Shrimp Penne w/ Tomato Cream Sauce--a non-traditional 4th of July (Day 166)

On Thursday, (Day 165) I went out to eat with my parents.  Phew!  Feels good to get that off my chest.  Ever since I started this blog journey, I feel like I'm sinning when we go out to eat. ;)  But in the summer, that's bound to happen more often than not.  Thursday was the original date for the Worcester fireworks, so the original plan was to go to their church picnic and then see fireworks but that was rescheduled for Saturday.

Friday, the 4th of July, brought rain.  Lots of rain.  I didn't even get my run in.  I kept waiting for the rain to stop, even for just a little while, but it never did.  We packed and packed some more.  I ended up making a pasta dish for supper, which is so NOT 4th of July-ish.   Oh well, there's always next year.  In the meantime, enjoy this recipe for a warm pasta dish that does include seafood, so it's okay to have in the summer! :)

Shrimp Penne w/ Tomato Cream Sauce
1 lb penne
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 TB butter, 1 TB olive oil
1/2 of one onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15 oz can of tomato sauce
2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup white wine
1 tsp sugar
2 TB parsley, chopped
3 TB basil leaves, chopped
salt, pepper
parmesan cheese

Get the pasta cooking in a pot of boiling, salted water.  In a large skillet, start cooking the prepared shrimp in the butter and olive oil until just pink, about 2 minutes.  Don't forget to turn the shrimp.  Remove them onto a plate and set aside.  In the same skillet over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook until translucent.  Add the white wine and cook another minute or two.  Pour in the tomato sauce and heavy cream and sprinkle in the sugar and herbs and cook for a few minutes over medium-low heat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Chop up the cooked shrimp and add it to the sauce.  Add in the cooked penne as well.  Serve hot with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top and bread to mop up the sauce.  Mmmmmm......

Weekend Meals: Days 131, 132, 133

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Here's a recap of our weekend in meals.

Friday night Randy and I had a house showing which started out promising and after crunching some numbers and finalizing an offer on Saturday, we found out this morning (Sunday) that the sellers went with a different offer.  So it goes.  :)

So Friday night, Randy and I ordered from the Unos.  With Bank of America, you get "cashback" deals with your debit card.  Currently, we get 20% back at Unos Bar & Grill.  That's a pretty cool program--pretty cool savings!  We split 1 entree and an appetizer and it was plenty for us.

Saturday was quite a day!  The kids and I got locked out of the house for about 3 hours right around lunch time.  In order to try to keep Abby calm while I was frustrated on the inside, we walked to the pizza place down the street and ate there.  If it wasn't pouring out and I wasn't so upset, it would've been pretty fun!  Then the kids got to play in the mud for a couple hours while I called people and Randy finally came home and let us inside and then left again to referee more soccer.  After late afternoon naps (for all 3 of us), we hit the grocery store.  At this point, I knew I wouldn't have dinner ready in time for all 4 of us to eat and give the kids the baths they so desperately needed.  They had mac & cheese, and Randy and I had a date-night dinner later.  (Complete with appetizers, drinks, and salads as starter-courses.)

Summer Citrus Shrimp Scampi
I love that I get to try new dishes at restaurants for the sake of "research."  Here is my recreation of a fun summertime shrimp scampi I had at Applebee's several weeks ago.

1/2 lb linguine
1/2 lb shrimp
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small summer squash, sliced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
juice from 3-4 lemons
1/2 cup white wine
4 TB butter
red pepper flakes
salt, pepper (to taste)
fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Set a pot of water on the stove to boil.  Once boiling, salt liberally and drop the pasta.  In a large skillet, melt 2 TB of butter over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute.  Add the red pepper flakes.  Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and lemon juice.  (For more of a citrus flavor, add in 3-4 lemon halves to cook with the sauce and you can remove them later.)  Turn the heat up to medium-high to help reduce the sauce in the pan.  Add the zucchini and summer squash and cook in the sauce until soft.  (If you are using raw shrimp, make sure it is deveined and peeled and you may add it now.  If you are using pre-cooked frozen shrimp, just make sure it is thawed and add it in with the tomatoes, so it doesn't overcook.)  Once the vegetables have softened, add the tomatoes.  Season the sauce with salt and pepper.  Finish off by adding the remaining 2 TB of butter and removing the lemon halves.  Drain the linguine and add it to the sauce.  Toss to combine.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

