Shrimp Alfredo

So the word alfredo scares me....that is up until I tried this recipe tonight and I am hooked.   Super simple; Super Good.   I had some shrimp I needed to use so I went to allrecipes.com, typed in shrimp and up came tons of recipes.   Found this one, Peppered Shrimp Alfredo:   Folks, you need to make this.

• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
• 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Happy Cooking!

Bistro Steak-and-Egg Salad (Courtesy of Rachel Ray)

Round loaf crusty bread, ends trimmed, cut into 1/4 inch slices                    
1/2 C plus 2 tbsp EVOO
2 cloves garlic, 1 halved and 1 finely grated
1 1/2 lbs London Broil (skirt steak)
S & P
1/2 C plus 1 tbsp cider vinegar
4 eggs
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 bags mixed greens
3 C baby arugula
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

Preheat lg. grill pan over med-high heat.  Brush the bread slices with 1 tbsp EVOO and grill turning once 1 to 2 minutes.  Rub each crostini with halved garlic.

Rub steak with 1 tbsp EVOO and season with S & P.  Grill turning once until thermometer reads 135 degrees for med-rare, 3 to 5 min per side.   Let rest, then thinly slice against grain and on an angle.

Meanwhile, fill a lg deep skillet half way up with water and bring to simmer over med heat.  Add 1 tbsp vinegar.   Working with one egg at a time, crack egg into small bowl and gently slide into water.  Cook until whites are opaque but yolks are runny, 3 to 5 min.  Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer egg to a kitchen towel to drain.

In lg salad bowl, whisk together the grated garlic, remaining 1/4 C vinegar and the mustard.  Slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 C EVOO and season with S & P.  Add the mixed greens, arugula, & 1/4 C parmesan cheese and toss.  Divide among 4 plates and top each with steak and an egg.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve with crostini


*This recipe was quick and easy.  The egg on top brought the salad, steak, and dressing together beautifully.   It was really good.  I didn't have a grill pan so I just put the bread in a skillet and toasted then also used a skillet for the steak.

Dinner for One!

Alaskan Halibut with Mango Salsa                          

So, it is very nice to pull a piece of fish out of the freezer that was caught by hand in Alaska.  It would only obviously be better if I was in Alaska to eat it but I am in Kansas and that is the next best thing.  It was so good.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet along with a few dashes of lemon pepper seasoning.   Add filet and cook on each side about 5 min or until cooked through but not overcooked.  A nicely done piece of fish will be flakey at the touch of a fork.

Mango Salsa:   Cut up two mangos, dice one half of a jalapeno (seeds removed), dice 1/4 red onion, chop 3 tbsp cilantro, and add juice of 1/2 lime.   Salt and Pepper to finish.  Serve atop fish.

Back to the Basics

Sometimes, you gotta go there.   Gotta break down and go for the old fashioned meal and for me it was meatloaf.   Now, this isn't something I make very often but something I crave every now and then.   Mostly because the leftovers on a sandwich is simply heaven.

This recipe isn't really a recipe I followed.  It was something I just threw together and truth be known, there is probably a thousand like it.

Meat Loaf

2 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 C. quick oats
3 TBSP  Ketchup
1/4 C tomato sauce
4-6 dashes Worcestershire
6 slices of day old bread

Place the slices of bread 3 to a row on a cookie sheet.   Mix all ingredients together and shape into an oval and place on top of the bread.   The bread soaks up all the grease and makes clean up much much easier.   I'm all about easier!

Bake @ 375 for 1 1/2 hours or until center is no longer pink.

Use leftovers heated up on toast with a little mayo for the greatest sandwich ever!

Th Big Easy

Now, it's no secret that I don't agree with low-fat and great all in the same sentence.   I do however believe in 'easy' and 'great' going together and easy dishes is what I'm all about.   This recipe comes from Southern Living magazine.   I always look at magazine recipes and rarely try them and thankfully someone else tried this for me and it's delicious so I wanted to test it out.  If you, like I, want a good soup for a cool day, here it is.

"Big Easy" Gumbo

Makes:  8-10 servings
1/2 C peanut oil
1/2 C flour
1 C chopped sweet onion
1 C chopped green pepper
1 C chopped celery
2 tsp Creole seasonings
2 tsp minced garlic
3 (14 oz) cans chicken stock
4 C shredded cooked chicken
1/2 lb. andouille sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 1/2 C frozen black-eyed peas
1 lb. peeled lg. raw shrimp

Heat oil in lg. dutch oven over med-high heat, gradually whisking in the flour.  Whisking constantly cook mixture 5 -7 min or until a chocolate color but DO NOT BURN.

