Happy International Hot and Spicy Food Day!

Are you feeling hot and spicy today? Or does the winter chill have you feeling less than…well, less than? I think I’ll enjoy Hot and Spicy Food Day–just a little. I’m not one for eyes-watering, tongue-burning spicy bites, but a little heat here and there, I like. Just remember, it’s your tummy. You need to live with it. So use discernment when dashing the cayenne.

Some people enjoy Sriracha with their Pho, or Tobasco with their everything else. My family likes my Easy Spicy Shrimp. I think it’s a great weeknight meal because it’s a fast one dish wonder. Here’s what I use:

• 2 pounds peeled, deveined shrimp
• 2 tbsps. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 (that’s .5) tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• Himalayan Salt to taste (watch the saltiness if you use other seasoning)
• Optional: Seafood Seasoning of your choice to your taste
• Chopped onion and/or bell pepper
• 1/2 lemon

First, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. I coat the bottom of an oven-proof dish with 1 tbsp. of the olive oil. Next, I mix the remainder of the ingredients in the oven-proof dish. Be sure to squeeze a little of the lemon over your dish. (At this point, I bless the meal. I’ll write a post about this step later. I think it’s really important to put that little bit of intentional love over the food I’m feeding my family). I cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Watch the time–shrimp usually cook quickly. FYI–I like my veggies a little al dente.

I mentioned Tobasco earlier. Just a little insight about the Louisiana native Tobasco Original Red Pepper Sauce made by McIlhenny Company. The Company was founded in 1868 on Avery Island, Louisiana. According to http://tobasco.com, Edmund McIlhenny decided to create a pepper sauce to give the bland food of the Reconstruction South some flavor. I hope to bring my family to tour the facilities this Spring.

Whatever you cook tonight, if you decide to celebrate International Hot and Spicy Food Day, or not, I wish you an insightful experience. It may be just as Princess Tiana says, as she’s helping to make gumbo in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, “Two shots of Tobasco, and it’s the bees’ knees.” Happy Eating! Rose