We started Sunday morning with chocolate chip pancakes!  (Always a crowd-pleaser.)  I felt like I hadn't made a whole roasted chicken in a while, so that's what we had for Sunday dinner (lunch).  Randy practically begged for gravy, so I indulged him. ;)  We had rice and salad on the side.  Something about the warmer weather makes me not want to have mashed potatoes and hot vegetables with my roasted chicken in summer--it just feels wrong.  I will also be able to make my chicken stock and chicken salad with the leftovers from today.  I have so missed the days when I get to cook just for us! ;)

Randy was gone for most of the afternoon and has a "guys' night" tonight, so the kids and I are on our own again.  Ladies that deal with busy husbands/dads, I know you feel me!  Our men do so much for us that it's hard to complain about them being gone a lot, but let me just admit it--it SUCKS.  I love my husband, and my kids love their dad and we love him being around!  This is the only and last Sunday that Randy will ref soccer because we have agreed that it needs to be our family day.  I was able to take the kids to the park next to the field he was reffing at, and when he came over to us and told me that I made his day, my day got a little brighter, too.  :)

The kids and I then had a "picnic" supper of hot dogs, pretzels, and fruit in our backyard, and then I took them out for ice cream.  Abby had her FIRST ice cream CONE by herself.  My little girl is growing up so fast!  (And no, she didn't finish it, and yes, we lost some to the ground, but she's so "big" that there weren't any real tears!)

The week ahead should bring some repeater recipes, a couple new ones, and with the 80-degree weather we're supposedly going to have, I'm thinking I'll introduce my homemade strawberry lemonade.  Stay tuned, should be a good week!

Days 113 & 114: Steak, Tilapia, Mango Salsa, Sides

#TwoForTuesday!
Sorry, I couldn't resist.  That hashtag is the reason I am staying up way past my "bedtime" writing this post--I must get these dinners written up today, Tuesday!!! ;)

I guess we'll start with yesterday's dinner--Day 113: Marinated Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Seasoned Vegetables

Let's talk about steak.  So many people love steak, but are scared of cooking it at home.  Getting the temperature and tenderness can be tricky.  Then there's questions like, "Do I go with a rub or a marinade?"  Well, without overloading you with tons of information about beef, let me give you a quick low-down...
1) Cuts of Beef:  If you're looking for a nice, big, tender, juicy steak, you'll probably have to spend a couple extra bucks.  The most tender part of a cow/bull would be the tenderloin.  (Yes, the name speaks for itself.)  The problem is, it's about the smallest part of the animal, which is why it's so expensive.  This is where your filet mignon will come from.  Now, if you don't want to spend so much, you can also usually get away with buying the parts of beef around the tenderloin.  Just look for cuts ending in "loin" i.e. short loin, sirloin, top sirloin, bottom sirloin, etc.  The New York strip will come from here, also.  Sticking with these names will most likely give you the most tender cut of meat.  The tougher cuts will come from the parts of the animal that move the most and are the most muscular: the rear and shoulder.  These would be the "round" and "chuck" respectively.  Although, the flat iron comes from the chuck and can be tender and is very inexpensive--it's probably the perfect steak to cook at home during the week!  Then you have the brisket, flank, shank, and rib.  (The rib should be obvious...)  These cuts are thin and may be a bit chewy.  Marinades help tenderize them and because they're thin, they're great in fajitas and as additives to other meals.
2) Cooking to Temp: For exact cooking temperatures, obviously use a thermometer.  155*-160* is about well-done, 115* is rare.  Medium should be about 140*.  We like our steak medium-rare.  I don't use a thermometer, I use the "thumb/finger" test.  By touching your thumb to your index finger, you create a "medium-rare" feeling in your lower thumb, when you touch your thumb to your pinky, you're at well-done.  Match these with the feel of the meat, and you're close!  Don't forget to give your meat time out of the oven/off the grill to "rest."  (The juices will soak back into the meat and the the meat will continue cooking on its own for a few minutes.)
3)  Rub or Marinade?  Use a marinade when you want your meat to tenderize all day or overnight.  A rub is a dry combination of spices and seasonings and you rub it into the meat right before cooking.  This is a great way to add flavor and kick at the last minute!

