Garlic Shrimp Pasta

Nothing tastes better than shrimp...unless you add in some pasta too!

I absolutely love seafood of any kind. Shrimp is one of those proteins that takes very little time to cook and can be paired with so much. They can also be prepared in so many ways that I never tire of them. 

Pasta is same way for my family. We love having pasta and could eat it every night. In just a few minutes you can have savory and delicious pasta to use with almost any protein of your choice.

This recipe is so quick and easy, even the very basic beginner cook can prepare this one. Just shrimp, pasta, and a few spices and you are set to go! I keep a few bags of raw de-veined shrimp in the freezer for quick meals. The frozen has a much fresher taste to it over the canned variety. The canned is good for stews and such, but not as the main star of the show. Use fresh shrimp when available, but a bag of good frozen shrimp can taste just as good. IF I think about it the day ahead, I will place the bag of frozen shrimp in a bowl and set it in the fridge 24 hours ahead of time to thaw. If it is a last minute decision, you can thaw the shrimp in a colander under cold running water for 5-10 minutes. 

This recipe calls for peeled shrimp. It only takes a few minutes to peel. We generally use the large shrimp (21-30 count) for most recipes. They are the perfect size for grilling or serving over pasta. 

Garlic Shrimp Pasta

1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 lb pasta (I love to use shapes...especially the mini shapes)
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1 stick butter or margarine
minced garlic to taste (I use several cloves!)
salt
pepper
Old Bay Seasoning

In a large stock pot or pasta pot, bring water to a boil. Add in 1/2 tsp salt to boiling water (never add the salt before the water boils...it will harm your pans). Add in your pasta and cook on medium high heat for 8-10 minutes as per the pasta's directions.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet on medium high heat and add in the butter and extra virgin olive oil. Place the shrimp, minced garlic, a dash of pepper and a dash of Old Bay Seasoning into the skillet. Stir throughout cooking (approximately 5 minutes). When the shrimp are done (pink and opaque) remove from the heat. 

When the pasta is done, drain thoroughly. Put pasta back in the pot and pour the shrimp and sauce over the pasta. Toss. Serve warm with a crispy green salad and fresh bread. 

Note: Depending on your philosophy, add grated parmesan cheese or not. I love it, but some people would be shocked using cheese with a seafood. 

An adult chocolate shake!

Chocolate lovers...this one is for you!

Last year I was blessed with a trip to Aruba. I have never been to an island for a vacation before. I have been on cruise ship, but that only stops on an island for a few hours. So this trip allowed me to explore the island, the culture, and the food. 

One of my absolute favorite things I tried was this drink. I absolutely loved it. I came home and just had to re-create it for my self. It took some experimenting to get it how I liked it. I just had to add my own twist. Now when I fix this chocolate shake it takes me right back to Aruba and the calming sound of the turquoise water lapping on white sand beaches. I have never seen such beautiful water as those surrounding this small island. 

Aruba is just 17 miles north of Venezuela and thankfully, below the hurricane belt. So they enjoy almost consistently warm sunny weather year-round. My friend and I went in June and it was the most relaxing and enjoyable vacation I have ever been on. Aruba is the place to sit back and relax on the calm sandy beach, or enjoy many activities from para-sailing to deep sea fishing. There is as much to do on the island as you want...or not. Your choice. 

Chocolate Shakes for Adults Only!

1 c ice cubes
4 oz half and half
1/3 c chocolate syrup
2 oz whipped cream vodka

In a blender crush the ice cubes to fine dust. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend. Pour into glasses and enjoy. (I keep a frozen mug just for this one.)

Note: You can adjust the thickness by adding more ice or more half and half depending on your preferences. I like mine thick and creamy and extra chocolaty. 

*To make this kid-friendly...omit the vodka. 

A quick and tasty dip for all those summer parties!

This is a fantastic dip that is served warm with tortilla chips.

Does your family have 'old favorites' that you just can't do without? This one is just that for my family.

Many a night we have enjoyed this dip gathered together around the television...yes we don't normally do that, but this one is just made for watching a movie together while we eat. I serve it with a mixed green salad and some fresh cut fruit. Then we pop in a movie, or turn on ESPN now that the boys are older and love their sports, and enjoy dinner.

