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Food, Savory

Recipe: Easy Herbed Pasta and Shrimp

I love shrimp. I especially love pasta and shrimp. I love shrimp stuffed in wonton wrappers and often tossed in a taco for a more seafood-inspired Mexican dish. Living 15 minutes from the ocean, you’d think I would eat it more often.

I have memories of shrimp, that quite honestly, might frighten some people. You see, when I was younger and visiting my grandparents in Florida, I remember going to the fish market to get fresh shrimp for dinner. Now, when I say fresh shrimp, I don’t just mean it was pulled out of the ocean that day, I mean they still had their heads on and were nowhere close to looking like those curled pink gems you find on a Sunday brunch buffet. I blame my grandmother for the next part. Mostly because she had the confidence in me not to freak out and needed a kitchen assistant when no one else would aid her. I would cut the heads off the shrimp, then, as swift as a samurai, I’d devein the little devils.

At least I knew my food was fresh, right?

So the other night I was hungry, and to be honest, I didn’t want to spend too much time making anything, so I went to the seafood counter, purchased a quarter pound of shrimp and a box of Pasta-Roni Angel Hair Pasta and Herbs and started my pasta and shrimp mea.

I sauteed the shrimp in garlic and butter, made up the Past-a-Roni and voila, dinner was served in less than 15 minutes!.

Easy Herbed Pasta and Shrimp

Gather
1 box of Pasta-Roni Angel Hair Pasta and Herbs (plus 1 and 1/3 cup of water, 2/3 cups of milk, and 2 tablespoons of margarine)

For shrimp:
1/4 pound of medium size shrimp
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
Black pepper to taste

Prepare Pasta-Roni according to box.

Unshell and devein shrimp. In a small skillet, melt butter. Add shrimp and garlic powder. Let shrimp cook on either side until pink, should take about a minute on each side. Remove from pan and add to pasta. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Serve.

April 2, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Chicken and Green Pepper Tacos

pepper tacos

“Why don’t we just order something?”

It’s the daily dinner call I get and the question I am always trying to battle.

I hate that argument. That one of, “It would just be quicker.”

Why is quicker better? I’d rather not forgo good food for fast food. Plus, by the time I made it to the restaurant, picked up the food, and came home, I’d probably already be done cooking. It’s the illusion of “faster food” sometimes.

“Well, it’s too much effort.” That’s the other complaint I get. My response, “But it’s not.” Not for you anyway. And for me? Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but I actually enjoy cooking. Like the other day when Andy came over and said he was hungry. He was ready to call in Chinese food when I went to the kitchen, grabbed a few things out of the fridge and started making tacos.

In less than 10 minutes, I had three ready for him. And I have to admit, he might have only had two-and-a-half by the time he started to eat. I might have snagged one of them for myself. The saving grace? Chicken sausage that all I had to do was reheat with some peppers and onions. Voila! Lunch is served!

Chicken and Green Pepper Tacos

3 small flour tortillas
1 link of Al Fresco Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, minced
1/4 green pepper, diced
1/4 of a sweet onion, diced
Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Roma tomato, diced

Heat green peppers, onions, and chicken sausage in a skillet until chicken is browned. Microwave tortillas to soften. Sprinkle cheese inside, then fill with chicken, peppers, and onions. Fold in half and place in medium-high heat skillet.

Cook on either side until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned, slightly crunchy. Remove from pan, open and fill with diced tomatoes, and enjoy.

March 31, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

It turns out that all you have to say to get a guy to put together a new clothing rack for you is to say “bacon wrapped chicken.”

Let me back up. Two years ago one of my roommates decided he didn’t want the $20 clothing rack that was holding his button-ups and sweatshirts. So I took it. It was free and there was nothing really wrong with it. Sure, it swayed a little to the left, but if you put the heavy clothes on the right, it stayed up. And it worked… until the other day.

Over the weekend, I went out for the day, came back and had to hold a funeral. I don’t know if the Earth shifted or if a fly landed on it and it was too much weight, but either way it went down. And it went down hard. Nothing left to it. Gluing it together was not an option and Duct Tape wasn’t gonna do it.

So, I went to Target, got a new clothing rack and figured spending a little extra cash was totally worth it. Considering I made it two years on a free clothing rack, it was worth it. Then I got it home and realized I had to put it together. Total IKEA moment. So I pulled out the big guns and started cooking. Seemed a whole lot less effort than attempting to read the directions and put it all together. Word to all the women out there, learn to cook and you’ll never have to build anything ever again.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites

Gather:
3 chicken breasts
9 strips of bacon
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Garlic Powder

Preheat the oven to 375.

Slice each chicken breast into three pieces, slicing it lengthwise. Place piece of bacon on top of chicken, then roll up the chicken, creating a spiral. Lay down in a glass dish. Repeat for each piece, so you end up with 9 pieces of chicken.

Sprinkle top of chicken with black pepper and garlic powder. Place dish in oven. Back for 40-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is crispy. Remove and let cool. Serve.

March 24, 2014 by Roni

Food, Savory

Buffalo Chicken “Hot Pocket”

This is delicious. You’ve been warned.

Turns out, that after I made the Philly Cheesesteak Stromboli, I was destined to continue creating similar dinners, like this Buffalo Chicken Hot Pocket. So when one of my friends came over today, we decided chicken was going to be our main subject. Buffalo chicken, to be exact. But I had this feeling that I couldn’t just stuff some buffalo chicken in some dough and call it a day. So we went all the way: carrots, celery, ranch dressing, and cheddar cheese stuffed inside, too. The result? A very fabulous adult version of a Hot Pocket.

Buffalo Chicken “Hot Pocket”

Gather:
1 chicken breast
1 roll of whole wheat dough
1/4 cup of Franks Red Hot sauce
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons of Parmesan peppercorn ranch dressing
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 stalk of celery, cut into small pieces

Topping:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450.

In a skillet, cook diced chicken cubes. Add butter and hot sauce, cook until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Should not be runny.

Cut dough in half. Roll each half into a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Place on a cookie sheet.

In a bowl, add celery, carrots, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing. Mix. Add chicken from skillet into bowl. Mix.

Evenly scoop out mixture onto dough.

Fold dough over chicken to enclose the filling. Flip over. Score two lines on the top.

Mix melted butter and garlic powder. Pour over the top of each “pocket.” Grate Parmesan cheese over the top.

Place in oven. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until dough is golden brown. Remove from oven. Let cool for 5 minutes. Serve.

March 23, 2014 by Roni

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