Reduce heat to med, stir in onion, pepper, celery, seasonings and garlic.  Cook 3 minutes stirring constantly.  Gradually stir in chicken broth; add chicken, sausage, and peas.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer 20 minutes; stir occasionally.    Add shrimp and cook additional 5 minutes before serving.

Note:  My suggestion is to have all of you ingredients chopped, sliced, measured, and ready to go.

It's Cold Out....Finally!

So on this the first 'cold' day and it was all of 52 out, ha, I felt it was necessary to mark the occasion with a soup.  My first thought was this yummy gumbo recipe my dad makes but couldn't come up with the recipe in time so I resorted to a tried and true recipe from a family friend that always results in full happy tummies.....and it's easy.  

Clam Chowder

2 ~ 6 1/2 oz cans chopped clams
1 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped celery
2 C. frozen hash browns
3/4 C. flour
3/4 C. butter
1 qt. 1/2 n 1/2
salt
pepper
1/2 t. sugar

In a saucepan, combine hashbrowns and clam juice.  Cook until hashbrowns are warm then add onion and celery and cook until tender.   Add water to cover and continue simmering.

In a dutch oven, melt butter and add flour.  Stir cooking for 2 min.  Add 1/2 n 1/2 and stir until thick.   Add vegetables, clams, and seasonings.  Simmer for 20 min.

Campfire Delight!

I love camping.   It's nothing but hard work, a big mess, crappy weather but I love it.   And what I love about it is the food, the recreation, the atmosphere, the people.   Here is a campfire treat unlike and refreshing change to the infamous Smore!

1 pkg crescent rolls
1 stick of melted butter
Mixture of cinnamon and sugar

Using a 2 prong hotdog/marshmallow stick, wrap one or two crescent rolls around both sticks so you have a square flat piece of dough.    Hold over hot coals taking caution not to burn.  Turn occasionally until crispy but not burned.   Dip in butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.  Yummy!

It's Slow Cooker Sunday!

Love my slow cooker.  Yeah, the name is no longer a crock pot, it's a slow cooker as I was informed of on a recent cooking show I was watching.  Today is a slow Sunday and this is a super easy 5 ingredient or less recipe....oh and did I mention yummy?

Butter Beef

2+ lbs stew meat
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
1 stick of butter
1 pkg of egg noodles

Combine meat, soup mix, and stick of butter in slow cooker.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  After 3-4 hours add mushrooms and stir.  Finish cooking.   When done, prepare egg noodles as directed on pkg.  Serve butter beef over noodles.

Dinner Tonight!

Dinner tonight ~ Dinner tonight ~ What's for dinner tonight?

A super simple recipe that I am already predicting to be a success.   Yes, I know, it's a gamble but really, it's super easy and the basic ingredients are chicken, potatoes, cheese, and onions.  You can't go wrong people!   Would love someone to try it out and let me know what you think ;-)

Chicken with Balsamic Onions and Parmesan Potatoes

2 lbs red potatoes cubed
3 TBSP butter
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C parsley
salt & pepper
3 tbsp EVOO
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 med red onion
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 C baby spinach

Preheat oven to 400

In a lg pot cook potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain and toss with 2 tbsp butter, parmesan cheese, parsley and season with s & p.  Cover to keep warm

In lg skillet heat 2 tbsp EVOO over med-high heat.  Season chicken with s & p and brown turning once about 5 minutes.  Transfer to baking dish and roast until cooked through.

In same skillet heat 1 tbsp each butter and EVOO over med heat. Stir in onions and vinegar, season with salt.  Cook stirring occasionally until caramelized about 15 min.  Stir in 1/4 C water scraping bits off bottom.  

Serve chicken on top of a bed of spinach and top with onions.  Potatoes served on side.

Enjoy!  

Courtesy of Everday With Rachael Ray Weekly Menu Planner  www.rachaelraymag.com

Gnocchi You Say?

I made a new recipe, yes one of Rachaels, that we didn't have time for Tuesday.  Between practices and games, a quick pot of spaghetti won out at 8:30 p.m.  However, after having experimented with three ingredients I have never worked with before, it was probably a good thing I moved the menu to lunch for Shane and I.

Ingredient #1:  gnocchi:  Potato dumplings that I thought you would find in the refrigerated section but no they are on the shelf around the pasta area.  Interesting little things.  Fixed by frying in a pan with olive oil until crisp.