This recipe is also great for taking to parties, showers, office 'munchie' days, or any other casual type gathering. Once you make the dip, just transfer it to a crock pot, plug it in, and set to a low setting. It will keep warm for hours (just remember to stir it every now and then).

Use whatever tortilla chips you prefer. I like the crispy rounds. The rounds tend to support this hearty dip better than some of the other varieties. Plus they are practically bite-sized. The scooped shaped ones are also a good choice, but I find that half of the bag of the scooped shaped are broken and easily used for this dip.

Sausage Dip

1 lb pork sausage (hot if you want a kick)
8 oz cream cheese
10 oz chunky salsa (mild...or medium for a bigger kick)
1 bag of tortilla chips

Break the sausage up into small pieces and place in a skillet. Keep chopping it smaller and smaller (you want it to blend in with the other ingredients, not be bit pieces of meat) and cook until done. After it is cooked, drain the grease away. (I also pat the sausage down with paper towels to remove as much of the grease as possible and I wipe out the skillet.)

Put the sausage back in the skillet and add the cream cheese and stir until melted over medium heat. Once the cream cheese is melted, add the salsa and stir until everything is combined. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve warm with the tortilla chips.

Jambalaya! That says it all.

Photo by László Szalai (Beyond silence) (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Wow. This one is fantastic. If you like seafood and sausage with a kick, this is the one for you.

I know it has a few more ingredients than most, but give a try!

Nothing says home like a good comfy meal. I love soups and stews because they make me feel relaxed and satisfied. So what could be better than Jambalaya? Chicken, sausage, AND shrimp? Yes! Add in some rice or pasta (we prefer pasta) and you have the perfect meal that my family loves. I serve this one with a leafy green salad and some crusty bread to help soak up the broth. 

Jambalaya also makes a great leftover meal. Take it to work for lunch. If it gets a little dry the next day, just add a bit of water when you heat it up. Your co-workers will be jealous when they smell the delicious aromas coming from your office or lunchroom, so maybe you better take an extra serving or two to avoid a riot...that is IF your family will allow it out the door in the first place. 

This one also freezes fairly well. You will want to add some more liquid when you re-heat it. The pasta or rice tends to absorb all the juice and you do not want a dry Jambalaya. 

Jambalaya

1 pound small shaped pasta

Olive oil

1/2 lb pound peeled raw shrimp (small size is great; 30-40 count)

½ pound chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces

½ pound smoked sausage or smoked kielbasa cut into bite size pieces

1 small diced onion

1 Tbl minced garlic

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning or shrimp boil 

½ c chicken stock

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes

½ c heavy cream (or half and half)

1 Tbl basil
1 c grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta in salted water for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside (reserve 3 c of pasta water for later).

While cooking the pasta, place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add in 1 Tbl of olive oil. In a small bowl, add the shrimp and the Old Bay Seasoning, and toss. Add the shrimp to pan and cook for 1 minute per side (until the outside is just cooked, it will finish cooking later). Remove the shrimp and set it aside. Add another 1 Tbl of olive oil to the saute pan and heat. In another small bowl, add the chicken, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and toss. Add the spiced chicken to the heated pan and cook until brown, then set aside with the shrimp. 

Now to the pan, add an additional 1 Tbl of olive oil to the saute pan and heat. Add the smoked sausage and the chopped onion to the pan. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned and onions are translucent, about 2-5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the chicken stock to the pan and then scrape the bottom of the pan to release the cooked bits (deglaze the pan) for about 30 seconds. Next, pour the tomatoes into the pan and cook for 4 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the pan and cook for 2 minutes. Next, add back the shrimp and chicken and the al dente pasta and the reserved pasta cooking water (a 1/2 cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency). Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp and chicken are cooked through. Remove from heat and add the basil and toss to mix and then serve.

Let your diners add Parmesan as desired. (Some people do not like cheese with seafood.)

Great tasting chicken recipe

My children love this recipe. I hope yours will too!

