Bang-Bang Shrimp

This is two recipes in one post.  I wasn't planning on posting this recipe, so I don't have a picture.  It turned out so good I decided I needed to share it and we didn't have any leftovers!  I was going to make coconut shrimp for dinner. Then I remembered the Bang-bang shrimp Mike and I ate at The Bonefish Grill over a year ago.  It was so good (and I don't really love shrimp).  So I found a copy cat recipe for the Bang-bang shrimp at www.cdrecipes.com and then decided to mix it up a little bit. 

COPY CAT BANG-BANG SHRIMP

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Dry cornstarch
oil for frying
lettuce

Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch (or just shake the shrimp with the cornstarch in a baggie). Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown (3-4 minutes on the first side, 2 minutes on second side). Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce. Serve in a lettuce lined bowl.


COCONUT BANG-BANG SHRIMP PASTA
For a slightly milder taste (not so spicy) and to make it into a one dish meal:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Tahi Sweet Chili Sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dried shredded coconut

Mix the sauce together.  Prepare the shrimp the same way as the above recipe.  Mix pasta (spaghetti or linguine) sauce and fried shrimp together.  Yummy! 

The cornstarch makes the shrimp super crunchy and the sweet chili sauce is so good!

Chicken Parmigiana

I love italian food and this is no exception. This Chicken Parmigiana was amazing and the leftovers were even better. This recipe is from thepioneerwoman.com.

4 whole(up to 6) boneless chicken breasts pounded flat
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbs butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cups wine (white or red)
3 cans (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsely
1 cup parmesean cheese (freshly grated is best)
1 lb thin linguine

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate. Dredge flattened chicken breasts flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your past. Cook linguine until al dente.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Without cleaining skillet, add onions and garlice and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Pour crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of the cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breast on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated parmesean. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add mor cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a palte and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley and serve immediatley.

Spaghetti Sauce

This is for anyone of you out there that doesn't know what to do with all those tomatoes growing out in your garden. This is homemade spaghetti sauce. I can't take credit for the recipe, I got it from my nephew's wife Brittany and it is delicious. I made it last year and made two batches of it this year. I have changed a couple of things. We plan to eat it on pasta but also as soup with grilled cheese sandwiches and really if you just had some garlic bread it would be great to dip it in. It is yummy and has lots of veggies in it so it is good for you and also your kids.

1 1/2 gallons of blended tomatoes
3 large onion, finely chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped or grated
1 cup chopped mushrooms
3 grated carrots
3 cans of tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, if I don't have it I just add some dried.
1 TB. dried oregano
5 cloves garlic
4 beef bouillon cube, or equivalent( like "Better than Bouillon")
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 - 1 red pepper finely diced (or any color you want)
1/3 cup olive oil

Blend/ chop all the ingredients and add to a large stockpot, with a thick bottom. I actually used my two crock pots and they were full but then I didn't have to stir it.

Simmer about 3 hours on medium heat stirring regularly. You want a very gentle simmer. When it starts to thicken, you will know it is ready. In my crock pot I just let it cook on high all day and only had to stir it occasionally.

When it is done allow it to cool off. I then used my hand blender and blended it one more time to make it really smooth with no chunks. I don't like chunks and this hides everything from your kids. Then scoop it into your zip lock bags. I lay all the bags on my jelly roll pan and put them in the freezer. When they are frozen you can stack them flat and they don't take up much space.

Enjoy and change anything you like. I love this recipe Brittany!

Creamy Penne Bake

I love broccoli and pasta with a cream sauce, so when I found this recipe at Mels Kitchen Cafe I knew I needed to give it a try. I have used both smoked and regular mozzarella and while the smoked adds an incredible flavor regular mozzarella works perfectly in a pinch. I did reduce the amount of sundried tomatoes. I think a small amount adds flavor while too many overpowered the dish.  The creaminess of the pasta with a crunch from the topping makes this incredible!

Creamy Penne Bake

Topping:
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 ½ pounds), stalks cut off, florets trimmed into 1-inch pieces
12 ounces penne pasta (I have used both veggie and wheat and you cannot tell)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3), trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 ounces smoked mozzarella, shredded
4 oz. sundried tomatoes, diced (if you are not a fan leave them out, I have tried both ways and the dish can hold its own without.)

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and butter and set aside. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle of the oven. In a large pot, bring the water for the pasta to a boil. Stir in one tablespoon salt and the broccoli. The broccoli cooks quickly so stay close! Cook the broccoli for 1 minute, until it is bright green. Quickly remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon to a plate. Return the water to a boil and add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 1-2 minutes less than how you would eat it normally (it will cook a bit more in the oven while baking). Drain the pasta in a colander and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Leave it in the colander and set it aside.

While pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until shimmering in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the flour, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth and cream; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 6-7 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and smoked mozzarella.

Add the cooked pasta and broccoli to the sauce; stir to combine. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the casserole is bubbling and the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Easy Macaroni and Cheese

This is a great recipe if you need dinner quick but I wouldn't say it was low-fat.

1 lb macaroni

8 oz Velveeta (more if you want it really cheesy)

1 cup cream

Melt Velveeta with cream. Cook pasta and put it all together. My kids gobbled it up.

Corn Pasta

This pasta I made up. I was running low on food so I took what I had and made dinner.

1 lb spaghetti (its what I had)

1 cup corn

1 small can of chiles

1 cube butter

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 clove of garlic

1 cup cream

Cook up the spaghetti. Meanwhile cook corn and chiles for a few minutes. Melt in the butter, add in garlic, cook for a minute. Add in cream and cheese. Cook until thick. Pour over pasta and you have a yummy pasta dish. Went great with chicken and some veggies.

Lasagna

I have always really liked this Lasagna recipe, it has cream cheese and sour cream in it. Yum! When I make it I always make it in two smaller pans and freeze one.

2 lb ground beef (I always substitute beef with ground turkey)

1 onion,chopped

2 cans (15 oz) tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

2 cloves of garlic

6 oz cream cheese, softened

1 pt sour cream

6 green onions, chopped

2 tbsp oil

1 pkg lasagna noodles

16 oz mozzarella cheese

Brown ground beef and chopped onion. Add spices (1 tsp of cumin, chili powder and paprika) and tomato sauce and garlic. Simmer 30 minutes. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, green onions, and oil in bowl and cook noodles; grate mozzarella cheese. Next, layer noodles, cheese mixture, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese in a glass dish. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Garlic Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta

I love pasta and this was definitely a tasty one. This one was inspired from The Sister's Cafe.

1 Tb olive oil

1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breast, cut up

1 tsp salt

1 Tb olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced

1/2 c green onions, sliced

2 bell peppers of your choice ( I did yellow and red)

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (drained)

1/2 c chicken broth

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp cornstarch

1 lb bow tie pasta, cooked

1/2 c heavy whipping cream

1/3 c fresh cilantro, chopped

Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook pasta.

Cook the chicken over medium heat until done. Sprinkle with salt and remove from pan. Keep warm.

Cook garlic in oil until golden. Add mushrooms, green onions and peppers - cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, red pepper flakes, cornstarch and salt. Heat to boiling then reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Oh and I added a little cream because everything is better with cream, I did 1/2 cup.

Combine chicken, hot mixture, pasta and cilantro. Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan to your liking and enjoy!

*Use less crushed red pepper to make it mild.

Lemon, Caper, and White Bean Pasta

This title makes me laugh!  I am all about quick and easy meals on days that I work, especially if Mike isn't home for dinner.  Yesterday I was looking on-line for something I could make that was really fast, easy and eatable.  I saw this recipe with a beautiful picture and decided it looked like it would work.  I went into the kitchen and discovered that the only ingredient I had was pasta, that was it.  I made it anyway with substitutions for every other ingredient!  It sounds weird, but it was good, I liked it and my kids all ate it!  So give it a try - especially if you need something in 15 minutes!
  
My version below is Lime, Olive, and Bean Pasta inspired by Anne Coleman's recipe on Disney's Family.com


Ingredients
8 ounces angel hair pasta
1 lime, zested and juiced (2 teaspoons zest and 1/4 cup juice)
dash of granulated garlic
pepper
small can of chopped olives
1 (15 ounce) can any beans, rinsed and drained (I used light kidney, I think the white beans would be best)
3 Tablespoons salted butter


Directions

1. Cook pasta in several quarts of boiling water until al dente. Angel hair only takes 4-5 minutes to cook. Drain, set aside and keep warm.
2. Heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add lime juice, zest, garlic and pepper. Stir and cook until bubbling.
3. Stir in beans and olives and heat through briefly. Toss with pasta and serve.

The kids and I had this with bread and salad.  If Mike had been home we probably would've added some meat - shrimp or grilled chicken would be good!  It had a stronger citrus taste then I had expected, but I liked it! Let me know what you think!

Baked Lemon Pasta

This recipe was inspired by Pioneer Woman. In our family we love lemon and this was not a disappointment.

