Greatest Hits, volume III

Brad's birthday always reminds me of the anniversary of starting UaKS, since the very first episode was Brad's request for Uncle Clint's Mac & Cheese for his birthday dinner. After three years of doing this, I decided it was ridiculous to have a blog called "Use a Kitchen Scale" and not have a page where it was convenient to look up the weights of some of the most common baking and cooking ingredients. So there it is up there ↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑ in the cross-column between "Equipment" and "Ingredients." I still have some things to fill in, but it's getting there.

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As is now traditional, here is the list of some of my favorite episodes from the past year of UaKS:

• Life lessons from my children
• Mr. Drive By: the dud parent strikes again
• The past tense of shit
• Comic interlude: Mom goes wild
• The dud avatar
• Holy @#$%ing shit!
• Hairless from the waist up
• One of a kind
• The empty nest
• The marriage test
• 200th episode extravanza

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This is something none of you may ever make, but it's incredibly easy and Mom and I have been enjoying it for about 30 years. It goes great with the Rice Pilaf.

Shrimp Scampi

Adapted from The New York Times 60-Minute Gourmet (1979) by Pierre Franey

1 pound large (at least 21–25) shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup (53 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fine bread crumbs, freshly ground if possible (gluten-free bread is fine)
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
a few grinds of black pepper

    1. Place a rack on the top rung of the oven, about 3 to 4 inches from the broiler element. Heat the broiler to high.
    2. Rinse the shrimp, drain well, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, and toss well to coat evenly.
    3. Scrape the shrimp into a baking pan just large enough to fit them in a single layer. (You can line the pan with foil if you like.) Broil until cooked through but not rubbery, about 5 to 6 minutes. Serve promptly with Rice Pilaf. Serves 2 (recipe can be doubled).