I was looking for something different to do with chicken. We get so tired of cooking chicken the same way over and over again. So I set off to find a different and interesting twist to baking chicken. It did take a try or two. You see, my boys are not that picky, but they do have some things they just will not eat. I was not sure about poppy seeds at first, but I was amazed...they loved it.

This recipe is rich and creamy and the crackers add just the right touch to the top of it to give it something special. This one can also be frozen since the chicken is already cooked. Then you can pull it out anytime you need something fast. Just carefully thaw it in the microwave, then pop it in the oven until it is bubbly and toasty. 

Most of the ingredients come straight from the pantry (if you follow my pantry stocking tips). The chicken I pick up on Sundays, since my grocer puts them on sale that day. I usually do this recipe within a day or two of buying my rotisserie chicken. Don't worry about leftovers with this one...there will not be any, it is just that good. 

Poppy seed chicken casserole

1 chicken cooked and de-boned (I use a rotisserie chicken from the store)
1 c sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 c crushed Ritz crackers (I crush them in the sleeves to save clean up)
½ c melted butter

2 tbl poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Since the chicken is already cooked, this goes quickly and only needs heating through. Start with a large mixing bowl and combine the first eight ingredients and stir. Pour into a 9 x 13” lightly greased pan. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the last three ingredients and mix. Pour over the chicken mix. 
Bake 30 minutes until golden brown.

*Serve over rice. (I cooked a 10 minute rice while the casserole is in baking)

Photo By Joe: Schneid, Louisville, KY (Own work) [CC-BY-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Here is one to help the adults celebrate this holiday weekend!

What can I say about summer...I love it! Just look at all the fresh produce out there! There are so many fresh ingredients I don't know what to do with them all. But I will start with my favorite, strawberries.

These wonderful little bright red bites of heaven just make my day. I love serving them crushed over pancakes or ice cream. I add them to plain yogurt or top cakes with them. We even chop them up and make smoothies for a healthy treat. But my favorite recipe for them currently is Drunken Strawberries.

After a long hard day of work, homework, errands, and other pressing activities, it is nice to sit down and relax with these bites of heaven. What could be better than having strawberries with chocolate...unless you add in some Whipped Cream Vodka too. Wow!

These adult little treats are great for taking to a get together. Or how about enjoying them at a wedding shower? They are not only tasty, but beautiful too! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do, and remember that the strawberry season does not last long, so you better get moving before they are all gone. Of course with the world getting smaller, more and more grocers are carrying strawberries year-round from other countries, but there is nothing better than a locally grown batch of berries...especially if you have a farm that you can take the family to and enjoy picking them together!

*This one does take a day of preparation ahead of time and 2 hours of chilling time on the day you serve them, but it is worth the extra effort to fit those extra few minutes into your busy schedule to make this one. 

Summer drunken strawberries

Topped and rinsed fresh strawberries

1 c Whipped Cream Vodka

Chocolate fondant

Place the strawberries in a container with a lid. Add the vodka. Seal the container with the lid and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

Dip the drunken strawberries into the melted fondant and place on a cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Eat and enjoy…but no driving!

Welcome to Quick and Tasty Dinners!

Welcome to my new blog page.

In today's fast-paced world, we hardly have time to stop and breathe let alone fix dinner for our families. Between work, soccer, tennis, school homework, exercise, church, and many other family commitments, family meals have been down-graded to whatever fast-food joint is on the way to our next activity.

I, myself, am a single parent of three very active young men. All are involved in sports, school clubs, some part-time work, and with many friend, an active social life. So dealing with all of this, it hit me one day. What am I doing to help my family deal with all of life's stresses. What kind of example am I setting for a happy well-adjusted home life? Our meal time was non-existent. That was something that I could control. So I stopped one day and really examined what I was feeding my family...not to mention the price of all the fast food meals. I was horrified. So I decided there had to be a better way. Something quick AND tasty that I could prepare for my family and still get everything else accomplished. We would sit down together, no matter how briefly, and eat as a family...even if it sometimes ended being packed up as a 'picnic' and eaten before a game. We would be together.

So here on my blog, you will find some terrific and tasty meal recipes that you and your family will love. All of these recipes can be made, start to finish, in just a quick 30-45 minutes!

Check back tomorrow for the first quick and tasty recipe!