Shrimp Scampi

I saw the Neeley's make this on their Sunday afternoon show. It looked really simple and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I whipped it up for dinner tonight. It was really good! The next time, I'd double the garlic (cause I'm trying to keep vampires away) and I'd have a delicious loaf of crusty bread with it.

Shrimp Scampi

Adapted from Down Home with the Neeley's

Ingredients

1 lb whole wheat angel hair pasta

2 tbsp olive oil

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 c dry white wine

5 tbsp butter

1/4 c parsley, chopped

Directions

Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook until al dente.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. One shimmering and hot, add the shrimp and saute until just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate and reserve. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the skillet, then saute until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and white wine and raise the heat to high. Let the liquid reduce for 2-3 minutes. Whisk in the butter, add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce, if needed, and return the shrimp. Remove from the heat and add the drained pasta, lemon zest and parsley. Toss and enjoy!

Sugar Cookies (for Madison's Puppy Party)

Madison is having her 3rd birthday party on Saturday and it is puppy themed! She chose the theme and the menu (pizza, pineapple and cake). My sister thought it'd be fun to have all the kids decorate puppy cookies, so I found a dog bone shape cookie cutter and made 51 (50 after I ate one) cookies for all the kiddies!! It's going to be so cute!!!

This is a really delicious sugar cookie recipe. I normally avoid sugar cookies at all costs because it's so labor intensive to refrigerate and roll out, etc. My one tip is to constantly move the dough when you're rolling it out and use lots of flour to keep it from sticking!

Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients

3 c all purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 c unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)

1 c sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp milk

Powdered sugar or extra flour for rolling out the dough

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in a large bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and continue to beat on low speed. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until it pulls away from the edges of the bowl and just comes into a dough. Pour out onto a floured board. Gather into a disc shape and divide in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Generously sprinkle the surface you'll roll the dough out onto with flour or powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time. It's very important that the dough stay cold! Sprinkle the rolling pin with flour or powdered sugar and roll out dough into 1/4 inch thick. While you are rolling out the dough, constantly be turning the dough in different directions or flipping it over. If the dough has warmed during this process, put it back in the fridge.

Cut rolled out dough into desired shape, place at least 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet or a sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 7 to 9 minutes until cookies just begin to brown on edges, rotate the cookie sheet halfway through cooking. Let sit for 2 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Serve as is or ice as desired. Will keep in plastic storage for 1 week.

Lazy Chicken

This is another RR recipe from an old cookbook. It appealed to me because it's a one pot chicken dish and who doesn't love the simplicity of that. It turned out very good, very Italian, and fulfilling. I served it with a green salad and it was a great meal for myself and my dear friend, Michelle.

Lazy Chicken

Adapted from Rachael Ray, Classic 30-Minute Meals

Ingredients

Balsamic vinegar

1 & 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (thinly sliced or pounded thin)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 medium white-skinned potatoes, thinly sliced

1 medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 c white wine or chicken broth

1 small zucchini, thinly sliced

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatoes

10 leaves fresh basil, torn or coarsely chopped

2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stem and chopped

1/2 to 3/4 c shredded Italian cheese of your choice

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Rub a little splash of balsamic vinegar into each chicken breast. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.

Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to pan. Add a layer of sliced potatoes and onions. Sprinkle the potatoes and onion with salt and pepper. Let potatoes and onions cook, turning occasionally but maintaining a thin layer, until they begin to brown all over. Add a little broth of wine to the pan. Spread a thin layer of zucchini on top of potatoes and onions and season again. Top with a layer of the chicken breasts. Dump the crushed tomatoes evenly over the top. Sprinkle with chopped herbs. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese and serve!

Lentils with Pasta and Greens

Hi Friends! Sorry, I've been absent. Went on vacation and started my new job! All very exciting, but not enough cooking being done. I'm back on the wagon, so never fear.

I found this in a Rachael Ray cookbook my cousin, Cassady, got me years ago. It caught my eye because it involved lentils, which a great fiber, as well as swiss chard, which I've never cooked with before. It turned out to be very good and satisfying. It'd be great on a cold wintery night with bread and a glass of wine.

Lentils with Pasta and Greens

Adapted from Rachael Ray, Class 30-Minute Meals

Ingredients

2/3 c dried lentils, green or any other variety

2 bay leaves, fresh or dried

10-12 oz pasta (I used whole wheat fusili)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c red wine

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 can vegetable broth

1 lb swiss chard, washed, dried and chopped *cut out tough rib down the middle* (My store had both red and green. I used red because it added nice color).

1/4 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground cumin

Salt

Pepper

Directions

Cover lentils with water and bring to a boil. Add a bay leaf and cook until the lentils are tender, 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, put a large pot of water over high heat for pasta. When water boils, add salt and pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Preheat a large skillet and add extra virgin olive oil. Add remaining bay leaf, onion, carrots, red bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 10 minutes over medium heat. Add wine and cook until liquid reduces, about 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 more minute. Add vegetable broth and swiss chard; cover. Once greens have wilted, season with allspice, cumin, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until greens are tender, about 10 minutes.

When greens are tender and no longer bitter, uncover and stir in drained lentils and pasta. Adjust seasonings and enjoy!