Sauces

Basil Pesto Shrimp

November 1, 2015

basilshrimp

I have fresh basil coming out of my eyeballs.  There are only so many Basil Gimlets a girl can drink!  I need to make a big batch of pesto and quick.  I’ve blogged it before, my family loves shrimp.  Me, not so much,  I have already established that I don’t like shrimp in pasta dishes. Therefore I am going for “Grilled Shrimp with a Basil Pesto Sauce.”  Wish me luck.

I never knew how easy pesto was to make until I watched my friend Bobbii whip some up quickly while we were enjoying a glass of wine.  Just need the ingredients and a food processor.

My recipe for Basil Pesto is a guesstamate of ingredients.  I just added until it tasted right!

 

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Basil Pesto Shrimp
Author: 
Recipe type: Grilled
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
This recipe was great for a weeknight (a nice night where you can grill out and enjoy wine on porch while it cooks).
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs of shrimp (peeled)
  • 1-2 cups of fresh basil (packed)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice (i used 1 fresh squeezed lemon)
  • ¼ cup of parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • 2-4 tbl of olive oil (i used a little extra to get consistency needed)
  • 2-4 tbl pine nuts (i toasted mine first since I had the time)
Instructions
  1. Pulse basil, lemon juice, pine nuts, olive oil and salt and pepper (if needed) in a food processor until smooth. May have to add more liquids (lemon juice or olive oil to get texture needed depending on amount of basil used.).
  2. Marinate the shrimp in pesto for 20 min (overnight would be best). I used a gallon size Ziploc bag in fridge.
  3. Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes before adding shrimp to keep from burning on grill.
  4. Grill medium high heat for 2-3 minutes per side until cooked.

 

 

Main Dishes

Stuffed Green Peppers – Philly Style

November 1, 2015

I have a garden full of green peppers and I’m honestly not sure what to do with them. I was thinking of stuffed green peppers! Bill loves Philly Cheesesteak with Green Peppers, so I thought I would attempt to stuff my peppers Philly Style!

GreenPeppersThe peppers were not very big, which posed a slight problem, they didn’t hold a ton of the good stuff! I loved having a Philly Cheesesteak without the extra calories of bread.  Great alternative!  The cook time is a tough one for a weeknight. At around 60 minutes it’s great for the weekend!

stuffedpeppers

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Stuffed Green Peppers - Philly Style
Author: 
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
I loved this recipe, easy not too time consuming. Minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
  • 3 large green peppers (I used about 5 small)
  • 12 oz thinly sliced roast beef
  • 6-8 slices of Provolone Cheese
  • 1 medium onion - sliced
  • 2 tbl unsalted butter
  • 2 tbl olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic - minced
  • Salt and Pepper as needed
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Slice peppers in half lengthwise, remove seeds and ribs. Set aside.
  3. Saute onions, butter, olive oil, garlic over medium heat (add salt and pepper if desired). Saute until onions are caramelized (20-25 minutes).
  4. While onions are cooking, slice roast beef into thin strips. Add to onion mixture when caramelized. Cook for 5 min.
  5. Overstuff each of the pepper halves with the meat mixture and top with a slice of provolone cheese (add extra if you want..I did!)
  6. Bake for 15-20 min until cheese is golden brown.

 

Desserts

Country Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cream Sauce

November 1, 2015

Country Bread Pudding

I love Thanksgiving! Especially the traditions of Thanksgiving. I’ve been hesitant to try something new, but was afraid a bad dish would ruin the entire meal. This year, I thought I would give the recipes a trial run leading up to the big day. First on my list was bread pudding. I have been talking about making bread pudding for as long as I can remember and have never attempted.

Growing up, I loved my great grandma’s bread pudding. Plain and simple. I was always amazed how she could whip up a dessert with no recipe. However, I have to read, re-read, and still manage to screw it up somehow. When we go out to dinner, my husband knows if there is bread pudding on the menu, we better save room for dessert!

