Cyndi's Spicy Skewered Shrimp

I've been out of town recently, to the sunny, hot, and smoky Bay Area. It was a lovely trip and we saw lots of old friends and family. One evening we grilled at our friend's Paul and Cyndi's and she made these wonderful shrimp. Here is what she did:

Take alot of fresh tiger shrimp, or previously frozen but thawed. They must be of good size to go on the skewers later. Peel and clean the shrimp. Place in a large plastic zipper bag.

In a small bowl mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup chili powder with a little Tequila Liquor, or other alcohol of your choice. Add just enough to make a runny paste consistency.

Pour the paste over the top of the shrimp in the plastic bag. Shake and smoosh around in the bag until all the shrimp are coated. Leave in the bag for 1/2 hour or more.

Place 5 or 6 shrimp on bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water for a while. This way they won't burn. Place skewers on the grill and lightly brown. They cook fast so only do a few minutes on each side. These are very yummy, not too spicy, but with a little kick. The sweetness of the shrimp comes through.

Stir Fry Shrimp and Asparagus

This is a quick meal for those nights when you haven't planned ahead. I used frozen jumbo shrimp, but fresh would be even better. It is asparagus season in the Northwest, so I used baby fresh asparagus that were wonderful. I made some brown rice to have with this dish. I will give the ingredients and method; the amounts are up to you.

1 bunch of fresh young asparagus

Thawed, frozen jumbo shrimp

Prepared chili-garlic sauce

Scallions, chopped in large pieces

Red bell peppers, sliced into strips

Soy sauce

Salt & pepper

Sesame seeds

Sliced almonds

Canola oil

Molasses

Heat a wok on Med-Hi heat, with a little canola oil in the bottom. Add some chili-garlic sauce to the oil and stir around. Drop in the thawed shrimp and stir fry just a couple of minutes. Remove. In the same oil add the asparagus, which has been cleaned and chopped in half. At this time also add scallions, red pepper strips, and seasonings. At this time you can add more chili-garlic sauce if you like. Stir fry until the asparagus begins to wilt, then add seeds and almonds and continue stirring. Add the shrimp back into the mixture and then drizzle molasses over the top of all. Stir well and serve with rice.