I marinated my steak overnight in a combination of olive oil, soy sauce, and grill seasoning.

Then, I seared it on my grill pan and finished it in a 400* oven.

With it, I served garlic mashed potatoes and zucchini & summer squash sauteed in butter and grill seasoning (to complement the meat).  A perfect summer meal on an 80* May day!

Day 114: Roasted Tilapia with Mango Salsa, Wild Rice, Green Beans

I began by breading my fish.  We've talked about this before.  A good crust on poultry or fish is created by starting with a good breading process: flour seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder if desired (I used it tonight), then an egg wash, and finally, breadcrumbs with additional seasoning.  I added dried thyme and lemon zest to my breadcrumbs tonight to go with the fish.
I drizzled the tilapia with olive oil and a little hot sauce before baking it at 400* for about 12-15 minutes.

Before oven.

After oven.

I've featured mango salsa before, but here I have it broken down with pictures:

Start with 1 mango, diced.

Add 1 plum tomato, diced.

1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped.

Add 2 TB chopped cilantro, salt, pepper, juice of 1 lime, drizzle of hot sauce.

YUM!

The fish went well with green beans sauteed with butter and seasoning, and wild rice.  You can never have enough hot sauce in this family, so we drizzled a little more on...

Day 31: Shrimp Scampi w/ Linguine & Ceasar Salad

After a few bites of dinner, Randy sits back and says, "I can officially say that this is the best shrimp scampi I've ever had."  I guess after several tries over the years, I finally got it right.  It's not that I want to boast about myself in the kitchen, but rather encourage you that this is a great recipe!  Again, it comes from trial and error, and a bit of research.
My biggest problem with shrimp is the work that goes into it.  As a rule, I don't like spending extra money on pre-packaged stuff that has been prepared for me when I can easily do it myself.  The operative word in that sentence is "easily."  Before I had 2 kids and before my husband worked 2 jobs, I didn't mind peeling and deveining the shrimp on my own.  But now, it's a different story.  I did peel and devein the shrimp myself tonight, but thought it was pretty much the last time I would ever do that.  I now think the extra money it costs to buy peeled and deveined shrimp is totally worth it.  Perhaps someday I'll go back, when the kids are older and maybe moved out of the house...

Shrimp Scampi w/ Linguine
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb linguine
3 TB butter
2 TB olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 TB red pepper flakes
1/2 cup white wine
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 TB chopped fresh parsley flakes
salt, pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Salt it liberally, add about 1 TB olive oil and the linguine.  Meanwhile, melt 2 TB butter and 1 TB olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute over medium-low, being careful not to let it burn.  Add the shrimp.  Cook until opaque and pink.   Add the red pepper flakes and white wine.  Add the lemon juice, zest, parsley, and salt and pepper.  When the linguine is ready, add it to the skillet.  Finish off with the remaining 1 TB of butter.  Toss together.

My recipe for homemade ceasar dressing can be found in Day 5.

Day 8: Portuguese Cod with Potatoes and Green Beans

Found this recipe in one of my Rachael Ray recipe books.  Looked good and different, so I tried it.  It was great!

2-4 cod filets (however many you need-I used 2)
1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced
3-4 cloves of garlic
28 oz can diced tomatoes
4-8 slices of prosciutto
3-4 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
green beans
salt, pepper, olive oil

Preheat oven to 425* and place a large cast iron skillet in to heat.  In a saucepan over medium-high heat, saute the garlic and onions in olive oil.  Add the tomatoes to simmer.  (I also added a pinch of sugar to cut the bitterness and some salt and pepper.)  Drizzle oil, salt, and pepper on the cod filets and place them in the hot skillet and in the oven for 7-8 minutes.  At this time, heat a skillet over medium-high heat with some olive oil, and add the potatoes to start cooking.  After the 7-8 minutes that the cod has been roasting, pull the filets out and pour the tomato sauce over them and about 2 slices of prosciutto on each filet.  Place back in the oven for 8-10 minutes.  Turn the potatoes once or twice while cooking.  They will be done when browned.  Blanch or steam the green beans for about 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper.  Serve hot, altogether.