Tonight, the neighbors are coming over for an impromptu Sunday night dinner, and I have all the ingredients and more people to help finish so I don’t eat all the leftovers. Bill has has been into bourbon lately and I am always looking for ways to use it in my cooking. I mean we own enough of it so I know there will always be some in a pinch.  The idea hits me; Bourbon Sauce! I’m in.

This recipe is easy, uses simple ingredients you probably have on hand and quick clean up. The Bread Pudding has made the Thanksgiving Day line-up.

 

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Country Bread Pudding with Bourbon Cream Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10
 
Quick, easy dessert. Not low fat at all! The recipe makes a lot of sauce...which is great - leftovers to eat with a spoon.
Ingredients
  • Country Bread Pudding
  • 2 lbs of Country White Bread (I bought at Costco - was perfect) I sliced to 1-2" squares. Feel free to tear away!
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (i used light)
  • 3 tblsp unsalted butter - melted
  • 8 eggs, beaten
  • 3 cups half and half
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 c. raisins, optional ( i did not add)
  • ¼ cup of Bourbon
  • ________________________________________________________________________
  • Bourbon Cream Sauce
  • ½ stick unsalted butter
  • ½ lb brown sugar (brand new bag -I used about ½)
  • ½ cup half and half
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ cup bourbon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
  2. Line a cookie sheet with the bread cubes and dry slightly in oven while heating - if overly fresh.
  3. Mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves in a large bowl until blended.
  4. Add beaten eggs, melted butter, half and half, cream, vanilla and bourbon to brown sugar mixture, blend.
  5. Pour mixture over the bread an mix until evenly coated.
  6. Spray pan (13x9x2) with oil to prevent sticking. I used a 3½ qt Le Creuset Braiser because its my favorite pan these days.).
  7. Add the bread to to the pan and shift contents to settle.
  8. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 40-50 minutes - until toothpick comes out clean.
  9. _________________________________________________________________________
  10. Bourbon Cream Sauce
  11. Melt butter in sauce pan
  12. Whisk in Brown Sugar until dissolved - do not boil.
  13. Mix in half and half and cream and remove from heat
  14. Add Bourbon - mix
  15. Pour over Warm Bread Pudding and Enjoy!

 

 

Main Dishes

Spicy Garlic Shrimp Pasta w/Tomato Sauce

July 19, 2015

ShrimpPastaI’m working my way through Food Network Magazine’s June edition and decided to make a version of Garlic-Tomato Pasta Peas.  I modifies slightly, took out the peas and added shrimp. I can’t serve my husband a meal without some sort of protein.  I have never liked fish with a tomato based sauce, so I was a little concerned about adding shrimp. My family of the other hand loves shrimp any way I cook it, so I decided to try it.

The recipe specifically calls out “weeknight cooking” and “done in 25 minutes” and is a perfect choice.  My husband joins in the fun and peels the shrimp (my least favorite thing).  The recipe calls for 6 cloves of garlic.  I tend to over garlic things, so I went with 4 cloves, they were very large so probably the same as 6!  I made it extra spicy by adding 1+ teaspoon of red pepper flakes and omitted the peas (Bill hates peas).

I added the shrimp to the tomato sauce while it was reducing in half.

Family loved this recipe, me not so much.  It reinforced the fact, I do not like fish in tomato sauce.  The sauce really picked up the shrimp flavors.  Next time, I would cook the shrimp separately and pour sauce over.

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Spicy Garlic Shrimp Pasta with Tomato Sauce
Author: 
Recipe type: Pasta
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: Serves 4
 
Weeknight Friendly, easy, fell roughly in the 25 minute time frame. You can spice it up or down. I would love to try this as the recipe stated (with peas/no shrimp).
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust more or less to taste)
  • 1½ c boiling water
  • ½ box angel hair pasta
  • 1.2 cup of fresh basil
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta al dente. Drain and reserve ½ cup of water. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet, add garlic, stir constantly until lightly golden. Add the tomato paste, stir one minute. add red pepper flakes. Add boiling water to dissolve tomato paste. Add Shrimp, cook 5 minutes or until sauce reduced by half. Add pasta and basil, toss over medium heat (add additional reserved water if needed). Remove from heat, stir in parmesan. Top with additional parmesan and basil if desired.