Shrimp Scampi Bake

Now I know what you’re thinking ~ look at all that butter!!  I thought the same thing.  Which is why I used a serrated spoon when spooning the shrimp over my rice.  I think the shrimp tastes so much better cooking in the butter.

I love this recipe.  The addition of the Dijon in the sauce gives the scampi just enough of a different flavor that makes the sauce a bit unusual.  It’s also nice to pop it in the oven instead of cooking on the stove top.

Shrimp Scampi Bake

1 cup butter
2 tbsps Dijon mustard
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 lbs medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed

Preheat oven to 450º.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. When melted, remove from heat and add the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley.

Place shrimp in a shallow baking dish and pour butter mixture over.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Source:  A River’s Course

Happy Cooking!

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

Mr. Meat Eater and I love shrimp so I’m always on the lookout for new recipes.  I found this one on Budget Bytes ~ which is an awesome site and you should visit!  There are loads of great recipes.

I did change this recipe up a little bit.  I used 1 1/2 lbs shrimp since they were on the smallish side and we like lots of shrimp in our dishes.  I used 6 cloves of minced garlic so the dish would be nice and garlicky.   I also used several shakes of red pepper flakes and I really couldn’t taste it too much so if you like food spicy, use more. I think the next time I make this, will get diced tomatoes with garlic or some other kind of spice.

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

8 oz fettuccine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, minced ~ I used 6 cloves, minced
1/2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp ~ I used 1 1/2 lbs
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp salt
Fresh black pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Add the pasta to large pot of boiling water and cook according to package directions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, put the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Rinse the shrimp, drain, and add to the melted butter/olive oil in the skillet along with the minced garlic. Saute just until shrimp turns pink. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the tomatoes and their juice to the skillet with the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and let simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Add the cooked fettuccine to the sauce in the skillet and toss to coat with the sauce. Add back the cooked shrimp and toss to mix again. Adjust salt if needed.

Before serving, sprinkle chopped parsley over the top.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Budget Bytes

Happy Cooking!

Spicy Shrimp

This shrimp recipe is wonderful ~ and that is saying something coming form me because I am not a big fan of spicy.  It is NOT that spicy, in fact Mr. Meat Eater did not even come close to breaking a sweat which is how he gauges how spicy something is.  You can always cut down on the amount of red pepper flakes if you want.  It’s a very easy recipe which everyone knows I love.

Spicy Shrimp

4 tbsps water
2 tbsps ketchup
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsps cornstarch
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
I pound large shrimp, cleaned, deveined and tails removed

Mix together the water, ketchup, soy sauce, cornstarch, honey, red pepper flakes, and ground ginger in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in a lskillet over medium-high heat and stir in the green onions and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the shrimp and stir them around to coat with the oil. Cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through ~ just a few minutes. Stir in the sauce and stir until sauce is thickened and bubbly.

Serve over rice.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Shrimp Alfredo

This recipe is really easy ~ easy enough to make on a weeknight if you feel like it.

Shrimp Alfredo

12 ounces pasta ~ use your favorite
1/4 cup butter
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 large portobello mushrooms, gills and stems removed and diced
1 pound large shrimp
1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cream
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain; set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, melt butter together with the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until soft, about 2 more minutes.

Stir in the shrimp and cook until firm and pink. Pour in Alfredo sauce, Parmesan, and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.

Stir in pasta and serve sprinkled with parsley.

Makes 6 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Deely’s Seafood Salad and New Directions

Well, it looks like meal planning is the most asked for feature so that’s the direction I will take.  I am working on some meal planning tips, how I meal plan, etc., so look for those in the near future.  I will try to incorporate some of the other things asked for as well.

I also thought that I would start posting about making everyday foods like bagels, tortillas, pitas, and my success or failure at it. I am also trying to go more towards fresh foods but there are some things that I’ll never stop using so I am going to try to find healthier alternatives.  I hope you all will stick with me!

Any other ideas, please shoot them my way!

We had a BBQ for DH’s co-workers and some family friends a couple of weekends ago and one of the salads I made was this very delicious seafood salad.    Deely from Food.com (formerly Recipezaar) suggested it to me and it was a HUGE hit at the BBQ.  I took her advice and used fresh shrimp and crab and I would suggest that you do the same.  It’s a very easy salad to make and I know that I’ll be making it over and over.

Deely’s Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad

Deely’s Shrimp and Crab Pasta Salad

2 (6 ounce) cans shrimp (drained) or 1 cup fresh shrimp, chopped (I used medium size)
1 (6 ounce) cans crab (drained) or 1 cup fresh crab, picked through
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (8 ounce) cans sliced water chestnuts (drained)
3 cups pasta shells uncooked (cooked)
1/2 cup onions chopped
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Mix seafood and lemon juice and then combine all ingredients.

