for a nearly twenty-percent arger serving size.

What’s not to love? The next time you get a craving for fries, try the Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries; the oven method works beautifully, it’s easy and you save both money and unwanted fats and calories.

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