1 pound of thing spaghetti

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 whole Lemon, juiced and zested

2 cups sour cream

Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook spaghetti until al dente. In a skillet, melt butter with olive oil over low heat. When butter is melted, add garlic. Squeeze lemon juice into the pan. Turn off heat. Add sour cream and stir mixture together. Add lemon zest. Pour mixture over drained spaghetti and stir together, then pour spaghetti into and oven safe dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, covered for 15 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

I served it with some chicken. I just breaded it with bread crumbs. I did put a little bit of lemon zest in my bread crumbs. I fried my chicken in butter/olive oil and some minced garlic to give it a little more flavor. It was very yummy.

Thai Chicken Peanut Noodles

I have tried many recipes for this and haven't always been impressed but I loved this one, it was very good. I found this recipe on the sister's cafe blog.

1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled
½ Cup smooth peanut butter
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
¼ Cup soy sauce

2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1 scant teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Cup hot water
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ Cup finely chopped white onion
½ Cup finely chopped red or orange bell pepper
2½ - 3 Cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
¼ Cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Cook chicken and shred.
Place garlic and ginger in food processor until well chopped. Add peanut butter, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Pulse until well combined and slowly add hot water. Set aside. If you don't have a food processor or the right attachment for it then the blender works great too.
Place olive oil in hot skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in chicken breast, cilantro and salt. Stir until heated through.
Add sauce and chicken mixture to noodles. Toss to coat and garnish with peanuts and sesame seeds if desired.

Creamy Artichoke Chicken

I found this recipe on the sister's cafe blog.

4 boneless chicken breasts

1 can chicken broth

1/2lb fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 T butter

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 c flour

1/4 c butter

1-2 cloves of garlic

2 T cooking sherry (the recipe says you can substitue apple juice)

1 (14oz) can marinated artichoke hearts

1/2 c parmesan cheese

3/4 c half and half

Saute mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter until golden brown. Set aside. Slice chicken breasts in two. Simmer in chicken broth for 20 minutes. Remove from broth, reserving 3/4 cup broth. Arrange chicken in a large casserole dish. Top with artichokes and mushroom; set aside. melt 1/4 cup butter with 1-2 cloves of garlic and stir in flour, salt, pepper, broth and half and half. Cook until thick. blend in cheese, cooking sherry and rosemary. Pour over chicken. Cover and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Fiesta Chicken Pasta

Sorry, the picture isn't very good. I forgot until I was putting it away. It was very yummy.

1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch dip mix
½ c. oil
½ c. vinegar

1 lb cooked, shredded chicken (about 1 ½ to 2 breasts)
3/4 box garden rotini
1 can black beans
1 can black olives, halved
2 -3 tomatoes, chopped
Frozen corn

Mix dressing mix, oil, and vinegar in small bowl and set aside. Combine chicken, cooked pasta, beans, olives, and tomatoes in large bowl. Add dressing and frozen corn about 20 minutes before serving. Be sure to toss again just before serving, as the dressing will seep to the bottom.

Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

4 cups cooked macaroni or cavatappi
1 T. olive oil or Pam
1/2 finely diced red onion or I use whatever I have
1/2 finely diced red pepper
1 finely diced jalapeno, I take the seeds out
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
However much garlic you want
1 cup cream
1 generous cup grated pepper jack cheese
2 T. butter, I used 1
Salt
Pepper

Boil pasta until al dente. In a large skillet, add olive oil and saute garlic and vegetables over medium heat for a couple of minutes. You still want them to be crunchy. Add in canned chilies and stir around, then turn off heat. Drain pasta and add it to skillet. Pour on cream, add cheese, then add salt and pepper to taste and stir gently. At the end, add 2 tablespoons butter and stir again.
I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/ and it is great as a side dish or even as the main dish. It isn't hot at all, just slightly spicy. We love it!

Cheesy Chicken Lasagana

I have been wanting to try this for a long time. I found the recipe at realmomkitchen.com and it was AMAZING!! The chicken/ranch mixture would have been great by itself, add pasta and cheese and it is incredible.

