Pasta with Shellfish & Tuscan Beans and Macaroni {recipes 30 &31}

Hi All! 

I promise I have still been cooking, but I have had a lot of other things to post about recently :)

So here are some recipes/food pictures :)

Pasta with Shellfish

 serves 6

{recipe a gift from Pam and Sara Hotchkiss}

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup white wine

1/2 tsp sugar {we didn't use this}

1 medium onion

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

3 cups shellfish {shrimp, lobster, scallops or crab} 

1 1/2 lbs pasta {fettuccine or linguine} 

6 lg garlic cloves

1 tsp. crushed rosemary

1 pinch oregano

1) Heat butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium high heat until butter is melted and mixture bubbles.

2) Add the wine, garlic, rosemary, oregano and onion. Cook until golden but not brown. 

3) Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes and shellfish, sugar and salt to taste. Stir until seafood is just heated through.

4) Serve over hot pasta. 

Enjoy!

We loved this recipe! Kyle liked it best of all the shrimp recipes we have tried so far! :) The wine is a really nice addition to the otherwise normal tomato-y sauce. Its got a really great flavor! Thank you Pam and Sara for the wonderful recipe! :)

Tuscan Beans and Macaroni

Really simple dish. Served with a big fresh salad :)

Want the recipe? Just let me know!

Let me know if there are certain types of recipes that you would like me to test and blog about! 

All for now,

 Alexandra 

Recipe #17: Shrimp Alfredo with Snap Peas

I think I am in love with shrimp.

Seriously, all of my favorite meals right now include shrimp.

This one is no different.

Shrimp Alfredo with Snap Peas

{borrowed and enjoyed from The First Real Kitchen Cookbook By: Megan and Jill Carle}

Serves 4

Ingredients:

12 oz. dry Whole Wheat* bow tie or penne pasta 

1b raw shrimp {alternative THAWED, frozen}

1 T. olive oil

1 1/2 cups of sugar snap peas

1 small clove of garlic

2 T. butter

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1 T. fresh chopped parsley

1) Bring a large sauce pan of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions or for 10 minutes. Drain and keep warm in bowl covered with towel.

2) {FOR FRESH SHRIMP} - peel shrimp.

3) Heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook snap peas stirring frequently for 3 minutes. Add the shellfish {fresh or THAWED} and cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes {or until the FRESH ones start to curl up and turn pink}. Remove contents from pan and keep warm.

4) Peel and finely chop garlic. Put butter and cream in pan and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until butter is melted. Add cheese and garlic and stir until smooth {cheese is melted}. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. 

5) Add peas and shrimp to sauce and add pasta. Stir until the pasta is completely coated with the sauce. 

6) Remove from heat, sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

Enjoy!

*Tips for cooking whole wheat pasta: if you or someone you know and feed complains about the texture of whole wheat pasta, cook for just a bit longer than the box suggests and it will soften the texture a little more! You won't even notice! This swap is so healthy for you and your family! :)*

What is your favorite shrimp/seafood recipe?

All for now,

Alexandra

Recipe #1: Garlic-Basil Shrimp

Hi Everyone. How is 2012 going for you so far?

For me its been pretty great.

Busy honeymooning, moving in and doing LOTS of cooking! :)

As you might know, one of my resolutions for the year is to try 100 new recipes. {that's a little over 8 per month!} I thought I would blog about them for you! {at least the good ones ;)}

Recipe #1

Garlic-Basil Shrimp

{borrowed and enjoyed from Better Homes and Gardens}

{see notes at the bottom! This was incredible! Its really adaptable as well, for veggies or those who don't like seafood!}

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 oz dried whole wheat fettuccine or linguine {we used basil linguine from Target, Archer Farms brand}

2 T Olive Oil

1 1/4 lbs. frozen large shrimp {THAWED, peeled, de-veined}

Tip: buy the shrimp already cooked, peeled and de-veined, then all you have to do is thaw and cook with the rest of the meal.

3 cloves of minced garlic

1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper {or more if you like spice}

3/4 cup of dry white wine

1 1/2 cups grape {or cherry} tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup finely chopped FRESH basil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1) Cook pasta according to instructions on package; drain and keep warm.

2) Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the shrimp and cook until cooked/heated through. Turn the shrimp over once during this process. 

3) Transfer shrimp to bowl with slotted spoon. {Leave oil in skillet}

4) Place garlic and crushed red pepper flakes into skillet with remaining oil. Cook until fragrant {not long at all!}. Add the wine and cook over high heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes and the basil. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Return shrimp to pan and heat through. Serve over the pasta. {make sure to spoon over a lot of the sauce! Its the best part!}

Notes/adaptations:

This recipe is incredible! It was sort of a quick decision but it is incredible! We gave it 7/10 {granted we have nothing to go off of since it was the first}.

If you are a vegetarian, or if you don't like seafood this recipe is very adaptable. In my opinion the sauce is the best part! So you could make it veggie and serve it over pasta. You could add tofu or cooked chicken and it would be delicious as well.

Enjoy! 

All for now!

Alexandra