Margarita Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Rice

Merry Monday everyone. I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. We had a lot of family time. Saturday night Seth's new girlfriend came over and after dinner we made a fire and just hung out talking and laughing. The problem is that when we do this we always end up staying up until 1 or 2 AM! That is pretty late for this girl so Sunday was a lazy day. Hot tub in the AM and then horshoes with the kids later in the afternoon. Kevin kicked my butt the first game, then Seth beat Kevin. Seth said the losers (which would be Kevin and I...Yay I'm a loser!) had to play and then the winner of that game would play him for the "finals". Well, by the time it got to that game Kevin's arm was tired and it was getting pretty warm outside. After an hour or so with no one winning I gave the game to Kevin with the score of 11 to 12. The finale was never played so I guess that will be saved for next weekend. That's what we get for staying up so late!

Besides the laughter and family time Saturday night, the highlight was these wonderful shrimp. They are so good I was craving them again Sunday! You can up the heat with the crushed red pepper flakes if you want. Like you know, we love things spicy in our house but I double the recipe for 2 pounds of shrimp and added a bit more than a teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and they could have been spicier for us.

Margarita Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Rice

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cloves garlic, minced or grated

1 lime, zested and juiced

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon good quality tequila

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

good pinch of kosher salt

4 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes

In a large ziplock bag add the garlic, lime zest and juice, oil, tequila, cilantro, crushed red pepper, salt, and shrimp. Seal bag well and toss the shrimp with the marinade. Let marinate 30 minutes.

Place bamboo skewers in a sink with water to soak.

Preheat an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan over medium-high heat. Oil the grill lightly. Remove the shrimp from marinade and place on skewers. Cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Serve over a bed of Cilantro Lime Rice.

4 servings

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
a generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 jalapeno, cut in half lengthwise
salt

To a medium sauce pot add rice, garlic, 1 tablespoon of the fresh lime juice, jalapeno, and chicken stock. Place a lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat and remove the jalapeno. Stir in cilantro and fresh lime. Serve warm.