Cheesy Chicken Lasagna

2 cans (12 oz) evaporated milk (not fat-free)
1 (1 oz) pkg. dry Ranch dressing mix
3 C. cubed, cooked, chicken
1/8 tsp pepper
1 (16oz) lasagna noodles, cooked
1 1/2 to  2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 to  2 C mozzarella cheese, grated

Cook the chicken and noodles first at the same time. Once noodles are done–rinse in cold water and set aside (it keeps them from sticking together). Combine evaporated milk (don’t use fat-free version) and Ranch dressing in a 3 quart heavy saucepan. Heat over low heat, stirring frequently until dry ingredients are dissolved. Stir in chicken and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes (don’t do any less), stirring frequently. Layer half of lasagna noodles, poultry sauce, and cheese in well-buttered 9×13 pan. Repeat layers again. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Tortellini Carbonara

This recipe is one of Michael's mom's recipes and I just love it. Of course as usual it's pretty fattening but enjoy.

16 oz frozen tortellini (I buy mine in the deli refrigerated section at Costco)

1 egg hard boiled and chopped

4 slices of bacon

1/4 c. chopped onion (I usually just throw in a handful of the dehydrated onion)

6 Tbs of butter

2/3 c. cream or evaporated milk

dash of pepper

dash of nutmeg

3/4 C Parmesan cheese

1 Tbs dried parsley

Dice bacon and fry until brown. Drain and cook onion in grease. Set aside bacon, onion and chopped egg. Cook tortellini as directed. Melt butter and cream over low heat. Stir constantly until bubbly for about two minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually add Parmesan Cheese stirring constantly until fairly smooth. Stir in pepper, nutmeg, parsley, onion, bacon, and egg. Mix with tortellini and serve.

Spinach-Ricotta Stuffed Shells

I altered this recipe just a little bit so I'll include both the original and my changes. It was good - my whole family liked and ate it.

1 lb fresh spinach (I used a little less, maybe 3/4 lb)
1 Tbsp chopped onion (I used onion powder)
1 Tbsp butter
1 beaten egg
2/3 c ricotta cheese (I used a full cup)
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 qt tomato sauce (I used a 16 ounce can, I don't know how much a quart is)

In a large saucepan combine the spinach with a small amount of water. Simmer, covered, for 3-5 minutes. Drain well. Squeeze the spinach to remove the excess moisture. Chop the spinach. In a skillet cook onion in butter until tender, but not brown. Add spinach, heat through. Combine egg, ricotta, Parmesan and nutmeg. Then add the spinach mixture. Pour half the sauce in a baking dish. Stuff 2o (I stuffed 16, that's how many fit in my pan) shells with filling, arrange in dish and top with remaining sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
I put most of my sauce in the bottom, since not everyone is a big fan of tomato sauce at my house. I wasn't sure if I should cover the dish. I tried not covering it but it looked like it was getting dried out (maybe because I didn't put the sauce on top?) and so I added the lid halfway through. They turned out really good!

Pasta Goodness!

I don't know what this is called but its good. It is similar to an Alfredo sauce. A friend made it for us after I had Tanner.

1 lb bacon

2-3 chicken breast

Mesquite marinade

1 lb bowtie pasta

1 cube butter

1 cup cream

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic

Cook bacon and cut up. Cook chicken in marinade and cut chicken up. Cook pasta. While cooking pasta melt butter in sauce pan. Add in garlic, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Bring to a boil while stirring. Cook until thickened. Put it all together and you have a fattening but yummy meal.

The salad is just strawberries, feta cheese, almonds, and cabbage (I usually use spinach but it had gone bad). We put the poppyseed dressing on it.

Quick and Easy Alfredo

I really like Alfredo sauce. I'm not a huge fan of the stuff in a jar. I've made several attempts to make alfredo and it takes forever and it always seperates or is too runny or lumpy or gross. I have a found a fairly easy and fail-safe recipe for alfredo sauce.

1/2 cup butter

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) I use the 30% less fat stuff

2 tsp garlic powder (I use less)

2 cups milk (skim works fine)

6 ounces parmesan cheese (this is approximately 1.5 cups)

1/4 tsp black pepper

Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder stirring with wire whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long.

I half this recipe and mix it with pasta, chicken, and green peas. Everyone eats it! It really is a quick and easy dish.

Penne Pasta w/ Green Beans & Feta

I made this for the first time when I was pregnant with Lilah and have been addicted ever since. My kids actually love it as well. It's a great summer side dish. I was hoping to make it while at home this July.

1/2 lb penne pasta
1/2 lb fresh green beans
1 red bell pepper (I've never added this)
1/4 cup vinegar
2 t lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 T parsley
2 t oregeno
2 t salt
1/2 lb feta cheese
1/2 cup olives
black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Blanch beans by placing them in salted boiling water for 3 min then immerse in ice water. Toss pasta and beans with remaining ingredients. You can make ahead a refregerate for a few hours.