Ingredient #2:  pesto:  made from spinach, olive oil, garlic, and almonds pureed til smooth and yummy

Ingredient #3:  goats cheese:  Interesting flavor to say the least...a mix between ricotta cheese and cream cheese

Recipe:

Crisp Gnocchi With Tomatoes and Goat Cheese

4 C baby spinach
1/3 C slivered almonds
1 Clove garlic, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3C plus 1 1/2 TBSP EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
S & P
1 pkg (16oz) gnoochi
1/2 pt grape tomatoes halved
1 pkg goat cheese, crumbled

Using food processor puree the spinach, almonds, garlic and 1 tbsp lemon juice.   While machine is on, gradually add in 1/3 C EVOO until smooth.
Pulse in 1/2 parmesan; season with S & P.  Add more lemon juice if desired.

In lg skillet heat remaining EVOO over med/high heat.  Add the gnocchi in a single layer and cook undisturbed until golden and crisp, 3 to 4 min.  Turn and cook tossing until golden all over, about 2 min.

Remove from heat and stir in pesto.  Top with goat cheese

REVIEW:

Good recipe.   Probably not one I would fix for dinner as it didn't make much.  Basically enough for two people.  It would make a great luncheon recipe for a group of women.

Suggestions:    Do not use a small food processor that I attempted to use.  Beg, borrow, or buy a big one!  


Happy Cooking.....Foodaloo

It's all in the Baggie!

The question today is what is your favorite must have kitchen item....be it an ingredient, tool, appliance, dish etc.  Tell me tell me.....

Mine?    Gallon zip lock baggies.   I cant' live without em.  They are super versatile for everything in the kitchen and things out of the kitchen like travelling.   This week alone I have used them for storing peaches on the counter, left over sausage in the fridge, a bowl of goat cheese, and tonight a bag of rice that we opened but only used a cup of.  I am telling you, I love these things!

Your turn!

I'm Dishin' It!

Welcome to I'm Dishin' It!   A site dedicated to food; One of my favorite past times.   Food:  I love it!  I love to eat it, taste it, smell it, see it, buy it, fiddle with it and anything else you can think of oh and did I mention eat it?!?  Now, if someone could just come up with a quick and easy way to clean up the mess caused by this infatuation, then I'd be golden.

What I plan to do here is experiment and talk and ooh and awe over food and I hope you will join in!

Here's to "I'm Dishin' It!    CHEERS!

Rachael's At It Again

So many of you followed my first attempt on FB at a weekly menu from Rachael Ray's magazine several weeks ago.  The results were very good and again this week, I am attempting another 5 meals so cleverly intertwined as to use every single bit of ingredients purchased aside from the staples like olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper.

My thoughts as I began the first week of meals was this:   First, there is NO way this is only going to cost me $70 and second, there is no way I will be able to fix five consecutive meals.   We haven't sat down at the dinner table together for a long time.   Seems we always have a practice, company, or just plain lazy.

That week was different though.   We ate five consecutive meals at the dinner table together, complete with prayer.  Benefit #1

Benefit #2:  $70....yes, it was nearly identical to the price she said. Impressive = Five meals to feed four people for $70!

Benefit #3:  $70 worth of food and I used every stinking bit of it sans the staples mentioned above.  If you open a carton of sour cream for a recipe on Monday, you will use the remaining sour cream in a recipe on Wednesday and so forth.  From the sour cream to the bunch of parsley. Impressive = No Waste!

Benefit #4:   Easy peesy Japaneesy (as stated in Shawshank Redemption) These recipes, sound elegant and difficult and difficult they aren't.   The average cooking time was under 30 minutes and an added bonus is one, no more than two pans to clean up.

Benefit #5:  Variety:   Each weeks menu includes one fish dish, one vegetarian dish and all full of fresh produce.   I flirted with things I've always wanted to step towards but shyly kept away from.  I.E. quiche, goat cheese, & eggplant.

Thumbs down:  The only thing I really could point my finger too is that some of the ingredients aren't available in our hometown grocery store which I really like to shop in.  I had to go to Dillons for some of the fresh produce and products like couscous and gnocchi.  I get what I can in town then head to Dillons for the rest.

As if that isn't enough, my family loved them.  Now, there was obviously some dishes that they preferred over the rest but in general they liked every recipe and loved some.   Please understand, my kids eat what I fix them.  They have learned that being picky simply isn't an option.  You eat what I make wether you want it, like it, or not.   Not?  You clean up the kitchen  :-)

Rating:   I give Rachael Ray's weekly menu planner an A.  It was economical and folks we don't argue with cheap in this household.  It was different, it was easy, and it was good.   Really not much to argue with.  Stay tuned for some of the recipes that we liked the most.

Weekly meal planner can be found at:   www.rachelraymag.com

Foodaloo!