Refrigerate over night.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Easy Jambalaya

First off, I am not a fan of jambalaya but DH really loves it so I make it once in a great while.  I really don’t think this recipe is authentic at all but we like it.  It is spicy but not overly so ~ evidenced by the fact that I can eat it.  This recipe is basic enough that I think you could add or subtract anything from it and really make it your own.

Easy Jambalaya

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

1 tbsp olive oil
16 ozs. andouille sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
salt to taste
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning or more if you like it spicier
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 cups chicken broth
3 bay leaves
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 lb peeled and deveined medium shrimp ~ I use 1 lb. large shrimp

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the sausage and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the onion, green pepper, and celery. Season all with the Cajun seasoning and cook and stir until the veggies are soft ~ about 6 to 8 minutes.

Stir in the rice, tomatoes with juice, garlic, broth, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the shrimp and cook, uncovered, for 10 more minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through.

Remove the pot from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Happy Cooking!

A PSA and Creamy Shrimp Pasta

TODAY’S PSA:

Don’t try and break up a dog fight or this could happen to YOU!    It looks so much better than it did on Friday!  I’m really wondering where all those wrinkles came from, LOL.

This is so quick and easy to make and it tastes like you have been cooking all day.  It is NOT spicy at all so if you like spice, add more Cajun seasoning or even some hot sauce. I think the whole wheat pasta would taste great in this dish.

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

1 cup water
1 (14 ounce) can fat free, low sodium chicken broth
6 ounces uncooked linguine
1 lb. raw medium shrimp, pelled and deveined
1 1/2 tbsps butter
1 (8 ounce) pkg sliced baby portabella mushrooms
1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips
2 tsps flour
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup fat free half and half
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine the water and broth in a large pot and bring to a boil. Break pasta in half and add to pan. Return to boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Add raw shrimp to the pan, cover, and continue simmering for 3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through. Drain and set aside.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and red pepper to pan and saute for about 4 minutes. Add flour, seasoning and salt to pan and saute for an additional 30 seconds. Stir in half and half and cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add pasta/shrimp mixture and parsley to pan; toss together and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Happy Cooking!

Shrimp and Orzo

Shrimp is on sale in my area almost every week making it cheaper to eat shrimp than chicken sometimes.  As long as it’s on sale, we have it about once a week or so.  Because of that, I have loads of shrimp recipes.

This particular recipe I found on epicurious and found it to be a really nice and different way of making shrimp scampi.  It also meets my easy criteria.

Shrimp and Orzo

3/4 cup orzo
4 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsps olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
1 bunch of green onions, sliced thinly
1/3 cup of dry white wine

Cook orzo to al dente according to package directions.

While orzo is cooking, melt 2 tbsps of the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic to pan and saute for 10 to 15 seconds. Add shrimp and saute for about 2 minutes. Add green onions and continue sauteeing until shrimp are pink and just about cooked through, about 1 minute or so. Add the wine and cook until wine boils, about 1 minute. Mix in remaining 2 tbsps butter and season with salt and pepper.

Drain the orzo and put into a serving dish. Pour shrimp mixture over the top and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Grilled Spicy Shrimp

Tomorrow I finally go in for my surgery.  I can’t wait to be rid of this constant pain.  As long as they can do it laproscopically (is that even a word?), I’ll be home in the afternoon.  If not, I’ll be home in a day or two.  I’ll be back here as soon as I can!

These shrimp really are not all that spicy ~ more flavorful than anything.  If you like your food spicy, I would increase the spices.  I did not make the salsa part of this but I will include the recipe for it.

Grilled Spicy Shrimp

Salsa:
3/4 cup of your favorite salsa
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Shrimp:
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, tails removed
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp seasoned salt

Make a foil tray for the shrimp by cutting a large sheet of non-stick aluminum foil. Fold up the sides and corners to create a pan.

To make the salsa, mix all the salsa ingredients and set aside.

Toss the shrimp with the 1/2 tsp chili powder, butter, and seasoned salt on the foil tray.

Heat grill and place tray on grill over medium heat. Cover grill. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (carefully so as not to put holes in the tray). When shrimp turn pick, they are done.

Serve shrimp with the salsa.

Makes 4 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Grilled Shrimp

Continuing from yesterday’s post, we also grilled some shrimp that I had in the freezer.  Personally, I like to grill jumbo shrimp but I wanted to use these up even though they were only the large size.  The lobster recipe and today’s shrimp recipe both were adapted from allrecipes. Both were delicious!

Grilled Shrimp

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsps chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp minced garlic
black pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
1 pound shrimp ~ at least the large size but ideally the jumbo size

In a ziplock bag, smoosh (technical term there) all the ingredients together and add the shrimp. Make sure all the shrimp gets coated with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water while the shrimp is marinating. Thread the shrimp onto the skewers, piercing through the tail and the head so each shrimp is pierced twice by the skewer. Discard leftover marinade.

On a lightly greased grate, grill 2 to 3 minutes per side or until shrimp is pink (or opaque).

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Happy Grilling!