Blah and Shrimp

I know I am not the only one just feeling tapped out. The rush of the holidays leaves the cold of January as a depressing let down time. (ok, maybe it is just me and my friends).
Short of taking an awesome vacation to warmer lands (right, since I am so ready for warm weather clothes - my legs could blind someone, if I actually even had shorts that would fit), what can I find in my kitchen to get me out of the doldrums’?
The first thing I go to is spicy food. I LOVE spicy food. One step before my lips burn is the perfect temperature for me. So, I keep some Tabasco on hand to add to everything. On eggs, on meat, on potatoes, mixed in with ketchup, almost everything. If not Tabasco sauce then, sriacha sauce. I also love the freshness of the chopped fresh jalapeño pepper.
I know, some people can't tolerate heat. The sight of a jalapeño has them running for the hills. My husband is one such person. So, for him, I go for something fresh tasting. My easiest go to is the herb salad. I add chopped fresh herbs to the salad greens and it adds such a yumminess (it's a word - I mean, what is this scrabble? you don’t get to challenge). Our favorite is cilantro. For those who like cilantro, you will think it needs to be added to all lettuce. If you don't like cilantro, dill is a nice option. I also like just throwing in a little mix of fresh herbs that are left from other dishes but there just aren't enough to use for anything else.
Also, once in a while splurge, buy some seafood or something that will remind you of sunnier and warmer times.

Diana's Sunny Meal:
Broiled Shrimp (shell on)
Dill Rice
Caramelized Yellow Squash

Broiled Shrimp - go get nice big shrimp. come on, spend the money. Or, buy in bulk in the frozen section like I do. Make sure the shell is on. You are going to get a flavor from the shell that you just can't duplicate. Make sure to slice down their little backs and remove that nasty vein.
Brine them for 30minutes to an hour in a brine of half salt and half sugar. To make the brine, add a fist full of kosher salt to a fist full of sugar. Mix in some water and stir. Add the deveined but not peeled shrimp and cover the shrimp with cold water. Store in the frig.
Drain well. Coat them in olive oil (doesn't need to be extra virgin, save that for something else) and sprinkle well with a mixture of Old Bay Seasoning and Tony Chachere's seasoning (I do half and half. The Tony Chachere's is a bit spicy so adjust to your tolerance). Turn on your boiler. Place the rack on the top slot and throw a cookie sheet on the rack. You will want to place the shrimp on that hot cookie sheet.
Once the broiler is hot, throw on the shrimp. I try to get 10-15 count shrimp and they need about 3 minutes on each side. So, if you have similar size shrimp, open up the broiler after 3 minutes and quick as a bunny, flip each shrimp.
When done, serve immediately with some homemade cocktail sauce (ketchup, horseradish, a squeeze of lemon and a dash of hot sauce).

Dill Rice - make Basmati rice per the instructions. When you take it off the heat, add the juice of half of a lemon and some finely chopped dill (for one cup of rice, I use about a tablespoon and a half).

Caramelized Yellow Squash- slice fresh squash and sautéed in olive oil (again, pure not extra virgin) over medium heat until getting a little brown. make sure you stir and flip the little guys. Add a bit of garlic salt.

Throw a bowl for the shells in the middle of the table and dig in.